In the summer of 2019, the Portuguese-born, NYC-based graphic designer and illustrator Braulio Amado gave a prescient interview to The Recreationalist in which he said: “I always try my best to make everything look energetic. Most of my work happens while I’m sitting in a chair, so creating some movement on screen/paper is a good way to trick my body and brain.” Little did he know that one year later, we’d all be stuck inside with our butts glued to our sofas, circumstantially inert, missing the daily hustle that we once took for granted and needing such tricks of our own. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for a project like Amigös, Amado’s new collection of blankets and rugs for the Swiss brand Schoenstaub, which offers us the chance to bring the effervescent liveliness of his work into the headspace of our homes.

Launched this week both on Schoenstaub’s site (blankets and rugs) and in our own Sight Unseen Shop (blankets), Amigös features the fast-flowing digital brushstrokes often seen in Amado’s album covers, posters, prints, and installations for clients like Adidas and the Brooklyn club Good Room. While he once made a pair of incredible suits for a wedding, this is the first time his designs have adorned home textiles, a transition prompted not by the pandemic, actually, but by his longtime friendship with Schoenstaub founder Nadja Stäubli (hence the name): Ten years ago, she met and befriended Amado on her first day attending SVA as an exchange student, and having kept in touch all that time, the pair finally decided to professionally collaborate. You can check out their full collection of carpets and blankets below, then click the button to bring a bit of Amado’s energy into your own space.