Gifts of Nature: A Rustic take on Whimsical Design
The enchanted world of Coral & Tusk.
The fine linens company Coral & Tusk has cultivated a devout following for its finely detailed, often whimsical nature-inspired designs. | Photo: Will Ellis
For Coral & Tusk’s origin story, one could point to Stephanie Housley’s 1999 graduation from Rhode Island School of Design, the 14 years she spent in Brooklyn as a designer for U.S. and Indian textile companies, or the moment in 2007 when she purchased an expensive embroidery machine and then made it pay for itself by crafting items to sell. But it goes back further, to her childhood in the Ohio Valley, where she was indelibly shaped by the dual influences of hand craftsmanship and the natural world.
“I come from a long line of Appalachians who could make something out of nothing,” she writes in the introduction to her book, In Stitches: The Enchanted World of Coral & Tusk (Rizzoli 2024). “I never saw a woman in my family with idle hands, whether they were gardening, making lace, refashioning scraps into doilies, cooking. My dad was one of the hardest working people I have ever known and set an inspiring example of focused dedication to craft … As a child I spent hours in the woods behind our house. Nothing thrilled me more like discovering little treasures. My mom instilled in me this joy of found natural objects, sharing her pure awe and childlike wonder in these gifts.”
Stephanie Housley founded Coral & Tusk 20 years ago in Brooklyn. She now lives close to nature in a log home in Wyoming. | Photo: Martin Scott Powell
For almost two decades, Housley has shared her own love of these gifts through designs inspired by the natural world. Rendered on embroidered linens, she draws all her artworks by hand. After she translates them stitch by stitch (there might be thousands of stitches in a single design) into embroidery software, they are turned into household items (pillows, napkins, table runners and more) in India, where production is overseen by Housley’s business partner, Yukti Gupta.
Instantly recognizable, the pieces have garnered a strong following, with devoted clientele as far away as Japan. Whimsically charming designs depict flowers, ferns and feathers; butterflies and birds; palm trees and coral; cacti and toadstools. Anthropomorphized woodland creatures are captured in imagined moments: a rabbit piloting a tugboat, a fox kissing its kit on the nose. In Coral & Tusk’s enchanted world, a bear holding a woven basket selects items from an apothecary under an antler-decorated canvas tent. In another scene, a group of animals with rucksacks and walking sticks prepare to set off on a hike.
Housley’s designs are equally inspired by her love of nature and her imagination. | Photo: Rinne Allen
In Stitches collects the bulk of Housley’s designs into one volume. Richly illustrated, it is divided thematically by the author’s primary influences (e.g., Western, woodland, jungle, coastal). Renowned designer John Derian provided the foreword, while Housley’s essays describe her creative journey, artistic process and nature-based life in Wyoming, where she has lived with her husband since 2016.
For the artist, the book represents both the realization of a dream and a full-circle moment. “I’ve done more than 3,000 designs in 16 years, but they’re on pillows and table linens,” Housley explains. “Even if you’re a collector, you’re not going to have room in your house or want to have all those things. A book is an opportunity to focus on the designs themselves, rather than products. And it hearkens back to the beginning, when I was so interested in drawing with thread.” Like the objects for which Coral & Tusk is revered, the book, with its copper-embossed title and spectacular cover (beautifully embroidered, of course), invites the viewer into its world—an enchanted world, described with thread.
Housley’s inspo wall evolves constantly, changing every few months. | Photo: Rinne Allen
In summertime, she says, “Our favorite place to spend time is lounging on these chairs with our dogs, watching our chickens run around catching grasshoppers.” Cushion designs are inspired by vintage postcards. | Photo: Rinne Allen
More inspiration in the studio: Housley’s dad’s hammer and a beloved collection of Beatrix Potter books from her childhood. | Photo: Rinne Allen
A glimpse into Housley’s artistic process shows vintage bird identification books, an original pencil drawing and an embroidered panel depicting some of her favorite songbirds. | Photo: Rinne Allen
Housley’s book, In Stitches, is as beautiful inside as its embroidered cover, which highlights the tactile allure of stitched linen items like the Enchanted Garden pillow. | Photo: Will Ellis
Housley works on a large-scale botanical in her Wyoming studio. | Photo: Rinne Allen
