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Anya Kordonowy is Trash Panic’s monthly columnist focusing on weird-wacky-wonderful-whimsical design, interiors, and thinking about the facets of visual beauty beyond the Pinterest board. You can catch up on previous dispatches here and here, and follow her elsewhere on the internet here, here and here.
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Hello my lovely Trash Heads! :)
It’s been kind of a long hiatus for Dollhouse but my real life got a bit in the way (in the best ways) at the end of summer and beginning of the school year. I didn’t have the extra minutes to sit and musing on my computer. I hope you missed me because I’m back, baby!
Back to wax poetic about the autumnal season that’s getting cozy all around us. Even though we’re still sweating it out in the mid-80’s here in Minnesota, the leaves are changing color, it has that sweet decomposing garden smell in the air, the sunlight has changed into its warm sepia phase and it’s darker more of the day… spooky season!
In thinking about how to properly pay homage to this wonderful, wacky, weird season of spook I wanted to propose a take on home things called, ‘LIFE of the Party’.
LIFE of the Party is a way of thinking about hosting that goes beyond the one night you’re having people over to your home, how to pull pieces together over time or make bigger decisions that give a year round backdrop to the parties you might like to host annually. Maybe you’re the one who always throws the Halloween party and every year you think of new and inventive ways to bring the whimsy. Well this post is meant to offer you possibly a new way of thinking of how to dress the part all year round. (Plus there are plenty of ideas meant to be a one night only addition to your home.)
Themes, themes, themes… sometimes they’re hard! When I hit a mental block in a design I look to the world outside of interiors because that’s where I get the most inspiration anyway. Art and movies have always been such a bedrock of inspiration for me (which I know is not a unique take!) so that’s where I went soul searching for this post. I wanted to bring you two sides of the spooky spectrum. One that felt playful verging on juvenile and almost an overabundance of color and wack; and one that felt all together different from that - witchy, sexy, mysterious. Aha, it came to me! Two different worlds that I would happily drop into if I could to spend an evening marinating in whatever bizarre fantasy lurked or twirled around the corner. And beyond that it was fun to think about loving these worlds so much that I would want pieces of them to live with me forever in my home…
Welcome to… LIFE of the Party: Leonora Carrington’s “My New Crush” vs Peanuts “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.
Both extremely important pieces of art to me. Both diametrically opposed. Both filled with wackiness and whimsy (important elements here at Dollhouse). Both utterly and completely themselves and nothing else.
If you’re unfamiliar with Leonora Carrington, she was a brilliant surrealist painter and author, born in England but escaped to Mexico when she was in her 30’s which is where she stayed until she passed away at the age of 94. (Fun fact: they were in the process of turning her home in Mexico City into a museum but announced last year it will actually be a research and teaching center!)1
She explored themes of womanhood, female sexuality, spirituality, alchemy, the arcane, mysticism, what it meant and felt like to be a woman in her time. There is so much to say about her that I don’t have time or the authority to talk about here, but I loved reading the biography written by her cousin, Joanna Moorhead entitled, Surreal Spaces : The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington. (As a side note, if this subject matter interests you, I also HIGHLY recommend “The Other Side : A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World” by Jennifer Higgie.)
Leonora’s paintings all evoke a darkness that feels at once eerie and also soft and approachable. Like a scary dream that you end up wanting to stay in for a while to see what new character might show itself. They tap into a deeper place, one that most people don’t want to live in every day but once a year… sure.
The items below are all pieces that could be picked up, installed, used throughout the year. They will infuse some haunt into your Tuesday in July and aid at setting the tone for your fall festivities come October. Most are available to purchase now but some aren’t! Some are made by very small craftspeople who don’t churn and burn through their products so you may have to follow them and be patient to snap up the divine matte taper candles from Wacks Co or the curvaceous and most supple vase from Ashley Brazil…
(moving clockwise-ish, starting top left)
jess wheeler flower chandelier (similar vibes here, here, and here)
brutalist metal hanging wall butterflies (ships from outside the US)
antique edwardian glass wine decanter (some more affordable eBay alternatives, here, here, and here — this one is particularly weird in the best way!)
dried flower spicy cinnamon pouporri and confetti
pierre frey batik wallpaper
If you want to commit to the bit and go all in, hang any of these papers in an entryway, dining room, sitting room and it will be sure to make your space feel mystical all year round.ann erickson botanical brass flower wall hook
I love Ann Erickson’s work, it’s all so ancient feeling yet with hints of a contemporary point of view, she does more wearable jewelry than homeware items but regardless of the form everything she makes is delicate and beautiful.yoichi ohira for cleto munari sculptural glass suite (an absolutely insane splurge, would suggest searching “blown glass decanter” for some MCM options that won’t break the bank)
This collection of glassware is ridiculously expensive and I don’t expect any of you to buy them but I couldn’t not include them because they’re so perfect and I can imagine Leonora herself reaching for one in her Mexico City homeashley brazil handmade ceramic vessels
Truly a must have addition to your home, but not always available! HINT HINT if you’re located in Minnesota, Nick Lundeen has a beautiful assortment of her vessels available IRL at his jewelry shop Lundeen Jewelrymomoca metallic paper flower
I just think this is beautiful and is something I would like to decorate my home withvictorian style iron and marble side table (another gorgeous alternative, here)
These victorian leaning pieces are definitely items you could incorporate all year round if you like iron and the twirlier side of things. I love the extra drama it could bring to a living room space.sophie lou jacobson blown glass stemware
Definitely a splurge but she creates such beautiful and dainty glassware that will be a showstopper on your table and in your guests hands!sophie lou jacobson large petal plate (sold individually)
tramp art jewelry box (ships from outside the US)
dried flower garland (ships from outside the US)
Dried flowers are always an all time favorite for me, I love how they look and the feeling they evoke, a mix of nostalgia and romance. I am all about dried flowers year round but they would definitely add to a vibe if you used an abundance of them to decorate for this party.feather butterfly set
For the record, I couldn’t find any more of these on the internet so if feathered butterflies interest you, snag these!tramp art floral frame (eBay options here, here and here)
I think it’s worth investing in at least one tramp art piece if this is generally your vibe. Is tramp art having a moment? Maybe the moment is mounting? Maybe it’s always hovering in the background having a mini-moment? I’m no trend forecaster but I would snag something from somewhere because there’s a lot to be had and each piece feels so perfectly unique and truly “craft” that it will be sure to collect appreciation when it’s added to your space.dried pomegranates (or maybe some fake fruit like this!! some (good) weird beaded options here and here)
Call me insane but I love a bowl of fake fruit. I actually made some with my daughter recently that are a hit. There’s something eerie in the way they’re… well… fake. It gives a table setting a very odd feeling, especially if you get some that look particularly fake but have been a facet of dining room tables for so long. Get a ton and make a ridiculously full bowl of weird, crusty fake fruits!!and don’t forget some lace tablecloths! like this one, this one, and this one!
