Returning to Embellishment
I’ve been thinking a lot about the late 18th Century and wondering if some aspects of fashion from that period will begin to appear in the design world. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll see more of it as people tire of seeing so much mid-century modern design in all the shelter magazines.
Hats and fans from Marie Antoinette and The Duchess
So many people are mourning the loss of Domino, which seemed had a more cozy feel than the truly historic-yet-contemporary look of Charles and Ray Eames, and company. Domino was decidedly feminine. Likewise, the new interest in floral wallpapers, like those from Anna French and Designer’s Guild, seem to take a step back in time.
Anna French
Why the 18th century? I’m thinking of movies like Marie Antoinette and The Duchess. The costumes were the stars. The drapery in the dresses – the ribbons and adornment lend themselves to a more feminine decorative style.
Designer’s Guild
I’m thinking we’ll begin to see more dressmakerly embellishments on curtains and accessories. More florals. More comfort.
Elegant comforts from Marie Antoinette
The current economic crisis plays a role as well. When times are tough, it’s more comforting to come home to a nostalgic, cozy and embracing environment than a bare-bones bunker.
A more somber palette, but no less elegant, from The Duchess
Here are a few sites I’ve been looking at lately for inspiration in this direction. Will it take off? Of course I don’t know. But I’m enjoying taking the time to ponder how I would incorporate some aspects of the ?ºber feminine in my personal approach to my design work.
Feminine Inspiration
Embroidery as Art. This blog is dedicated to stitchery that goes way beyond your grandma’s sampler.
Designer’s Guild. Furniture, textiles, etc. They’ve got a decidedly European girlie thing going on that I love.
Anna French. Wallpapers and textiles. They’re both contemporary and vintage. It’s all in how you use them.
The Costume Gallery. This is a nice resource for inspiration gathering. It may be about fashion, but it all translates.
18th Century Fashion. A fun Flickr gallery of period costume.
images source
3 Responses to “Returning to Embellishment”
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Posted by misterarthur on February 13th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I think that’s a great point. But there are a lot of people who are less “dedicated” to a specific style. They’re the ones who might glom onto embellish-y things if the magazines start writing about that as a “trend”. I do think, however, that shelter magazines (and fashion magazines for that matter) have much much much less influence than they used to.
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Posted by Jennifer on February 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I agree with both comments. I think most people lean toward one style over another. I can’t foresee someone doing up the parlor in Mid-Century Modern and the next year switching to Louis XVI. But most of us find that, through the years, our tastes change to some degree. And the media definitely plays a role.
As Arthur says, the traditional print media is becoming less important as blogs (yippee!) take their place.
But don’t forget that magazines try to appeal to a mass-market, compared to blogs. We can focus on a tiny aspect of the design world. So for a blog reader who is interested only in Mid-Century Modern or Edwardian design, they are free to live in their own private Idaho.
Both are great. I say, never stop to take a fresh look at things. But stay true to yourself.
It’s true that trends are cyclical. But, don’t you think people who genuinely love a certain style or period are not so fickle as to change with what’s popular at the time?
I, for one, have been a lover of mid-century modern my entire adult life (30+ years). And my older sister has always been a lover of embroidery, embellishments and the Edwardian period. She’s made a career from it (needlework instruction, costuming).
If the trend is toward embellishments…then good for my sister. I hope she gets more business from it. :-)