Design

Do you Speak Designese?

Written on January 27, 2012 at 4:19 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Ever notice the way language reflects trends in design? Happily we have retired “bling” and any more we seldom subject readers to alarming interiors described as “eclectic,” where everything from the vase that used to be a chamber pot (quirky) and the bathtub that used to be a cattle trough (whimsical) used to be something else. Now we’re at least “upcycling” those chamber pots!

As a bibliophile, I was pleased when, a few months back, nearly every designer we interviewed used the verb “reads” for the way a design looks. Ie., “With a coffered ceiling and warm paint, the family room reads cozy.” Or, “A casual checked material on the chairs keeps the dining room from reading too stuffy.” And “Because it facilitates conversation, a round table reads friendlier.” (Guess how friendly it reads depends on your family — let’s hope it doesn’t read holding ancient grudges that are aired only at Thanksgiving!)

Museum directors must be pleased with the cache the word “curated” has achieved in the design world, though as an editor whose hall closet could use a tight edit (dog leashes jumbled with orphaned gloves, extension cords, corroded batteries, and a hat that makes me look like Aunt Bea), I like “well-edited” even better: “The home has a traditional shell with interiors that are quiet and well-edited.” No loud interiors, please! We’re trying to write here.

For the last couple of years, we don’t seem to profile designers who are timid with color. They’re all at least “fearless,” if not “obsessed.” A new meaning for OCD: Obsessive Color Disorder. And like the presidential candidates who are always trying to outdo each other’s narratives (raised by wolves or at least by an impoverished single mother), we’ve become fearlessly obsessed with narratives ourselves. One of our recent articles was dubbed “Stories to Tell.” My guess is that fearless color may be going the way of bling: lately we’re hearing a lot about subtle, nuanced, hushed and whispering colors, bringing to mind a martini made with gin while the word vermouth is only whispered in the next room.

Meanwhile “bespoke,” meaning custom-made, is being badly abused by the makers of mass-produced goods who claim their pressboard desks have bespoke details. At least they’re finally giving “iconic” a rest — if everything is bespoke or iconic, nothing is.

And who is the party responsible for starting this “loves, loves, loves” thing? I’d like a word, word, word with them. I for one love, love, love my grandbabies but I only love, love my living room, kinda like my bedroom, and actually hate, hate, hate my kitchen. Maybe I’d like it better if it had “rock-star chic,” “rock-star glamour,” or at least a whiff of “edginess.” I wonder what rock stars say when they want to describe something glamorous? I’m willing to bet it’s not “magazine editor-chic.” I think the person who came up with “loves, loves, loves” was also the first to ask “Isn’t that fabulous?”

Gosh, this reads edgy. Maybe I should curate myself!

 

Eloise Would Have Loved This Madcap Powder Room

Written on January 16, 2012 at 4:04 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Monkeys swinging from chandeliers and scarlet drapes with gold tassels—the decorating scheme of this powder room is “rawther fancy,” as Eloise, the little girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel, would put it.  The powder room—in the lovely Long Island home of Traditional Home reader Christina Merrill—has a delightful Eloise connection: Its murals on canvas were painted by Hilary Knight. Thereby hangs both a tail (a monkey’s) and a tale.

 

Powder Room Mural by Hilary Knight

 

Hilary Knight’s name may sound familiar, especially if you were ever a little girl or have ever read stories to one, because Knight is the illustrator of the beloved children’s book series, Eloise, by Kay Thompson. Like all the greats, Knight made it look easy. His fluid, whimsical illustrations—which are so spontaneous-looking you’d swear they were dashed off on a napkin—capture Eloise’s youthful insouciance. They also portray the bemusement of the hotel guests and staff as she confounds her guardians and orders from room service “one roast-beef bone, one raisin, and seven soup spoons.” (I love Eloise because at five, she was Not Pretty but was already a Person.)

