Border Lines

Part of the inspiration for a recent chair project came from revisiting Melanie Acevedo's photos of artist Konstantin Kakanias' house (House & Garden).

There actually are no slipcovered pieces of furniture in the pictures I saved, but a chair and a few tables are casually covered with printed fabrics, some of which have pretty borders. It was the general breezy, open-to-the-garden feeling of the home that served as the muse.

[Directly above, a detail of Melanie Acevedo's photo from House & Garden.]

And I have a weak spot for grand old spaces (you may remember the 1920s building was once actress Barbara Stanwyck's ballroom) given new life in a less formal way.

To capture that endless summer quality, I asked my upholsterer to cover a chair's existing silk seat and arms with unlined linen -- PD' s Kashmir Paisley in peacock.

He cut the border to emphasize it, not just on the seat, but also on the narrow arms and ties.

When the lawn is green again -- really green -- I hope to copy the other shelter mag story, the one that provided initial inspiration and offered tangible guidance, and photograph the whole chair outside in the sun.

[Lisa diStefano, Green Sky with Hill, mixed media on paper, 12 x 16 inches, courtesy Ann Connelly Fine Art.]

Looking at Lisa diStefano's abstracted Louisiana landscapes, too, it's easy to daydream about horizon lines, sunlight, subtropical breezes, and the great outdoors.

[Lisa diStefano, Untitled Landscape, mixed media on panel, 30 x 30 inches, courtesy Ann Connelly Fine Art.]

[Lisa diStefano, Untitled, mixed media on linen, 6 x 6 inches, courtesy Ann Connelly Fine Art.]

In Baton Rouge, Lisa is represented by Ann Connelly Fine Art.

Oh, and for those of you who are skilled enough to do your own sewing, the current issue of Selvedge highlights more artisan copper scissors. These are for sale online through London-based Plumo, meaning that for U.S. residents a pair isn't available just down the road, but I read that the scissors are made by hand in a fairtrade women’s association, and are currently discounted, so I decided to share. If I come across something similar made in the United States I'll update this post with that option too.