DESIGN

DESIGN AT FAIRCHILD SITTING NATURALLY by Andy Goldsborough

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This year as part of Design/MiamiThe Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden asked Cristina Grajales Gallery to commission seven of her brightest design stars to create site specific outdoor furniture (mostly benches) for its inaugural design initiative. I toured the gardens with Cristina and two of her artists, Sebastian Errazuriz and Sam Baron, a group of design admirers, and Nannette Zapata and Paula Fernandez de los Muros of the Fairchild and it was one of the major high points of the fair. We started the tour in the newly opened Butterfly Conservatory which is truly magical. We continued by tram and the first stop was Sebastian Errazuriz’s “Dawn Before Time Bench”. Using wood, iron and crystal, Errazuriz created a bench that resembles a traditional garden bench but has incorporated his trademark sense of humor and romance with the addition of a crystal chandelier that has been anchored to the bench and able to withstand the outdoor elements. Next up was Sam Baron’s “La Marie-Lou” and “La Georgette” benches. Made of white lacquered metal and ceramic, they both invite the user to add their own portion of the garden into one of the planters integrated into the design and the La Georgette offers shade with a movable umbrella as well.


Dawn Before Time bench by Sebastian Errazuriz

Dawn Before Time bench by Sebastian Errazuriz

La Marie-Lou Bench by Sam Baron in lacquered metal wood and ceramic

La Marie-Lou Bench by Sam Baron in lacquered metal wood and ceramic

La Georgette bench by Sam Baron

La Georgette bench by Sam Baron

Around the bend seeing rare palms that are nearing extinction John Paul Philippe’s “Bird Perch Benches” elegantly provide a place for the native birds of the garden to sit upon steel perches that become part of the frame that supports the generous mahogany platforms. Michele Oka Doner used Australian Pine to create her organic “Chitra Benches” that blend harmoniously into the environment.


Bird perch benches by John Paul Philippe

Bird perch benches by John Paul Philippe

Detail of Bird Perch bench by John Paul Philippe

Detail of Bird Perch bench by John Paul Philippe

Chitra Bench by Michele Oka Doner

Chitra Bench by Michele Oka Doner

Gael Appler crafted Honduran Mahogany into a slatted “Salt Point Bench” that is molded to comfort sitting in the garden as well as the “Salt Point Table”. Pedro Barrail used steel and marble to create his animated “Keep Walking Benches” and burned-in wood etching technique used by the the Pai-Tavytera Amazonian tribe in the “Melancholia Stool”. Both of Barrail’s designs were situated beneath an enormous tree that Jorge Pardo has illuminated with hundreds of red orange and white powder coated lanterns reminiscent of blooming flowers. Upon our return to the pavilion Sebastian Errazuriz’s second design “The Guardian Bench” was nestled at the edge of the rainforest along the south edge of the Bailey Palm Glade, one of the most photographed areas of the gardens. Again Sebastian cleverly referenced past civilizations being overturned, placing two busts of Caesar beneath a marble plinth.

Salt Point Bench (2) and Salt Point Table by Gael Appler

Salt Point Bench (2) and Salt Point Table by Gael Appler

Melancholia Stool and Keep Walking Bench by Pedro Barrail

Melancholia Stool and Keep Walking Bench by Pedro Barrail

Detail of Keep Walking Bench in marble by Pedro Barrail

Detail of Keep Walking Bench in marble by Pedro Barrail

Garden lights by Jorge Pardo

Garden lights by Jorge Pardo

Detail of Jorge Pardo’s garden lights

Detail of Jorge Pardo’s garden lights

We ended our tour with Christophe Come’s Infinity and Post Benches, both made of mahogany and iron using techniques he has employed in his furniture designs in Paris. All of these works will remain on view at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden through May 31, 2013.

Detail of Christophe Come’s Infinity bench

Detail of Christophe Come’s Infinity bench

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The “Sitting Naturally” works are available through Cristina Grajales Gallery in limited editions.

