'Furniture Flair'

Attracting the world’s leaders in contemporary furniture, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair heads into town less than a month after the Salone Internazionale del Mobile turned up the volume in Milan.

The newswires are already inundated from a stream of press releases from exhibitors all garnering for attention.

The ICFF begins May 16 at the Jacob J. Javitts Center in New York City, showcasing the latest in seating, flooring, lighting and garden furniture designs from 552 vendors on more than 145,000 square feet of floor space.

Not to be missed, the ICFF has added a series of guest speakers to its action-packed weekend that include talks like that of design materials and processes from Materials Matter and a special gallery by Japan by Design.

Expect to see exhibits from Blu Dot, CARVART, Dwell Studio, Samoa and many other design names from more than 30 countries.

For established design firms like From the Source, the ICFF serves as a launching pad to test its newest collections of stools, media stands and desks made from vintage, reclaimed, recycled or plantation-grown hardwoods. Sure to inspire, the Brooklyn-based firm combines steel framing with woods such as teak, mango, or rosewood for a light, minimalist approach to furniture design.

A wood and wrought iron stool appropriately called “The Perch” appears destined for the usual city watering hole or the most modern of brownstone kitchens. The scooped bottom of the seat is made from smooth, carved wood and the sleek iron base has a crossbar positioned low to rest one’s feet.

And for graduating Rhode Island School of Design and Parson’s students, the ICFF is the most attractive venue to not only exhibit their final semester-long work, but to jumpstart a design career. About 38 percent of the ICFF exhibitors this year are first-timers like the RISD students. Exploring the use of non-traditional materials was the theme of the RISD exhibition titled “Immaterialize.” From molten plastic to aluminum wire, the designs are bound to get some recognition.

The most impressive creation is that of student Ruth Fore (left): 3,000 feet of hand-strung aluminum wire to produce a surprisingly comfortable chair. Shaped like a bean bag chair, it looks like a giant-sized Brillo pad come to furniture life.

But the rest of the designs will not be visible until the fair kicks off.

Excited yet? You should be. This is one event that will have you rethink your entire furniture settings.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/kids-are-alright-risd-exhibition-icff

'Diamond in the Rough'

Mike D of the Beastie Boys may rock the stage. But his mother Hester Diamond rocks the art world.

The fact that Diamond is as fascinating as her son is undeniable. The New York Times Style Magazine toured her Upper West Side duplex last fall just to prove that this once social worker mom in the 60’s was even cooler.

What the magazine found in Diamond's home was a unique pairing of Renaissance art with postmodern design. The end result is what they coined a “postmodern cocktail party set in a 16th century Florentine Church.”

Diamond told the magazine that she first started collecting art in the 50’s when she worked as a social worker and public school teacher. Widowed in the 80’s, Diamond moved on to marry then NYU Dean Ralph Kaminsky. The union fueled the couple’s addiction for Leger, Picasso and Kadinsky paintings.

“Back then you could put stuff on layaway for $25,” explained Diamond (If only I could purchase a Picasso on layaway).

To support her habit, the Beastie Boys mom launched her own interior design business and made millions from auctions at Sotheby's. It was how she invested in the works of Bernini and how she helped patron the non-profit Medici Archive Project in Florence.

Informally versed in art from trips as a child to the Museum of Modern Art, Diamond is fond of color and unusual shapes. She conspired with interior designer Jim Walrod and the two pushed the color envelope.

The ultimate design guru, Walrod is best known as the “furniture pimp” as referred to in the Rolling Stone. The Jersey City native has consulted and designed interiors for the likes of hotelier Andre Balazs and architect Jean Nouvel.

Near a window that overlooks Central Park, Diamond opted for a clear magenta desk with acid yellow drawers by Italian design firm Ycami.

Opposite the lavender B&B Italia chairs and magenta dining table is Ghiberti and Studio’s “Virgin and Child” set atop a white pedestal.

She had the walls of the master bedroom painted a lemon yellow color. Surprisingly, the unconventional hue draws a stark (but well-executed) contrast to the red headboards of the beds; the orange end tables; and the reds and blues in the prism styled rug. On the walls hang Ortolano’s “Circumcision” and Jacopo Del Sellaio’s “Cupid and Psyche” – their rich blues and reds acting further as accents.

“Good taste can be a system of constraints,” said Diamond.

