HICKORY, N.C.—HBF Textiles, in collaboration with Liam Lee, unveils Paint By Numbers, Lee’s debut textile collection comprising four unexpected and vibrant patterns that demonstrate Lee’s distinctive understanding of color and encourage experimentation through their juxtaposition. Crafted with a poetic sensitivity to color and texture, the collection draws inspiration from Lee’s recent paintings that incorporate forms derived from paint-by-numbers kits and hover between abstraction and figuration.
“I tend to work in a somewhat non-linear way, and color is central to my practice,” says Lee. “The colorways in ‘Paint by Numbers’ are intended to be mixed and matched, acting as puzzle pieces for designers to explore playful, polychrome palettes in their projects.”
Whereas the pattern names in the collection refer to painting and my practice in some respect, the color names are drawn from a diverse array of sources in literature, mythology, and music that inform Lee’s artistic practice. Each colorway in Paint by Numbers contributes to the emergence of cohesive and color-filled interiors, their dynamic hues mirroring an artist or painter’s palette: vivid, remarkable, and alive with possibility.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of developing this collection was the color work,” says Liam Lee. “We started at a very granular scale, sometimes with just small yarn samples, and had to envision how a large swath of fabric will look once it’s woven, how the color will read under different light, and how incremental shifts in hue will affect the overall harmony of a colorway.”
Meet The Patterns
MAGIC EYE: Drawing inspiration from the computer-generated graphics that captivated Lee in the ‘90s, this pattern brings a mesmerizing energy to upholstery, tracing its lineage from the Jacquard loom and its punch card to today’s digitally driven weaving technologies. The result is a textile that feels alive, and its lichen-like motif is a testament to Lee’s fascination with how binary code can conjure something organic and full of depth. Available in seven dappled colorways with names like Argonaut and Water Lilies, Magic Eye is woven from 78 percent post-consumer recycled polyester and is also suitable for wrapped panels.
POINTILLIST: Taking its cue from the fin de siècle artistic movement, Pointillist integrates points of color through hand-selected bouclé yarns to produce dynamic color fields that are luminous and cohesive. The 10 colorways span a striking range, from the cerulean-lit Proteus to the earthy browns and blues of Noh, and the charmingly retro pink and chartreuse of Studmuffin. Pointillist is approved for both indoor and outdoor use, pairing its visual softness with considered durability.
GRIDWORK: At first glance, Gridwork’s simple construction communicates a handcrafted quality. While the textile itself echoes the simple warp and weft of canvas, textured yarns and piece-dyed contrasting color combinations weave together a surface that softens out from afar and yet, up close, reveals a layered, artistic depth. Made from 95 percent post-consumer recycled polyester, each of the 13 colorways is designed to impart two things at once: sophistication and surprise. Take Tantrum, Lee’s exclusive signature vibrant pink, or the subtle play of light and dark in Nocturne; it’s this balance that gives Gridwork a subtle tension.
IMPASTO: Deriving its name from the thick application of paint to build depth, Impasto, a textured velvet, adds a dynamic, light-sensitive, and lively curation to this collection. Its undulating, woven structure evokes the organic patterns that are integral to Lee’s work: natural textures displayed in woven pile. Offered in five distinctive colorways such as Oberon, an inky mix of purple and brown named for the king of the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Wilde, a rich, warm forest green that is as refined as its namesake (Oscar), Impasto is defined by the mercurial, in-between and slightly off-kilter hues that resist easy classification.
PAINT BY NUMBERS … by the Numbers:
Sustainability—overall collection:
- Third party certified, Indoor Advantage Gold.
- Meets BIFMA 7.4.4 Targeted Chemical Elimination (Free of intentionally added PFAS, flame retardants, and antimicrobials).
- Based on disclosure from the supplier these products do not contain harmful chemicals listed on the Red List.
- Two patterns are also made from post-consumer recycled materials
IMPASTO
- Colorways: Orlando, Avalon, Wilde, Selene, Oberon.
- Application: Upholstery.
- Content: 52 percent polyester, 44.2 percent viscose, 3.8 percent cotton.
- Made in Germany.
- Abrasion: 100,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek).
POINTILLIST
- Colorways: Orfeo, Proteus, Noh, Kabuki, Minotaur, Ceres, Snow Queen, Studmuffin, Butoh, Dewey Dell.
- Application: Upholstery.
- Content: 93 percent polypropylene, 7 percent acrylic.
- Abrasion: 100,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek).
- Made in Italy.
- Performance: Bleach cleanable, approved for outdoor use.
GRIDWORK:
- Colorways: Phantom, Cowboy, Hecate, Infanta, Sweetpea, Papageno, Kyoto, Galway, Dolly, Tantrum, Mirage, Nocturne, Bambino.
- Application: Upholstery.
- Content: 95 percent post-consumer recycled polyester, 5 percent polyester.
- Abrasion: 100,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek).
- Made in Italy.
- Piece dyed.
MAGIC EYE:
- Colorways: Magpie, Hunter, Sappho, Woodwose, Argonaut, Water Lilies, Leaf Peeper.
- Application: Upholstery and Wrapped Panel.
- Content: 78 percent post-consumer recycled polyester, 22 percent nylon.
- Abrasion: 100,000 double rubs (Wyzenbeek).
- Made in the USA.
- Performance: Bleach cleanable.
