Tropical STACKS on.

Love this juicy colour scheme and the rosettes falling down the front of the sideboard as above – a very femme touch coming from me! Ooh yes, as you might have noticed we have a thing for circles at the moment – an ancient and universal symbol of unity, wholeness, infinity and the sun. More on circles soon. 

My delicious friend  – artist Pinky Love shows how to wear the feather hats best in an outtake from a recent photo shoot here at the studio. Can’t wait to share the delights from this shoot with you, including a bunch of super talented, independent designers doing their thing with colour and print.

I can hardly contain myself when a new delivery from Africa arrives upon my doorstep! This time round the parcel contained a smaller version of our fabulous Bamileke feather hats which I have featured before here. These mini versions are worn by younger members of the tribe during ceremonies and are really rather difficult to get a hold of, so as you can imagine much excitement reigned in the studio upon their arrival. In a frenzy of merchandising, feather hat wearing and in tune with the glorious sunny weather we’ve been having here in London of late, I styled up the feather hats in a tropical STACKS on STACKS way to give fresh options for display. I’m thinking this smaller version would look fantastic as a table centrepiece too, perfect for a celebratory banquet or alfresco Sunday lunch, set on a table groaning with delicious morsels all served up on a mix of cool vintage plates and colour coordinated Dinosaur Designs vessels. Dreamy.

The higher the totem the closer to heaven? These hand-woven stools are a favourite of mine and come in a myriad of colours direct from my local Bangladeshi grocer. Perfect for casual seating, magazine stacks, plants or build them up totem style. Super durable and a small donation from each purchase is given to the Bangladeshi prisoners who make them. Hand beaded Huichol skull by Our Exquisite Corpse. All other props throughout Appetite for Decoration. 

 

Stacking your objects totem style or stacks on as I have here, almost makes for sculpture and gives an air of art to your everyday objects. Get inventive, exceptionally large plastic fruit and lime coloured gourds are the go and well within your budget! The handmade nature of the feather hats are the perfect accompaniment to a collection of vases and their craft will make your home more human. Layers are important too and bring a multidimensional feel that offers intrigue and are tantalising to the eye and ask to be touched. Be bold with your colour decisions, when it’s right the colours will sing. Discover vitality in inspired combinations and accidental juxtapositions. Just enjoy it.

We want to shout from the rooftops about our new delivery of feather hats but thought you might get the message better via point form. Our RARE and RITUALISTIC feather hats just landed from Cameroon, Africa are ..

* a brilliant way to bring a pop of colour into your home.

* an exotic alternative to flowers – but also a great addition alongside your flower market finds.

* an unexpected flourish that will bring individuality into your interior.

* a fabulous fair trade purchase.

* a rare piece of history and ceremony that look just as good perched on top of a vase or dining table as it does atop your head.

* believed to possess the positive quality of birds.

I’m not suggesting by the photograph above that stacks of cushions will uplift/update your interior..although must admit they do look good here in all their glory. I had just picked up this custom and tropical bunch from my manufacturer and still in the state of a merchandising frenzy, loaded them up. We can create custom cushions for you too, wherever you are in the world. Choose from our spectacular archive of textiles – a bounty of colour, print and texture from around the globe. Cool cushions in an interesting print and texture mix are another great way to bring colour and vibrancy into your home and the best start point for a new and improved colour scheme. Mix and match them to your feather hat for full effect.

Of course maximalist me and my appetite for decoration had to go one step further and bring in some fabulous print to finish this posting off. If your like me and constantly moving things around the house? It’s a great way to play with new colour schemes and is something I always do at the start of a new season.. swapping pictures, cushions, bolts of fabric and other accoutrement between all the rooms within my studio space. To attain new heights with your colour scheme go hard with one colour as I have above with the green theme. Green is a great colour to use at home because of its calming, balancing and refreshing qualities. Easy enough to bring more of it in via garden cuttings, fresh flowers and fully grown plants in pots too. This amazing Ankara fabric bejewelled with crystal formations (actually a favourite print from Wooden Hills Bedding) is posing as wallpaper here and was super easy to install. Have tape, pins, tacks, or some gaffer and a favourite bolt of fabric? Then you have yourself a feature wall that will add another layer of interest to your room and frame whatever stands before it – perfecto for a special occasion. Colour your world. xx

For more information on our fabulous feather hats, custom cushion orders or any of the other props used in the photographs here, please email me at bettina@blackdotworldarchive.com or drop me a line below.