Stunning And Rare Look Inside New York's Design Library

See inside the world’s largest archive of antique, vintage and contemporary textiles and patterns at the Design Library located in the Hudson Valley, New York.

With more than seven million examples of fabric designs over the centuries, the behind-the-scenes book, Patterns: Inside the Design Library by Peter Koepke is a dream come true for fashion students, designers, interior stylists, haberdashers, decorators, graphic designers and artists.

The Design Library, Hudson Valley, New York. Photo: Mark Mahaney

Located in a converted 19th-century fabric mill, the Design Library houses fabrics from the 1750s to the late 20th century from all corners of the world including Europe, the US, South Asia, Africa, China, Japan, Central Asia, Indonesia, and Central and South America. Founded in 1972 by textile designer Susan Meller and acquired by Peter Koepke in 2002, the library is a rare resource and has collaborated with brands from Nike to Calvin Klein. Although a majority of the designs are by anonymous creators, there are some patterns by famous names including Frank Lloyd Wright and Sonia Delaunay.

Not only is Patterns: Inside the Design Library a beautifully designed publication, with a unique binding that gives it the feel of a precious object, within the pages are an abundance of vivid visuals of the amazing patterns in the archive, categorized by terms ranging from ‘abstract’ and ‘bling’ to ‘chaos’ and ‘skins’.

Below we give you a sneak peek inside the publication. From florals and feathers to paisley and leopard print, here is a taster of the vibrant and diverse designs you’ll find in the book.

Insects, Handpainted Paper, 1st Q 20th Century, Anonymous, Studio Bianchini-Ferier, France.

Insects, Printed Fabric, Mid 20th Century, Anonymous, Studio Unknown, France.

Jazzy, Printed Fabric, 1936, Anonymous, Studio Bianchini-Ferier, France.

Patterns: Inside the Design Library by Peter Koepke is published by Phaidon, £49.95

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