Recently in “Around the World”

An Instant Collection ...... @ Linda Gumb Antiques!!!

August 31, 2010 1:00 AM

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This wall is so stunning ..... it is the ultimate "exclamation point" for any room !!!!

London antiques dealer Linda Gumb framed these divine vintage decorative patterns ....... they are part of a collection of pages from a sales catalogue of 1930's French wallpaper. The  patterns are hand painted on paper and include any co-ordinating boarder prints.

I love instant "accessoration" gratification and this certainly fits the bill!!!!


Antonello Fusé ...... Re-cycling Chairs to Hangers!!!

August 30, 2010 1:00 AM

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Italian designer Antonello Fusé created this collection, Abitudini, a series of hangers made from secondhand chairs. Cutting off the backs at various points, he then inserts a simple metal curve ....... resulting in fabulous hangers that are available from Italian design company Resign!!!!!

Remember "hanging your coat on the back of your chair" ......
these hangers take that thought to a new level!!!!!!

Summer 2010 ... A Universal Trend Circles the Globe!!!

August 23, 2010 1:00 AM

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This trend followed me everywhere this summer ... St. Remy, London, Aspen, Paris etc!!!
And even East Hampton, too!!!!

Of course, I absolutely adore color ...... it's one of my most favorite "accessorations" .......
But, I prefer "accessorating" a room with a touch of orange or green, etc ....
Not necessarily "accessorating" your head!!!!

Remember its called "accessorating," not shocking!!!!
YIKES!!!

Must, Must, Must See ........ Murakami @ Versailles!!!!!

August 18, 2010 1:00 AM

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I was to ill to leave my bed in Paris to see Jeff Koons at Versailles, but ........
I am definitely not missing Murakami!!!!

A collection of work by world renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is taking up residence at the Château du Versailles beginning September 14, and continuing thru December 13. The exhibition includes 22 pieces installed throughout the estate and includes 11 that were made exclusively for this exhibition. 

Text from Murakami .........

For Japanese, myself included, the Château de Versailles is one of the greatest symbols of Western history. It is emblematic of an elegance, sophistication and artistic ambition most of us could only dream of.

We understand, of course, that the fuse that sparked the fires of revolution led right through the centre of the building.

But in many ways, it all comes across as a fantastic tale from a kingdom far, far away. Just as the people of France might find it difficult to recreate in their minds an accurate image of the age of the Samurai, so too does the story of the palace become one that is, for us, diluted of reality.

Thus, it is that i have tried to capture in this exhibition.

I am The Cheshire Cay who greets Alice in Wonderland with his devilish grin, and chatters on as she wanders around the Château.

With my playful smile, I invite you all to the Wonderland of Versailles.

Aspen "Accessoration" #6 .... Re-cycled & Re-made!!!

August 17, 2010 1:00 AM

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I adore these unique bags created by Ilaria Venturini Fendi, 
for her company Carmina Campus. 

Ilaria believes that everything in the world can be "re-used and regenerated", thus the 2006 launch of her business combining her two passions: creativity and the environment. Her collection is synonymous with bags, accessories, and furniture that are "all made from recycled materials, entirely produced according to an ethical, eco-sustainable philosophy." Using assorted scraps of discarded fur, fabrics, leather, or any other assorted materials we tend to "toss," these bags remind us that creativity does not have to be at the expense of the environment ....... reenforcing the concept of "creating without destroying."
 
I originally saw the collection several years ago at the RE (f) USE, Ilaria's store in Rome,
then at Dover Street Market, London, followed by 10 Corso Como, Milan ...... 
and now at Distractions, Aspen!!!!
Welcome to the USA!!!!

Up, Up, & Away ........ This Time to the Mountains!!!

August 9, 2010 1:00 AM

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Another fabulous trip ...... this time it's Aspen, Colorado .......
to celebrate the divine TDL's birthday ....... YIPPEE!!!

Can't wait to find all the new "accessorations" there!!!!!

Recycled, Sustainable Plastic Planters in London!!!

August 2, 2010 1:00 AM

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English artist Anna Garforth calls herself an "urban land artist," a "guerilla gardener" & a "green graffiti extrodinaire." Her work integrates her interest in urban ecology & sustainability with her creative practice. According to Anna, this has "led me into a world of moss collecting, wild city foraging and hunting down all the undomesticated areas of our urban forest. It has inspired me to discover and understand more about our natural surroundings. I have learnt how to communicate and engage creatively with positive impact, both socially and environmentally."

