Above the Fold

Photo by Dave Bradley

South End furniture designer Debra Folz became so obsessed with pleats that she recently decided to incorporate the age-old technique into her own work. So she hopped a plane to Paris and purchased yards of stiffly folded silk gazar from a man who uses traditional methods to make pleated fabrics for big-name fashion houses. Back in Boston, Folz enlisted local company PolyFab to produce clear acrylic chair frames, onto which she hand-sews the bright gazar. “Traditionally, textiles and embroidery are viewed as an adornment to furniture pieces,” she says, “and this collection is really about reversing that and creating a structure to celebrate the fabrics themselves.” This color-blocked perch is certainly worth celebrating, n’est-ce pas?

“Marguerite” silk-gazar and acrylic chair, $4,800, Debra Folz Design Studio, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 516-429-2273, debrafolz.com.