Design Sleuth: The Japanese Boro - Remodelista
Months ago, I spotted an indigo patchwork quilt hanging in the home of Swedish stylist Lotta Agaton. The textile, I’ve since discovered, is a Japanese classic called a boro. Several online searches led me to the man to talk to: Stephen Szczepanek, a Brooklyn collector and dealer specializing in antique Japanese folk textiles. “Boro is a term that describes patched and mended fabrics,” explained Szczepanek. During Japan’s industrialization in the early 20th century, the patchwork practice faded and a lot was simply thrown away–”they reminded people of poverty and hard times,” says Szczepanek. The inspiration: A Japanese boro patterns a wall in Lotta Agaton‘s Stockholm living room. A wall-hung quilt at Sri, the by-appointment gallery and online store that Stephen Szczepanek runs out of his Brooklyn apartment. Above L and R: More examples from Sri. Boro, which translates as “tattered cloth,” is most commonly found as futon covers, quilts, and fisherman’s jackets. Last year, Domaine de Boisbuchet, a 19th-century French chateau owned by design curator and collector Alexander von Vegesack, presented some of Szczepanek’s Japanese textiles in an exhibit called “Boro: The Fabric of Life.” Richard Ostell, one of our favorite New York designers, has a few Antique Japanese Boro available at his online store, starting at $250. Photograph via Domaine de Boisbuchet. Japanese textiles can be sourced via 1st Dibs and Etsy. Boro prices range from $200 to $8,000, depending on quality, condition, and size.