S T Y L EAWTIWT HI S T
CRAFTER
BY DANIEL CARTER
craftzine.com/08/brini
Brini Maxwell is a character fabulously frozen in a scene from a cocktail-fueled 1960s home décor show that never really existed, but should have. Not as blue-blooded as Martha Stewart or as innocent as Doris Day, Maxwell is her own entity: the star of her own TV show and the creator of podcasts, a book, and a new line of home products.
Maxwell, aka actor Ben Sander, is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology and a former fashion designer. She launched The Brini Maxwell Show on public-access cable TV in 1998, shooting the show in her own meticulously retro apartment.
Picked up for two seasons by the Style Network, the show is a laugh-out-loud romp, ironic yet full of useful tips, from crafts to cocktails to cooking. Currently on hiatus, Maxwell can be heard on her regular NPR podcast, Hints for Gracious Living, and all her TV episodes are transcribed at her website, brinimaxwell.com.
Maxwell’s current project makes her signature look available to all: a line of colorful, mod-inspired home décor goods called Felix Populi (felixpopuli. com). The shop features an expanding selection of home furnishings, table linens, and a daisy embroidery kit inspired by what she calls the “elegant embroidery designs of the 60s and 70s.” Looking like something straight off the set of Bewitched or That Girl (two of her many inspirations), the colorfully quirky products reflect the same sense of style and humor found on Maxwell’s show.
DC: What led to your first cable-access show?
BM: I was decorating my apartment to look like a 60s movie set, right down to the utilitarian stuff like mixing bowls. I found a sensational set of vintage Pyrex ones at a thrift shop and was very pleased with myself, until I realized that they would never be seen. When I had people over they’d be tucked away in their little cabinet, so instead of having an emotional crisis I decided to do a television show with a cooking segment in it. That way everyone could see those great mixing bowls.
DC: Crafting is a big part of your show. What are some of your favorite projects, and how did you originally get interested in crafting?
BM: I really enjoy the process of making things. It’s very therapeutic. I enjoy sewing and needlework as well as graphic design (arguably more of an art than a craft, but it informs most of the projects I do). Some of my favorite quirky crafts include artificial fruit made from sewing trims and styro-foam forms, charm bracelets featuring fobs made of beads and head pins, and the wonderful world of tassels. ×
Daniel Carter is creative director of CRAF T.
Photograph by Garry McLeod
Read more of our interview with Brini Maxwell at craftzine.com/08/brini.
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