dried lotus, silk embellishments & hand forged nails

There are myriad reasons why I find a special of joy in living and working in Battambang, a city known for its creativity, musicians, artists and craftsmen. Here are some examples:

Dried Lotus:

Everyday we go to the market and buy a bunch of closed lotus flowers. We then fold the pedals back to reveal the flower, and when they die we just let them dry and  hang them in our Boutique. Their colours become a subdued ashes to rose hue.  We’re  slowly instructing our staff to appreciate the exquisite beauty of natural transition.

Silk Embellishment:

For many years Passementeries (R) has been making similar embellishments, from hi-grade mercerised cotton, available in hundreds of colours. These are then attached to the sides of tassels, or spaced along  bullion fringe. I’m excited by this development, and seeking a quality Khmer or Thai silk suppler, instead of relying on Chinese imports. This is the first embellishment made from silk threads.

Hand Forged Nails:

I commissioned these artisanal nails, the originals fossicked a few years back at a small northern Vietnamese market along the Sino border.  They were reminiscent of Medieval European studs, and my Sydney designer clients almost immediately bought out my original supply.  Depleted, but we wanted to decoratively hang paintings in our new home in Battambang.  We worked with our local black smith to recreate these nails. Now we have a large supply, and in three lengths. Custom sizes are also available.