Imagine having a lawn or a field (which is really someone's huge lawn) .........
where the grass is cut in a quilted pattern !!!!!
Yep, it's true here in Aspen ..... I saw it twice!!!!!!!
It's an over-the-top gorgeous grass "accessoration!!!!!"
Recently in “Garden Design”
This sculpture is by Mexican/American activist artist Marcos Ramírez ERRE and was commissioned by the divine TDL, my Aspen hostess and one of Aspen's premier art collectors!!! The piece stands in a well manicured, park-like setting next to her house. It is inspired by an earlier politically charged work by the artist, titled "Crossroads," that was shown at the Havana Biennial and remade for an exhibition at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio. For this incarnation, the iconic signpost is personalized, it is a collection of places & thoughts that are significant to both TDL and her family. The distances are calculated from the location of the sculpture in Aspen and the quotes are most often art related, as art collecting is a family tradition!!!!
I adore this piece ..... it's visually stimulating ..... sits in a magical setting .......
and it's words, both locations & quotes, are thought provoking!!!!
A perfect "accessoration" in a perfect place ....... Aspen!!!!!
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
Pablo Reinoso HUGE SUDELEY BENCH Painted Steel
Conceived in 2010, Edition of 8 + 4 AP's
Atelier Van Lieshout WELLNESS SKULL Fiberglass, Polystyrene & Plywood
Conceived 2007, Edition of 3
Sebastian Brajkovic LATHE X Aluminium
Conceived in 2010, Edition 8 + 4 AP's
Lionel Scoccimaro GIANT JAR Painted Aluminium
Conceived in 2010, Edition of 8 + 4 AP's
Studio Job POURING JUG Polished & Painted Bronze
Conceived in 2008 & Cast in 2010, Unique
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!!!!
How divine is this "log wall" ...... a unique creation,
by a famous East Hampton "garden guru" for her own property!!!
Not just stunning ...... but amazingly ecologically exquisite ...
the logs are trees that have fallen naturally ......
then cut and stacked to create the wall!!!
Over time the weight of the wall pulls the trees back into the earth,
nature's way of bringing them back where they belong!!!
I think these walls are innovative & exciting, plus they aide to the survival of our planet!!!!
Not to mention, they are a fabooolous garden "accessoration"!!!!
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!!!"
I adore a good "propping" ........ and this Montauk backyard shower looks like
it has been created by the entire Ralph Lauren Design team!!!!
That isn't exactly the case ...... but, it was done by a former "Ralph-star" .......
and it certainly looks it!!!!!
But, my favorite thing is the chic "Ralphacated" clothes line
that "accessorates" the rest of the back-yard!!!
au nom de las rose 50, rue du Cherche Midi
FLEURUS 51, rue de Grenelle
ROSA LUNA 24, Bd Raspail
As usual Paris is a sea of the most fabulous flower shops!!!!
Within a 6 block radius of each other in the 7th, these 3 shops are amazing .......
the colors are wonderful, the displays stunning,
and the flowers are gorgeous!!!!!
Flowers are the most spectacular "accessoration." ....... nature's art & design!!!!
London art dealer Simon Lee recommended his two favorite restaurants in Provence for us
to try. Our first stop, lunch at La Chassagnette in the heart of the Camarque, was
fifteen minutes from Arles, if you don't get lost ...... as we did, but it
was absolutely incredible and well-worth the detour!!!!
Opened in 2000 by Swiss art collector Maja Hoffmann and her husband Stanley Buchthal, La Chassagnette is a stunning combination of natural charm and contemporary design. Inspired by the marriage of fresh farm-products, organic agriculture, and gastronomy ....... chef Armand Arnal creates a memorable dinning experience. He uses fresh from the earth, eco-produce from gardener Catherine Louis's organic garden, which surrounds the restaurant. Changing the menu daily, each of the 4 courses was spectacular ..... but for me the ultimate decadence was a basket of chocolate-chip cookies that came with my coffee post-dessert. I love a good cookie and these were the best I have ever, ever eaten ....... that alone is a the best reason for me to go back to Provence!!!!!!!
The day was divine and we had lunch on the terrace. We followed our meal with a walk through the lush, colorful, and aromatic garden ..... a totally sensual experience. In addition to outdoor dinning, the indoor restaurant, a converted sheepfold, is equally divine. I was particularly enthralled by a mural running along one wall ...... and realized it had been done by New York based artist's Astro Vivid Focus, whose style is not exactly traditional to Provence!!! There is a recently opened charming shop that sells an assortment of unusual items, and of course, I managed to buy a dozen wonderful red handmade ceramic cups ........ I can find great "accessorations" anywhere!!!
I adored La Chassagnette ....... it melded all of my favorite things ......
really great design, fabulous fresh food, a wonderful garden,
and a unique place to shop!!!!!
Even I could enjoy watering my garden with all
this equipment ....... but, how could I
ever chose just one color!!!!!
