For relaxing in comfort, there’s nothing better than a hammock.
Just ask the London-based designer Ilse Crawford, or her husband and partner in Stuidoilse, Oscar Peña. They not only have their own at home, but also frequently install them in interior design projects for clients.
“We love them,” Ms. Crawford said. “Hammocks have been part of our lives for a very long time.”
She added: “We give our friends hammocks as presents. We’re responsible, I think, for the hammock infiltration of London.”
There’s a hammock infiltration of London? Why?
With a hammock, “you can do so many things: swinging, napping, sitting,” said Mr. Peña, who hails from the hammock hotbed of Colombia. He and Ms. Crawford own numerous examples, he said, and recently designed one: the Wellbeing hammock, for Nanimarquina.
No matter which hammock they have strung up at home, when friends visit, “the kids always jump in,” Ms. Crawford said.
“But you know what?” she said. “Sometimes the fancy clients do, too. There’s something visceral about the attraction.”
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How will you suspend it? Ms. Crawford and Mr. Peña don’t like hammock stands; they prefer attaching a hammock to a beam or some other structural element. That way, “the hooks are part of the story,” Ms. Crawford said. Which means that “finding really good hooks that are solid is important, not only for safety but also for the aesthetic and feeling.”
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How wide should a hammock be? “A good hammock has to be very generous,” Mr. Peña said. “So you can wrap yourself in it,” Ms. Crawford added.
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How comfortable is the material? “It’s really important that it’s not itchy,” Mr. Peña said, noting that both the type of material and the way the product is woven affect a hammock’s comfort: When the weave is very open, individual strands can sometimes dig into skin.
Classic Hanging Daybed
Suspended, weather-resistant daybed with collapsible, rigid frame
From $449 at TiiPii: 224-236-0947 or tiipiibed.com
Sucre Hammock
Hammock with macramé skirt and tassels, handwoven by Colombian artisans
$299 at Glammocks: 011-57-300-269-3834 or wayuuhammocks.com
Hanging Chair Hammock
Upright, chair-style hammock handwoven from weather-resistant yarn in Thailand
$179 at Yellow Leaf Hammocks: 844-766-6946 or yellowleafhammocks.com
Single Original Duracord Rope Hammock
American-made hammock with weather-resistant rope and oak spreader bars
About $180 at Pawleys Island: 877-401-9017 or pawleysislandhammocks.com
Bolivian Hammock
Striped hammock with crocheted side details, made by Bolivian artisans
$585 at L’Aviva Home: 212-625-9605 or lavivahome.com
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