A bolster and quilt created by Toronto-based textile artist Shayla Bond for a client’s Muskoka cottage build.Quinn Creative/Supplied
Homespun interiors are having a moment.
As digital innovations such as artificial intelligence evolve, the desire for design that tells a story – one that’s personal, memorable and most importantly, uniquely human – is growing.
Interior designers and local makers are seeing an increased demand for warmer, more tactile spaces. Once mainly considered family heirlooms, quilts are emerging as statement pieces, with today’s artisans bringing a contemporary approach to the age-old craft.
As all things analog continue to exert a pull, Canadian creatives are reinventing the quilt with fresh techniques, styles and customizations.
The charm of a quilt often lies in its originality and the sentimental connection to the person who made it.
“We want to see the artist’s hand when we look at a piece,” said Clare Forndran, principal and co-founder of Toronto design firm Forward Interiors. “We want to know who they are, what inspires them, where they learnt their craft.” It’s all part of the story we want our homes to tell, she added.
Shayla Bond holds a custom whole cloth quilt she created, with two of her handmade cushions displayed on the seats below.Quinn Creative/Supplied
Beyond adding visual interest to a space, quilts can foster a sense of community with local artists.
Forndran said handmade qualities can fit within any design aesthetic – it’s just about selecting the right pieces. For example, a wholecloth quilt, where the top layer is made from a solid piece of fabric rather than a patchwork design, would suit a modern, minimalist space.
For a recent project at a Muskoka cottage, the Forward Interiors team incorporated quilt bedspreads throughout the home. Toronto-based textile artist Shayla Bond, founder of ESBE Studio, handcrafted the pieces. She also created custom product tags for the quilts, featuring the name of the cottage and an illustration of a type of bear local to the area.
Bond, who creates luxury quilts and textile art, aims to bridge traditional and contemporary approaches to making.
“I want my work to balance feeling familiar and refreshing,” she said. “I think designers and clients are looking for that, too. Not overly nostalgic, but also not disconnected from tradition.”
Bond preserves the familiar language of quilting through traditional blocks and construction methods, while shifting scale, spacing, colour and placement to reduce visual density. The resulting pieces have more breathing room, with negative space and unexpected compositions.
Clients often seek modern interpretations of heirlooms, Bond explained. Bond is currently seeing a growing interest in linen, burgundy tones and mid-century modern aesthetics, alongside checkered patterns, stripes and customizations.
“This has been a standout year in terms of bespoke work,” she said. “Homeowners and interior designers are looking for quilts that are specifically made for a room, a person or a particular story.
Marilyn Armand stands next to a custom quilt she created, Fragments de la Mitis, inspired by a broken glass window and a river in Metis-sur-Mer.Eliane Cadieux/Supplied
Marilyn Armand, founder of quilting studio Le Point Visible in Stanbridge East, Que., is noticing a similar trend. She said she’s having a record year, with commissions already scheduled through next spring.
“People are wanting something meaningful, beautiful, warm and welcoming,” said Armand, who works primarily with reclaimed textiles. “Quilts carry this power.” Graphic compositions, clean lines and a restrained aesthetic characterize her pieces.
Armand learned traditional quilting in 2017 through a women’s knowledge-sharing circle based in Longueuil, Que., called Les Cercles de Fermières du Québec. At the time, she was working in administration while completing her master’s degree in international relations. The next year, Armand changed course, quitting her job and launching her studio, eventually opening a storefront in 2024.
Armand’s Dear John quilt.Marilyn Armand/Supplied
One of her recent pieces, Dear John, a quilt mural created in collaboration with a client to honour her late father, exemplifies Armand’s approach. Inspired by the connection that the client’s father had to aviation, she incorporated the curves of aircraft turbines. A classical music concert he attended at a landmark venue inspired another set of architectural lines. Using the father’s old shirts and a colour palette chosen by the client, Armand created a piece that transformed memories and materials into a new visual language.
On the east coast, Halifax-based quilt artist and founder of 3rd Story Workshop, Andrea Tsang Jackson, takes a more structural approach.
With a background in architecture, Tsang Jackson shapes her practice around geometry, repetition and the relationship between textiles and the built environment. In a recent quilt, Ginkgo, Tsang Jackson used one of her signature techniques called “ordered improvisational piecing,” where each curve is uniquely cut and organized in a rectangular grid.
Free Throw (Glory), created by Andrea Tsang Jackson.Andrea Tsang Jackson/Supplied
“After years of very minimal interiors, those spaces are starting to feel stale because we’re craving connection and less neutrality,” she said. “People want more character, dimension and tactility, especially now that we’re so inundated with screens that flatten everything.”
As a new generation of quilters brings their perspectives and experiences to the medium, their one-of-a-kind pieces offer something increasingly sought-after in interiors: a human touch, a symbol of when life moved more slowly.
As Bond put it, “Quilts are comforting and, in a way, an icon of a simpler time.”