John Robshaw's Favorite Things

There are many things we love here at Rooms & Gardens: our eclectic mix of handcrafted furniture and vintage pieces, sumptuous array of accessories, and of course, John Robshaw’s textiles. We had a great time a few months ago when he dropped by to surprise us in our Santa Monica store. Last week his gorgeous fall collection made its way to our shelves and the separation anxiety really started kicking in. We decided to give our good friend a call, reminisced about his visit, and discussed some of his favorite finds from our store.

John was immediately drawn to our framed vintage map prints. “I try to escape to the coast as often as I can. Nautical maps always help plan my next adventure,” said John. He was referring to a black and white California map from our collection. The map is a high quality reproduction set in a classic weathered black frame, and can serve as a true focal point for a living room, office or bedroom.  

Continuing our conversation about his love of travel, John thought of our Faux Bamboo Bed.  He noted, “I like the dark bamboo color which looks great against Uzbek velvets and the Thai Hill tribes textiles I’ve created... reminds me of my time relaxing in the Bahamas.”

After our brief excursion to the Caribbean, John mused over the many treasures he has collected from his travels. “I overload my apartment with kitschy items collected on my journeys, each one telling its own individual story... The legend of the Good Fortune Ball is one of my favorites,” John recounted. Our Good Fortune Ball is also a favorite accessory of co-owner Mary Steenburgen, and it was one of the first finds that was introduced when she opened the Santa Monica store with Eric and Jami Voulgaris.

We steered the conversation back to John’s textiles and bedding collection, and the many uses of textiles became a topic. “I love the mercury glass lamp with the John Robshaw for Duralee fabric shade. It’s fun to layer and mix and match different styles and textures,” he said, referring to one of our most popular lamp and shade ensembles.

You can’t think of John Robshaw without picturing fun and colorful patterns filling in your head. We love covering our furniture in John’s fabrics, and our beds are always adorned with his exquisite collection of decorative pillows sheeting, coverlets, and quilts. I had earlier sent John a photo of a recent vignette featuring our Hampton chair, and asked his opinion of our use of his pillows.  He replied,  “Rustic and modern pair this chair with funky geometrics to make it really fun.” John Robshaw code for a job well done.

We want to thank John for his continued support, and fabulous fabrics. As well celebrate his new fall collection; we look forward to the many more that will come.