So too, is the recipe for being a pretty cool mom.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of the New York Times Style Magazine

'Pop Goes the Weasel'

My Little Pony. Rainbow Brite.The Little Mermaid. 101 Dalmatians.

These were some of the characters that wound their way onto my pajamas, bedcovers and curtains when I was a child. I am not alone. Most people can place their childhood by the comic book heroes, fairytale princesses or animated cartoons they worshipped.

Unfortunately, trends come and go and eventually so does the merchandise. What often results is a stockpile of unwanted ‘Beauty and the Beast’ duvets and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ curtains locked away in a closet. Someday, the same fate will befall the ‘Hannah Montana’ couches and the ‘Dora the Explorer’ vanities.

Livening your children’s bedroom doesn’t have to involve lavish purchases or intense renovation. Want to make a room pop? Creative accent pieces charged with color will satisfy even the toughest young critics until the next big craze comes along.

While lining dresser drawers with wrapping paper protects clothes, how about lining the walls of a bookshelf with your child’s favorite ‘Thomas the Engine’ or ‘Barbie’ prints? Use double-sided tape and first make a template of the shelf's back wall before mounting the wrapping paper. The paper is interchangeable and proves to your child that you too value his idols.

Don’t buy a new lamp to match the equestrian theme running rampant in your daughter’s room. Replace the lampshade with a splashy color like red or yellow. Better yet, paint the lampshade in a punchy hue from leftover paint lying around.

Removable decals (right) make their way from the wall and onto the unlikeliest of places. InStyle recently suggested sticking the decals on an old stool or wooden chair for a quick revamp. But lampshades, dresser drawers, and mirrors could all use a makeover. One week, it’s butterflies. And the next , it’s blossoms.

Children pay attention to detail. Why not add a daisy to the end of that curtain rod? Or how about topping it off with a train? Decorative curtain rods are a no fuss approach to dressing up a room.

No more coloring on the wall. Invest in a $32 whiteboard so that your next little Pablo Picasso can perfect his technique. From bold artwork today to listing homework assignments and term papers tomorrow, a whiteboard is worth every penny.

Steer clear of the ‘High School Musical’ and ‘Disney Princess’ themed whiteboards.

That’s what brightly colored decals are for!

And voilà:

Pop goes the bedroom.

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of flickr.com, www.storesense4.megaservers.com, www.decorinnovation.com

'Lights out, blackout'

If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen.

Or grab a set of blackout curtains, because that’s exactly what I did.
The untimely heat wave that hit the East Coast this past weekend made me draw several conclusions:

1. I am ill-equipped to fashionably survive the hot summer season.
2. I must go shopping immediately for jumpsuits, shorts and dresses.
3. My upstairs is hotter than a sauna when the temperature rises.

Regarding no. 3, I knew that something had to be done when my fluffy Pomeranian (who recently got a short haircut) was panting from the increase of moisture in the room.

When I lived along the Mediterranean in France during those especially scorching summer months, I might have welcomed ‘a little bit of heat’ upstairs. In fact, I think I did without an air conditioner the same summer that I returned to the States – sleeping comfortably underneath a fleece blanket (can you imagine) with the windows open.



But that was then, this is now.

Not too long ago, a colleague had gifted me a set of black blackout curtains printed with stars to use in my bedroom. Unlike other curtains, blackout curtains are made of a thicker polyester fabric in order to block sunlight and insulate the home. And different from blinds, blackout curtains reportedly drown out noise from the outside – ideal for those living with lawn-mowing neighbors. The curtains date as far back as World War II (above left), when the British would cover their windows to prevent any flicker of indoor light from shining through. It was said that Nazi fighter planes were likely to bomb the structure if they suspected there were people living within.

I first discovered its use working as the occasional fashion stylist among a team of hair/makeup, models and photographer. The blackout curtains are invaluable to photographers looking to block sunlight or cover mirrors when shooting.


With a pool of sweat building over my brow, I clawed at the plastic casing that held the curtains. (I noticed the zipper at the top of the package only after I had shreds of plastic on my wooden floor.) I had decided that the lucky windows to hold them would be the ones facing East, in the direction the sun rises. About 15 minutes later, I had significantly blocked out most of the sun from the one side of bedroom.


And I had brought instant relief my on-the-verge-of-a-heat-stroke puppy and myself.

Find yourself in a similar situation? From jacquard to zebra-striped blackout curtains in your living room or home theater (above left), go to Decor Innovation to get them:

- S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of planetgreen.discovery.com and blog.audiovideointeriors.com