Text by Mary Forsell • Produced by Kathy Curotto

Who cares if it doesn’t arrive in eight seconds flat? A letter is all about savoring time. Decorate your writing nook with touches like vintage millinery flowers from Tinsel Trading. (a)

Screen play
Define your private corner and decorate it at the same time by using a folding screen as a backdrop. We found one in good condition and gave it a makeover as a display piece. (f) To create side panels, cut batting 1⁄2-inch less than fabric all the way around. Spray mount the batting onto the screen. Place fabric over batting so it’s even on all sides and staple to screen at edges. Finish the look by outlining the edges with cotton tape. Now you have a place to tack on interesting adornments, such as old silver buckles, cards, charms, whatever! (g) In the center of the screen, we hung cool sculptural mirrors and tied on retro millinery flowers,  Cotton tape, Mokuba. Silver buckles, flowers, Tinsel Trading.

“Greeting cards are becoming more artisanal, with hand-embellishments like gold leaf, feathers, and sewing,” says Melanie Nerenberg, director of marketing at Kate’s Paperie in New York City. Show off the details on bulletin boards accented with bullion and ribbon trim: (1) A case in point-— This handmade felt creature has a three-dimensional quality. (2) Surreal, glittering nature scene from Calypso Cards. (3) Israeli-made embossed card. (4) Cool custom inks make Dewey Howard designs special. (5) For your favorite yoga master. (6) Hot pink greetings from Calypso Cards.

(7) Old School Stationers prints its cards on an 1890 press. (8) Artist R. Nichols works in small-scale collage. (9) Antique letterpress printing by Saturn Press gives this image a woodcut look. (10) Drawn by a child, blue elephant card from Eunco. (11) A paper ribbonlike decoration called musubi embellishes this Japanese card. Cards 1-5, 7,10,11, Kate’s Paperie.

The Envelope, Please
(h) Just pile on the fabrics at staggered heights and gather as many pillows as your sofa will hold. Happy reading! Wall paint, Benjamin Moore. Ribbon curtain tieback, Mokuba. Millinery flowers, Tinsel Trading, (i)Writing a letter is one thing. But receiving one can be even better. We’ve created a sumptuous daybed where you can both tap into the muse and savor your best friend’s latest news.

Forget about the proper height of a keyboard or the ergonomics of desk chairs. It’s much more fun to adjust pillows so that they exactly fit your back (and inspire great thoughts, of course). We vote for Kevin O’Brien’s handmade designs, (j) The Philadelphia textile artist hand-dyes his own fabric on the wrong side for an antiqued look. (k)Cotton embroidered pillows by Peddler’s Home Design.

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