 

 

Hilary Knight’s photo from the back over of the first Eloise book

Knight was only 29 when the first Eloise book came out, and the powder room murals, Christina Merrill believes, were painted even before then, probably in the late forties or early fifties. Currently adorning her own home in Long Island, they were originally painted for the powder room of the Manhattan apartment where she lived as a baby. Christina’s father, Joe Buhskin, was a jazz pianist who co-wrote Frank Sinatra’s first hit, “Look At Me Now,” and  played with Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, and other greats. (Go here for his rousing version of “I Love a Piano” — as the song’s lyrics say, he knew a fine way to treat a Steinway: http://bit.ly/zeShOj ). As a young man about town just out of the Navy (where his painting was confined to literally painting ships) Knight frequented clubs where Bushkin played, and the two suave gents became fast friends.

 

 

Joel Bushkin

 

The effervescent quality of the murals captures the nightclubby, martiniesque mood of mid-century Manhattan, where Knight painted them as a gift in the Bushkin apartment in River House on 52nd St., which is still an apartment house. The Bushkin family moved to California when Christina was young, but she met Knight on several occasions. “My three sisters and I loved going to the Plaza, and we were thrilled when he signed our copies of the Eloise books,” she says.

When her parents’ apartment was sold, an adult Christina loved the powder room so much she recreated it in her classic Long Island home, out of what had been a telephone room.  Her friend, interior designer Meg Braff, whose work we have featured in Traditional Home, designed the powder room with Christina’s input—and the artist’s. Christina had restoration specialists painstakingly remove Knight’s canvas murals from the Manhattan apartment and bring them to her Long Island home. She sent a town car to the city to fetch Knight for his input. (Knight was born in 1926 and is very much alive: hilaryknight.com). “I had hired an artist to help, and together they worked out how he wanted it to be. He was so gracious and friendly, and so glad that I had gone the extra mile with the murals,” she says. Designer Braff discovered some vintage Scalamandre gold tassels that look just like the tassels in the mural to tie back the new powder room’s scarlet drapes, a perfect touch for this powder room extraordinaire.

 

 

 

Powder Room Mural by Hilary Knight

 

By the way, Christina was one of the winners of our annual Classic Woman Awards last year for her work as founder of The Bone Marrow Foundation (bonemarrow.corg). She is also the mastermind behind Town Togs, which makes ties for boys and men, with a percentage of profits going to her charity (towntogs.com). The name comes from the idea of dressing up for trips into town, just as she and her sisters did as little girls and just as her three sons do today . Meanwhile, the Eloise legacy lives on at the Plaza, where you can visit the Eloise shop or throw an Eloise birthday party (theplaza.com).

Charming Architectural Birdhouses

Written on January 6, 2012 at 2:41 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Do you remember a They Might Be Giants song, “Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul”? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAbZzdalZh4)

I’ve had that song in my head ever since seeing architectural birdhouses by Home Bazaar. These little beauties are rendered either in an architectural style—like a salt box cottage, a pagoda, an arts and crafts bungalow, and oodles of others—or are inspired by real buildings, like the garden pavilion at Monticello or the Hotel Del Coronado. (‘m especially smitten with the Arts and Crafts bungalow, because it looks a lot like my house.) Some people display them inside or on covered porches, protesting that they’re too pretty to use outside — but they are created for outdoor use.

 

Gramercy Park Birdhouse

 

The birdhouses and birdfeeders are made out of materials like ply-board, kiln-dried hardwood, and poly-resin for the fine details, using non-toxic, water-based outdoor paint with pine or western red cedar shingles for the roof.  Strict birding enthusiast guidelines are used so that birds can nest, multiply and return: the back comes off so the interior can be easily cleaned.

 

San Francisco Rowhouse Birdhouse

 The reason they are made of hardwood is that this makes them cooler inside for the birds, as opposed to birdhouses made of synthetic materials. The also have ventilation and drainage, and can be mounted on a garden pedestal, like a cottage design mounted on a pedestal with Victorian scrollwork.

Because they are made of mostly natural materials, they become weathered. David Silverman, founder of the company, says, “That’s part of the beauty of them. When they start to get old, they  age naturally, and birds can live in them for many years.”

