Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Spring is here, the trees are in bloom, and flowers seem to be on my mind. Floral prints are everywhere at this time of year. To some, the floral motif can be a bit saccharine. The good news is that there seems to be a floral print for all tastes- traditional, contemporary, graphic, sophisticated, or casual. Here are a few objects, fabrics, and wallcoverings that just might make you rethink the flower.


Porthault Linens at Sue Fisher King, San Francisco


Floral Swirl Lamp at Gracious Home


"Ravello" wallpaper from Tyler Hall


"Astrid" Chair at Anthropologie


"Japanese Floral" print fabric by Florence Broadhurst at Signature Prints


"Oriental Flowers" china by Meissen at Table Art, Los Angeles


(Image at top-room with floral prints by Mary McDonald)

Quadrille Fabrics

As Spring and its promise of warmer weather is right around the corner, now is the perfect time for you to reevaluate your interior and consider lightening things up. Out with the wools and in with the cotton and linen! Billy Baldwin suggested having two sets of slipcovers made for upholstered furniture- one set for summer and one for winter. While this may seem a bit extravagant, Baldwin had a point- who wants to spend the warm weather months lounging around on a pile of wool pillows?

The most appropriate fabrics for Spring and Summer are, in my opinion, cotton and linen. Why not change out those heavy curtains for some breezy linen panels in a solid color? And to add dash to your room, how about having some pillows made in a graphic- print linen or cotton? Some of the best summery graphic prints around are by Quadrille. Here are a few that would look great in a beach house and a city apartment:


"Saya Gata" in Orange on Linen by Alan Campbell at Quadrille


"Deauville" in French Blue by Alan Campbell at Quadrille

"Textura" in French Blue on Linen, China Seas Collection at Quadrille

Image at top is "Ziggurat" in Brown in Linen/Cotton, China Seas Collection at Quadrille

(All images courtesy of Quadrille Inc.)

Beautiful Embroidery

Embroidery is becoming a lost art, but fortunately Jean-Francois Lesage is continuing his family's tradition of fine needlework. The House of Lesage has been the preeminent French embroiderer for much of the past century. Lesage is best known for its work for France's leading couture houses- Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Christian Lacroix, to name a few.

Jean-Francois has chosen to focus on embroidery for interiors rather than for couture. His main workshop is in Madras, India, where skilled craftsmen work with such fabrics as silk, wool, leather, and velvet. The embroidered fabric can then be used for upholstery, curtains, bed linen, or anywhere else one might want to use the stunning fabric. For a more affordable piece of Lesage's work, Vivre is carrying silk fuchsia pillows with a copper-thread embroidered lizard on them. C'est magnifique!

Town Toiles

Have you always wanted to see your hometown or favorite city immortalized in fabric? Well, Town Toiles may be just the thing. The Florida based company has created a line of toile fabric and wallpaper that celebrates such cities as Charleston, New York, and San Francisco. Other cities that will make their design debut this year include Atlanta, Palm Beach, and Philadelphia. In addition to fabrics and wallcoverings, they also sell home accessories made from their toiles.

"New York" Toile


"Charleston" Toile



"Nantucket" Toile

(Fabric at top is "Beach" toile)

Anthropologie- Design for the Masses?

It appears that Anthropologie is now selling furniture upholstered in fabric by lines such as Marimekko, Josef Frank, and House of KWID. While I'm not necessarily crazy about the design of some of the sofas and chairs, I think it's interesting to see fabric that is usually available to the trade only being used by a retail chain.


Wingback chair in House of KWID "Couture Stripe" fabric

Wingback chair in Josef Frank fabric


Chesterfield sofa with Marimekko fabric

Sofa in fabric by Missoni Home

Prince of Chintz

In the current issue of Vogue Living, there is an article about the current popularity of floral chintz in both fashion and home design. I know that most people have a love/hate relationship with these traditional florals. Used in moderation, however, they can actually be pretty, feminine, and stylish. The article even shows one print, "Delphinium" by Rose Cumming (the one in the top left-hand corner), that I could actually see myself using.

That being said, I tend to prefer floral prints that are either bold in color or graphic in design. Of course, I think that Dorothy Draper was the queen of floral prints. While some of her designs are quite tame, there is one in particular that I truly love. "Baroque Bouquet" (part of Carleton Varney's fabric line) incorporates two of Draper's favorite things- floral prints and Baroque architecture. I first saw this print used on pillows at the mini Dorothy Draper boutique at Bergdorf's, and I have to tell you that this print has some major wow!

