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open to ideas

I’ve often had people ask me about the open-shelves in my kitchen. There’s an understandable fear of dust and grease making them impractical. Well I can tell you that after living with them for 6 years, I don’t find that to be a big enough issue to over-ride the appealing look, and ease of use, they bring to my kitchen.

Here are some other beautiful examples of open shelves in kitchens…

Gorgeous! But what if you aren’t renovating and want to create the look in your existing kitchen? Try removing the doors on a section of your cabinetry and paint out the interiors for a similar look…

Open shelves are often the key feature to a country kitchen…

But there are very hip looking kitchens with open shelves too…

And even loft spaces…

Open shelving is a wonderful way to show off a collection and make sure it gets use!

If you can’t find a way to incorporate open shelves into your upper cabinetry, you may want to think about a section of the lowers…

Or creating an impromptu version in a hutch…

Or even on a basic set of shelves…

Wherever open shelves are, they’re a beautiful way to create displays and vignettes in your home…

Or bring in colour…

The lack of colour on these shelves creates a more calm, classic, almost utilitarian look…

But hey, if colour is your thing, don’t hold back…

Basically, this idea is for anyone who’s open to it!

oh suzani, won’t you smile for me?

As you know, I’m not big on trends in the home. Or to clarify; I don’t think trends should drive a home. And so for that reason, I hesitate to cover the topic of suzani as they’ve been so hot with home-fashionistas over the past few years. But that’s silly. The truth is, the suzani has been a part of women’s artistic expression in Central Asia for hundreds of years. Traditionally, when a girl was born, her mother would start embroidering the suzani for her. As the daughter grew older, she would join in the process. The suzani would eventually become a part of her dowry and be used to decorate her home. There’s nothing trendy about that.

And so, a quick primer: suzani is a type of embroidered and decorative tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. The term suzani means “needlework”.

Recognizable for the starburst, suzani designs were commonly used as coverlets for the bridal bed, but these gorgeous textiles bring color and texture to any space. Suzani make beautiful wall hangings, bedspreads, furniture throws, pillows, tablecloths or even upholstery.

Whether your bed is ‘bridal’ or ‘beyond’…a layer of suzani can really spice things up this fall…

Or you may want to upholster a bench in a suzani for the bottom of the bed?

Suzani patterns look great on arm chairs and ottomans. Don’t worry about matching the other fabrics in the room, a suzani stands on it’s own like a piece of art.

But if that’s too much of a commitment, buy a suzani (or look-a-like fabric) and layer it over your neutral sofa for some earthy warmth this winter.

Or over a club chair to cozy things up.

Toss one over a table to give texture to the terrace or dining room.

A suzani-style rug is a great investment and will travel from room to room.

If you invest in the real thing, consider hanging it on the wall for a dramatic focal point.

Fabric houses often print in the pattern of suzani…here’s a gorgeous version in two colour-ways from Donghia.

A few precious yards were framed dramatically (in the talented Emily Walker’s home) and featured on the cover of House & Home in 2009.

We chose this warm and sunny fabric for the cobistyle drapery line and called it Heirloom.

The flower-like pattern is easily integrated into rooms, and the same goes for wardrobes!

And ceramics…

Look at these gorgeous ribbons…

And towels!

We used suzani as wall art inspiration in the cobistyle accessory line…

If you’re interested in bringing some suzani into your home this fall, the easiest thing to do is buy a pillow.

I guarantee it will layer in nicely with your existing pillows.

And add some cheerful character to your room, especially in the fall and winter months.

I’m sure that’s why the suzani-style pillow we did for cobistyle this season is our top seller. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s a classic - easy to enjoy - happy and bright, like a sunny fall day.