Mystic Designer

Hoot

2009-06-13T10:46:00.011-04:00

I love all things owl.

Yes really! On jewelry, t-shirts, coin purses....you name it.

But these lamps just make my heart beat faster.

From Rick Lee Design

Urban Outfitters Wise Owl Lamp

Anthropologie.

But this one from SFMOMA....an owl nighlight!

Iconic Chairs - my Fav Dozen

2008-12-09T21:42:00.086-05:00

Chairs are an obsession with me and I will often drag one home from any tag sale, convinced I can find it's life purpose. But if I had to show restraint and actually curate a collection these are the ones I would pick:

1. The Wassily Chair, Marcel Breuer, 1925
History: Breuer was an apprentice at the Bauhaus in 1925 when he came up with the design idea for this chair. The frame was inspired by the tubular frame of a bicycle and it was revolutionary in the use of the materials (bent tubular steel and canvas) and methods of manufacturing. It is now considered one of the most iconic chairs of the 20th Century.

Her Story: Incredible design...great side chairs.

2. Le Corbusier Grand Confort Chair, Le Corbusier,1929
History: Le Corbusier designed this for the Salon d'Automne installation, Equipment for the Home in 1929 in Paris. The "Grand Confort," armchair has a chrome-plated tubular steel frame and the five voluminous, orthogonal leather cushions, evoking both comfort and formal reduction.

Her Story: This may not be the most "confortable" chair but I always feel like a little kid when sitting in one of these.

3. The Barcelona Chair, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1929
History: Commissioned exclusively for the German pavilion at the World Exposition in Barcelona, Spain, it was designed to be used by the King and Queen of Spain during the opening ceremony. The architect looked for inspiration to the throne-like form of the curule chair, a stool used by senior Roman magistrates, translating an ancient and regal design into a modern setting.

Her Story: This works anywhere and you feel like royalty when sitting in one of these. Also great for toga parties!

4. The Bibendum Chair, Eileen Gray, 1929
History: The Bibendum chair remains unique in the sense that no one else has produced a chair quite like it. A striking combination of slender steel and voluptuous leather-clad curves, the sumptuous Bibendum was designed for comfort. While highly regarded by many as a leading designer of her time, Gray did not receive widespread recognition until she was in her nineties, and the iconic chair – inspired by Michelin's mascot Bibendum Man – was largely forgotten about until it reappeared nearly 40 years later, prompting a new production of this design classic.

Her Story: I would totally annoy people by saying Bibendum a meeellion times a day if I had one of these...."I left it on the bibendum"...."no, you take the bibendum, I'll be fine on the sofa"...

5. Bird Lounge Chair,Harry Bertoia, 1952
History: Bertoia’s Bird chair resulted from a 1950 experiment with bending metal rods into practical art. Innovative, comfortable and strikingly handsome, the chair’s delicate filigree appearance belies its strength and durability. In Bertoia’s own words, “If you look at these chairs, they are mainly made of air, like sculpture. Space passes through them.”

Her Story: Fun in a kids room...reminds me of a nest.

6. The Tulip Chair, Eero Saarinen, 1955

History: Designed as an exercise in clarifying form, Saarinen's Tulip chair sought out the essential idea and reduced it to the most effective structural solution looking at its setting, rather than a particular shape. "In any design problem, one should seek the solution in terms of the next largest thing." he said. "If the problem is a chair, then its solution must be found in the way it relates to the room..." The Tulip is Saarinen's genius solution to clearing up the "slum of legs" that populates the under-carriage of most dining sets.

Her Story: I now despise my "slum of legs" and yearn for a landscape of these around my dining table.

7. Lounge Chair, Charles & Ray Eames, 1956
History: The culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create a club chair using the molded plywood technology that they pioneered in the '40s. In Charles Eames' words, the vision was a chair with the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." The result has become the consummate lounge set, timelessly blending old-fashioned comfort and visionary modernism.

