Working With Designers

Sanctuary Interior Design Build

I work with numerous designers through the The Loaded Trunk and often get to see the results of their projects. Blankets are re-imagined and re-upholstered into dining chairs. Intricately detailed, vintage skirt bottoms are turned into pillows. Everyday textiles become great pieces of art. Everything is flexible and interchangeable with a designer's vision.

Millar Key West took a bunch of our frazadas and covered dining room chairs for one of their clients. Each chair was slightly different and together, they created a stunning and colorful visual. You can see the chairs in the dining room above. 

Mud cloth is another textile that I often see covering furniture. Geometrics are still trending hot in all areas of design from interiors to fashion to textiles. Mud cloth, especially, is so versatile. While its pattern is detailed and exciting, the neutral, black and cream coloring make it an easy addition to home decor. Below are examples that I've found on Pinterest and various designer blogs. Read about the history of bòlòganfini here and see our entire collection here.

Large Bòlòganfini from The Loaded Trunk

via Design Sponge

HotMoonCollection.com via Pinterest

While I was traveling in Morocco, I had these vintage patchwork kilim rugs made especially for The Loaded Trunk. In its third (and possibly later) iteration, these scraps of patchwork turned this fairly traditional arm chair on its head. Isn't it amazing what a bit of reupholstery can do for furnishings? You can see the entire collection of patchwork kilim rugs here.

Patchwork Kilim Rug by The Loaded Trunk

In addition to all the great designer work I come across, many of my customers send pictures of how you've styled or re-interpreted items from The Loaded Trunk into your homes. I love to see your creativity in styling global home decor in your living spaces. It's anything you can imagine it to be!

Bag It Up

Several of The Loaded Trunk textiles go through transformations before they arrive in the shop. Blankets and wall hangings turn into pillows. Throws become table runners. The fabrics are just so beautiful I hate to see them only live one life. A side result from these projects is tons of fabric scrap. With the holidays just around the corner, I decided to dust off my sewing machine and turn those scraps into drawstring bags. They're perfect for just about anything and the bag is almost a gift in itself.

Even though it's been months, maybe years, since I last touched my machine (I actually had to clean an embarrassing amount of dust off it), it did kind of feel like riding a bicycle. Frustrating until your brain starts clicking and things fall into place again. I used this tutorial as a refresher and this one is good too.

Although I know this isn't the right way to do it, I didn't really measure. Depending on the fabric scrap, I just made sure to give myself enough room for the drawstring at the top of the bag. The little one on the end I modified to create a flap since the pattern begged for it and added a snap enclosure.

The blue bag was large enough to hold two bottles (perfect for wines, vinegars, etc). It measures 9-inches wide by 16-inches high. The medium-sized bag holds one bottle and measures 5.5-inches wide by 12.5-inches high. These are both final sizes. Just add about a half inch to these measurements for the inseam. I just strung simple twine through top, but you can jazz it up with ribbon if you have it.

My favorite of the three bags is this little tiny one. It's the perfect size for a wine key and stopper or a bar of deliciously scented soap.

Stay tuned for more projects featuring these scrap fabrics!

Style to Spare

The Loaded Trunk / photography by Sharon Gottula

With the kids definitely off for college by now, that may mean a spare room in the house....for a little while at least. It's so easy to let that extra space become a cluttered storage area, isn't it? Instead of shutting the door to the madness and ignoring it, this could be the chance to turn that room into a colorful retreat! Here are some of my favorite things to do when I am rearranging the (rare) empty spaces in my own home:

via Bold, Bright & Beautiful

1. Fill a wall with books. The best and easiest way to escape is through the pages of book. No matter how many pretty pictures you can see on the internet, nothing transports you into other worlds, cultures, stories and lives like books can. Mix it up with travel magazines and photo albums too. Guests will love peeking through all of these.

