Category: Home Décor

Luxury Upholstery: Aiveen Daly

Aiveen Daly is a luxury upholstery specialist who, along with her team of highly skilled artisans at her London studio, create some of the finest upholstery work I have ever seen. Her intricate couture level work features hand-beading, stitching, and fabric manipulation techniques using the finest fabrics and leathers for which she has become known.

Aiveen’s exquisite embellishment and expert tailoring of home goods over the last ten years have made her the most in-demand luxury upholstery specialist in the UK. A global clientele allows her to practice her craft at the highest levels. The studio is constantly innovating to create beautiful bespoke furnishings and interior surfaces and regularly collaborates with the world’s top interior designers and architects.

Her work has shown here on this site in multiple projects we have featured on London designers. We have received loads of questions and feedback. In response, we decided to focus today’s design inspiration solely on the luxury upholstery of Aiveen Daly.

LUXURY UPHOLSTERY DESIGN INSPIRATION

Inspired by the world of fashion’s haute couture, Aiveen’s hand-upholstered pieces combine meticulous attention to detail and flawless execution applying many of the rules of couturiers. Her artisan team creates everything in the studio and completes each work with acute precision using specialist instruments to position buttons, fabrics, and beads one-tenth of a millimeter in place. The quality is of the highest unquestionable caliber. This precise detail is what sets the work of Aiveen Daly apart from the mass-produced goods on offer today.

Let’s take a look at some of her items!

The Flourish chair is a majestic high backed chair with pearl & bronze floral beadwork applied by hand. The design takes inspiration from the exquisite Lesage embroidery of the 1940’s. It’s here with black gloss legs though other finishes are available. Aiveen works with clients to create bespoke luxury upholstery commissions, all produced in a range of color palettes.

The Paradise chair takes inspiration from the vibrantly embroidered creations of Gucci’s design director, Alessandro Michele. Striking emerald green Tabularasa by Dedar and a pleated gloss satin upholster the chair. The contrasting fabrics are stitched on the bias, and the gliding bird is beaded and embroidered entirely by hand with tiny bronze, black and gold beads, and gold thread. It is shown here with lacquered black gloss legs with bespoke brass sabots. Many other finishes are available on request. The chair requires seven specialist craftspeople four months to finish by hand.

The Swathe Stiletto chair is shown first in a formal dining room completed by London luxury developer Oliver Burns. The feminine silhouette is swathed in suede or satin meticulously upholstered by hand with skinny tapered legs. It is shown here with a Spina pearl and crystal tassel. The chair was also used by luxury design firm Elicyon in the dining room with additional hand-beading and embroidery applied. You can see it featured in Glamorous Luxury Design here.

The Concertina bench is upholstered in smooth Dedar Tabularasa 100% cotton satin and Italian lambskin leather. The leather is twisted and woven to create wonderful concertina folds. The Bolsters are decorated with hand stitched leather tabs and nestled into the upholstery. They rest perfectly on the carved dark oak satin-stained plinths. Custom sizes and finishes as always are available.

Inspired by the iconic Chanel handbag, the Ice Diamond Bench comprises over 250 symmetrical and meticulously placed hand-quilted diamonds in the softest leathers. The process requires time and absolute precision. Here it stands on gray gloss legs but comes in a variety of finishes for the legs and fabric or leathers for the luxury upholstery.

The Electra Chair functions as a dressing or dining chair. It shows here in silver satin with weighty metal belt detail across the back. The belt comes in silver or gold metal finish. I think it would be fabulous in suede or a supple leather. Do you love these details? I would love many items in my house complete with such thought. Aiveen also does upholstered doors, wall panels, headboards, and full canopy beds.

The art deco-inspired Liberty Stiletto chair includes hand-embroidered crystal and metallic beads on meticulously pleated satin. Bejeweled glamor is everything!

Here we have the hand sculpted and fluted Olympus chair in a dark pink satin with pleated details and a silver metal knot design. Also available in gold metal finish.

The Agave Stiletto chair’s design is painstakingly beaded by hand with antique bronze, silver, and pearlescent beads. It is meticulously upholstered in cream cotton satin on glossy black legs.

The Chevron chair, inspired by the work of Azzedine Alaia, is a stunning dressing or dining chair shown in deep blue metallic vinyl with precision cut and stitched seams upholstered by hand.

