It started with avocados. “Remember when people were dying fabric with the pits and skins, like, three or four years ago? I tried it and became so obsessed,” says Amanda de Beaufort about the genesis of A_DB Botanical Color, her collection of naturally dyed, hippie-chic textiles. From there, she branched out (pardon the pun) to other plants. “I was like a crazy person walking around the parks here looking for inspiration.”
“Here” is Maplewood, New Jersey (where I happen to live, too). We recently chatted about her line, which includes kitchen linens, pillow cases, as well as fashion items like socks and tees. “Almost every time, it’s a surprise,” says Amanda of her process, which requires heating up botanicals (sometimes over multiple sessions) and seeing what hues develop, then soaking fabrics in the dye (sometimes for a week) and again seeing what develops. A lot is left to chance—and that’s part of their appeal.
Amanda, who was a finalist in last year’s Etsy Design Awards, sells her line on her website and at various stores in the Northeast (including Meus, a store in our town and where I first discovered her work).
Here, some of our favorites from her online store.
Photography by Amanda de Beaufort.
For more inspiring textiles, see:
- Dyed in Dublin: Kathryn Davey’s Naturally Tinted Textiles
- Object of Desire: New Summery Table Linens from Once Milano
- Dreaming in Color: Brightly Painted Bed Linens (and Tablecloths too) from Down Under
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation