Guest Picks: Metamorphosis
These screen-printed cotton butterflies by Lab 71 are technically brooches, but I'd use them as decor, pinning one or two to my white cotton duck curtains at the house on the Cape. I love how they're at once playful and somewhat scientific in their rendering.
Timorous Beasties, founded in Glasgow in 1990 by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, is one of my favorite wallpaper companies. After seeing an installation of some of their work, including a toile wallpaper, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I interviewed the curator to learn more about them. This pattern is actually pretty straightforward, named "Moths."
Another Timorous Beasties wallpaper pattern, but this one verges on the psychedelic. It's called "Butterfly Blurr," and is an in-your-face take on a lush garden print. It also comes in three other colorways: pink, yellow and a shocking sky blue.
Designer Ted Muehling created this Insects plate for German porcelain company Nymphenburg back in 2000. It depicts a delicate butterfly and a petite ladybug on a celadon ground. It’s beautiful fine china that I’d want to use every day.
This sculptural wall hanging of butterflies in flight is reminiscent of Curtis Jeré’s midcentury modern wall sculptures, though its rounded lines lend a softer feel. It would add movement and shine above a bed or on an expanse of white wall in a dining room, perhaps above a sideboard.
These white porcelain tea light holders glow when a candle is lit inside. The elegant black line drawings have the feel of etchings, and would work with a number of styles. Each is decorated with a butterfly or dragonfly on the inside or out. They'd look lovely in a row on the windowsill or a rustic wooden table outdoors.
Artist Ben Busko started selling decoupage inspired by his garden when he was only 8 years old. Today his New York–based company Ben’s Garden produces an array of decor items, including French crystal paperweights. While I’m not a fan of harboring extraneous items on my desk, my papers tend to fly away in summertime on the Cape when my windows are open, so I could actually use one of these.
Brush up on your lepidoptery and botany with this scientific tea towel that depicts 44 varieties of butterflies. Who said doing the dishes leads nowhere?
Get the butterfly vibe minus all those pesky colors with this burlap-like throw pillow, which features 3D white felt butterfly silhouettes. I picture it on a white slipcovered sofa in a beach house, decorated in shades of sand and beach grasses.
The circular butterfly pattern on this duvet by Plum & Bow reminds me of artist Damien Hirst's kaleidoscope works, which are made by placing thousands of different colored butterfly wings in geometric patterns. The good thing about this, though, is that it doesn't kill live creatures. I love the neutral palette, with just a touch of blush and pale blue.
Speaking of specimens, this wooden box houses a collection of butterflies from Asia and Europe, all handily labelled and dated. Taxidermy isn’t my thing, but I suppose I could stand a vintage shadow box of butterflies perched on a bookshelf.
Talk about statement lighting! This Nymph chandelier by Koket boasts butterfly filigrees handcrafted in gilded bronze. I'd hang in a grand foyer or, hey, even a ballroom if I had one — which I don't.
This is a print of a multimedia collage by Crayon Dreamer, an illustrator and designer in London who enjoys cutting and pasting. I like the combination of the carefully depicted butterfly surrounded by carefree lines of color, as well as the organic shapes of the cut paper stones and leaves at the bottom. I’d prop it on the shelf above my desk, along with a few other similarly playful pieces.
You can now find ceramicist Laura Zindel’s pencil drawings of specimens from the natural world silk-screened and printed as enamel transfers on pottery. She recently posted an image of a cluster of mugs, like this one, planted with succulents on her Instagram account. Great idea!
A real Blue Jay butterfly is encased in this 3-inch Lucite square. It seems cruel, though the company claims its butterflies are raised on butterfly farms that help to preserve the valuable rainforest habitat by providing villagers an income for work that doesn’t involve clearing virgin tropical rainforest. I’d put a few on a stack of design books on a coffee table. They seem very tactile and satisfying.
Melamine plates are a must for every family with kids, especially in summertime. This set of Metamorphosis dinner plates by Thomas Paul is ideal if you're not one to bow down to child-friendly colors. Each one depicts a different butterfly wing close up.
A parade of butterflies in every color, both printed and embroidered, are scattered across this pillow by fashion house Christian Lacroix. It would quickly brighten a spare white room or add even more cheer to a colorful kids’ space.
Imagery from John Derian’s collection of antique and vintage prints is reproduced onto handblown glass. I love the jadeite color of the butterfly on this tray. While this is more artwork than functional platter, I’d still serve cookies or maybe fresh veggies on it al fresco.
These sweet porcelain dessert bowls in trendy pastel hues by Lenox encourage you to eat up for the butterfly prize at the bottom.Next: 7 Native Wildflowers to Make You an Awesome Butterfly Host
Artist Lulu deKwiatkowski, otherwise knows as Lulu DK, has been creating textiles and wallpapers from her paintings for years, as well as a line of bedding for Matouk, and other homewares. She recently debuted new home products, including these pretty butterfly decals. I'd put them all over the wall in a girl's room, or even a whimsical guest room.
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