Rebecca Atwood Designs: Handmade Textiles Rooted in Art and Nature
Hand-painted patterns channel coastal inspiration to infuse rooms with crafted charm.
Rebecca Atwood Designs: Where Art, Nature, and Home Intersect
Rebecca Atwood Designs is a Brooklyn-founded textile and home goods brand built on the unique artistic vision of Rebecca Atwood, a designer celebrated for blending painterly techniques, pattern experimentation, and inspiration from nature into fabric, wallpaper, pillows, and linens. Drawing from her Cape Cod childhood and artistic training, Atwood’s hand-painted designs bring a sense of calm, creativity, and atmosphere into modern interiors.
About Rebecca Atwood
Rebecca Atwood grew up in Dennis, MA on Cape Cod, surrounded by coastal landscapes that would shape her creative eye. After advanced studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and working in trend, color, and textile design for major brands, she launched her eponymous label in 2013.
Operating studios in Brooklyn and Nolita, New York, Atwood is dedicated to following the creative journey from initial sketches and paintings through sampling and responsible, mostly local production. Her process balances playful experimentation with a discipline for craft, resulting in unique, conversation-worthy designs for everyday living. She is also a published author, most recently of The Harmonious Home: Designing Peaceful, Personal Spaces Inspired by Nature.
Collection Overview
Rebecca Atwood Designs encompasses a thoughtfully curated selection of home goods, including:
- Fabric by the yard for upholstery, drapery, and DIY projects
- Wallpaper in hand-painted patterns and textured solids
- Accent pillows that layer pattern and color
- Bedding and linens in signature prints
- Tabletop accessories
All products are designed at Atwood’s studio and produced to the highest standards of quality. The brand’s offerings change seasonally, drawing from Atwood’s sketchbooks, watercolors, and a continual exploration of process.
Distinctive Design Philosophy
At the heart of Rebecca Atwood Designs is a dedication to process-driven creation—each pattern starts by hand, using drawing, watercolor, or painting techniques. The final designs retain the subtle irregularities and textures of their original medium, often translated via screen printing, digital printing, or innovative weaving methods.
- Artisanal Craftsmanship: Designs are refined through multiple stages, ensuring each piece feels intentional and artful.
- Local Production: Most collections are manufactured in the United States with a focus on responsible methods and materials.
- Balance Between Nature & Abstraction: Motifs reference rocks, tides, leaves, and light, yet feel fresh and contemporary.
Spotlight: Patterns & Inspirations
Rebecca Atwood is known for signature patterns that evoke both the landscape and the handmade mark. Key collections include:
- Painted Stripe: Subtle, hand-painted stripes printed using a two-screen method to capture painterly variance. Offered in colorways like Marine & Black, Gray & Tangerine, and Coffee & Blue.
- Leaves: Loose leaf forms with a watercolor dynamic, inspired by Atwood’s frequent sketchbook motifs and the cut-out shapes of artists like Matisse.
- Waves: A textural print suggesting tidal sand patterns; when seen at scale, it reads less as a print and more as a tactile surface.
- Spots: Derived from early dye-painting experiments, these marks recall the way waves shift rocks on a beach.
- Dashes: A study in repeated marks and the beauty of imperfection, translated from Atwood’s mark-making on paper to fabric.
Color palettes are often drawn from nature—the blues of seascapes, sandy taupes, soft greens, and occasional sparks of tangerine or black. Each pattern weaves together observation and abstraction, offering comfort and visual interest.
The Creative Process: From Sketchbook to Studio
Rebecca Atwood’s design journey is grounded in hands-on experimentation. Her typical workflow includes:
- Observation: Gathering inspiration through nature walks, travel, and personal experiences, often captured in photography or direct sketches.
- Sketchbook Work: Diligently drawing, painting, and experimenting with mark-making, color mixing, and compositions.
- Sampling: Translating ideas into sample textiles or wallpaper, testing scale, repeat, and application.
- Refinement: Adjusting color, scale, or layout, often through several iterations before production.
- Production: Collaborating with local workshops to print, weave, or digitally render the final products, ensuring fidelity to the hand-made aesthetic.
This careful process ensures each pattern with Rebecca Atwood’s name exudes a sense of care, depth, and artistry.
Mixing Pattern, Color, and Texture
Atwood’s design philosophy, detailed in her bestselling book Living with Pattern, emphasizes layering textures and motifs to create inviting, personal spaces. Her advice for mixing patterns at home includes:
- Begin with a neutral base, then layer in bolder prints and palettes.
