Design Arcadia was at one time one of the most demanding and popular of the barkcloth prints...it was highly mass produced and was a very common theme for boutique hotels of the 30's and 40's...South Beach was my old stomping grounds in its decline of urban flight that exhausted these once shining beacons of the entertainment industry...now left in ruins...some called it Beirut of Florida...a place where weary travelers sough refuge from the harsh winters of the world...a place for families...cabaret sidewalk bars on Ocean Drive and tiki bon fires across the street for the little ones...South Beach was a place for every family...from the Brat Pack to middle class families filling their cars and driving the newly paved Highway Interstate 95...or traveling in luxury of sleep cars on trains...where travelers could showcase the country's landscape...South Beach was a dream...it was hard to imagine what really could have happened by the time my old soul happened upon quite accidentally of course in 1985 on a business trip with my dad...everyone said "stay out of South Beach"...it was trouble...well...I am not the person to say that to...it meant I would certainly be venturing to this once iconic jewel of the sea...it was with disbelief I sat on a graffiti adorned park bench overlooking what was left of the hotel district...some barely standing...crumbling...boarded up...others half way houses for the impoverished...the elderly took sanctuary in hotels turned into boarding houses...it was dark...and right across the street was literally the most beautiful caribbean blue sea and sparkling sand...I would lay on my beach towel facing the hotels and squint my eyes and fantasize what it must have been like in all its grandeur of its heyday...little did I know that by circa 1988 I would behold the largest collection of vintage barkcloth fabric on earth...I would know most hotel like the back of my hand...my connections to other old souls down there I met along the way...collectors...garage and estate sale addicts...I had a whole coffee klatch of mentors and motivators...archaeologists of sorts...our thrill was to explore old hotels...for me on hot pursuit of barkcloth ruins that were reminiscent of my pop pop and nanas Brielle New Jersey bungalow...I was a 22 year old with a gaggle of friends in their 70's and 80's...and it was a perfect fit...I've always been drawn to historic souls with a story...a presence...a opinion and spirit for the past...they have all passed on and I am the only one left of my dear beloveds that now reside in the nostalgic part of my mind...so when I see these fantastic prints...it conjures up tears for the memories of times that can never be again...a reminder of how short and fragile life is...once you live it...no matter how hard you try...you can never recapture a moment in time...but some nights sitting out on my Florida Bungalow front porch rocking on that old rusty glider...I close my eyes...and fantasize...and my friends appear...like a flash back to the once grand Titanic in the movie...we are together again...timeless...in the moment...if only in my imagination..
This offering is for ONE ready to hang exquisite exuberant...notoriously textured...barkcloth drapery panel...perfect to use to create a gazillion pillows or upholstery projects. Colors are as crisp as the day they were made...the second panel for sale has a small repair along the selvedge edge...otherwise both are in immaculate...strong...and relatively unused looking condition. Measures 47 inches wide x 80 inches long with sewn in pleater tape on the back for hanging. SOBE (South Beach) Orchids! A color concoction of fabulous...I love these dark greens...a deepest darkest teal green...tangerine orange reds...coral peachy pinks...burgundy...chocolate...chartreuse yellow and limes...a myriad of cool and electric limes that make up the unusual and profound foliage...accented with this fabulous pop of minty caribbean blue...with dove and charcoal grays...white and lines of black that showcase these stunning orchids just perfectly...a heavy textured barkcloth...the kind everyone seeks...washed to freshen and pressed by yours truly...expect a old soul coming together moment when you open THIS package :)
We can make you a CUSTOM PILLOW from pretty much anything in our shop...message us so we can create a listing for you
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Returns accepted for all items with the exception of custom cut yardage and customized made items.
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
- Custom or personalized orders
- Perishable products (like food or flowers)
- Digital downloads
- Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
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I wear my heart on my sleeve :)