Having already produced over a thousand floorcloths for clients in 19 countries, Gwen Jones was ready when preservation guru Karla Pearlstein suggested they start a company specializing in designs of the Aesthetic and Arts & Crafts Movements. Their custom-floorcloth company turns out these beautiful and versatile floor coverings using a traditional process to ensure durability. They are unlike printed plastic coverings. Floorcloths last a long time and are cleaner, or less dust-producing, than carpeting.
Jones had long been attracted to the iconic British designer Christopher Dresser through his 1875 book Studies in Design. When she was collaborating with Pearlstein on a major project, she shared the book: “Karla had the excellent idea to use Dresser’s patterns to connect the overall aesthetic of the interior by the use of decorated floorcloths.”
Their designs show influences from early American stenciling, 19th-century Britain, wallpaper and textile patterns, and even mosaic tile and marble. Custom orders are welcome. Gwen consults by email and phone, or in person, to determine the ideal size, pattern or motif, and palette.
The floorcloths are made from rugged cotton duck #4 canvas; carpet padding and vinyl backing provide a hypoallergenic product with cushioning and water resistance. A primer coat seals the backside. The surface is prepped with several gesso coats and then treated to multiple layers of high-quality finish paint. Stenciling is done by hand. The cloth is protected by multiple coats of polyurethane and a final finish of Butcher Bowling Alley Wax.
Gwen Jones
Ariel Grace Design
Portland, Oregon
(503) 206-2631
arielgracedesign.com
Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.
Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.
Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.
