With the new red rug comes new art taken from other walls in the house, which creates quite a project for these rainy Seattle spring days. My most beloved piece is this red ink piece of a ship on fire from Tony de los Reyes and it typically resides in the living room.  Its new home in the kitchen- where we spend all of our time- will allow me to admire it more.  (I have a thing for paintings, drawings, etc. depicting ships with masts as evidence in our large collection of nautical art.)  My husbands most-beloved piece is “Superhero Deconstructed.”  Now that I have two boys I understand why a grown man still loves superhero themes: Memories of youth.

Next part of Operation Kitchen New Attitude is (FINALLY) kaarskoker candle sleeves on the chandelier.  I am thinking kkSOLID in Gold contrasted with the pewter fixture will make the subtle statement I am looking for so the art can really take center stage.

The wood floors beneath our kitchen table have been, unfortunately, worn by the constant moving in and out of chairs.  We don’t just eat at our table, we live at our table. The kitchen has a view of Lake Washington and is flooded with light even when the Seattle sky is gray and threatening rain.  I shouldn’t be shocked that the floors finally began to break under our many special hours in the space.  I wanted a rug that was old and dirty because it would end up looking as such soon after we acquired it. I found a red, thin woven rug with repeating tribal motifs.  The color means I must change the kaarskoker on my pewter chandelier from Fancy Feather.  I also have to change the artwork in the space, which is fine because I will bring my favorite painting from the living room into the more-frequently populated kitchen.  The kaarskoker candlesticks on the table get new sleeves as well.  Pictured are kkYKNOT Sahara & Gold; kkMARBLE not -yet available on website; and a vintage Arts & Crafts sleeve I found.

About 2 weeks ago, I had an epiphany. There are so many tricked out details I want to offer with the current kaarskoker candle sleeve collection: paint spotting kkSOLIDS, adding felt trim to kkCANE, overlay of lace on kkSOLIDS. Essentially, I am looking to get crafty and want to offer my creative wares on Etsy. Having already inquired about selling on Etsy this time last year, I know I must offer a handworked product and for all the love and care that go into kaarskoker they are, alas, mass-produced.

A little due diligence is I order before committing myself to a glue gun so I type ‘candle sleeve’ in the Etsy search field. As we all know imitation is the highest form of flattery but COME ON: same price, offered in candelabra diameter with 4” and 6” lengths, bundled in pairs, an oval label (kaarskoker are more eco-friendly as no plastic is used), in at least 1 case same paper genre (new marble papers vs. kaarskoker 19th century marble designs) and launched 2 months post-kaarskoker debut. Suspect in original creativity to say the least. I cannot even bear to type the product name because it is so silly. Trying to stay composed and gracious in Seattle but…seriously.

*images courtesy of Etsy

This weeks FRIDAY LIGHTS is dedicated to Charles Edwards, a reproduction-antiques company in London, England. Their designs reflect 19th and 20th century English and French style lanterns. The pieces are authentic and classic.

I love this beautiful flower detailed chandelier and look at the tapered candle sleeves- an exquisite detail that refines the piece.

Another chandelier that caught my eye.

I love the simplicity of this chic hanging lantern.

*Images courtesy of Charles Edwards

A popular print for years and originally from Scotland, houndstooth derives its name from the singular motif which is repeated to create the precise geometric effect: the canine tooth.   Houndstooth is a classic pattern found on the runways and has made its way into fashionable interiors.  From the classic tailored suits of the 1950s to the contemporary look seen so often in Elle and Vogue, houndstooth is a classic pattern found on the runways and has made its way into fashionable interiors.

In choosing the final colorways for the kkHOUNDSTOOTH collection, black-and-white was first up and quickly followed by Holiday Houndstooth, a classic pattern paired with traditional holiday colors.   Red, Dark Chocolate and Orange filled in the kaarskoker candle sleeve collection.  Red-and-white is as classic and doubles as a holiday print; dark chocolate mimics the custom blazers on which the print looks best; and orange for those looking for the whimsical.

*Images courtesy of Lindsey Thornburg cloaks, Simply Sneakers.

Everywhere I look I am so inspired by what is happening in fashion.  Love the floral prints and bright colors of well-crafted and executed looks.  I definitely think a home is never ‘done’ but I do think our bank accounts and full schedules can demand we say, “Uncle!”  For my own home, I have taken a cue from today’s fashions to quickly and inexpensively update my tabletop for parties (so many at the moment!) and my entry hall.  Take a look at some trends and how kaarskoker speaks to the au courant.