Hobbit House

 

Prices range from $25 to upwards of $300. For more information: http://www.hbbirdhouse.com/default.htm

Timeless Beauty: Two Ambitious NYC Exhibits on The Work and Influence of Duncan Phyfe

Written on December 8, 2011 at 4:43 pm
By Rebecca Christian

I grew up hearing the name “Duncan Phyfe” spoken in a tone of hushed reverence by my grandmother. Almost always clad in a little black dress and pearls and a veiled hat, she loved beautiful things and was crazy about his furniture with its harp and lyre backs and dragon claw feet. The Phyfe mystique endures, as evidenced by two complementary new exhibits about him and his work about to open in NYC this month. One is the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s sweeping retrospective, Duncan Phyfe: Master Cabinetmaker in New York, December 20, 2011-May 6, 2012, which will include furniture produced in Scottish immigrant Phyfe’s Fulton Street studio, which once stood on the site of the World Trade Center (http://bit.ly/uqN3YY).

The second exhibit, The World of Duncan Phyfe-The Arts of New York, 1800-1847  is a multimedia exhibit that opens Thursday, December 15, at the Hirschl and Adler Galleries and runs through February 17. Curated by gallery owners Stuart and Elizabeth Feld, it’s comprised of work made by Phyfe and his contemporaries in New York City, and shown alongside the work of other artisans of the time in wood, silver, porcelain, and metal. The show offers an unusual opportunity to buy museum quality work. Hirschl and Adler Galleries co-owner Elizabeth Feld says of the two exhibits, “For someone who loves design, it’s a field day,” says. Here’s an example of an early piece on display at the galleries:

 

 

Attributed to Duncan Phyfe, New York
The Ogden Family Work Table, about 1810-15
Satinwood and burl satinwood, partially ebonized, and mahogany, with gilt-brass paw toe caps and castors and drawer pulls, baize writing surface, and mirror plate
31 in. high, 21 ≤ in. wide, 14 π in. deep
Photo by the Helga Photo Studio

Says Feld, “Basically the word ‘Phyfe’ has become a very generic way of saying neoclassical, like Kleenex is a way to describe tissue. His name became the moniker for the aesthetic. Neoclassical keeps reinventing itself. He helped create an indigenous New York form of classicism, and because he was so successful, his name became attached to the style. Our show uses the nearly five-decade span when Phyfe was working in New York (he had emigrated from Scotland before 1800) to take a look at what was happening in the way of design and aesthetics in New York during that period. Phyfe was a tastemaker, and really helped to define the New York ‘brand’ of neoclassicism which developed around him. Our show includes furniture (by Phyfe and some of his direct competitors), porcelain, glass, silver, and lighting all made in New York or abroad for an American clientele. This is an area that our gallery specializes in and has done several other major exhibitions and books on over the years. This was a natural way to expand our outreach on this subject matter to those interested in the era. We are also including fine arts (paintings, prints, works on paper, sculpture) to help paint a portrait of this moment (albeit a long and changing one).”

Here’s a example of a Phyfe table from his middle years:

 

 

 

MIDDLE YEARS
Attributed to Duncan Phyfe, New York
Pier Table, about 1817-22
Rosewood, with poplar feet, gilded and painted verde antique, and an unidentified wood, with die-stamped brass inlay inset with rosewood, ormolu mounts, white marble, black-and-gold marble, and mirror plate
36 9/16 in. high, 42 in. wide, 20 π in. deep
Photo by Joshua Nefsky

Phyfe worked for 50 years, and during that time his style evolved, Feld says, from a light early style to a middle period of more florid neoclassicism (the phantasmagorical period my grandmother loved), infusing pieces with gryphons and lions, and ending with a period where he made form-based pieces that were very sculptural — their only added decor was the application of incredible tropical woods as veneers. The two pieces above are from the early and middle years, and the piece below from the late years, show that progression:

LATE CAREER
Attributed to Duncan Phyfe and Sons, New York
Center Table in the Restauration Taste, about 1837-40
Mahogany, with brass hardware and castors, 28 1/8 in. high, 36 in. diameter
Private collection
Photo by Joshua Nefsky

 

The exhibit at the Hirschl and Aldler Galleries is free and open to the public from Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and on Saturdays from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, and by appointment on Mondays at The Crown Building, 730 Fifth Avenue, 4th Floor (57th Street), New York, NY 10019, 212-535-8810.

 

 

Bid On Great Designer Before and After Items (And It’s For A Great Cause)!

Written on November 28, 2011 at 3:45 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Recently at our Classic Woman Awards luncheon in New York, I had the pleasure of  catching up with designer Jennifer Flanders (whose drop-dead gorgeous Manhattan apartment that she shares with two darling daughters we memorably featured in our magazine: http://bit.ly/tmP5fF).

