I’d Have Never Expected To Want ‘Tassels’ In My Modern Home, But These Spaces Prove They’re The Mood For Right Now

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A Livingetc report describes designers using tassels and passementerie in modern interiors, including as light pulls, curtain tiebacks and accents on furniture. The examples show a restrained approach to the heritage craft, but the report does not establish how widespread the trend is.

Interior designers are using tassels and fabric trims in contemporary rooms, according to a Livingetc report featuring examples in lighting, curtains and furniture. The designs pair the traditional decorative craft of passementerie with clean-lined settings, showing how small ornamental details can add color and texture without defining an entire room.

The report centers on the work of Jessica Light, a London-based passementerie weaver who makes tassels and trims by hand. Light says designers can adapt the craft’s techniques to changing tastes, even though modernism once threatened its place in interiors. Her work uses materials including linen, wool, horsehair and paper, and she says she reuses deadstock materials from her atelier where possible.

Light recommends treating passementerie as a focused accent rather than adding it everywhere. A single decorative tassel can hang as a sculptural object, or a minimal trim can punctuate an otherwise sparse interior. She describes the effect as an “exclamation mark” in a room. Examples in the report include monochrome silk tassels used on tiebacks, light pulls and keys, as well as a black tassel tieback on a bathroom shower curtain.

Designers are also using color and texture to update the look. Marisa Gutmacher, senior vice president of design at Samuel & Sons, favors trims that pick up a less prominent shade in a patterned fabric, or tonal combinations that contrast through texture or sheen. The report also points to French studio Hauvette & Madani: its Betty Lamp dates to 2021, while its 2026 La 23ème Heur collection includes a birch-and-lacquer lounge chair with a bolster secured by passementerie cords and large tassels.

Small Details, Modern Rooms

The examples suggest that traditional ornament can sit alongside contemporary design when its use is selective. A tassel on a light pull or curtain tieback offers a lower-commitment way to add tactile detail than using elaborate trim throughout a room. The approach also gives designers another way to introduce a contrasting color, finish or material into a restrained scheme.

The craft aspect matters, too. Light describes passementerie as a heritage practice and says much of its world is now lost. Continued commissions and collaborations with interior studios may create work for specialist makers, although the report provides no sales figures or wider industry data to establish the scale of that demand.

A Heritage Craft Reworked

Passementerie refers to decorative textile elements such as tassels, cords, fringes and trims. Light traces the craft to ancient Egypt and says its popularity has shifted with interior fashions. In her account, modernism nearly drove it out of use, but makers can adapt its many techniques to current design preferences.

The report presents the current interest through individual projects rather than a market survey. East London Cloth worked with Light on a curated selection of trims, and Penrose Tilbury used a simple tassel tieback in a Victorian townhouse bathroom. Hauvette & Madani’s work provides another example of the detail appearing in both lighting and furniture, across projects separated by several years.

““Passementerie has always ebbed and flowed according to the contemporary tastes of the time.””

— Jessica Light, passementerie weaver

How Broad Is the Interest?

The report documents designers’ examples and Light’s account of bespoke commissions, but it does not provide sales figures, survey results or data on adoption across the interiors industry. It is not clear how many designers or homeowners are choosing tassels, or whether demand is growing compared with earlier periods.

The feature also does not establish whether renewed interest will last or remain concentrated among specialist studios and custom projects. The examples demonstrate possible uses, not a measured shift across the wider home furnishings market.

More Projects Will Test the Trend

The next evidence will come from further commissions, product releases and completed interiors showing whether designers continue to incorporate passementerie. Hauvette & Madani’s 2026 La 23ème Heur collection is one cited example of the craft appearing in a recent furniture line.

For now, the report’s practical takeaway is limited but clear: designers featured by Livingetc are using tassels as controlled accents, with attention to material, color and placement. Whether that approach moves beyond individual projects remains to be seen.

Key Questions

What is passementerie?

Passementerie is decorative textile work that includes tassels, cords, fringes and trims. The Livingetc report presents it as a heritage craft adapted for contemporary interiors.

How are designers using tassels in modern homes?

The examples include tassels on curtain tiebacks, light pulls, keys and furniture. Some are understated and monochrome; others are larger statement details.

Who is Jessica Light?

Jessica Light is a London-based passementerie weaver who has made handmade tassels and trims for more than 30 years, according to the report. Her work uses materials including linen, wool, horsehair and paper.

Does the report show that tassels are a widespread trend?

No. It gives examples from designers and studios, but does not include industry-wide sales or adoption data. The scale and staying power of the interest remain unclear.

Source: rss