Patricia Urquiola: Vieques Island

An earlier post at 2Modern design blog covered Patricia Urquiola's tile work which was delightful! Her focus on creating industrial products with personality and her approach to integrate layers of history into the memoriable patterns surely trigger sensation and success.

Patricia Urquiola's advise for new designers is to find “a few cultural references and people who can give you guidance to develop your personality,  try to defend your ideas and projects, create your own formula.”

She created a great formula for herself; her interiors are sensible, orginal and moving. The colors are plenty but they are relative and pleasing within the context of its surrounding.

The dynamics of colors in Urquiola's interiors can be explained by intuition and observation.

The corners are created with a sense of comfort which drives its energy from colors, lighting and patterns.

  

The outdoor furniture fits well into the nature's color scheme and also constitutes a lively drop within the earthy tones of the outdoor structure.

The colors of the pillows intensify each other with hues that complement and contrast in design. The lightness of colors gets affected by neighboring tones. The light source brightens the overall affect.

 

The colors and patterns in the living room are not used in a limited manner.

The color design develops around the amount, shape and placement of each design element in an interactional manner: The relativity makes the design pleasant and harmonious. 

 

Art + Design = Life

(Etsy: ArgyleWhale)

When it comes to design, we forget that it is handmade, just in a different way.

Certainly this had some labor involved in its making.

(NYT Logo - made of chairs)

But design can be fun and lite (or light).

Design can be inspired from anywhere and anything.

Ikea has put out a visually stunning cookbook (notcot.org) titled: Homemade is Best

Is this the future? Will everything be broken down into a global visual language?

Which begs the question:

Design + life = unexpected delights in everyday life
(blend of hand-made, mass-produced, creative applications)

Remember:

That goes for everyone. (below: Kumi Yamashita)

 

And anyone.
After all, this is our world.

(above: Richard Galpin, "Noosphere", 2006)

pattern - orla kiely

Pattern looks to be a lovely coffee table book from London-based designer Orla Kiely.  The 304 pages include her bold, colorful graphics and her own personal account and inspirational images that have shaped her style.  The book explores the use of pattern in design and how they have shaped her collections that range from her womenswear line, housewares, furnishings, luggage, accessories, as well the coveted handbags.

Modern Marvel

All was a flutter yesterday afternoon and into the night at the New York Design Center’s What’s New, What’s Next, a virtual, in-the-flesh celebratory open house with programs by editors from top design and shelter publications, dealers, curators, authors and designers about every imaginable topic. Yours truly was present for the New Curators Event where bloggers were situated in showrooms on the 4^th floor, and invited to yap, post, + tweet away about products, findings and news from the day’s events.

                 Frank Lloyd Wright Chair commissioned for Drexel family from 1955 

I am convinced that my gig was the swellest, perched in the extraordinary Weinberg Modern, a newly opened showroom of incredible vintage modern findings, furniture, accessories, books and outsider art. So many incredible things, and by names rarely seen: Tony Paul, David Cressey, Alvin Lustig, Maurice Martine, Josef Frank, and atypical pieces from familiar names: Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Brandt, Ponti, Nelson, Vignelli, and myriad others. I could barely contain my excitement.

                Sirrah AM-AS Series Table lamp from the 1970's found in Italy 

Owner/founder Larry Weinberg, is a font of information. It was fascinating listening to stories of his hunt process, venturing to estate sales, antique shows, yard sales at 3 AM no less in pursuit of illusive finds. His first piece: a Noguci table for $24 in Delaware. His collection of Robert Lustig paintings and 20^th art by unnamed artists is simply superb. Plus, he is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and dogs are welcomed too.

               Herman Miller Sculpture 

Please, if you find yourself afoot and near East 33^rd Street, I strongly encourage a visit. Or, if you must, please go online to www.weinbergmodern.com. 

Weinberg Modern 

New York Design Center

200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 420

New York, NY

Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm

646.291.2059

 

 

Lucienne Day: colorful and whimsical

Lucienne Day, a 20^thcentury English textile designer whose fabrics inspired by abstract patterns, nature and modern art, brought the contemprorary design into everyone's homes. I enjoy exploring Lucienne Day's design which has timeless qualities: cheerful, doodle like, fun and fresh.