“Every day I am inspired by couture, jewel settings, and other haute crafts which become so personal to their owner. I have tried to relay that with upholstery at the centerpiece as it has a very tactile and aesthetic quality. I hope the craftsmanship in each piece will sing out to match the technical ingenuity and conjure up a genuine sense of delight.” Aiveen Daly

Aiveen sees her work as the couture of the upholstery design industry, and she uses many of the same suppliers as the fashion houses. For that reason, her work tends to follow fashion trends more than interior decorating ones. Her pieces have increasingly come to be viewed as art.

The business is not without its challenges. Because everything is unique, it’s tough to plan a timetable because you just don’t know how long things will take. Often, the studio has to have several attempts at something before it is perfect. Aiveen admits that this can be incredibly frustrating but the reactions of her clients when they see the result is worth it.

For the most part, Aiveen works with interior designers on behalf of high net-worth individuals rather than the clients themselves. One of the things asked for most is dining chairs. The dining room is one of the most important rooms in the house for many of her clients. Glamourous entertaining is essential. Statement dining chairs are extremely popular.

I’ll wrap up this post with a collection of Aiveen Daly’s very popular couture cushions.

Dip-dyed feather cushion, Feather golden-tip cushion, Speckled flower feather cushion, and Feather flower pink cushion.

Various takes on her Empress cushion.

Crystal drop cushion, Silver bow cushion, Embroidered chevron cushion, and Silver belt cushion.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

I have such huge respect and admiration for the talented craftspeople who uphold the standards of quality in hand-created goods. It is so important that we support them and keep these traditional methods alive and relevant in these fast times. We must celebrate creative artistry. We cannot allow traditional forms of craftsmanship to fade away.

AIVEEN DALY’S LUXURY UPHOLSTERY

On her website, Aiveen also has a small collection of some of her most popular cushion designs available immediately, including some shown here. You definitely want to check it out!

Aiveen Daly

Photos and info via, courtesy of, and with special thanks to Aiveen Daly.

Thank you so much for reading along with me. Let me hear from you in the comments! What did you all think of today’s Luxury Upholstery by Aiveen Daly?

Have a great day my friend!

October 15, 2016
Chandeliers: Traditional Glamour

For our design inspiration today, we are taking a look at glamorous traditional style chandeliers. Nothing else can so effectively create an air of specialness within a room like the right chandelier. Since its conception several centuries ago, the chandelier has been associated with royalty, luxury, and grandeur. Modern times and flat designs have dulled the sparkle on some, but we’re not focusing on those here today. I’ve put together a collection of sparkling lights, both new and very antique, from quite large to petite. All of them give any room grand appeal.

No longer are these statement-making works of art resigned to ballrooms and formal living and dining rooms. They are for every room, including the kitchen and even your closet. There is an endless selection of styles, colors, and quality to choose from, and I am not trying to show everything here. This is a collection of some of my personal preferences, which except for a few exclusions, tend to stay clear. This collection will inspire you. If you happen to decide to invest in one of these, then I am happy that I facilitated your gift of luxury to yourself. I’ve tried to select many that are available on the market as of when I post this. Let’s take a look!

CHANDELIER DESIGN INSPIRATION

First off, we have Baccarat’s Solstice 36-light chandelier. The Solstice collection builds on Baccarat’s iconic lighting design crafted in the classical tradition. This line incorporates downward-curving branches. The innovative silhouette has a vaguely plant-like shape, evocative of a weeping willow. The bell-caps at the ends of the branches imbue a graceful weightlessness. Each chandelier is composed of hollow branches in blown cabled crystal and curved scrolls, resplendently showcasing Baccarat’s masterful craftsmanship. The decoration is all cut in a diamond-point design. Among the spiked prisms, Baccarat signature’s red octagonal crystal hangs discreetly. This one is perfect for any grand space and is 74” H and 50” W.

Next, we have tradition with a bit of attitude in Baccarat’s Zenith Noir 24. The traditional Zenith collection was modernized by Philippe Starck who used smoky, black crystal to reinterpret the classic style. Maintaining the chandelier’s original structure and ornamentation, Starck added black shades lined with aluminum reflectors to magnify the effect of light on the black crystal. Baccarat’s signature red octagonal crystal links to a spiked prism, specially designed by Stark. The ‘anti-chandelier’ par excellence. Black crystal is the exact antithesis of the translucence of clear crystal. Black imbues this classic shape with great power, revealing its sculptural dimension in a whole new way. The chandelier is a truly decorative object, a dazzling sculpture. Handcrafted full-lead onyx crystal made in France. It measures 43” H and 42” W for the “short” model.

