One of my favorite rooms ever? The parlor of Brooklyn-based ceramicist Paul Grieff, who is a genius at mixing new and old, high and low, artful and artless. When I dropped in on her Cobble Hill townhouse a while back, I zeroed in on the pale pink flower arrangement. "Where did you get these?" I said enviously. "Oh, those are from Ikea," she said breezily.
On my next trip to the Swedish megaplex I scoured the store in search of those blowsy paper flowers, hoping to steal a bit of Paula's urban bohemian style. No luck. So when I recently spotted some paper flowers at West Elm I took note (and ordered a couple).
Above: An eclectic mix of vintage and modern furniture animates Greif's living room (see more at The Handmade Kitchen: Paula Greif in Brooklyn). Photo by Anita Calero.
Above: West Elm offers limited quantities of handmade paper flowers; the Hellebores shown here have sold out but we also like the set of 12 Red Roses for $36 and the set of 10 Paper Tulips for $32.
Above: Mini Magnolia Flower Kit, a DIY kit from Paper Source, is $14.95.
Above: DIY Paper Flowers made from yellowed sewing patterns; for instructions, go to Wedding Chicks.