The Loaded Trunk / photography by Sharon Gottula

2. Pile on the color, pattern and texture. If the rest of your home is a different style, who cares? Make this room fun to be in. Hang a beautiful rug on the wall. Layer them under foot. Surround yourself with an avalanche of pillows. Make sure there are plenty of warm throws to snuggle under. No matter what you pick, it will be perfect and cosy.

3. Add a comfy chair or couch. Because you can't be laying around in bed all day. Well, you can, but a couch gives you an alternative lounging option. :)

Elle Decor

4. Show off your collections. Sometimes all the pieces you've been picking up need a dedicated space. Grouping them makes a bold and interesting statement.

5. Try a low bed. In a lot of cultures, sleeping on or low to the ground is the norm. Give it a go, it might give you a whole new perspective to relaxing.

Have fun redecorating your spare room and good luck on keeping it all to yourself!

Get That Art Up

One of the drawbacks to getting affordable, unframed prints is figuring out to display them. Professional framing can cost an arm and a leg, especially if you have a large piece. That's when you see beautiful pieces collecting dust and often times, stored away and then forgotten. But don't let a little framing challenge stop you. If you think creatively, there are lots of way to display art. This week I'm sharing just how to do that featuring some high-quality reproductions from The Loaded Trunk that are collectible, unique and best of all, affordable.

/1/ Wood Pant Hanger 

Wood pant hangers hold the top edges of the print flat without damaging it. Either hang directly onto a simple nail or tie a ribbon or some fishing line to the hanger and secure to the molding on your ceiling. They can easily be found on-line or in your local antique store.

Etsy is a good place to find vintage hangers on-line, but don't forget to check your local antique store as well. » Set of 9 Vintage Pant Hangers, Etsy

/2/ Simple Black Frames

Most of these prints employ black as a major color element, either dominating the piece or defining certain parts of the design. Black frames pull the color out and when grouped, create a cohesive collection. » Set of 4 Gallery Style Frames, West Elm

/3/ Vintage (or New) Wood Clothes Pins

Tie invisible fishing line to wood clothes pins. Clip them on to your print, add a couple of nails and voila, your print is up on the wall. Vintage ones are especially nice because they have such a great patina. » Set of 10 Vintage Clothes Pins, Etsy

/4/ Rustic Wood Frames

Even though these posters have a very modern, graphic quality, rustic wood frames add an element of warmth to the pieces. Don't be afraid to trim the posters slightly.
» Rustic Barnwood Frame, Etsy // » Shutter Frame, World Market

The role of the poster has been historically connected with nationalistic struggle and plays an important role in provoking political action. Our collection of Vietnam War era propaganda posters continue their role as provocative conversation pieces in addition to be graphically stunning. The Loaded Trunk's Vietnamese Propaganda Prints are printed on rice paper and measure approximately 12" x 15" unframed. $39 each. Click here to see entire collection.

Giveaway Winners!

First, I'd like to sincerely apologize for being so late with this post. I really thought I could travel for a month and jump right back into things. A little delusional perhaps, but I'm finally getting caught up and am excited to announce the winners of our Four Year Anniversary Giveaway!

Giveaway #1 » Thai Ceramic Vessel

E-mail List Winner » Lorraine Meere

Lorraine, I will send you an email. You just have to pick your favorite piece!

Giveaway #2 » Silk Ikat Scarf

Facebook Winner » Samantha Parrington

Samantha, I have your address and scarf ready. Will ship to you soon!

Giveaway #3 » Kids' Blanket and Pillow Kantha Set

Pinterest Winner » Laura Lucero

Laura, thank you for following me all over the internet. Please message me at roni@loadedtrunk.com with your mailing address at your earliest convenience so I can ship you this beauty!

Giveaway #4 » Cobra Stapler

Twitter Winner » @katrinann

Thank you Katrin for the follow and great #traveltip. Wearing shoes that you can slip on and off easily is a must for the modern traveler and security lines.

Thank you all again for following along. I hope you all enjoy your gifts!

