So footwear is a slightly strange place to start this month’s colourswatch. I get that. But when my favourite textile house does collaboration with an iconic piece of footwear, it kind of blurs the boundaries somewhat – and I needed to show it off…
Ok then. So footwear is possibly a slightly strange place to start this month’s column. I get that. But when my absolute favourite textile house does collaboration with an iconic piece of footwear, it kind of blurs the boundaries somewhat – and I needed to show it off.
Marimekko of Finland has been my favourite fabric house for as long as I have known they have existed. I have long loved their simple colour and pattern. The longevity of the patterns themselves is breathtaking. Started in the early 50’s by Armi Ratia and her husband, the company originally designed clothes.
The patterns came about when Armi asked friends of hers to design fabrics for the company. They are famous for their simple, striped a-line dresses that every girl child in Finland has worn at one time or another.
Internationally the clothing was made famous by Jackie Kennedy as she bought and wore six dresses during her husband’s presidential campaign. The most famous of their patterns (which is also my all time personal favourite) is the Unikko (poppies), which is so universally recognisable. It was designed by Maija Isola who worked for the company for many years and designed over 500 unique fabrics for them. She died in 2001. Her daughter Kristina, also designs for the company.
Designs from both Kristina and Maija are featured in the Converse collaboration. I love that the designers were all women, designing specifically for women. There is lovely detailing with the insides of the shoes bright fuchsia or orange, with each pair having three sets of laces – black, white or brightly coloured – so you can change your look depending on your mood. The shoes are carried exclusively by Ruby www.rubynz.com priced at $149 – $169 and there are three designs. We have featured the two that have been bought in this household. It is the first time both Mother and Daughter have wanted the same thing – and it has meant we have to check what footwear we have on before we leave the house!
My book this month is by my perennial favourite, Emily Chalmers. The book is called Modern Vintage Style and the words are by Ali Hanan and the photography is by her usual collaborator Debi Treloar. It has a more organic, messier feel than her previous books but the use of colour still delights me. I particularly love the front cover that has an English Ercol vintage sofa on the front with scatter cushions. I have an Ercol chair that I picked up on Trademe – and it has inspired me to finally get it recovered – and pile some cushions on it. There is a gorgeous picture of a knitted patchwork cover for an iMac, which I just love – it has such a sense of silly whimsy about it.
I have also included a photo of the three painted lamp bases which I think is officially my new project for the winter… off I go to search Trademe. Modern Vintage Style by Emily Chalmers is published by Ryland Peters and Small. It is distributed by Southern Pacific Group and is $59.99. It is available now.
I do try each month to include some little treat that is under $20. I am, as I have said in the past, fairly tight. There is something about picking up a little treat when you are feeling a little low – like when the weather is particularly vile for instance – that can just raise your mood. This stool from The Warehouse is seriously my best bargain of the month (actually could be of the year). It is a great simple shape, with it definitely owing some of its design to Alvar Aalto’s Stool No. 60 (this design has four legs instead of Aalto’s three).
The thing with stools is you can never have too many. I just wandered round the house and counted 11 stools! I have powder-coated steel stools, old wooden kitchen stools in bright colours, and an old 70’s stool recovered in purple velvet. I am pretty sure there are at least 4 stools that have left this house and found their way down to my parent’s beach home as well! They have a lot of uses – if you have children like mine that find it hard to sit still, they are great for round the table, and for extra seating at desks. I put a coloured cushion on them and use them as a footstool. Or they get used in the lounge next to a chair as a mini coffee table – or even a bedside table for a small lamp and a pile of books. I always suggest stools for beach houses as if you have guests arrive, stools are easy to grab from the bedroom and use to seat extras inside or out. The New York stool is available from The Warehouse for a tiny $19.99, they are sturdy enough for a full sized adult, and are a great height for use at a dining table. They may stack also – try them out in store. They are not suitable for outside use.
I had a few friends round the other day for a coffee and a catch up. We were discussing interiors (as is often the subject when I am around funnily enough!) The general discussion was where to find nice things, and the lament was that I had some rather lovely things in my house and they wished to have some of the beautiful things in THEIR homes. I realise that I am exceptionally lucky to be surrounded by some really delicious things, but many of them I have had for a great many years – I am 45 and have slowly managed to collect things that I REALLY love. I also keep things for a very long time. I don’t buy things with the short term in mind. Colour is not a fashion statement for me – it is what I love, and when the trend for pop colour is over (as it will no doubt be at some point) – I will be unfashionable again, waiting quietly to be ‘in fashion’ (whatever that means) again. Not that I actually care! I keep the things I love for a LONG time (16 year old Chesterfield sofa – an antique dining table that has been with me for 25 years) – and so occasionally I invest in something that I intend pretty much to have when my grandchildren arrive!
A year ago Madder and Rouge first got in the Tse and Tse lamps – and I put an order in for a multi coloured one. It didn’t arrive with one thing and another until January of this year – and I have been slowly paying it off since then. Yesterday it came home in time for my birthday. It is the most beautiful, fun, and sculptural piece of furniture I have ever owned. I have spent the last year imagining all the places it will live around my house. Tse and Tse Multi Coloured Lamp, $1500 (please don’t mention this to my husband), Madder and Rouge, in both Auckland and Wellington. It is available in 3 other colourways – Black, Raw Steel and also in Orange and White together.
That’s me for April. I am possibly a bit light on content this month, as it has coincided with the school holidays and a small bit of surgery for me! We will be back to our full brilliance next month…
By Anya Brighouse, 1 May 2011.
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