Friday Favorites 8/10/2012

Kaitlin Madden, Managing Editor
On Wednesday, Marimekko opened its newest company-owned store on Boston’s Newbury Street. I had a chance to check out the boutique during its grand opening festivities, and it’s as bright and lively as you’d imagine, both outside and in. The store carries the full line of Marimekko products, from clothing and handbags, to textiles and home decor. Looking for something to do this weekend? The company is hosting a number of in-store events and discussions over the next few days to celebrate its new digs, including a talk with textile and design history researcher Susan Ward on Sunday.

Photos by Kaitlin Madden

Stacy Kunstel, Homes Editor
Tiny, independent boutiques are always my favorites as they have so much personality and such a eclectic mix of product. Shake the Tree on Hanover Street in Boston’s North End sells the perfect mix of jewelry, housewares and gifts, many of them from small or fair trade companies. These colorful cake stands can be used for more than desert. I’d fill them with M&Ms, use them as plant stands or to hold necklaces on my dressing table. Of course they’d be the perfect setting for a coconut-flocked cake!

Photo by Stacy Kunstel

Jared Ainscough, Assistant Art Director
My tastes are–admittedly–grandmotherly in nature. It’s my cross to
bear. A little bit of nostalgia mixed with some down-home
country culture. I think that my taste also largely reflects my
tendency to like the unlikable. A great example of this is my
grandmother’s collection of braided and hooked rugs that my family
attempted to dispose of after she passed away. To my wife’s chagrin, I claimed the collection as my own and developed a fascination with hand-made rugs. Hooked rugs in particular are beautiful things, hand-hooked in every pattern imaginable.
I recently saw a great collection of hooked rugs at Company C in
Concord, N.H., and it reignited my reasons for liking them in the first place. Company C uses traditional floral patterns, but modernizes them with
bright, exciting color palettes and graphic patterns. You really need
to see these rugs in person to appreciate their texture and feel. They
are something even people with “normal” tastes can appreciate.

Photos courtesy of Company C

For more interesting odds, ends and inspiration, check out:

Color Commentary: Editors’ Picks for Bright Furniture

A Return to Glamour: Glamorous Accents for your Home

Something Old: Best Distressed Finds