My friend the Atlanta E-I-C, knowing what a "color queen" I am, told me about these fabulous 50' long, professional hoses that are available in delicious colors from the Dramm Corporation!!!! Ever the resourceful gardener, he found them online at the NY Botanical Garden on-line shop. I went a step further and found that in addition to the ColorStorm Hoses, there are 3 nozzles ....Fan, Pistol, and Revolver ..... and a Kaleidoscope Rain Wand ..... all available in 6 fantastic bright colors!!!! STUNNING!!!!
"Dramm has been a leader in watering tools and accessories for over 60 years. In the 1940's, an inventive florist named John G. Dramm revolutionized the way greenhouses, nurseries, and gardeners water their plants by designing the 400 Water Breaker, which applies very large quantities of water in a soft stream. This nozzle remains the standard of commercial growers world wide, and Dramm watering tools are the choice of professional and serious gardeners everywhere for their durability and high performance."
These fabulous outdoor chairs. creating a magical garden at the Nhow Hotel on Via Tortona, are the "fantasy dreamland" of clothing designers Graziano Moro and Renato Pignatti!!! Setting up this "Wonderland" in the heart of Milan, the designers presented their "Queen of Love" chair and the "Little Prince of Love" pouf, made in recyclable plastic and available in 13 colors. The company, Design of Love began in 2009 with the chair, added the pouf in 2010, and last week the plastic jardiniere.
According to the designers ....... "The QUEEN OF LOVE is born from a simple idea, aiming to become a symbol of a positive and free way of being. It's the armchair of the good mood, that projects you into the future, remembering the past; a prism in which the light goes through and turns it into s rainbow of colours, becoming itself the energy that pervades the place. The strength generated by this moment is what really counts: it's the symbol of LOVE. The one and only QUEEN OF LOVE."
I adore these three pieces and all of the
colors ........ this delightful collection is just
what every garden needs ..... especially mine!!!!
This wonderful photograph was sent to me yesterday from San Francisco by my friend WB, a transplanted New Yorker, who clearly knows what turns me on!!!! It is the wall outside SF "garden guru" Flora Grubb's eponymous garden store. The divine 2800 sq. foot shop features an enormous selection of plants, palms & flowers, as well as a charming collection of garden accessories ..... especially these fantastic colored chairs!!!!
In my world, this wall is a fabulous "accessoration" ...... the rough taupy-grey barn wood background, the eye catching color assortment, and the clean, contemporary graphic pattern ....... all creating a fabulous "invitation" into the world of Flora Grubb Gardens!!!
MARK DION- CROQUET SET
wood, metal, and book of rules
NATHAN MABRY- FIRE DRUM BARBEQUE
mirror polished oil drum
ANDREW MILLER- BIRDHOUSE
powder coated aluminum and wood
GEORG BASELITZ- EAGLE SCARECROW
copper, bronze, stainless steel painted black
ADAM McEWEN- HARE SWING
cast urethane, lacquer, rope
LEO VILLAREAL- BUCKYBALL
spun aluminum light sphere
Here are several pieces from Cumulus Studio's second collection of limited edition "functional outdoor objects." Nathalie Karg has once again worked with a collection of innovative and exiting contemporary artists, creating a second collection of unique outdoor pieces. (See Aug. 26, 2009 post for first collection)
How divine would it be to cook on Nathan Mabry's "drum barbeque" ...... or play croquet using Mark Dion's "coffin croquet set!!!" And of course, the birds in my backyard would be thrilled to live in Andrew Miller's "bird condominium," although they would certainly be scared of Georg Baselitz's "eagle scarecrow!!!!"
There is no one who loves to "accessorate" more than I do ....... and being able to add my garden to the list of places I can "prop" excites me beyond belief!!!!! And there are even more outdoor pieces on Nathalie's website to fill the whole yard!!!
By the way ........ rumor has it there is a POP UP in the works for this Christmas!!!! Will let you know where and when!!!
When Parisian designers, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, designed the Vegetal Chair for Vitra, I doubt that they ever envisioned it being used to create a "jungle gym" for monkeys!!! But that's what happened last week at the Prague Zoo during Designblok!!! Apparently Vitra decided to ask Daniel Pirsc (please excuse the lack of accents marks, my computer doesn't speak Czech) to use the chairs to create a bush for the Lemur Pavilion at the Zoo. Hence the charming "stack" that appears to have thrilled the monkeys.....who look perfectly at home in the faux bush!!! Although the Bouroullec Brothers inspiration for the chair was the world of plants, I'm sure it never ocured to them that the chair would go back to nature in this particular fashion!!!!
Imagine "accessorizing" the Lemur Pavillion at the Zoo with this whimsical bush of chairs!!! It's the ultimate "zoo chic"!!!!! Those monkeys really are "accessorators" or have they been "accessorated" or are they just plain "accessories"!!!!!!!!
- “It all comes down to the accessories.....
- It’s not the first thousand dollars that make the room, it’s the last hundred!!”
- - judi roaman
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