The Accessorator: March 2011 Archives

Cuban Style ....... Pamela's "House Beautiful"!!!!!!

March 31, 2011 8:00 AM

I went to a delightful dinner party at my friend Pamela Ruiz's home!!!

Pamela, an American living in Havana for over a decade,

is married to Cuban artist Damian Aquiles.

And they have a delightful thirteen year old son!!!

Their home is warm, cozy, and magical .....

I felt as if I had stepped back in time!!!

The well-loved house has not been "redone or refined " .......

it is completely original!!!

There are wonderfully "paint-worn" doors & walls,

a delightful garden, loads of books ........

and floors covered with sublime vintage Cuban floor tiles!!!

The furniture & accessories are a beguiling blend of styles,

vintage, mid-century, & contemporary ....

with Damien's work creating the focal point!!!!

It was a lovely evening!!!

Pamela was a delightful hostess ....

and the paella was amazing!!!

Cuba ..... Accessorating a Divine Dinning Table!!!

March 30, 2011 1:00 AM

Havana's Museum of Artes Decorativas in the Vedado district,

was built in the mid 1920's & is the former family home of

Maria Luisa Gomez Mena viuda de Cagiga!!!

The French inspired, neo-classical mansion,

was restored to it's grandeur by the government,

and is home to the Countess's incredible collection

of decorative objects & accessories!!!

The dinnerware setting the dinning room table is extraordinary!!

Each piece of porcelain is handmade specifically for the house,

& each has a different hand-painted scene.

The family name is also painted on every piece ......

from plates to soup tureen!!!

The silverware is gorgeous,

including magnificent matching serving pieces!!!

And the silver tea set is breathtaking!!!

But, I must say ......

a little silver polish would go a long way!!!

The enormous dinning room is furnished with

beautiful French antique furniture,

has gorgeous inlaid marble floors & walls,

and an incredible handwoven French tapestry!!!!

The government owns the Mena's home & their collection,

reflecting the changes in Cuba since 1959!!!

Cuba ........ Colorful & Classic Ways to Get Around!!!!

March 29, 2011 7:00 AM

From the colorful vintage 1950's cars sitting in front of the hotel,

to the bicycle-taxis & the funny yellow pod-taxis,

to the old & new buses,

and the antique horses & buggies ..........

Havana is known for it's unusual modes of transportations!!!!

And we traveled on all of them!!!

Cuba ..... Complicated from the Very Beginning!!!!!!

March 28, 2011 8:00 AM

Color was the first thing I saw in Havana .......

Gorgeous, gorgeous colors!!!!

Fading, peeling, and decaying .....

everywhere!!!!

Except for a small area of Old Havana ......

that's being renovated, repaired, & reinvented!!!

There's a collection of Cuban "characters" too ....

And for $1 they let you take their picture!!!!

Very surreal & silly!!!!

I've Been On The Go Again ....... This Time To Cuba!!!!!

March 24, 2011 1:00 AM

Get ready to see what caught my eye in Havana!!!

"Accessorations" galore start next week!!!

OLA!!!!!

Is it or Isn't It??? ...... A Visual "Magic Trick" @ Moroso!

March 23, 2011 1:00 AM

Moroso introduces the "Soft Wood Sofa" ......

created by Front, to the US market!!!

According to Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lacken, and Anna Lindgren, the three partners in Swedish design company, this project was "an exploration in the difference between the visual and the tactile experience." Resembling a rough, hand-hewn primitive bench, that appears to be very uncomfortable ..... the 76 1/2" sofa is actually a "silk-smooth" Kvadrat fabric with a photorealistic wood print, covering a comfortable polyurethane and fiberfill foam base, on a hardwood frame. The legs are laminated pine and are adjustable.

All three women, collectively involved in all aspects of Front's creative process, share a common objective ....... to tell a story- either about the process, the materials involved or their common ideas about design. When I think about the work created by this design group, I immediately think of the life-size horse lamp, created for Mooi, that has become a classic in the field of recent contemporary design.

Italian company Moroso, a major force in design world,

collaborates with an international collection of designers & artists,

creating innovative and exciting new design .....

and I can't wait to actually see this piece

at the Milan Furniture Fair in April!!!!

Moroso website

Front Design website

Picnic Set @ Amen Wardy, Aspen ...... Ants Included!!!

March 22, 2011 1:00 AM

Look what I found last month at Amen Wardy's eponymous store!!!

