Highlights: Architectural Digest Home Design Show - Great vendors

Out in the main booth area, I came across a few outstanding companies with which I was unfamiliar. The first is London-based Fromental, which creates custom hand-painted wallpaper using silk, velvet, embroidery and silk-screening ala deGournay, with a slightly less traditional, Upper East Side-y feel and more options for customization. As you may imagine, the papers are not cheap, but, they are AMAZING, and I most certainly consider them works of art.

Photo courtesy Fromental, from the Chinoiserie collection

Images from the booth at the show. Even the sub-par quality of my photos can't diminish the beauty of the wallpaper, styled expertly with deliciously buttery George Smith furniture.

Fromental is represented by and can be purchased via the George Smith showroom in New York, at 232 East 59th Street.

Another UK-based favorite from the show was Forbes & Lomax, creator of the Invisible Lightswitch, a transparent acrylic plate that does not rudely interrupt lovely wall treatments with a brash and out-of-place industrial switches.

Photo courtesy Forbes & Lomax

Architects and interior designers struggle tirelessly to strike a balance between our vision for a space and the requirements, be it building codes (exit signs in commercial buildings) or everyday necessities, like switch plates and outlet covers that more often than not mar the look of the final product. I tend to (not so) secretly photoshop them out of project photos.

Forbes & Lomax's sleek designs are a throwback to glass switches of the early 1930s with a modern twist. The mostly screw-less acrylic plates allow wallpaper or paint to show through, accented by a subtle, unobtrusive metal toggle switch, rotary dimmer, push button, or outlet in the center. Ingenious!

Via Forbes & Lomax

There are a handful of decent-looking options on the market these days:

Via House of Antique Hardware

And DIY-ers are getting creative about camouflaging their switches with paint or fabric:

Images courtesy OhDeeDoh

But, for the high-end market, I think Forbes & Lomax really hit the nail on the head. They also manufacture a comprehensive collection of outlets covers and switchplates in several metal finishes and painted options. The website even has a great interactive tool to help prospective buyers put together the look they want.

My favorite booth in what I call the "designer ghetto," where they seem to put all the young, small designers and artists, was Roll & Hill, a lighting company that debuted at the show.

Photo courtesy Apartment Therapy

Roll & Hill reps some of today's best up-and-comers in the lighting world and the unique display set them apart from many of the other exhibitors, with light fixtures hanging high overhead and low in black boxes offset by jewel-tone paint colors. I'm not the only one to feel this way; Apartment Therapy agrees and gave them a shout-out, as well, which is BIG. I look forward to seeing more from this young company. The branding alone makes me hopeful that they will thrive in this crap-o-la economy.

The issue of branding brings me to the aforementioned beef with my alma mater, Pratt Institute. The Pratt Exhibition Design Intensive students nabbed a primo spot on the main floor among all kinds of fantabulous vendors but really dissed the importance of the show with a sad and completely embarrassing booth. I was directed there by a friend who works at From the Source (which showcased a well-styled booth with great new products) and who happened to participate in the Exhibition Design Intensive while at Pratt. She warned me it would be bad, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw. Are you ready?

What the hell is THAT?!?! I didn't even bother wasting my time with color corrections. The crappy sign crappily taped up with visible masking tape, the unexplained models strewn about, the wrinkled work on the walls, the unused tv screen, all in an unattended booth....?? I don't know what was being showcased and I don't know how this happened, since every one knows design is all about selling your work with a cohesive presentation. The fact that this is the booth of the Exhibition Design class makes it even worse. Why am I exposing this? Because it makes me mad! Pratt is chock-full of outstandingly talented, creative, resourceful people who pay good money to go there. While in school, we are cut down, battered, and bruised, then told to get up, brush ourselves off and hit the real world of design running. We do, and because of all the butt-kicking, we actually emerge as pretty damn good designers. So, when some of us are given an opportunity to participate in such a visible event that could bring in more funding, job offers for students or simply give the school and students some much-needed exposure, how can they take it so lightly and drop the ball so heavily? Very disappointing, Pratt!

Ok, I've calmed down. This concludes my highlights of the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Stay tuned for some exciting new work from Frisson!

