Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Home furnishings designer Angela Adams is perhaps best known for her distinctive, patterned rugs. Her work, thoroughly modern and inspired by the natural landscapes of Maine, has graced the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, Dwell, Architectural Digest and numerous other national publications. But now, the Portland designer has set her sights on a new medium, one meant to be worn instead of walked on.

Adams’ new Treasure line features handcrafted necklaces — statement pieces threaded and tied with colorful beads, clustered fabric and unexpected details. One of them, an arresting white necklace of vintage beads and jeweled yarn, Adams envisions adorning the necklines of brides-to-be. She sat down with Love & Lobster to tell us all about her new venture.

L&L: Why did you decide to embark on the Treasure line?

AA: Treasure is the name of a new series of collaborations with artists, designers and craftspeople. This was project 1, a collaboration with a very talented friend, Kat Manock Alexander. She lives on the island where I grew up and I’m a big fan of her work. She has many skills including sewing, beading, drawing… She was very easy to work with and we both had a clear shared vision for the goals and the pieces. I was familiar with Kat’s work and shared with her some vintage beads, buttons and fabrics from my collection and we brainstormed about themes, then we both ran off and made necklaces, emailing and calling each other throughout the process.

L&L: What form will the other collaborations you’ve planned throughout the year take?

AA: That’s a big secret. We have a few lined up already and plan to introduce them every couple of months. I’m very excited about the next one, so keep an eye out for the announcement. We will always work with a wide range of materials and trades. It’s a lot of fun.

L&L: What kind of fashion aesthetic do you feel the necklaces represent?

AA: I see them as very textural and earthy. Not earthy in a color sense, but in a textural sense. Some truly feel like barnacles, glittering moonlit waves or mossy forest cushions.

L&L: Tell us about the Cloud necklace that you envision for brides. What kind of dress/ensemble do you see brides wearing it with?

AA: This piece was Kat’s creation and I think it’s very ethereal and magical. Like something a snow princess would wear. Or a floating dreamy angel or something. The materials are Austrian crystal yarn, vintage rhinestone ribbon, vintage beads and buckles, angela adams linen fabric, vintage fabric, grosgrain ribbon, and leather.

For the dress, I think a long, simple, drapey gown would be perfect. A strapless, straight silhouette would be very elegant.

L&L: Will the collection be available online?

AA: We do plan to have them online soon. They are all one-of-a-kind pieces and many have sold, so we need to create more. For now, it’s just necklaces, but we are cooking up some more goodies.

L&L: Finally, tell us about your own wedding, to furniture designer Sherwood Hamill, which we hear you kept very secret right up until the last minute!

AA: It was very casual and low key. We only invited our moms and our friend who married us. Our cats were the wedding party and we were married at home. After a simple wedding, we had a fun party and ate scallops caught by my uncles and other delicious Maine foods. It was my favorite wedding of all time.