New Velvet - 5 Tips for Adding a Little Plush to your Life

January 11, 2017

I am a collector. I've been accused of "almost being a hoarder". I'm pretty sure I've been this way my whole life. I'm also pretty sure this is just a physical manifestation of how my brain works, and in turn, how my creativity works.

I pick up little hints of colours, textures, shapes, etc and somehow they all come together to mean something more than the sum of their parts. The way my brain works means I will probably always have a cluttered house, but it also means that I have a knack for picking up on visual trends.

I started feeling some serious feels for velvet about a year ago, when I created this Pinterest board which has been haunting me ever since. Taunting me for not blogging about it, harassing me daily. Well, not any more!

I SEE YOU NEW VELVET...I SEE YOU.

When I first made this board I captioned it:

"Velvet suddenly feels modern again...who knew?" a sentiment I still stand behind.

Although notoriously hard to wear, and equally hard to care for (hands up for all the suckers out there who had to learn the hard way that you can't iron velvet...ie ME) I really love it for interiors. Also shoes, bc really everything is ok for shoes.

I'm currently working on a whole series of velvet cushions that will be coming out later this month. I feel like the traditional version of velvet would be for fall, but I think the modern way of looking at velvet is all about using it in non-traditional ways, so in my mind velvet for spring, in this context, makes perfect sense.

In the meantime, a few thoughts on incorporating velvet:

1) Play up that TEXTURE

Velvet is all about that lush soft texture, so let it shine! Picking a piece with tufting or pleating, a crinkled or washed finish helps drive home that texture even more.

2) Small budget? Not willing to commit? Pillows and throws are your friend

I think we all know this already, but pillows and throws are the quickest and easiest way to give you home a little trend update. Bonus? THIS TREND IS HIGHLY COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR FACE (ie nap friendly)

 3) To keep it modern, keep the lines clean

This new iteration of velvet is decidedly modern, part of which is achieved through clean lines in the furniture itself. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good velvet covered boho lounge, but if modern and minimal is your vibe, velvet can find a home with you now too.

4) Trying to decide on a colour? May we recommend GREEN

With the announcement that the Pantone colour of the year for 2017 is "Greenery" we're going to be seeing a lot of pretty much every shade of green this year. And why not?! Green is an amazing colour...PERSONAL FAVE SINCE 1986! Velvet is a great place to try out this trend. Green velvet looks pretty amazing in general but also...really fantastic with all that brass and rose gold we've all been collecting over the last 2yrs.

5) Ride the plush train all the way to dreamland

Velvet headboard...either get out your staple gun and DIY that shit or drop some coin and give yourself the gift of a grown up princess bed. FYI princesses can totally be modern too (see above).

- Angie Johnson is the designer behind Norwegian Wood and currently lives just north of San Francisco in Marin County

Follow our "New Velvet" board on Pinterest for ideas about how to add a little plush velvet to your home:

https://www.pinterest.com/norwegianwood/new-velvet/ 

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