Highlights: Architectural Digest Home Design Show - DIFFA Dining By Design

Last week I went to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan. I was pretty disappointed in last year's show, but I think it's important to go to keep up with what's going on in the industry, in part, by going to as many events as possible, so I go. As always, money talks, so the big-name, financially-backed companies get large, centrally-located booths. Makes sense; they help fund these events! I understand capitalism. Last year, the big-guns showed a lot of large outdoor furniture, which I thought was a bit out of place for the New York market. This year, those vendors had much more appropriate wares. But, I still prefer to scope out the little guys, in their tiny booths off the beaten path, who showcase all their fresh, creative ideas with pizzazz.

This year's show was still a bit ho-hum as expected, but it was most definitely not a waste of time, as I found some new vendors and I ran into old ones I'd like to share.

My first stop was the Dining By Design section featuring tabletop and vignettes by various designers, sponsored by DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) because I love me a good tabletop, mmmmkay?

My favorite installation was by architect Arpad Baska, who carved out such a fun, interesting dining nook using rope and a simple color palette of red and white. Can't go wrong there. Baska brought an elegant twist to the popular nautical theme we're seeing a lot of now. I would love to dine among friends in this intimate setting.

Image courtesy Nirmada

On the other end of the spectrum, Rockwell Group put together a shimmery, glamorous table, complete with Old Hollywood movies flickering in the background. I'm not sure how well the setting would work in real life (your view of those across the table would be obstructed!) but conceptually and aesthetically, it was fantastic! I love the sparkly "screen" that catches light as it sways, and the back-lit table adds a unique touch. It's also always interesting to see what results when designers opt out of using floral centerpieces to create a very lively tablescape.

Image courtesy Fast Company

Coming up: highlights of some favorite vendors and a very sad display from my alma mater.

Militant Minimalism and Lost Treasure

Life in New York City is the definition of expensive, no doubt about it. The taxes are staggering, prices at grocery stores mind-numbing, the real estate prices practically unspeakable. Space itself is at a premium here and I'm talking about apartment buildings where the hallways and elevators are so tiny that it's common practice when moving to a new apartment to hire a complete stranger to come over, literally hack your innocent sofa into several grisly chunks, transfer these traumatized fragments into your new home and then reassemble the poor bastard like an upholstered Frankenstein... simply because you can't fit it through your own front door.

A potential victim

Having lived in sub-400 square foot apartments in Brooklyn and Manhattan for the last five years, we have thus developed a strong aversion to oversized furniture and "extraneous" items, shall we say. You almost have no choice but to GET YOUR ZEN ON unless you are comfortable living in cramped squalor, no disrespect (thick New York accent) to those who do so. Alternately, if you really like your stuff and don't care to constantly crawl over it to get around your apartment like a drunken Periplaneta Americana, another option is renting a warehouse to store your precious knick-knackery in – until you can afford a real apartment (you keep telling yourself, anyways). It's disconcerting, because those matching collections of oak veneer furnishings all seemed perfectly sized back when home was a 2500+ square foot 3bed/3bath apartment in the suburbs of Dallas or Cleveland:

This is now an obscenely massive pile of particle wood shit collecting dust at Manhattan Mini Storage.

When it comes down to it, though, I just can't handle paying rent for boxes of junk when rent is already so expensive for my own physical body. Therefore, over time we've slowly disposed of and/or replaced many of our belongings with smaller sized versions, carefully choosing the most well-made, attractive, and versatile that we can afford. "Smaller" and "versatile" is obvious, "attractive" because it's probably hanging on the wall or sitting out in plain view, and "well-made" because it will be used constantly. For example, we have very few kitchen knives. A pair of classic 10" chef's knives, a paring knife, and a small serrated knife for tomatoes and bread - that's it. They are all attractively designed, simple and well made, Henckels brand so a bit expensive but we use all of them on a daily basis. Since there are just a few, we can hang them on a magnetic wall strip, avoiding the typical wooden knife block setup and saving some precious counter space. This philosophy adds up to a lot of extra space when used across the entire spectrum of objects in your apartment. Generally speaking, if something is unused long enough to collect dust in our home it will soon be disposed of unless it is an item of utmost sentimental and/or aesthetic value, simply because we'd rather have a tiny bit more open space, a little more visual tranquility, and enough damn counter space to chop up and prep dinner!

