fabric

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.

 

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

Brimfield Antique Show/shopping fun

Written on September 22, 2011 at 9:23 am
By Michael Diver

The scene: the Brimfield antique show. The set-up: Collect business cards from among the many designers and bloggers who were enjoying both the antique show and the Brimfield Tweet-Up. (What? You don’t know what a tweet-up is??) The fun: Draw three cards and give each “winner” $200 to spend 5 hours shopping the fields for treasure, with the request they report back to us with their finds.

Let’s take our shoppers in alphabetical order. Allison Abbott is a designer from West Newton, Massachusetts, who places special emphasis on renovating with smart green practices. (Check out Allison’s lively blog at greenwithrenvy.blogspot.com.) Allison was a perfect match for shopping at Brimfield: What better place than a crazy-big flea market to find old or tarnished pieces just waiting to be repurposed and placed in a new home?

Allison said she had no particular plan in mind for her $200; in her words, she just “wandered” the fields and kept her eyes open. And the thing that caught her eye was a small collapsible rocker that had once graced the porch of an old farmhouse in upstate New York. She says she was drawn to it because she loves to use small chairs as decorative accents.

Allison’s plan for the chair: Paint it in a Benjamin Moore taupe (Interlude AF 135) and re-cover it in an antique Hungarian grain-sack fabric that she found at Brimfield in the almost-fantastical tent of Pandora de Balthazár. She’ll also dress up the chair with 1940s-era buttons and Belgian trim—also found in the tents at Brimfield.

Allison actually brought us money back! (Talk about recycling.) She spent only $23 on the chair, about $80 on the fabric, and another $55 on the buttons and trim. She did pass on one rueful lesson from her wanderings: She saw a great little side table that she decided she could go back and purchase later. When she went back to buy it—too late. It was gone. “When you are at a flea market, get it when you see it,” Allison says.

We hope Allison will send us a photo of the refurbished chair. If she does, we’ll post it. And we’ll post the fabulous finds of our other two shoppers early next week.

Decorator Maverick Billy Haines at Christie’s

Written on July 15, 2011 at 2:16 pm
By Doris Athineos

Back when interior design was just emerging as a serious, wide-spread profession in the United States, some of the top decorators in the country were creating furnishings that have stood the test of time. Think low-slung slipper chairs by movie-star-turned decorator Billy Haines (1900-1973).  Traditional Home writer Ted Loos calls these first-wave  designers “decorator mavericks” and describes the style as both neo and classical in the upcoming October issue of Traditional Home.

Now Christie’s auction house in Manhattan is offering vintage furnishings by Haines custom designed for the late Los-Angeles-based art collector Mrs. Sidney Brody.  The auction begins at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries this Tuesday afternoon, July 19, at 2:00 pm.  Here’s our wish list:

For close-up views of all the vintage Haines, flip through Christie’s online catalog, but don’t miss the live auction Tuesday, July 19, at 2:00 pm eastern time. Read Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines by William J. Mann (Penguin) to learn more about the Virginia-born designer who was the country’s biggest movie star by 1930.  For reissues of theclassical Haines tufted sofa, tap into williamhaines.com. And don’t miss the upcoming Decorator Mavericks story in Traditional Home which features Haines, Tony Duquette, Milwaukee-born Frances Elkins (1888-1953), Robsjohn-Gibbings, and Mississippi-born Samuel Marx (1884-1964).

The Girls in Their Summer Dresses

Written on June 10, 2011 at 3:16 pm
By Rebecca Christian

Are you wearing a dress today? Maybe you remember the sing-along-able Burt Bacharach hit, “I Say a Little Prayer for You”,  in which Dionne Warwick sings in that warm, rich, bouncy voice of hers,  “While combing my hair now, and wonderin’ which dress to wear now, I say a little prayer for you…”

Dionne in a Fab Getup

I’ve been singing it nearly every one of these late spring mornings lately, because the unseasonably hot weather is a grand excuse to wear frocks, liberating the pasty legs of winter and — following the example of our fearlessly fashionable First Lady — exercising the right to bare arms. (Actually it would be a good idea to exercise before exercising the right to bare arms, like Michelle does, but when it’s hot, I let my schoolteacher arms wave gloriously in the breeze like the flag on the fourth. Who cares?)