Her Story: Perfect for curling up with a book...but I'd have to be reading something intellectual.

8. The Egg chair, Arne Jacobsen, 1958
History: Designed exclusively for the Radisson SAS hotel in Copenhagen and made a memorable appearance in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Jacobsen had a passion for modernism and his love for Scandinavian simplicity gave birth to some of the most recognizable chairs in the design world - the Series 7 chair and the Swan chair.

Her story: Mama! As a kid I thought we'd all be lounging in one of these numbers in silver jumpsuits by 2001.

9. The Panton Chair, Verner Panton, 1967
History: From the moment this chair was presented to Vitra it was intended for mass production. The first models were made from fiberglass-reinforced polyester but later versions were made in hard-foamed polyurethane. Vitra makes these now in injection-molded polypropylene, which is UV and weatherproof and can be used both indoors and outdoors. Panton’s other famous designs - the Cone chair and the Flying chair.

Her Story: I would love a couple of these (in orange please!) for my front deck.

10. The Ball Chair, Eero Aarnio, 1968

History: It's easy to picture the inspiration behind Eero Aarnio's ball chair - the ball itself. The ball chair has been described as a 'room within a room' since it encompasses its sitter in a cozy environment that is almost independent of its surrounding. The ball is made from fiberglass with upholstered interior. The chair spins on its axis, offering the sitter a view of the room in every direction.

Her Story: So Austin Powers...I'd need white go-go boots though.

11. LEMS stool, Shin and Tomoko Azumi, 2000
History: Designed for Lapalma, Shin and Tomoko Azumi's LEM Piston Stool reveals rigorous and original rethinking of the form and function of seating. The LEM Piston Stool's sculptural leather, stainless steel or beech wood seat not only swivels, but also adjusts easily from a counter height (26.5") to a bar height (31") with a lever that activates a gas cylinder. While utility strongly determines the form of this unique stool, it also has a visual lightness that creates the illusion of freedom from gravity.

Her Story: Four of these lining my kitchen island...perfection!

12. Louis ghost chair, Phillipe Starck, 2002

History: Originally designed for the ‘Kong’ restaurant in Paris, Starck's elegant yet

ironic nod to the Louis XV style. The Ghost chair is the most daring example of injected polycarbonate in a single mould and despite its evanescent and crystalline

appearance, the chair is stable and durable, shock, scratch and weather resistant and can be stacked six high.

Her Story: Perfect for my next garden party.

WWJW

2008-11-15T17:11:00.017-05:00

'Tis the season and while the rest of you have started making a list and checking it twice, I have been pondering the real meaning of Christmas.

The birthday of baby Jesus that's what.

So what can I get Him? Someone who has everything!

All I could come up with is ....a makeover from Tim Gunn, the high priest of sartorial elegance and the only person who can do Him justice. The cloak and sandals are just not on trend anymore and that robe needs a belt. Brilliant!

And then I see that my friends at The New York Times beat me to it.

Behold:

Not sure where they envision him wearing this but it looks warm.

Now this one could work for debating with elders...very scholarly.

Very pensive for a sermon on the Mount....though the beret seems a little ooh la la.

All set for 40 days & 40 nights in the desert.

Ok this is just blasphemy!

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/11/12/fashion/20081113-CODES_index.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1226804936-XP0bWoq6jaEAv50ffWsrxQ

Paint....does brand matter or is it just about color?

2008-11-15T13:11:00.013-05:00

I am often asked for recommendations on brands of paint. I used Benjamin Moore exclusively but I did research choices so I could educate myself. So for the greater good, I need to pass on all this incredible insight.

You can get a good color match from any brand by taking in a paint chip or fabric or sample color. But why not let your fingers do the walking and try out Color charts.org, an online database of Manufacturers Standard colors. Besides browsing their library of paint colors you can Color Match and find similar colors available from different manufacturers. I found the perfect color for my bathroom at Sherwin Williams and found that Benjamin Moore had one that was a close match (I think 95%) called Bath Salts. Perfect name for the spa feel I wanted in my bath.
http://www.colorcharts.org/ccorg/html/aboutus.aspx

I do think that brand matters. In the end, its all the technology that we do not see that matters. So here are a few of the standouts.