ALI TAYAR / PARALLEL DESIGN by Andy Goldsborough

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I recently visited architect Ali Tayar’s exquisite apartment and offices to go behind the scenes and find out what inspires the details and construction techniques in his work. I’ve known Ali for over twenty years and since the minute we met I’ve always been in awe of the complexity behind his architecture, furniture and product designs. On the surface, the connections and production techniques look simple, but the curved forms and perforated metal and wood that compose much of his work are the results of masterful planning and machine-made materials and finishes engineered with major impact!

Ali was born in Istanbul and began his architecture career at the University of Stuttgartfollowed by a Masters in Architecture at M.I.T. When he was eighteen years old and visited the Museum of Modern Art for the first time, standing in the sculpture garden he looked up at the Rockefeller Apartments across the street and thought, “That’s where I want to live.” The stunning views and curving brick facade of this building designed by Harrison & Fouilhoux in 1937 to many architects is one of the most beautiful residential buildings in New York.

The Rockefeller Apartments built in 1937

The Rockefeller Apartments built in 1937

Luckily for Tayar, his dream came true when he was able to buy one of the apartments and begin a year long transformation of the space, restoring every detail to it’s original state. While doing this, he created a museum of his own, furnishing the apartment and injecting his design sensibility into every piece of furniture, light fixture and accessory. The fireplace was one of the only pieces that was not original so he cast an aluminum Brancusi inspired mantelpiece that looks as if it was always there. When Tayar begins a design or furniture project his focus “is on the manufacturing process and the link between the structural concept and production.” He considers all of the furniture, objects and light fixtures he’s designed “little structures and larger projects have become more object-like relating the smaller scale studies.” Following are the images of Tayar’s apartment, furniture and details.

Carbon Fiber and mahogany strathisla console in the foyer , above a painting by Nuri Iyem

Carbon Fiber and mahogany strathisla console in the foyer , above a painting by Nuri Iyem

Perforated aluminum supports and mahogany and maple combine to form Anna’s shelving

Perforated aluminum supports and mahogany and maple combine to form Anna’s shelving

Detail of Anna’s shelving with a collection of cast aluminum fittings and wood prototypes

Detail of Anna’s shelving with a collection of cast aluminum fittings and wood prototypes

Tayyar’s bridge table with vintage chairs and seats covered in maharam Gio Ponti fabric. The table is a cube that has been carved away to create legs in laminated plywood.

Tayyar’s bridge table with vintage chairs and seats covered in maharam Gio Ponti fabric. The table is a cube that has been carved away to create legs in laminated plywood.

The dining room with Tayar’s maryana table and rasamny chairs faces the Moma sculpture garden.

The dining room with Tayar’s maryana table and rasamny chairs faces the Moma sculpture garden.

Cast aluminum and white oak ice bucket for omnia hotel project

Cast aluminum and white oak ice bucket for omnia hotel project

Kitchen with wood and yellow laminate and custom pulls by Ali Tayar

Kitchen with wood and yellow laminate and custom pulls by Ali Tayar

Detail of kitchen cabinetry and Tayar designed pulls

Detail of kitchen cabinetry and Tayar designed pulls

Tayar designed the laminated mdf bed and nightstands

Tayar designed the laminated mdf bed and nightstands

Hawkeye system nightstand in cast aluminum, laminated plywood and mahogany veneer with solid mahogany doors

Hawkeye system nightstand in cast aluminum, laminated plywood and mahogany veneer with solid mahogany doors

Nick’s Trivet table in mahogany with glass top and Rasamny chair

Nick’s Trivet table in mahogany with glass top and Rasamny chair

Detail of Rasamny chair in laminated oak and aluminum

Detail of Rasamny chair in laminated oak and aluminum

Tayar’s office looks like a design laboratory with fittings, models and furniture prototypes that have been built for clients projects as well as a MOMA installation “Workspheres”.

