What is Passementerie?
According to Wikipedia:
Passementerie or passementarie is the art of making elaborate trimmings or edgings (in French, passements) of applied braid, gold or silver cord, embroidery, colored silk, or beads for clothing or furnishings.
According to me:
It’s trims, braids, bullion fringe, beads, gimps, cords, moss fringe, beads and more. In addition, it’s the jewelry for the furniture, draperies and pillows. It’s the part of the design that takes the most thought and is the most complex to pull together. And, it’s our absolute favorite part of the project!
We especially love working with Houles, a family-run French company that makes the most exquisite trims and upholstery details. They also have a small selection of fabrics that you will soon see in one of our recently completed projects! While their traditional products are heavily detailed and historically accurate, their more contemporary lines are completely on point and on trend, with daring and unusual color combinations. It’s as if this company was made for Marks & Frantz! Through exposure to their various lines, we have learned to embrace this level of detail as never before. I’ve learned to think about the “jewelry” first, rather than last and I think this mindset has made me grow and expand as a designer.
Houles is collaborating with us for a dramatic and informative presentation for the upcoming D&D Building Spring Market.
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