Monday, August 6, 2007

Feminine Energy: Brocade Home + Rehabilitated dishware

Two trends have dominated mainstream home furnishings for the past decade: an urban loft style of skinny sofas and plastic chairs, and a masculine look of big, brown leather sofas and chunky, dark tables and chests.

Well, watch out. The girls are back in town. Sarah Cihat and Lisa Versacio are taking home décor by storm.
Above, check out Brocade’s Summer Sale catalog with Sarah Cihat’s “Rehabilitated” dishware, gracing the cover. I’m always looking for new and creative ways to display my china collection so I immediately fell in love with this cover. If you missed my previous post “The Art of Arranging with Plates”, check it out and gather tips on how to curate a gallery-worthy china arrangement of your own.


Sarah Cihat, The Parsons School of Design graduate rescues used plates, mugs, bowls, and other ceramics and transforms them into gorgeous and functional pieces of art. Usually a dish’s history shows, take a close look at Rehabilitated dishware and beneath the glazed silhouettes, you’ll find the plate’s original design ( a 70’s-influenced ivory and yellow flower pattern) peeking through.


Brocade Home is pretty fabulous. Restoration Hardware knew they had a winner when they added this new store to their portfolio. The pattern plates, the silver tea set and tray are tableware winners in my book! Brocade Home and Cihat’s clever creation allow pretty and delicate to co-exist with a modern edge.

When Lisa Versacio, a FIT graduate, left West Elm, she saw something missing from the home retail landscape. She conceived a line of merchandise with elements of modern, elements of vintage and something she calls a “softness meets strength” mood. Brocade Home is exactly that. It’s minimalist boudoir, with comfort and glamour. This is prettier without being icky sweet.

The rooms aren't crowded with things. There is still an element of order and cleanliness, but adding a chandelier or carved mirror can warm that up. Brocade Home balances the clean lines and the more decorated and glamorous pieces.

I’m not saying the modern style is dead. The mixing of Rehabilitated and Brocade Home just tells me that a convergence of clean lines with something soft and more decorative is on the rise.

3 comments:

People St.Clair said...

I recently discovered this site and I Love Love love it. The home page bedroom in white with gray and black is fabulous! There's a lot of wonderful things here.

katiedid said...

Isn't this a fun catalog? I have been getting it for awhile and love looking at it. The wall of Sarah Cihat plates is great!

perfect bound said...

Couldn't we all use a little something soft in our home? I love how Lisa described her style as "softness meets strength" and how something not classified as modern can still be very simple, clean and sharp. Thanks. Another great post!