crocheted Glück pendant lights by Naomi Paul

Discovered today via Remodelista’s feature about sustainable style at Folklore: the textile creations of Naomi Paul.

Based in London, Paul creates textiles that combine traditional methods with a clean contemporary feel. Her forms are fluid, organic, but also possess a dash of the exotic. When it comes to color, Paul never equivocates – preferring either minimalist, natural hues or bold brights. Texture is always as least an equal partner to form and color in Paul’s tactile creations. Yet somehow, on balance, these complex juxtapositions of form, tone, and texture are never busy, in fact they seem almost restrained.

It is the mark of a truly sophisticated designer who can produce work that is seemingly simple, but full of depth; that can conjure the past, while at the same time be totally innovative. No wonder then that Paul was named Young Designer of the year 2012 by Homes & Gardens magazine.

clockwise from the left: steamer chair, macaroon cushion and triangle rug; glück pendant in navy; pepper cushion

above: Albers cushions and steamer chair

Currently coveting for my beach cottage: Prïvate 02 04‘s one-of-a-kind rugs, discovered via LoveNordic Design Blog. Prïvate 02 04 is a collection of vintage, Turkish kelims made from natural hemp, which have been washed in seawater and reconstructed by this Danish firm. The resulting textured patina makes them perfect for modern and historic homes alike…such as mine.

Like Japanese Boro clothes, the patches in Prïvate 02 04’s kelims lend a sense of history and rustic charm.

Love the bag, too.

above: raffia bustier by John Rocha (Though this looks totally uncomfortable, it’s so fabulous I might just grin and bare it. I’m picturing this layered with an open, sheer, linen top in crisp white for the ultimate summer look.); rattan basket from the Japanese design firm F/Style; crib from l’Atelier du Petit Parc (Be sure to check out their entire site for similar retro rattan furniture of all kinds.)

You know that when blogs and magazines start  to feature rattan, raffia, and sea grass, it’s officially time to bust out the shades and sun screen. Ahhhh summer.

clockwise from the top: banda chaise from Anthropologie; summer setting by Anouk B featuring a pendant much like Landscape Product’s rattan “cage” lamp, rattan bracelet at Choice is Yours

above: sea grass is woven into playful footprints in Martin Azua’s Tread Carpet; rattan pouf designed by Johannes Foersom and Peter Hiort-Lorenzen via Archiproducts; Jan Jensen’s rattan shoe via Virtual Shoe Museum

above: rattan bench at Atelier du Petit Parc; rattan swing from Sarena and Lilly; rattan hammock from the Philippines via Natural Modern Interiors

Spanish designer Martin Azua’s “Get Up” collection is a line designed for resting, riding or relaxing. 

For me, one of the best benefits of internet globalization is that artisans, who may have here-to-fore whittled away in obscurity in their corners of the world, are now being “discovered” and promoted by a voracious online design community. Often with the help of fellow country men who open online shops to showcase goods from their homeland, these artists and designers are reaching consumers across the globe. We Americans can now puts our hands on (or at least gaze longingly at) goods from Scotland, Japan, Brazil… and Lithuania.

Discovered via HvH Interiors, Mano Lietuviski Namai or “My Lithuanian Home” is a beautiful collection of home wares from that region. Its founders, Lithuanian architects and designers Jelena Shauchikoviene and Jovita Pipiraite, clearly have an eye for simple yet striking products. Made from natural, richly textured materials, this earthy collection features hand-woven wool or cotton rugs and blankets, sleek wooden furniture and baskets, fine linens, and molded clay. Impressive and varied, MLN’s extraordinary selections have firmly put Lithuania on the design map.

A selection of goods at the physical shop in Vilnius. Linen loungewear and wool blankets hang above knit cushions as well as a wool and linen dog bed.

cozy cable blankets

a clutch of wool pillows

above: an assortment of the many goods available at Mano Lietuviski Namai

Noticed recently on Lady Oracle, these lovely rag rugs by Rugcycle.

For centuries, Swedish women would sit in their homes or sewing circles crafting rag rugs. Woven from recycled scraps – a daughter’s outgrown dress or dad’s torn shirt – each row in these traditional rugs carried part of the family’s story. Originally, these long floor covers were meant to keep feet warm in kitchens and hallways. But as central heating obviated this need, rag rugs took on a new role, that of creating a feeling of hominess and tradition.

In an effort to preserve this important part of Swedish cultural heritage and bring rag rugs to the center of the home, Rugcycle founders Jenny Askenfors, Sofia Ehrengren and Linda Lindorff have created their second Rugcyle collection, aptly named Collection 2. (Collection 1 used recycled carpets woven by Turkish nomads.) In creating these carpets from one-of-a-kind, vintage, Swedish rag rugs, the team is careful to preserve the original craftsmanship. Each Rugcycle carpet is lovingly hand stitched using recycled materials. The results are floor coverings that are richly storied, warmly textured, and utterly unique. Full of personality and life, Rugcycle’s creations are both contemporary and timeless.