Botanical Motifs Are a Look That's Growing Stronger
This spring it’s time for a lark in home décor — or a swallow or a crane.
Flora and fauna, birds and bees are all the rage in upholstery, wall coverings, rugs and even dinnerware. Of course, botanical motifs have been around for thousands of years. But not in today’s oversized, ultra-abstracted, vivid-hued incarnations.
What’s behind this thoroughly modern mash-up of nature and graphic design?
Meg Waters, sales associate at Black Bamboo in Kansas City and an interior design student at Park University, thinks it might be a reaction to the war in Iraq.
“People are looking for a softer, more natural concept. Florals and nature and soft, curving lines are comforting, a little more feminine rather than masculine. We’re going back to more of a nurturing environment.”
Rising environmental awareness also is driving the trend, says design blogger Michelle Lamb, michellelamb.typepad.com. “These natural elements are perfect representations of our connection with the earth. They appeal in form, in surface design and even in terms of their color.”
Lamb points out that the return of motifs follows many seasons of preference for solids. The look may stick around for a while because, Lamb points out, botanicals are highly versatile. They can be interpreted in contemporary, casual, formal, traditional and transitional situations.
One category that’s seen an explosion in flower and leaf motifs is dinnerware and serving pieces, says Carolyn Day, buyer at Halls. Designer Michael Aram, for example, whose ginkgo-shaped salad servers have been popular, is now doing enameled serve sets that fit together like flower petals.
Also at Halls are napkin rings, trivets and serving spoons that look like lettuce leaves and herbs, executed in gold or silver on pewter.
Litchfield, Conn.-based rug designer Emma Gardner sees a pendulum shift away from the “almost austere” ’90s. But neutral furniture is the perfect foil for Garner’s rugs, which can add a jolt of color and design to an otherwise monochromatic scheme.
Birds and Blooms: Botanicals and birds are everywhere, including at the dining-room table. (Clockwise from upper right) Kate Spade’s “Gwinnett Lane,” dinner plate $23, floral accent plate $20, Halls
White porcelain food-safe philodendron leaf bowl $39, Black Bamboo
Rustic ceramic leaf dishes, $6 and $11, Curious Sofa
Enamel frog napkin rings, $34 each, Halls Plaza
Natural Beauty: This ginkgo serving set, made of polished aluminum, is part of the Forest Leaf Collection by Michael Aram. Ginkgo servers, $59 set, Halls and MLB Designs
On the Cover: Clockwise from top: Antique wooden pulleys used on weaving looms were often carved into decorative objects, such as birds, by artisans in Thailand.Pulleys starting at $125 each, Black Bamboo
Oiva Toikka has designed hundreds of art glass birds for Iittala, of Finland.
Willow Grouse by Oiva Toikka, $135, Halls Plaza
Nests are big this year, in many materials.
Small twig nest with spotted eggs, $7, Curious Sofa
White ceramic bird nest votive holder, $15, Black Bamboo
Large brass nest, $85, Halls Plaza
John Derian creates his unique handmade decoupage pieces in his New York studio.
Bird platter, $175, HallsPlaza
Soft Landings: Aviva Stanoff, of Brooklyn, creates down-filled pillows of velvet and silk. She gathers flowers, branches, coral and feathers from the flower markets and presses them into the velvet to create one-of-a-kind designs. Pillows from $325 each, Black Bamboo
The Bird and Flower pillow, designed by Kevin O’Brien Studio of Philadelphia, incorporates hand-stitched appliqués screen printed on linen.
Pillow $200, Black Bamboo
Flower Power: This lead-free, hand-engraved crystal is made in the Czech Republic by Artel. The engraving of a single piece can take several days to complete, depending on the complexity of the design. “Foliage” martini $158, “Bluebells” Champagne flute $90, from MLB Designs
Rug Art: Emma Gardner’s rug designs are influenced by her interests in Asian art, urban fashion, pop art and natural forms. Emma Gardner 6- by 9-foot Delphiniums rug, $4,860, http://www.emmagardner design.com/rugs.html
