Not everything can be, should be, inexpensive. Sometimes you
just have to pop for the good stuff. I’m talking about pillows. Decorative
pillows. I can spot a cheap one a mile away. Sometimes a pillow can be $2000
and totally worth it. It’s the icing on the cake. I remember buying a blue
Fortuny pillow from an old friend in Santa Barbara, who I hate now, named Todd
Mossman. He made beautiful Fortuny and antique tapestry pillows. He also added
beautiful trim and tassels. I stupidly sold the pillow when I moved to Paris
for the first time. I still regret it all these years later. I still think
about that pillow. I lose sleep over that pillow. That’s the magic of pillows.
They are the crowning jewel of design. So, you can’t get all worked up about
spending a fortune on them. Just take a deep breath… And relinquish your credit
card.
One of the absolute best sources for one-of-a-kind decorative
pillows is Rebecca Vizard. She has mouthwatering, jaw-dropping, gasping for breath, I want to
shoot myself if I can’t have one…type of pillows. If these pillows don’t “go
with your house” you need to burn your house down and start over. As far as I’m
concerned, these pillows could go with most any style... Modern, Italian, French,
Spanish, New York uptown/downtown, traditional, bohemian, chalet, or beach
shack.
I always love a good back story and Mrs. Vizard’s does not
disappoint. Here, I’ll let her explain… “I suppose the interesting part of my
business is that I do all of this from a tiny town in North East Louisiana.
(Population 1104…no traffic light). I can't even buy thread here. I grew up in this little town and all I ever
wanted to do was live in the big city.
Married the greatest guy from New Orleans several years after I finished
in art at Newcomb College (Tulane) and thought I was set in the city.
Next thing you know my dad convinced my husband he needed
help with the family business, and we were sucked back home like Jeanie
vaporizing into her bottle. My bottom
lip shook for about a year. I threw myself into building a house on my
grandfather's property and next thing you know, friends from New Orleans were
asking me to help them decorate their houses.
I was delighted because I was in "Get the Hell out of Dodge"
mode.
Soon I discovered I was spending more time designing pillows
than the big stuff, like sofas and drapery, and was horrified by how much
pillows cost just made out of regular nice fabric….Started thinking that you
should be able to get something special for that amount of money. And the only
antique textile pillows I could find were too frou-frou (This was back in
'94). Made my first one for a client in
NYC….textiles from the flea market on 26th st….more people started wanting me
to do their ID work just because they wanted the pillows. In 1996 Neiman's ended up buying for 22 for their store….and then I was solidly in the pillow business.
The best part of the story and what I think has made it all
so fulfilling is that in this process of working in a very high end world….the
contrast between my work and where I live really started pulling on my heart
strings. While I live on a lovely oxbow
lake, this is one of the poorest areas in the US. The town is 8 miles from me
and you can't drink the water, it's brown:(
I started realizing that from my high end connections I could help
people here make a living. It has been working! Being able to make beautiful
things everyday and help people at the same time is extremely gratifying. Now I
feel like the luckiest person in the world living here in this dinky place
where I can piddle in my studio, take a trip here and there, help people, and
wash my hair in the lake every day!”- Rebecca Vizard
How cool is she? Okay, I’ll shut my pie hole now and let the pictures speak for themselves. By the way, don’t you hate that word “pie hole.” Such an ugly word. I told my husband that if he ever told me to “shut my pie hole” then I would smother him in his sleep. Anyway, let’s drool over these pillows for a little while…
Antique Raised Gold Metallic Embroidery
$1400.00
Antique Ottoman Empire Raised Silver Metallic Embroidery
$2675.00
Late 17th C. or Early 18th C. Flemish Tapestry
$1300.00
Antique Raised Pewter Metallic Embroidery
$1545.00
Antique Ecclesiastic Raised Embroidery
$1825.00
Five Antique Silver Metallic Star Appliques
$700.00
Carnavalet Fortuny in Lavender and Silver
$650.00
De Medici Fortuny
$700.00
De Medici Museum Texture
$400.00
Vintage Olimpia Fortuny
$745.00
Vivaldi Fortuny in Raspberry and Gold
$695.00
Fortuny Dog Leash
$195.00
17th C. Flemish Tapestry Fragment
$2465.00
18th C. Aubusson Tapestry Fragment
$1400.00
Voilà! See? Worth every dime. You can buy these and many
more on Mrs. Vizard’s website Here.
*Oh, are you wondering why I hate Todd Mossman? Todd Mossman
would accept invitations to every hoity-toity party in Santa Barbara, drink
their alcohol, eat their amuse-bouches, socialize with all of the women and
then the very next day, gossip about them. Or was that me who did that? No, I’m
pretty sure it was Todd.
A toute!
BViz is the bomb! And she's funny and fun as all get out! I've got two Fortuny dog collars for my Lab from her. They're amazing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lovely post. Ellie, you are MOST entertaining!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post about my fun, talented neighbor!
ReplyDeleteAmazing and elegant BViz pillows and kindness Rebecca ...............Thank you for all...
ReplyDeleteHOW DID I MISS THIS!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGORGEOUS.............GORGEOUS STORY TOO!
I will BUY THE BOOK!