Ali Tayar/Parallel Design Offices

Ali Tayar/Parallel Design Offices

Drawings and prototypes by Ali Tayar

Drawings and prototypes by Ali Tayar

Thank you Ali for sharing your apartment and studio and continuing to inspire me and others with your architecture and design work!
For more information on Ali Tayar / Parallel Design go to www.alitayar.com

CHRISTOFLE STEPHANE PARMENTIER by Andy Goldsborough

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The first time I remember discovering Christofle was in college seeing a Gio Ponti designed mask, Il Diavolo in a design magazine and that began my life long admiration of the architect and designer’s work.

Gio Ponti Il Diavolo Mask

Gio Ponti Il Diavolo Mask

Recently, at the ICFF off-site show Wanted Design I was re-introduced to Christofle and met the new flagship store designer Stephane Parmentier. Charles Christofle founded the company in 1830 in Paris and ten years later it became one of France’s most important jewelry companies. In 1842 he acquired the patents for gold and silver plating electolysis, creating a new material. Christofle began producing silverplate objects as well as sterling silver creations for Napoleon III and the Czar of Russia. One of the most notable commissions were the statues that sit atop the Paris Opera. As early as 1928, Gio Ponti began collaborating with Christofle on a variety of objects, flatware, and serving pieces. Stephane Parmentier, the French interior designer of the new store on Madison Avenue has created a space that combines Ponti’s design aesthetic and the Art Deco style of New York’s Chrysler Building. Following is a visual tour of Parmentiers’ Christofle flagship store bringing together the companies rich tradition with a new modernism. Parmentier wanted to create a space full of atmosphere and sensorial stimulation “A venue bursting with the sparks that fly when you fall in love,” and it certainly feels that way.

Christofle 846 Madison Avenue storefront

Christofle 846 Madison Avenue storefront

Aborescence table and wall sconces by Ora-Ito reflected in the mirrored ceiling

Aborescence table and wall sconces by Ora-Ito reflected in the mirrored ceiling

Interior view with Stephane Parmentier designed Altair collection wood tables

Interior view with Stephane Parmentier designed Altair collection wood tables

Detail of Stephane Parmentier Altair collection tables

Detail of Stephane Parmentier Altair collection tables

The store is a masterfully crafted contrast of materials and finishes combining rich, warm polished wood and highly reflective silver details complementing the flatware, jewelry and objects which Christofle created. Although the ceiling height is kept at a minumum, the mirrored surface overhead gives the illusion of an endless space above and visually reflects all of the product in an innovative way.

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Christofle jewelry collection

Christofle jewelry collection

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Christofle bee symbol of hard work and excellence etched into the curved wall

Christofle bee symbol of hard work and excellence etched into the curved wall

Visit Christofle and Stephane Parmentier for more information as well as Ormond Editions. The Gilded Owl will feature Parmentier’s brilliant furniture design in an upcoming post, stay tuned.

FREDERICK MCSWAIN / BRAD ASCALON by Andy Goldsborough

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At this year’s ICFF in New York, Elizabeth Moore and I met Brad Ascalon at the Wanted Design off site show in Chelsea. He and Frederick McSwain were showing their first collaborative furniture and product line together made of primarily CNC milled and anodized aluminum. I’ve known Frederick for many years from Cappellini in Soho but had not met Brad until the show. They teamed with NFS / Neal Feay Studio, a sixty-plus year old state of the art industrial design production company in Goleta, California. NFS is primarily known for making music production products in metal and when Frederick and Brad collaborated with NFS on their first line of colorful aluminum furniture and objects the results were truly sensational. I recently sat down with them for lunch to learn more about both their backgrounds and the thought process behind “Reinvention; Writing History in Aluminum”.

