A little bit country, a little bit nautical, the following ropes and braids on lighting, furniture, jewelry, and objects capture this season’s rustic edge.
1. New York-based industrial designer Lindsey Adelman has been charming the design industry since 2005, when she first began producing her own line of hand-blown glass lighting. Wasp’s Nest combines hand-blown yellow glass, gold, and knotted cotton rope for a unique fixture inspired by beehives and organic, knotted shapes such as wood grain patterns. Given a lead time of 12 weeks, Adelman’s studio makes each fixture to order with unique glass globes and custom metal fittings, all made locally. The studio is open to modifications and interpretations, but the max for each bulb is 60 watts. Lindsey Adelman Studio, (718) 954-6572; http://lindseyadelman.com/.
2. From VandM dealer Hacienda, a sterling silver traditional Mexican charro sombrero measures 9 and ½ inches in diameter and is embellished with a traditional carved flower design. The sombrero’s five-inch-tall crown depicts an eagle devouring a snake that itself rests on a cactus. Beneath the eagle the word “Mexico” is carved, and a silver rope loops around the base of the crown. More silver rope adorns the rim of the hat, resulting in a total weight of 12.7 ounces. Not only is this piece in excellent condition, with only a small section of the rim slightly bent, but the delicacy of its design contrasts sharply with many other similar works on the market. Hacienda through VandM, (805) 613-8003; http://www.vandm.com/hacienda.
3. Playful and familiar shapes inform Heather Keiko’s hand-crafted jewelry and textiles. Keiko produces work mostly in felt, harnessing subtle details and tactility to capture the raw beauty of her medium. Her felt jewelry for Areaware comes in four patterns – link, loop, plank, and slink – in either ivory or charcoal. Simplicity in choice of medium, layers, and forms combine for surprisingly multifaceted designs. Keiko is based in Sydney, and makes each necklace by hand in Australia. Areaware, (212) 226-5155; http://www.areaware.com/.
4. Mid-century Danish designer Hans J. Wegner made began his career as a cabinetmaker in 1931, got his architectural degree in 1938, and worked as a designer in Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller’s architectural office before establishing his own office in 1943. As one of the most – perhaps even THE most – prolific Danish designers to date, he has designed over 500 different chairs. This pair of folding chairs appears to be in the manner of the original Model 512, although the dealer neglects to note whether they’re originals or not. They are most likely in oak with a low-sitting rope seat 15 inches high, a back 30 inches high, and a 31 inch by 24 depth and width. If they are indeed designed after Model 512, they were probably manufactured by Johannes Hansen for Hans Wegner in the 1950’s. Center44 through http://VandM.com/Center44, (212) 450-7988; http://www.center44.com/.
5. Sometimes simple and sturdy is the way to go. VandM dealer Kimball & Bean offers a length of ship rope capped on either end with brass hook ends. It can function as a crowd control rope, a sash, or a tie back. This listing started as a pair, so snag the last one before it goes. http://vandm.com/kimballandbean Kimball & Bean (Store), (815) 444-9000; http://www.kimballbean.com/.
