Marvelous Marbleized Accessories

What’s New/What’s Next kicks off tomorrow and we are thrilled to invite you to an event in our showroom at the New York Design Center, where this lively exchange of ideas takes place each year. This is the 14th annual gathering that celebrates all things design, and we’re jumping right into the fray with an opportunity for attendees to meet Susan Schneider, an artist and shade-maker who will have her marvelous marbleized accessories and shades, shown above, for sale. She’ll also share a primer about the art of shade-making using her renowned marbling techniques on paper and on fabric.

Marvelous Marbleized Accessories

The pop-up will be open tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and we will hold an artist reception at 4 p.m. so please stop by our showroom in the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Avenue (Suite 506) if you’re in town. In case you’re new to Susan’s work, here’s a bit about how her artful career has unfolded thus far. The artist and shade-maker began in the home furnishings industry as an antiques dealer specializing in textiles. As her antique collection grew, she realized that she had lovely lamps without appropriate shades.

Susan Schneider of Shandell’s makes marvelous marbleized accessories and shades.

Her search for aesthetically pleasing ones eventually took her on a quest to learn the techniques of shade-making and Shandell’s was born. Shandell is a slight variation on the Hebrew word for pretty—shaindel. Susan’s tagline for her company is “things that make you smile.” With the knowledge of shade-making acquired, the artist developed a passion for marbling paper, fabric, and leather six years ago. She studied with Chen River Marblers in the U.S., though she is largely self-taught. Today, she utilizes marbling techniques to create an array of decorative items that includes shades, leather journals, matchboxes, valet trays, and switch plate covers.

As she continued to collect vintage fabrics and paper, she began incorporating the materials into her designs. She also teaches marbling in her studio in Massachusetts. You can see her at work in the video above, created by House Beautiful magazine. Her passion for lampshades is a two-decade long one, the shapes and sizes she produces fitting for both antique and contemporary lamps. She has received a tremendous amount of press from lauded publications like House Beautiful, Country Living, Victoria, and The New York Times. If you can’t make it to WNWN, Susan sells her products online, the store is easily organized so you can shop to your heart’s content.

A colorful array of Shandell’s fireplace matches become marvelous marbleized accessories when encased in the canisters that bear Susan’s masterful touch.

Susan’s studio is in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, and she collaborates with customers on custom projects large and small, which include lighting solutions and custom papers for wallpapers, weddings, events, and gifts. “I’m passionate about the ancient art of paper marbling, and host Sunday workshops in my studio in the Berkshires so that you, too, can explore the beauty of color and pattern,” she says. “Come visit me on Instagram, online, or at my studio in Ashley Falls.” You can also book a workshop so that you can produce things that are sure to make you smile!