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Monday, July 17, 2017

My Favorite Tapestry



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

  

3 comments:

  1. 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.
    All of your homes look beautiful!
    Carol ("Mimi") from Home with Mimi

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  2. 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!

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  3. What 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

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