Museum Exhibit: Crafting Modernism

/ January 11, 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.

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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House Beautiful / My Bath

/ November 30, 2011
L1020848

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A view of the WC is not always attractive. I improved the view with a vintage cabinet that is reflected in the mirror across the room.
A close up of the cabinet with black glass doors and silver and glass objects to make the cabinet sparkle.
A view of the knee wall with some pharmaceutical bottles and a useful corner shelf that holds bath amenities.
I love a bath rack for holding magazines when I soak.
My favorite towel bar with milk glass ends and crisp turned details. Also note the corner detail of the tile installation.
Vintage linens are always so beautiful when layered over terry towels.
This is a bit hard to see, but it shows an inside corner detail with a specially made single piece of tile.
The Etoile exposed tub shower combination with hand shower, bold scale and a rain shower head.

I am frequently asked to describe my personal bath. I always say that my house and bath look much like me; classic, tailored and neutral. So it was most auspicious when Newell Turner asked if House Beautiful could feature my bath in the “Bath of the Month” column.    I was delighted to oblige.

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Shopping Bags

/ November 16, 2011
The über cool Colette in Paris is clearly a destination for boutique lovers. The logo—two bold dots—changes color with the seasons. If only to carry a designer bottle of water, this is a bag to own.

The über cool Colette in Paris is clearly a destination for boutique lovers. The logo—two bold dots—changes color with the seasons. If only to carry a designer bottle of water, this is a bag to own.Slideshow

The subtle name on the back side of the bag. It really is about the dots.
An early Gucci bag when red and green was a signature for them. After Tom Ford arrived everything became a bit more subtle and a large G became the icon.
Those of us who remember Bonwit Teller mourn its loss. At its core, it was feminine and classy. The lovely violet bouquets were reflective of the attitude of the store.
The General Trading Company of London with four royal warrants; from the Queen, the Queen Mother, Prince Phillip and Prince Charles. Definitely worth a trip to explore their wares.
This bag created quite the sensation when it was introduced in 1977 by Bloomingdales. A sleek gorgeous girl with a great smile parading on the streets of New York was an innovation.
This was another creative innovation from Bloomingdales. It was a departure from their iconic brown bag that hit the streets in 1973.
Conran's was one of the first to take modern international design in home fashion and make it accessible to middle class modern living. This bag was introduced in 1997 when they opened their shop in the Michelin building in London. It's colorful graphics make a bright statement on the street.
This bag was developed for the New York branch of the Japanese retailer. Its' triangular shape is unique and it was worth it to purchase some tea so that you could carry the bag. Sadly, the store closed last year.
Black and white seductive photography is a great advertisement for any travel magazine. The quality of the printing and paper make this a desirable bag to own.
Side 2 of the Travel & Leisure bag above.
Lovely, ladylike Jo Malone has created a classic soft cream colored bag with black trim to hold her delightful fragrances.
Carole tells me this is an important bag so I included it for her!
This is the prize of her collection. It was created for an exhibition called the "Supermarket Show" celebrating the Pop Art Movement.
I'm not sure which is more famous, the bag or the store. The brown and white striped bag is synonymous with Henri Bendel and has survived new owners and a move down Fifth Avenue.
This is NOT the bag from a ladies lingerie store. It is the bag of a famous London shirtmaker. This bag is new to this brand and within its first year 500,000 were on the streets of the US, England and Ireland.

My dearest friend, Carole Glaser, has long been a collector of many things, none of them precious. There is the great grouping of candlesticks on her dining table, quirky handmade ceramics in her kitchen, and a most notorious collection of hats and pins. And finally, there is the outstanding collection of shopping bags accumulated over many years. Many of her prized possessions trace the development of graphic and palette preferences as well advertising trends.

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New Books: New Traditional Architecture Ferguson & Shamamian Architects

/ November 9, 2011
The book's cover. A glorious classical house.

The book's cover. A glorious classical house.Slideshow

My favorite drawing showing the incredible details of a section and elevation of a fence. All details are important to Ferguson & Shamamian.
A Pennsylvania farmhouse transformed into a dignified country house presiding over the landscape. The architects surgically remodeled the house by re-proportioning details, adding a window and balancing parts.
The facade of a house in LA whose once famous inhabitants give it a certain pedigree. The brick facade with its quoin details and swan neck pedant over the doorway, conceal a less than ideal interior. A completely remained interior was designed by the architects with gracious rooms and high ceilings resulting in a "casual formal" house.
The living room entrance with a view to the porte cochere in the LA house mentioned above.
Ferguson & Shamamian were asked to work on Casa del Sud in Palm Beach originally designed by Marion Wyeth in the 1920's. This house had been renovated by the architects once before the current renovation. This time the shift in emphasis from casual to formal implied a larger scale and grander architectural rhetoric.
The atrium of the Palm Beach house with a new second floor balcony overlooking the pool.
A New York apartment updated with new mechanicals and adjusting the plan to conform with contemporary lifestyles. Even after a total renovation, the apartment looks as if it has never been changed.
The final drawings for the facade of a house in Bridgewater,CT. A serenely proportioned Georgian building with a temple fronted entrance topped with a pediment.
More detailed drawings for the Bridgewater house that has been renovated over a long and ongoing relationship with the clients. The house evolved from a modest saltbox to a patrician manor house.
The completed facade with an elegant alley of trees leading up to the gracious entrance.

Our design and architecture clients create distinctive and timeless interior and exterior spaces from the most traditional to more modern. Their work is often featured in magazines, online, and now in the books they have written. One of the most recent additions to my library is the glorious folio of the work by the firm of Mark Ferguson and Oscar Shamamian called New Traditional Architecture: Ferguson & Shamamian Architects published by Rizzoli.

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