40 Passementerie Designs that Delight in the Details

Time-honored, trendy-again trim proves more is more with tassels, fringe and pom-poms galore. Feast your eyes on our favorite ways to take furniture, window treatments and lighting from standard to stunning.

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By: Maria Conti and Lauren Oster

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The Future of Fabulous

‘Passementerie’ sounds for all the world like a term of the trade that only historians and interior designers would drop in conversation, but five centuries after its debut — when French craftspeople developed the art of winding thread (‘passement’ refers to lace) to create intricate ornaments like tassels, fringes, pompoms, rosettes and more — you might say it’s becoming a household term all over again. Ornamentation that was once primarily associated with historical garments and interiors is flourishing on drapes, sofas, ottomans — all of which you can see in this fantastically ornate sitting room by San Francisco designer Jonathan Rachman — and we’d like to make a case for bringing it into your space. How can you put it to work? We’re so glad you asked.

From: Jonathan Rachman

A Nod to History

Rachman designed this space with inspiration from Houghton Hall, an extremely grand 18th-century estate commissioned by the first British Prime Minister. (To get an idea of just how sumptuous Houghton Hall was and is, consider this bed. You could develop a whole costume drama around it.) The tassels and scalloping on the gleaming pink sofa are considerably more modern than Houghton Hall’s green velvet, but they communicate the same sense that no expense has been spared — and no detail has been overlooked — in this room. (Bonus points for matching tassels on the table lamp.)

From: Jonathan Rachman

Ottoman Empire

Classical passementerie lends a regal air to the long, low banquette ottomans in this tone-on-tone sitting room. The white trim on the window’s dramatic lambrequin (a long ornamental treatment associated with 17th- and 18th-century France), in turn, deepens the space’s opulent, historic feel.

From: Jonathan Rachman

Vanity Project

From a gleaming wall treatment to a custom-made gold faucet and a matching gold-trimmed mirror, this powder room is all about decadence. A trio of tassels are the perfect finishing touch for the vanity.

Work and Play

Many of us are devoting significant mental energy to the idea of a home office these days, and there are as many ways to outfit them as there are people who put them to use. If there’s anything like a constant in what we should aim for when creating spaces to get down to business, one might argue that it is the universal need for a tufted blue velvet armchair with floor-grazing metallic fringe.

From: Preston Lee

Going Greek

Go Greek with passementerie and incorporate the timeless key pattern — an interlocking linear motif that actually predates ancient Greece and has been found on Egyptian tombs, ancient Chinese buildings and even Mayan structures — into your trim accents. The wide, mint border with a Greek key pattern deployed on these custom drapes dresses up their subtle black and white dot print.

From: Kendall Simmons

Boho Beauties

This fanciful foyer balances traditional and formal elements (that spectacular carved mantel, wainscoting, intricate windows) with a modern sense of play (a pair of palms and the trio of vases on the table). Those elements meet in its intricately-fringed stools: from afar they seem almost rustic, and upon inspection they reveal themselves to be detailed works of art. Well played, passementerie.

From: Karen B Wolf Interiors

Fringe Element

If you wanted to try your hand at passementerie in 16th-century France, you’d have had to complete a seven-year apprenticeship before becoming an official master of one of the guild’s subdivisions. Consider this gallery permission to take a crack at it without a Ph.D: inexpensive craft supplies and an hour or two of DIY time are all you need to elevate a pendant with on-trend textural detail like this.

GET THE HOW-TO: Light Up Your World: DIY Fringe Chandelier

Wonderful Whatchamacallits

In Fringe, Frog & Tassel: The Art of the Trimmings-Maker (a gorgeous new book that might help you earn an honorary Ph.D. in passementerie), textile historian Annabel Westman argues that one of the reasons trimmings have declined in popularity is that we don’t have any standardized definitions for them: a tassel like this one is…a tassel, or a tie-back if you want to be fancy about it. This particular tassel is a clever half-step between the traditional wallpaper pattern behind it and the supersaturated contemporary fabric of the curtain it’s containing.

From: Lauren Clement

Organic Embellishment

Lest you conflate passementerie with fussiness, consider how this unbleached, tasseled pendant is an on-trend complement to an arcing rattan headboard and storm-blue bedroom walls. The more delicate mauve tassels on painterly accent pillows add dimension to the look, and the cumulative effect is casually lovely.

From: Cheryl Kees Clendenon

Feral and Formal

Can a look-at-me tiger print feel demure? This maximalist living room argues that it might; regimented black trim develops an unexpected relationship between a pair of armchairs and the downright preppy throws atop them. The pillows’ right angles, in turn, speak to the gleaming gold-and-malachite coffee table. It seems that passementerie soothes the savage beast.