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Frederick Mcswain

Frederick Mcswain

Brad Ascalon

Brad Ascalon

Frederick McSwain grew up in Elizabethtown, North Carolina and studied at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Majoring in Biology and Fine Arts, he graduated and began working with a restauranteur in his hometown. They came to New York to the ICFF in 1997 and 1998 and began buying and reselling examples of mid-century design. His interest grew and he decided to move to New York and start a career in design. Working in galleries in Chelsea and at Conran’s he started honing in on his own design work and then took a position with Cappellini, the famed Milan based Italian furniture furniture company, known for it’s prestigious designer roster including Shiro KuramataJasper Morrison and Marcel Wanders.

An early work by Frederick Mcswain

An early work by Frederick Mcswain

When Tobias Wong, the innovative designer and Frederick’s close friend passed away, he created “Die” assembling 13,138 dice on the floor to create a portrait of the artist.

“Die” portrait of Tobias Wong by Frederick Mcswain

“Die” portrait of Tobias Wong by Frederick Mcswain

Brad Ascalon grew up outside Philadelphia in Cherry Hill New Jersey and studied at Rutgers undergrad majoring in Communications and then received his masters in industrial design from the Pratt Institute. Brad’s father, David Ascalon, is a sculptor and stained glass artist as was his grandfather, Maurice Ascalon, a sculptor and industrial designer so design definitely runs in the family. Brad began his career in New York working in advertising and the music industry. His love of music and thoughtful connections of materials inspired some of his first designs for Ligne RosetBernhardt and Fasem as well as the Turntable collaboration with Frederick.

Untitled Square, an early work by Brad Ascalon

Untitled Square, an early work by Brad Ascalon

Menorah by Brad Ascalon for Design Within Reach

Menorah in polished carrera marble by Brad Ascalon / Permanent collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History

Menorah in polished carrera marble by Brad Ascalon / Permanent collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History

Both Frederick and Brad were part of a group show called “Love It Or Leave It” at Gallery R’Pure during the ICFF as well. Each piece was a designer’s personal interpretation of some aspect of American life, celebratory, critical or simply observational. The exhibition was intended to question what American life is, whether real or perceived.

A detail of “Cells” by Frederick Mcswain

A detail of “Cells” by Frederick Mcswain

A detail of “The Dream” by Brad Ascalon

A detail of “The Dream” by Brad Ascalon

Frederick’s work titled “Cells” was a series of 84 polaroids taken by his mother, a bail bondsman along with 3 beautiful machined anodized aluminum crates evoking his memory as a child waiting on his mother on the dairy crates outside the jail. The word ‘Cells’ commonly refers to the smallest unit of living matter, but it’s also synonymous with subjects ranging from statistical spreadsheets to terrorist organizations. In language, as in life, environmental factors play a vital role in shaping one’s self-identity and perception of the world. From the moment of birth, each of us is exposed to a continuous stream of information. Collectively, these people, places, and things guide not only our emotions but also our practical decision-making. Meticulously organized, the human brain has the incredible ability to decipher and store these real-world snapshots for retrieval at a later time. We’re all simply the sum of our parts and that was the exploration of McSwain’s intriguing work.

“Cells” by Frederick Mcswain from the “Love it or Leave it” exhibition

“Cells” by Frederick Mcswain from the “Love it or Leave it” exhibition

Brad’s installation called “The Dream” inverted the typical Suburban symbol of a white picket fence in order to make a commentary about the state of the American Dream today, “nearly impossible for most Americans to realize.” “Within the boundaries of a society largely living above its own means, an unregulated banking system that plays by its own rules, and a government that idly stands by as millions of homes are being foreclosed upon, there lies an absolute truth, the direction we’re moving as a society has become unsustainable. This is the new promise of the American dream.”


