Hable Construction

By Amy Flurry
June 15, 2010

Clockwise from top left: Pillows; Cherry checker garden gloves, $25; Screenprinting; Pink Poppy Print; Kiradu fig (out-of-doors); Pomegranate cosmos canvas, $62; Kiwi cosmos weekender, $190; Photo Credits: Rinne Allen

Dots are dots are dots, right? Not always. Hable Construction’s signature repeating circular patterns—cast on fabric and in punchy hues from tangerine to sky blue and inky charcoal—are instantly recognizable for their organic shapes, as are so many of their bold, graphic florals.

The designer behind Hable Construction’s distinctive palettes and prints is Susan Hable Smith, who founded the textile company with her sister, Katharine Hable Sweeney, in 1999.

A little more than a decade since its inception, the New York-based company is thriving; they now produce five fabric lines, have international product distribution and operate a successful online shop. Smith still hand-draws the abstracted motifs, their imperfect repeat treatments Hable Construction’s hallmark, but what has changed is that she does so from a studio in the backyard of her new home in Athens, Georgia.

We caught up with Susan, who recently put the finishing touches on a Victorian cottage. When it came time to decorate, she scoured eBay for vintage chairs to reupholster, aged mirrors, even folk art for the walls.

The Inside Source: Why the move to Athens?

Susan Hable Smith: I had spent several years coming to Athens for photo shoots for our company. Each visit was filled with much hard work but also meeting interesting, like-minded artists and professionals. Some were splitting time between London or New York and Athens. It felt as if I could maintain a life here and keep my NYC life alive too. The open door-open mindedness of Athens was very charming and almost all of the people who were here seemed to hold some secret of a quality life mixed with hyper creativity flourishing without any burnout.

TIS: Tell us about your new digs.

SHS: It’s is a Victorian cottage, circa 1886. My husband and I completely overhauled it all the way from New York. It took us about three years. We focused on putting back the bones of a period home, though I put some more decorative elements inside that could be called funky.

TIS: Describe the décor?

SHS: It’s a mix of classic with... hot pink kaleidoscope wallpaper! We used local wide pine floors but did a Swedish finish using white lye and white oil to keep them light.

TIS: How did you use eBay when it came to decorating?

SHS: We wallpapered the guest cottage bathroom in the cottage in old maps that we bought for 40 dollars on eBay.

Roll over items for details

Assorted Vintage US Maps

(winning bid, $4.99)

Vintage USA Nystrom School Map

(winning bid, $41)

TIS: After living in New York for ten years, were you surprised at how much it took to fill this new project?

SHS: Our apartment in New York was very small so instead of buying furniture, we bought art. Our house now has art all over it...I purchase some pieces off eBay from a regional folk artist legend RA Miller after a local museum here did a show with his things. They fit right in with some more refined pieces and I love the mix sitting on top of the wallpaper in my hallway.

Dinosaur and Snake by RA Miller

(winning bid, $39)

RA Miller Folk Art Signed Painting

(buy it now price, $325)

TIS: Are you a collector?

SHS: I am an occasional collector but moving frequently in the past few years puts a damper on the obsession. I have collected china, strange dolls, gilded frames, vintage millenary feathers, light fixtures—all purchased on eBay. I was lucky to have a shop in New York City for eight years and I could buy the strangest things and our customers would scoop them up.

Guilded Victorian Molded Gesso Frame

(buy it now price, $295)

European Ethnic Vintage Doll

(buy it now price, $14.40)

Vintage Feather Millinery

(winning bid, $27.89)

Vintage Feather Millinery Hat Trims

(starting bid, $9.99)

TIS: What’s currently on your eBay search list?

SHS: Old mirrors, frames, old chairs that I can reupholster. I rarely know exactly what I’m looking for but one thing leads to another and I ultimately find something each time!

Danish Mid-Century Modern Tan Lounge Chair

(buy it now price, $599)

Rattan Lounge Chairs

(buy it now price, $449.99)

Pair of Caned French Tub Chairs

(buy it now price, $599)

TIS: What’s on the horizon for Hable Construction?

SHS: We have recently started working with George Smith in London and Harrogate and are newly represented in Paris with Holland and Sherry. We have been working on some projects that aren’t released yet but the second half should be exciting. And we continue to develop work and a holiday program with Garnet Hill catalog which is always fun!

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