Bouquet of Rosettes

Dimensional crimson rosettes join forces with multicolored tassels to dramatize a jewel-toned chandelier in this color-saturated dining room. Like tassels, rosettes can also punctuate window treatments quite effectively; here, they trim variegated, gently ballooned blue Roman shades and match single sconces mounted between the windows. Clever, no?

From: Gioi Tran

Precious Metal

Gleaming metallic thread for trim like the Greek-key-patterned ribbon on this table lamp wasn’t always accessible to hobbyists — or professionals, for that matter. (Spare a thought, for example, for the luckless 16th-century Scottish artisans whose materials lost their loveliness to tarnish.) These days, an elegant Hollywood-Regency-inspired upcycling project like this one is both quick and cost-effective. (Hint: Turn to resale sites like Chairish for high-quality and vintage designer remnants.)

GET THE HOW-TO: Easily Give an Old Lampshade a Trendy New Look

From: H. Camille Smith

Perennial Parasol

Narrow black ribbon and salt-and-pepper tassels combine to give a standard white outdoor umbrella poise and panache. This sweet nook is a fine example of how trim can alter humble pieces’ personalities: passementerie turns a simple space into a garden party.

From: Kate Lester Interiors

Chic Skirt

Passementerie is at play on the romantic, roll arm bench in this classic, cream living room design. An ornate, embroidered trim border hugs the bottom of the bench and creates a fancy fringe skirt for a touch of elegant flair.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Elegant Edgings

Kelly green reigns supreme in this vibrant, transitional sitting room. A neat, navy key border adorns the front panel of the sofa, trims the khaki lumbar pillow and serves as decorative trim on the custom shades overhead.

From: Ann Lowengart

Home Theatre

A pair of joyless accordion doors could separate the glamorous mirrored vanity from the rest of this leopard-printed bath suite, but why should it? Dimensional drapes boast an inner lining of tiny ivory tassels, and a pair of massive, multi-layered tassels crown their opulent tiebacks. If passementerie has a mission statement, it is that you should go big when you go home.

From: Cindy Aplanalp

Variation on Velvet

Wide, woven navy-and-white trim on this olive sofa’s skirting references its pair of pillows — with handsome contrasting trim of their own, thank you very much — and gives it a bit of unique character. A note like this can recur between spaces to great effect, as you’ll see in a moment.

Revisiting the Blues

The same lattice-patterned trim that elevates the living room sofa climbs these dramatic drapes and makes its textiles feel like semi-independent explorations of a central theme. In other words, carrying an element like this through your home will give it that a-pro-put-this-together je ne sais quoi.

Primary Contender

Metallic thread and tassels are great, but have you ever tied a massive space together with a thin strip of bright red fabric? The cerise trim deployed here on Roman shades emphasizes the red accents in their fabric (Schumacher’s iconic Citrus Garden) and creates a visual link to the bold pair of pendants above the island.

Opulent Accents

There’s passementerie aplenty in this decadent, neoclassical living room design. The windows wear dramatic, weighty drapes and boast fancy green tassels, the toss pillows are trimmed with fringe and the ruby velvet sofa sports chic, high-contrast piping.

Advanced Prep

The Greek-key-with-a-twist passementerie on these gregarious fuchsia armchairs creates a formal foundation for this living room’s exuberant color scheme: that white background expands into preppy piping, and the fuchsia carries across the space to edge pillows on the green-and-cream-patterned sofa. We suspect Lilly Pulitzer would have adored this home.

Fringe-Trimmed Table

Traditional furniture gathers around a handsome, fringe-trimmed coffee table in this warm sitting room. The flirty brown skirt brings texture to the design and gives the otherwise traditional design a personalized and curated appeal.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Tailored and Traditional

Just imagine powdering your nose or checking your teeth for lipstick at this striking setup. The chair wears an elegant ivory slipcover that features a chic, cocoa border trim along the edge of its skirt.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Youthful Embellishments

Passementerie assumes a modern role in this playful girl's room. The cozy, cobalt window seat is piled high with vibrant fringe pillows, and airy white curtains feature a border of tiny rainbow tassels.

From: Kendall Simmons

Mid-Mod Meetup

Candy-bright cotton tassels — eight large pieces on a wicker chair, a multitude of little flourishes on a woven basket — echo a boldly-striped floor pillow and create cohesion between this reading nook’s elementary components. Simple statements like these can be reframed in a snap: with a new cushion cover and the snip of a scissors, one could start anew with a completely different palette in no time.