Lace!! I love lace! It’s so wonderfully feminine and specific yet will work with most aesthetics and type of host. Not into the white? Try dying it! Something I’ve been wanting to try for a while… if you do it, let me know how it goes!
Onto the shuffling sashayers, the technicolor cuties - The Peanuts! Specifically the 1966 movie It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. This has been a spooky season mainstay for me for as long as I’ve been watching TV (so, since birth basically). I have no notes for this movie, it’s as adorable as it is conniving.
The set pieces are maybe some of my favorites - beautifully created, they evoke almost paper cut outs over watercolor backgrounds, a mix of high and low, snapping from scene to scene of dark, autumnal trick-or-treaters with incredible masks (I hope they’re homemade paper mache!) to vibrant colorful interiors filled with 60’s glee and welcoming for all things saturated. Plus, Snoopy’s “trip” in the wartime French countryside with the elegantly hand-painted watercolor backgrounds - insane! Beautiful! How could you find fault!?? (Answer - YOU CAN’T.)
So we swerve from the dom’d witchy world of Leonora to the cheerfully wacky and colorfully sodden world of Charlie Brown. These are again all pieces you could, in theory, buy for any season, bringing some of this specific sparkle to your life all year round BUT there are some zany selections here that I imagine would be used in a party setting and then carefully tucked away for next year’s gathering. But you do you! No shame in keeping your fuchsia crushed velvet curtains up all year round - if you do PLEASE send me a photo!!
recycled sari fabric garland (ships from India)
I love the way these garlands upcycle fabric from sari’s and also add so much rich color and texture to a space! I would personally hang this and keep it up all year round but I can imagine, if you’re organized, pulling a few garlands out for this time of year old to add that special something to your spacejointed skeleton decoration (eBay alternative here and here)
All these vintage Halloween decorations feel pretty DUH but… c’mon, they’re amazing!! They’re quite literally the decor in the Peanuts Halloween party and now YOU can have them too! Not something I would leave up year round, but that’s just me! These are even better in person and small investment for big party impact!ottoline striped kilim wallpaper
And if you’re wanting to commit to the bit year round, this wallpaper gives me such Peanuts vibes, I can see it in an entryway or small sitting room, how cute!?pumpkin decorations (eBay option here and here)
wacks co hand dipped candles
These insanely gorgeous taper candles are available periodically locally in Minneapolis, Mn and are worth waiting for! They have the most divine matte surface texture, an idea so simple yet so beautiful and rarely seen (or at least to me!) follow them on the ‘gram and watch stories to buynordic knots modern pink rug
This rug, while a splurge, is amazingly bright pink and would add a year round nod to the Peanuts house party - 10/10!vintage crepe paper halloween hats (alternatives here and here)
Some vintage silliness here, maybe just an inspiration for something you could make as a party favor upon arrival but very charming, no!?estelle glassware coupe set (set of 6!) (also available here)
fuchsia velvet table cloth
Okay I legit want to buy these crushed velvet items! FUCHSIA! Again, taking very literal cues from the Peanuts party but there is absolutely no way you add these to your party and it’s not an instant hit and gasp giver! IF YOU BUY THESE AND USE THEM PLEASE SEND ME PICS! The fuchsia backdrop would be amazing for some polaroid photos of costumes!!maggie boyd pottery (her work is unavailable online, but she’s an artist very much worth following!)
Maggie is a potter I’ve long admired for her absolutely wacky shapes, stunning and femme positive subject matter and brilliant use of color but alas, as with most in-demand small scale potters, her work is hard to snag. If you live in the Brooklyn area go check out her and her husband’s bookstoreorange, black, and white crepe paper garland
These decorations are also a major DUH I guess but I did the work of finding cute ones for you! Add streamers and hanging decorations to any party and it will no doubt take the vibes up a notch!danny’s mudshop all things cowboy ash tray
Danny D is another potter I’ve loved to watch grow from garage to storefront status. He is super thoughtful about what he does and the subject matter he’s interested in would work perfectly at a Peanuts party (smartly replicating and inverting classic Americana imagery) Just think, what ashtray would Snoopy want to use if he wanted a smoke?
I hope everyone finds something special here to think about adding to your spooky season, or I hope something odd leads you to something else odd and into the rabbit hole of weirdness you go until you come out the other side with a successfully won lot of vintage, brightly painted ice cream statues that you now have to figure out how to ship back home…
Until next time! Happy Haunting!
🤎Anya
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In case you missed it….
holy moly I love the Leonora Carrington angle, and the chandeliers all had my mouth agape. also loved the Etsy finds for Halloween decor on the low.
Adored this!!