Jennifer Flanders

 

I was pleased to discover that at our Classic Woman awards program a couple of years ago, Jennifer became so inspired by Classic Woman honoree Susan Fredman’s Designs for Dignity organization in Chicago that she decided to establish the same organization in New York. Designs for Dignity uses pro bono designer services, materials and finishes donated by manufacturers, vendors, clients and showrooms to create beautiful, healing spaces for nonprofits and residences that serve people in need (http://bit.ly/w1l6uS ). Its philosophy is that everyone has the right to live in a home they can be proud of, regardless of financial or social status.

For the New York branch’s project, Jennifer had the clever idea of challenging ten top designers to find old pieces of furniture to redesign, with the idea of auctioning them off at a charity event in New York December 1. (You don’t have to be there to bid on an item; in fact, you can do it online: http://bit.ly/rM2RJC). Here is a chair Jennifer herself redesigned with Amy Statuto.

 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

Jennifer says, “We felt this was an apropos way to raise funds because part of what Designs for Dignity does is take advantage of all the waste and excess in the design industry. We are using the fundraiser to show ways in which old pieces of furniture can be given new life and re-used rather than thrown away.  We have a wonderful group of designers donating both their time and resources to this event, and we are hopeful that not only will this effort raise funds to help our NY chapter get off the ground, but it will also raise awareness in the NY design community.”

 

Laura Bohn Associates designed the two-drawer chest below:

 

BEFORE

AFTER

The event, a cocktail reception and auction where the upcycled items can be viewed, is Thursday evening, December 1, from 6 to 9 p.m at Newel’s new showroom at 425 E. 53rd St. Tickets are available online for $75 and at the door for $90.  It’s sponsored by VandM, which sells vintage furniture, antiques,  fine art and jewelry from around the world online (vandm.com). Designers represented are Bradley Stephens, Kevin Walz, Laura Bohn Design Associates, Drew McGukin, Christopher Coleman, Etienne Coffinier and Ed Ku of Coffinier Ku Design, Jim Aman and John Meeks, Jennifer Flanders and Amy Statuto, and Doug and Gene Meyer.

 

It’s Not Too Late: Quick Ship Decorative Items for Thanksgiving

Written on November 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm
By Rebecca Christian

If like me you are still dragging out the same tired horn o’ plenty and dour looking resin Pilgrim couple up from the basement for Thanksgiving, you might like to give some handsome Thanksgiving items from The Well Appointed House a whirl. They’re 25 percent off the prices listed below through Sunday, November 20, and can be shipped quickly.

 

Thanksgiving Wreath with Dried Magnolia Leaves and Turkey and Pheasant Feathers, $108

(it also has a coordinating table swag)

To order, use this link: http://bit.ly/vfXktU

The website also has pretty tableware, including this platter:

Pheasant Tray, $152

Use this link to order: http://bit.ly/rVq9XZ

You’ll find garlands you can have made for Christmas and lots of other pretties, too, at wellappointedhouse.com. And if you like using natural decor for your table, check out this blog post on The Daily Grommet website from designers at Anders Ruff Custom Designs: http://bit.ly/tu5ZXc (love those artichokes and white pumpkins — so pretty and so simple).

101 Things I Hate About Your House

Written on November 11, 2011 at 4:02 pm
By Rebecca Christian

That headline caught your attention, didn’t it? Me, too. It’s also the clever title of a witty and useful new book by designer Jim Swan, who promises readers he’ll take them on a room to room tour to transform their homes from faux pas to fabulous. He delivers.

Between the comatose houseplants, the blinding entryway light  meant to discourage bad guys from wandering up to my vestibule from the nearby freeway but more suitable for interrogating prisoners than welcoming guests, the stack of catalogs on (where else?) the dining room table, the furniture pushed up against the wall like redneck mothers, the faint and to me, a dog lover, not necessarily unpleasant whiff of canine I don’t always remember to temper with a candle scented with what a chemist for Walmart thinks orange blossoms smell like, I saw myself on almost every page.

The books is full of fun color illustrations, like this dowager’s beringed hand in desperate search for a coaster on which to lay her ‘tini.

