I'm calling it: This curtain trend is next

Design pro Susan Clark is also very into this material mix.

If you’ve ever had the good fortune of being in designer Susan Clark’s presence, you’re familiar with the way she lights up when talking about artists and makers. As the founder of Radnor—a brand that brings together the roles of retailer, gallery, and manufacturer—Susan is never short of anecdotes about a Japanese artisan using rare 100-year-old black persimmon wood to make chairs or a Copenhagen-based studio reimagining sofa shapes and proportions. Last month, Radnor’s new showroom opened in Manhattan’s Sutton Tower with an exhibition aptly titled “Evolution in Form.” Today, Susan lets us in on the materials she’s loved working with, the avant-garde curtain style she expects to take off next, and where she’d shop for an elusive coffee table. —Samantha Weiss-Hills, managing editor

Current Mood

What I’m loving, part one: I have been very into the relationship between silver-leaning metals (brushed aluminum, chrome, nickel) and darker woods (walnut, Japanese zelkova), which soften the overall look of a space. That combination can really set the mood of a room and was a primary focus as I worked on the curation of Radnor’s latest gallery in Sutton Tower.

What I’m loving, part two: As we approach summer, woven rattan furniture always calls to me. We have long represented historically recognized designs, which is why I was drawn to finally work on a collection for our in-house line, Radnor Made, in collaboration with Bunn Studio. There is a true compromise when working with this sort of material; it demands that the design adapts. It’s thrilling!

Photography by William Jess Laird

How I’d bring the look home:

• Include brushed metal light fixtures. It helps calm the elements so they can relate more to the architecture, as well as to the softer woods and furniture in the room.

• Use woven rattan furniture in a more austere exterior to instantly create a very comforting, textured atmosphere.

• Plants, plants, plants! That element of green and the way the light moves through the leaves keeps us connected to the outside. Especially in New York City, I find that is essential.

Photography by William Jess Laird

1. This piece we designed with Bunn Studio is so comfortable and truly enveloping. It invites you to slow down and take a moment of pause, as its name (Pausa) suggests.

2. I love this classic floral Pierre Fray pattern in this quite modern, almost camo colorway. It gives a contrasting sense of softness and strength that I enjoy, especially on curved forms.