Tag Archives: Rattan

Beware of the Trend

Posted in Architecture, Fashion, Uncategorized by
Bumble’s Melrose Place LA Pop-up is a 2020 DO – Bold Monochromatics make a scene this season.

I’m as attracted to what’s on trend or otherwise known as trendy, as the next person. Home design like fashion is subject to the changing whims of the industry, and it matters not what industry you are in. If you are part of the human race, you’ll be racing to keep up with the trends or falling shamefully behind.

Grandmillennial Style – think traditional with a contemporary edge. Clean lines, natural fiber carpets, and Chinoisier panels meet modern art with a splash of leopard (I thought leopard was a neutral).

The cynical part of me, that’s the part that starts in my toes and when I am not paying super close attention can zip right past my mid-section, and go straight for my throat, choking all the positive light out of me, tells me that it’s just another way to ensure the capitalist machine keeps running. I love capitalism, but I don’t love the idea of being duped. The sunnier side of me believes that humans have an innate desire to create and to express – that’s the truth behind trends. Like a stopped watch, even if you steadfastly resist trends, they come right back around, given enough time, and there you are – back in “fashion” again.

Powder Rooms with bold Wallcovering.

Neither of these philosophies are particularly appealing to me, and I am reminded of something my mother used to say about purchasing timeless pieces that make up the foundation of your wardrobe. Not being a supermodel, I try to adhere to a few rules of thumb for all the basics (that’s skirts, shirts, and slacks), if it flatters your form, buy it. Neutrals are your friend and clean lines win out over bold statements. This will preserve your wealth and not leave you scratching your head about how those white, patent leather, stacked heal boots ended up in your closet.

Faux Marble is IN.

These same principles apply to home furnishings. Buy basic pieces that have clean lines and are likely to stand the test of time in your home, no matter where you choose to make it, over the years. If you know, or think you know, that you are always going to love the Louis (that’s French for the XIII – XVI’s Reign of Kings competing to outdo one another, and in so doing created one of the most beautiful and lasting design aesthetics in existence today – a mon avis) or maybe mid-century modern is your jamb. To these styles you can add accent pieces that can come and go without breaking the bank, while satisfying our innate need to “be in the know”, to keep our spaces fresh, and dare I say it – be a part of the machine. After all, I can’t imagine having passed up my velvet scallop shell shaped pillow backed in that beau Belgium linen, any more than I could imagine having it in my home forever.

Rattan Remains on Trend!

Soothesayers may have spoken on their truths about 2020 trends, but neither the newest shade of peachy blush or a focus on they foyer, will be making its way into my home this year. I’ve stuck with my tried and true neutral hue, a pale gray, and my condo doesn’t even have a foyer – so posh. Maybe I’ll just re-style my portable coat rack and call it a day.

Bold Painted Interior Doors.
Posted in Furniture by
Suzanne Kassler . Daybed by Atelier Vime – Beaucaire.

I wish I could say that this was the last of it, but like a tween – I’m smitten, and there really is no way of telling when I’ll stop crushing so hard on rattan. Maybe some adorable bit of eye candy will come along next week. Maybe it’ll be another month, however long it takes to get it out of my system, be kind to me. You remember what an all consuming heart throb does to you.

OKL . Sycamore Hill Rattan Lamp $145.

Rattan can be ratty, and I’m not opposed to a little tattered and worn, as long as it doesn’t poke me in the butt. I don’t appreciate being jabbed under any circumstance. As long as I won’t be physically accosted by the piece, a significant amount of high-gloss paint can go a long way to making that piece look perfectly at home, in a fancy setting, or on some old weathered porch.

However, it’s the sublime perfection of these latest pieces that have been capturing my imagination. Still very much in the dream stage, the piece that I have my heart set on is so obviously outside my price range – though I can’t tell you what the price is other than to say that its “upon request”, which is just a nice way of saying, forget about it. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

Atelier Vime . Beaucaire . Stool – Price upon request

They can go on being that way if they want, but I have found that if you set your mind to it, and the it that you set your mind too is something that you want very, very badly, well then you’ll find a way to get it.

