Behind the Design of the Cirque Collection
Blog • August 22, 2022
The arts in all their forms are venues for taking curated risks and finding joy in these inspiring pursuits. It is beyond the boundaries of convention and expectation where bold creativity and unique design—and the resulting sense of delight—truly take place.
Our newest collection, Cirque, is a celebration of redefining boundaries and finding wonder and joy in the process.
Cirque was inspired by the novelty, delight and enchantment of the circus – specifically, Cirque du Soleil, which offers a modern, creative adaptation of this ancient art form that has entertainment, elation and originality at its core.
“With Cirque, I wanted to design a collection that was entertaining, uplifting and happy,” said Geraldine Blanchot Fortier, principal of Limn and Loom and designer of the Cirque collection. “I've always been fascinated by Cirque du Soleil. They've taken the notion of the circus and made something that is incredibly detailed by design. No area is overlooked.”
“In that way, I felt like Cirque du Soleil exemplified the Pallas creative process – an elevated version of an existing concept,” Blanchot Fortier added. “Among the aspects that distinguish Pallas is the emphasis on storytelling and the design process behind the textile.”
Breaking Beyond Expectations
Cirque is altogether winsome, whimsical and wondrous. Bold and daring, Cirque offers awe and anticipative intrigue. The collection seeks to inspire interior designers to tell stories through their spaces—stories that have never before been told.
“I wanted people to be enchanted by Cirque,” Blanchot Fortier said. “I wanted them to look at the fabric more closely and immerse themselves in the details. I wanted people to connect with the textiles and say, ‘We've never experienced anything like this.’”
Defying the ordinary, Cirque breaks new ground for the Pallas portfolio. The pattern Magique reintroduces a dual-color matelassé with fresh perspective and unique undulation. The high-impact visuals of Mystère feature an atypical block pattern that is more substantial than most other large-scale designs. And Curio offers a marvelous myriad of multicolor motifs on a consistent neutral background for unsurpassed creative expression.
“Within these patterns, we achieved some bold color combinations,” Blanchot Fortier said, specifically referring to a finch yellow for Folie as well as pastels plus primary colors for Mystère. “Rather than offering each pattern in all colors, we instead let the patterns themselves stage layers of unique color combinations.”
Inspiring Intrepid Dreamscapes
The Cirque collection features six playful yet sophisticated designs. Exploring each new textile is like raising the curtain of a highly anticipated performance to reveal never-before-seen marvels of attention-demanding beauty.
Magique pays tribute to the gravity-defying wonders of acrobats with a design of subtle loftiness and kinetic dimensionality. A duo-tone matelassé construction, Magique offers a plush, comfortable hand with chic color palettes.
Reverie embodies the feeling of being in a dream-like trance. A subdued solid with flecks of color, Reverie mirrors the woven tweed that remains a time-honored mainstay in menswear, with exceptional performance and a soft hand provided by state-of-the-art "Supreen" finish technology. Offered in 18 colors, Reverie boldly stands on its own or acts as a backdrop amid more theatrical designs.
Mystère is a spectacular departure from convention. A woven textile with large-scale block patterns that play with layers and transparency, Mystère offers a unique personality with each application. Featuring a dramatic array of hues, Mystère is a mélange of colors from pastels to contemporary jewel tones.
Lumière is a high-performance coated fabric reminiscent of linen. Like the spotlight of a circus ring, Lumière is consistent yet illuminating, offering a grounding design with an alluring monochrome. Available in 26 hues from neutral to bright, Lumière manifests the contrast between stark pragmatism and wild imagination.
Folie elevates textile design to an enhanced level of magic and dimension. Folie appears as a textural, felted wool but reveals a digitally printed, coated textile upon closer inspection. From a distance, the fantastical flecks of color flicker across the surface for a playful, almost twinkling aesthetic.
Curio challenges the status quo and stokes curiosity. This digitally printed, coated design features an array of color compositions displayed in mesmerizing geometric bursts. Artfully designed in a juxtaposition of chromatic hues, Curio is the epitome of dynamic imagination and rhythmic cadence.
When Reverie Becomes Reality
Each pattern in the Cirque collection is the fruit of artistic risk and fine attention to detail.
“Like magic, it's a puzzle that comes together through the beauty of imagination,” said Blanchot Fortier. “We created these grand designs with a combination of scale, color and varied constructions. They certainly have elements of drama among them, but they also display distinct sophistication that embodies a story true to the Pallas brand.”
The exacting, intrepid process behind the creation of Cirque yielded a collection that captures the wonder and whimsy of winsome design that defies conventional expectation. As a result, these patterns will inspire and delight as they bring a sense of amazement and inimitable beauty within interior spaces.