1. Benjamin Moore: The little paint sample pots are addictive and you can never have just one. It was available locally for me and all the painters seemed to favor it. I used Linen white throughout the lower floor because I loved the color. I used Dove white on exterior trim because the slightly off white color seemed fresher than a stark white. I used their low VOC Aura paints in my daughters room and the coverage was amazing! It also cleans better than the their regular line. They are coming out with a zero VOC choice in Spring 2009 that I may use when and if I get to repaint anything!

How may times does this happen to you? You order a bed from Pottery Barn along with all the linen and accessories and it doesn't quite look like you imagined it. What if you painted the walls in the exact shade that the catalog staged it? Well, Benjamin Moore has teamed up with Pottery Barn and now they provide the paint colors used right in the catalog. How cool is that!

2. Fine Paints of Europe Superior quality paints but pricey. I really wanted to use their Dutch Door kit in Coach green or Espresso on my front door ( I also really want a dutch door). Their enamel paints are really long lasting and have a brilliant finish that looks incredibly elegant. Its not just the glossy color but there is a real depth to the color.

http://www.finepaintsofeurope.com/dutch_door_kit.aspx

3. Donald Kaufman Color Collection These are full spectrum paint colors with more depth and luminosity than standard paint. Their formula uses as many as 13 pigments for each color whereas most paints use 2 or 3. What does this mean? It is difficult to describe but I'll try - the paint seems translucent but with many layers of color that provides a depth that is mind-bending. It is as if there is much more information there than just color. Before all of you rush out to pick up this paint and some mushrooms from your backyard, I do have to caution you that their sample pots (16 oz.) will run you about $25 and a full gallon about $100. Still I hanker for the tinted white DK-24 in my living room.

4. Pittsburgh Paints These were the paints we used when we had the interiors painted after buying our house. Some of the rooms untouched in the renovation still have these colors and 10 years later they give us as much joy as when we walked in as new homeowners into our newly painted home. The color choices are great and the paint has amazing coverage. I once bought some cheap paint from Walmart to paint a storage closet and I couldn't figure out if was me or the roller or the paint. I figured I would use some left over Pittsburgh paint for the second coat (even though it was yellow). What a difference....and that closet remained yellow for eight years.

And I love that they have a page on color theory on their website. Ok, a pet peeve....why aren't kids taught color theory in art class? http://www.voiceofcolor.com/en/aboutcolor/color_theory/vocabulaire/index.asp

Umbrella Stands

2008-11-14T22:45:00.012-05:00

Does anyone use these anymore? I usually drip dry my umbrellas in the garage and then leave them there for everyone to trip over. But in my super organized home on a parallel universe, I would have an umbrella stand in my spotless mudroom

This one is from Aleesi: The Blow Up Umbrella Stand

This last one is perfect..... I love it! I'm a sucka for anything owl. O rly!

Don't get your comforters in a bunch

2008-11-03T16:12:00.009-05:00

I hate when the comforter is skulking at the foot of the bed and all I am left with is a double layer of the duvet cover to fend off the cold. Down comforters ...I am talking to you. Someone came up with an idea: Comforter clips! Available at Bed Bath and Beyond for only $5.99.

Or if you are handy with a needle you could sew buttons on the four corners of the comforter and elastic loops on the four inside corners of the duvet.

Martha Stewart suggests twill ties (of course she would)....6-inch strips of narrow twill tape -- four pieces of one color and four of another. This requires some hand sewing and the two different color tapes and so that you can match up the comforter ties to the duvet ties (smart!).

With any of these, start with laying the duvet cover inside out on the bed. Attach the four corners and turn the cover inside out over the comforter. Done! On your way to a toasty night's sleep my friend.