We believe the best spaces tell a story. To bring that vision to life, we partnered with local artist Andee Ashelman to create a custom artwork exclusively for our NYC Flagship, a piece designed to live alongside the collections and become part of the experience.
We sat down with Andee to talk about her creative process, the inspiration behind the work, and the role art plays in shaping the spaces we inhabit.
The material is a backing of fence wire and the front is black tea-dyed Xuan paper, which is Chinese calligraphy paper. I really like the combination they create: the juxtaposition of something structured, sharp, and rigid with something flexible, soft and fragile. In a way it’s also a nod to my two cultures, bringing elements from the East and West together. These materials guided me to create a collection of pieces with inspiration from wrought iron fences, florals, mosaics, and textiles. For this piece specifically, I took a lot of inspiration from the forms in With Jéan’s Belinda lace collection, especially the square element in the center.
I’ve always loved working with my hands. I think that’s because of my Mom. She is a ceramicist and introduced clay to me at the age of 3. Through attending Pratt Institute for Industrial Design, I got to experiment in all sorts of media, from glass blowing and woodworking, to jewelry making. I started this specific collection at the beginning of the year. The combination of paper and wire came spontaneously, and I've been really enjoying this new form.
I love going to parks to sketch flowers. I just bring a little notebook and a ballpoint pen. Spending time in nature recharges me creatively.
It’s a fun challenge to cater a design to a specific space. For this particular Wallflower commission, I visited With Jéan’s Soho store to determine the size. The dimensions heavily affect the symmetry and elements within a Wallflower. I found that the store’s aesthetic closely matched my own: we both have an appreciation for intricate patterns and craftsmanship. I spend time collecting inspirations, and create a digital design mockup to map out the pattern layout. I play around with forms until it feels right for the space. Then comes my favorite part, the many weeks of hand-making the piece. The production process includes a lot of meticulous and repetitive steps. To me it’s very meditative to dye, cut, and adhere the materials together. Seeing everything come together at the end is very fulfilling.
It's less about the detail but more from up close you can see the little "imperfections" and that shows the “handmade-ness”. There were a lot of minute, detailed steps and labour that went into making it.
Right now, I would love to make some pieces for my parents’ home in China.
This is a piece of advice that I got from another designer a year ago. His advice was to just keep making. Keep creating, trust the process, and see where it goes.
See Andee's custom artwork up close at our NYC Flagship store.
43 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013
Opening Hours:
Mon–Sun 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
The material is a backing of fence wire and the front is black tea-dyed Xuan paper, which is Chinese calligraphy paper. I really like the combination they create: the juxtaposition of something structured, sharp, and rigid with something flexible, soft and fragile. In a way it’s also a nod to my two cultures, bringing elements from the East and West together. These materials guided me to create a collection of pieces with inspiration from wrought iron fences, florals, mosaics, and textiles. For this piece specifically, I took a lot of inspiration from the forms in With Jéan’s Belinda lace collection, especially the square element in the center.
I’ve always loved working with my hands. I think that’s because of my Mom. She is a ceramicist and introduced clay to me at the age of 3. Through attending Pratt Institute for Industrial Design, I got to experiment in all sorts of media, from glass blowing and woodworking, to jewelry making. I started this specific collection at the beginning of the year. The combination of paper and wire came spontaneously, and I've been really enjoying this new form.
I love going to parks to sketch flowers. I just bring a little notebook and a ballpoint pen. Spending time in nature recharges me creatively.
It’s a fun challenge to cater a design to a specific space. For this particular Wallflower commission, I visited With Jéan’s Soho store to determine the size. The dimensions heavily affect the symmetry and elements within a Wallflower. I found that the store’s aesthetic closely matched my own: we both have an appreciation for intricate patterns and craftsmanship. I spend time collecting inspirations, and create a digital design mockup to map out the pattern layout. I play around with forms until it feels right for the space. Then comes my favorite part, the many weeks of hand-making the piece. The production process includes a lot of meticulous and repetitive steps. To me it’s very meditative to dye, cut, and adhere the materials together. Seeing everything come together at the end is very fulfilling.
It's less about the detail but more from up close you can see the little "imperfections" and that shows the “handmade-ness”. There were a lot of minute, detailed steps and labour that went into making it.
Right now, I would love to make some pieces for my parents’ home in China.
This is a piece of advice that I got from another designer a year ago. His advice was to just keep making. Keep creating, trust the process, and see where it goes.
See Andee's custom artwork up close at our NYC Flagship store.
43 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013
Opening Hours:
Mon–Sun 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
