The classic charm of Victorian imagery fused with the innate lure of nature elevates the work of designer John Derian above seasonal trends.
For two decades this New York City-based graphic pioneer has forged a reputation for quality and beauty by creating art and housewares for his own store and other high-end home furnishing boutiques.
Now Derian’s look and style are available to the masses through his new line for Target. The Denver Post recently telephoned Derian, a man that many design trendsetters consider a modern master of découpage, at his studio on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to find out more.
How would you describe your evolution as a designer?
Even as a child, I was always making things — papier-mâché birds and things like that. I always did the same four things: rearranging furniture, drawing, making crafts and play acting.
When I was about 20, I did a crash course in antiquing in Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. I went to college for one semester, but I ended up blowing off school and going antiquing up Boston’s North Shore. I seemed to be drawn to the 19th century. There are so many beautiful lithographs (from that era), so I started collecting them.
For a period my work had three elements — a script background with an image on top of that and a painted border. I was getting broken books and things like that and drawing on them. Then I started collecting junky furniture and painting it. And I was always doing a few boxes covered in maps and collages like that. Those crafts I was doing often became plates.
You’ve spent a great deal of time in Morocco and other exotic locales. Do you have a favorite place in the world to glean inspiration?
A year ago in March, I bought a house on Cape Cod that’s from the 1700s. It’s a real retreat. It’s about 3,200 square feet and has 13 rooms. Being by the sea is really good for me. I think ideally I would like to go there at least once a month, especially in the winter, when the town (Provincetown) is empty.
I’m in love with the house, and I’ve never really owned anything before. (The architecture) is a little like Greek revival meets colonial. It was built in the 1700s but it was renovated in the 1800s. I’m only the third owner of the house. It was in one family for most of that time. There’s this specialness to the way it hasn’t been touched.
With your new line for Target, what do you hope to put into the mass market that’s not already there?
I’m a nature-based person. What’s good about my work is anyone can find something to connect to in it, because there’s such a range of imagery. My aesthetic is accessible to most people.
What I do with the handmade products here in New York is more expensive. The (Target line) is not necessarily handmade but still has that aesthetic. I don’t think anyone else is doing this kind of graphic nature scenery. I’ve been copied over the years, and I know mass marketers who have tried, but it hasn’t worked as well.
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