• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Blog
  • Exterior
  • Other Rooms
  • Decorate
  • The “Museum”
  • Be Safe/Renovate Safe
Retro Renovation
Retro Renovation

Retro Renovation

Remodel & decorate in Mid Century Style

  • Home
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Blog
  • Exterior
  • Other Rooms
  • Decorate
  • The “Museum”
  • Be Safe/Renovate Safe
Home / Decorating Resources / Other Stuff

Bargello needlepoint pillows — perfect for mid-century interior designs

pam kueber - December 8, 2009, Updated: November 10, 2020

Run, don’t walk, and start snapping up vintage Bargello needlepoint pillows before the rest of the design world goes nuts for them. These pillow are gorgeous. They are high-quality, handmade, graphic, backed with velvet or corduroy, assembled like a couture dress — and quite inexpensive. What more can you ask for?

bargello-needlepoint-pillow-from-zhiozaki-on-etsy

Above: Bargello needlepoint pillow from zhiozaki on etsy, $15.

60s bargello needlepoint pillow

Seems like every time I turn around I learn something new and exciting and fabulously wonderful about mid-century decor. These Bargello needlepoint pillows are my most recent discovery. I bought two (not knowing what I had) at the recent Adams estate sale time capsule. Above: Mod Bargello needlepoint pillow from farfallashop on etsy, $22.

bargello needlepoint stitches

Yesterday — thinking about pillows for Rachel, I thought of my pillows and went hunting on etsy and ebay. That’s where I spotted the term “Bargello.” Seems like Bargello has a long history. Also known as Florentine stitch or Hungarian point, it dates back to the 15th century. It’s also known as the easiest of needlepoint stitches — look closely above and you can see it is long stitches often taken across numerous holes in the canvas and usually to form very graphic patterns. Lots of zig zags.

Of course, you can get “regular” needlepoint pillows, too — nothin’ wrong with them, I have quite a few. But I’m all excited about these Bargellos, now that I know about them.

CATEGORIES:
Other Stuff

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

  • mid century door
    14 Places to Buy or DIY Mid Century Modern Front Doors
  • retro bathroom tile
    Tile in retro colors for your mid century bathroom -- 36 places to find them
  • landscaping a mid century house
    10 ideas for landscaping a mid century home
  • mid-century-escutcheons
    2019 Update: 5 places to buy escutcheons for mid century modern front doors
  • rolls-of-fabric
    Mid century modern and retro upholstery fabrics at discount prices -- Maharam, Knoll, Herman Miller & more

Reader Interactions

Comments are closed. 

11 comments

Comments

  1. Loverly Vintage says

    April 19, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Now I just have to decide…do I keep the collection I started years ago or sell them for a small fortune? I noticed they were getting harder to find about a year ago but I guess I’ve been lucky!!

  2. The Vintage Reader says

    February 3, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    Wow. We couldn’t give away all the vintage needlepoint kits (including some bargello pillows) at my mother’s estate sale. Some of them ended up in the Goodwill, but I snagged a few when they didn’t sell.

  3. nina462 says

    December 13, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    I remember making them in the 70’s (yikes)…

  4. Leah@storybookranch says

    December 11, 2009 at 7:49 am

    what a coincidence; I just spied a needlepoint pillow at my fathers house last weekend. My greatgrandfather used to make them after he broke his hand, it was his physical therapy.

  5. Dot says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Can’t believe that one of the needlepoint pillows I created some 20 years ago is on eBay (the one with the flowers inside the graduated ovals..only mine is in shades of pink, teal/green and some peach). I guess I was ahead of the time (I believe I also had the patchwork one too).

  6. denise says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:21 am

    funny you should write about this….I’ve been recently picking these up along with crewel embroidery and needlepoint pillows, plus vintage kits and books. I love the handmade-ness of them and the comfort and warmth they impart.

  7. lara jane says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:07 am

    Well, maybe it’s not a “fresh” idea, but does it even matter in regards to vintage/retro? It’s an “old” idea to start with! haha!

    I fell in love with these pillows during the whole Wary Meyers craze. Their place is just perfection.

    • pam kueber says

      December 8, 2009 at 9:42 am

      yes, lara jane – i love wary meyers, too. very sympathetic with our cause and always one step ahead in discovering/creating the next big thing, it seems.

  8. Mary-Frances Main says

    December 8, 2009 at 9:01 am

    Funny we must be thinking on the same wavelength, but I just discovered this gal: http://www.woolandhoop.com/crewelideas.html and think her pillows are neat and midcentury – crewel embroidery, but again very retro!

  9. magnarama says

    December 8, 2009 at 7:55 am

    I fear we’re already past the “discovery” stage for these cool vintage designs. Jonathan Adler has been selling retro-style bargello needlepoint pillows for quite a while — and some of his designs and colors are quite lovely, albeit priced at 8 to 10 times what I would pay for authentic vintage pieces.

    http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/home.php?cat=407

    • pam kueber says

      December 8, 2009 at 8:02 am

      Wow, magnarama, those Jonathan Adler pillows are gorgeous. Okay, so I am behind. But still: Vintage pillows going for $15 – $20? There’s some market discovery yet to be had! Snap ’em up, people. Thanks for the link, M, I will have to do a post. Love JA!

Primary Sidebar


Footer

Follow Along

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RENOVATE SAFE
  • About
  • Blog
  • The “Museum”
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Exterior
  • Other Rooms
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Notice
  • Disclosures
  • Contact

© 2023 Retro Renovation® • All Rights Reserved • Website by Anchored Design
Please do not use any materials without prior permission. Portrait by Keith Talley Photography