Be sure to see my post: Glamorous Luxury Design: Elicyon to see this entire exquisite luxury residence in London.

Baccarat Hotel Residences Petite Salon, New York.

Baccarat’s Zenith Comete 24 chandelier unites Baccarat’s storied past with the present-day thrill of technology. The Zenith Comete is a high-tech version of the legendary Zenith model originally designed during the 19th century in a resplendent, shimmering form. The new 24-light Comete chandelier, like the earlier incarnation, drapes with exquisite geometrically cut clear crystal. Its source of luminosity is updated with state-of-the-art LED lighting. The glow of the chandelier is poetically radiant and vibrantly bright. From traditional incandescence to contemporary technologically advanced lighting power, the magnetism of this galaxy of light remains mesmerizing and stellar. It measures 55” H and 42” W.

Morpheus London

Next, we have another grand scale design in the Waterford Ardmore 24-Arm Chandelier with Crystal Shades. This multi-tiered chandelier features Waterford’s Ardmore crystal pattern. It has an incredible amount of extensively cut and polished crystal cups, spheres, bowls, strands, shades, drops and buttons, which create a brilliant diffusion of light and color. I love the crystal shades. This is a classic statement piece for sure. It measures 69″ H and 47″ W.

Steve Leung Designers Ltd

The beautiful multi-tiered Waterford Crystal Cranmore 18-Arm Chandelier features Waterford’s Cranmore crystal pattern. Impressive and elegant, this model is smaller and more simple than the previous one but no less stately. It measures 49″ H and 31″ W.

Chiara Provasi

So, the ones we looked at so far are new and obtainable from authorized Baccarat and Waterford dealers. If you like the glamour of old-world designs, you can’t go wrong with an antique chandelier. They are sometimes so extraordinary and exquisite in detail. Just knowing the amount of time and skill that went into each piece makes them all the more special. I love the shimmer and sparkle of crystal and gold. My natural inclinations are towards 18th and 19th-century French pieces. No one knew how to put on a show like the French Monarchs and their circle of that time who defined the fashions and set the standards for royal grandeur across Europe.

Be sure to see my post: French Chateau in Texas, to see this beautiful estate by Houston-based interior designer Kara Childress.

Here we have a very large Louis XV-style gilt-bronze and Baccarat chandelier from Paris, circa 1870-1880. Most recently it resided in the grand foyer of the “Spelling Manor” in Los Angeles. It is described as a “Very Fine and Palatial French 19th Century Louis XV Style Figural Gilt-Bronze and Baccarat Crystal Forty-Eight Light Chandelier. The finely chased gilt-bronze frame with scrolls, flower and foliage designs and with mask figures of Putti, surmounted with cut-glass prisms, pendants, and obelisks interlaced with diamond-shaped crystal swags. The upper wax-holders stamped Baccarat.” Fabulous! It measures 83” H and 60” W available through Jans & Company Inc. in Los Angeles. 1st dibs.

A Louis XVI-style gilt bronze and cut-glass thirty-two-light chandelier by La Compagnie des Cristalleries De Baccarat, circa 1890. This fine chandelier has a gilt bronze frame with a tiered stem and circular band issuing scrolling candle arms with glass drip trays. The finest cut-crystal drop-pendants and beads hang all over and the body, terminating in a ball finial. Stamped ‘Baccarat’ on the thread of the finial. The design for this fine chandelier draws comparison to the chandelier listed as ‘Serie E.452’ illustrated in Baccarat’s ‘Tarif des Articles d’Eclairage’, published at the beginning of the twentieth century. It measures approximately 49″H and 37″ W available from Adrian Alan Fine Art & Antiques in London. 1st dibs.

Next, we have a superb late 19th-century antique “French Louis XVI-style, gilt bronze, and cut crystal, triple tier, multi-arm chandelier of exquisite craftsmanship embellished with cut crystal chains and prisms.” It measures approximately 33” H and 34.5” W available from D&D Antiques Gallery in New York. 1st dibs.

You don’t have to have loads of crystals to achieve glamour. The beauty is in the details of this “antique French 19th century, very finely chased gilt bronze (ormolu), thirty-five-light figural gasolier with allegorical figures of ebonized putti’s playing musical instruments. All original mercury gilt in excellent condition.” (Electrified), Paris, circa 1870. It measures 65” H and 52” W available from Jans & Company Inc. 1st dibs.

