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Functional, practical and financial reasons or mere lack of space prompt most of us to opt for minimalist interior decor. Yet there was a time when rich velvet fabrics were employed to decorate a room in a lavish style.

Velvet was often used on coat racks, mantel shelves or for sofa rugs during the 1920s and '30s.

In The Netherlands the so-called mohair velvets – also known as velours d'Utrecht to reference their origins – had an architectural value as well since they were often employed in interiors designed by the Amsterdam School. 

This material is currently being rediscovered by the exhibition "Ornamental Patterns" (until 4th March 2018) at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg.

Not so common and trendy nowadays, mohair velvet is a pile fabric with a surface of upright mohair yarns (from the Angora goat).

When it was employed for the Amsterdam School patterns, mohair velvet became a beloved fabric not just among professional interior designers, but also among ordinary people, mainly for its soft consistency, silk-like flexibility and rich colour palette.

Besides, it was also favoured for its indestructible quality and therefore employed for interiors in theatres and on passenger ships and railway carriages. 

"Ornamental Patterns" features a wide range of Amsterdam School mohair velvets, including curtain fabrics, wall coverings and upholstery fabrics, from the museum collection.

While the exhibition highlights the architectural importance of these fabrics, it also introduces visitors to the history of the factories such as Schellens & Marto, and Léo Schellens and the Hengelosche Trijpweverij in Eindhoven. All of them represent over a century of weaving excellence. 

The event also shows how artists and textile companies collaborated together from 1917 until 1935. 

The rather old-fashioned image of the fabric was refreshed by modern designs in the style of the Art Nouveau and Amsterdam School by Dutch designers such as Theo Nieuwenhuis, Chris Lebeau, C.A. Lion Cachet and Jaap Gidding.

The emphasis in the exhibition remains on the techniques with special displays including a mohair velvet cylinder with a design by Theo Nieuwenhuis and a wooden print block with a pattern by Chris Lebeau.

While the interior design pieces on display upholstered with mohair velvets prove inspiring especially when imagined in a typical Amsterdam School architectural frame, there are plenty of other materials to discover and study, from black and white photragraphs of production facilities to textile adverts. Artists and people who are into illustration will probably enjoy more the books of sketches showing rich selections of pattern drawings.

There is for example a book by designer Albert Lejeune that features several patterns and samples of mohair velvets in various colours that could easily become the starting point for a fashion collection or for very original knitwear pieces. 

The Amsterdam School's emotional approach had less influence than the De Stijl, but still managed to produce intriguing designs and, while some may be deemed a bit too old fashioned, others seem to be characterised by very modern geometrical motifs that, if reinvented, may lead to interesting results in various disciplines.

Image credits for this post

1. Designer: Willem Retera Wzn. (attributed); Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven (?); Year: c. 1920-1935; Dimension: 170 x 144 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

2. Mohair velvet divan rug; Designer: Jaap Gidding (attributed); Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven (?); Year: c. 1920-1935; Dimension: 291.5 x 150 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

3. Armchair upholstered with mohair velvet; Designer: Jaap Gidding; Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven; Year: c. 1920-1925; Dimension: 102 x 80 x 80 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

4. Armchair upholstered with mohair velvet in the style of the Amsterdam School; Designer: Jaap Gidding (attributed); Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven (?); Year: c. 1920-1935; Dimension: 92 x 76 x 84 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

5. Mohair velvet curtain "Dandelion" with abstracted dandelion motive; Designer: Chris Lebeau (attributed); Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven (?); Year: c. 1920-1935; Dimension: 298 x 130 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

6. Chair with mohair velvet upholstery "Arend" (Eagle) and wooden stamp; Designer: Chris Lebeau; Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven; Year: c. 1920-1930; Dimension: 120 x 50 x 50 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

7. Interior in the style of the Amsterdam School with two armchairs upholstered in mohair velvet; Designer: Jacobus Hellendoorn (?); Year: c. 1925; Collection: Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam.

8. Mohair velvet tablecloth in red and black with gold accents; Designer: Anton Hamaker (attributed); Manufacturer: Schellens & Marto (?); Year: c. 1920-1935; Dimension: 146 x 119 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

9. Mohair velvet tablecloth with pattern "Siwo"; Designer: Sikko van der Woude (attributed); Manufacturer: Schellens & Marto; Year: c. 1920-1930; Dimension: fabric 150 x 129 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum, drawing loan Eindhoven Museum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

10. Advertisement Hengelosche Trijpweverij in "De Vrouw en haar huis"; Designer: Theo Nieuwenhuis; Year: 1929; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

11. Mohair velvet upholstery "Cato Neeb" and sales catalogue of the Hengelosche Trijpweverij; Designer: Cato Neeb; Manufacturer: Hengelosche Trijpweverij, Hengelo; Year: pattern c. 1907-1910, production 1998 (remake); Dimension: 416 x 68 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

12. Pattern and samples of mohair velvet in different colours; Designer: Albert Lejeune (attributed); Manufacturer: Léo Schellens & Co., Eindhoven; Year: 1926; Dimension: 32.5 x 25 x 11 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

13. Interior trimming – pressing room of N.V. Eindhovensche Trijpfabrieken Schellens & Marto, Eindhoven; Year: 1947; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

14. Mohair velvet tablecloth in the style of the Amsterdam School; Designer: Unknown; Year: ca. 1915-1935; Dimension: 138,5 x 101 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

15. Coat hanger cloth; Designer: Unknown; Year: 1920-1935; Dimension: 154 x 88 cm; Collection: TextielMuseum; Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

16 and 17. Exhibition overview "Ornamental Patterns", 2017. Photo: Tommy de Lange commissioned by TextielMuseum.

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