Posts from the ‘details’ Category

Jun 3

The Kantha – an education

You ever heard of a kantha quilt? Yeah, a year ago we hadn’t either. Oh, we had seen them; we just didn’t know what to call them. Let’s break the phrase up for analysis. Kantha refers to a type of embroidery, a simple primitive stitch–most frequently a long running stitch. And quilt, well, I guess not much analysis is needed on that subject. So a Kantha quilt is a quilt made using this kantha stitching, capeesh??

Kantha embroidery is used to bind colorful cottons in every pattern or hue you can imagine. What do you do with one of these things? Kantha quilts are used–by us, anyway–for throws or coverlets, and pillow covers. A few months ago, we covered a wall in them. Who knows what we will come up with next? As for you, we completely trust your creativity in purposing or repurposing these quilts.

Here, in the US, the quilts are beginning to pop up here and there. And one of those here’s is here at Simple Things. We have sort of fallen in love with these things. We love the texture, the color, the size, the way they can add a strong and fresh dose of color to a room. We love them so much, we really stocked up. You know how we love a collection. And just one, or two, or fifty of something is sometimes not enough to suffice. And so, of course, we brought home 340. Did you get that – 340?? Do you have any idea what that looks like? Well, it’s a lot. We are guessing that we have the biggest selection of kantha quilts in the country and maybe even further–there is no research data to confirm this, but we defy you to find a larger stash.

Here are approximately 20 kantha quilts that our lovely assistant is holding. The stack is in the neighborhood of 36″. So mathematically (and with math help from a recent high school graduate), our stack of kanthas would be 51 feet high! That’s like a building – a 4-ish story building. That wouldn’t fit in our clerestory. Somebody call the Guinness book.

What relevance does the size of this gargantuan pile mean for you? Glad you asked – This means we have the exact color you are looking for, because honestly, we have every color in the rainbow. Every single one. Really.

And here’s the really cool thing about OUR kantha quilts. We pre-washed every single one. That’s right. We laundered all 340. So when you come pick yours out, it will be clean and soft and perfect.

And one more note. We have been displaying them for the last week or so, and they are trickling out of here. When you swing by to pick yours up, ask to see them…although, you might find them with very little assistance, since you literally run into them as soon as you walk in the door, neatly contained in the biggest armoire you have ever seen.

*This photograph contains a part of our inventory. A part. Seriously, we have a lot.

Feb 28

Just in – Pillows

So, a guy came to our store a couple of days ago – a California guy, no less. He came to show us some of his pillows – turns out, his super cool California pillows. We were completely blown away. So as of today, we are fully stocked up.

These pillows are made from amazing fabrics – some vintage, some hand-dyed. They are super-soft washed linens and cottons. Some great detailing too – patched, pieced and embroidered. Here a sampling of what you’ll find.

We love finding items to sell in our store that are made by craftsmen. Unique pieces that are beautifully made by someone who loves what they do. These pillows fit the bill – and have made themselves right at home at Simple Things. We are in love.

Feb 12

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New Arrivals – RUGS! (soft, worn, perfect)

Here at Simple Things there are a lot of things we love – ironstone platters, well-kerned lettering on an old label, washed linens, a quirky collection. But there is one thing that goes beyond love, in fact, we are teetering on obsession here – it’s antique rugs. I know, we have a problem, but I know there are others like us – rug lovers. Maybe you’re one.

A lot of people walk through the showroom and never look down. If they did, they might see a couple of our Dash and Albert rugs – crisp and clean and beautiful in their own right. But more often than not they would see an antique rug. These rugs are works of art – art that started out colorful and new, but after years of time and wear and sunlight they become perfect – faded, soft. Left with little or no pile, these rugs are lay beautifully on a floor – flat and worn. They add instant history to a space. They all have a story to tell.

Anyway, a couple of times a year a very exciting thing happens that makes us rug geeks squeal with delight. It’s the day our antique rugs arrive – the antique rugs that were meticulously chosen from thousands of rugs to come live at our store until they find their new home. That day has come.

The rugs are unwrapped and pulled out one by one, carefully catalogued, tagged and placed out in the showroom. This is so much fun! Each rug has the ability to breathe new life into our vignettes – they pull together an area and ground the pieces of furniture so that they don’t just float alone on the floor. The rugs add warmth on a cold day like today. Some are colorful and add a pop to a dead corner, and some are neutral and quietly bring the furniture together. Their age and wear add a contrast to our new upholstered pieces giving the arrangement a sense of history.

How is this relevant to you, you might ask. Well, a rug can serve this purpose in a home, too. They ground a room, pull everything together and give you a warm soft surface to set your feet on. They add a worn soft texture. You can get the same feeling we do when the rugs are set out. It’s hard to explain, but when we put our rugs out it feels like there had been something missing and we just couldn’t put our finger on it. It’s a relief. It’s a genuine ah-ha moment. We all love those.

And one more thing – If you want to see more rug pics, check out the antique rug board on our pinterest page.

Oh, and if you see something you like come by and see us, or call for more information.

Dec 20

What’s new?

Usually we like to share new items and cool stuff by Facebook and instagram (why yes, we do use instagram – you should absolutely follow us). But we decided this recent collection was blog-worthy – it’s just that cool.

These are all items that were gathered up on a recent buying trip. They are vastly different in their textures but all have a wonderful organic quality – low metal benches, teak root balls, wood blocks. The table in the photo is a long pine coffee table – 112″ long to be exact. There’s also a great french chair upholstered in patchwork vintage ticking, and some fantastic chandeliers in a primitive metal. The photo only shows a few of the items – you’ll have to drop in and see the tree root bench and tree stump tables and a few other goodies. Who knows, you might come away with a Christmas gift or two.