Anna French’s Wild Flora Collection
They say that all things which go around come around. It’s certainly true in the worlds of fashion and interior design. We’ve been enjoying the rediscovery of mid-century modern for several years now. But is it time to leave the 70’s behind and move on to the 80’s? Anna French’s Wild Flora collection of wall coverings is making me thing that the answer is an absolute yes.
The 1980’s was the era of the English Country House. Interiors were decorated with over-stuffed, Chintz-covered sofas. They sat amidst ottoman-style coffee tables laden with piles of books, topped with a vase of peonies fresh from the stately gardens out back.
Often, movies precede the emergence of a particular style. Out of Africa greatly influences Ralph Lauren’s signature look – both in fashion and interiors. That movie, as well as A Room With A View, Howard’s End were influencers in the English Country Look that symbolized the 1980’s.
The Return of The English Country Cottage?
The great thing about rediscovery is the way an old style is reinterpreted to make it look fresh. Mad Men, for example, aims for historic accuracy. And the look isn’t quite as hip as we would have thought. It’s the reinterpretation that makes it fresh to our eyes.
I’m beginning to see this same reinterpretation applied to the ‘80’s Country Cottage. Why? Sometimes it only takes one movie to start things moving. In my humble opinion, Atonement is responsible for giving this look new life.
Atonement’s Living Room: A Feminine Country Setting
The movie’s set design was very popular and got a lot of press (not unlike Something’s Gotta Give). Cecilia’s bedroom, in particular, was gorgeous. Yet all interiors featured floral wall covering with matching window treatments. It’s a feminine look that works really well within the architectural framework of the rooms. Of course, the movie takes place in the 1930’s. But, as I said, we’re constantly taking a new look at old things.
Another influencer is the popularity of Jane Austen’s novels and the gentrified rural world in which her characters reside Рsort of faded fancy.
Anne French’s new Wild Flora collection of wall coverings and fabrics is spot on this trend. If you like a feminine style, it’s worth taking a look at.
Friday Favorite: Spoonflower
What’s not to love? Spoonflower is the first site to offer custom printed fabric at a reasonable price. You design the fabric, they print it up. All for $18 per yard and $5 per swatch.
What’s really amazing? There’s no minimum order. In my business, there’s almost always a minimum order. Spoonflower is still in its Beta phase. Reports on quality have been good.
Need some ideas for custom fabric? Check out Spoonflower’s Flickr site.
Lunch Anyone? Or, Decorating With Cedar
We all have those days when our list of things to do goes awry. The vacuum breaks, a child is sick. Or, as in the case of my day today, a small project turns into a large one. I thought I’d spend an hour or so moving my winter clothes out of the cedar closet and into my bedroom closet.
Ick! It seems moths decided to make a meal out of some (thankfully not all) of my sweaters.
See?
There went my plans to write up a Design Dilemma. So, with the limited time I have left today, I thought I’d zip upstairs to write a quick post about cedar closets. My clothes were in one! Whence came thine moths?
I called my trusty exterminators, Rose Pest Control, to get the low down on moth prevention. I spoke with Jim. He told me some interesting things, which I’m passing along to you lest such a fate be in store for your woolens.
Cedar Closets and Moth Prevention
- Cedar needs to be refreshed. That means either painting it with cedar oil every couple of years, or sanding the cedar so that you get a strong scent.
- The cedar kills both the moths and the larva. It’s the latter that actually dines on your cashmere. The larva looks like a fine, white web.
- Moths like to breed in pockets and rolled up things. Or things in boxes. They especially like so feast on soiled wool. So make sure you take your clothes to the cleaners before you pack them away for the winter.
- To get rid of the pests, take everything out of the closet and either have them drycleaned or washed. If they don’t look infested, and weren’t expensive, you can hang them out in the sun. Moths are like vampires – they like the dark.
Avoid Moths! To do so, you can use moth balls. But they take a long airing to get rid of the odor. As I said, cedar works really well as long as you refresh it. Which I didn’t do. You can make your own cedar closet out of an existing closet. Avoid the attic. The basement is better. You can buy cedar planks at a lumber yard or some hardware stores. Just line the closet with the planks.
So, that’s how I spent my day. Now I’m off to the dry cleaners.
Invite Les Indiennes for Thanksgiving
Sorry. I couldn’t resist a bad pun. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. For more people than you’d think, it’s the only time the oven is turned on. If you’re planning on hosting this holiday, I highly recommend getting a head start. You can this by planning your table now.
Take a look through your napkins and cloths to see what you’ll need. If you don’t own a tablecloth, this is a good excuse to buy one. I love to use tablecloths. They’re so easy and look beautiful. If you find one that doesn’t quite fit your table, here’s a tip from me:
Purchase an inexpensive, plain white cloth from a rental linen shop. Place that on the table and layer it with your pretty one. You can lay the cloth on an angle so that it fits the table better. This idea also works with vintage linens that have a few holes in them. Hey, a few little holes give a table character.
Where to shop? Take a look that these cloths from Les Indiennes. Each design comes in all colors. They’re handwoven and an excellent price.
Saul Steinberg Prints at Schumacher
Artist Saul Steinberg is perhaps most famous for his New Yorker covers – especially his View of the World cover from 1976. However, he was also a very successful fine artist, as well as a sometime designer of textiles. Schumacher discovered Steinberg’s work in Greeff’s archives. Greef is a company Schumacher now owns.¬† The decision to re-introduce Steinberg’s work must have been a no-brainer, and here they are for us to enjoy. This new collection is comprised of fabrics and wallcovering using four of his original designs from the 1950′s.
- Aviary is a wallcovering. It comes in this colorful colorway, as well as black and white.
- New York is both a fabric and a wallcovering. One colorway only.
The Opera print, below, was discovered in the Schumacher archives as an original Greeff print (Schumacher now owns that company). I think they’re too fab. That means awesome.
- Opera is available as a fabric. It comes in two colorways.
- Views of Paris is available as a wallcovering. One colorway is available.
Schumacher fabrics are available through the trade. I don’t believe you can find them online. This means you’ll need to go through a professional to purchase this line. You can always contact me directly for a price quote.
