Ethnic Style Gets a Revamp

If ethnicities were a real affliction, I'm guilty as charged. Give me an ikat or a suzani textile any day, and I'll die a happy woman. (P.S. Ebay is a great source to score these on the cheap.)

Nevertheless, I always love a new version and the New York International Gift Fair came through with lots of great finds.

Case in point: Moroccan Prestige's poufs done up in vintage French '70s fabrics. (Yes, please!) You've probably seen the colorful leather and metallic versions (I'm partial to the lavender at the moment). But the trippy fabrics are bright, happy and also outdoor friendly.

Wouldn't a couple of these be cute poolside?

I found lots of fresh takes on global style at the fair. More great finds below.










Culturally Chic has been restoring historically accurate Hungarian textiles for a while. But now they've got a new hit on their hands with these revitalized fabrics (like the pillows above) that stay true to the region but are in super-fun colors. The red-and-white Dancing Women print is a crisp take on a folksy favorite; the Bogacs fabric (shown below) in purple-pink-and-orange takes a traditional textile to psychedelic proportions.
Working in reverse, African artisans used fishing wire to come up with these beauties based on modern chair silhouettes. The results are decidedly sophisticated and the color options are endless. Not feeling the brights? All black is another way to go for these outdoor pieces.

Read more on the gift show.