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One of my favorite stores in New York is Paula Rubenstein Ltd., home to all kinds of anti-mass production curiosities including giant balls of string (and barbed wire), a driftwood lamp the size of a sixth-grader, and the most comprehensively fabulous collection of Navajo blankets you'll ever see. They don't necessarily come cheap—this is Soho, not a thrift store in Wyoming—but I consider each one a work of art.
Native American motifs have swung in and out of vogue for decades: Ralph Lauren has long recognized that Navajo sweaters are just as American as preppy cableknits and Western-themed movies have kept the look alive. But there were some dark years in the 1990s for the colorful stripes, diamonds and checkerboards I love so dearly: Think Barbra Streisand album covers or the Arizona Jeans Company at J.C. Penney. A Navajo-printed denim jacket (paired with a turquoise bolo tie) or an entire duvet set may never look chic, but let's ponder some updated applications for our predecessors' handiwork:
—Upholstery: why not upholster an occasional/slipper chair in one of these incredible rugs? If yours is a museum-quality I wouldn't cut it up, but if George Smith and ABC Carpet can cover entire sofas in old kilims I see nothing wrong with repurposing a geometric blankie. Try centering a diamond design on the seat and back.
—Wall decoration: Hanging rugs and textiles feels a little grandiose, yet I love the idea of three or four unmatching blankets on square canvas stretchers hung against a long neutral wall. Would also make a graphic headboard panel.
—Furniture adornment: faithful reader Evan sent this pic of his kilim-covered Parsons dining table—pretty genius, no? This is definitely a DIY project fit for a sturdy cotton rug, not a blanket, but a good glue/staple gun and some elbow grease would do the trick. Maybe start with an Ikea side table and pay special attnention to mitering the corners, as Evan did here.
Image of Navajo rug via Len Wood's Indian Territory.
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Now that not one but two kind readers have followed my lead on the Rustoleum Red Insta-Makeover I feel positively drunk with power and influence! Or maybe just a little hungover from the weekend's festivities. In any case, I got thinking about other semi-easy furniture tricks while browsing eBay over the weekend: I found so many nice, inexpensive metal table frames (console, coffee, side, etc.) that were done in by a thin glass top. Now, I could see the style in a 3/4- or 1-inch thick piece of clear glass with that pleasing green color on the side—that has a dramatic sense of heft to it—but inset glass-top tables are a major pet peeve.
Why, you ask? First is the flimsy factor. I just hate how setting down a glass (or anything more substantial than a weekly magazine) rattles a glass table; the clanky sound hurts my sensitive ears. Second, I can't shake the Raymour & Flanigan association: Every other table in a chain furniture store has a glass top! Finally, and this may tick a few folks off ... I really can't stand protective glass on any table, even the skirted variety. It's so precious! Like, "We don't wear our shoes on the white carpet." Unless your center table is on loan from the Wrightsman Galleries, I'd just invest in some coasters.
On to my trick: I'd buy any cool, cheap console table like this $130 Giacommetti-lite number from Target or this mixed-metals Regency eBay steal, measure the existing glass top(s), head to Home Depot, Lowe's, or the lumber yard, and have 1/4- or 1/2-inch cabinet-grade plywood cut to fit. Take it home, sand down the top and edges (using wood filler if necessary), prime, and paint in an OIL-BASED high-gloss enamel in a pretty color. Voila, lacquer-inset-top gorgeousness! The more ambitious might try some decorative painting techniques ... a simple two-tone chevron, perhaps?
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