With spring in the air, it's a perfect time to take a fresh look at crewel embroidery fabrics. When you need a rich textural detail in an otherwise boring room, this fanciful embroidery style adds depth and dimension.

The true origin of the word crewel is thought to come from the ancient Welsh word  "krua"  which means wool.   Crewel is most easily recognized by its organic tree of life design  with Jacobean flowers joined with birds and other wildlife stitched in big and bold designs.

Crewelwork originated  in the 1600s and a canvas-like cloth was used as a base. These artistic pieces were not only decorative, they were extremely heavy and were used to decorate walls and beds.  They were also  great insulators in keeping out cold winds.  

 

If you love detail (and who doesn't?) crewelwork offers a glimpse into the past where painstaking needlework provided a joyful and durable design solution passed down from one generation to the next with great pride. Where to use it? Give a nod to yesteryear and swap out a tired old lamp shade with our one-of-a-kind shade featuring this great crewel design.

 

Did You Know? 

When crewel embroidery was first introduced to the American colonies, blue was the most easily attainable color, achieved by dipping threads into vats of indigo dye. The number of repeat dips determined how deep the color would be. Thread dipped twenty times would have the most intense color. When first removed from the indigo dye vat, the thread would be green but would soon turn to blue by the process of oxidation.

Knowing how to create the right balance between a client's style and color preferences today and how these choices may affect resale in the future can be challenging.   So often 

people sacrifice what they really want and adore by assuming a future buyer will be turned off by anything other than dark beige, medium beige and pastel beige.

That's why we loved it when Robin, a long time client, excitedly called last week with great news. She and her husband, Michael sold their home in seven short days for full price....cash! We asked her to share what she knows made her home stand out from others on the market.     

Before

"We moved into our home 11 years ago and I wanted this home to look special, but had no idea where to start. I was referred to Beth LaPenna and Interior Reflections by a friend.  I had never worked with a designer before, and had a lot of preconceived notions about designers in general, all of which Beth proved wrong. I thought she would come into my house and tell me how it should look and that my house would be decorated with someone else's taste in mind."  

"Quite the opposite; she listened to me and my ideas of how my family lives, and how I envisioned my home. Beth taught me a lot about my design tastes, and she would know immediately if I was "not 100 %" about something she was showing me."

"When the choices seemed overwhelming, she guided me and gave me the confidence to make the right decisions. In the process of working with her she became a friend, and my husband and kids (and dog) got to know her and looked forward to seeing her."

Unless you're holding a crystal ball (can we borrow it?!) and can foretell the future with accuracy, we recommend making smart, intelligent design choices that not only bring you comfort and joy today, but also add value to one of your largest investments no matter what life brings you.  Robins sums it all up by saying: 

After

"My home is beautiful, and a reflection of our family! We have many wonderful memories here. My husband and I are now moving to our dream home in the mountains of North Carolina. We put our house on the market, and it sold in one week! I truly believe that the presentation and Beth's creative design work helped sell our house so quickly. Now, if I could just find a way to take her with us to our new home and have her guide me again, I would be ecstatic!"  See more before and after pics...

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