Good things always come out of Brooklyn and this is one of them. Meet Coral & Tusk. I first became aware when I received these gorgeous fabric samples at our studio. The textures and detail caught my eye as well as the color palettes.
I have always loved embroidery. Anything with texture basically. Back in the day I was a needle pointer and made my fair share of pillows. I remember spending hours and hours working on them. I am always drawn to textiles with embroidered details. It was a John Derian's Instagram post that I discovered Coral & Tusk's embroidered cards and thought how special would those be as thank-you notes. I love them.
So I took a little time this morning to read a bit more about founder Stephanie Housley and her amazing art.
So I took a little time this morning to read a bit more about founder Stephanie Housley and her amazing art.
Pillows, linens, dolls, cards, napkins all intricately detailed with whimsical designs. I can relate to the endless hours hand-embroidering and feeling like it would take forever to finish so back in 2007 and after a ton of research she found a machine to do it for her and founded her company.
Her unique process translates her hand-drawn illustrations into tactile embroidered textiles with heirloom quality.
Her extensive line of pillows, fabric, table and gift items began with a single embroidery machine in her Brooklyn apartment. Turning a passion into a global business recognized by the best, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart, Vogue and The World of Interiors.
After nearly two decades in New York, she now lives and works in Bondurant, Wyoming. Surrounded by nature as inspiration. With creative offices still in NY, they have opened Coral & Tusk West where their goods are housed and shipped.
A little more about Stephanie from her site . . .
"Drawing is my passion. Embroidering these drawings makes them come to life."
Born and raised in the Ohio Valley, Stephanie comes from a long line of Appalachian women who could make something from nothing. Her great-grandmother made lace while her grandmother made dolls, each instilling Stephanie with a deep appreciation for self-expression through craft.
Stephanie’s natural creative aptitude paired with her intense drive and focus, led her to study textile design at RISD as the first in her family to attend college. After graduating, Stephanie relocated to New York City, pursuing a career as a wovens textile designer. She worked for mills both domestically and abroad, designing for top interior fabric manufacturers. With fifteen years of industry experience under her belt, Stephanie began Coral & Tusk. Her creative process is a special alchemy of storytelling, illustration, and machine embroidery.
At the outset of designing a new Coral & Tusk collection, Stephanie looks to the natural world for inspiration. Growing up, she spent most of her time exploring outdoors, in creeks and forests near her childhood home, and on family trips to the Eastern seaboard. Wyoming became a favorite destination of Stephanie’s, visiting first as a child, and then in recent years with her husband Chris Lacinak. The two felt a strong connection to the landscape and way of life found out West. In 2016 they moved from Brooklyn to Bondurant, WY with their dog Paco.
Stephanie’s genuine love for animals is apparent to anyone who spends time with her. At her home in Wyoming, you may find her on the porch, stopping to appreciate the sight of a passing deer or on a rarer occasion, quietly observing a perched owl. On her daily hikes, she rattles off the names of wildflowers or points to the exact spot she saw a sandhill crane or small fox just days before, casually mentioning an unknown fact about the animal’s habitat and range.
I pulled a few of my favorites from her site, take a look at the detail !
all picture from their site and a great interview with One Kings Lane . . . here
