Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Building around heirlooms: Quilts

We moved into this house not too long after my husband's grandmother moved out of hers, and we were lucky to inherit a number of special things from her, including a pair of handmade quilts for the girls.  Originally, as I started planning their room, the idea was to build the design around these quilts, and I folded them at the end of the two beds to get a feel for them in the space.  (It's funny: the quilts are two different patterns, and it was immediately clear to me which was whose: the daisies for my older daughter, who likes to garden and wear dandelion crowns, the waves for my younger daughter, who is always making waves.)  As I was thinking on it, my mother in law sent me an email with a few more details about the quilts: how they had been hand stitched my her mother.  In the 1930s.  After that, the first time a little bit of somethin somethin got on them (boogers, maybe?) I put them away for later.

Lately I've been seeing a number of sophisticated rooms that incorporate quilts, and I thought I'd share some inspiration with ideas on how to keep quilts feeling modern.

Minimalist
The elements: low bed, industrial wall lights, spare furnishings, Scandinavian lines




[Lotta Jansdotter's house, via Wise Craft]






Bolaget Inspiration - www.bo-laget.se/inspiration/

[Via Bolaget Bild från www.bo-laget.se/inspiration/]

Traditional
The Elements: soothing palette, simple bedding, fabric lamps shades, clean lines


[via Elle Decor]


[Via House Beautiful]


[Via House Beautiful]

Funky
The Elements: lots of pattern, dramatic shapes, eclectic art


[Annie Selke via Elle Decor]


[Kathryn Ireland via House Beautiful]


[Via Elle Decor]


[Via Architectural Digest]

Look at that last one again.  Fabulous, no?  That's the one that started this whole thing.

So what about you.  If you were building around a quilt, would you gravitate to one of these styles?  Or would you go for the more typical country or shabby chic scheme?

I'll build boards for two of these looks tomorrow, so come on back!


3 comments:

  1. i love that kid's room with the elephant print. i may need to consult you for our soon to be remodeled boys' room.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post! I've always loved quilts. I have a handful of antique ones passed down to me from my parents, who used to collect them. They're all in a cupboard right now, but I need to revisit them. Maybe throw over the back of the living room couch (which I'd like to eventually replace). Garnet Hill often has beautiful new quilts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The HB one reminds me of a Hawaiian quilt, which I have always wanted. I was thinking I might get one for my daughter's room when she moves into a twin.

    Love the top pic too.

    ReplyDelete

Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!

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