When it comes to finding an interior designer, people are often at a loss. I thought it might be nice to share images of work by designers who I admire. Creative people who have the ability to compose a room in a fresh but functional way. Up first, Aqua Vitae Design. The Los Angeles based team of Alexandra and Eliot Angle create eclectic rooms that defy labels. Is it modern? Yes. Does it draw on tradition? Definitely. Is it fresh? Absolutely. This “farm-table” style setting features crisp, white, delicate chairs against a sort of Swedish blue bead-board like cabinetry. All the warmth of a country kitchen with clean, modern sensibilities. See other Interior Designers in Los Angeles.
Spin contemporary floor candelabra was designed by London based Tom Dixon. Made from cast iron the articulated forms reach up from the base in an almost organic fashion. At almost 63″ high, this is a candelabra with a presence. @twentieth
Maurizio Peregalli’s Big Al Plasma TV stand gets the job done in anodized aluminum. At 63″ x 14″ x 47″h, the stand and storage economizes on space. The plasma TV hooks to a universal mechanism on the rotating center column. Like Sail, its simple, to the point and functional in a reasonably compact size. @ Limn SF, Sacramento, LA and Seattle.
Further to our discussion of outdoor fire features…
We received a tip about Flame Creation, located in Snellville, Georgia. This company specializes in custom fire features including fire bowls and combined fire and water elements. The website has images of some nice, resorty looking installations. Good source of inspiration.
Thanks Mike!
Designed by Caronni and Bonanomi in 2005, the Sail reduces TV Stand functionality to that alone. The steel support accommodates cables and the base is on castors. Slim, simple and functional – by Desalto Italy, available at Limn.
Hard to believe that this modern resin lamp was designed in 1968 – but it was, by Marco Martinelli for Martinelli Luce. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the design, a limited edition of 300 lamps have been created in black. Signed, numbered and available exclusively at Suite New York.
What makes it a Cobra? Take a look at it in the swiveled position.
The Zeitraum Noon Lighting Series designed by El Schmid pairs waxed dark browned iron arms with soft white glassine lampshades in simple geometric lines. This particular lamp, the Neat Noon S was designed to be permanently fixed to the Zeitraum Waiter or Waitress Tables for a great looking lamp table lamp… whatever you want to call it. The simplicity of the design with the ultra clean connection of the lamp to the table certainly reframes my idea of a lamp table – you can get the piece through Suite New York.
Okay so I’m not sure what to label this category of furniture – but surely I’m not the only one who remembers the combo table and lamp from the 1970s – at that time I found them embarrassingly unattractive, the kind of stuff in your friends basement. But lately I have come across two beautiful incarnations of this previously frozen-in-time concept. The first piece I came across while I was in Seattle. I visited Velocity Art and Design in the South Lake Union district (which didn’t really exist 20 years ago when I lived there). This lamp table or table lamp, was actually named BOOKLAMP by the designers, Seyhan Ozdemir and Sefer Caglar of Autoban. Based in Istanbul, arrived on the seen a few years back. I remember first being introduced to their designs by a NY based showroom called Ray20. The line later became associated with De La Espada who now builds their designs in Portugal. The BookLamp that I saw at Velocity was in the darker walnut color. The piece is small at 22-1/2″w 15-3/4″l and 54-3/10″h. It is beautifully made and is so striking in its simplicity.
The David Rockwell designed Riverhouse, the new eco-chic waterfront condo in NYC has opened a showhome with family friendly living by four top designers. Shown here is the great room designed by Chris Kraig Studio for Suite New York. Kraig combined clean, modern pieces with forgiving and easy to clean finishes. The seating area features the Elliot Sofa with fixed cushions and dark upholstery. The Noon Sideboard is perfect for hiding away puzzles and games and its lacquered surface is easily wiped clean. The Capitonne Pouf is upholstered in hard wearing white leather and the Bergere Chair by Patricia Urquiola with its red tubular frame and two seating positions brings relaxed sophistication.
I attended DesignTrends Seattle last month where I was fortunate enough to meet Brent Comber and attend his keynote address. This is a guy we should all be envious of - although he clearly works very hard, he seems to love what he’s doing and where he’s doing it. A native of Vancouver BC, Brent is completely immersed in, and a product of, his environment. He is interested in the connection people have with wood and the forests it comes from. His pieces tell stories about the forest. Brent took us through his first works and how those experiences informed his later work. Brent’s Alder works have become one of his most recognizable – I found the story behind those pieces to be one of the most compelling. Brent recounts coming to a point where he really felt the material, wood, was the story of his work. He told of walking through the forest and wanting to tell a story about “the places in between” the trees, the voids. As a native Northwesterner, he knew a little about the cycle of the forest. He explained how Alder trees are one of the first species to appear after deforestation. The trees are relatively short lived, they die off, enrich the soil and support the rebirth of the forest. Brent uses young stands of alder that have already been cleared to create his alder series – and true to his vision, shows us the space between. I have admired Brent’s work since I first saw it a few years back online and then at ICFF. Understanding what is behind the work makes it infinitely more beautiful.
