One of the best keepsakes to bring back from faraway travels is a textile. (Or, of course, you can source them from your favorite local designers; more wooly Scottish tartans and Chinese damasks for us.) Not only does a textile fold up nicely to fit inside your suitcase for the return trip home, it tells the story of another time and place. And it’s just the start of something: How you choose to show it off (or squirrel it away) in your home is entirely up to you. But in case you find the prospect overwhelming or the thought of committing terrifying—if I make it a pillow it can never again be used as a throw for the sofa!—we rounded up some designer-approved ideas to help a textile lover out. Here are six ways that textile designers and textile-loving designers like to show them off (none of which involve pillows, because you already know you can do that).
Framed
“I love the way framing really showcases the handwork of a textile,” says St. Frank designer Christina Bryant, who built an entire business around selling framed textiles. She prefers an acrylic box frame “because it shows off the three-dimensionality and texture of the piece” and “lends itself to sharing the history behind the piece—whether the craft method and motif or your personal connection to it.” I.e., you’ll be more inclined to tell your friends about it.
Turned into a headboard
Designer Frances Merrill, of Reath Design, turned this African textile into a headboard by backing and upholstering it with light padding so that it would be comfortable to lean on. The project was completed for client’s house in the Windsor Square area of L.A.