TOP LEFT // Kari Fisher Designs Gold Matsya on Natural
TOP RIGHT // Hable Construction for S. Harris Honomu in Coral Reef
BOTTOM LEFT // Schumacher Rolling Hills in Green
BOTTOM RIGHT // Adelene Simple Cloth Sturdy Girl in Prickly Pear
Loving Local: Thistle & Bess
We adore our local shops, creatives, and makers - both in Athens, GA & in Ann Arbor, MI alike! - and Thistle & Bess stands out as a truly unique spot that had us all hooked upon first stepping foot in this charming & lovely shop.
Growing up outside of Ann Arbor, owner Diana Marsh attended college at the University of Michigan and worked as an elementary school teacher in New York. But, her heart always yearned to open an eclectic, vintage-inspired boutique.
Beginning as a jewelry line based out of Brooklyn, NY, Thistle & Bess specialized in antique and vintage accessories. But, in the concrete, copy-cat culture of consumerism, Diana realized the need for diversity and creativity in the current marketplace. Thus was born the store of her dreams, a beacon of light in the jungle of mass-produced products, Thistle & Bess opened in the Kerrytown Market of Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2015.
Supporting artisans local and worldwide, Thistle & Bess boasts a vast collection of curated prints, jewelry, home accessories, and paper goods. When asked about her process of selecting new products, Diana said that she is always on a treasure hunt. On top of the never-ending search for new artists, she loves how her store has enabled her to get involved with the community and create friendships in the neighborhood.
We also couldn't resist inquiring about the store's name! With a rich family history traced back to Scotland and England, and a self proclaimed "history nerd," Diana hoped to incorporate these two aspects of her life in the name of her store. Thistle is the emblem of Scotland, known to be tough, yet beautiful. The latter half of the name, Bess, derives from the nickname for Queen Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess."
If you're not a fellow Ann Arborian, fear not! The curated collection of treasures is also available on their website. You can also peruse creative workshops ranging from a class on reading Tarot cards to a lesson on paper flower bouquets. Hop on over, check it out, you will thank us later.
PHOTO CREDITS //
Header and Bottom Two Photos: Silver Thumb Photography
Top Two Photos: Ava Sherick, CLOTH & KIND Junior Design Assistant
Palette No. 64
TOP LEFT // Pierre Frey Pixel in Noir & Blanc
TOP RIGHT // Schumacher Nicholson Tape in Jet
MIDDLE // Jerry Pair Star Grazing in Black Magic
BOTTOM LEFT // Hygge & West Cosmic Desert in Ebony
BOTTOM RIGHT // Hygge & West Canasta in Black
Palette No. 63
TOP LEFT // Schumacher Cloud Toile in Champagne
BOTTOM LEFT // Schumacher Peacock in Aqua
TOP RIGHT // C&C Milano Tuareg Unito in Sand/Ash
BOTTOM RIGHT // Jerry Pair Cow Divine in Aegean
TRIM // Lee Jofa Kelly Wearstler Slubby Fringe in Jade
Provenance: Flame Stitch
Flame stitch - that bold, often colorful, zig zag pattern - is hot. Think of flame stitch as a design rather than needlework, especially when considering how it is used today. While flame stitch is trendy now, it has been around forever, probably since the 13th century. Let’s take a quick look at flame stitch’s history.
The origin of flame stitch is murky and romantic. Most scholars agree that it is primarily Italian, with either a dash of Hungarian or Middle Eastern roots thrown in. Flame stitch could be a hybrid of two stitches, the brick stitch and the Hungarian stitch (seen in the 13th century German altar curtain below) brought to Italy by a beloved Bohemian princess on her many trips there. Alternatively, flame stitch may have a Middle Eastern relative, given its resemblance to ikat, that traveled to Italy via the Silk Road.
While we can’t DNA flame stitch, one of the earliest surviving examples is found in England. There, in the Elizabethan manor, Parham House, an entire room is still upholstered in Italian wool from the 16th century bearing a flame stitch pattern. The principal bed at Parham House also is adorned with flame stitch. Surely it is not coincidental that Mary, Queen of Scots (who ruled Scotland then) was Marie de Medici’s sister-in-law.
Italy has few extant early examples of flame stitch. Some 17th century chairs wearing the pattern reside in the Bargello Museum in Florence, explaining why flame stitch is sometimes called “Bargello” or “Florentine” stitch. The French call the pattern “Bergamo”.
Flame stitch remained popular in the 18th century spreading throughout Europe and to the colonies. It often decorated clothing then, as these British shoes and American pocketbook from that time period show. It truly must have been all the rage, as the ladies of the Greenwood-Lee family thought it chic enough to include in their c. 1747 family portrait.
Flame stitch never really went out of style. The Scalamandre flame stitch velvet covering these 19th century settees is period perfect.
New fabrics are still being created today. Have a look at these textiles from Schumacher and Zimmer + Rhode, and how designer Nina Farmer upholstered a chaise in flame stitch for her Boston townhouse.
In the 1970s, flame stitch wallpaper was all sorts of groovy. Meg Braff recently updated that old seventies look with a new wallpaper dubbed appropriately, “Flambe.”
The flame stitch pattern (and its appeal) hasn’t changed much over the years. With maximalism now in vogue, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a fully upholstered flame stitch room someday soon.
Flame stitch. Still on fire.
This post was guest edited for CLOTH & KIND by Lynn Byrne. lynn is an expert in decorative arts and design history, who also has written extensively about art, travel, and interior design. She studied decorative arts at Parsons and is well-known for explaining design terms and themes found throughout history.
