David Shaw Nicholls
Encyclopedia
David Shaw Nicholls is a Scottish
architect
and designer
based in New York
. Nicholls is known for his modern area rugs and textile designs. Nicholls studied art, architecture and design at Edinburgh College of Art
(Edinburgh
, Scotland
) and Domus Academy (Milan
, Italy
), before starting his own textile design firm in New York City
.
Nicholls has exhibited at the "British Design Craftsmen", the "Edinburgh
International Festival" (1980), the "Charles Rennie Macintosh Furniture, Fine Arts Society, London
" (191), the "3rd Biendi Architecture, Venice" (185), and the "International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York" (from 1990).
In the early 1980s when he moved to Milan. He worked briefly for Sottsass Associati after completing his master thesis with Sottsass at the Domus Academy from 1985 to 1985 (the year of its inception). Whilst in Milan, Nicholls also collaborated with Prospero Rasulo of "Studio Alchimia" and Nanda Vigo of "Bar Montmartre" in 1985.
In 1985 he moved to New York and launched his "BEAST" furniture line. Hand fashioned in wood and metal. The design prototypes comprised: Angus, Arianne, Arno and Aston credenza. At its source, this period also inspired a portfolio of energetic freehand sketches.
allowed Nicholls to introduce an array of textile designs that have been widely recognized for their unique color palette and original design. Nicholls' work has been published in many prestigious media and he has been at the forefront of Hi-End design for twenty years. Architectural Digest
, The New York Times Magazine
, Elle Decor
, Interior Design Magazine
, Home Magazine
, House & Garden
, World of Interiors
, Hamptons Cottages and Gardens, Southwest Style, Phoenix Home & Garden
, and Traditional Home
have all published designs by David Shaw Nicholls.
Nicholls' design firm produces Tibetan
100, 80 & 60 knot carpets
in wool/silk, fine wool, flat-weave & Bessarabia
n and an 'Aquaterra' line launched in 2004.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Nicholls is known for his modern area rugs and textile designs. Nicholls studied art, architecture and design at Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
(Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) and Domus Academy (Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), before starting his own textile design firm in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Nicholls has exhibited at the "British Design Craftsmen", the "Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
International Festival" (1980), the "Charles Rennie Macintosh Furniture, Fine Arts Society, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
" (191), the "3rd Biendi Architecture, Venice" (185), and the "International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York" (from 1990).
Furniture, Interiors and Architecture
While in school in Scotland, Nicholls gained recognition for his two seater welded tubular chair at Edinburgh College of Art. In 1980, "Design reg. No.995257", his first prototypal piece, was acknowledged as “uncluttered and straightforward," “a clean starting point and an attempt to reduce the object to its original state”, and was shown at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1980, in Fine Arts Society in 1985, at the “Light” exhibition in Milan in 1983. The prototype was also editorialized extensively throughout the world during this period.In the early 1980s when he moved to Milan. He worked briefly for Sottsass Associati after completing his master thesis with Sottsass at the Domus Academy from 1985 to 1985 (the year of its inception). Whilst in Milan, Nicholls also collaborated with Prospero Rasulo of "Studio Alchimia" and Nanda Vigo of "Bar Montmartre" in 1985.
In 1985 he moved to New York and launched his "BEAST" furniture line. Hand fashioned in wood and metal. The design prototypes comprised: Angus, Arianne, Arno and Aston credenza. At its source, this period also inspired a portfolio of energetic freehand sketches.
Carpets
The creation of his own design firm in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
allowed Nicholls to introduce an array of textile designs that have been widely recognized for their unique color palette and original design. Nicholls' work has been published in many prestigious media and he has been at the forefront of Hi-End design for twenty years. Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest is an American monthly magazine. Its principal subject is interior design, not — as the name of the magazine might suggest — architecture more generally. The magazine is published by Condé Nast Publications and was founded in 1920, by the Knapp family, who sold it in 1993...
, The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, Elle Decor
Elle Decor
Elle Decor is a magazine published by Hearst Magazines, who bought Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011, that focuses on home decor.-Featured designers:...
, Interior Design Magazine
Interior design magazine
An interior design magazine is a publication that focuses primarily on interior design in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet.Interior design magazines document the interior of homes, furniture, home accessories, textiles and architecture usually in a highly stylized or staged format...
, Home Magazine
Home Magazine
Home Magazine was a magazine published in the United States by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S..Home was founded in 1981 and concluded publication with the October 2008 issue. It appeared ten times a year and had a circulation of one million. Its website, PointClickHome.com, continued updating until...
, House & Garden
House & Garden (magazine)
House & Garden was an American shelter magazine published by Condé Nast Publications that focused on interior design, entertaining, and gardening....
, World of Interiors
World of Interiors
The World of Interiors magazine is published by Condé Nast.The glossy magazine, which features articles and photographs about interior design was founded in London, England as Interiors in 1981 by Kevin Kelly with Min Hogg as editor....
, Hamptons Cottages and Gardens, Southwest Style, Phoenix Home & Garden
Phoenix Home & Garden
Phoenix Home & Garden is a monthly magazine based in Phoenix is written for people who desire information on Southwest living and regional advice for growing desert plants....
, and Traditional Home
Traditional Home
Traditional Home is a design and decorating magazine that targets affluent readers. Traditional Home is published by the Meredith Corporation and "celebrates the pleasures of modern life through the prism of classic taste" and has been the best-selling shelter magazine at newsstands for nine...
have all published designs by David Shaw Nicholls.
Nicholls' design firm produces Tibetan
Tibetan art
Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet. For more than a thousand years, Tibetan artists have played a key role in the cultural life of Tibet. From designs for painted furniture to elaborate murals in religious buildings, their efforts have permeated virtually every facet of life on the Tibetan...
100, 80 & 60 knot carpets
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
in wool/silk, fine wool, flat-weave & Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
n and an 'Aquaterra' line launched in 2004.
External links
- David Shaw Nicholls Design Firm Official Website
- Designer Profile at The Design Guide
- Works By David Shaw Nicholls at ArtNet