This project titled HEAD GARDENER turns plastic milk bottles into these eccentric "character" planters!!! Painting and planting the bottles give them unique visual personalities, each with a definitive life cycle based on the plant materials. The ephemeral nature of the work creates an immediate impact and is in collusion with transitory nature of the plantings. Anna says, "I don't wish to preserve it, it lives, it dies, and new growth ensues." In addition to this project, Anna has "written with" moss and leaves ...... which while being ecologically inspired, also relates back to the world of decay, death and rebirth.

I find these pieces very appealing ..... their mask-like faces remind me of African art. 
I love the simplicity of thought in their design and their graphic quality ....... 
and I find the idea of birth, decay, & rebirth an intriguing part of ecology

Jasleen Kaur ..... A Dialogue Between Two Cultures!!!

July 28, 2010 1:00 AM

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In June, I was fortunate enough to see Jasleen Kaur's Royal College of Art graduate show.
It was found it intelligent, innovative, smart ...... and extremely thought provoking!!!!

I was particularly intrigued with her installation "Tools for Living." Branded "britesh made" with a well-designed logo, the project "explores how cultures continually evolve and adapt to new environments wilst keeping their traditions and subtle habits." This series of re-configured objects represent the melding of two cultures ...... blending them, rather than obliterating one or the other. They are displayed on brackets attached to pegboards, giving the illusion of being for sale in a hardware shop ....... a reference to her great granddad's peddling from door to door, and her family's current business.

Jasleen's project relates to her great granddad's move to Britan in 1950, referring to how he acclimated to living in the U.K., while continuing to honor his Indian culture. Her relationship and connection with him are also part of the project. Her "utensils," re-formulated from two distinct objects, are symbols of binding the two traditions and cultures. A prime example is the everyday stainless steel curry tray's (thaali) that are subtly changed with the addition of silver handles ........ Indian functionality joins traditional English formality. 

"He made a living from pushing a homemade cart from door to door selling goods or spotting construction sites from afar and turning up to see if there were any jobs going. He dressed like a real gentleman, like one of those proud to be British types, with a well kept moustache and tweed hat (a modern replacement for his once traditional turban). He was an in-betweener, a hybrid of both Indian and British and in his undecided state, functioned beautifully in his new surroundings."

"The thing I observe and make are how I see my great granddad and myself Although constructed from many things, they just work. Because cutlery is not really used in Indian cusine I am making a series of "tools for living" that reference everyday habits rather than etiquette. They are built for how we do things, not for how we should do thing."

Jasleen's graduate project, "design as a cultural unifier," teaches us how generations adapt and evolve in new surroundings, while maintaining their cultural roots. Her great granddad's door-to-door business evolved into a chain of family-run hardware shops in Glasglow.


Vuitton's Summer Colors on the Champs Elysees!!!!

July 27, 2010 1:00 AM

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Color is the ultimate "accessorator" eye-candy ....... Stunning!!!
And these Louis Vuitton windows in Paris are YUMMY!!!!!!

Contemporary Design at Historic Sudeley Castle!!!!!

July 26, 2010 1:00 AM

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Pablo Reinoso  HUGE SUDELEY BENCH  Painted Steel
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 8 + 4 AP's

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Atelier Van Lieshout   WELLNESS SKULL  Fiberglass, Polystyrene & Plywood 
Conceived 2007,  Edition of 3

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Sebastian Brajkovic  LATHE X  Aluminium
Conceived in 2010,  Edition 8 + 4 AP's

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Lionel Scoccimaro  GIANT JAR  Painted Aluminium
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 8 + 4 AP's

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Studio Job  POURING JUG  Polished & Painted Bronze
Conceived in 2008 & Cast in 2010,  Unique

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Marcel Wanders BON BON GOLD  Resin, Rope, & Precious Metal
Conceived in 2010,  Edition of 20 + 2 AP's

This exciting "selling exhibition," a joint venture between Sotheby's UK, Studley Castle, and Carpenters Workshop Gallery showcases a series of one-off and limited edition pieces by leading international contemporary designers and artists. The works are utilitarian pieces that can work as functional objects or pieces that can be appreciated as works of art with "profound aesthetic appeal." 

According to Alexander Planton & Simon Stock, Sotheby's curators of the Sudeley exhibition "Contemporary design is an area of the international art market that ha been making waves in recent years and the Sudeley show will present works by some of the boldest and most visionary talents in the field of design today."

Carpenters Workshop in London, one of the premier galleries featuring contemporary design, is know for encouraging up-and-coming young artists, as well as presenting extraordinary works from established artists such as Ron Arad, Marteen bas, Wendell Castle. This joint venture is the latest project that the gallery is involved in "to promote the careers and foster the careers of contemporary designers through exhibiting unique and limited-edition works in solo and group exhibitions and at international art and design fairs. It also aims to expose the public to the latest design aesthetic, enriching and enlightening the contemporary design landscape and discourse."