PHOTO CREDITS // German altar curtain from Bayrose, ikat example from Hand Eye magazine. Parham House photos by Andreas von Einsiedel for Homes & Antiques magazine. British shoes from Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pocketbook from Museum of Fine Arts. Family portrait from the Museum of Fine Arts. Nina Farmer’s home, by Paul Raeside.
Palette No. 62
LEFT // Bastideaux Awahnee Stripe in Aegean/Cement
RIGHT // ZAK + FOX Chimi in Sunica
BOTTOM // Kettlewell Collection Kimono in Charcoal
Southern Style Now 2017
It was a distinct pleasure to attend and participate in the second annual Southern Style Now design festival this past November in Savannah, GA! Honestly, y'all, we thought last year's inaugural event in NOLA couldn't have been surpassed, but founder Robert Leleux outdid himself - solidifying SSN in our hearts and minds as one of the not-to-be-missed design events each year.
The festival was comprised of several days of inspiring panels and social events galore. At the heart of it all is the Traditional Home showhouse, for which a group of interior designers are hand-selected by Robert to put their spin on each room. CLOTH & KIND was invited to design a space of our choosing and ultimately selected the sweet Morning Room, tucked away just off of the Kitchen on the main floor. From the get-go, we were enthusiastic about the creative opportunities that this intimate space provided to us, and ultimately ended up channeling our infatuation with the Bloomsbury Group to create a painterly retreat in this cozy nook of the home.
MORNING ROOM
Interior Design // CLOTH & KIND
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
The plethora of talent involved in designing this home was mind blowing, to say the least. It gives us such distinct pleasure to work alongside so many wickedly talented peers of ours from near & far. Check it out...
FRONT FOYER
Interior Design // Michelle Nussbaumer
Photo Credit // Robin L Davis
PARLOR
Interior Design // Jared Hughes Design
Photo Credit // Heidi Geldhauser
DINING ROOM
Interior Design // Brockschmidt and Coleman
Photo Credit // Brockschmidt and Coleman
KITCHEN
Interior Design // Lisa Mende Design
Photo Credit // Kelli Boyd
POWDER ROOM
Interior Design // B. Berry Interiors
Photo Credit // Caesarstone US
HALLWAY
Interior Design // Sally King Benedict
Photo Credit // Heidi Geldhauser
MASTER BEDROOM
Interior Design // Melanie Turner Interiors
Photo Credit // Melanie Turner
DRESSING ROOM
Interior Design // Benjamin Johnston
Photo Credit // Heidi Geldhauser
MASTER BATHROOM
Interior Design // Bear Hill Interiors
Photo Credit // Kevin Walsh
PETITE SALON
Interior Design // Lily Brown Interiors
Photo Credit // Lily Brown
GUEST BATHROOM
Interior Design // Chad James Group
Photo Credit // Heidi Geldhauser
GUEST BEDROOM
Interior Design // Kara Cox Interiors
Photo Credit // Traditional Home
BEDROOM ONE
Interior Design // Kara Cox Interiors
Photo Credit // Traditional Home
GUEST BEDROOM #2
Interior Design // Pencil and Paper Co
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
BEDROOM TWO
Interior Design // Pencil & Paper Co.
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
GUEST BATHROOM #2
Interior Design // Bochner Design
Photo Credit // Mary Jo Bochner
POWDER ROOM
Interior Design // Mary Jo Bochner
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
GARDEN LEVEL LIVING ROOM
Interior Design // Denise McGaha Interiors
Photo Credit // Josh Gibson
GARDEN LEVEL LIVING ROOM
Interior Design // Denise McGaha Interiors
Photo Credit // Jared Hughes
GARDEN LEVEL KITCHEN
Interior Design // Gwyn Duggan Design
Photo Credit // Southern Style Now
GARDEN LEVEL KITCHEN
Interior Design // Gwyn Duggan Design
Photo Credit // Southern Style Now
MASTER STUDY
Interior Design // Meredith Ellis Design
Photo Credit // Meredith Ellis
GARDEN LEVEL GUEST BEDROOM
Interior Design // MA ALLEN INTERIORS
Photo Credit // Jean Allsopp
GUEST BEDROOM
Interior Design // MA Allen Interiors
Photo Credit // Jean Allsopp
GARDEN LEVEL STUDY
Interior Design // Patrick Hamilton
Photo Credit // Patrick Hamilton
STUDY
Interior Design // Patrick J Hamilton Designs
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
GARDEN LEVEL BATHROOM
Interior Design // Lily Brown Interiors
Photo Credit // Lily Brown
GARDEN ROOM
Interior Design // Bridget Beari Designs
Photo Credit // Lisa Mende
GARDEN ROOM
Interior Design // Susan Jamieson
Photo Credit // CLOTH & KIND
COURTYARD
Interior Design // Summer Loftin Antiques & Design
Photo Credit // Summer Loftin
COURTYARD
Interior Design // Summer Loftin Antiques & Design
Photo Credit // Nick Burchell
ROOFTOP GARDEN
Interior Design // Linda Eyles Design
Photo Credit // Linda Eyles
ROOFTOP DECK
Interior Design // Linda Eyles Design
Photo Credit // Woodard Furniture
Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming issue of Traditional Home magazine which will feature the entire Southern Style Now showhouse in all of its glory.
Palette No. 61
Palette No. 60
Role Models: ZAK+FOX & Gareth Pugh
FASHION //
Gareth Pugh Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear
+
FABRIC //
ZAK+FOX Daran - Hezar