How fabulous is On Hundred 80 Degrees re-useable ......

All American Picnic set?????

Service for 6, completely machine washable, includes .....

3 red & 3 blue plastic cups,

and 6 white faux paper, plastic plates!!!!

The plates actually feel like real Italian pottery .......

and are printed with their own family of ants!!!!

"Ant-less" additional plates, cups, and bowls are available too!!!!

A great summer hostess "accessoration gift"...

for those of us who picnic either indoors or outside

& hate "real critters" in our food!!!!!

Amen Wardy Aspen website

One Hundred 80 Degrees website

Naho Inu Lights Up The New Museum on The Bowery!!!

March 21, 2011 1:00 AM

I adore glass artist Naho Inu's handblown glass chandelier!!!

It hangs above the snack bar on the museum's main floor,

affirming my theory about the unique purity of color,

found only in glass!!!

And don't forget the clear crystal bird nesting inside the orbs!!!

This is a really stunning "accessoration"!!!

And while you're looking at the chandelier .......

don't forget the amazing George Condo Show: Mental States,

a must ..... must see!!!!!

The New Museum website

Cycling Into A Very Bright Spring @ Puma, NYC!!!!

March 18, 2011 1:00 AM

I am soooo ready for spring .....

and seeing this divine bike at the Puma store

must mean it's almost here!!!

DOESN'T IT??????

Jim Hodges "Four Letters" ...... An Artist's Edition!!!!!

March 17, 2011 1:00 AM

Jim Hodges, FOUR LETTERS, 1993 -1994

stationary: 17lb. vellum, ribbon, stickers. envelopes

in Mingei paper-covered box.8 3/4 x 11"

Edition of 250 with 50 AP's

Produced & Fabricated by Petra Holtzman Multiples Ltd.

I got this fabulous gift from my friend Tina Petra,

who, in addition to designing gorgeous jewelry, ......

produced an eclectic collection of artist designed objects!!!

Jim Hodge's edition, "Four Letters," created in 1993,

reflects his delicate, romantic, & intimate drawing style!!!

Combining emotion, touch, the human hand

& an intrinsic sense of melancholy .........

the project was inspired by his "Diary of Flowers"series!!!!

Computers have made the art of writing letters passé .....

but, this portfolio is so visually romantic,

it may make us all want to write love letters again!!!

And it is a divine object, a "must-have"
for all art collectors & design enthusiasts!!!!

Tina Petra's email

Extraordinary Design Element at Salon 94 Bowery!!!!

March 16, 2011 1:00 AM

Visited Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn's newest downtown gallery

Salon 94 Bowery @ 243 Bowery, NYC

and it's stunning!!!

Designed by architect Raphael Viñoly, the gallery is

spare, clean, and contemporary ......

avoiding all unnecessary "design gimmicks"!!!

Due to the building's narrow width,

Viñoly had to dig deep into the basement,

creating a steep staircase, intrinsic to the design.

The design of the staircase's handrail is brilliant!!!

Instead of attaching the railing to the wall,

Viñoly has carved it into the wall,

adding a deep curve that is molded to your hand!!!

Becoming a magnificent minimal wall sculpture,

the "interior rail" is a perfect design element!!!

Salon 94 website

"Curiosities"- A Collection by Cathy McClure @ Moss!!!

March 15, 2011 1:00 AM

Seattle-based artist Cathy McClure's exhibition "Curiosities,"

is a divine combination of four projects .....

all based on the exploration & rethinking of mechanical plush toys!!!

In her first robot-like works, "she uncovers the hidden underbody of each toy, which was never intended to be seen. Freed of their furry coverings, the 'bots express an entirely different message and reveal the ingenious and often exotic engineering operating behind the curtain." In addition, the battery operated mechanical workings of these plastic "beings" continue functioning.

In their second incarnation, McClure has cast the unique "toy innards" in bronze, leaving several of the original working parts. In the case of these creatures, several of them move as well!!!

The eyeballs of the toys are up next ...... they become rings!!! Unfortunately, they are sized very small or you can be sure several would have wound up in my jewelry box!!!

Most recently ...... "Hands wielding scissors, McClure massacres the plush toys, Assembling the "skins" on canvas, transforming these once-playful child's toys to wall mounted assemblages of various body parts with songs, sounds and stories which can be activated by pressing on the plush toy's hands, mouths, feet, and bellies"

I adore all the various "artworks" that McClure has created .........

and really love that nothing is wasted!!!!

