Interior designer Rose Ott creates wallpaper and textiles inspired by Long Beach
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You don’t have to be from Long Beach to delight in an airy new toile wallpaper and fabric collection that has recently come to the marketplace. But, take one close look at this design and certainly residents of the seaside town will instantly recognize some of the city’s cherished landmarks and scenes including the iconic boardwalk teeming with bicycles, the famed bandshell, the timeless town clock and even the “Welcome to Long Beach” sign that greets visitors.
The new line, dubbed “LB Soul” is the handiwork of veteran interior designer Rose Ott, 58, who moved to town four years ago from Merrick. “It’s been such an incredible experience. I was so inspired that I started drawing and that led me to this,” she says. It wasn’t an instantaneous process. “It took me two years,” explains Ott. “I’ve always loved toile throughout my career, and I wanted the pattern to be right. A lot of thought went into it. I would sit on the boardwalk sketching and think, how do I create a cohesive pattern for this beautiful life I have now.’”
While creating the design took time, its name — LB Soul — came easily to Ott. “I know this sounds really corny, but there is something about being in this town and smelling the salt air that gets into your soul. There are so many people who return here and stay because of just that — it’s in their soul." And she has no regrets when it comes to her move to Long Beach. “It’s the best thing we ever did.”
Non-designer types may wonder, what exactly is toile? It refers to a patterned fabric that features intricate motifs. It was derived centuries ago in Europe, and is often considered an integral part of traditional décor, though Ott’s work — done up in deep navy with a white background — is anything but fussy and could just as easily feel at home in more contemporary settings.
For Ott, the launch of “a fabric and wallpaper collection has always been a dream of mine. My creative endeavors are fueled by the beauty of this vibrant city, which is why I was driven to craft something truly expressing my love of this community.” Other elements worked into the LB Soul tableau include frolicking dolphins, seaplanes, beach chairs and umbrellas, seashells, wispy clouds and even a rendering of what she calls “the pink hotel,” which, once known as the Lido Club Hotel, is located in Long Beach's neighboring Lido Beach.
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Interior designer Rose Ott, of Long Beach, has created a toile print for wallpaper and fabrics that celebrates the city's most iconic landmarks and scenes such as the boardwalk, bandshell and town clock. Credit: CTK Photos / Christina Kramer
There are many iterations of the wallpaper in different finishes and textures including peel-and-stick ($129 per roll); natural grass cloth ($549 per roll) and pebbled ($279 per roll). In the fabric department find the patterns on Belgian Linen, chiffon and even denim to name just a few variations, starting at about $29 a yard. If using LB Soul on your walls or drapes feels a tad over the top but you’d like a touch of Long Beach here and there, consider the throw blankets ($139), pillows ($69), sheet sets ($159.20), tablecloths ($129) or place mats ($44) all emblazoned with the pattern. For those who wish to keep Long Beach even closer to their heart, there’s a silky bathrobe ($140).
For Jeanine Price, 56, of East Moriches, that bathrobe was the perfect gift for her sister, a longtime Long Beach resident who she says “absolutely loved it. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, where did you find this?’ ” Price, whose background is in design, is helping her sister renovate her house and is debating whether to use the wallpaper in the bathroom or the office. “It’s probably going to be the bathroom. It’s what Long Beach is all about, with all these landmarks that make it really personal to someone like my sister who lives there and is a rooted part of the community.”
LB Soul collection, spoonflower.com.