Obsessed: Coolie Shades

This was supposed to be one of those quick and easy posts where I share my latest obsession: those deeply cone-shaped lamp shades that are, apparently, called coolie shades.

Me being me, this somehow turned in to deep research on coolie hats, both the originals and their interpretation in fashion (particularly popular in the 1940s); the term coolie and whether or not it is considered offensive; and the use of said coolie shades by designers (they appear to be somewhat of a signature for John Saldino.)

This all came from the fact that I want one in my new office, and that the latest issue of Veranda seems extra populated by them.

But really, what (if any) of that are you guys interested in?

So here you go, a round up of some lamps currently available, with coolie shades at various degrees sloped.  I love how architectural and sophisticated they feel, how they balance out fat lamps and give stature to skinny ones (perhaps this was also the appeal of the hats???)

For sources, (fair warning: none of these are exactly budget options), go to the board here and click through.

Here are some as seen in Saladino's work.

Here are some coolie hats in art and fashion:

And with that, let's call it a day!

Disintegration

For a while now, I have been noticing that the beautiful Indian pulkhari textile on my bed is fading.  The background color has gone from a vibrant coral to a faded orange, and the embroidery has simply disintegrated, one color at a time.  (It still had some blue here, and lots of pink, here.)  At first, I sort of vaguely suspected that it was changing, and then, all of a sudden, it became very clear when I posted an old photograph from my bedroom in the same post as a current picture, but the damage was already done.

This is one of those things about decorating: it is not forever.  Organic materials change.  Use wears away at things.  Buttons pop on upholstery, kids leave stains, pets scratch floors and furniture.  Even if you decorate appropriately for your lifestyle, nothing stays pristine.

I absolutely believe in using what you have.  Our wedding china is very expensive, but I would rather use it and delight in it, even if it means chips or even a broken dish here or there, than leave it on the shelf.  Having that textile on our bed was one of my favorite vignettes in the house.  It made me think of the store where I bought it--now defunct--and the early days of my brother and sister-in-laws relationship (she was with my mom and I shopping, and spotted the textile first.)  It reminded me of Clio's tiny toddler room in Brooklyn.  For a while, I let it fade because using it made me happy.

But then I freaked out and moved it to a chair, still in the room but out of the line of direct sunlight.

And I tell myself that it is good to move things around and keep it loose.

Tell me: Have you loved and lost any precious objects?  My heart broke a little when one of my daughters knocked over a ginger jar at my mom's, left to her by my grandmother.  But of course life goes on.

How to frame a work of art

This was one of my first real lessons in decorating:

I was in my early twenties and had picked up a pair of original watercolor fashion illustrations, and I was having them framed.  I took them to a place on Union Street in Park Slope Brooklyn, where the man took them out of their cardboard sleeve gently, as if they were significant works.  He used small felt sandbags to hold down the corners while we talked.

I started to tell him about my decor, and how I wanted to frame them to go with, well, with whatever my fancy was at the time.  (This?  Maybe this.)

Oh no, he said.  You have to frame a picture for the picture, not for the room it will hang in.

He selected frames I never would have imagined, frames that suit the era evoked in the paintings as well as the color and the texture of the watercolor.

Not only are the frames just right, but they have worked in each of my subsequent homes because they are not trying to "go" with the decor.

There are exceptions, of course, but this rule always works.

What I would like to inherit

designsponge

In my parents house, there is a double height living room with floor to ceiling windows, Baker furniture, Chinese antiques, a dramatic fireplace wallpapered in black wood diamonds (trust me, gorgeous), and....an enormous Christmas wreath over the mantel All.  Year.  Round.

Julian Chichester in Elle Decor, via Tokyo Jinja

In my mother's defense, the wreath is heavy, and unwieldy, and there really isn't a great place to store it the eleven non-Christmas months of the year.  Plus, she has never found just the right piece to hang above the fireplace.

Until now.

Lonny via Chinoiserie Chic

I found the most gorgeous pair of Chinese ancestral portraits at a local antique shop.  They are perfect and I love them so much I told her we should buy them together and each take one.  I was convinced of the genius of this plan and had decided who gets which and where they go and then I came to my senses around the whole price tag thing and realized I can absolutely not afford even one corner of one and will just have to convince her to buy them both and to gift them to me in her will so I can inherit them in 40 years.

Michael Smith in House Beautiful, via Chinoiserie Chic

Right?  A flawless plan.

And so I went and dug up some amazing designer rooms featuring said portraits.  

Miles Redd in Elle Decor via Tokyo Jinja

(Mom, are you reading this?)

Barrie Benson via Tokyo Jinja

Also, I think it should go without saying that if you find something awesome for a close family member, even if they pay for it, you should get first dibs should they ever want to give it up.  Don't you think?

via The French Eye

I'll say no more.

But if you would like to know more about these portraits, I found a great deal of information on the blog Tokyo Jinja (several of these photos were found on her site.)  check it out here.

If Leopard is a neutral, what is Zebra?

