Anne Morrow Lindbergh opens her lauded book Gift from the Sea with this astute observation: “The beach is not the place to work; to read, write or think. I should have remembered that from other years. Too warm, too damp, too soft for any real mental discipline or sharp flights of spirit.” The seaside is indeed a place to forget any form of industry, which is why thoughts of the ocean turn the mind dreamy and inspire the heart to long for a summer oasis as winter wears on. 

A Summer Oasis by Design

New releases by Jamie Beckwith in the past several seasons, including the Seychelles Chandelier and Mirror this winter, and the St. Barts Blue Pendant and Chandelier last fall, were inspired by her dreams of balmy skies. “The inspiration behind this collection was world travel and specifically warm, tropical climates,” Jamie explains. “With the limitations of travel by Covid, I wanted to explore different rustic materials and a mix of colors that would remind me of exotic locales that I couldn’t visit readily.”

With this collection, I began with sketches and an interest in raffia that you might see on thatched roofs or even in a Hawaiian hula skirt,” she added. “I tend to use materials that are authentic and more rustic in nature. I am drawn to coastal environments and these materials reflect my current design aesthetic.” Given the popularity of natural materials and fantasies of travels to exotic locales on the rise, our VP/Creative Director Cecil Adams tapped island vibes for one of his trends for 2022 with his St. Barts Style Story. 

The St. Barts Blue Chandelier is made of wood beads in a mix of white, mist blue, and denim blue hues that echo the colors of the sea. These hang from a double-tier wrought iron frame in a sugar white finish. The natural abaca rope on which the beads are strung is knotted and snipped by hand to leave elemental tassels that will flutter when stirred by a lively breeze. The beaded chandleier is one of several ocean-inspired designs by Beckwith; we also offer it as a pendant (shown below).

The Island Vibe is Alive and Well

We have a long list of products that bring an island vibe into any interior, creating a summer oasis on the spot. During the past several years, we’ve expanded our offerings in the natural materials that work so well along the coast and in the tropics. 

Clarence Mallari, who designed our Menorca Chandelier, says of its inspiration: “Watching football is always exciting, and I decided I wanted to create a chandelier in the shape of the ball. This makes the chandelier special because, just as you have to be a trained professional to throw the ball right, you have to be an artisan to wrap the abaca rope around the metal laser-cut frame in this odd open shape so that it’s seamless.” The contemporary silver leaf finish is a luminous touch.

With a skirt woven from Abacá rope, the Samoa Two-Tiered Chandelier will bring elemental style to a space. The wrought iron hardware in a gesso white finish brings the profile of this rope chandelier a light and airy feel. We also offer the Samoa in a pendant and a one-tiered chandelier.

Our Ibiza Chandelier is wrapped in Abacá rope to make this one of our fixtures that illustrates the skill of our talented artisans, as it takes dexterity and patience to cover a frame so seamlessly. The hardware on the nautical chandelier, in a dark contemporary gold leaf finish, echoes the warm tones in the rope.

The Wallis Wall Sconce is wrapped in rope in a variety of thicknesses to make the natural material covering the fixture feel elegantly sophisticated. The rope sconce, in our Bunny Williams Collection, proves how masterful the designer is at using elemental materials in surprising ways.

Clarence Mallari designed the Cape Verde Orb Chandelier: “With myriad books available at our Currey library, jewelry books are always a good resource for me. This round rattan chandelier was inspired by a glass bowl by Lalique. The orb chandelier took shape when I echoed the pattern etched along the glass with the natural material that was woven to create the shade. I feel this design has true harmony.” The hardware on the Cape Verde is in a mix of silver leaf and smoke wood finishes.

Painstakingly woven by artisans who use traditional techniques, the Antibes Grande Chandelier is a marriage of artistry and high-quality construction. Natural rattan forms the body of this geometric chandelier supported by a wrought iron frame in a khaki finish. The rattan chandelier is one of several fixtures in the Antibes family.

The Santos Chest has a split rattan pattern on the drawers and the top, which is made by hand and applied to a solid mahogany frame. Then a Sea Sand on Rattan finish is applied to the entire piece. A design detail of note is how the brass pulls sit squarely in the center of the outer circles created by the pattern. This tan chest has solid mahogany dovetail drawer boxes, soft close drawer slides, and adjustable glides.

Toes in Sand

For the lucky few who actually have their toes in the sand at the moment, we salute you for choosing to live on or making an escape to a coastline or island somewhere in the world! As Lindbergh wraps up her earliest thoughts in her book, she captures the indolence that we all crave from time to time so beautifully: “The books remain unread, the pencils break their points and the pads rest smooth and unblemished as the cloudless sky. No reading, no writing, no thoughts even—at least, not at first.”