Josef Frank, the Austrian architect and designer, designed some very exuberant fabric for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden during the mid-20th c. His floral prints are over-the-top, but I think that they would look pretty wonderful as an accent to a room. I particulary like "Milles Fleurs" and "Nippon".

Milles Fleurs

Nippon

Frank did design one floral print that is actually somewhat tame but is striking nonetheless. "La Plata" is such a beautiful blue and white floral print. I could see this print being used for cushions on white wicker furniture, or even as a tablecloth with plain white china or better yet blue and white porcelain!

And finally, what about this Leslie and D.D. Tillett floral print? It is so graphic and yet very classic! Jackie O. was a fan of the Tillett's fabric, and I can certainly see why. I have tried to find out if this fabric is still being made, so if anyone knows anything about it, please let me know.

Lovely Bedrooms

I'm a huge fan of prints of all types- stripes, geometrics, florals. I tend to avoid using too much of one print in one room. I think the result can look rather matchy-matchy. One room, however, where this does not hold true is the bedroom. I love bedrooms where the same print is used on walls, window treatments, beds, and upholstery. I think it can look quite smart.

World of Interiors recently featured Kate Spade's Upper East Side apartment. I was really taken with the guest bedroom. Spade chose to use Osborne & Little's "Rococo" toile to cover the walls and the bedspread. This toile packs a punch by being used on more than one surface. I also like that Spade upholstered the head and foot boards in a complementary apple green solid fabric. It really is a cozy room.



Chloe Sevigny and her decorator, David Cafiero, took this idea a step further (a big step!) in Sevigny's guest bedroom. Using Schumacher's Shangtu Floral, they covered walls, ceiling, bedcover, door, and desktop in this sophisticated floral print. By covering all surfaces (with the exception of the floor) with this one print, they really created a jewel box-like effect.

Chinoiserie Redux

After writing my post from yesterday on the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, I decided to search the web for contemporary Chinoiserie design. What I found was a profusion of fabric, wallcoverings, furniture, and tabletop items that incorporate this classic style. Here's a little of what I found, and hopefully it will inspire you to create your own Royal Pavilion!

Source Perrier is a great source of traditional and affordable furniture and accessories. They have many Chinese inspired items, but my two favorites are the Red Chinoiserie Mirror and the Chinese Porcelain Figures.

Clarence House has many Chinoiserie fabrics and wallcoverings. Why not make a few throw pillows in their "Fete d'Orient" pattern for a little Chinese chic?

For an authentic Royal Pavilion feel, why not wallpaper a foyer in Zuber's aptly named "Brighton" wallcovering?



Charles Edwards has a plethora of fabulous lights, lamps, and lanterns. Their pagoda lantern would be add just the right touch to that Zuber papered foyer!




And for a bit of casual Chinoiserie, Williams Sonoma Home has a great bamboo style chair that would be perfect in the oxblood finish.

Fun Fabric

Brightly colored and boldly patterned fabric can make a drab room fab. Used sparingly, it can serve as an exclamation point to the overall decorative scheme of a room. One pattern that I've recently become taken with is Clarence House "Chine Copte", a colorful silk with a somewhat primitive looking peacock.

I first spotted the fabric in Nick Olsen's apartment, featured in last month's Domino. He used "Chine Copte" to upholster two vintage bamboo stools.


A few days later, I found the same fabric again, this time in Elle Decor (seen above). The fabric was featured in the Trend Alert column on ethnic prints.

I love the vivid colors against the red background, and the pattern adds a lot of wow. I would probably use it for cushions, a stool, or an ottoman. I think using it on a small scale would keep the pattern from overwhelming the room.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Much has been written about Sofia Coppola's new film "Marie Antoinette". Many reviewers have remarked about the bright pastel colors of the costumes and set design (reportedly inspired by the color of Laduree macaroons).

I recently saw a still photo from the film in which Marie Antoinette (played by Kirsten Dunst), is surrounded by lavish desserts and cakes. I immediately thought of the wonderful Pierre Frey fabric Gourmandise. The recently expanded line now includes tablecloths, china, trays, and pillows.

Does this not remind you of these yummy Laduree confections?

Seeing Spots

Animal prints are a perennial fashion favorite and this season is no exception. Leopard spots and tiger stripes are a chic way to punch up both one's wardrobe and one's home.

Vivre has some super stylish leather trays that have a bold leopard lining. They would look great on a cocktail table, a bar, or a vanity.

Or, for something really audacious, what about some leopard sheets from Pottery Barn?



And for those of you who think that subtlety is for the birds, why not throw this wild tiger rug down in your entryway or in front of the fireplace? Definitely not for the faint of heart. (Available at Jacques Carcanagues Inc. )