Iciness at Home

We have enjoyed exceptionally mild weather so far this winter.  But, we’re only about half way through, and the last few days have included frigid nights and frosty mornings.  I truly dislike the cold but am always fascinated by the idea of cold and images of snow and ice.

A recent batch of sleet transformed our garden into a treasure trove of crystals and pearls and reminded me that great beauty can often be found in even the most difficult situations.  Since I was homebound, I started thinking about ice as inspiration for décor… especially ice and the play of sunlight, not quite translucent but somehow glimmeringly white-gray-ivory-silver with hints of brown, charcoal, straw and faded green beneath.  Glamorous and genuine.

Currey & Company’s delicate wrought iron chandeliers and sconces seem to have emerged straight from a winter garden… dripping with just a few crystal beads and blown glass instead of frozen dew.

Agostina Chandelier



Crystal Lights Sconce

Allusions Chandelier

Currey & Company launched in 1988, mainly as a manufacturer of high-quality garden furniture inspired by historic pieces from Winterthur and the Smithsonian.  Over the years, their creative collections grew.  And today, they are best-known for these beautiful chandeliers, mirrored and seashell accessories and faux-bois concrete furniture.  They are dedicated to handmade craft, often manipulating natural or traditional materials into fresh functional objects.  Many mimic icy leaves and stems and puddles.

Affaire Table Lamp in blown glass and brass

Isis Lamp in optic crystal and glass

Vesta Lamp in white quartz

Portico Pendant in wire and frosted crystal

Currey & Company reinvents the now somewhat ubiquitous mercury glass by beefing up the scale…

this “bottle” is almost two feet tall…

Helene Table Lamp

or adding a tint of sea green.  And the wrought iron and shell Peggy Pendant looks like a pebble path slightly submerged in midwinter rain.

Based in Atlanta, Currey & Company remains a family-owned and -run business with production centers in Georgia and the Philippines.

Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia, the husband and wife team behind Ankasa, manage to capture a luxurious winter landscape in their lovely, lovely textiles.

Ankasa pillows and bedding begin life as simple linen or cotton or silk… often in bright white, muted cream or woody brown... and then are hand-embellished with stunning embroidery,

beads,

sequins,

crochet work,

leather strips, quilting, smocking, rouching or pintucks.

Beautiful trims pipe borders and seams and sometimes adorn pillow fronts or upholstery.

Sachin and Babi started their business partnership in haute couture, essentially providing hand-embroidered and -beaded fabrics for the world’s top fashion designers.  They branched into home accessories seven or eight years ago when decorating their own home.  And recently came full circle with the introduction of their clothing line: Sachin + Babi.  They also offer design services through Ankasa.