Michelle, Pretty in Pink

I love dresses for their unabashed ease and femininity! (Sorry, but when I’m wearing a dress I can’t stop using exclamation points!)  Women feel as pretty in them as Maria did, twirling in her white dress before the fateful dance. Plus they’re easy. None of that tiresome worrying about whether your vest looks funny with your blouse or your jacket is too boxy for your pants. Slip a dress over your head and ask your beloved to zip it up (just like Nora in the “Nick and Nora” forties movies, dahling). A necklace, a spritz of Chanel, maybe a cardigan or shrug in case of a summer breeze, and you’re done.

Designers and fashion mavens keep predicting the demise of the dress, but women love them, and so do men, unless they’re those sackcloth-and-ashes numbers that women find both sophisticated and forgiving of our lumps and bumps (think Eileen Fisher), but that prompt men to ask, “Where’s the belt?”  At any rate, we’re not about to forsake dresses for pants wide enough for both you and your Aunt Mabel to climb into together, which are predicted to be in for fall. Back in April of 2008, fashion editor Anna Slowey proclaimed, “The eye is looking for something new, and so is the psyche. The dress has been done to death.” Boo, hiss!

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get your dose of fiber

Written on October 26, 2010 at 4:07 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

A few weeks ago I had a chance to visit with Merida as they launched 3 new rug collections: Sweater, Pure, and Veledo. Merida’s products are beautiful and sustainable: They’re made from renewable materials such as sisal, jute, paper, wool, and grasses. I love their natural look and the layer of texture that the materials add to an interior. Here’s a quick look at the new patterns:

Sweater

Creative Director Maegan Fee has always been inspired by textiles and knitted constructions so she wanted to create a collection that looked like a knit but is actually woven natural wool. In the Sweater line, there are two woven patterns and one tufted.  I’m a huge fan of things that look like sweaters or cable knit; I think it’s psychological since I’m allergic to wool. But, don’t they look cozy?

 
Veledo

Perhaps their most revolutionary collection, Veledo is made of recycled leather. It’s the company’s first hard-surface flooring and the leather comes from sources such as shoe heels and briefcases from Italian factories. There are four embossed styles, including Croco and Angus, which come in a variety of colors.

 
Pure

Pure is the most outwardly environmentally-friendly, though all their products are. Pure is made from undyed wools and organic jute backing. Available in five colors, it’s 100% biodegradable and compostable, and contains no VOCs.

 
Merida also relaunched Broadway—their first product—a 100% sisal diamond pattern woven on a Jacquard loom.

 
While there I had a sneak peek at a collection from Barclay Butera Lifestyle. It just launched officially last week at High Point. The natural fiber woven rugs are inspired by men’s haberdashery and will be available in the colors for which Barclay’s best known – blues, chocolates, and neutrals.  Stay tuned for a future issue where there will be more on the collection.

I spent some time with Barclay and Merida creative director Maegan Fee. Can you tell which one of us didn’t spend much time outside this summer?

Dedar cushion launch

Written on October 5, 2010 at 4:56 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

Sometimes we get to put down our pens, notepads, and cameras and celebrate a new product or collaboration. Italian textile house Dedar hosted a colorful evening at their Bergdorf Goodman installation to officially launch their new, first-ever retail product line.

Owners, and siblings, Caterina and Raffaele Fabrizio celebrate their new venture.

I previously provided a tiny sneak peek of Dedar’s new cushions on Facebook, but I love the bright, saturated colors of the mix-and-match pillows. They are made from 100% cotton satin Tabularasa fabric with a variety of available trim options. Available only at Bergdorf Goodman, the cushions range from $250 for a 10″ by 16″ lumbar to $375 for a 20″ square.

 

We’ve featured Dedar’s to-the-trade fabrics and trim in the past, but I like that these are an easy way to accessorize on your own, still using high quality fabric. And I think I’m not the only one. Another fan:

 

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).

designer visions

Written on July 28, 2010 at 1:15 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

The proliferation of the Internet, social media, apps, and online collaboration has prompted a handful of interior designers to offer their expertise online at discounted rates, the caveat being that you do the measuring and the shopping. But that means you can set the budget and timeline, and have a little fun!

So far I haven’t come across a service that is as much of a bargain as Designer at Home. And if you haven’t yet used an interior designer—or are on a budget—this might be for you.

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bon anniversaire!

Written on May 14, 2010 at 1:16 pm
By Amy Bleier Long

This week, Sabine and I visited Pierre Frey for a presentation honoring the family-owned company’s 75th anniversary.

“Exhibition 1935-1955: Inspiration & Realism of Fabrics” celebrates the whimsy of Pierre Frey’s early years and brings to New York a curated collection of textiles, drawings, and paintings usually held in their Parisian archives. The beautiful patterns are lively, and feel as fresh now as ever.

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