I love that so many of you were with me that leopard is, indeed, a neutral.  (My favorite response?  From A.J. Barnes, who says he has a list of rules, written down, and the first is that Leopard is a neutral.  I would love to see this list posted on his blog!)

I was feeling slightly less convinced about zebra--I mean, by definition its pretty bold: the contrast! the scale!  But I was just paging through the new issue of House Beautiful when I saw Carson Kressley featured in their bedroom column.  In regards to the pillows on his bed, he has this to say:  "Not that you asked, but I consider zebra a neutral."

What do you think?

From Domino:

From Lonny:

From House Beautiful:

And one awesome sofa from my all-time fave interiors book, New York Living:

Are you with Carson?  While not exactly neutral, does zebra function as a neutral?

Also, an informal poll: leopard or zebra?  Spoiler alert: I'm leopard, for sure.

Is leopard print a neutral?

My whole family is a little ga ga for interiors.  My older brother designs home theaters with his interior designer wife.  My younger brother is a real estate lawyer and peruses the residential listings on a regular basis even though he and his wife are not planning on moving.  We used to go to the Parade of Homes as a family, just for fun.  So perhaps it is no surprise that my mom brought a fabric swatch to Mother's day brunch, and a debate about animal print ensued.  (the swatch in question: a grey and white small scale leopard print, in consideration to reupholster a pair of slipper chairs in her den.)

My mother and I insisted that leopard is a neutral.

Everyone else disagreed.

Here's what dictionary.com says (after a whole bunch of definitions having to do with war and not taking sides, which, actually kind of relates to where I am going with this): "matching well with many or most other colors or shades, as white or beige."


This is, of course, the beauty of animal prints: they go with anything.  From Victorian to Midcentury, Regency to Global, leopard print really never looks out of place.

I thought I'd do a little research on the matter, because the pictures don't lie.

[Miles Redd]

[Domino]

[House Beautiful]

[Domino]

[Domino]

[Traditional Home]

[Traditional Home]

[New York Living]

[Muriel Brandolini, New York Living]

For some reason, I especially love leopard print carpet as a "neutral".  Check it.

[Domino]

[Domino]

When I first embarked on this leopard print journey, one of the first spaces I thought of was this apartment of Hamish Bowles in his days at Vogue (maybe he's still there?  I didn't see him in The September Issue, a documentary about Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington which is a MUST see.)  

Leopard carpet PLUS accessories.

[Hamish Bowles, New York Living]

My conclusion?  Like anything else in design, so much depends on the context.  Let's compare two entires that use leopard.

Leopard is an indisputable neutral when you live in a crazytown of color, pattern, and styles because the color palette and earthiness can ground a room and the small scale organic pattern of it can keep things moving.

[Hamish Bowles, New York Living]

But put animal print into a pared down, neutral palette space?  Suddenly it is the star of the show.

[Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics]

Not so neutral now.

How about you: would you use leopard as a neutral?


And watch for a roundup of zebra.  Coming soon.

Flashback Friday: Easter Buckets

Now, I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves to others, but reading so many blogs daily has revealed a few things about myself, or made me notice them in a way I hadn't before.  Looking at other people's designs and inspiration pictures has really sort of cemented for me my own taste.  I've also realized that I am VERY low key about holidays.  I don't really decorate.  At Christmas it's a tree and nothing else (and we didn't even do that for 4 years when the girls were teeny and we weren't home for the holiday anyway.)  I'm not big on ceremony (though I would like to invent some family traditions here and there--I've got my eye on May Day).  And my husband's influence means that gifts should have a practical bent, and sugar should be minimized.

Today we will be dyeing eggs the old fashioned way: with a PAAS kit from Target.  That's it!  That's all we're doing!  The girls will get small easter baskets.  I didn't make them, I bought them.   They will have non-handmade items in them, including the Tangled polly pocket dolls that the girls really, really, really want.  And some bunny-shaped sidewalk chalk so we can get outside (if the weather ever clears up) and get creative.

Here's Easter last year, in our little rental in Boulder.

We made easter buckets so they could use them again.  There's a little bit of candy and yogurt covered pretzels in there, but also card games, socks with favorite characters on them, and seeds to plant.

Here's Eleri checking out the contents.  It's hard to believe she was so little just a year ago,

We also believe in easter egg hunts.  I think my husband let me put a single m+m or gummy bunny in each egg,

We have two kids.  The third bucket was for the girls best friend, Dakota.

Suckers are delicious.

I suppose the other important tradition for us is Easter dresses.  My mom got them each THREE choices this year because she couldn't decide.  They love them all.

Though it is worth mentioning that Eleri is wearing a Christmas dress this morning--which was her cousins about 4 years ago, and then Clio's, and now, well, it's seen better days.

So that's it's low key.  I have to say, I admire the people who make beautiful decorations by hand, and even more the ones who work with their kids and display the decorations no matter how lopsided or unique they may be.

What do you do for Easter?