Tassels Add an Elegant Touch to Any Room or Outfit

The word tassel comes from the Latin word tasseau which means a clasp.  Tassels are generally seen constructed out of silky fibers or other kinds of string, but can be made out of leather, metal, or any other sort of fiber that can be knotted and twisted until the desired look is achieved.  They can be big or small, soft or rough and made out of a variety of fabrics and fibers.  Sometimes they are used as a decorative embellishment, otherwise they are, themselves the center of the aesthetic statement.  They have never gone out of fashion and seem to be a timeless feature in couture as well as interior design.

One of the most popular and enduring decorative flourishes in aesthetic history is the tassel.  They are the perfect combination of whimsy, elegance and refinement. They have a long and storied history in all sorts of establishments, a wide variety of cultures and a number of different decorating styles.  Whether you are decorating a room, an outfit or just your upper torso, you cannot go wrong with one of these lovely embellishments.

The fez is one of the most famous pieces of cultural ephemera that relates to this particular ornament.  The fez was recognized as the universal headgear of the Ottoman Empire as part of one of the many modernizing reforms of Sultan Mahmud II. It is a brimless cylindrical bonnet that, generally a bright red color and adorned at the very top by a dangling black tassel.  It is a very popular hat in the Middle East and in some parts of Africa and its main decorative flourish is part of what has made it so enduring.  In addition to the fez, tassels can be found in such places as graduation mortarboards.  In the graduation ceremony the movement of a tassel from the left to the right side of the mortarboard signifies the passage of a student from one level of their academic training to the next.  While this is the most common and well known use of this package of fibers, you will also find them regularly on the end of curtain ties, as decorative flourishes on shoes, jackets, epaulets or as a decorative touch on a doorknob or the end of a bathrobe.

When it comes to decorating for example, there are few places or spaces where it is put to better use.  There is something about them that eschews excessive formality and pretension and manages to create a feeling of serenity, beauty, simplicity and elegance in even the most staid and stodgy decorating schemes.  It can be very difficult for people who don't know how to change the décor of a room, to know what to do next.  Often drapes and other decorative touches are what need to be eliminated to really make a significant change.  If the furniture or paint colors are of a good quality, you need only to eliminate the fussy details of the room and start fresh to give them a whole new look.

Very often draperies or other window treatments are the problem.  Window treatments which are too heavy, dark in color or hung improperly can, very often, give a room an unfairly dark, old, or stuffy feel.  By removing drapes that are too heavy and replacing them with sheer curtains or lightweight drapes you can open on the feel of a room and create a truly stunning space.  Tying drapes back with ropes that have tassels is another excellent way to open the window-space up and create an environment of light, airy warmth and comfort.  Hanging drapes higher up and closer to the ceiling creates the illusion of a higher ceiling, a larger room and a more open space.  This is a decorator’s trick that can really change the feel of a room.