A “magnificent and palatial late 19th -early 20th-century gilt bronze, fifteen-light chandelier. After the famous 18th century model by Jacques Caffiéri. This wonderful chandelier centers on a baluster shaped open stem surmounted by scrolling foliage above three Putto, holding a bird, a bow, and arrow and blowing a horn. Below are three further Putto, holding a turret and flower wreath, flanked on all sides by scrolling foliage. Nine foliate branches each hold a conforming nozzle. The pierced base houses three doves. Fifteen-tiered perimeter lights complete this beauty. The original hangs in Château d’Anet, a former French royal residence that now serves as the Biblotèque Mazarine. It measures 52” H and 42” W and available from Charles Cheriff Galleries in New York. 1st dibs.

Traditional Style Glamourous Chandeliers

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend. I hope you enjoyed the traditional glamour of these fine chandeliers.

What do you think? Are you inspired to add some sparkle to your rooms?

Baccarat–

Waterford–

1st dibs Chandeliers–

Thank you so much for reading along with me today. Let me hear from you in the comments.

Have a wonderful day!

July 9, 2016
Koket- Luxury For The Home

For today’s design inspiration we are featuring one of my favored sexy, exotic, luxury home brands… Koket. Launched in 2010, under the creative direction of interior designer Janet Morais, the brand offers up a highly edited collection of head turning and attention commanding statement pieces for the home. The collection includes dramatic case goods, luscious upholstery, exquisite lighting, and decadent furs- all manufactured by master artisans and jewelers who leave no detail or element forgotten.

These photos are from various campaigns and feature a selection of some of the delights obtainable from Koket. All pieces are hand made with a variety of techniques which allows for changes and customization in texture, colors, and dimensions to suit your decor needs, and are available worldwide through a select network of interior designers and luxury home retail stores.

The photo above features the Orchidea Console, whose sensuous curves and subtle gold gilt make it an irresistible choice. It has an oval top in ebony veneer, structured in high gloss black lacquer with two drawers lined in black velvet and adorned with cast bronze orchid handles, supported by a polished brass base. The mirror shown is the Guilt Mirror composed of sculptured gold tones of hammered and textured brass surrounding a perfectly cut convex mirror. Also shown is the Mandy Stool, inspired by a cuff bracelet, with a twisted high-gloss brass base, and upholstered seat.

In this photo we have the flirty Colette Sofa, which is a fully upholstered tight back sofa with an elegant lacquered band leading to sleek feet. A pair of Tresor Stools are also shown which are upholstered in luscious velvet, with a polished cast brass base. The pair of Chloe Sconces shown are wall mounted lights within an evocative ribbon of gilded bronze with leaf detailing. The rug is the Black Cobra Rug, which is a cowhide rug with an embossed bovine leather cobra print border.

Here we have my personal favorite, the Burlesque Console, whose contemporary design is inspired by the dazzling world of French Cabaret in its day. The base of loops and spins is polished brass, with the top covered in embossed- exotic cobra, low pile velvet, with a crystal pull on each of the 4 drawers. Also shown are a pair of Passion Sconce- lighting inspired by nature and glowing from within- made of cast bronze with exquisite leaf detailing.

In this photo we have the Obssedia Console, whose gold plated aluminium base- topped with smoked, bronze glass- is a work of contemporary design art. The Addicta Mirror- inspired by the richness of traditional design Venetian mirrors- makes for an opulent statement. The pair of Flora Sconce are tantalizing polished brass, intricately sculpted light fixtures.

The two tone gold metal ribbon base of the Intuition Dining Table symbolizes the unexpected swirls of emotions and desires, and is complete with a beveled smoked glass top. The Chandra Dining Chairs consist of polished brass bands delicately binding the sculpted fluidity of the tight back upholstery. Suspended above is the Eternity Chandelier, whose elegant silhouette takes its brilliance from the skillful application of the crystal. The eternal circles are individually wrapped in brass and placed with astonishing attention to detail resulting in an extraordinary source of light.

The lustrous curves of the Nessa Chair are designed to complement those of the modern day woman. Here it is upholstered in sultry satin with detailed stitching trailing along the edges down to the wooden legs which have been elegantly finished in gold leaf. The Kiki Side Table is another piece inspired by the romantic and seductive beauty of Parisian cabaret life. It’s polished brass hoops have delicate iris floral as tips supporting a bronze glass top embraced by a polished brass frame.

Luxury Home Furnishings by Koket

All of these items would make excellent additions to the glamorous interiors in your home.

For more info be sure to visit Koket

I hope you enjoyed the collection, my friend! Be inspired!

Thank you so much for reading along with me.

September 6, 2015