Wall Tapestries from Europe

Good news everybody!  We’ve been working on adding a new line of tapestries.  It will be an on going process, but there are literally new tapestries added every single day.  The new tapestry line is from a mill in France called Pansu.  They pride themselves in weaving high quality, detailed tapestries.  Honestly, I haven’t seen any designs this nice since we opened the store with the Flanders tapestries.  They are gorgeous and there are hundreds of them to add to the store. 

I will be showcasing the especially beautiful tapestries here as they are added to the store. 

This enchanting Renaissance tapestry is called The Indiscretion. Notice the fine weaving and the wonderful color palette.  This is typical of the time period and looks fantastic in Victorian home decor and French Country style decor.

Verdure tapestries have been a long standing French tradition in the arts.  The verdant greens and foliage really bring nature into your home.  This is called the Forest of Bertranges.  This wall hanging makes a statement in many styles of home decor, from traditional to French Country to Contemporary. 

If you love the designs of William Morris, you are in for a treat!  Les Oiseaux tapestry epitomizes the Morris style.  The swirling leaves of lovely shades of green and blue are a trademark of his work.  Les Oiseaux translates from French to English as “The Birds”.  The birds shown in this tapestry are also typical of the Morris style:  realistic, yet created in a style reminiscent of medieval wall tapestries.

I hope you enjoy these new tapestries as much as I do.  Come on economic stimulus check!  I want to buy some tapestries!  Check back daily for more new tapestries!

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Everyone loves the works of famous artists like Van Gogh, Degas and Michelangelo.  Did you know that their artwork is even more beautiful in tapestry form?  Well, it is.  Seriously.  The woven texture gives the piece a whole new dimension…the third dimension.  The images really pop out at you. 

For example, take a look at this version of Monet’s Garden at Giverny Pond tapestry.  Doesn’t it look almost real?  The depth of the water and the many many layers of color and foliage…breathtaking. 

The same goes with this Self Portrait of Van Gogh tapestry - it almost looks better than the original painting!

Get the most out of your home decor with stunning wall tapestries from your favorite artists at The Tapestry Standard!

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Cause you could have fooled me.  Maybe I’m the one off here, but it IS May, right?  And since May is a month away from Summer, you’d expect it to be warm, right?  Well, thus far…it feels like late October here in the Northeast.  I mean, 48 degrees with rain?  Seriously?  It just makes me want to crawl under the covers for a few weeks until Summer gets here.  I constructed a counter attack on the gloomy weather this weekend though.  Hung up this beautiful landscape tapestry that just screams, “Spring!”.  Yay!  It helped a little.  What else can possibly combat chilly rain and cloudy skies?

Gearing up for the Summer is something that I’ve always enjoyed.  Not just adjusting my decor to follow the seasons, but just enjoying a warm breeze.  And getting ready for all of the fun outdoor parties I like to throw in the warm months.  I can’t wait to grill outside again!  Today is deceptively sunny and warm looking.  It really isn’t that warm.  Sigh.  I guess this awesome cityscape wall tapestry will have to wait for a month or two.

If you live in the frigid Northeast, why not at least make your home seem Summery with these great tapestry wall hangings?  You will notice an immediate improvement not only in your decor, but also in your state of mind.  Ahh!  Summer is here!

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What is negative space?  Well, it is the space on your walls between wall hangings.  Most people don’t think of the impact negative space has on their overall decor, but it really does play an important role. 

A great example of using negative space is if you have a very large wall.  Obviously, you don’t want to fill the entire wall with stuff - it would look overcrowded and the sheer size of the clutter will be overwhelming to the eyes.  So, how do you properly handle a space this large?  It’s easy.  It is all about symmetry and leaving the proper amount of negative space.  Since negative space gives proportion to a room, it kind of acts like a balancing element.  You can do many things with a large wall space.  You can create a very simple look with one large tapestry, hung in the center of the wall.  This leaves uniform negative space around the art work.  This style will draw your eyes immediately to the tapestry, using the negative space as a frame around the piece.  This works well with light colored walls, but not so well with darker colored walls. 

To get around the darker colored walls, you can break up your wall into multiple pieces using negative space.  Instead of hanging one very large tapestry, you can hang three or four smaller pieces.  For an interesting look, use tapestries that are not uniformly shaped.  For example, two square tapestries, one vertical rectangular, and one horizontal rectangular creates an interesting presentation of art.  The dark walls still frame each piece, but the negative space is “chopped” up into smaller sections. 

Play around with the negative space aspect of interior design.  I guarantee you will notice an immediate difference in your home decor.

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I was visiting our mill this weekend, and I got to see just how complicated looms are.  I witnessed the setup of a loom for a single tapestry size and design.  I only saw them finishing it up - they had been working on it for days.  Days!  No wonder custom tapestry work is so darned expensive.  Just setting up the weft for one color took hours.  I couldn’t believe it.  Seeing all the work go into the setup, before a single weave was woven…it gave me a whole new respect for weaving and all other fabric arts. 

I was so fascinated by the whole process, that I did some research when I got home.  The loom they were using is probably the most modern and it still took days to set up.  It got me to thinking about the more “archaic” loom styles that are still used today.  I mean, let’s consider the Jacquard loom.  This style of loom is still widely used today because it can make extremely intricate designs - perfect for wall tapestries.  But, these looms can take up to three weeks to rethread for a new design.  Weeks!  Most Jacquard looms are set up for one design, one size, one time only.  Those looms can be used over and over again to create the same design, but that’s about it. 

So, when you look at a tapestry, or are shopping for one you know one thing for sure…it took days to set up the loom to weave that tapestry.  Just imagine how long it took to set up the loom for these unicorn tapestries! 

Come and browse our enormous selection of handmade tapestry wall hangings for your home decor!

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For a large section of the country, the past few days (and the forecasted week ahead) looked pretty gloomy.  Cool temperatures, very little sunshine, clouds and rain rain rain.  There is nothing like gloomy weather to take the fun right out of Spring.  There are measures you can take to keep the gloom outside and make your home decor cheery and, well…Spring-like.

I know I’ve written about Spring cleaning.  If you haven’t already performed your yearly overhaul cleaning…now is a great time to do it.  You are pretty much stuck inside anyway.  So, clean if you haven’t already.  Next, all you need to do is add some color and a bit of nature.  Hang photographs of flowers or meadows around your home, or hang a delicate floral wall tapestry to lighten the mood.  Color is more important than anything, so make sure to hang something with bright Spring colors.  Light greens, yellows, oranges, reds and rich blues and purples will not only lighten your mood…they will create depth to your home decor.  Everyone reacts to colors, whether on a conscious or subconscious level.  Brighter colors are more intense, and they can really be uplifting.  The trees outside are green, so why shouldn’t you have bright green accent pillows (if it works with your decor, that is)?  Add a splash of color - I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

If you are looking for inspiration, visit The Tapestry Standard and browse our landscape wall hangings.

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