autoban

Furniture by, Istanbul based design studio, Autoban. Talk about 'organic' each of these pieces has such a powerfully anthropomorphic, thing going on. It's pretty much breath taking in its genius. Here's more

DoHoon Kim :: when furniture becomes art

 
 

In the vein of Thonet, Korean designer DoHoon Kim explores the dynamic of bending wood, with the use of steam to create these, lyrically lined bentwood chairs.

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What's incredible to me, that makes it art, is the emotion these pieces evoke. Each one is poetry or music. The lines become almost like those of an interpretive dancer. Try to find that at Pottery Barn.

 

"typically the bentwood technique is executed through the use of moulds,


however kim's method creates curves naturally through the wood's flexibility and elasticity.


his practice begins by cutting ash wood into thin slices, bending them while they are


layered and clamped without any moulds - thus allowing him to create curves freely and naturally.


if one looks closely, they can see that the curves twist slightly in order to connect to each other.


another detail is that the bent backrest has the seam width as the legs in order to maintain


a sense of unity within the chair's construction." via design boom

My friend, neighbor and fellow blogger, Ann, of Peggy & Fritz, sent me this craig's list find today- *click*:

Neither of us have a need for them, nor have room to store them  ( I have 27 chairs at last count in my storage unit )  but somebody must.  Total deal: $350.00 for the pair. 

If I bought these I'd do something like, cover them in a melon pink silk or linen like this fabric:

but with white piping and a monogram maybe.

 Or perhaps a soft sea glass green with the white piping, or navy and white. So many possibilities. Somebody needs to scoop these orphans up and make them their own. here's the link.

A little lilly for your pad

A friend of mine, who has just moved into a large beach home from a smaller cottage, and is in need of a some more furniture, sent me over some tear sheets of the new Lilly Pulitzer furniture line. I  was a bit skeptical, I must admit. I've worn the bright colored Lilly frocks throughout my life as have my girls, love the look - but furnishing? hmmm. This could be a risky business move for them.

photo via Neiman Marcus

When I popped open the jpegs that she shared with me, I was not only pleasantly surprised but sort of impressed. My first thought was, 'these would work for great for shots of color in a room'.

photo via Neiman Marcus

I think, however, an entire room filled with these, could look juvenile. I love the punched up sherbets (although not with plaid wallpaper) but I'd want to use restraint, as this could go comical quickly.

via Neiman Marcus

 As I scrolled through, I realized that in keeping with the Palm Beach Lilly theme, they have included other classically inspired pieces. a little Chinese Chippendale here,  a touch of neo-classical there and even a tasseled, Hollywood regency vibe is represented.







by the way, check out how clever this idea is:

via Neiman Marcus

the below bench would look great at the end of a bed. I'm picturing a great China Seas fabric on that cushion.

via Horchow

You know what else is nice about this line, is that it's an accessible, seemingly ( I haven't seen them in person )  well made resource for knock-offs of all of those enviable 'found' pieces seen throughout the blog world and on digi mags ; those fortuitously found local thrift store or flea treasures that seem to be completely elusive to most  of us - Unless you're Meg or Eddie-equipped with an innate homing device for such treasures. If you're on the hunt, you'll spend years trying to track them down, if at all.











Both of us, singled out the O'Hara bar cart as a priority. Because you know, a house is not a home if it's not ready to entertain friends.

Some of the line can be found at Neiman's and Horchow but the entire collection  will be available at the Lilly Pulitzer, Palm Avenue life style shop in Raleigh, NC.  Road Trip anyone?

Factory 20

I believe in the mixing it up of things. Someone recently told me that on their list of, "big purchases for the home", was a bedroom 'set'. I inwardly cringed. NO!no, no, no. no.  no matchy.  No making your bedroom look like a 2 star hotel room. There are so many ways to create a room so that it doesn't fall flat to the eye. One of which is to not have it all match. Bedding 'sets'? no. I like to choose a little from here, and a little from there. Same goes with the furnishings of a room, any room.









Which is why I'm always drawn to a touch of industrial cast off. It can be a little hard and cold but mixed in with fine boned pieces, beautiful fabrics or even a bit of sea grass or a beautiful carpet can make it an interesting addition to the bunch. Think of it like creating a guest list of who you'd have to a perfect dinner party. This would be the 80 year old who's traveled the world and has a wickedly wry sense of humor. You need him, to add 'texture'.







In my own home, I have it in the form of vintage drafting stools pulled up to the bar ( "The Homework Bar" as it is in our home, where the house poison seems to be Math ) The rest of the room has a mix of french antiques, belgian linen, marble and sea grass. It works.



 





I love an old doctor's cabinet used to hold white towels and beautifully packaged bath goods in bathroom. I've seen it in modern bathrooms as well as elegant, all white traditional loos. 





 

I think something like this would be a beautiful way to display a file of old etchings or a coffee table book filled with glorious glossy photos.





 

I'm always happy to find new places to source out these kinds of pieces. New to me is Virginia based,  Factory 20. Their inventory is HUGE.

td[s] to do something

td[s] is a custom design and fabrication and design studio located, here, in sunny L.A. comprised of the duo, dakota witzenburg and chad peterson who create kitchens and furnishings using salvaged woods and a ton of innovation. 

http://todosomething.com/

Try to post about 48 hours at High Point in one posting. Impossible.

