[ INSPIRATION INTERIOR ] Jerome Dahan's Eye-Popping Ethnic Pad

Hello wanderers! Sorry if you've been eagerly awaiting a new post for the past few weeks, but if you're good followers you'll have read my previous announcement regarding my Slovenian sojourn. Wait but a day longer and you shall have a treasure trove of Slovenian imagery to wade through. Exciting times. In the meantime I thought we'd start the week with some good ol' ethnic inspired design. I came across Citizens of Humanity and 7 For All Mankind denim mogul Jerome Dahan's eye-popping pad in yesterdays Sunday Times Style and predictably felt the need to share it. It's like someone robbed a Moroccan souk, time travelled back to the 1960's, got high on acid, fast forwarded back to the modern day, shook up their finds and voilà: a mish-mash explosion of texture, cultural references and colour, aka contemporary ethnicity meets western pop-chic. Confused? Yeh...me too.

Fancy having a crack at this styling your own home like this madman? Here's a few ideas to get you started. Click on the links to buy!

1. Howell Wingback Linen Armchair by Anthropologie 2. Ikat Pillows by Islimi on Etsy 3. Day Bed by MyDeco.com 4. Birdcage Mirror by MyDeco.com 5. Pottery Hookah by Mudcafe on Fabulloso 6. Vintage Southwestern Mexican Striped Ethnic Blanket by SonadoraInLove on Etsy 7. Overdyed Terai Chair by Anthropologie 8. Hand Woven Antique Turkish Kilim Rug by kilimwharehouse on Etsy 9. Macabre Carved Calaveras Skull on Spanish Moss 10. Graywash Antique Style Crystal Embellished Decorative Table Lamp by CC Home Furnishings 11. Kilim Stool by kilimwarehouse on Etsy

[ BOOK LOVE ] India: Essential Encounters & Nomad by Sibella Court

 

Recently I have taken (back) up one of my favorite pastimes: trawling through bookstores. Now that I am living back in a city again, I am no longer deprived of arty magazines and beautiful coffee table books, so heavy they could double as an iron door stop. Ahh the bonuses of stationary city dwelling... Anyway, I've noticed of late that most of my readers are arriving at Wandering Threads through fairly specific culture and artisanal related references, so this post is for you lot - 'wishyouwere' travellers and itchy fingered design fanatics - feast your eyes on two of my top pictorials volumes of the moment.

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India: Essential Encounters by Richard I'Anson and Sarina Singh

This book is jaw-droppingly stunning. I first discovered it in November 2010 during an attempt to while away my rainy lunch hour in a bookstore, with daydreams of my upcoming Asia trip. And dream I did, every lunchtime then on, until May last year. Seriously. India: Essential Encounters is published by travel guide giants Lonely Planet and features an astounding collection of 650+ colour photographs, spanning 44 of India's most breathtaking destinations. It's seemingly endless pages are strewn with images taken by internationally renowned photographer Richard I'Anson over a period of 23 years (since his first trip to the country in 1986). From the beachfront bazaars of Goa to the otherworldly riches of Rajasthan's palaces, this book is pure travel eye candy, and a sure-fire way to get you on that plane (hopefully not straight onto the streets of Delhi).

Tip: pick this one up in store, don't order it online - it weights an absolute ton!

Find out more about the photographer at: richardianson.com

All images courtesy of Richard I'Anson for Lonely Planet. 

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Nomad: A Global Approach to Interior Style by Sibella Court

I stumbled across this one just the other day, actually. Can you guess what drew me to it? Yup, might be the giant NOMAD written across that richly hued ikat fabric. I just can't get enough of texture, so when opened this crafty book I was instantly hooked. Please someone buy it for me when I get home (it will pretty much consume my entire cabin weight limit)?! Take a peak at some of these snapshots of the pages. The whole book is designed as if it were Sibella's own sketchbook. Sibella, by the way, has been lucky enough to travel vastly across continents during her years as a interior designer and visual merchandiser, picking up bits and bobs along the way. 

http://rstyle.me/hgw4fbm6neThe book is separated into sections, each covering one of Sibella's trips to a myriad of countries including Mexico, Italy, Japan and of course, India (it had to be there somewhere). The pages are chockablock with collaged photo montages, fabrics, beads and other bits and bobs to demonstrate how you can bring home and accessorise your living spaces with your travel finds. For me, the selling point is absolutely all about the graphic design: typewriter font printed over layers of fabric, images affixed with masking tape and pins... a scrapbook maker's heaven.  