“The Dream” by Brad Ascalon for the “Love it or Leave it” exhibition

“The Dream” by Brad Ascalon for the “Love it or Leave it” exhibition

Frederick and Brad both had a great love of music and were interested in creating furniture and products that had a sense of history to them. When they found NFS, they realized the potential to make very precise aluminum forms that would have optical effects as the viewer walks around the pieces. They wanted the pieces to have a 3D effect and to expose the manufacturing process in the completed products. The colors are limitless in anodizing since the pigment is added to a chemical acid bath and depending on the length of time the pieces are submerged they can go from pale pastel to vibrant intense color. Following are the pieces that comprise the new collection they designed together and fabricated with Neal Feay Studio.

Turntable in grey/gold

Turntable in grey/gold

Turntable detail

Turntable detail

The Timber table was based on rural farmland across the country which have become strip malls over the past decades, depicting nature trying to re-establish itself in these areas. McSwain and Ascalon detailed the table legs in natural woods piercing the textured aluminum table tops in such an elegant way and saying “nature will always defeat the manmade”.

Timber table

Timber table

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Timber table detail

Timber table detail

The anodized aluminum shoe horn in a range of colors

Lumen was inspired by the “Memphis” movement in Italy in the early 1980’s and was designed as a geometric prism of the elements of air, water and fire.

Lumen was inspired by the “Memphis” movement in Italy in the early 1980’s and was designed as a geometric prism of the elements of air, water and fire.

Lumen vase, candle holder and ashtray

Lumen vase, candle holder and ashtray

Suspension light fixture in gold and turquoise anodized aluminum

Suspension light fixture in gold and turquoise anodized aluminum

Matter will carry the Turntable and Timber tables and CHCM will soon stock the shoe horn.
Click on Frederick McSwain and Brad Ascalon for more of both of these innovators inspiring work. Thank you to Frederick and Brad for sharing your new collection with The Gilded Owl!

BDDW / TYLER HAYS by Andy Goldsborough

When I first started thinking about writing a blog it was mainly to document travel diaries of important design destinations and to share information on craftsmanship in design. Tyler Hays, the founder of BDDW, is one of the main reasons I began this new facet in my design career. As a professor full time at Auburn University and part time at Parsons School of Design for 8 years I taught Advanced Materials and Finishes to the 3rd year Interior Design students. I always wanted to learn new ways of integrating materials into my projects and through teaching I gained an even better understanding of what materials work best in certain applications. Tyler Hays is a master craftsman and materials engineer that began his career as a painter and sculptor at the University of Oregon.

Tyler Hays, seven-year-old artist

Tyler Hays, seven-year-old artist

When he moved to New York in the early 90’s he worked mainly as a contractor and did painting and sculpture on the side as a creative outlet. That creative component and thorough understanding of materials and engineering is what drove him to create his current line of classic modernist furniture with an heirloom feel. His journey began in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and outside his first studio there was a brick factory chimney with the letters BDDW on one side and the company was founded in 1994. He realized later that the letters actually read EDDW but his business was already off the ground and stuck with the name. After that, he moved to Rivington Street in what is now Freeman’s Sporting Club Barber. It was mostly a workshop that he built custom pieces for everyone from Kate Spade to Ralph Lauren and was the go-to contractor for beautiful custom furniture. As his business began to grow he opened his first shop at 5 Crosby Street a week before September 11, 2001.

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Lake low credenza flanked by Tyler’s custom walnut speakers

Lake low credenza flanked by Tyler’s custom walnut speakers

Not the best time for a new business to get off the ground, but with a small collection of 6 or 7 pieces he began what is now an 80 person operation. Some of the first pieces and soon to be classics in the collection included the Lake Credenza, Captain’s Mirror, Simple Chair, Tripod Lamp and the Slab Bed. I met Tyler over 10 years ago and have been buying his exquisitely elegant furniture for clients ever since. In fact, most end up buying multiple pieces which have become favorites that will be handed down for generations to come.

