Styleture

Little Nest is an Australian owned furniture company that has recently launched in the United States. Already, some of their high quality children’s chairs are available at Barney’s flagship store in Madison Avenue, with many notable stores having stock in the coming weeks.

One reason the company decided to make these mini versions of these chairs was because they were tired of not being able to find children’s tables and chairs to match her own home’s contemporary furniture.  Little Nest owner Samantha Firestone decided to create child sized versions of iconic modern classic pieces from the 20th century. Little Nest’s debut range of children’s chairs respectfully pays tribute to such classics as the Barcelona Chair, Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, and LC2 by Le Corbusier.

For more information visit LittleNest.com. Click any image for a larger version:

Ball Chair - Play Ball!

- The play ball chair is a child sized replica of the 1963 Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio.

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One of the largest Arts & Crafts conferences in the country starts in Ashville, NC next week. The 23rd Annual Arts & Crafts Conference will be held from February 19-21, 2010. The conference will have more than 2000 Arts & Crafts collectors from across the country, all looking for their next piece or pieces of amazing furniture. The conference is held at the most famous Arts & Crafts resort in the world, The Grove Park Inn, which is a magnificent resort set in the Arts & Crafts style, but with all the added amenities and fun you would expect in a present day resort & spa.

We will have an original Gustav Stickley piece at the show which is a small leather top desk circa 1902-1903 which will be for sale at the Voorhees Craftsman booth. Voorhees Craftsman is a family run and owned Arts & Crafts dealer in Pasadena, CA and specialize in Gustav Stickley, L & J.G. Stickley, Roycroft, and Limbert furniture. They also produce their own handmade reproductions that are magnificent.

In addition to Mary Ann & Steve Voorhees from Pasadena, other authorities from across the country will be at this historic hotel and conference holding seminars, tours, books, demonstrations, workshops, food, friendships, special exhibits, works by contemporary crafts and firms and plenty of Arts & Crafts antiques on exhibit and for sale. A pass is only $145 per person and advance registration required. If you would like to attend please call: (828) 628-1915.

The Grove Park Inn’s website is: Groveparkinn.com and they have a new Web 2.0 website as well at: Grovesmagicalelixir.com. Make sure to visit the Voorhees Craftsman booth and website at: www.voorheescraftsman.com. The show’s website is: Arts-craftsconference.com

Here are some pictures of the hotel and some of our favorite examples of Stickley Furniture. We will post pictures of our Gustav Stickley desk in a following post, so stay tuned! Click on any image for a larger version:

Grove Park Inn

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Beth Dotolo

Beth Dotolo is the Vice President of the design firm Nest Interior Design in Dallas Texas. Beth and her team produce creative and noteworthy designs in the Dallas area and they are currently working on several high-end residential and small commercial projects. Beth is a Registered Interior Designer who is also LEED AP and is anxious to work on a LEED certified project. Beth was also awarded ASID’s 2008 Legacy of Design Award.

Beth realizes that sustainable designs are the future of her industry and sees that the Dallas area is catching up in the sustainable movement. In order to make her designs more sustainable the majority of the furniture and products that she uses in her designs are custom designs that are created or manufactured by local building companies. Other furniture is found locally and refurbished locally as well, making sure that as much of the existing materials are used as possible. Beth’s design experience includes work at a local commercial design firm with national accounts and time spent as Principal Interior Designer of Pulp Design Studios.

The firm subscribes to a six part plan when they take on a new design project, beginning with an in-home or office consultation. Once the analysis of the consultation is completed, the next step is to create the schematic design, followed by the design development phase which includes nailing down finishes, fixtures, and furniture selections. The fourth, construction administration phase only applies to larger projects where construction and contractors are consulted and the construction designs are finalized. The fifth phase, the purchasing and procurement phase follows any construction needs and then the design is finalized with a full installation. This process results in personalized, amazing, sustainable designs that make their clients happy every time. Please visit Nest Interior Design at: www.nestdallasdesign.com and their boutique retail store at www.nestdallas.com

Here are just a few examples of Beth’s & Nest’s designs. Most furniture is either custom designed or refurbished as previously noted. Please click on any image to view a larger version.

All photographs courtesy of Kevin Dotolo Photography: www.kevindotolo.com

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In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the Arts and Crafts movement took place as  designers and manual craftsmen were outraged at the designs of the Industrial Revolution. The true craftsmen of this time period saw how the products of the Industrial Revolution were being mass produced by machines and rebelled against this revolution with a movement of their own, hoping that their handcrafted work using simple forms and natural materials would pull through and escape extinction from the power of the Industrial Revolution. The movement also hit on political reform, and was focused on the equality of all the arts, while highlighting the pleasure taken in creating handmade art and works.

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England, spread to Canada, Australia and America where it was also called “Craftsman”.  The Arts & Crafts movement took hold in America about 1890, but did not really begin to influence architecture until the 20th Century. The movement also influenced domestic design and decorative arts by bringing more natural materials, traditional craftsmanship and economic reform into this style.

During this movement Charles and Henry Greene, began to design houses on the West Coast that combined Arts and Crafts concepts with the simple wooden architecture of Asian countries. In the Midwest Frank Lloyd Wright also adapted his own version of Arts & Crafts which is known as the Prairie Style. And on the East Coast, Gustav Stickley created a new design of furniture which also used the Arts and Crafts movement as its influence.

Many older designs are becoming new again and although the revival of Arts & Crafts is not necessarily new (circa 1980), it is very exciting. We have seen this revival take on very interesting designs as some interior designers, artists and architects are now coupling a more traditional Arts & Crafts style with contemporary elements and designs. The detail, care and joy one takes while building or creating an Arts & Crafts home, design or piece of decor, art or furniture is outstanding, whether it was made in the early 1900’s or 2010. One thing is for sure, designers, artists and architects all love making things, and what better way to do this then to make it by hand?

