On any given day, Julie Malone is carving, inking, and pressing her signature motifs by hand, one block at a time. A maker since childhood (she launched her first eBay shop at 12 years old), Julie has always paired artistry with entrepreneurship. In high school, she taught herself to silkscreen T-shirts for classmates—“so many ‘spring break ‘06’ shirts,” she laughs. But it was a tiny college apartment that nudged her toward the medium that would define her brand.
Without space for a full silkscreen setup, Julie turned to block printing. What began as a practical solution quickly became an aesthetic revelation. “I love how energetic block printing looks. Since no two individual prints are alike, it creates a ton of movement, which feels playful and fun,” she explains. Today, through her brand Julie Peach, she creates a line of tabletop accessories, including dinner napkins, table runners, and tea towels, each featuring her cheerful touch of pattern.
The inspiration behind every collection begins with daydreams of travel, often of places she’s been or hopes to go. She imagines the setting first: the food being passed, the plates being stacked, the colors guests might wear. This imaginative cohesion is built into the foundation of her brand. An upcoming “shore summer” collection, for instance, channels nostalgic beach days in the Northeast. Hot dogs, ice cream cones, and mischievous seagulls layered alongside waves and sunshine. Julie’s final products are transportive. They are another chapter in a larger story where every piece is meant to live and layer, all at the dinner table.
In a world of mass production, Julie’s hand-pressed napkins and runners carry the subtle imperfections of the block, a reminder that the best gatherings are the ones that feel lived-in.
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