Posts from — April 2009

Roses have harbored special meaning for centuries. The symbol of love, passion and respect; each color even has it’s own meaning in the unwritten language of flowers. This season, the ”queen of the flower world” is cropping up all over the interiors. From lighting, lampshades, fabrics and accessories, they are a decorating must-have.

When it comes to fabric, romantic florals are important this season and the rose is the clear winner, from tiny scattered blooms to huge rose motifs measuring 11 inches in diameter to tendril designs, featuring all-over mini designs or lavish, Baroque-format climbers are the hits of the season.

The poetic and theatrical feeling of a bouquet of roses has been captured in a unique series of lighting sculptures. LA VIE EN ROSE is a flexible ‘system’ in which you can choose how you would like to compose your bouquet of roses: they can hang next to each other or the roses can create a chandelier.  It is also possible to take a single rose or dress the flowers with crystals. LA VIE EN ROSE translates the feeling of getting showered by Roses after performing an Opera. Poetry, beauty, drama and love…this bunch of roses has it all and on top of that offers you a very special lighting solution.

Designer’s Guild is always a must see at Maison et Objet’s Editeurs. This year they showed soft dreamy florals as the centerpiece to their collections. This yellow, black and white color scheme freshens what could be a tired 80’s looking chintz collection. Pompom, rick rack or lace trims were the finishing touches.

Tricia Guild has the best gig- who wouldn’t want access to the Royal archives as inspiration to design a collection for Windsor palace? In usual best form- she didn’t disappoint. The crisp color palette ushered in a new green and the stunning rose embroidery gives new meaning to the “queen” of the flower world.

           My Lazy Blooms created in powder coated aluminum and available as single blooms or bouquets

I found these zipper roses by Kate Cusack on favorite site- Etsy. Though meant to be worn as brooches, I think they’d be fabulous as window fashion accessories!

                                  What lamp wouldn’t love to be topped off by this Kenzo shade.

Lastly, fashion and interiors have always drawn inspiration from each other and who wouldn’t when style genius Alexander McQueen turns the quintessential red rose into this stunning bolero jacket worn with a white tulle ballerina skirt. I had to put this in because  I love, love, love, it  and besides it IS Alexander McQueen.

Designers, Decorators and Colorists grab your color wheels. Benjamin Moore launches its fourth installment of the Hue Awards. The award seeks to honor the incorporation of color in innovative and imaginative ways—through the use of interior and exterior paints, building materials, textiles and other surfaces, plus design elements and furnishings. The paint giant is accepting submissions from May 1 to October 9 of this year. Open to both seasoned and novice design professionals, the competition will accept entries in the following categories: residential interiors, residential exteriors, contract interiors, contract exteriors, and social responsibility.
This year’s palette of judges features five exceptional professionals drawn from the design, fashion, and art worlds who have cultivated a rich knowledge of color usage. The lineup includes Thomas R. Krizmanic, principal of Studios Architecture; Reed Kroloff, director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum; Mayer Rus, design and culture editor of The Los Angeles Times Magazine; Essie Weingarten, founder of Essie Cosmetics, and Tim Wisgerhof, former creative director for Saks Fifth Avenue. So designers and architects, if you have a nose for color and the portfolios to back it up, submit your work for consideration for the Benjamin Moore HUE award. There is no fee to enter; downloadable entry forms and instructions are available at www.benjaminmoore.com.

Winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in New York in March 2010, and will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with the original hand-blown HUEY.               

The High Point Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 85,000 people to High Point every six months. Serious retail home furnishings buyers can be found in High Point twice a year because if you can’t find it in High Point it probably doesn’t exist. Spring Market is April 25-30, 2009; High Point North Carolina

European Design Since 1985: Shaping The New Century opens in early March until June 21 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The first comprehensive assessmwnt of Western European design from 1985-2005 trace notable contributions to the field from 118 influential designers including Tord Boontje, Marcel Wanders, Studio Job, Hella Jongerius and Jasper Morrison.

Exhibition Admission
Adults (18-64) $10 (Buy online and save $2)
Children (7-17) & College students with valid I.D. $6 (Buy online and save $1)
Seniors (65+) & Groups of 10 or more $8 (Buy online and save $2)
Free for IMA members and children 6 and under

The Fashion Felt exhibiton is open at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York. Felt is one of the earliest known materials, and is the most used medium by  architects and textile or product designers when experimenting.

Fashion Felt explores the origins, uses and devlopment of felt across the globe. See designs by Tom Dixon, Hive, MOLO, LAMA; among them stunning examples like the Little Field of Flowers rug by Studio Tord Boontje for nanimarquina.

Until September 7, 2009