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”  William Morris

Here are just a few Arts & Crafts examples:

Father Jose Mut's dining room at Mission San Juan Capistrano

Photograph by Robert A. Estremo, copyright 2005.

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We found a very nice furniture store last week that has found quite the niche in furniture by coupling high end pieces of furniture with space saving designs that are perfect for Interior Designers, Architects and Specifiers. Founded in 2000 by Steve Spett and Ron Barth, Resource Furniture carries hard to find European Furniture that is not widely distributed in the U.S.We were amazed by many of the designs for their clever space saving features, in addition to the style and fashion of the furniture. To learn more, visit ResourceFurniture.com for more information or to visit the store in person stop by their Manhattan location at: 969 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

Here are just a few of our favorite pieces:

Basic table- Dining Room Table

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Reflective of the individual range of the elements found in nature, Stone Forest’s wooden collection brings the forest’s splendor indoors. Unfinished edges are unique all their own, and matched with tailored precision, they add a cutting-edge contemporary addition to their environment. The natural beauty of wood reflects the characteristics of the tree it was made from. Creatively constructed, it brings a modern element that is organic and clean to its surroundings. Designed from sustainable hardwood using traditional mortise and tenon joinery, only a true artisan can assemble and craft each component. However, it does not take an expert to easily appreciate the distinct character of each piece. All images provided by: www.StoneForest.com

Wood Bath Console

Wood Bath Console: The beauty of this piece reflects the exquisite eye of the designers who individually select each plank. Incorporating the natural edge of the tree, this console can accommodate two sinks for a unique bathroom vanity – or use as a side table to add subtle flair to any room.

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Blu Dot Real Good Experiment from Real Good Chair on Vimeo.

Interior Design’s Best of Year Awards were announced on December 3rd and there were numerous amazing designs that won, and plenty of designs that were nominated. The awards were given out at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the entire event was sponsored and hosted by Interior Design magazine as a way to recognize superior interior design projects and products in over 60 categories. The Best of Year Product Design finalists were selected by an elite panel of interior designers and architects via an online vote which ran from October 5–11, 2009, and winners were determined by a jury of leading architects and designers. Here are just a few of our favorites award winners.

Visit InteriorDesign.net to see the full list of winners.

Humanscale M2 Monitor Arm

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Hot off the heels of their Best of Canada 2009 Design award win this past September, Izm now has another accolade to add to their collection: Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year 2009 product award win for their Visualizm AV Unit. (Click images for a larger version.)

Visualizm AV Unit

Izm designers Shane Pawluk and Jerad Mack were pleased to accept the award during this year’s ceremony, which was held at New York’s Guggeheim modern and contemporary art museum on December 3rd.

Beating out prestigious design companies like Spain’s BC Barcelona Design, Italian home furnishing brand Poliform, and wine cellar cabinetry makery Revel Custom Wine Cellars, Izm was chosen for their innovative and creative direction in modern minimalist furniture design.

“To be recognized at such an international level in contemporary furniture design was such an honour for us.” says Jerad Mack, who founded the company in 2003 with Shane Pawluk. “We were ecstatic to even be nominated for the award, but winning has  ended our year off on a really positive note.”

Visualizm AV Unit

The piece which has garnered Izm with their prestigious win is their sleek AV unit, cleverly named Visualizm. As with all Izm products, Visualizm has been designed with a simplistic aesthetic. Matching fluid design with function and utility, the piece has been a favourite from the start, gracing homes across the country.

With fine attention to detail, the design duo work diligently from initial concept sketches to final product, carefully scrutinizing and re-working each piece until a balance is achieved. This discipline has put Izm on the map as one of the world’s leading high end designers and manufacturers. They’ve even garnered some celebrity attention, with Bruce Willis recently purchasing one of their pieces.

The company also believes in providing a sustainable product to consumers. By using responsibly harvested North American woods and proper wood working techniques matched with timeless designs, Izm has been able to incorporate this belief into each and every piece.

Available in select retailers across North America, Izm is becoming one of the most exciting names in the furniture design and manufacturing industry.

For more information about Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Awards 2009 please visit www.interiordesign.net

izm. modern minimalist furniture. a solid wood line designed and built to be collected and passed down. www.izm.ca

Jasper Conran is the son of the famous designer Sir Terence Conran, and has made his own name for himself as one of the most successful present day designers in England. Jasper went to the Parsons School of Art & Design in New York, has designed everything from costumes to interiors and presently he creates thousands of products a year ranging from  housewares and tableware to clothing, luggage and fabrics. Jasper has products and designs in a variety of stores and residences that are designed in numerous styles.

Initially it was hard for Jasper to branch out on his own because people would assume that his father was bankrolling his business. Jasper has now had his own fashion business for 30 years and unlike some designers he becomes very attached to the entire process of how his clothes and products are made. He will often visit the factories where his clothing and products are being produced, to see and learn how the manufacturing process takes place.

Jasper’s father was a lover of modernism, but the homes that Jasper has owned have been primarily traditional 11th-century manors and Georgian homes. He has always been obsessed with grand country homes and doesn’t relate his own tastes with his fathers’ (who now also lives in a Georgian house). 

Hasper’s elegant tableware can be found in Wedgwood stores and his housewares, fabrics, luggage, eye wear and clothing can be found in the department store Debenhams. Jasper’s own flagship store, 36 Sackville Street in London is a magnificient 8,000 sq ft store in one of London’s finest postcodes in the heart of Mayfair. Here you will find his bridal collections, made-to-measure men’s & womenswear and living and dining room collections (such as tableware, furniture etc.).

Visit Jasper’s website at www.jasperconran.com

S/S 10 Fashion Line

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