Detail of Lake credenza in holly with ebony pulls

Detail of Lake credenza in holly with ebony pulls

Tripod lamp in american holly and two captain’s mirrors

Tripod lamp in american holly and two captain’s mirrors

Ladder chairs in oxidized maple surround a Tobin table

Ladder chairs in oxidized maple surround a Tobin table

Hays uses American indigenous woods such as maple, Claro walnut, pear and holly as well as stone, bronze and cast iron to create these timeless shaker-inspired pieces that are completely original. When constructing his furniture, if he can’t produce them with his current machinery he simply creates a new piece of equipment to assemble the work. Following are images of materials and details of Tyler’s master craftsmanship, showing the engineering skills he continues to perfect.

Detail of dining table top with bronze inlay

Detail of dining table top with bronze inlay

Detail of oxidized maple table top

Detail of oxidized maple table top

Although he maintains an apartment in New York, the factory and his main residence are in Philadelphia, enabling him to have 300,000 square feet of manufacturing and engineering space for his furniture production. Tyler is continuing to expand the line and recently added upholstered furniture including sofas, chairs and custom mattresses. Even the way the textiles that he hand picks and works with manufacturers to produce are displayed in an innovative way.

Abel sofa with cast blackened bronze legs

Abel sofa with cast blackened bronze legs

Abel sofa arm detail in claro walnut with hand rubbed natural oil finish

Abel sofa arm detail in claro walnut with hand rubbed natural oil finish

Berin club chair

Berin club chair

Custom handmade leather mattress handle

Custom handmade leather mattress handle

Textiles displayed on custom fixture with leather tabs

Textiles displayed on custom fixture with leather tabs

Another one of Tyler’s passions is creating audio equipment ranging from custom speakers and mind-blowing turntables that he produces with Phila Audio Corp.

Turntable set into a walnut slab table

Turntable set into a walnut slab table

Claro walnut speaker

Claro walnut speaker

Tyler sees his business as “a group of closely knit people making things that will last for 100 hundred years and that mean something”. Judging by the success of his recent 10 year anniversary auction, collectors worldwide are already acknowledging BDDW’s furniture as timeless and truly meaningful design. I asked Tyler what was next on his design agenda and surprisingly he said “a toilet, coffee maker and blender as well as kids toys”. I’m looking forward to the introduction of each of these and can only imagine how special his design aesthetic will transform these things we use everyday. A special thank you to Jon Thorson and Tyler Hays for sharing his inspiring design story with The Gilded Owl.

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CRISTINA GRAJALES by Andy Goldsborough

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Cristina Grajales is the most passionate design enthusiast you will ever meet! She founded her eponymous gallery in January of 2001 and has since become a true visionary for what is both relevant and beautiful in the realm of creative types all over the world. When she left DeLorenzo Gallery and started her new venture she set out to be a “decorative arts advisor” sensing that there was something missing from the design world.

Cristina’s fantastic current show New York, New York

Cristina’s fantastic current show New York, New York

Sam Baron, Bouquet de Tables

Sam Baron, Bouquet de Tables

Christophe Come table in iron with moongold leaf, glass roundrels and white gold leaf

Christophe Come table in iron with moongold leaf, glass roundrels and white gold leaf

Christophe Come Exhibition at Duke & Duke Gallery

Christophe Come Exhibition at Duke & Duke Gallery

Architect and designer Jean Prouve’s daughter, Simone Prouve, was the first textile designer Cristina was seduced by and began to represent. Grajales says she has to be “completely in love, be completely seduced” by an artists work to show them in the gallery. She really understands artists but cares deeply about the craftsmanship of what’s being made and the story behind the artists’ work. Cristina’s first client, Sandy Hill, asked her to build a furniture collection for a 4000 square foot house in Santa Ynez Valley and she began what would become an amazing collaboration as design curator and advisor.

Winery, Santa Ynez Valley, California

Winery, Santa Ynez Valley, California

Following are some of the incredible furniture designers, artists and textile designers at Cristina Grajales’ gallery as well as installation shots from past gallery shows and exhibitions.

