ceiling

sweetness and light

Written on December 1, 2010 at 4:41 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

When asked to do a feature vignette at the Lampworks showroom in Manhattan, designers generally bring in a cabinet here, a console there, and it’s all a slightly serious undertaking (Albert Hadley has done one). Interior designer Felicia Zwebner, founder of her own firm, Art De Triomphe, decided to attempt her most ambitious installation ever and go outside the box and off the floor.

Her initial inspirations were fall, but not pumpkins and hay bales, and the outdoors. Her love of France led her to ideas of eating outside and vineyards. A little bit of Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland and the vision was complete.

photograph: (c) 2010 Dwight B. Tobin

A canvas floor cloth is painted to look like the sky, and the stairs are a rushing waterfall, both by Faux Time Design. Ceramic mushrooms and butterflies dot the faux rock formations. An extra bit of whimsy is the French-inspired taffeta hot air balloon.

Tilt your head 90 degrees to the right and take in the “blue stone patio” with table fabricated by Window 25 and Pierre Deux wheat-back chairs, Kravet fabric (as the tablecloth) with Samuel & Sons trim, as well as the birch canopy. There are so many sweet details, such as the burlap seat cushions also from Window 25; I love the tiny one on the child’s chair. It took a lot of effort and finger-crossing to pull off this wall-mounted scene.

Of course, the light fixtures are the real stars. Hung or mounted at different heights is a mix of new, custom, and vintage indoor and outdoor pieces in varying scale. A favorite fixture was the Vaseline glass-and-iron pendant from 1925. You can see its milky-colored sphere in the center of the above image.

Felicia’s installation could have fit perfectly in our October Enchanted Forest story, don’t you think? It’s a totally fun way to show off the beautiful range of products at Lampworks, and it should be up until late winter, if you get the chance to stop by. Lampworks owner Bebe Regnier says that this sort of display is exactly what draws her to Felicia’s work: “Everything has precise detail. It’s its own little world, like she’s created a movie set.”

The Lampworks showroom is located at 231 East 58th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Lunch-hour epiphany: Lighting with a (re)purpose

Written on November 16, 2010 at 2:49 pm
By Candace Ord Manroe

I love to make a quick run at a store or two over my lunch hour every so often. Here’s what I found at lunch today at Found Things, an antiques shop of shabby-to-primitive mainly American pieces in Des Moines’s “East Village.” Rusty industrial whisks, outfitted with wiring and a light bulb, become sculptural overhead lighting fixtures. The strong geometric oval shape has a contemporary whiff; the beat-up metal exudes texture (literally); and the repurposing of an old object to a new function instead of the junkheap—well, how green can you get?

[caption id="attachment_1746" align="alignnone" width="324" caption="One last fave find is this pair of c.-1910 faux marble frames, priced at $42 each. They remind me of the marbleized end papers in old books more than they do faux marble architecture...and I'm a sucker for anything book-related. Hmmm. Wonder how a couple of miniature books would look in these two?"][/caption]

Movin’ on up to the East Side: 38th annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Written on August 19, 2010 at 6:43 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

This week, we received the wonderful news that the Kips Bay Decorator Show House has found a home for 2010 and is underway. Normally presented in the spring, this year’s previously-secured property fell through because someone purchased the townhouse and wanted to move in right away, forcing the project to be postponed.

The new house marks the 38th year of the event and fundraiser, which garners about $1 million each year for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, and receives 20,000 visitors over a four-week period. The non-profit Boys & Girls Club serves more than 13,000 children by providing after-school and enrichment programs at 10 locations in the Bronx.

A recently-renovated 17-room mansion at 106 E. 71st St in Manhattan was selected and will feature the work of designers such as Vicente Wolf, Katie Ridder, and Sherrill Canet (a full list of designers is at the Show House’s website). I can’t wait to tour it and see each designer’s inspiring ideas and applications.

The house is open to the public starting October 14 and remains open until November 11. Tickets are $30 and include the journal and sourcebook.
 
Here are a few highlights from recent past Kips Bay houses:

For those of you who said you like mixing modern art into your decor, this room from Jed Johnson Home (2007, photo: John M. Hall Photography) is one of my all-time favorites.

 
 

A beautiful feminine bedroom from Charlotte Moss, 2008 (photo: Francis Smith)

 
 

In Philip Gorrivan‘s tailored bedroom, art doubles as a compelling headboard (2008)

 
 

Looking from the living room into the dining room, both designed by Stephen Miller Siegel (2008)

 
 

A dramatic chandelier captures attention in this 2006 room by Larry Laslo. (photo: Evan Joseph/Alex Barrymore)

 
 

Another example of Jamie Drake‘s phenomenal command of color (2007, photo: Nick Johnson).

SPRING FORWARD: MAYA ROMANOFF at BERGDORF GOODMAN

Written on March 16, 2010 at 2:09 pm
By Sabine Rothman

Speaking of psychedelic—we were, weren’t we?—you just have about a week left to visit Amy Lau’s installation for Maya Romanoff on the 7^th floor of Bergdorf Goodman, a venerable NYC department store that often delivers avant-garde goods—and the best venue for lunching ladies.

Read more

My Magical Ceiling and Floor Makeover

Written on November 23, 2009 at 1:52 pm
By Candace Ord Manroe

I’m the first to admit I’m not much of a DIY-er. Not that I lack the desire; it’s the ability part that escapes me. But I do have to share a couple of makeover products that make it look easy even for someone with two left hands like me. How do I know they work? Because I had them installed in my home—so quick and easy I MIGHT have been able to do it myself.

The first is my new white-painted WoodHaven Laminate Ceiling Planks from Armstrong. My 1960 walk-out ranch still had its ugly, light-absorbing popcorn ceiling. In two days, start to finish, installers laid the Armstrong planks directly over my old ceiling. I would have been skeptical of such a major transformation occurring in such a short time had I not witnessed it firsthand. Read more