Vegas, Baby

RED HEART: Alexander Wang Playing Cards // BLACK CLUB: Aerin Lauder Round Match Striker // RED DIAMOND: The Rat Pack by Shawn Levy // BLACK HEART: Kelly Wearstler Wooden Female Sculpture // RED CLUB: Kim Seybert Golden Nailhead Tray // BLACK SPADE: Jonathan Adler Dragon Lamp

I've been in Las Vegas the last couple of days for work and admittedly, I'm not a huge fan. However, it does always seem to provoke the eccentric, more grandiose side of my design persona. Here are a few of my Vegas-inspired finds. If only the real Vegas was a little less gaudy and a little more refined like this...

What about you, are you a Vegas lover?

D. Bryant Archie

"One of my favorite textiles is an old aso oke tapestry from Nigeria.  "Aso Oke" translates to "high cloth". It's composed of narrow (approx. 4") hand-woven panels sewn together.  About 50-60 years old, made of cotton and lurex and traditionally a man's decoration, the tapestry was most likely worn on special occasions."

"I usually deconstruct these vintage textiles and sew them into pillows. However, when it arrived, I was blown away with the unique color combination of this one (magenta, indigo, cobalt, tan). I draped it over my favorite wing chair, then happened to peer into my bedroom later that day and it hit me.  The wall color combined with the hues of the vintage velvet chair fabric and tapestry patterning are both calm and exciting."

"I love its rustic character which reflects its history, significance and handmade origin." - D. Bryant Archie

If you have any questions about this brilliant aso oke textile, raise your hand (ie – leave a comment below) and Bryant will do her best to answer.

Hue: Ruby Red

Christopher Farr's Willow fabric in Ruby, designed by Kit Kemp is the inspiration for today's Hue post. This exotic fabric, its texture, pattern and really everything about it, has me most mesmerized. Do you have any ruby red in your living space?

Top: Willow in Ruby by Kit Kemp / Christopher Farr Cloth. Clockwise: A Miles Redd Living Room. Peony Pillow by Alice Temperley / All The Best on Dering Hall. Chinois Rug by Ben Soleimani / Mansour Modern. Dagmar Nightstand / Anthropologie.

Linen Plates

Last time I was in NY I found these adorable Fog Linen Work plates at Ochre and couldn't resist them as gifts for Alex & Tahlia. Designer Yumiko Sekine uses raw linen from Lithuania as a base for the plates then coats them in melamine so they are super durable... and it's a good thing they are because it turns out that the kids love them just as much as I do. They get used almost nightly and make our dinner table a little bit prettier to sit down to.

Image: Photo taken by Krista Nye Schwartz using Instagram // CLOTH & KIND

Framed Vintage Textiles

Left // Right

These small bits of vintage textiles floating on top of pure white mats in matte black frames from Jayson Home say it all. Really good design often lies in the littlest of details.

Genevieve Fennel

Today is a very special Show & Tell day. Not only is it the column's debut, but it's also a double feature (twice the textile amazingness, what's not to love?) Lauren & Genevieve are partners at the sublime Australian textile & furniture company, Walter G. First up was Lauren. By the way, what did you think of her gorgeous Rajasthani shepherd's jacket? Now it's Genevieve's turn and funny enough, she also chose a jacket for her most prized textile possession - great minds think alike!

"My favourite textile treasure is a little girl's jacket that I picked up in Bhuj, Gujarat. It is from one of the villages in Kutch (close-ish to the Pakistan border), totally hand embroidered by a mother for her little girl."

"I actually bought it in the hope that I will one day have a little girl of my own to dress it in. I think most people would think that I am jinxing my chances of ever having one now!" - Genevieve Fennel, Walter G

If you have any questions about this darling jacket, raise your hand (ie - leave a comment below) and Genevieve will do her best to answer.

Do you have something for Show & Tell?! If you have a really fabulous textile (anything from your bedding to a rug to an incredible pillow, etc etc etc) with an interesting story behind it that you'd like me to consider sharing in an upcoming edition of Show & Tell, please shoot me an email at info(at)clothandkind(dot)com with "Raising my hand for Show & Tell" in the title of the email. Kindly include a couple of hi-res photos and a brief description of your item. Please note that there are lots of kids in line for Show & Tell so I can't promise that everyone will get a turn, but will do my best to share a well-curated collection of the most interesting & inspiring textiles out there from all corners of this creative planet of ours.