Sebastian Errazuriz, Nature Morte Dining Table

Sebastian Errazuriz, Nature Morte Dining Table

Pedro Barrail , Tattoo Breakfast Table

Pedro Barrail , Tattoo Breakfast Table

Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, Chan Bar

Philip & Kelvin LaVerne, Chan Bar

Cristina’s artists always have a story behind their work and honesty and integrity in the materials being used. There’s an “authenticity, honesty and originality” that she looks for when selecting new artists and designers for the gallery. She’s consistent in her selections but is also known to take risks and experiment with the juxtapositions of styles and periods of design that she shows making her exhibitions all the more exciting and seeing things in a way that wouldn’t typically be considered.

Pavilion of Art and Design, New York 2011

Pavilion of Art and Design, New York 2011

Hechizoo textile made of palm, aluminum and copper

Hechizoo textile made of palm, aluminum and copper

Mark Welsh, Unnatural Curiosities VI

Mark Welsh, Unnatural Curiosities VI

Cristina’s new show “Pegasus” will open in the gallery on May 16th through July 13th.

James Salaiz, Blind Horned Owl Bisqued earthenware with gilt varnish, 2010

James Salaiz, Blind Horned Owl Bisqued earthenware with gilt varnish, 2010

Eric Rhein, Hummingbird Wire on paper, 2011

Eric Rhein, Hummingbird Wire on paper, 2011

In December, Cristina has been asked by the Fairchild Gardens to show benches by 7 of her artists. Each artist will also exhibit another bench in the Design Miami show along with Hechizoo and Suzanne Tick, two extraordinary textile designers bringing the gardens inside. Worth visiting Design Miami this year for sure!

A big thank you to Lindsay Johnson for sharing these images with The Gilded Owl as well as the always inspiring Cristina Grajales, my friend and constant source for design inspiration!!

ZAHA HADID / LIQUID GLACIAL by Andy Goldsborough

BJORN WIINBLAD by Andy Goldsborough

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I discovered Danish designer Bjorn Wiinblad in college and was immediately drawn to his figures and porcelain objects. He was born in Copenhagen in 1918 and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen. I started collecting his Rosenthal Studio Line pieces shortly thereafter and then his noire series. He was an incredibly versatile artist, beginning his career as a painter and illustrator but expanding into glass, poster design, set design, textiles and even furniture design. Here, I’ve focused on the extraordinary porcelain pieces that he created for Rosenthal’s Studio Line and the dinnerware they still produce today.

Bjorn Wiinblad in his studio

Bjorn Wiinblad in his studio

Wiinblad’s studio

Wiinblad’s studio

Rosenthal Studio Line “Magic Flute” Sarastro candlesticks and lidded bowls

Rosenthal Studio Line “Magic Flute” Sarastro candlesticks and lidded bowls

Magic Flute Sarastro Milk and Sugar

Magic Flute Sarastro Milk and Sugar

Large serving bowl for Rosenthal Studio Line

Large serving bowl for Rosenthal Studio Line

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A collection of gold embellished vases for Rosenthal Studio Line

A collection of gold embellished vases for Rosenthal Studio Line

A selection of pieces from my collection of black and white Wiinblad for Rosenthal

A selection of pieces from my collection of black and white Wiinblad for Rosenthal

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Philipp Rosenthal started his porcelain company at Schloss Erkersreuth Castle in Selb, Germany in 1879. After his death in 1937, his son Philip succeeded him and in the next 20 years would turn Rosenthal into an almost unchallenged force in the design world for ceramics. Many other designers collaborated on Rosenthal series in the 1960’s and early 1970’s including Raymond Loewy, Timo Sarpaneva and Tapio Wirkkala. In later years, they continued to collaborate with artists and designers Andy Warhol, Jasper Morrison and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few. The company celebrated its 125 years anniversary in 2004.

