Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Jack Lenor Larsen was a celebrated American mid-century modern textile designer born in Seattle. He fostered connections throughout the design and architecture industries beginning in 1950, and today, his influential eponymous design company is widely recognized for its muted hand-spun textured textiles. Larsen manufactured fabrics all over the world for more than six decades, using both traditional and modern weaving techniques.
Larsen initially studied in the architecture program at the University of Washington before he quickly realized he was instead interested in furniture design and interiors. He earned his MFA in 1949 from the Cranbrook Academy of Art — the go-to art school for design stars of the mid-20th century. The following year he moved and opened a studio in New York City where he launched his career.
For one of his first commissions, which was to design curtains for the Lever House — a New York City icon designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois — Larsen created a linen and gold metal-themed weave to complement the building’s famed glass walls. He designed similarly magnificent textiles for the Phoenix Opera House, the Wolf Trap Theater and more.
Nowhere is Larsen’s profound impact on textile design more evident than at LongHouse Reserve, his house in East Hampton, New York. Modeled after a seventh-century Shinto Shrine, the home and its surrounding sculpture gardens opened to the public in 1992.
Larsen built LongHouse Reserve in collaboration with Charles Forberg. The property features sliding panels that showcase the revered artisan’s fabrics as well as works by Lucie Rie, Wharton Esherick, and Edward Wormley. The gardens feature sculptures by Willem de Kooning, Sol LeWitt and Yoko Ono.
Larsen had a solo exhibit at the Louvre in 1981. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Find vintage Jack Lenor Larsen lounge chairs, sofas, and dining room chairs on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Fabric
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Cotton
2010s Mid-Century Modern Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Down, Feathers, Polyester
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Fabric
Late 20th Century Indian Other Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Beads
21st Century and Contemporary American Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary French Minimalist Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Cotton, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Cotton
Early 20th Century French Other Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary German Other Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Silk
2010s Moroccan Arts and Crafts Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Wool
Late 20th Century Italian Other Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Linen
Mid-20th Century Italian Other Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Acrylic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Fabric, Velvet
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jack Lenor Larsen Curtains and Valances
Fabric, Velvet
