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➻ David Berman was a high school student in Brooklyn, New York, when he was smitten.
The class was English literature, but it was a room pictured in his textbook that he found
himself studying. The space was the work of C.F.A. Voysey (1857–1941), the iconoclastic, if
slightly obscure British architect known for his signature Arts and Crafts wallpapers and
textiles. “I thought, ‘What a lovely looking environment,’” says Berman, now 56. From that
encounter grew Berman’s fascination, some might say obsession, with all things Voysey. At
Trustworth Studios, Berman’s Plymouth, Massachusetts, atelier, Voysey’s timeless fabrics
and wall coverings are reproduced for a small but steady stream of
cognoscenti, celebrities, design purists, and delighted newcomers
to the world of Voysey.
Though currently focused on textiles and wall coverings,
Berman has over the years designed Voysey-inspired furniture,
light fixtures, and clocks, and by the end of the year, he will have
introduced a line of reproduction door hardware. But while
outfitted in the manner of medieval artisans (he dons a cotton-canvas smock to work), he introduces contemporary colorways to
the papers he produces on the most modern of computer-driven
printers.
Voysey’s legacy is often described as the bridge between English Arts and Crafts and
Modernism. “He was very green for his time,” says Berman of his inspirational mentor. “He
designed practical, light-filled houses, and his architecture appealed to the most interesting
people: Aldous Huxley’s mother was a client. When H.G. Wells made his first money, he had
Voysey do his house.”
Of his textiles and wallpaper, Berman notes, “Voysey was the master of simple — even
childlike — but studied design. He drew on nature and myth in original, joyful ways.”
Featuring such elements as children’s-story characters, animals, flowers, and lyrical
landscapes, the designs are deceptively simple and highly entertaining. One pattern, for
example, looks like an abstract background until closer examination reveals bats and
poppies. Studying the work is fascinating, almost hypnotic. No wonder Berman got hooked.
— regina cole
David Berman
trustworth studios
508-746-1847
trustworth.com