A Closer Look at Bògòlanfini (Mud Cloth)

Bògòlanfini, popularly known as mud cloth, is made by the Bamana people of southwestern Mali. The Bamana are a village based society mainly consisting of farmers, though textile artists are one of many “craft castes” that one is born into. Cotton cloth woven into strips by men is decorated in symbolic geometric patterns by women by a several-stage discharge method using mud, bark and vegetable dyes. 

The many stages of dyeing and washing sets the pigment and traditionally was also seen as a way to imbue the cloth with protective power, known as nyama. The cloth was made as wrappers around five feet in length and wrapped around girls to protect them during their initiation ceremonies into adulthood. After this use, it would be presented to the girl’s elderly sponsor, who may be wrapped in at her death to contain the nyama released. Another traditional use was as tunics worn to protect hunters and warriors.

Bògòlanfini created international interest when it was introduced into the fashion design world in the early 1980s by young Malian designer Chris Seydou. Artists continue to update the tradition today, introducing more colors and larger, bolder designs for the local and international market.

I've kept some of the mud cloth as pure textiles, but have turned some into feather-filled pillows. See the entire bògòlanfini collection here.

Loaded Trunk Art Tour

Recently, I invited art historian and art history professor Deborah Dickson to my home. Deborah specializes in African art and teaches at several colleges and universities in Kansas City including the Kansas City Art Institute and Rockhurst University. She looked at my pieces and we talked about travel, the local art scene, textiles as an art form, especially Kuba cloth, and just a bit about how I grew up. Below are her thoughts about my collection. Enjoy the tour!

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Walking up to Roni’s Westside Kansas City second floor condo is like the appetizer before dinner, where you are introduced to an array of colorful textiles and sculptures from around the world. Her contemporary living space, with a stunning view of the downtown skyline, serves as a backdrop for her international collection of arts and crafts.

As Roni introduces her private collection, it is clear she has a passion for the quality and beauty of the objects she gleans on her trips to Morocco, Thailand, India, Turkey, and other countries. Though the majority of her finds make their way onto the Loaded Trunk eye candy menu, she finds many pieces that she wants to live with.

Sculpted wooden heads of a serene Buddha from Thailand, beautifully woven Turkish rugs, an enormous bold indigo-dyed textiles originally made for Cameroonian kings in Central Africa, and a Baule culture mask of a female nature spirit from the Ivory Coast in West Africa are displayed alongside powerful Iatmul culture ancestor effigies from Papua New Guinea collected decades ago by her parents, and large intricate Day of the Dead ceramic dolls from Mexico, part of her daughter’s global doll collection, to create an eclectic and exciting assemblage.

Traveling and living in other countries, and collecting interesting objects from around the world came naturally to Roni, who grew up in Southeast Asia while her father served in the Army. Her parents collected art, passed this passion onto Roni, who in turn instilled her now-adult children with the yen to collect exotica. Every room (and cabinet and drawer) in her living space brims with exciting finds, a virtual treasure chest of unusual and intricate forms. Every medium imaginable, from cotton, wool, wood, metal, and clay, compliments the seemingly endless array of patterns and textures found in each room; you can almost close your eyes and experience the pieces by smell—hints of spices, smoke, and organic fibers conjure distant marketplaces brimming with every ware imaginable.

Though the majority of her collection is related to the traditional ritual arts of Asia and Africa, these are interspersed with contemporary art. A favorite local artist, Mark Westervelt, is represented by several large paintings and small works that complement Roni’s diverse taste in their varied subjects and styles.

Other contemporary works are made by international artists, such as the expressive portraits by Hanoi artist La Ba Quan. Though many designers try to match art to the furniture, Roni prefers to let the art take the spotlight, and let her modern, stylish furnishings function as pedestals, or places to sit and contemplate, the gorgeous art (which, admittedly, distracts the visitor from the great view out the large windows).

All my art has a story and a memory attached, much like all of your art and collectibles. Thank you Deborah for the walk down memory lane! And thank you for joining us.