Jute Is Law

Every year I make a point of going to at least one or two of the trade shows that fill the colossal, imposing glass building of the Javits Center. Oftentimes I am scouting out something specific for one of my projects, be it an intricately detailed Moroccan chandelier for a new vacation home in Hawaii, the perfect set of vibrant turquoise flatware for a house on the beach in the Bahamas, or a vast, rustic dining table made from an enormous slab of oak for a lodge in Idaho. I frequently encounter interesting pieces that become focal points of the room.At this year’s NY NOW trade show, I was on the hunt for organic designs made from natural materials for my latest project in Hawaii. While scouring the seemingly endless aisles at this year’s gift show, I stumbled upon booths brimming with customizable books bound in every color and pattern imaginable, acrylic drink-ware that is almost unbreakable, and yet looks as delicate as your finest crystal wine glasses, and a plethora of pillows, some in traditional styles, some covered in feathers, and even some embroidered with quirky epigrams.

As I weaved through the burgeoning crowd of designers, store owners and other trade professionals, I began to notice a trend among many of the vendors. Scattered amongst the Edison bulbs, industrial chandeliers and gold- and silver-accented furniture and accessories that have become ubiquitous at trade shows in recent years was a remarkable array of traditional and contemporary designs all made from natural materials such as teak, sea grass, raffia and jute, a tenacious vegetable fiber that is woven to create strong threads resembling rope—just the right look and style I needed for my new project.

I first noticed this theme, which I am henceforth designating “vacation organic,” in the considerably spacious Roost booth shortly after entering the show. A pair of woven pendant lights strung from thick, coarse rope immediately caught my eye. As I continued through I noticed African-inspired raffia baskets, Acapulco chairs in rustic, faded reds and blues, rattan loungers and a spectacular chair reminiscent of Harry Bertoia’s diamond lounge chair and George Nelson’s Coconut chair, intricately woven from soft, thin rope to create a solid yet hammock-like seat. The deeper into the maze of aisles I ventured, the more I noticed these natural, refined yet rustic pieces in every form, from the woven chairs and lanterns to the lamps from Continental Home, whose bases were formed from spiraling fragments of teak that have been bleached to give them the appearance of a piece of driftwood washed up on the beach after a stormy night, then bleached from the brilliant rays of harsh morning sunlight. There were impressive, 4- and 5-foot-tall, free-standing lanterns encased in a crocheted weave of rope that radiated a warm, ambient glow—the perfect accessory to a Caribbean outdoor dining room.

Among some of the best designs executed in these organic, or at the very least organic-inspired materials, was a chair with a matching ottoman and bench from the vendor Jo-Liza. Composed entirely of sinuous lines created by the frame, the body of these pieces is ingeniously constructed solely from the interwoven rope. The jute winds around the frame, resulting in the ever-so-slightly undulating back and seat of the chair, making this piece not only pleasing to the eye, but amazingly comfortable too, which is not often the case with contemporary “statement furniture” such as this.

This new trend seemed to permeate not only the world of furniture and lighting, but accessories and tableware as well. Nestled amid booths filled with formidable pewter chargers, dazzling cut glass decanters, formal porcelain china and elaborately chased silver serving pieces were displays awash with raffia bowls and woven sea grass placemats with accents of electrifying chartreuse and brilliant blue in geometric patterns that hark back to African tribal baskets but with a contemporary twist. I find they would fit the need for our finger food and informal snacks that accompany outdoor entertainment, whether in the mountains of Montana, the beach houses of the Bahamas or right here in our own East End backyard barbecues. After all, what goes better with comfort food than comfy, easy to use, easy to store basketry in bright, splashy kaleidoscopic colors?

As I meandered through these organic creations, I was reminded of one of my own custom lighting designs, which was created in collaboration with and inspiration from lighting designer Mark Figueredo of East Hampton. We created a unique, custom dining room chandelier constructed of man-made “beehives” of coiled and braided straw. The chandelier, which would look right at home in a luxurious log cabin or giving an eclectic look to a traditional dining room, consisted of five conical coiled straw pendant lights tied with rope to a central, rustic wood pole.

Because I was specifically seeking out natural, organic designs at the show, I was pleased to find such an abundance of this kind of merchandise displayed in so many of the booths. The conservationist in me would rather think that this new trend might have a more permanent effect as natural materials become integrated in the interior design world.