Kathleen Gretz – Artist, Pattern and Textile Designer
La Selva Studio is a fine fabric producer for the trade and a licensing artist to the interiors industry.
The Vignettes
Welcome to my world of textiles, where each print is not just fabric, but an important part of a room’s story. Drawing from my background in interior design, I approach pattern creation holistically, envisioning how each pattern will complement the other elements of a space. From drapes to pillows, rugs to walls, and even bespoke art pieces, I sketch vignettes that help me visualize how my pattern ideas will all work together. You’ll find these sprinkled throughout my site’s journal and social channels, and you’ll also discover my process. Whether I start a design with a bare room or a simple photo, the ideas come together in a story of home. Home is where your personality shines, friends are welcomed and joy is shared. Pattern elevates it all.
The Careers
My first career was in the graphic arts. I loved it! The logo design, page layout, typography, plus using all the design apps was right up my art alley. Learning how to produce both printed and digital products was a great foundation for my artistic adventures to come.
I then fell into designing interiors. Finding a love for creating beautiful spaces, I studied and spent the next 15 years designing rooms and entire homes for my San Francisco Bay Area clients. Searching for fabrics and pulling complementing patterns together inspired me to create my own designs, landing on the perfect marriage between the graphic and interior arts. My passion for line, scale, color, contrast and texture, gleaned from both careers, has found its home in the wonderful world of textile and surface pattern design.
Drawing inspiration from nature and architecture alike, I love interpreting what I see into beautiful and useful patterns, that in the end, create beautiful and useful products. From bold patterns to subtle textures, my designs are scalable and adaptable.
Design is always collaborative. Whether the project is small or large, working together is at the center. And details matter. I provide timely communication as well as beautiful and flexible designs.
About the Fabrics
Creating unique patterns is a joy and knowing that they are made with the environment in mind is a gift. The fine linens and linen-cotton blends I use for my textiles are all natural, sustainable and biodegradable. Sourced from flax farms in Belgium, every part of the flax plant is used and produced with a minimal footprint. The fabrics are then printed in the US using water-based inks and are printed to order so there is no waste with unused fabrics. Beautiful fabrics can be beautiful for the planet!
La Selva Studio
Named for La Selva Beach, California. A little slice of heaven along the Northern California coast and a home away from home.