Now's the Time for Throw Blankets That Double as Art
These gorgeous textiles from artists like Zoe Schlachter and HIllery Sproatt are an easy (and affordable) way to introduce some beauty into your space.
These gorgeous textiles from artists like Zoe Schlachter and HIllery Sproatt are an easy (and affordable) way to introduce some beauty into your space.
On the long list of frivolous home accessories you can either be gifted or elect to buy yourself, nothing gets a worse reputation for being both boring and extra than the humble throw blanket. It makes sense: Throw blankets can be at best dowdy and ugly, and at worst itchy and scratchy, and often, they are a dreaded combination of both. The disappointment that comes from being gifted a truly-whatever throw blanket that you have no choice but to display can leave any person wondering whether they’re better off being cold. Chenille blankets with tassel corners printed with the face of your family’s beloved but long-deceased chihuahua? Well, oh okay, it’s better than nothing.
But—it doesn’t have to be this way. In recent history, both the quality and the coolness of throw blankets has increased exponentially, with small companies like Slowdown Studio and Zig Zag Zurich curating throw blankets and housewares printed exclusively with designs and illustrations made by artists. Now it’s possible to proudly display your throw blanket as if it's a prized piece of art—except this one will also keep you warm.
Hillery Sproatt Poppies and Lotus Forest Green Blanket
Imagine sinking into a field of wildflowers, the sweet fragrance of poppies and lotus drifting to and fro with the breeze. Thoughtfully designed, crafted and knitted in the USA, each blanket is designed from Hillery Sproatt’s paintings. Made from 80% recycled cotton and 20% poly, they are the perfect weight for year-round use. Blankets measure approximately 50" x 60" and can be machine washed and dried on cool/delicate cycle. Available in forest green, lilac, cinnamon and flax.
Portland, Oregon-based painter Hillery Sproat translates her pastoral scenes of townspeople, animals, and the natural world into large and small knit blankets that are the perfect weight for colder nights but not too heavy that you can’t keep it draped on the couch through the summer months, too.
Grace Jones Blanket
Woven Image on a 54 x 70 Blanket
It used to be that friends would determine whether you had good taste by thumbing through your record collection when they visited you at home. In the age of streaming, show them you’re cool by draping this Katie Rineer-created Grace Jones blanket over the armchair.
Zoe Schlacter Aura Blanket
What does your aura say? That you’re fabulous, confident, and individual—just like the "Aura" Blanket! These five distinct colors become pixelated through the knit gradient, blending together in fascinating ways, creating a print that's even more colorful than the rainbow. Prepare to transform your space into a party with this vivaciously vibrant and statement-making piece.
What’s your aura today? Let this Zoe Schlacter throw read your energy. With five vibrant colors that blend together in hypnotizing ways, this piece of cozy art really sets the mood.
Maternity Blanket by Maria Prymachenko
We have partnered with the Prymachenko family foundation to develop three wool blankets from her stunning artwork collection.The benefits of all sales for our Maria Prymachenko collection will go to the foundation and their charitable organization which helps the people of Ukraine. The ZigZagZurich Artist Wool Blanket collection celebrates original art woven into New Zealand Wool blankets. Our unique development of these artist blankets in conjunction with our global artist roster, give your home something unique to add and support the artists directly with every product purchased!These real New Zealand wool blankets will keep you warm at home or out (they make super ponchos as well!)
Born in 1908, Maria Prymachenko was a Ukrainian folk artist whose hundreds of colorful works captured the spirit of life in Ukraine. Zig Zag Zurich created this throw blanket to benefit Prymachenko’s family’s Ukraine aid organization, Volunteer Movement. It’s not only a beautiful heirloom that will brighten up any room, sales from the blanket also go to supporting Ukrainians during wartime.
Paradies Berlin Stack Blanket
Cuddly soft blanket with an abstract graphic motif.
With all the functions a blanket can offer. It is wonderful to sleep with or on. Shop
Add some color to a forgotten piece of furniture—the guest bed or over a neutral couch are good places to start—with this abstract blanket by artist Raby-Florence Fofana. Pink and red not necessarily part of your home color palette? This same 100 percent wool blanket comes in a blue-and-black variety, too.
Biquette Shapes Throw Blanket
Like a lovely puzzle, Shapes by artist Kim Mullis, brings together objects in a fanciful layout bordered by checks and subtle linework. Knitted in soft and sustainable 100% Organic Cotton. Machine washable for easy care and cleanability.
For the geometry-minded, this Shapes blanket by artist Kim Mullis will add both color and curiosity to any room. Made from 100 percent organic cotton, it’s a lightweight choice for those who run hot.
Hauser & Wirth Luchita Hurtado Gelong Blanket
In support of local heritage and artisan enterprises, Hauser & Wirth is proud to present the Artist Blanket - the result of an annual collaboration between gallery artists and ROAM, a small studio based at the heart of the Scottish cashmere and fine woollens industry.
In collaboration with ROAM, a woolens studio in Scotland, Hauser & Wirth’s artist blankets are a slightly more affordable (though pricier than most) way of decorating your house with contemporary art. This beautiful work by Luchita Hurtado is almost too precious to get cozy beneath. (Almost.)
Slowdown Studio Woo In Young Hudson Throw
The Hudson Throw, designed by Korean artist Woo In Young, is as fresh and vibrant as any Spring bouquet we’ve ever seen. The best part - no need to water these flowers.
One of a number of blankets made by artists through Slowdown Studio, Korean artist Woo In Young’s throw is a brightly colored homage to spring and its bounty. This is the perfect choice to add color on top of a white comforter, or if you like to get warm through other means, it works just as well as a piece of hanging wall art.
"The LSD Marathon" Blanket by Jody Barton
The inspiration for wanting to draw this super fun parade of sporting folks comes from a strange fascination with the ‘mass sporting event’ - far from being just a type of exercise, the mass sport event is a new and constantly evolving festival that encapsulates many of our societies obsessions - it is a pageant, a festival, a party, a rite of passage.
UK-based artist Jody Barton was inspired by the phenomenon of the mass sporting event for his blanket that he calls the LSD Marathon. A 100 percent woven jacquard New Zealand wool blanket, Barton’s interpretation of a bunch of people running for a very long time is just the thing your couch needs to feel special.
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