Design

Designer Mark Cunningham Launches Ethereal, Ceramics-Inspired Textile Collection

As his retail venture, Marked, celebrates its one-year anniversary, the New York talent releases fabric as sophisticated as his interiors

By Jacqueline Terrebonne

May 24, 2020

Black and white geometric patterned fabric swatches arranged side by side on a flat surface. — Fabrics from Mark Cunningham’s new collection for his design shop, Marked. Photo: Courtesy of Mark Cunningham

Man sitting on a windowsill, wearing glasses, a white shirt, blue jeans, tie, and sneakers, looking thoughtfully at the camera. — Designer Mark Cunningham. Courtesy of Mark Cunningham

Lamps, bowls, you name it—if it’s ceramic, Mark Cunningham is immediately interested. The New York designer’s deep appreciation for the medium served as the basis for his new fabric collection. Admired for his crisp and refined interiors layered with warmth and ease, Cunningham believes ceramics “bring color, texture, and add another element that always enhances a space.”

To create this collection, he initially looked to pieces by Dutch ceramist Gertrud Vasegaard. “I love the handcrafted beauty of ceramics and how every artisan’s style is distinct,” he explains. Long drawn to their elegant simplicity, Cunningham owns some of her exquisite pieces. Using Vasegaard’s soft textures as a jumping-off point, he designed patterns and palettes that he would want to use in his own projects.

Folded fabrics with various patterns and shades of light pink, including stripes, checks, and floral designs. — Fabric from Mark Cunningham’s fabric line called Marked. Courtesy of Mark Cunningham

Offered in combinations of mauve, ivory, indigo, charcoal, and black, all the fabrics are comprised of cotton or a mix of linen and cotton. Upon seeing the first samples, Cunningham was astonished by their texture and the scales of their patterns, which include checks, stripes, and florals. He was also pleasantly surprised to find that the textiles had taken on an ethereal, Japanese quality.

Modern living room with minimalist decor, featuring neutral-colored furniture, art pieces, and geometric accent tables. — The Marked showroom in midtown Manhattan. Courtesy of Mark Cunningham.

The fabrics are sold by the yard through ALT for Living, and they can also be purchased as pillows through Cunningham’s New York design shop, Marked, which celebrated its first anniversary this month. Carefully edited, the appointment-only showroom offers custom-designed furniture, exceptional accessories, and a host of other treasures, old and new alike.

Modern living room with white flowers on a coffee table, surrounded by design books and a white sofa in the background. — A vignette from Cunningham’s Marked showroom. Courtesy of Mark Cunningham

With its curated assortment ranging from a Karl Springer desk lamp to a Peter Speliopoulos stoneware vase, Marked is exactly the destination a design lover dreams about and would expect from a talent who spent 15 years working at Ralph Lauren before opening his own firm in 2005.

Modern living room with gray sofas, a black and white art piece above the fireplace, and bookshelves on each side — A home designed by Cunningham. Courtesy of Mark Cunningham

Throughout the new textile collection, the showroom, and the incredible spaces he designs, one major characteristic resounds—Cunningham’s deep passion for the exceptional and the artisanal. It’s those special touches that make his homes come alive.