Ikat or Ikat?
"I" kat or Eee Kat? I get this question a lot. According to several You Tube experts I recently consulted, the proper pronunciation is Eee Kaat.
But i say "I" kat.
Regardless of how you pronounce it, this beautiful pattern is suited for modern homes,. It plays well with florals, (making them more modern) , small prints and solids. It proves a stand alone graphic punch on its own.
When I first tried my hand at pattern and textile design, I painted designs that looked like ikat. I was inspired by the vibrant use of multiple colors and the nonsensical almost abstract references to the natural world. My first pattern in fact was called Multi Ikat and later was turned in to a pattern for Stroheim. It can be seen on the antique chair below and in pillows available on our website
I also "decorated" a simple side chair covered in muslin with a blue ikat design. Hand painting would be tedious if I was terribly concerned with perfection. It is the gesture and burst of colors that interests me. A chair like this is a dynamic accent in a room and can be custom ordered. 
Blue Ikat Hand Painted Chair
The term Ikat actually refers to the threads that have been dyed and the pattern is the result of how they were dyed . It originated in Indonesia but many cultures have adapted the technique. A characteristic of this pattern is what might be called blurriness. I like to think of the design as "shaken". When creating a design using this technique the approach is looser and the result imperfect. Fine by me.
Curry is a design that resembles traditional ikat. I've used it on this dog bed below. 
And here is a popular ice bucket with an ikat pattern called Flavia.
Dana Gibson Flavia in Red Ice Bucket
I find using this technique when creating patterns is liberating. Color and form are the stars of the show..
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