Sudeley Castle is located in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire. It was the royal household of Queen Katherine Parr during Tudor times. It is currently the home of Lady Ashcombe and the Dent-Brocklehurst family, who are dedicated to the restoration of the castle and it's gardens, with a particular emphasis on environmental sustainability. Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst has presented several exhibitions at the castle and says of this installation ..... "A thousand years of history at Sudeley represents a thousand years of design and creation and it is wonderful to be presenting such a current and visually exciting exhibition that is in such striking contrast to the historic castle itself."

I think this unique exhibition .....  the scope of the work is brilliant, 
and the stunning surroundings add an extraordinary dimension to the collection!!!!


Tord Boontje's Lace Designs @ Marsden Woo Gallery!!!

July 22, 2010 1:00 AM

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Low-tech materials meet traditional craft skills, in Dutch designer Tord Boontje's innovative "tatted" raffia lighting pieces exhibited at Marsden Woo Gallery, London. "The Lacemaker," this installation of Boontje's latest works, rethinks our traditional concept of what lace is. According to this world renowned designer, also the Head of Design products at the Royal College of Art, "With lace, all the value is invested in the labour and so it seemed a good idea to start working with cheap materials ... but also, by changing the material you can change the references." In addition to the lighting pieces, the exhibition has a collection of other "lace" works ...... a black webbed sofa, lace screens, a raffia trimmed mirror, a raffia dress, and a selection of jewlery.

This collection is inspired by Boontje's participation in an exhibition at the University of Philadelphia's Design Center, "Lace in Transition." He spent three days immersed in the Center's archives, studying the collection of the Quaker Lace Company, resulting in a unique collection of his own designs.

I love Boontje's simplicity of materials & innovative designs ......
used to create these fabulous "accessorations." 

They pieces are modern in visual and vintage in inspiration!!!

A Collection of Unique & Unusual Design @ Ani Inc!!!

July 16, 2010 1:00 AM

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My friend Ani Antreasyan is an "accessorator's" dream!!! 

She is a fabulous "garden guru" and the purveyor of all things "accessoration" ..... 
from antique stone Turkish garden pieces to 1950's tables & chairs ... 
and all things in between!!! 

Part of her collection can be seen this weekend at the Bridgehampton Antique Show at the Community Center ...... where her booth is an eclectic mix of the most stunning design elements and the way they are "put-together" is an inspiration for all "design divas!!!"

Remember Flip Books ???? Now, There's a Flip Chair !!!!

July 15, 2010 1:00 AM

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The "accessorator" loves to constantly change and rearrange .... and this chair fits the bill!!!
Reminding me of the flip-books of my childhood ..... it's always in motion!!!!
And I love the idea of changing the patterns endlessly!!!!

Last month at Design Miami/Basel 2010 Dutch design company Droog (see blog 12/1/09 & 12/3/09) presented New York-based designer Stefan Sagmeister's "Darwin Chair." The chair is a free swinging structure that is made up of over 200 sheets of printed Tyvek paper. Functionality is a major attribute of this chair ..... as a page gets dirty, or the owner gets tired of the pattern, it can be changed easily by flipping the pattern to the back or by tearing the page off at the perforation. The concept is similar to a large note pad, where you tear off a page and a new sheet appears with a different pattern. In addition, after tearing the pages off, the remaining perforation builds up to form a comfortable headrest!!!

Paola Navone Designs Everything & the Kitchen Sink!!!

July 14, 2010 1:00 AM

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In addition to the fabulous "finds" at Lina Kanafani's London design store Mint, which recently moved to 2 North Terrace, Italian designer Paola Navone has created the most divine kitchen downstairs ....... and "accessorated" it with her trade-mark white ceramics!!!!! Steel grey, black, and accented with red, this streamline store kitchen, with it's geometric cement block wall, is stunning!!! I love the shots of red on the hardware accenting the shallow oval marble sink ...... and the strips of red metal securing the glasses, dishes, etc. on the kitchen shelves are sensational!!! The chic simplicity of this mini-kitchen is incredible ...... so much detail & style..... so little space!!!!!

I adore the variety of Paola Navone's design work (see blog 4/21/10, 4/23/10, 5/17/10) ......... 
she is one of the design world's fantastically fabulous "accessorator's!!!" 

Bathroom "Accessorations"??? Anything's Possible!!!

July 12, 2010 1:00 AM

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I love "big-hair" ....... and these "hippy" toilet brushes from Thailand-based
design company Gumption certainly have "big-hair"!!!!
What's bigger than an Afro!!! 

My theory is you have to have great "accessorations" in every room ....... 
even the bathroom!!!

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