Find out more about Sibella at: thesocietyinc.com.au 



All images from Nomad: A Global Approach to Interior Style by Sibella Court

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[ RUNNING WITH SCISSORS ] Chinese Paper Cutting, Píngyáo

Check out this amazing paper craft discovered during my first foray out of the city and into China's traditional towns back in October last year. Píngyáo 平遥, just over 400 miles west of Beijing is one of the last remaining, working, walled heritage cities. Once a thriving merchant town during the Ming Dynasty, later progressing to a centre for banking during the Qing dynasty, Píngyáo is now a Mecca for unrelenting hoards of Chinese tourists (complete with speakerphone wielding guide). However, make the tactical decision to stay the night and post 4pm, voilà! no crowds to be seen. 

Now, enough of the travel tips and back to the art. As you've probably discerned by now, Chinese heritage town + prosperous, culture hungry Chinese tourists = perfect money making opportunity. But a glance down one of Píngyáo's cobbled streets and you'll be taken aback by the never-ending stretch of grey-brick walls embellished with line upon line revolutionary red hued, intricately scored, traditional Chinese paper cuttings.  

Depicting archetypal scenes, zodiac signs and characters, the paper cuttings are hugely symbolic in Chinese culture and are largely seen during festivals, ceremonies and family events, often given as gifts by well wishers. My personal appreciation for the craft was propelled a few years back whilst researching feature ideas for my ethnic inspired degree project, TRIBE magazine. A Taiwanese friend, Yiki, introduced me to her own brand of Chinese paper cut inspired false eyelashes (more on that later...), a novel idea right? Just another awesome example of how traditional culture continues to inspire contemporary design. What's been inspiring you lately?

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[ FORBIDDEN INTERIORS ] Beijing

Though I am currently in Vietnam, as promised, here's a little token of my very first day in China. Starting, naturally, with the capital city of Beijing, I thought it only right to make my first visit a trip to Beijing's legendary  Forbidden City, home to 24 emperers during the Ming and Qing dynasties . I could show you the exteriors of the somewhat repetitively symmetrical Taoist buildings within the 74 hectare complex, but you've probably seen images of them a thousand and one times (if you haven't you should watch Yimou Zhang's epic Curse of the Golden Flower). So here are some of examples of the opulent intricacies and  grandeur interiors of Beijing's Imperial Palace.

 

Notice the recurrence of the two principal colours: yellow and red. Each carries symbolic significance: yellow, an auspicious colour associated with the earth was used extensively and exclusively by the Ming and Qing emperors who were regarded as the Sons of Heaven and supreme rulers of humanity. Red, on the other hand was symbolic of solemnity, happiness, wealth and honour, another auspicious colour that is to this day traditionally associated with China. 

 
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[ DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING ] Pinterest

So, once again I have to admit I'm a bit behind in the social networking front. What with my recent discovery of Polyvore, Stumble Upon and Fancy, I am slightly ashamed to admit that I have, only now, discovered the wonders of Pinterest. And wonderous it most  surely is! I love this idea of digital scrapbooking, it makes nomadic life a little less stressful knowing that even if my beloved Mac gets stolen (god help me) at least I can rest assured all my inspirations are locked away somewhere in digital cyberspace. So, making full use of this beautiful site, my eclectically patterned brain has been busy pinning away ethnic inspirations, catergorising them into boards of interiors, fashion, accessories and homeware. Go on, have a look at my pin boards for more ethnic inspirations like these spectacularly vibrant interiors!!!

All images on this post are copied from Pinterest. 
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[ EAST MEETS WEST ] Tina Sareen LBD

A couple of weeks ago, through some sheer 'first-week-in-Bangalore' chance, I was lucky enough to meet up-and-coming Bangalore designer Tina Sareen. Busy with a a photo shoot to showcase her now fully up and running showroom off St Marks Road, I discovered that Tina's label LBD was masterminded at the end of her fashion degree, not here in sunny Bangalore, but none other than LCF. Being a fellow University of the Arts grad, Tina invited me back a week later for a proper chat and the chance to take some snaps. Click here to read the interview.