Knot Again! Macrame Is Back

If you were a kid in the '70s, you probably remember your mother — or youself? — going through an intense macrame phase, with houseplants dangling from knotted rope plant hangers throughout the house. While the look of a macrame vest or owl screams Brady Bunch, clever designers are seeing past all that, realizing the interesting textures and shapes the craft can bring to a space.

Here are 10 fresh ways to use macrame without making your home look like a Partridge Family set.

Vintage 1975 Macrame Instruction Book Mad About Macrame - $9.99 » Not this: The macrame of the '70s was all about excess; people taking classes couldn't seem to stop themselves and often wound up with corners of their homes chock full of macrame planters.

This is not the macrame we're talking about today.


Seek out contemporary artists who are rediscovering this craft. Australian artist Pippa Taylor of ouch flower made her first macrame hanger during high school in the '80s, and years later revisited the craft after spying a macrame hanging in a shop.


Starting off with a simple plant hanger, she soon began to create her own designs based on vintage magazines like the one in the first photo. She also adds unexpected colors, another fresh approach to macrame.

"My approach to macrame is to use pure cotton cord, which I hand dye, in a range of colors," Taylor explains. "I enjoy using the dip-dye technique for a contemporary look."


Wall Art PackA Screen Printed Wall Hanging with a by ouchflower - $141.10 » Taylor collaborated with Kylie Hunt of Paravent Design, adding fringe to Hunt's atomic age-inspired screen-printed linen panel.

As for the tassel to the left? "My tassels came about from a need to do something with the left over twine from macrame making; I always like to upcycle the materials I use," Taylor says. "So one day I made a tassel and that has become a popular product in my shop!" The tassels stand out alone and also make smashing garlands when grouped together.


Opt for black plant hangers. The black cord in another piece by Taylor coordinates with the neutral palette of this midcentury backyard cottage.


Go large scale. Fibers artist Sally England specializes in large-scale modern macrame. Here she used thick cotton cords and large beads to craft this 7-foot-long piece for a Hawaiian home.


England's large wall hanging stands up to the scale of a large sectional sofa in the Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon.


Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones used macrame on a planter in her bohemian Brooklyn apartment, where her collections include lots of interesting textiles, Southwestern objects and even a God's eye.

See the rest of this apartment


Hanging Candle Holder, Hanging Vase Holder by Leslie Palafox - $10.00 » If you're more of a minimalist, use restraint. Today's fresh take on macrame includes more streamlined and simple plant hangers. A glass bowl further updates the more minimalist look of these planters.


Mix macrame with refined rooms. In this Nashville home, the natural-colored cords play off other similar textures in the home ...


... while adding one funky touch to the elegant dining room.


Look for hipster inspiration. The funky interiors of The Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs, California, designed by Commune in 2009, were a key player in bringing back the trend. The large-scale rope installation in the lobby windows harkens back to swinging '70s style in a fresh way.


Assorted Macrame Pot Hangings » Update your color. Today's plant hangers come in many unexpected and playful colors, including bubble gum pink.


Use classic macrame as an honored throwback to the era. This vintage piece plays off the jute rug in this laid-back California bedroom.


Jamie Young Macrame Jute Chandelier - $565.00 » Look for macrame-inspired products from contemporary designers. This fixture from Jamie Young is crafted of jute in a stunning macrame-inspired pattern.


Cappellini Knotted Chair By Marcel Wanders - $3,890.00 » A knotted chair by Marcel Wanders is functional art and will be the stunning conversation piece in any furniture layout, and is becoming a contemporary icon.

Yay or nay? Are you ready to bring back the macrame or do you fear letting in one piece means your home will soon be overtaken by hanging spider plants? Let us know in the Comments section, and if you have some macrame going on at home, please share a picture.

URL: Knot Again! Macrame Is Back http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-20570.html