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A Livingetc report describes designers incorporating tassels and other passementerie into contemporary interiors, often as a single accent against clean-lined surroundings. Makers and designers say color, texture and scale can make the heritage craft feel relevant to modern rooms, though the report does not establish how widespread the trend is.
Tassels and passementerie are appearing in contemporary interiors as considered accents, according to a Livingetc report featuring work by designers and makers in Britain, France and the United States. The examples range from curtain tiebacks and light pulls to lighting and furniture, showing how decorative trims can be used in otherwise pared-back rooms.
The report describes a shift in how some designers use passementerie, the craft of making decorative trims, cords and tassels. Rather than layering ornament throughout a room, designers are placing one distinctive detail in a clean-lined setting. The effect depends on contrast: a tassel can add texture, color or a focal point without changing the overall simplicity of the space.
Jessica Light, an East London passementerie weaver who has worked by hand for more than 30 years, told Livingetc that she is receiving bespoke commissions for single statement tassels. She works with materials including linen, wool, horsehair and paper, and says she uses deadstock materials from her atelier where possible. Light also recommends unexpected color combinations, such as an ice-blue trim in a room dominated by earthy tones.
Other examples in the report include monochrome silk tassels used on tiebacks, light pulls and keys in a collection for East London Cloth, and a black tassel tieback in a bathroom by British interiors studio Penrose Tilbury. French design duo Hauvette & Madani introduced the Betty Lamp in 2021 after an encounter with Paris passementerie workshop Verrier. Their 2026 La 23ème Heur furniture collection also uses passementerie cords and large tassels on a bolster for a wooden lounge chair.
How Small Trims Change a Room
The examples matter because they show a way to introduce ornament without adopting a heavily decorated interior. A single tassel or trim can draw attention to a curtain, lamp or piece of furniture, while leaving the room’s broader design restrained. For homeowners and designers who prefer contemporary spaces, that offers a relatively focused way to add color and texture.
The report also points to a continuing role for specialist handcraft in modern design. Passementerie relies on skilled making and has a long history, but designers are applying it to current forms and materials. That connection between established techniques and newer interiors is the central design development described in the feature; the article does not provide sales figures or other evidence that the style is growing across the wider market.
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A Heritage Craft in Modern Rooms
Passementerie has historical roots and has moved in and out of fashion as interior styles have changed. Light told Livingetc that modernism nearly ended the craft’s prominence, but said its many techniques leave room for designers and makers to find new applications. The feature presents the current examples as a restrained reinterpretation, not a return to heavily embellished rooms.
Light’s work is one part of a broader supply network. Marisa Gutmacher, senior vice president of design at New York-based Samuel & Sons, told Livingetc that trims can pair a contrasting hue with a patterned fabric or use close tonal shades with differences in texture or sheen. The report also describes collaboration between East London Cloth and Light, and the use of Parisian artisans by Hauvette & Madani.
““They’re almost like an exclamation mark: a piece of passementerie punctuation in your space.””
— Jessica Light, passementerie weaver, speaking to Livingetc
How Broad the Trend Is
The report documents designers’ choices and Light’s account of her commissions, but it does not quantify demand or establish how common tassels are in homes overall. It also does not provide pricing, availability or care information for the pictured pieces. The examples show specific projects and products, not a survey of consumers or the interior-design industry, so the scale and staying power of the interest remain unclear.
Designers’ Next Uses for Trim
The feature identifies no upcoming industry announcement or forecast with a set date. The next developments to watch are how designers use passementerie in new projects and whether makers continue adapting its materials, color and scale for contemporary rooms. For now, the report’s examples suggest a clear approach: treat a tassel as a deliberate focal detail, while the broader room remains relatively uncluttered.
Key Questions
What does passementerie mean?
Passementerie is the craft of making decorative trims and embellishments, including cords, tiebacks and tassels, for interiors and furnishings.
How are designers using tassels in modern interiors?
The examples in the Livingetc report include tassels on curtain tiebacks, light pulls, keys, lamps and furniture. Several are used as individual accents in otherwise pared-back rooms.
Who is Jessica Light?
Jessica Light is an East London passementerie weaver and tassel maker. She told Livingetc she has worked by hand for more than 30 years and makes pieces in materials including linen, wool, horsehair and paper.
Does the report prove tassels are becoming popular everywhere?
No. It describes examples from designers and makers and notes Light’s account of bespoke commissions, but gives no market data showing how widespread the trend is.
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