Swan writes, “Often to be pitied is the guest who approaches, sweaty glass in hand, clearly intending to perch on a pouf and join in the riotous conversation. Perching complete, she looks for that small but monumentally important 3 1/2 inch shield with which she can honor her host and aid in protecting the costly table top on which her dripping drink wants to be placed….It’s fair trade, in my opinion if the French polish on that walnut-marquetry candlestand becomes ghosted and ringed with water spots.”

He also rails against too-high piles of pillows that become kitty jungle gyms. (Um, do they still call them “jungle gyms?” That is my phrase, not the author’s).

The book would make a fun gift for a friend who wants to improve the look of his or her home (and isn’t so thin-skinned they’ll take it as a hint instead of a present.) Or you might want to get it for yourself — Swan’s commonsensical advice tells you what you already know but tend to forget as the detitrus of life piles up around you and the force of habit makes you blind to your own surroundings. I, for one, am going to do something about my graveyard for dead appliances. Order the book ((HCI) for about $13 from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Things-About-House-Room-Room/dp/0757315674

You also might want to check out the book’s quirky Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Swan-and-101-Things-I-Hate-About-Your-House/374081828267

Modern Shape, Vintage Images — Intriguing Handmade Lamps at a Reasonable Price

Written on November 3, 2011 at 12:03 pm
By Rebecca Christian

If, like me, you are drawn to flea markets where you can find nostalgic oddments such as old coins, old stamps, vintage card games, and handwritten recipes, I think you will like Monica Burke’s Table Lamps as much as I do. Working at a vintage lighting studio inspired Monica to rewire old lamps and remake them using found objects and nostalgic images from old postcards and maps. Sometimes she uses her own original photography. In her recent work, a contemporary cylindrical shape gives the lamps a modern edge.

Czech Rhino Stamp Lamp by Monica Burke

The lamps are handmade of sturdy cotton with archival grade ink. I first saw Monica’s work when my daughter — who loves handmade things and likes to support emerging artists and craftswomen — gave one of her lamps as a wedding gift. The “Appearing Quote Typewriter” Lamp looks like an old typewriter with a fresh sheet of paper in it when unlit. When turned on, a quote appears — and you can pick the quote. She’ll customize it.

Monica Burke’s Appearing Quote Typewriter Lamp

The lamps are $48 at The Daily Grommet (http://bit.ly/vGUc0Q), and you can also find her work at etsy.com.

Fish in the Garden

Written on October 18, 2011 at 3:51 pm
By Rebecca Christian

I sometimes toss press releases touting garden accents and statuary because it seems to me you can’t improve on nature, and isn’t that what gardening is all about?

Nonetheless I hung on to a flier I got from a place called Fish in the Garden in Falmouth, Maine. There artist Tyson Weiss creates schools of fish out of colorful high-fired glazed ceramics or shiny brushed stainless steel that surge through gardens and interiors in a way that is surreal and calming. I’m particularly taken with this Cobalt Koi. I find myself looking at it several times a day, especially when I’m fighting with my computer.

Grouped together, the fish appear to be swimming in a school.

You can group fish meant to adorn interiors with especially designed tabs that hold the fish an inch away from the wall, creating interesting shadows. Different species of fish are available for the sake of regional relevance—for example if you live on the Florida coast you can order a barracuda, or in Massachusetts, a striped bass or bluefin tuna. (Do you suppose he could make a whiskery river catfish for a landlocked Iowan?). Just as in nature, the fish are weatherproof. Prices range from $49 to $480. The fish are available at fishinthegarden.com.

Richard Gere strikes the right cord

Written on October 4, 2011 at 12:34 pm
By Doris Athineos

 

Actor Richard Gere is selling off his vintage guitar collection for charity. Rock on, Richard. Guitars once owned by blues legend Albert King, Jamaican reggae musician Peter Tosh and American guitar maker James D’Aquisto all hit the auction block at Christie’s October 11. “I’ve had a love affair with guitars since I was a kid,” says Gere, who is donating the proceeds from 83 guitars and 24 amps ($1 million estimate) to humanitarian causes. “They’ve been my true friends through the best and worst of times. Some are very special. Although it’s more than a little painful to let them go, each one has been played, loved and appreciated–and will
be again.”