Hang a Rug on the Wall
Plus Inez and Vinoodh’s bedroom.
Outside, we’re shedding layers, but inside, we’re thinking about how to layer textiles the way interior designer James Thurstan Waterworth does. We also have jeans for tall people, shoes for people who don’t want to go full boat shoe, and a Hanes Her Way retrospective. —Simone Kitchens, Winnie Yang, Lauren Ro, Erin Schwartz, and Michael Zhao
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* Mackenzie Wagoner sent us a dispatch from Milan. Braids, she told us, were everywhere at Salone, from Beni Rug’s plaited trim on both their larger pieces and round meditation mat, to the leather handles of Worn Studio's scissors at the Alcova Franco Albini installation, to their gorgeous ceramic plates and candle holders for Marlot Baus. She also saw a new take on Swiss dots: on glass (Sophie Lou Jacobson), wood (Giampiero Tagliaferri), metal (Jessi Burch and Bureau Parso), and marble (LS Gomma).
* Maira Kalman is opening a store upstate.
* We saw Domino editor Samantha Weiss-Hills this week wearing an excellent pair of very long jeans. When we asked her about them, she told us she loves to shop for clothing on her annual trips to Copenhagen “because the silhouettes always seem to work on my tall frame” — she’s five-eleven. “It’s also convenient that a lot of brands have sales in June! I’ve picked up a couple pairs of Skall’s Willow jeans on my past few trips. I love the wide leg and the higher waistline.” The Willow comes in 30-, 32-, and 34-inch inseams.
* Some bluchers, which lean slightly more moccasin than boat shoe. Quoddy makes our favorite: pea-green suede, yellow latigo. Simone got a blue eBayed pair (more blue, also gray suede). Old Stone Trade makes an all-black version lined with green suede. L.L.Bean has one (it makes a women’s style, but get the men’s for its white stitching), and so does J.Crew. Helen Rice’s are from Caron Callahan (some secondhand pairs here and here). She likes the way these shoes “ground” her usual outfit of mostly casual house clothes and nice button-downs.
* Inez and Vinoodh’s bedroom set. The toiletry bag in that print would make a nice gift.
* New York features writer Madeline Leung Coleman’s latest eBay search: Vintage Hanes Her Way. Namely, this pea-green high-V-neck cotton tank (to go with this lime-green Liz Sport skort), plus 50-50 mauve sweats, 50-50 raglan sweatshirt, blue biker shorts, fuchsia mock-neck, teal ribbed tanks, and yellow V-neck.
* A couple of nice things to get for Mom: a set of red-lidded wooden containers (also comes in a tall version) and a pair of drinking glasses handmade in Italy (also here). More Mother’s Day gift ideas this way.
James Thurstan Waterworth, owner of Thurstan Interior Design Studio, has a gift for textiles. He uses vintage pieces to change the “feel” of a room, often hangs them on walls, and isn’t afraid of a tassel. The designer, who was previously the European design director at Soho House and now focuses on residential interiors and larger hospitality projects, including the newly opened Zetter Bloomsbury Hotel in London, makes them central to every project. Today, he’s sharing his direct line for Turkish textiles (the Etsy seller who he WhatsApps with regularly), his search terms to use by shipping location to get the best results, and what to do if they eventually rip to shreds.
“Texture is fundamental to a room’s feeling, and textiles play a big role in that. The color, thickness, and whether it’s patterned or plain all impact how humans experience a space, whether we realize it or not. You could stay within the same color range, changing only the thickness of the fabrics’ textures, and achieve a subtle but noticeable impact. The more you layer, the cozier (and more casual) a room will feel. Even if you’re on a limited budget, a loose throw or a couple of cushions can really elevate and excite a space. It’s a much easier change in a year or two than redoing curtains, a big rug, or the whole sofa. You can even vary it seasonally, adding layers in winter and paring them back in summer.”
* There’s a company called De Le Cuona that we work with a lot for upholstery, but it also makes lovely off-the-shelf throws and cushions using sustainably sourced, all-natural materials in a variety of textures — including oversize ones, which can be harder to come by. The color palette is relatively muted and neutral, making them suitable for many different settings.
* Christine Vanderhurd is almost the opposite. She’s been developing these fun, beautiful patterns for over 30 years, and they make lovely statement pieces. We do a lot of bespoke upholstery with her, but her off-the-shelf rugs (knotted, flat-weave, and dhurrie) and cushions can really elevate a room.
* Etsy is best for antiques and one-offs. We also use the site a lot to source handmade throws, cushions, and antique textiles directly from the source. These are then often reworked in-house, framed, or crafted into lampshades and bespoke cushions to create something truly special. Adding a unique, 150-year-old Turkish textile to a room gives it a feeling that can’t be replicated. The idea of 20 women hand-sewing something 200 years ago is extraordinary. And the fact that you can buy this stuff for less than a modern, mass-produced product is incredibly inspiring. Even a new handwoven coverlet from India brings more character thrown over the back of a sofa than a machine-made one, for about the same price. I’ve been knocking on these doors for 20 years — all self-taught — and the more you dig, the more you find. You get better at finding the search terms and sellers that resonate with your tastes. I must’ve bought over 150 items from this chap, Omar, whom I first found on Etsy. He’s got this tiny shop in Istanbul that I’ve now visited, and we chat on WhatsApp regularly. Odors can be an issue with antique textiles, but smaller items can be easily dry-cleaned, and your local rug dealer should be able to recommend a cleaner for larger items.
* Pay attention to the shipping location. To get the best price, make sure the seller’s location is appropriate to what they’re selling — either in or near the country of origin. So, for kilim or lighter, curtain-weight perde kilim, I look for sellers based in Turkey, which is also good for other central Asian textiles, like silks from Uzbekistan. For dreamy linens, I’m looking in France. I’m also constantly scouting African Kuba cloths, Indian saris, Japanese indigo-dyed fabrics — Africa is also a good source for vintage indigo mud cloth, but I get those in London from a guy with a “back of a van” type setup.
* Buy what you like; repurpose if necessary. If a textile moves you, there’s a reason for that. If you can afford it, you’ll find a home for it. I picked up a bunch of 19th-century Japanese hemp and ramie mosquito netting (this seller has a lot) at a French antiques fair without a plan for it and found that it makes ethereal lampshades and curtains. Omar once sold me an early-20th-century Ottoman dressing gown that was beautifully colored but ripped to shreds, and I eventually turned it into five small lampshades. In fact, the Zetter Bloomsbury Hotel that I just helped open has 475 lampshades, each one made from an antique textile.
You can also get creative with smaller pieces to use for trim. These antique Uzbek silk tassels make great wall hangings, and sewing them onto the corners of a plain Ikea cushion instantly turns it into something special. A dry cleaner can help if you don’t know how to sew.
* Hang a rug on the wall. You have to expect some wear and tear when buying vintage, but that’s part of the look. A rug that’s too frail to cover the floor can be thrown over the back of a sofa or even framed by a local framer and hung on the wall. Or if you don’t have the budget for framing, you can mount a sturdy curtain rod and use small café-curtain hanging clips to display any textile. I’ve even just used a bamboo rod from a garden center with some rod brackets to great effect.
Love hanging rugs on the wall!