So I'm going to do this in installments.

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I'm back.

I'm exhausted. 

This will give you an idea of the Over Stimulus that High Point Market is - I arrived on Sunday and left on Tuesday and basically feel like I did Vegas or ran a marathon while talking non-stop. My voice is hoarse and my feet are blistered. In the best way. I tell you, this is a MUST visit for ANYone in the business.



Why? I mean, beyond being the, 'Home of Home Furnishing',  it's like googling, "furniture, interior design, chairs, sofas, lamps, case goods, cool stuff for your pad  etc" and then crawling into your monitor to take a tour.



Yes, it's as endless as the Internet is vast. And what I learned is that: what I didn't know, I didn't know.

I have to take a second to thank High Point Market for hosting myself and the other design bloggers. It was something I feel so fortunate to have been a part of. 

So where to start??? You know, Linda and I had never met in real life. (Linda and I, along with Joni Webb, are co-hosts on The Skirted Round Table Podcast) So after 2 years of chatting weekly, we finally met in person. Such a treat.







Our day started, on Monday, with an opening breakfast and presentation given by the amazingly awesome designer, Jamie Drake (new design crush) . Jamie is as incredibly down to earth and charming as he is talented ( and he had the coolest Gucci jacket that I was coveting ). He was kind enough to sit with Linda and me, afterward, for  a Skirted Round Table interview (should be up next week). Can't wait for you all to 'meet him'. He's funny too. Which is always a 'win' for me.  I'll let you know when that is posted.

It was 80 ish degrees on this day. then next,  after a major storm, 50. what?

Later in the afternoon, Hickory Chair, hosted us with a, stick-to-the-ribs, Southern Style lunch (mac & cheese, bbq'd pulled pork, biscuits and sweet tea - ya'lll feelin' me? "Raw Diet" out the window ) and then a tour of their showroom.



 Hickory Chair is celebrating 100 years in the business and for the event, has launched their,  "1911 Collection". The line, inspired by their original styles,  has been made more relevant with the use of customized material.  "...translating the continental influences and uncommon craftsmanship of the last century for new audiences and a new century."



As seen in these two different approaches to the same piece:

This is when I realized, "what I didn't know, I didn't even know" The integrity of this line is what heirlooms are made of. Handcrafted by artisans in Hickory, N.C. with a precision and care that has made Hickory Chair one of the very top in its business.



If you'd like to read more on the crafting and history behind the line check out this article.  I will say that, learning about the beginnings of the company and  the artisans, made an indelible impression. ( One of my
fellow HPMarket companions, Coco + Kelly has a great tour of the
factory here.) The turn around on these pieces is incredibly fast, 2 weeks! for custom? what? they have it down.





I had to put this bed in the post. I'm completely in love with it. Love, love, love. give me a house in Jackson Hole and an endless budget at Hickory Chair. or wait, just give me an endless budget at Hickory Chair.

 gorgeous, isn't it? Two twins, side by side, please.

We also had the great opportunity to have lunch with,  Mariette Himes Gomez,  Alexa Hampton® Katherine of Hable Construction and Suzanne Kasler ( I mean really, how often do you get to toss back, pulled pork and sweet tea with this  sort of company? A design blogger's Eden. )  Later they gave us an introduction to their collaborative collections for Hickory Chair. I snapped a few videos of the former two with my handy Flip camera. 

 

 

I wish I was able to get Suzanne Kasler on video. Her rooms were so very 'Suzanne Kasler' in all of their lovely serenity and measurement. Love her work.

I especially liked her new, Suzani inspired  fabrics. Check out how she used, upholstery webbing to delineate that wall. Great idea for a bulletin board.

Are you exhausted? this was only the beginning. More to come.

glamour shots

just a shot of glamour goes a long way......

 

 as seen in these grays, turquoises, golds and browning pinks

via:: ELLE decor

there's room for a bit o' the leopard in every space. Lately I'm thinking a gilded, fine boned chair tucked into a room would be the perfect amount.

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and found on ebay, a little Dorothy Draper Espana number ...... why must these things always be in the farthest reaches [ Florida ]

 

this gilded bar set is great. I have a few sets with different patterns. When you're not boozing it back, they make for great little vases filled with pink carnations, roses or peonies.

check this chair out. a bit of paint { hot pink? gold? }+ fresh fabric { velvet leopard/cheetah } = great side chair

and if all of that is a bit in your face, try the animal motif in this small shot:

 

giraffe book ends here

the spinnaker chair

more stuff made from 'authentic' sails.

cool. here

Lush Pad

Score!  Great finds at great prices over at the modern market place site Lush Pad. 

The site was totally new to me. Had you heard of it?

Selig Chair, $50-$100

It's great if you're in the market for Modern pieces. Craig's List takes forever these days - having to weed through all of the drek that is NOT 'Mid Century Modern'  but Ikea and by vintage they mean, "crap that they don't want to haul to the dump".  

Russel Woodard Sculptura Chairs, $500.00/pair

slat back arm chairs, $199.00

 While you can find some great pieces 'fer cheap', they also carry the serious pieces for serious collectors, with serious budgets.

Like this Robsjohn-Gibbings Widdicom bench for a mere, $7, 500:

it's fun to go poke around over there, even if you're just looking.