So I look at art because I do generally feel that art is at times doing a better job of interior design. The art world, whether its money or chutzpah, just seem to get at ideas in furniture rather than just fill in the space. I have yet to work out the work of Tom Sachs.....his subject manner is too judgemental for me but his struggles regarding craft in the New York art world are struggles to learn from. I found images of his studio on the Selby and the most interesting things were the ad hoc/remade chairs about the studio. There is another discussion on Design verses Craft verses DIY?????
A couple of more weeks of high production mode but frankly I need alittle C&B inspiration too! So I wandered around and came upon the work of Tanya Aguiniga. I posted about her breakout felt folding chairs at the advent of C&B but had not looked at her work since. A couple of things stuck me-a bold move to "Felt" a Eames DCM chair is true to message a found chair......right on. And reading her "about" statement; her work is more activist than design diva-very nice. This inspired me to keep on the path of the inverse career...........
So I am working away on this installation and when I get discouraged I have found myself saying..."what would Studio Toogood do?"
Master of the temporary, the work of Faye Toogood has captivated the London Design Week again and raised the bar for those of us who make rooms.....
C&B's comrade Ghislaine Vinas has hit a home run with the apartment that is the cover girl for
Interior Design Magazine
this month- Vinas has an uncanny ability to mess the "store bought" with artisan craft and custom work-providing clients with a sense of place and livability.
Bravo Miss G! And I will be stealing the dipped upholstery idea.......
Image by Eric Laignel
The work of young Brooklyn designer Mary Chan is developing slowly, steadily and elegantly. She recently sent me images of these beautiful floor mats she has made by hand. She mentioned the a runner she is working on is taking some time-awesome! Let's support a generation of designers that are "making their own way"....literally.
I am fascinated by the work of Irma Boom lately. I normally don't indulge in graphic design-its a heady expertise that I don't quite have the bandwidth for. But it seems that she is building books
, thinking through scale, form and performance to a fine result.
There is something very charming about this Paola Navone "experiment". I can imagine myself making this chair and then putting on a very fine party dress. Thanks Ghislaine for reintroducing me to Navone's work.
I was really taken with this image of "collateral" blankets made for the Ace Hotel. These blankets are actually designed by a studio called The Official Mfg. Co. in Portland-young-design and advertising veterans came together to proclaim themselves as "thing makers" and make a living at it...job well done.
We are gearing up for our movements toward New England in a couple of weeks. I was thinking about the interiors of the Pearl Street house and thought that it would be great to have most of the furniture be by me...The architect Turner Brooks 
installs mostly his furniture-takes on Adirondack chairs, toys that he has made for his kids and giant models of projects.....Brooks is a real architect's architect and a joy to move through the New England landscape with him...
One of my C&B friends is artist/designer Amy Helfand. Yesterday after 
posting the Girl Effect video I was alittle blue about design objects and their role in society. Then I looked at Amy's new web site and found this work. Simple graphic gestures and a powerful title-Mt Rogers Protest illustrate that decorative objects can write a story and move you to action. Look for her work at ICFF and realize how bloody smart she is.
I came around this image of Vincent Darre's shop in Paris on The Selby. Darre's work is intriguing in that there is no effort to make the participant comfortable in a furniture piece. I suppose that is why they are good?
I had something nice happen in class this morning that I wanted to share. During the Book Report week in History a student was discussing Mies Van der Rohe and the IIT Crown Hall-he earnestly added "and its quite a beautiful building". I had not studied very much before this and I quite agree with his assessment. Now I want to go see the work of Mies because of Robert's recommendation.
I can not say I ever really warmed to the work of Gaetano Pesce. Purposely ugly, purposely ill-crafted
, the work has huge fan base in the design community. So when I was completely taken by this image in the New York Times, I was surprised to learn the author. This is new work from Milan-but check out his web site for a body of work that is all about the Idea.
Graphic designer Peter Nencini
completed this project with his wife Sally. Excepts from Bachelard's Poetics of Space make up the image. C&B reader Sara Krohn turned me on to Nencini's blog-a great example of a "working" blog. He walks you through all of his current projects with research and techniques.
The work of Roman and Williams is really the look of our time in New York. The dark moody, "worked" quality I think talks about the seriousness of the last few years. Watch this great video about the work.
One of the high points of the conference I was just at,was the talk that University of Minnesota professor Stephanie Zollinger gave about the oral history project that she is producing about Jack Lenor Larsen.
The father of modern fabric design, he paved the way for many a designer, and the business of design. Some great resources for studying Larsen's work at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts archive and his house on Long Island that houses his foundation-Longhouse. Its a very particular way of being in the world....
What is Good? has been a mantra in our house for years ever since Madeline asked the question at 2 years old after getting into trouble
...I knew I was in trouble at that point. But this question has never been more apparent to me than this weekend when the dreaded education conference was held in the in dreaded Atlanta Westin Hotel. But this weekend with many a designer I found that Mr Portman has a vast imagination and has nothing on Tom Ford and the "Gucci Style"....Oh to make a educators conference feel chic-good job. My mind has been changed.
I truly admire the work of Isle Crawford and India Mahdavi. I think they are both rigorous and witty in their work. 
The work of my friend Ghislaine Vinas is in the same category. I feel like she sets out a very precise road map and just moves forward and forward towards the final result. Enjoy looking at her work-very innovative
The new work of French designer Inga Sempe
has popped up on the design radar this morning. I really love this love seat. It tells the story of the function, quite well. Check out this Designboom interview with Sempe.
I have been fascinated by the work of Maggie Orth ever since I toured the 
building at the Media Lab at MIT. Her work was the most interesting mostly because she thought like a designer and wanted the technology to be hidden. Now she heads the company International Fashion Machines, Inc. She has developed a series of affordable electronic textiles that are a sign of the future. She says in this great video that "artists want programmable materials"....yes they do! Is this the ultimate in technology and craft?