Perigold . Gold Metal Vase with Rattan Trim and Glass Insert . $94.80

Suzanne Kasler, I rue the day I met you. Oh, wait a minute – I never did meet you, did I. I just stalk you on instagram, buy your books, and end up getting hooked on ridiculously expensive finds like Atelier Vime’s Beaucaire Daybed and stool. I think you owe me an apology. You could make it up to me by shipping that little beauty of a stool to my home address.

Happy Saturday.

REEDing Between the Lines

Posted in artwork, Coastal Design, Designer Profiles by

While rattan always strikes me as a decorative accent best showcased somewhere down south, I find I long for it when the weather even hints (as it does here in New England, in fits and starts) of becoming warmer. It feels right that furnishings should get a little lighter, allow a warm breeze to pass through them – even if they are indoors.

Mario Lopez Torres . Parrot Toucan Monkey Chandelier . Chairish . $6800.

Now if you have begun to conjure images of the Golden Girls in their Florida condo, let me stop you right there. This isn’t bamboo and peach palm fronds that I’m talking about. Rattan can be sophisticated, elegant even, and I am here to prove it.

Rattan is derived from the Maylay – Rotan, which consists of an old world species of climbing palms, which in turn, belong to a sub-family known as Calamoldizae, which is Greek for reed. Now we are getting somewhere, so stick with me here. Those reeds are woven into cords, which are wrapped around a wire frame, allowing the decorative object or piece of furniture to take shape. It’s an art, and oh boy, are there ever some designers that elevate the form.

Draped like a cloth tossed on top of a table. Beautiful lines. Chairish.

Mario Lopez Torrez is perhaps my favorite for his cheeky use of monkey’s. A Mexican Artist known for his mid-century creations – though it is believed he still produces pieces today in his village – Ihuatizo. If a visual examination of the intricacies of his designs don’t convince you of his status, perhaps the price points at which his pieces sell will.

Oomph . Layford II Mirror . $1850.

City or seaside, north or south, I have a hankering for rattan.

Serena and Lily . Flynn Single Wall Sconce . $228.

Perfectly on Point: hitting the 2018 trends

Posted in Furniture, Uncategorized by

I have seen piles of mags broadcasting the likes of … well what I should like this coming year.  That’s basically what a trend is after all, a preordained color, style, material, shape, movement, and/or general mood that the year or season will have.  Who ordains it?  Heck if I know, but I am pleased to report that “statement ceilings”  also known as the “Fifth Wall” made the cut, and am proud to report that I have papered one of mine, and painted another, and not in white either.  A color that will grab your attention.  At least when you look up, which one is bound to do at a point.

Wallcovering4

The Fifth Wall . One King’s Lane is like the Diana Vreeland of Interiors.

My Domain says that “Dusty Pink”, aka blush will stay trending, and that textures, curves and swivels – that’s chairs that spin you dizzy, or lull you into a dreamy trancelike state, which allows you to go on a vacation in your mind.  Get one.

dusty pink palette

When I discovered rattan and holiday vibes were also in, I thought…%#@!  I am so on point!  It just so happens that I too, am into rattan.  Who’s copying whom?  It’s hard to say.  Though I suspect that if I don’t get my own list of cutting edge decor for you to follow, I’ll just be in step, instead  of ahead of the curve.  But wait a minute – curves are in too…this is getting complicated.

S & L Fern Bed

Serena and Lily . Avalon Bed . $1798.

With all this trending, and not trending, being clever, and being predictable, staying in step or being so yesterday, I got to wondering when exactly it’s ok to just be you? I’m going to go out on a limb here and admit, unapologetically how much I like the Serena and Lily.  Not just a little bit, they don’t pay me or anything to say I like them, but their designs are so fresh, clean, coastal, and humblingly expensive.  At least for me.  The good news is that so many important designers have used their furnishings that they have gotten a little old – even though they are absolutely new and super cool, and if Serena and Lily were reading this and told me I could furnish my entire house for free with S & L pieces, I would totally say yes, and probably faint.

Urban Outfitters Rattan Bed

Urban Outfitters . Marie Woven Winsor Platform Bed . $898.

I don’t actually think that is likely to happen, so you can imagine my delight when I spotted a rattan bed from Urban Outfitters that’s half the price!  I am so getting it.  They also have a coordinating storage cabinet that made me whisper…”where have you been all my life”.  Even though I know they have been around for a really long time.

Urban Outfitters Amoire

Urban Outfitters . Marte Storage Cabinet. $729.