After going through some old clippings recently, I realized that there are a few things that always seem to catch my eye. And one thing that stops my magazine page- turning cold is the sight of a tassel. Truly, I haven't figured out why because I only have one tassel in my home. (Believe it or not, I do try to keep the embellishments to a minimum!) Still, they're fun and a bit frivolous. Here's a brief roundup of these little flights of fancy.
Smith & Brighty Rainha Tassel
Tassel beach blanket by Madeline Weinrib
Agraria perfumed tassels, available at Charlotte Moss
Vintage Tassel Table from Mecox Gardens
Tassel sconces from Brunelli Designs
Gilt Bronze and Opaline Jardiniere from Heather and Company
"Garland and Tassel" wallpaper border by Adelphi Paper Hangings
Image at top, courtesy of Conde Nast Archives
Great photos... I love tassels, but in moderation.
ReplyDeletePigtown- So true. Moderation is key with lots of things ;)
ReplyDeleteTassels are definitely back! (Not that they ever went out in some Southern homes :) And I love that beach blanket!
ReplyDeletei'm obsessed with pompom trim, which sounds scary--even to me! but it can be so much fun if done right and with some unexpected ingenuity.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...
ReplyDeleteThat bedroom with the monstrous tassels looks a bit S&M don't you think? In which case they would be functional tassels, I suppose.
Michael Greer, the decorator, wrote that one should always hang a tassel on the key for a drawer. Primarily because it would be easy to find if you dropped it. Otherwise I'm not big on tassels. I especially hate them used as curtain tiebacks.
ReplyDeleteAnon- I've seen pompom trim used in some very chic homes. I guess it's all in the way you use it- much like tassels!
ReplyDeleteToby- Isn't that an odd room? To me, it looks like a movie set from the 1930s. Had not thought about that particular use for the tassels.. very interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteAesthete- Greer would approve of my use of a tassel b/c that's what I use mine for. While I don't dislike large tassels used as tiebacks, I do think there are more interesting ways to hold back curtains.
ReplyDeleteSo we don't know anything about the history of the first room? Seems like something Dali or Schiaparelli would have? Very curious.
ReplyDeleteI used black mini pompom trim on my ivory/ecru silk curtains in my old house. It was so unexpected and now i see it everywhere (which always bums me out when I have something way before it gets popular and then all of a sudden it's everywhere). I LOVE the look, though :)
ReplyDeleteSo, tassles:. Yes. Only when used with restraint and high quality weaves, the cheap ones look like crap, IMO. I can't remember where I've seen that bedroom with the tassles before.....do you think it's cording or metal? Is it a Draper room?
Andrea V.
I just love those sconces!!! And what a creative idea above the bed too. Great post!
ReplyDelete~Kate
I think they appeal to women so much because of the girly element to them. They remind us of dresses we once twirled around in as little girls. I don't use too many, but I do love a beautiful tassel hanging from a key in an armoire or secretary.
ReplyDeleteOn one of my visits to The Yellow Room at Colefax and Fowler I measured the tassels that were suspended from looped ropes at the top of Nancy Lancaster's silk curtains, and they were nearly a foot long! Yet they didn't appear steroidal as do so many curtain tassels, and they didn't hold back the curtains either~that was done invisibly, what the Brits call "reefed".
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean...even one tassel hanging from a piece of furniture transforms it...
ReplyDelete