Kit Kemp Unveils Colorful Collaboration with Annie Selke

First introduced in 2020, the women connected over a similar decisive work style and a shared love of color. “The three collections have a slightly different palette,” says Kemp, whose team worked with Selke’s design group over Zoom to create Boogie Board’s zippy embroidered pillows, the tribal pattern of the Jelly Roll rug, and the rainbow stripes of the Hotline floor covering. “I’m hopeless at remembering faces, but I can carry some colors.”

Kemp would start with a painting, then Selke would suggest a small tweak, like rendering the painterly Lily Pond rug in a striated thread, that would take the work to dynamic next level. (The resulting floor covering is so enchanting, both designers have already installed a Lily Pond rug in their home.) “That’s what makes the difference and that’s what makes the rug really work,” Kemp tells Galerie.

While many styles, like the punchy Arrows, geometric Safety Net, and Matisse-like Graphic, are defined by their solid forms of hue, others such as Dew Pond take a more watercolor approach. “That’s the dip-dyed yarn; it just adds a lot of depth,” says Selke. “If you have a flat color, it’s a very different animal.”

A spirit of playfulness carries throughout the array with style names like Jelly Roll, Happy Go Lucky, and Nip Tuk. “We’ve used so many different techniques,” says Kemp, nodding to the P.E.T. indoor/outdoor rugs, which are crafted from recycled plastic bags. “I thought I’m not sure I want to do that because my love is for natural linens, natural wools, natural cottons, but in fact, I’ve just turned around so completely because they feel good, they keep their color.”

And while this initial offering marks Kemp and Selke’s first collaboration, it’s most certainly not their last with ideas for tabletop, apparel, and more already percolating. “People will be more adventurous with tabletop than they will with rug, but I think people are ready,” says Selke. “Dividing it into New York, London, Barbados, it allows us to channel all of Kit’s happy places.”

“We are known for adding character and style to interiors to make rooms look magical and sing,” declares Kemp. “The opportunity to work with Annie Selke gives us a chance to create rug collections and lifestyle products for wherever in the world you live… I think we can all do with a good splash of British eccentricity and style.”