The online decorating website Havenly challenged me to answer an interesting question – do I have a favorite
piece of furniture or décor that I have highlighted in my home over the years? Haha,
yes! Several! It was hard to narrow it down but I thought I’d share the story
of my favorite piece of artwork in my home – my antique tapestry.
Twenty five years ago my friend Becky started a home décor business
specializing in European tapestries. I thought they were beautiful and was in
the process of renovating a 100 year old Victorian house. We had a large front
parlor with deep red walls and 10 foot ceilings. I had the perfect spot for an
Old World tapestry but they were kind of pricey. One autumn afternoon while
antiquing in the New Jersey countryside I spied a large hunting themed tapestry
nailed to a back wall in the shop.
I paid $100 for it and gleefully brought it home. I hoped my friend
wouldn’t be too annoyed with me for not buying one of hers. When I invited her
over to take a look and get her opinion her jaw dropped. She said this particular
piece was made in Belgium on antique looms and was worth close to $1000. Score!
The tapestry looked great in my old house for many years but then we
moved across the country to Arizona. We built a new home and I wondered how my
traditional furniture would work there. I did have vaulted ceilings in the new
front entry and took my color scheme for the living room from the colors in my
beloved tapestry – reds, browns, and warm neutrals.
Fast forward 18 years and we have moved again, this time to mountains
of Utah. My home is a bit more casual this time with leather and some mission
style furnishings. Will my antique tapestry fit in?
Of course! I firmly believe in adding in vintage pieces to almost any style
of décor. An antique piece of furniture, accessory or artwork gives a room some
personality and uniqueness that you can’t get from an IKEA showroom.
So now my tapestry hangs in my new mountain home. It fills in a large
wall very nicely and once again provides some warmth and color to my mostly
neutral furnishings.
If you have a special piece that you love how do you feature it in your home?
I like to join these parties
I love how you've made a home for your tapestry in every home to which you have moved. It is a gorgeous piece, and you really got a great deal on it. I like how you've built your decor around it (with regard to colors). This approach makes a lot of sense. I've done that with a Pakistani rug that I bought in 1987. I've built my living room color scheme around that rug in every place that I've lived since then.
ReplyDeleteAll of your homes look beautiful!
Carol ("Mimi") from Home with Mimi
it is a beautiful tapestry and it is so nice that you have found something in your decor that you have loved for so long!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous tapestry! How special that you've moved it along with you through the years! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm:) xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
ReplyDelete