Palatial Pillows

Maximalists, take a moment to lift your jaws up from the floor. This palatial living room design is rich with luxurious textiles, detailed artwork and passementerie-clad pillows. The teal velvet sofa and love seat wear matching, bordered skirts, ribbon-trimmed pillows and opulent, tasseled bolsters.

Lovely Looped Fringe

A pair of spunky, sky blue ottomans feature layers of looped fringe and bring a laid-back air to this sundrenched sitting room. The stools’ unique trim adds an unexpected element to the space, and creates lively texture in the design.

Rich With Texture

Monochromatic spaces serve as prime opportunities to add subtle, dimensional touches of passementerie. This creamy living room features ivory drapes with fringed tassel; repeating that ivory hue in the drapes' detailing adds visual interest and a certain richness to the design.

From: Kathe Baker

Custom and Colorful

Chic ceiling art, orange walls and electric pink trim make for one dreamy teen bedroom. Passementerie is seen with the pretty, piped headboards and fierce, leopard-bordered window treatments. The trim details come together to create a tailored look in this larger than life boudoir.

From: Ann Lowengart

Traditional Tassel Pulls

Statement hardware has the power to transform a timeworn treasure's character. The snowy tassel pulls seen above create a luxe, layered look and add a personalized touch to the dotted, bone inlay dresser.

From: Jamie Herzlinger

Sophisticated Scallops

A sweet, scalloped cornice is made even sweeter by a tailored, white ribbon trim. The cornice's crisp, elegant border pairs perfectly with the black, white-piped sofa against the bedroom wall just below it.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Secret Recipe

Supersaturated and tasseled Moroccan fabric mimics the look of a cornice —and creates a spectacular design moment — in this otherwise-monochromatic contemporary kitchen. This clever design demonstrates that though we might conflate passementerie with Europeans, its visual principles recur in handiwork all over the world.

From: Nest Design Group

Pretty Pom-Poms

Embellish your windows with youthful whimsy by using a pom-pom fringe to create a custom border on simple, white drapes. The space will look elevated and elegant, and the drapery will look darling.

From: Kendall Simmons

Champagne Sofa Skirt

A silky and metallic, champagne trim creates a border along the front panel of this golden, velvet sofa. This subtle trim accent elevates the sitting room and creates an air of luxury to the design.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Funky Metal Fringe

We’re big fans of putting modern spins on traditional ideas. This dotted chair looks extra-fierce with a, chic, black metal fringe. The unexpected take on the classic embellishment adds a layer of interest to the design and ensures the chair will stand out in any space.

From: CLOTH & KIND

Fit for Royalty

Scalloped canopy beds, custom-embroidered linens and windows dressed in fancy, fringed cornices all make for a bedroom fit for royalty. The cascading drapes exude vintage glamour, and their textured gold edging pairs handsomely with the antique, gilded mirror and chest.

Pretty in Pearl

Pretty, pearl passementerie enhances the view from this bohemian bedroom window. The beaded detail brings a layered look that elevates the space and gives the plain white curtains a custom feel.

From: Claire Staszak

One and the Same

Nothing screams “pricey and personalized” like a room with furniture that features coordinating trim and upholstery. The Greek key pattern trimming the sofa and covering the armchair brings a polished look to this traditional, peach sitting room. A thick, champagne ribbon wraps around the ottoman gives it additional polish; white piping, in turn, embellishes the snowy cornices above each window.

From: Heather Garrett Interior Design

Ties to Tradition

When in doubt, stick with tradition. Try some robust and dimensional tassels to tie back your drapes and give your home old-school, elegant appeal.

40 Passementerie Designs that Delight in the Details

Related To:

Shop This Look

The Future of Fabulous

A Nod to History

Ottoman Empire

Vanity Project

Work and Play

Going Greek

Boho Beauties

Fringe Element

Wonderful Whatchamacallits

Organic Embellishment

Feral and Formal

Bouquet of Rosettes

Precious Metal

Perennial Parasol

Chic Skirt

Elegant Edgings

Home Theatre

Variation on Velvet

Revisiting the Blues

Primary Contender

Opulent Accents

Advanced Prep

Fringe-Trimmed Table

Tailored and Traditional

Youthful Embellishments

Mid-Mod Meetup

Palatial Pillows

Lovely Looped Fringe

Rich With Texture

Custom and Colorful

Traditional Tassel Pulls

Sophisticated Scallops

Secret Recipe

Pretty Pom-Poms

Champagne Sofa Skirt

Funky Metal Fringe

Fit for Royalty

Pretty in Pearl

One and the Same

Ties to Tradition

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