The ultimate fulfillment of the trend ........ "use & re-use" !!!!

Moss website

Three Centuries of Red & White Quilts @ The Armory!!!

March 14, 2011 1:00 AM

Vortex Quilt

Artist unidentified, USA 1890 -1910

Pieced & appliquéd cotton, 80 x 82 inches

Sunburst Quilt

Artist unidentified, USA 1875 0 1895

Pieced cotton, 88 x 73 inches

Carpenter's Square Quilt

Artist unidentified, USA 1880 - 1900

Pieced cotton, 84 x 87 inches

St. Valentine's Patch Quilt

Artist unidentified, USA 1860 - 1880

Pieced & appliquéd cotton, 74 x 74 inches

Feather Touching Stars Quilt

Artist unidentified, USA 1850 - 1880

Pieced cotton, 73 x 84 inches

AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM PRESENTS .....

INFINITE VARIETY:

THREE CENTURIES OF

RED & WHITE

QUILTS

Friday March 25 - Wednesday March 30, 2011

Admission Free

"More than 650 red and white American textiles,

the largest quilt exhibition ever presented in NYC,

are on loan from Joanna Rose, a private New York Collector."

I can't wait to see this spectacular exhibition ......

and am so delighted to learn that fifty works from this stunning

American textile collection are being donated to the

Folk Art Museum by Joanna Rose!!!!

A wonderful gift to the City of New York .......

BRAVO!!!!

American Folk Art Museum website

Quilt photographs by Gavin Ashworth

Klaus Weber's Wind Chime @ the Independent Fair!

March 11, 2011 1:00 AM

Large Dark Wind Chime (Trotone Wesry), 2008

Powder-coated tempered aluminium, stainless steel, high polymer plastic

Edition 1 of 3 + 1AP

Love, love, love this over-sized wind chime .......

a sculpture by Klaus Weber,

shown by Andrew Kreps Gallery, NYC!!!!

It's super-sized scale would be divine,

hanging from any tree in my backyard .....

And it sounds amazing!!!!

Andrew Kreps Gallery website

My Favorite from the ADAA - A Futurist's Collage!!!

March 10, 2011 1:00 AM

Giacomo Balla (1871- 1958), Linea di velocitå e paesaggio, c. 1915

watercolor, pencil, and collage on paper

15 1/2 x 11 inches

signed lower left: FUTURBALLA

I adore this collage by Italian, Futurist artist Giacomo Balla,

at Moeller Fine Arts (NYC - Berlin)!!!!!

Futurism, an early 20th century movement, originated in Italy

& included all artistic mediums .... writing, painting, sculpture, etc. "Portraying the world in a constant state of motion," artists included Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini, and Carlos Carra.

Balla's stunning collage has a strong Cubistic influence,

incorporating strength, energy, motion, & color!!!

It would be an incredible addition to any collection!!!

Moeller Fine Arts website

March 2011 Archives

Cuban Style ....... Pamela's "House Beautiful"!!!!!!

0 Comments

Cuba ..... Accessorating a Divine Dinning Table!!!

0 Comments

Cuba ........ Colorful & Classic Ways to Get Around!!!!

0 Comments

Cuba ..... Complicated from the Very Beginning!!!!!!

0 Comments

I've Been On The Go Again ....... This Time To Cuba!!!!!

0 Comments

Is it or Isn't It??? ...... A Visual "Magic Trick" @ Moroso!

0 Comments

Picnic Set @ Amen Wardy, Aspen ...... Ants Included!!!

0 Comments

Naho Inu Lights Up The New Museum on The Bowery!!!

0 Comments

Cycling Into A Very Bright Spring @ Puma, NYC!!!!

0 Comments

Jim Hodges "Four Letters" ...... An Artist's Edition!!!!!

0 Comments

Extraordinary Design Element at Salon 94 Bowery!!!!

0 Comments

"Curiosities"- A Collection by Cathy McClure @ Moss!!!

0 Comments

Three Centuries of Red & White Quilts @ The Armory!!!

0 Comments

Klaus Weber's Wind Chime @ the Independent Fair!

0 Comments

My Favorite from the ADAA - A Futurist's Collage!!!

0 Comments

Topics

Subscribe

Archives

Links

Profile

Email

Press