Bernat Klein

Textile designer Bernat Klein recently celebrated his 90th birthday with an exhibition of brilliant polychrome paintings. In the 1960s, establishing his own mill in the Scottish borders, Klein's fabrics were chosen for collections by Dior, Channel, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent. His two books Eye For Colour and Design Matters outline a vital and infectious passion, applying his ideas and aesthetic principals to all aspects of living. His dynamic use of form, colour and texture, the principal hallmarks of his work, are abundantly evident in the wonderful house he commissioned from architect Peter Womersley where he lives and works to this day.
 

What is your favourite surface?

Female skin

In what weather do you think best and why?

The quality of my thinking is unaffected by the weather. It depends on other factors.

Describe your favourite meal?

With family & friends on a terrace in the South of France. To start with we would eat melon followed by beef stroganoff. The best part of the meal however would be crepe suzette with whipped cream.

What qualities do you most admire in an object?

Fitness for purpose. Proportion, colour and texture.

What is your first olfactory memory?

The scent my mother wore.

What fictitious place would you most like to visit?

The land flowing with milk & honey.

What do you like the smell of?

Roasting coffee beans and wild strawberries (not together)

Recount your last remembered dream?

Scenes with my late wife, Margaret.

How should a table sound?

Plentiful

What piece of art would you most like to live with?

I have no single item. My art has to be constantly changed to keep me aware of it.

Which sense disturbs you most frequently?

Hearing.

Which sense would you miss the most?

Sight.

What song or piece of music best expresses your mood today?

Bruch: Violin Concerto 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 

2. Adagio

What is your favourite view from any window?

My view over the hills towards the Eildons near Melrose in the Scottish Borders.