"Now, I can appreciate owning a few finely crafted cutting tools, but this is getting a little ridiculous..." -Edward Scissorhands at Macy's

It may come as no surprise that I also have a very strong tendency towards obsessive compulsiveness. I LOVE to organize, to create order from chaos, to analyze the usefulness of individual material objects with ruthless, unsentimental standards. All these habits, this Militant Minimalism if I may, have started to spill over into my digital world as well. I've collected a digital ocean of files over many years of scouring the internet for interesting, shiny, useful things, and lately I have started to pare that down as well. Most of my time is spent throwing things away, which gives one a certain sense of satisfaction, but it can get boring after a while. However, I am occasionally rewarded when I come across some long-lost treasure:

While attending Pratt, I scanned a huge assortment of vintage insect illustrations and fiddled around with them for some project that I just didn't get around to finishing. (If you look closely, you can see some freaky bug parts lurking in the details). Rotate+copy in Photoshop honestly can make almost anything look neat and it's a procedure so simple that a monkey wearing thick plastic designer eyeglasses could execute it, but who cares? Must the atom be split before declaring something beautiful has been created? I think not!

Anyhoo, one of these days I'll incorporate them into a pattern for wrapping paper, a shower curtain, or maybe wallpaper (stay tuned). In the meantime, here's the entire collection for your perusal: ENTOMOLOGY STUDY.

Happy Birthday to me...AND spring forward!

Me, circa 2003, as interpreted by Oliver's illustrative hand

Today is a big day: my 31st birthday and daylight savings! I've been celebrating all weekend with a delicious family dinner at Le Relais de Venise, a super fun bachelorette party for my friend of thirteen years and bride-to-be, Becky (she actually gave ME a card at her own party. She is for real the most thoughtful person I know), and a scrumptious brunch at Balthazar followed by a stroll in the rain with my fine husband.

This was our first experience at the much-loved New York institution. We've been building up our expectations about the it ever since we received a gift card to the restaurant from Oliver's brother and his girlfriend. I'm no food blogger, and this place doesn't need another review talking about the intricacies of what makes is great, but the bottom line is, it did not disappoint. We ate like kings surrounded by stunningly accurate French bistro decor and impeccable branding and identity from the front sign to the menus.

Image courtesy Balthazar

Image courtesy Mucca Design

I've been excited about springing forward every since we fell back because it's sad to wake up before the sun and come home after it's gone down! I like to jog in the evenings, but not in the cold, dark winter. And with the brutal winter we've had this year, I'm more ready than ever for some outside time! To capture the dewy, clean essence of spring, a photograph Oliver took in 2004:

I love the colors (future blog post on blue and yellow in the works) and the freshness. I can practically smell spring when I look at this picture.

Love to you all xoxo

BALLS

Well, pom poms, really but I just wanted to get your attention. Perhaps I'm a little late to the party in pointing out my excitement about the various uses of pom poms as embellishment, but I'm going to write about it anyway.

I'm sure most don't know this, but I'm a sucker for pom poms. I love them in all applications, and I'm happy to see them ALL OVER the place right now.

Obviously, pom poms have had a long run as accessories to winter hats...

The ubiquitous North Face hat, a staple on all sporty college campuses

...Scarves

Fair Isle scarf

...And of course, those creepily euphoric, unnaturally flexible girls on the sidelines at said sporty college sporting events, cheerleaders! (Ready? OK!)

Gimme a......

Beyond cold weather gear and cheerleaders, we haven't seen pom poms elsewhere as ubiquitously...until recently! While I'm thrilled about phasing winter out right now, I'm completely open to the idea of bringing fuzzy, happy pom poms into spring for a fun, pop-y dash of excitement.

I am just loving the pom pom embellishment on this Topshop jacket:

Image courtesy Lucky Magazine

via livingegdeblog

Necklace by Movimentto

by John Galliano

Interior designers employ pom poms to pipe pillows, drapery, and linens to add flair, a playful element, or tailor a look without making it stuffy.

Via Homes and Gardens

Room designed top interior designer, Tom Scheerer

Via Decor8

Via This Is Glamorous

A crafty, yet not gimmicky room divider

Via Bohemian Hellhole

Gifts!

Via Elegance Redefined

Lest I've made you want to add pom poms to everything, tread lightly, as over-doing it might take you in an unfortunate direction:

Look by Timothy James Andrew

Potentially a little too "I'm wearing dead animal bits"

Scary purse:

Instead, opt for this one by Stella McCartney: