InCollect.com — and my Collection of ‘Enduring Pieces’

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The arts, in all their guises, have been a lifelong interest and passion of mine and inform my interior design projects. I carefully layer pieces from various time periods – often with classic furniture forms — to create spaces that are warm, supremely comfortable, with the aspiration they will transcend time.

InCollect, a new and very handsome on-line destination for enthusiasts of art, antiques and design, asked me to browse their collections and select items that appealed to my aesthetic. Here are some of my selections….

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Behind the Scenes – Westchester Living Room

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While the photos of this light-filled living room are recent, I designed this project over 25 years ago.

Gracious and refined understatement was the standard by which everything in the room was selected.

Class Carr Sofas from Jonas Upholstery are covered in ‘Luxurious Cotton Velvet’ from  Gretchen Bellinger – a textile that is soft and luxurious with a wonderful lustre.

The Barcelona Table designed by Mies van der Rohe had been purchased by the clients decades before I met them, illustrating a long-held interest in modern design.

The pair of iron and oak Pierre Chareau stools were purchased from Ralph Pucci.

The floorcovering is a ribbed wool sisal installed wall-to-wall, with a beautifully washed- out antique Garden Tabriz area rug – both rich and subtle.

The now classic Saladino Lamp sits on the table behind one of the sofas.

The 1958 lithograph ‘Nocturne’ from Derrière le miroir by Joan Miro, was part of my clients existing art collection.

Modern Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa was the inspiration for the custom designed limestone fireplace surround.

The clean, elegant lines of the Klismos Chair designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings fits seamlessly into this highly edited room.

Arts & Crafts accessories are from David Rago Auctions (the ‘old-days’ of David Rago when auctions were held in the ballrooms of NYC hotels, and when David sported a long ponytail!)

Behind the Scenes: A Curated Cozy Corner

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One of my goals in furnishing Living Rooms is to create places that the owners are drawn to use, if even by themselves.

In this spacious Upper West Side Living Room I designed a daybed to sit near the fireplace – bathed in daylight from three windows, it makes an ideal place for reading. The design was intended to be both classic and modern, while being extremely comfortable – my ‘go-to’ upholsterer, Jonas, came through once again! The daybed is upholstered in “Tahira Ottoman” from Lee Jofa.

Chelsea antique dealer Kimcherova provided the Vienna Secession Side Table by Gustav Siegel produced by J & J Kohn c.1905.

Another distinctive Austrian item is the circa 1950’s modern floor lamp by J.T Kalmar which was found at the extraordinary lighting dealers at Retro-Modern in Greenwich Village

The curtain panels are made with ‘Window Pane’ from Lee Jofa; the unconstructed Roman shades are made with Gretchen Bellinger‘s ‘ Martinique – Nun’s Veiling’.

 

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Behind the Scenes: Children’s Bathroom

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Sometimes we really just want to have some fun!

Two siblings, a boy and a girl, use this interior bathroom in a New York City apartment. While the public spaces of the apartment are understated, my clients and I decided to go for some hot colors in this bathroom.

I assert that “storage is a key to mental health” especially in New York City apartment, and to avoid any interpretation of favoritism with kids – everything needs to be absolutely equal! The vanity and medicine cabinets were designed to give both children equal storage, and lots of it. Outlets inside of the medicine cabinets power up electric toothbrushes out of sight, and the center drawer holds a blow drier that is plugged into an outlet underneath the counter so the unsightly cords are hidden when not in use.

The white subway tiles, and white penny-tiles are from Nemo Tile Company. The penny tiles on the floor have a dark grout to emphasize the shape of the tiles and camouflage the dirt that gets into grout.

The custom polished nickel ‘Sonoma’ wall sconces with glass shades are from Urban Archaeology.

The rectangular sinks are from Kohler, and the ‘Etoile’ low-profile faucet set with cross-handles is from Waterworks. The rectangular undermount ‘Iron Plains’ sinks are from Kohler; the countertop is Thasos.

A ‘Beach Street’ storage bench from Restoration Hardware provides storage for additional towels and tub toys.

Lets not forget about the colorful elements of this room – ihe inset panel on the vanity is Benjamin Moore Habanero Pepper # 1306, the wall color is from the Donald Kaufman Color Collection – DKC-63. The custom shower curtain is made from ‘ Granville Stripe’ from Hinson Fabrics.

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Now for the fish ‘swimming’ on the wall; they are vintage ice fishing decoys – used in an off-beat sport in the mid-west.  The owners had a handful (that were supplemented by purchases on eBay), custom mounts were made to install them on the wall.

Framed drawings of fish and flower is by the children – one each – so everything is even-Steven!

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#TBT – Living Room – circa 1990

The seating arrangement on one side of the living room balance a baby grand piano and an antique French daybed on the other side of the room. The tailored furniture is upholstered in golden hues, deep purple, and vibrant leafy green has the room feel luxurious yet inviting.

 

I designed this Living Room 25 years ago, but this photos is from a year ago. After visiting my friends and former clients a couple of years ago I found that the project had held up, literally and figuratively, so I went in and shot new photos of an old project.

The ‘story’ here is in some ways about the importance of making thoughtful decisions in the design process in the interest of providing enduring value.

Anchoring the room are two custom Carr sofas from Jonas upholstered in Gretchen Bellinger ‘Applause”cotton velvet – and yes, it is the original upholstery.

A Pyrex glass cylinder ‘Saladino Lamp’, designed by John Saladino in 1971, sits on a table behind one of the sofas

The Barcelona Table designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929 is from Knoll, and was a piece of furniture that we reused from the previous incarnation of the home. The accessories are American Arts & Crafts purchased in the early days of David Rago Auctions.

The table sits on a wonderfully washed out Antique Garden Tabriz area rug that provides understated classical richness to the room, subtly contrasting with the wool sisal carpet below.

A print by Joan Miro circa 1970 hangs over the custom limestone fireplace surround inspired by Carlo Scarpa.

In the foreground area are a pair of T-stools designed by Pierre Chareau in 1927 – iconic Modernist objects that provide additional seating.

In the right corner is a Klismos chair designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.

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