Writing for The New York Times, Arlene Hirst features tiles by Timorous Beasties, which the Glasgow-based artisans produced for clé in an article titled, “If It Flutters or Buzzes, Surely It’s Art.” The journalist notes, “Paul Simmons, who heads the Scottish design studio Timorous Beasties with Alistair McAuley, describes their mission as making the ugly beautiful. Since 1990, the men have worked iguanas, devil heads and hairy thistles into their products.
“’Our job is to turn people around,’ Mr. Simmons said, referring to their latest tile col- lection, which is all about insects. This is hardly a new interest for a man who once interned at the Natural History Museum in Lon- don and who has contributed many decorative bug patterns to the world. The group of eight tiles for Clé in San Francisco includes moths, butterflies and bees hand- lithographed on 12-inch squares of limestone ($60 each) or Thassos marble ($75). Shown, clockwise from top left, are Butterfly Blotch, Wild Honeybee Stripe, Eurobee Orange and White Moth Circle.”
Full PDF of the placement.
About Timorous Beasties and the collection, Deborah Osburn, the founder of clé, says, “timorous beasties was established in glasgow in 1990 by alistair mcaueley and paul simmons, who met studying textile design at glasgow school of the art. today, the studio is a diverse operation and has emerged as a multi-award-winning, internationally acclaimed icon. the masterful works of timorous beasties are self-described urban, edgy, irreverently elegant revisions of the classic designs of victorian england. timorous beasties’ work embodies a unique diversity of pattern, ranging from design that echoes a golden age of copperplate engraving (a time-honoured classic is the thistle range; or merian palm superwide wallpaper) to example of a distinctly edgy nature, an elegant transgression, a display of chic irreverence. the masterful works of timorous beasties are urban, edgy, irreverently elegant revisions of the classic designs of victorian england.”