summer antiquing : hudson ny

born and raised in upstate new york, my favorite time of year back there is early june–  its the nostalgic combination of the lush green landscape, heavy warm summer air, rolling afternoon thunderstorms and long endless days.  this visit, we spent the day in Hudson checking in at regan and smith antiques and exploring the art, furniture, jewelry and textiles of warren street.  every shop is so well curated– below are a few favorite images and finds.

warren street . details, ornamentum gallery

swedish rag runners, birgit antiques . set of three milo baughman tables, neven moderne

necklace detail, ornamentum gallery . neven moderne . mid century parisian bar stools, gris

stacks of bertoia benches, neven moderne . “inlay” . a curule stool, noonan antiques

mccobb table lamps, neven moderne . necklaces, ornamentum gallery . industrial work table, gris

mim design : inspiration for the day

this morning, cw forwarded me the link to mim design as their work reminded him of me.   so sweet and he is right on– from the land of oz, mim creates the most lovely interior environments and their commercial work has great whimsy and use of brand patterning.  love love love.

wishbone chair : fresh squeezed colors

designed in 1949, the iconic wishbone chair has been in uninterrupted production since 1950.  now to celebrate the chair’s 60th birthday, carl hansen & son has introduced the chair in a beautiful array of spring colors.  the citrus seat color palette is calm and zingy all at once– so refreshing.

via cw and me

no longer emotionally detached

i have been the worst.  so for all you readers out there who check in with me and for cw, i vow to be a better blogger.    to get back in the game, a quick post linking to the most humerous blog of the moment, unhappy hipsters– mocking the trend toward emotionally detached models in architectural photography, unhappy hipsters give a voice to these upwardly mobile yet marginalized “dwell“ers.

caption left : He tried to focus on the novel, and not how much his bedroom reminded him of a plywood coffin. [photo: dwell magazine, november 2009]

caption right : Not on the grass, Sweetie. Never. On. The. Grass. See how much fun Daddy is having? [photo: jack thompson, dwell, october 2009]

dining with frogs

the ever talented hella jongerius‘ table “grenouille“ for galerie kreo in paris depicts a life size human or mythical size frog dipped in blue enamel.  i dont think i would appreciate dining with the frog everyday but i appreciate her whimsy.  the combination of the frog and the simple table form reminded me of droog’s “godogan” table– a minimal walnut plank table that has a been hand carved to illustrate an indonesian fairy tale about a frog that turns into a prince. the amazingly intricate design which is hand crafted in indonesia is continued across the table top as a laser etching.  pretty amazing, right?

grenouille table, 2009. limited edition of 8 pieces + 2 A.P. + 2 prototypes. photos from galerie kreo, paris

godogan table, 2006 by niels van eijk & miriam van der lubbe, edited by droog. photos from hedge gallery, san francisco

the collection of robert isabell : flora, light + steel

next weekend, the estate of robert isabell, the late floral designer and event planner extraordinaire goes on view at sotheby’s new york.  renowned for creating spaces for the most celebrated society events, I was intrigued to see his west village townhouse and to discover the objects with which he chose to surround himself.  as illustrated below, he juxtaposed the delicate lines of 1940s furniture from french designers against the more heavy and sculptural pieces from american studio designers– evoking his passion for floral installations, these pieces are all covered and illuminated by vignettes of sculptural works in iron, steel and light.

the new york times describes robert isabell’s interior landscape as “a combination of the lush foliage [he] had cultivated throughout the house and the plantlike forms of the rough-hewn metal sideboards and other pieces in his trove of mid-20th-century furniture and sculpture.”

the central atrium has a glass and steel bridge connecting his bedroom and dressing room .  at the center is an oversized showerhead allowing him to drench himself in his own private garden of ivy, orchids and bamboo.

view from atrium into the house . lot 35 giuseppe ravasio table lamp model no. G999, c. 1970 estimate $20-30,000

on top of a jean prouve dresser and below the rays of the serge mouille sconce rests a forest of laurel lamps, lot 97 estimate $800-1,200 . photograph from a robert isabell event

recalling his art of floral design, various organic light fixtures and one of many bertoia “bush” sculptures

a vignette of works by important american studio designers . lot 30 a harry bertoia sound sculpture c. 1970 estimate $50-70,000

a buffet by paul evans sits below a cabinet by his peer and fellow new hope, pa craftsman philip lloyd powell. detail, lot 74 a hanging cabinet, walnut and gold leaf, philip lloyd powell, c.1960 estimate $12-18,000

a paul evans settee and harry bertoia sculpture . i love the lines of this albert paley candlestick and bucket, lots 16 and 17

at the back of the property, a former blacksmith’s shop holds the “nickel couch,” by johnny swing, a vermont designer who spent three months welding thousands of nickels onto a patinated metal frame. lot 52 estimate $15,000 to $20,000

according to the NYT, “the principal beneficiary of the sale is the oak spring garden foundation, a charity for botanical studies founded by bunny mellon, the 99-year-old listerine heiress and philanthropist, who was mr. isabell’s closest friend.”

all images via nyt

eco chic : animals + wall appliques

animals seem to be my theme this week– these educational wall stickers are fantastic.  great graphics for the wall, eco friendly and what’s better than a daily game with dinosaurs and kangaroos. . . how fun are these?  

p.s. how hilarious is the little model?

available at hommu

via notcot.org

animal rugs : colorful + fun

the rug company introduced a new collection from the handsome british designers, edward barber + jay osgerby.   designed for children, these rugs are equally suitable for adults.  graphic . colorful and fun. . . love them :

owl

fishes

snake . fyi – cw would have nightmares if this was in our office.

butterfly pink

butterfly orange

all rugs are handknotted, 100 knot, tibeten wool

all images via the rug company

random images : need i say more

some images from photographer, per ranung that i have clipped for various reasons :

simply white . window with cantileavered seat 

original wood floors . herringbone, need i saw more.

layers of antique kilims contrasting against crisp white walls and cabinetry.   

warm walls . wide plank floors . simple and comfortable table and chairs

all images from the brigatta martin AB

piero lissoni : old + new

its all about italian design today because this morning, i went to a breakfast at dzine in honor of piero lissoni who was in san francisco for the week.  he is a talented and funny man, not to mention handsome with a strong aesthetic that is clear throughout his body of work.  piero lissoni prides himself in controlling the entire design process by being an architect, interior designer, furniture designer, industrial designer, stylist and graphic designer as well as the creative director and chief designer at boffi and living divini.  he is probably most recognized for his upholstered pieces [available here] but below are images of two residential projects where i appreciate how he has handled or rather, made the contrast between the old and the new architecture.  

loft monza . monza, italy 2008

villa dubrovnik . dubrovnik, croatia 2009

boffi spa headquarters .  the carbon fiber reception desk is elegant– check out that cantilever!