November Event: Neue Gallery

On November 17, 2008 I hosted an design event at the Neue Gallery in NYC, a museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design. We were given a private tour of the museum before opening hours and then had lunch in museum's Cafe Sabarsky.
The museum building, a masterpiece in its own right, is a former Vanderbilt residence and New York landmark designated building completed in 1914 by Carrère & Hastings, architects of the New York Public Library. It was lovingly restored and renovated in the 1990s in preparation of the opening of the Neue Gallery.
The museum's Wiener Werkstätte collection includes furniture and decorative items by such well-known figures as Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and by such celebrated architects as Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner. Other museum highlights include the Gustav Klimt portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (shown above).
Stay tuned for upcoming events like these!

September Event: Christie's Auction House

On September 29, 2008 I hosted an event at Christie's Auction House at Rockefeller Center in NYC with a group of clients and colleagues. We met with Christie's Interiors Department Specialist Brent Lewis who walked us through the auction process from both the consignor's and the buyer's perspectives. Mr. Lewis then took us on a tour of the preview of the Interior's October 1 sale pointing out highlights as we walked through the Rockefeller Center galleries.
For more information on Christie's Auction House and the Interiors Sales go to www.christies.com.

Decorex 2008 - London

Another great trade show going on in London during September was Decorex 2008. This show featured fabrics and wall coverings, furniture, lighting, floor coverings, accessories and bespoke services from vendors around the world. The show took place in the beautiful venue of the gardens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in a temporary tent.

It was very interesting to see what is current in the European market since many of the Decorex vendors are not present in U.S. at this time.

Some UK only highlights include www.villiersbrothers.co.uk (original furniture), www.annekyyroquinn.com (sculptural textiles), www.bolon.com (woven vinyl floor coverings). I also found a few wonderful new vendors that do have NYC outposts www.ochre.net (bespoke furniture, lighting, accessories) and www.meditarraneodesign.com (lighting, mirrors, and glassware).

For more information on Decorex 2008, visit www.decorex.com.

100 % Design - London

I was fortunate enough to be in London during this fall's interior design shows. 100 % Design took place in Earl's Court September 24-27 and showcased contemporary furniture and product design. It was really interesting to see what is leading the market in this genre on the other side of the pond.

Images of some of my favorite pieces from the show are shown in the photos below. The image on the left shows a collapsed storage-ready version of the tables and stools in the image on the right. These items are made from corrugated cardboard and are very sturdy. You can collapse and store a full room of furniture within a few cubic square feet of space!

The bed shown below is literally an elliptical dream. Lighting of various colors and music accessed through your ipod can be controlled while lounging under the sinuous curves of this one of a kind bed. You will never have to get out of bed again!

As part of the 100% Design Show, 100% Future and 100% Materials took place in the same venue. 100% Future showcased emerging new talent while 100% Materials consisted of installations through the exhibit space.

Various workshops were held during the shows as well - the ones I was able to attend were highly informative.

If you would like to learn more about this event got to http://www.100percentdesign.co.uk/.