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A lidded bowl from my collection

A lidded bowl from my collection

The figures that Wiinblad created and the imagery in his work are immediately recognizable. His work is popular the world over and especially admired in Japan.

A Wiinblad print with gold details

A Wiinblad print with gold details

Ceramic color samples

Ceramic color samples

From the Arabian Nights series

From the Arabian Nights series

He was named Man of the Year in New York in 1985 and awarded the Cultural Prize of 1995 by the Scandinavian-American Foundation.  Bjørn Wiinblad (1918-2006)

He was named Man of the Year in New York in 1985 and awarded the Cultural Prize of 1995 by the Scandinavian-American Foundation.
Bjørn Wiinblad (1918-2006)

Magic Flute Sarastro for Rosenthal

Magic Flute Sarastro for Rosenthal

THE CHAIRS OF CHIAVARI by Andy Goldsborough

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In November I was lucky enough to take a guided tour of the Podesta Sedie chair factory in Chiavari, Italy with Elizabeth Moore, Private Art Advisor extraordinaire and my dearest friend in New York.

We set out to meet Fabio Don and Domenico Rocca who founded Segno Italiano in 2010, along with Alberto Nespoli and Paolo Tarulli. They shared my interest in handcrafted Italian furniture and after collecting Chiavari chairs for most of my life I discovered Fabio and Domenico online.

Segno Italiano

Segno Italiano

A favorite chair from my collection

A favorite chair from my collection

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After months of emails they agreed to meet us and Domenico took us on a wild ride 2 hours south of Milan through the most incredibly treacherous rain they have ever seen in that part of Italy. We arrive in this picturesque seaside town that I had dreamed of visiting for a very long time. Jet lagged and tired from our journey (although Elizabeth managed to sleep in the back seat) Domenico takes us directly to the Podesta Sedie factory to meet Adriano and Stefania Podesta, the father and daughter who still make these magnificent handmade chairs. As we enter the factory the only sun that broke through the clouds the entire time we were there stream in through the windows highlighting hundreds of spindles and chair backs in a variety of wood species. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life to see these chairs that I’ve managed to collect over 16 of and see how they are made.

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The Podesta Sedie showroom

The Podesta Sedie showroom

The “sedie artistiche di Chiavari” began in 1796 when the “Economic Society” (a group of intellectual noblemen) challenged the local craftsmen to find a new style of chair. This first chair was created in 1800 by Gaetano Descalzi and was called Campanino.

A name still today identified as the oldest model of those developed. So were born the chair now famous all over the world for their excellent form and characteristic lightness and robustness.

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After our tour of the factory we had the good fortune of meeting Franco and Jacopo Casoni who published an extensive hardcover book last year on the history of these chairs in all of their various forms “Le Sedie leggere di Chiavari”.

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Franco is also a renowned wood sculptor and has one of the largest collections of Chiavari chairs. His son Jacopo is a talented architect and they have lived in Chiavari all their lives and treated us to an incredible lunch in the center of town. Afterwards Franco was able to get us into the Villa Rocca, which is now a gallery and houses many of the different Chiavari chair models and chaises.

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We then continue for coffee at a nearby cafe and as soon as we enter see another building filled with these chairs.

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As I walk further into the building I discover the Rotary Club of Chiavari and am in awe of so many in one room and contemplate moving there so I can enjoy these chairs daily and become a Rotary member myself.

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As we end the day Elizabeth and I retire to the hotel and more chairs await us in the lobby and restaurant. Chiavari is a place I will never forget and to be surrounded so many of these delicate yet deceptively sturdy chairs was truly a dream come true!

I share this video narrated by Franco and Jacopo Casoni featuring Adriano and Stefania Podesta and the making of the Chiavari chair produced by Segno Italiano. Segno Italiano will debut a collection of Chiavari chairs at GD Cucine 227 West 17th Street during the ICFF in New York May 19th-22nd. Ciao!