Bees in Design
Happy much belated New Year y’all! I’m embarrassed to say it’s been awhile since I’ve posted to my design blog. Will you ever forgive me? Do you even care? LOL
I’m sitting down now (almost at the end of January) and finally have found a spark of digital literary creativity for my first post of this new decade. We’ve got lots of new projects we’re working on already this year…some with repeat clients and some with new ones. I keep finding myself saying, “Thank you for your patience” instead of “I’m sorry” (one of my New Year’s resolutions) and then offering them the “we’ve been busy little bees around here since the holiday break.” Then it clicked to me! That’s what I’m going to write about…BEES…duh!?!?
In case you didn’t know, 2019 was our first year of Beekeeping for Alan and I. Whenever we tell people this, I’m sure they think we’re completely crazy.
No this is NOT what we mean by wearing a bee suit | source
Turns out, it’s not crazy after all. It was ALL Alan’s idea, he did all of the reading and research, he ordered the calm Italian species of honeybees and now I’m hooked too. When they first arrived, delivered to our doorstep by our dear mail lady, I was a little apprehensive…well that and I had no protective bee gear (yet). I wore yoga pants and a mosquito net hat when we transferred them into the hive box, but it’s been nothing but natural since…the honey is by far the best too. Also, no stings for me to date! <knocks on wood thrice>
I could go on for hours talking about our bees and yes, we’ve heard all of the crazy questions and seen the stunned reactions too. What started as one hive has since split into two…one per each side of our city lot. We also have a new brood of all yellow, very docile honeybees shipping to us this April. Sorry in advance to our mail lady again.
Special delivery! Yes, this is how they shipped us our first brood of bees. Can you believe it?! They ship the queens (individual in smaller wire enclosures with a few worker bees accompanying them) in express envelopes punched with holes and lots of caution stickers…it’s crazy, I know | image is my own
If you’d like more information, I’ve got some very informative links below in my BONUS READS section. Also be sure to follow our bee & garden account @KingsGardenTexas named in tribute to my beloved golden retriever King.
Alan inspecting the hive after we did the split back in August of 2019. This is hive #2 back by our fruit and vegetable gardens on the back side of our home | source
Ok, so bees in design…here we go! I’ve started a new blog category I’m calling Timeless Standards. This is in direct opposition to the dreaded #CurrentlyTrending phrase that haunts a lot of us in the interior design industry. While some trends may actually be great looking, super popular and unavoidable…and yes, you want to have repeat clients that you love working with…you have to find the perfect marriage of both so that you’re not redesigning the same space every few years. I prefer the look of a room that defies the ubiquitous trends - is classic and timeless. Opposed to being a fleeting trend, its the idea of more of a gold standard that, when executed thoughtfully and artistically, will never date itself in your space.
Here’s a little history lesson, some of my favorite oldies but goodies and some newbies to help you #BeeInspired
Early bees
Detail of Napoleon’s tapestry with bees | image source
“…with the exception of the Napoleonic bee, other insects rarely decorate a piece of cloth in this century. Designers in the 1800’s were more adventurous etymologically.” During the Neoclassical empire, Napoleon “appropriated [the Napoleonic bee] from Egyptian hieroglyphics and made [it] his personal emblem. ”
A Funny Bee Memory
My parents had a beautiful custom home built in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas back when I was in high school. We were all very involved in the design process of this house…I guess we had practice, because we built it twice due to a fire…but that’s another story. The front powder bath was a Napoleonic Bee themed design. I remember shopping with my mother, years before I ever knew I’d do design for a living, and remember us looking for a character casegood to be modified into a custom vanity because that was all the new rage back then. Scouring local shops every Saturday, there it was: the doors were inlaid honeycomb patterned wood parquetry with burl accents, glinting brass knobs on a classic silhouette. Some modification to the drawers to accommodate the P-trap, a dark marble top and classic brass plumbing - it turned out quite lovely. The day the paper hanger came to install the wallcovering (a Napoleonic Bee type 1 with a dark ground and golden bees) he asked us, “Mam, do you want the roaches crawling UP the walls? Or DOWN the walls?”
