Aspire Design and Home | Designer Travels: Reflecting On The Importance of Cultural Exploration In Creativity

Sean Leffers is no stranger to blending global influences into his life and work. So when the designer and collector set out to develop his own textiles collections, his inspiration reached around the globe to locales he has frequented and loved. The collections ? Between Heaven & Earth and In the Shadow of Merapi ? bring in stylistic references stemming from journeys to Japan, Java and beyond, and honor the time-honored practices that bring the textiles to life.

aspire design and home sat down with Leffers and our intrepid Designer Travels columnist Laurie Blumenfeld to discuss the origins of these patterns and the importance of travel in design.

Jennifer Quail: The origin story of these collections speaks to the importance of history, travel and cultural exploration. Tell us how one small scrap of antique fabric morphed into these collections.
Sean Leffers: I began collecting fabric fragments years ago, sourcing them from antique markets, auctions and specialty dealers. One of those finds became the starting point for the design we now call Countess Ayakura. It was a thin, fragile piece of fabric lining the back of an Edo-period tansu chest I bought in Kyoto ? a subtle detail that hinted at its deeply-rooted Japanese heritage.

Textiles like this carry a story that transcends borders and time. The peony motif of Countess Ayakura, while firmly embedded in Japanese culture, has its origins in China and has taken on different meanings as it moved across regions. This fabric is part of a larger narrative about how textiles, techniques and symbols travel and adapt, shaped by the cultures they encounter. They remind us that even the most deeply rooted designs are part of an ongoing, fluid exchange between past and present, place and people.

Countess Ayakura | SL: The fabric is made from slubbed linen and features a peony motif, a symbol of prosperity, honor and bravery in Japanese culture. It is created using a discharge and block printing process: The base dye is carefully removed to reveal the intricate pattern, and additional layers are added with hand-carved wooden blocks. The result is a fabric with a texture and depth that feels timeless.

JQ: This is your first foray into designing textiles, but you were already a collector. Tell us why textiles hold a special place for you.
SL: Textiles are among the most intimate and universal forms of human creativity. They exist at the meeting point of the practical and the poetic ? something we touch, wear and live with every day, yet also something capable of carrying profound meaning. To collect textiles is to collect fragments of history ? woven, dyed and stitched into something tangible and lasting.

JQ: Why are travel and exploration important to design and to creativity in general?
SL: Travel and exploration are crucial to design and creativity because they reveal the profound variety of ways people have addressed the universal challenges of life ? how to build, adorn and make meaning. To encounter a distant culture or landscape is to be reminded of the vast reservoir of human ingenuity and recognize that our own assumptions about beauty or function are just one possibility among many.

Laurie Blumenfeld: Travel is the most important part of my design process. Each trip I take, whether it’s to Asia, Europe, South America or Africa, becomes part of my design psyche. Each country is brimming with colors and textures, history and cultural nuances that influence how I see the world and design ? furniture, objects, fabrics and more. Travel creates a heightened awareness of other cultures and societies as it expands one’s appreciation for other cultures. And through design, I can express my appreciation.

Taiyo to Tetsu | LB: The black-and- white palette with intricate details in a repeat pattern is chic and sophisticated. The Japanese influence makes it striking.

“I was immediately struck by Sean’s experience in India, meeting with the textile artisans. I was recently in India and shared that same experience! I appreciate how he has used the classic patterns often used in rural parts of India, Morocco and Indonesia and reimagined them to feel contemporary, yet with a strong nod to their history.” – Laurie Blumenfeld

Ruteng | LB: I was immediately drawn to Ruteng. To me, it represents the colorful Indonesian textiles, but in a more refined scale, and with beautiful details. I love the neutral, rich colors mixed with black.

JQ: How do you like to use textiles in your interior design projects?
LB: There are so many possibilities! An over-scale graphic fabric can make a unique statement piece as a wall hanging. Indigenous fabrics made into a duvet cover will completely change a room. Upholstering furniture in a travel-discovered fabric is also a magnificent way to create a moody, global vibe.

JQ: What are some of your favorite places to search for textiles around the globe?
LB: India, Morocco, South Africa and Cambodia.

JQ: What do you hope designers and homeowners will feel and think about when they experience this collection?
SL: I hope this collection invites designers and homeowners to pause and reflect on the layers of history and craft embedded in the textiles. Each piece carries with it the trace of a place, a time and a set of hands ? reminding us that even the most functional objects have their origins in acts of creativity and care. I want people to feel a connection to the stories woven into the fabrics, to sense the dialogue between past and present, and to recognize how design links us to something larger than ourselves.

– Published in aspire design and home, Spring 2025