Here’s an inviting vintage boho-style tented nook that was created almost entirely with patterned fabrics and carpeting.
Seen here as it was back in 1967, this facet of this home’s Arabesque decor reflected the tents of the desert nomads, which were historically furnished almost entirely with rugs to keep out the desert sands — and great heaps of pillows to solace weary travelers.
A tent created by hanging the walls and ceiling of an alcove with Islamic-style fabrics (as interpreted in the 1960s) made an inviting retreat at one end of a room in fashion designer Gaston Berthelot’s New York apartment.
Hung loosely, the fabrics also served as a practical mask for architectural defects — two doors, an off-center window opening to an air shaft, and insulation-covered pipes.
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The print on the walls and divan reproduced both the pattern and the texture of an Asian carpet. The ceiling was hung with a pink and white striped fabric that looked like — and almost functioned like — a traditional window awning.
Curtains on either side of this area had a yellow background — similar to the shade of the wall-to-wall carpet — and printed paisley patterns in gold, white and green.
The tall wooden Louis XIII chairs and the adjacent pedestals for ceramic animal sculptures were all upholstered in actual carpet.
Another decorative touch not to miss: the floor-to-ceiling faux palm trees, complete with green silk fronds emerging from the top.
