Until Next Week: Wallpaper in the Bath

/ January 30, 2012
Water and fish; very bathroom worthy. Notice the soft taupe upon which the fish swim. (Designed by David Scott Interiors, wallpaper by de Gournay)

Water and fish; very bathroom worthy. Notice the soft taupe upon which the fish swim. (Designed by David Scott Interiors, wallpaper by de Gournay)Slideshow

A traditional damask pattern in soft neutral tones. This pattern is easy to live with and familiar in an updated way. Traditional toile is always in style. The French theme is complete with the decorative mirror. Red and white makes for a very cheerful and welcoming powder room. Horizontal stripes make a bath seem wider. I love the bold navy and white stripes. The vertical stripes from floor to ceiling make the space feel enclosed. Prancing zebras are really fun in a powder bath.
This is a tiny bath. The washstand is no more than 30", but the wallpaper makes the space feel important. Black and white is always crisp. This is a great combination of dark colored glass mosaics and the white background of the wallpaper tree.

Next Wednesday we will be launching a new and improved format for my design journal. Reconsidered. Redesigned. Reengineered. There are many exciting new features that I very much look forward to sharing. We’re busily working away so I thought I would post an entry that garnered so many comments when I first posted it almost a year ago. It appears that wallpaper has once again gained popularity, especially in small rooms where it makes a real impact. See for yourself—and see you next week!

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The Perfectly Imperfect Home: Deborah Needelman

/ January 23, 2012
The charming cover of THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT HOME by Deborah Needleman.

The charming cover of THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT HOME by Deborah Needleman.Slideshow

Deborah loves pools of light that come from well placed lamps. The narrow table, mirror, and lamps make a welcoming entrance. A hanging light over a soft skirted table with a vase of flowers adds dimension to a room that may be too big. It takes furniture away from the walls and offers a resting place for books and other beautiful objects. Bins, bowls, and baskets. She says, and rightly so, the more places you have for specific items the less time you will spend looking for them. Containers keep everything neat and their decorative value is an added benefit. I am often looking for opportunities to add seasonal color to my neutral rooms. The use of throws is an easy way to accomplish this decorating update. Throws on arms of chairs or backs of sofas make a space warm and inviting. And, they can keep you warm on a cold night. Deborah calls this bench a "bottom-of-the-bed" perch. It is great to see something pretty at the foot of the bed and perfect for leaving a bathrobe or to put on your socks.
There is nothing more wonderful than being a guest in a home where the room has perfectly pressed fresh linens and a basket with amenities for the bath. Don't forget to have good lighting and the most up to date magazines. Your guests will be so grateful!! Splashes of bold color on the walls and accents on the shower curtain (always made of a nice fabric) can make even the dullest bathrooms feel fresh and updated.

Last Sunday I was on my treadmill, as I often am at 8:30am on weekends, watching Open House NYC. It is always so much fun when someone I know appears on TV. And, on January 8th Deborah Needleman, editor in chief of the WSJ Magazine and creator of the Off Duty section of the Wall Street Journal, was featured. When I first met Deborah she was the Founding Editor in Chief of Domino, the much missed youthful, lighthearted, helpful shelter magazine that made design accessible and revealed designers insider secrets.

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Museum Exhibit: Crafting Modernism

/ January 23, 2012
A Noguchi sculpture in iron, wood and rope. I was thinking about propellers when I looked at this. The texture of the iron work is great against the rope.

A Noguchi sculpture in iron, wood and rope. I was thinking about propellers when I looked at this. The texture of the iron work is great against the rope.Slideshow

This wonderful, small and well formed table designed by Ray Eames, is still in production and as beautiful and practical today as it was the day it was designed. This petal table was designed by Richard Schultz for Knoll. It is another familiar form. I love the white powder coat base against the teak top. Edith Heath in 1949. She was a ceramics teacher in San Francisco who created dinnerware sold at Gumps. The name HEATH CERAMICS continues today. Their lovely dinnerware is available online. Knoll was at the forefront of collaborating with studio designers. This Eero Saarinen chair of laminated birch and fabric was called the “Grasshopper". Anni Albers, a New Haven based weaver, was an early advocate of weaving as an art form. Rather than follow the direction of some other weavers of the period, who adapted their art for industrial uses, she was influenced by modernist abstraction and her study of ancient weaving and continued to perfect her craft for museums and collectors. The Onion teapot of silver and ebony was one of my favorite objects in the exhibit. It was designed and made by John Pripp who came from Copenhagen to teach at the School of American Craftsmen in Alfred, New York.
This elegant music stand, by Wendell Castle from 1964, feels like it was born of Shaker simplicity but shaped and formed for the music sheets it was to hold. See below. This untitled gauche on paper by Alexander Calder inspired the brooch above. His lyrical curves made wearable jewelry in brass and silver and often embellished with found objects such as beach glass and ceramic shards.

Several weeks ago I took the time while in New York to go to the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) to see the CRAFTING MODERNISM exhibit. The museum, formerly the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (MCC) and later the American Craft Museum (ACM) still retains its original vision by creating exhibits to examine and celebrate American craft in the 20th century. It charts the bold new direction in craft media from the postwar period through the mid 60′s, showing a range of works from the strictly functional but studio made, to beautiful objects integrated into the factory with the designer-craftsman serving as the bridge between hand and machine.

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New York Architectural Treasure

/ January 23, 2012
In typical Louis Sullivan fashion, a number of embossed metal panels are embedded in the stone walls.

In typical Louis Sullivan fashion, a number of embossed metal panels are embedded in the stone walls.Slideshow

The original railing. A long view of the Bayard Condict building. There is still a way to go on the restoration which is why I didn't see the great decoration immediately. IMG_1076 These terra cotta tiles decorate the wall behind the reception station. They are heavily carved and a rich color. The middle section of the building is quite simple. It provides just the relief necessary to accentuate the lower level and the cornice.
An enormous amount of decoration at the cornice, 13 stories high. A view of the facade highlighting the beautiful terra cotta decoration with transparent glass shop entries. The highly embellished entry at 65 Bleecker Street. An extraordinary cartouche fabricated in terra cotta glazed white.

A couple of weeks ago I had to go to a meeting on Layfayette Street in Lower Manhattan. I was a bit early so I looked for a place to have a cup of tea and found Le Pain Quotidian. Only when I was leaving and looked up did I realize that I was in a very special building disguised by huge scaffolding. I poked around a bit and found the entrance at 65 Bleecker Street and was I surprised!!

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