Tag / Furniture

by DesignFromAParallelLife

Into the Woods

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Driving down a winding country road, trees looming large on both sides of the road, windows rolled all the way down, and the smell of balsam strong in the air, I thought 0 for the first time in my life, I think – wouldn’t it be incredible to have a little cabin in the woods? Ok, ideally the woods would be more like a lakefront clearing, and the cabin would be a lodge with more than just the most basic of amenities. But you get the point. Villa Rustica.

Last week some family members and I took a day trip into the Adirondack region of Upstate New York. Long a getaway for nature lovers, sportsmen, and wealthy city-dwellers, the region has a long history as an R&R refuge for generations of families. Lake Placid, one of the villages we visited, has even played host to the Winter Olympics – twice! Everyone from the Vanderbilts to Michelle Williams has called the area home. In fact, Michelle Williams recently got married in secret at her home there, where she had lived for years following Heath Ledger’s death. But really, the celebrity pedigree doesn’t matter, when the towns are this charming and the scenery is this beautiful. And as far as scenic getaways go, it’s quite affordable.

Long story short; it got me thinking. If I had a small lakeside cabin/lodge, how would I outfit it? It seems the trap would be to either be too polished, losing sense of place, or to err on the side of being too unfussy, too rustic, sacrificing a more personal design in favor of utility and local tradition. How do you strike the balance? I’ve included two photos below as examples of a starting point. You purchase a cabin, it likely comes at least partially furnished. Where do you go from there?

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Now don’t get me wrong, I like the simplicity, the comfort, the homey feel. But if I were the owner, and had say, $15,000 to make some upgrades, what would I do? For starters, I would not touch the hardwood floors, the wooden paneled walls and ceilings, the stone fireplace or the little black wood-stove. Those things feel so thoroughly part of the vernacular that to eliminate them or hide them would be inappropriate design. But rugs, seating, tables, light fixtures, and wall adornments are all fair game. Taxidermy? No thanks. Oars on the wall? I feel the same way about oars as decor as I do surfboards as decor. It’s gotta go. Below are some ideas:

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vintage Calvin Klein quiltCapturelight

farmhouse lighting – simple and elegant 11502483_master

vintage game table, perfect for a rainy day but pretty to look at all the time and so fitting for a vacation cabinORG_2865022

warm, classic throw pillows in a nice plaidtim.clarke.interior.design.leather.weaved.dining.chair.furniture.furniture.seating.leather.wood.1487134693

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I love this green rug, you wouldn’t want too loud of a pattern since there’s lots of other pattern around, and the green brings the outdoors in

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multicolor wooden beds. I like the detailing

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again with the green – love this “rosemary” color from Le Creuset alluring-wicker-coffee-table-coffee-tables-rooms-gardens

rattan/wicker coffee table

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could look stuffy in a different fabric, but this print is fun and classy and would work well to offset more rustic pieces

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Got to have some whimsy, something fun. This chair provides that

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and in case the chair wasn’t enough whimsy, these certainly are

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Love that this feels modern, and rustic. Beautiful subdued plaid and visible wood. A great piece.

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Absolutely love this chair. Texture, pattern, detail. Pure class!

by DesignFromAParallelLife

Taking Up Residence

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About a year ago, in the midst of one of my endless “what should I watch?” netflix scrolling sessions, I stumbled upon a documentary series titled ABSTRACT: The Art of Design. Each of the 8 episodes focused on a designer at the top of their particular field, be it architecture, illustration, automotive design, or photography. The episode I was immediately drawn to watch first, however, was the very last one, focused on the celebrated interior designer Ilse Crawford. I’d heard her name, knew she was the founder of Elle Decor magazine, but not much else. After the hour-long episode, she had my full respect and admiration. I loved how she thought outside the box, how she never sacrificed comfort for style, that she didn’t follow trends, she created them.

One example of Ilse’s work highlighted in ABSTRACT was a hotel she’d been commissioned to design. Built in 1910 as a private arts and crafts style Mansion in Stockholm, it was to be converted into an upscale hotel called “Ett Hem”, which is Swedish for “A Home”. Ilse’s revolutionary idea, before the craze of Airbnb had really taken off, was to rethink what a traveler who takes the time to seek out a boutique hotel might want. She reasoned that there was something glamorous and aspirational about the idea of being handed the keys to someone’s home, having free reign of the place. And so she set about creating a hotel that didn’t feel like one, with 12  private bedrooms/suites, but  with fully a stocked, residential-designed kitchen, library, dining room, sunroom, living room, etc. It’s meant to be a home away from home, or as I like to imagine it’s as if you have a wealthy friend with a country house and you’ve been invited for the weekend. You’re encouraged to live in it, treat it as your own. Perhaps the idea, years later, doesn’t feel so revolutionary, but I believe at the time it was. Especially for a 5-star luxury hotel. You’ve got talented chefs and a full staff at your beck and call. I’ve seen the idea imitated several times since. A stay here is definitely on the ol’ bucket list.