Lauren Bennett

The best part about being in school, as I'm often reminded by my son and daughter, is show & tell. I'm convinced that this is because no matter what your age it's always fascinating to get glimpses into other people's worlds and the things that inspire them. Show & Tell is a new column that provides a peek at the fabrics people love most in their homes... and I'm sure that it will allow us to learn a thing or two in the process. Geez - those teachers really do know what they are doing! First up is Lauren Bennett from the oh-so-lovely Australian textile company, Walter G. Lauren's partner in crime, Genevieve Fennel, will be sharing her favorite textile later today in the second installation of Show & Tell, so be sure to check back in after lunch & recess.

"I have so many treasures scattered around my home and stuffed in suitcases that every now and then I get out to pat, but every time my eyes pass this gem my heart races. For me it is a work of art and it is a permanent hanging fixture in my home (apart from when it is being worn by yours truly!)…"

"It is a vintage shepherd's jacket, which is typically worn by the herders throughout Rajasthan. It is all cotton with beautiful gathering around the chest and the finest plum coloured embroidery throughout it. The arms are insanely long as if it were made for camel! The combination of all these elements are, as most textile gems you find in India, effortlessly put together to create something simply sublime."

"Just to think that this work of art, which I could see being strutted down the catwalk at Paris fashion week, is worn by a simple village man, herding his sheep in the dusty deserts of Rajasthan makes me smile and instantly teleports me back to the incredible India." - Lauren Bennett, Walter G

If you have any questions about this stunning jacket, raise your hand (ie - leave a comment below) and Lauren will do her best to answer.

Are you already familiar with Lauren & Genevieve's seriously incredible line of textiles & other interior goodies? If not, you MUST take a moment to visit Walter G. There's also lots and lots of their beautiful pieces throughout The Textile Files. I'm kind of obsessed myself. What do you think?

Last but not least...If you have a really special textile (anything from your bedding to a rug to an incredible pillow, etc etc etc) with an interesting story behind it that you'd like me to consider sharing in an upcoming edition of Show & Tell, please shoot me an email at info(at)clothandkind(dot)com with "Raising my hand for Show & Tell" in the title of the email. Kindly include a couple of hi-res photos and a brief description of your item. Please note that there are lots of kids in line for Show & Tell so I can't promise that everyone will get a turn, but will do my best to share a well-curated collection of the most interesting & inspiring textiles out there from all corners of this creative planet of ours.

Study in Color

Here's a little follow-up to the Hue post from earlier today. This will give you a glimpse into the room I'm designing for the most wonderful family here in Ann Arbor, and how I'm integrating L'Aviva Home's Bolivian frazada... This room will be the home study of my client and it's going to be divine with this combo of textiles, don't you think?

The texture and warmth of the frazada plays perfectly with Katie Leede's Shade of Sycamore in Lazuli fabric which will be used for roman shades. The frazada will be draped across the back of an ink colored chaise and the rug will be layered atop a natural fiber jute rug. Admittedly, we're still searching for the perfect rug. The Silk Ethos from ABC Carpet above serves only as inspiration due to its price tag (which is in line with its insane beauty, I  might add). But the hunt for textiles is endlessly fun for me, and I have no doubt we'll find just the right one at just the right price.

Bolivian Frazada

If you have not yet experienced the hues of Bolivian frazadas you are in for a treat. No one has curated a more spectacular collection of these vibrant textiles than Laura Aviva of L'Aviva Home.

"Frazadas have been handwoven by Aymara women in the Andean region since pre-hispanic times, and used to protect against the high altitude cold. They make great rugs, blankets at the foot of the bed, and throws - and also tablecloths and picnic blankets (which is how they are used by many Andean families)."  - Laura Aviva

I recently purchased this incredibly beautiful one for a design project I'm working on (check back later this afternoon to see how I'm using it) and can't stop admiring its interesting color combinations. It's at once lively and muted, isn't it?

Mandera

Driscoll Design Group // Mandera by Pintura