Behind the Design: Southwest Desert Landscape Throw Blanket
Our Southwest desert landscape throw blanket was designed in tandem with the Roadrunner as the first pair in our Southwest Collection. These two throws were always intended to be sold alongside each other—similar color palettes that look beautiful together in a space, the same general theme, but each speaking to its own distinct focus. While the Roadrunner throw was more playful with the snake winding around the edge, this throw takes a botanically driven approach, focusing on the plants of the Southwest: ocotillo, yucca, and piñon.
Like the Roadrunner, this design departs from typical textile design by treating the throw as a landscape—something that reads as art when held up, not just a repeating pattern. We kept some of our signature design elements: an asymmetric color border and lines that keep your eye moving throughout the piece. We also brought the ocotillo cactus from the foreground into the border itself, blurring the line between subject and edge. This is the second piece in our limited edition Southwest Collection, made in a small run of 14.
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What inspired the plant choices and landscape composition?
The composition was very similar to the Roadrunner scene—a foreground of desert, mesas, and mountains. We decided to focus the plants on piñon, yucca, and ocotillo, each for different reasons. We love the general shape of the blooms on a yucca—these soft, layered flowers are such a stark contrast to the spiky bottom part of the plant. We chose to use the same color approach we use for many of our other designs, treating the colors and line outlines of the drawing almost like a print where the color isn't strictly within the lines but rather exists as its own layer underneath them.
The ocotillo's spindly spines were perfect for creating a more fluid cactus that visually provides movement throughout the design. The piñons anchor the landscape and help create context for the background—not just solid blocks of color for the mountains. One of the things I love about Southwestern landscapes is that they tend to be a lot more speckled with green moments than you initially realize. They're not static, vast swaths of brown but are instead speckled with green—often piñon or juniper bushes—throughout the high mountain desert.
The border is my favorite part: blocks of color framing cacti, blurring the boundaries between foreground and border. It's where the subject becomes the edge, and the edge becomes part of the composition.
Tell us about the color palette—why these specific colors?
Color is always an equally important aspect of a design as the drawing itself. After coming up with a rough pencil sketch of the whole throw, we take out the swatch booklets and start narrowing down colors that we see working with the design AND fitting into modern, eclectic home design. Our throws are intended to be standalone works of art, not simply support pieces for a really prescribed design in a space. Think grey millennial space with a shade of grey or cream minky throw—that is not our goal.
Since this is a landscape scene, we knew we wanted traditional color elements like greens and tans, but we went a little bolder with a coral (a signature color of ours by now—it finds its way into most of our designs!), a bright and happy yellow, and a fun periwinkle for the sky. Not totally blue, but also not purple either. The periwinkle gives the sky this dreamy, unexpected quality that keeps the whole design from feeling too literal. The hunter green grounds it, the coral and yellow bring energy, and the tan keeps it earthy and versatile for a variety of styles. Together, they create a palette that works in spaces with personality—homes that aren't afraid of color.
Our approach to small batch production
Our Southwest desert landscape throw blanket is made with our partner mill in New York City, which specializes in small runs and working with artists. These aren't cheaply made items—the thread is high-quality 2-ply cotton and recycled cotton, depending on the color. The throws are soft, durable, and wear beautifully. Each one is inspected by hand and sent directly to us. We chose a U.S. manufacturer because we want to collaborate directly, trust the conditions in which our products are made, and reduce the global footprint of getting them to us.
Fourteen is a small number, and it's intentional. This is a zero-waste facility, and we're not interested in lessening product quality by producing more. But beyond that, we're giving ourselves the space to see these designs as editions rather than mainstays. We're creating high-quality art pieces that may or may not be reproduced in another edition. This approach allows us to keep exploring, keep designing, and keep challenging ourselves without being tied to maintaining inventory on past designs. It's more aligned with how we work as artists—create something with intention, release it into the world, and move forward.
How do you envision people using this Southwest desert landscape throw blanket?
I think because this throw is a little more accessible in terms of theme, it may be a little more versatile. Plant and flower scenes have long been some of our most popular designs, and we expect the same from this throw. While it has a bold color palette and design, we think this throw will be at home in a variety of spaces. By focusing the art to be its own standalone piece, we're making statement pieces that aren't as dependent on the room as a whole.
We talk about color theory and anchor vs. secondary color palettes in an earlier blog (link below), but in general, this throw will work well in modern spaces that have similar color palettes or neutral color palettes. Homes with a lot of plants will also be great places for this throw to land. We have it styled in a bedroom here with a coordinating bedspread featuring yellow checkers, but in general, if your home is collected with memories and objects that are meaningful to you, this throw is going to layer happily in with the rest. The hunter green and tan make it grounded enough for everyday use, while the coral, yellow, and periwinkle bring personality. It's made to be used, washed, and lived with—functional art that gets better with time.
We're going for sentiment, emotion, and memory to really guide this Southwest desert landscape throw blanket. We want our work to appeal to you as a whole—your story, the things you hold dear, whether they're moments from travels or parts of your identity. A love for beauty and nature, or just someone who's inspired by bright colors. We want our work to speak to you and inspire you to layer your home with meaningful pieces.
In a world that's so full of things we don't need—where we're constantly pushed to change and update—we really want to slow that narrative down. If you layer your space with intentional pieces you really love and that tell your story, you won't feel the need to toss it out and start again when the next trend takes over. This throw, along with the Roadrunner, is part of that vision—functional art made with intention, designed to stay with you.
The Southwest desert landscape throw blanket launches October 8th at 8pm MST. Edition of 14. Subscribers hear first—join the list at the link below.
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