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by DesignFromAParallelLife

Something Wicker This Way Comes

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Winter ended, I hope, this past Sunday with a last snow flurry, and just a few days later, it was nearly 90 degrees. To my dismay, it would seem  we skipped Spring and headed straight from Winter to Summer. But, as they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Since I’m no Beyoncé, my lemonade won’t be in the form of a hit Grammy-winning album and since I’m trying to kick my sugar habit, it wont be the Minute Maid variety, either. Instead I’ll sweep my own particular brand of summer-induced seasonal effective disorder under the rug and lean into Summer by way of blogging about it from indoors, with the fan turned as high as it will go.

Thinking about Summer design, wicker came instantly to mind. Most people may associate wicker with outdoor furniture and as such with summer (at least for people living in locations with distinct seasons), and I do too, but I also remember a large wicker basket in our house when I was growing up, that at times served as a kind of family roof coffee table/toy bin/blanket storage. Indoor, outdoor. Seasonal, year-round. Wicker’s like that, it’s versatile. It’s warm, it’s natural, it feels casual as is often the case, there can be glamour to a piece that feels handmade with skill.

I have long kept an eye out for wicker furniture to store in the massive imaginary furniture warehouse inside my head, for future use. The key, I think, is often unusual shapes or unusual uses. A wicker lighting pendant would catch anyone’s attention. A midcentury modern piece with clean lines that incorporate wicker would be a sharp look as well. And of course the classics never go out of style. Below are a few samples of wicker items I’ve scoured the internet for, ranging from $150 (the handmade pendant lighting I found on Etsy) to $3,000 (the 1960’s vintage German pair of chairs, found on 1stdibs). Warm weather may have inspired wicker as my blog post topic today, but I’m standing firm in my conviction that I prefer being indoors. As you can see, I chose pieces for the indoors. However, since wicker is versatile, a few could be used outdoors – and certainly on an enclosed porch or sun-room – as well if need be.  These selections, I feel, would add that extra something to a room or backyard patio.

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by DesignFromAParallelLife

Dreams of Nakashima

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George Nakashima is everything you hope to achieve as a designer and artist. His work can be found in the homes of taste makers and king makers, A-list Hollywood stars and revered designers. As a creator, his style is distinctive, immediately recognizable. And yet, despite the overwhelming popularity of his creations, something about the timelessness of his craftsmanship and his ability to elevate and refine natural forms have kept his work from the good-taste repelling hell of mass-market trendiness.

I spend far more time than I care to admit perusing architecture and design magazines. As of today, I subscribe to four different Architecture and Interior Design magazines and often I ingest the latest issues of four or five others in the bookstore or grocery store magazine aisles. My internet search history consists of endless visits to Sothebys Real Estate, Houlihan Lawrence, Estately, Apartment Therapy, various editions of Curbed (house of the day tag being my favorite), the list goes on and on. Somehow without having any palpable connection to the world of architecture and design, it’s a significant part of my personal identity. In a home, an office, a public space, but especially when perusing real estate listings online, I’m often redesigning elements in my head. What would I change? What do I love? How does the design impact my mood? In a parallel universe I have a thriving design firm. But for now, I have access to a computer. Though I’m not creating, I can compile, mostly for myself.

How does George Nakashima fit into this? George Nakashima’s work fits everywhere, that’s what makes his work so tremendous. Though the work itself is understated – usually a single material (wood) often in a nature-made shape (spruced up through his workmanship) – it brings a room together. That’s an oft-used phrase; “it brings the room together”. To me it means it’s the necessary element that brings balance. Nakashima can work in a sparely decorated mid-century home, contrasting the clean lines and man-made-perfect look of an Eames piece with an organic shape. A Nakashima coffee table will bring instant masculinity to a feminine room, it will bring comfort to a modernist scheme. A Nakashima dining table will make a very formal dining room a more accessible room. In my parallel life as a high functioning master of interiors, a Nakashima work will always have a seat at the table. The proof is in the pudding. Below are just a few examples of his work at work. It’s unmistakable, immediately visible, but not ostentatious. Great design. One day I’d like to own a piece or seven.

 

 

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