We received a new wall covering sample book today at my work, and I could not be more excited. The new "Nest" collection from Schumacher is made up of 12 designs, each hand crafted from natural bird feathers. They are so stunning that I'm a little lost for words. They are definitely the most beautiful new samples we've received for a while. My favorite would have to be the design "Waldon", made from quail feathers (below). It has almost a tortoiseshell appearance to it. I'm dying to use it in a project now, especially in something like a library...what do you think folks?
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Feather your nest!
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18 comments:
Very interesting,... but what about dust they catch. Big No for allergy sufferers I guess,
Lampshades would look great.
beautiful, but a tad unsettling- like the damien hirst paintings composed of butterfly wings.
my fave is the cascadia peacock- stunning.
Ha! I hadn't even thought of that...I suffer from hayfever...but clearly I was not thinking of the practicalities...they're really just so beautiful.
I haven't seen the Damien Hirst paintings in real life..they do sound a little creepy though, which I can asure you, these are not.
suzy- the hirst paintings are creepy, but insanely beautiful- i'd own one in a heartbeat, if a had a chance. they had a sold-out show of them here at the gagosian gallery, and it was like being inside a modern cathedral.
so the feathers on these aren't laminated down, somehow? i didn't think of the dust factor either- yuck. maybe they should have made just one, then photo printed off sample, 'cause if these are loose feathers, then i could never, ever use them as i have a huge dust phobia. i can barely manage to use curtains and rugs because of it...
I love the idea and look of these - but I cant get passed how cold those plucked birdies must be now!!!!
Camilla, the sample book states they were "humanely gathered", but I'm not sure if that means that they were found lying around, or if they were plucked humanely...if so, I agree those birdies would be rather cold now...
M21, I would have loved to have seen the exhibit...sounds amazing.
To clarify, the feathers are completely stuck down, not loose at all. I guess some dust could find its way on them, but I think the real thing is way too beautiful for them to substitute it with a photo print. To be honest, I really don't think it would be a problem.
Like others, the question is what constitutes 'humanely'. The quantity of feathers used suggests the feathers were not found lying around. I don't object to handmade objects being comprised of feathers as long as there is no suffering involved. Remember this is mass produced! I can think of nothing more beautiful than celebrating all that is natural in the world (and there is a lot to appreciate) as long as the eagerness to appreciae does not cause one to excessively indulge. A single element alone has the power to take ones' breath away ... a million count of the same element can be a real turnoff when the source is considered. Why not a photographed image of the feathers in wallpaper? Sure it's probably been done before, but being creative with the feather arrangement could be the challenge they should be living up to.
Hiya! I am a regular lurker, first time commenter... but when I saw this I thought I should say that the feather thing really bothers me, though I cannot truly articulate why yet. And as I look at my bird dog asleep at my feet, I wonder if he would ever again have a restful moment if he were to bounce around in that room for a moment:) We've had decorators in and one thing I have always been glad for was their ability to sense how we care about animals - ah, and how, given that we are horse/ dog/ kitty people, this would not be a welcome suggestion for our home - beautiful as it may be, there are reasons my walls are not lined in silver fox... These things are individual for every home/household so surely there is a customer, I suppose... Be well! The Hostess
Hi Anon - I'm starting to realise you must be right...there is no way they could get that many feathers without plucking a poor little birdie. I think these products are very similar to other products made from animal by products (i.e. exotic leathers etc.) as well as exotic timbers. If we could be guaranteed that they were not from animals that were totured or killed for the body part I'd feel less guilty about it. But the problem is, once a demand starts the manner of gathering the by product would surely change. I don't have an ethical problem with using feathers or animal skins/fur if has come from an animal that has died of natural causes. But in reality, how often does that happen these days? It poses a question though...I guess most of us still wear cow leather (shoes, bags and belts etc. so how is that different?
Thanks for commenting blushing hostess. I'm so glad that you've had decorators in the past that have been able to meet your needs. Everyone has different feelings about these issues, so it's great that you've had someone sensitive to yours.
I think it looks really cool, but I totally agree with the allergy comment.
lovely colors!
Totally stunning. I bet a regular "dusting" with a blow dryer on cool and low would keep things from getting icky. Birds, by the way, don't seem all that dusty. :)
Suzy
Your blog is absolutely delightful, I just can't get enough. Thank you for putting so much time into something that brings joy to so many people.
Gorgeous!
best
K
insanely beautiful. i love the cascadia : )
of course, i hope that humanely gathered means humanely gathered!!!
cheers.
Good point Mrs Blandings!
Thanks Krystyna!!
And I'm with you Paul, I'm tempted to ask them what they constitute as humane...
poor birds!
Gina from Germany
very interesting. I could see it used in small doses.
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