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How’s it hanging?
Mobiles and other ceiling decorations for grown-ups
BY CHRISTINE JUNGE

Maybe they are yet another way adults try to reclaim their youth. Or maybe it’s just that in their typically cramped Boston apartments, people feel the need to decorate areas other than the walls. Either way, ceiling-hanging decorations (think babies’ mobiles) are everywhere this spring.

The ceiling of the eclectic artisan boutique Indigena, for example, displays quite a few. Customers might first notice the little ceramic monkeys ($16.95) that hang not only from the ceiling, but also from each other — hooked by tails and arms. Then their eyes might turn to the ball chimes ($65), mobiles that display about a dozen brass or chrome balls descending from a curved base on gradually lengthening pieces of string. And while people are paying for their new treasures, they might notice the Wind Wonders ($15–$400) dangling above the cash register. These hand-crafted spiral ribbons of copper spin with the wind, so they’d make a perfect adornment in a hallway or anywhere else there’s a cross breeze. They range in length from about six inches to six feet, and some have double and triple spirals that spin in different directions if the wind catches them right.

Fire Opal’s mobiles ($42) honor the solar system and nature: the aluminum objects that hang down are in the shape of planets, leaves, and flowers. The mobile is set up so that each arm can move independently, giving the impression of falling leaves or rotating planets when the mobiles spin. The store also sells large glass beads wrapped in wire ($24) that can be hung individually, or linked together to make a string-like mobile.

Whippoorwill also has a flair for decorative suspense, with little figurines made of rice paper, cloth, and wire ($45–$95) dancing from the ceiling. These whimsical, mostly female figures have different poses — one is hanging by her foot in a bright yellow dress, wielding a red kite with multicolored bows on its tail; another woman is leaping and clutching an umbrella as if it’s keeping her afloat. If you’re looking for a gift for a friend, you could go for the symbolism of blown-glass friendship balls ($19–$35) — so named because back when glass blowers were busy making useful things all day, they’d relax later by making frivolous balls for their friends. They come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are spherical or saucer-shaped.

If you’re looking for something a little more dorm-room-esque, there are always those paper star lamps that are almost as ubiquitous as tapestries in college students’ apartments. Copley Flair sells Neuvo Star Lights ($22.95) that include the fixture. They come in different funky colors, like orange and a purple metallic, and have star and moon shapes cut out of them. When lit, the lamp projects a little solar system onto the walls.

Where to find it:

• Copley Flair, 583 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 247-1648.

• Fire Opal, 7 Pond Street, Jamaica Plain, (617) 524-0262; 320 Harvard Street, Brookline, (617) 739-9066.

• Indigena, 42-44 South Street, Jamaica Plain, (617) 522-5585.

• Whippoorwill, 1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, (800) 827-5149.


Issue Date: May 7 - 13, 2004
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