HOT PINK! Redbook was on this trend when they featured kkPEACOCK in Pink for the March issue.  I Love the 80’s, no?

BLUE!  As you may have guessed from the amount of blue offered in the kaarskoker collection, I am a blue freak.

BRIGHT + GRAPHIC COLOR COMBINATIONS!  As with everything in life, can there ever be too much color and patter?  kkZIGGURAT from the kaarskoker Collector Series is all about playing with serious color.

kkCLOVER has proven as the most popular kaarskoker pattern.  Its versatile as it works well in a traditional, transitional interior and the motif is so graphic that lovers of the contemporary embrace it as well.  This motif was first documented in India c. mid-1800s and originated from the lavish designs of the intricate and detailed fabrics  often seen in Indian culture. The motif is prevalent in mehendi- or henna, and the sari and Indian jewelry.  The Indian culture is rich with beautiful art and luxurious prints that have a long history of influence on European/Western design.  You would be surprised by home many motifs, colors, fabric prints have been adopted from India and stylistically reworked within the Western palette.

The colorways of the kkCLOVER were inspired from wide-ranging influence.
Red & Gold: A regal pairing that evoked a palette traditionally used in a dining room.
Pink & Silver: I am a sucker for the color combinations of the 1950s.  Love a pink lame (la-may) dress and designed a sleeve with this in mind!
Blue: If you cannot tell I have a soft spot in my heart for blue in any shade.  kkCLOVER is a style deserving of a sharp blue colorway.
Chartreuse & Silver: My favorite plants in my garden have shocking green leaves: baby tears, Irish moss and thyme in chartreuse are to die for and are veined among my stone walkways.  The bright stripe of a spider plant is equally as coveted as an accent color in my garden and indoors as well.  Perfect for a kaarskoker candle cover!

A Hickory Chair quatrefoil chair upholstered in slate blue dupioni.

*Images courtesy of decades and Hickory Chair.

I thought the time had come to spill the beans on the styles that make up the kkCOLLECTION.  There is little doubt that many of the patterns are familiar to many of you formal/informal students of design.  I chose classic patterns for the first collection because the object which the patterns adorned was, well, a bit obscure. No need for everyone to have to wrap their minds around both a new design detail (did you know what a candle sleeve was called before kaarskoker?) and a new motif. Classic Makes Perfect, no?

Every Tuesday, we’ll explore a different kaarskoker pattern: its origin, contemporary applications, inspiration for color palette.  kkY-KNOT is a moniker I thought fitting and is often described as the David Hicks pattern.  While Hicks popularized this pattern in the 1960s, the earliest source I have found is 14th century China.

As far as the color palette,  the more prevalent colors in Chinese arts include tones of pale blue, pale pink, and pale green.  My inspiration for Y-KNOT’s 4 colorways are as follows:

Jade & Silver: A 1960s MG picture I saw in an issue of World of Interiors
Periwinkle: The prevailing color scheme in the early 2000’s of NYC interior designers DiamondBaratta.  A quick browse through their portfolio speaks to a love of periwinkle.
Sahara & Gold: A 70’s infused neutral a la ‘Ciara’ perfume.
Navy & Gold:  I love this combination and thought the pattern lent itself well to the pairing.  Actually, quite Hicks.

This is MG is not the exact inspiration but gives a sense of the bold color.

David Hicks fabric pictured above. Incidentally, both David Hicks textile and wallpaper collections as well as DiamondBaratta’s textile collection are available through LeeJofa.

*Images courtesy of DiamondBaratta, Revlon, Lee Jofa.

I recently attended the Atlanta Gift Show (and LA and Seattle) and loved walking through the showrooms of my favorite lines. While visiting Currey Lighting, I was inspired to put my novice Photoshop skills to work and apply kaarskoker candle sleeves to the classic designs of the collection. Here are a few before and after.

As always, I rely on loyal kaarskoker fans to submit their creative use of our products. Thanks to Anna Imperati and her family in Portland, OR for sharing these lovely photos of their table setting before turkey and wine.

Pictured are kkCANDLESTICK in brass with a pair of kkCONE Gold Silver 6″ and a single kkYKNOT Sahara Gold 4″.