2/18/11

Ikat: Threads of Life



Ikat (pronounced “ee- caht”, not “eye-cat” )is a textile which is essentially made using a ancient “tie-dye” method.  The technical name is actually “resist dyeing”.  Part of the threads are tied in bundles and then dyed before they are woven together. 


Typically, it is the warp threads (the ones going crosswise) that are dyed, but occasionally the weft (vertical) threads are also dyed. This is known as double ikat.

True ikat textiles are hand-woven on narrow looms. A pattern is created from the resist dyeing as the threads are loomed together. Hand-woven fabrics have a completely different feel and appearance than fabrics made from a machine power-loom production.


Today designers in both fashion and interiors, use ikat in all forms to express their style.... 



Ikat bowl by Ginori Michael C Fina




Madeline Weinrib's Daphne Blue Ikat




Anthony Todd



Oscar de la Renta showcase room at Lee Jofa




Hot Pink silk Ikat upholstered walls by Muriel Brandolini



Blue and white Ikat dining chairs




"Ties that Bind: An Exhibition Catalogue of Ikat Fabrics" from HERE



Antique Silk Cotton Ikat




Kelly Wearstler's Bengal Bazaar




Ikat-patterned rug




Java dessert plate from Home, James Collection




Study designed by Philip Gorrivan


2/16/11

Make an entrance...


The doors in "Lost Horizon"




Miles Redd




Green leather upholstered doors by Miles Redd





John Saladino




Pierre Delbee's library from HERE 








Cleverland Public Library




A Masterpiece from HERE




Elle Decor

2/15/11

Obsessions


Black and White Interiors from HERE



Rams Horn Table Lighter from HERE



Wary Meyers Abstract pillows HERE



Circa 1625 Dodo Painting from HERE



Leon Dabo



Period Costume from LACMA



Cat writing desk by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne from HERE



Freud's couch used during psychoanalytic sessions



Ghost Towns (in this photo Bodie CA)



Patina from HERE



Vintage Advertising Sign from HERE



Four Post Bed found in New Orleans
 


Unique Gift: HERE



70's Onyx Coffee Table







2/10/11

Home Libraries

When bookshelves of a certain texture touch book covers, the books themselves take on the properties of wood. This has actually been scientifically proven by using a parabolic strut attached to an electrical outlet. Once connected, a spooky thing can happen, causing the book and the wood to actually become one in the universe, which Albert Einstein acknowledged.

Next time you place a book on its shelf, look closely....you may see an electrical spark that travels along the book's spine. This electrical spark actually contains all the information within the book and can be readily captured and read. This is a thing all librarians can attest to! Have you ever seen a librarian's hair....what a mess!




Diane Keaton's Library HERE




Philip Gorrivan from Elle Decor




HERE




François Muracciole








Sarah Blee




Andy and Kate Spade's Home Library (detail) HERE




HERE




Samantha Boardman's Library HERE



 
"To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul." - Cicero