 

Lucienne Day made her name and career by Calyx, a richy colored textile design printed with floating bizarre shapes. The inspiration for Calyx is originated from the paintings of her favorite artists Paul Klee and Joan Miro. She first exhibited Calyxm at the Festival of Britain in 1951. The original colorways of the design was lime yellow, vermilion,black and white, on an olive background.

  

Dandelion, Sequoi and Flotilla

Helix,1970

One of the upcoming exhibitions at the Textile Museum, DC, Art by the Yard:Women Design Mid-Century Britain, will showcase the works of the groundbreaking women's artists after the World War II. These mid-century women artists transformed the textile market by bold colors, motifs and inspiring but yet affordable lines. One of the ladies, Lucienne Day, replaced the pre-war floral design of interiors with non-representational patterns in vivid, fresh and bold colors.

The Design Museum tells us more about Lucienne Day:

The playfulness and linearity of her early patterns was superseded from the late 1950s by a growing interest in architectural compositions, as 1950s Sequoia. After a series of textural patterns during the early 1960s, her designs became bolder, simpler and flatter, as in 1966’s Pennycress. Several of her later designs had full-width repeats, such as 1967’s Causeway designed specifically for the large floor-to-ceiling picture windows then in vogue.

An inspired colourist, Lucienne was always meticulous about selecting the colourways for her patterns. She also acted as colour consultant to several clients. Colour relationships were the key feature of her one-off ‘silk mosaics’, a new medium that she developed during the late 1970s.

  

Angela Adams :: Fall 2010

Oh, look at me go!  I'm such a sucker for Angela Adams (I even saved up my pennies and bought her Canopy/Indigo rug after coveting it for nearly three years).  As an Angela fan, I'm always excited when she announces new patterns and colorways.  For example, her beloved "Ocean" pattern is getting a warm, mossy-green makeover for Fall 2010.

Reminiscent of seaweed or a lush forest floor, this new colorway will be available in October 2010 in six sizes.  Prices will range from $349 - $1950.  For now, check out all available rugs here.

So how 'bout it... anyone else an Angela Adams fan?  What's your favorite pattern and/or colorway?

A Parisienne in Brooklyn by Carol VanderKloot

Ok, this year's New York International Gift Fair at Javits Center was so dominated by vintage-inspired, knotty pined, whip stitched, whimsical objet made in China, I needed a break. Plus, many exhibitors showed copious copies of works by Gio Ponti, Alexander Girard, David Hicks, with NO mention or credit given. It's a shame really, with Etsy, the rage and craft making officially embraced by hipsters, why isn't macrame going mainstream? Too bad, as charming, cheerful, hand sewn by a Parisiane in Brooklyn is indeed an option. Sylvie-Pillows lavender sachets are all that and a whiff of lovely. You can gift Electric Birds, opting for functional, delicious smelling eye candy or selfishly incorporate in your travels to keep packables smelling sweet or refresh a room in need of a boost. Besides bringing something lovely, your host will marvel at your choice as products are sold ONLY at small boutiques or through the designer. No re-gifting here, I guarantee it. For pillows, table linens, tapestries and lavender sachets, visit: www.sylvie-pillows.com

Contemporary Textiles

Anne Kyyro Quinn is one of Britain's leading manufacturer of hand-crafted interior textiles. Known for their contemporary and sculptural patterns, the textiles are bold, rich, and textural.  The designs are inspired by organic shapes and the inherent beauty in natural materials. 

    

   

   

   

  Photos from Anne Kyyro Quin and Contemporist

New from 2Modern!

Say hello to urbancase, the newest vendor on 2Modern. This Seattle based company creates objects that contribute to a simpler, pared back lifestyle focusing on basic aesthetic elements...

Feel-Thru

Let the light shine through but close off a room or create one.  Heavy duty felt flat or folded panels with patterned negative space hung from the ceiling.  The Feel-Thru  modular system is composed primarily wool and comes in black or ecru in 2 patterns.   The creation of Industrial/Interior designer Toni Pallejà  part of  design group, Porcuatro,  in Barcelona.  I feel it.  Do you?

Have an infinitely modern day!