- Mix patterns of different scales—think a large floral with a small geometric.
- Allow for negative space to balance bolder elements.
- Incorporate personal, sentimental objects and reused furnishings.
Rebecca Atwood’s Home & Personal Touch
Rebecca Atwood’s own living spaces reflect her design instincts. Since relocating to Charleston, SC, her interiors and products have increasingly drawn on the palette and textures of the Lowcountry—think sandy dunes, cityscapes, and garden greens.
She champions an integrated approach to home, suggesting that interiors should engage all the senses and be a canvas for memories. Atwood practices what she preaches, upcycling and personalizing her own interiors—like reupholstering roadside finds and painting motifs inspired by favorite books or family moments.
Garden Inspiration: The $3,000 Brooklyn Makeover
Atwood’s love of nature extends outdoors, as seen in the before-and-after transformation of her Brooklyn apartment garden. With a $3,000 budget, she and her husband tackled a tangled backyard, guided by her mother, a master gardener. Key improvements included:
- DIY cleanup, sorting beloved perennials from invasive weeds
- Hardscape upgrades: leveling by local designers, new sod, refreshed gravel, and reused bluestone pavers for pathways and patios
- Adding bamboo fencing for privacy
- Furnishing to create an outdoor living room feel
This project echoed Atwood’s emphasis on layering color, texture, and pattern outdoors as well as inside, transforming a previously neglected space into a lush retreat for relaxation and creativity.
Commitment to Sustainability & Craft
Rebecca Atwood Designs prioritizes ethical production and environmental responsibility:
- Fabrics are sourced and woven with an emphasis on quality, with many textiles produced in the US.
- Many materials are natural fibers.
- Atwood encourages reusing and upcycling where possible, highlighting the personal value (and often superior outcome) of refreshing vintage furnishings.
The result is a collection of heirloom-quality pieces that are as mindful as they are beautiful.
Where to Buy & Explore
Rebecca Atwood products are available through her website and select home decor boutiques. Additional recommendations from Atwood include inspiring local retailers—like Wentworth in downtown Charleston for gifts, home magazines, and candles, or Elizabeth Stuart in Mount Pleasant for garden and outdoor decor. These shops mirror her own values of creativity and style discovery.
FAQs About Rebecca Atwood Designs
Q: What makes Rebecca Atwood’s designs unique?
A: Each pattern begins as a hand-made artwork, blending painting, mark-making, and personal inspiration before being refined into fabrics or wallpaper. This results in work that feels both timeless and deeply individual.
Q: Are Rebecca Atwood’s textiles suitable for both modern and traditional spaces?
A: Yes, the versatile balance of abstract motifs and classic color palettes allows her prints to complement a range of interiors, from contemporary lofts to cozy family homes.
Q: How can I start mixing patterns like Rebecca Atwood?
A: Begin with a neutral base, select patterns that share a common palette, combine different scales, and let some space remain quiet for visual breathing room. Layer in personal artifacts to make the look your own.
Q: Is local production a priority for Rebecca Atwood Designs?
A: Yes, responsible and often local production is a centerpiece of her philosophy, ensuring quality and supporting craftspeople.
Q: Where can I see or purchase Rebecca Atwood’s products?
A: The full collection is available online, with select items carried by specialty home decor retailers and select design showrooms.
Inspiration Gallery
For a behind-the-scenes look, explore mood boards from Atwood’s studio and glimpse her sketchbooks, which trace the evolution from inspiration to finished fabric. Visit her Instagram or website to see customer spaces brought to life with Rebecca Atwood’s textiles and wallpapers.
Related Reads and Projects
- Before & After: Other Garden Makeovers in the Hudson Valley and Florida
- Spotlight: Libeco Linens and Liberty of London Florals
- The Harmonious Home: Atwood’s latest book on creating soulful, nature-inspired spaces
- Read more Designer Q&As for creative insight and advice
References
- https://www.gardenista.com/posts/before-after-a-3000-dollar-garden-makeover-for-brooklyn-designer-rebecca-atwood/
- https://charlestonmag.com/features/style_qa_rebecca_atwood_shares_her_design_instincts_and_dreamy_home_sanctuary
- https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/97841-books-on-making-a-house-a-home.html
- https://www.remodelista.com/posts/fabrics-linens-fabric-by-the-yard-fall-collection-from-rebecca-atwood/
- https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/rebecca-atwood-designer-day/
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