I actually found an image of it!!! Here’s the memorable bee bathroom from our old home. Lord only knows what the new homeowners did to that beloved powder-bath. I saw some Zillow images a few years back and almost cried for the bad “upgrades” the new owners made to the interiors (awww) | image is my own
Ewww, not ROACHES?! I cannot make this up. Needless to say, we both died laughing and then confirmed “walking UP”. This contractor’s comment may have scarred our opinion of that bathroom for a little while…but it made for a great cocktail party story nonetheless.
TIP: if the bees are directional, I suggest always going up if this type of pattern orientation.
Bumble Bee BP 547 FARROW & BALL List Price: $230 (Per Roll) | source
Or let the main orientation of them determine how best to run versus railroad the materials…
France, c. 1810, gouache on paper, Apparel yard goods | source
Designer bees
NAPOLEON BEES Embroidered by hand STYLE NUMBER F108 from Chelsea Textiles | to the trade
MAGNOLIA & BLOSSOM Fabric Pattern 226295 Color Coral/Silver from Sanderson | to the trade
Nectar wallpaper Pattern 216354 Color Minearl/Dove from Sanderson | to the trade
NAPOLEON BEE VELVET FABRIC Pattern NB/8803/11 Color BLACK & PALE GOLD ON SEA BLUE from Timorous Beasties | offered in wide range of colors | Retails for £123.00 PER METRE | source
Pattern: F1255/02 - BEES in color: CAC - TAUPE from CLARKE & CLARKE | Retails for 70.00 (USD) Per YARD | to the trade
BEE BOUQUET CUSHION Item No. BBOU/CUSH/01 from Timorous Beasties | Retails for £120.00 EACH | source
A cushion from Gucci's 2019 home collection | source
Artists, jewelers, fashion houses, tabletop, accessory makers and others alike have all embraced this “apian insignia” as well and I’m really in love with some of these.
“Queen Bee” by Lea Bradovich | 12" x 9" acrylic gouache on panel | source
Christian Dior collection | source
Wallace Napoleon Bee Flatware Service for Horchow | source
Door and cabinet hardware are buzzing for bees | @kathrynnelsonid
Bee Figure Sculpture Philadelphia Museum Authorized Reproduction
Retails for $650 | Chairish
Bees for Sunset Park, North gate detail by Christopher Russell | source
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I do hope I’ve inspired you to appreciate this timeless motif a little more…and if these little fuzzy fliers are a little too much, remember you can always use a hex or honeycomb shape in your designs. Bees are (clearly) classic and not trendy so don’t be afraid to incorporate them into your style and home design…or even perhaps in your beauty regimen? I cannot go anywhere without a tube of the classic Burt’s Bees beeswax lip balm in my pocket or purse. Now, buzz off and get back to work!
Cheers
We want to see your bee inspired designs too! Make sure to share them to Instagram and let us see by tagging #ShowKNDyourDesign
A closeup of our bees during a hive inspection. You see them regurgitating pollen into the cells and capped cells where bee larvae is growing inside | image is my own
*** BONUS LINKS***
Love a little more info? Check out these links below for further reading, book & product suggestions and informative videos for all of my fellow bee lovers
BOOKS we love
The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild
The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses
The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees
Beekeeping for Beginners: How To Raise Your First Bee Colonies
100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive
What we use
VIVO Stainless Steel Bee Hive Smoker with Heat Shield
Blisstime Stainless Frame Lifter and Scraper J Hook Tool Hive Tool Beekeeping Equipment
Apian Attire
Forest Beekeeping Supply - Goatskin Leather Beekeeper's Glove with Long Canvas Sleeve & Elastic Cuff
Online Reads
Backyard Beekeeping: A Hobby With Sweet Rewards
Scientific Beekeeping: Articles by Publication Date
DIY Guide: How To Build a Beehive
Bee Videos
Skep Beekeeping in the Heathland (Full Series)
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