We are about to launch our limited-edition run of certified organic and nature-inspired crib sheets! 🎉
Keep reading to learn about how I designed each of these five prints, and why they reflect what I call cozy organic minimalism.
Inspired by Nature
Oolie is all about sustainability, so I wanted our first patterns to reflect the natural world — starting right at home in my garden, then venturing out into the wild places of Oregon.
Outdoor places are where my children learn about the world and themselves. The forest, coast, and mountains offer them invaluable experiences beyond their typical days between school and home.
As part of treating the Earth with respect and kindness, I wanted our minimize to sheets’ impact on the planet while celebrating our fondest outdoor experiences.
Pacific Northwest Perspective
Oregon has coastal beaches, rugged snowy mountains, and dry and dramatic high desert. I drew from those colors, textures, and shapes that appear all around us here in Oregon — and, more broadly, in the American west — to shape the crib sheets’ color palette and forms.
I wanted those shapes, and their organization within the surface pattern, to mirror movements and relationships we see within the natural world.
Colors & Patterns
The core color palette includes:
- a warm golden yellow
- a rusty clay
- a silvery sage
- a dusty pale pink
- a pale, muted blue
Now, a little bit about each pattern:
Picnic
This print was inspired by a perfect afternoon in the park with a picnic blanket, some fresh fruit, happy kids running in the grass, and soft, filtered light warming the whole experience. The pattern is reminiscent of a classic gingham picnic blanket, rendered in a modern color story inspired by late afternoon light.
Red Hills
This print draws inspiration from the gently-rounded topography of the Painted Hills, a geological site in central Oregon. The muted red of the clay color mimics the rustiness of soil rich in iron. The Painted Hills are deep red in some places and dusty tan in others. Our dusty pale pink invokes the color variation of the hills.
Prairie
Late spring and early summer in Oregon means wildflowers. Wildflower hikes are one of my favorite early summer adventures, and this print was inspired by the native flowers of Oregon — as well as the “controlled chaos” of many front yard gardens in Portland.
Cream Confetti
Colors of the coast: muted gray-blue of the water on an overcast day, pink of sunsets, yellow gold of afternoon light. The shape of the splotches in cream confetti mimics the droplets of water in Seaspray, or those that form when you splash water straight into the air and the light catches it before it falls.
Sage Stones
The inspiration for this color comes from the sage brush that grows in central and eastern Oregon. In the shapes and visual movement of the pattern I wanted to convey the essence of water in a river rushing over smooth, flat stones. Their visual repetition is meant to invoke the paradox of the river being both the same and different in every moment.
That’s a lot to cram into five patterns! I also really wanted the patterns to be soothing, but playful, calming but also interesting.
I hope you agree!
— Nora Murray, Founder of Oolie
