One incredibly balmy evening earlier this week, I dropped by R Gallery’s opening of “Hugo França: The Story of the Tree.” It was a truly marvelous, don’t-miss-it show. The Brazilian designer carves stunningly elemental–and incredibly large-scale–furnishings from discarded Amazonian Indian canoes and fallen Pequi trees, some dating to 1,000 years old. Among the beautifully sculpted pieces on display were low-slung coffee tables, languorous chaises, and enormous room dividers.

The installation includes an insightful video that sheds light on França’s creative process, which is equal parts brute force (chain saws, chisels) and pure imagination (he has an otherworldly, almost spiritual communion with the trees and an ability to “see”–and then expose–their inner form). The utterly simple lines belie the complexity of the laborious handcraftsmanship that goes into making them.

Sadly–and unfairly–Brazil still gets a bad rap when it comes to earth-consciousness; deforestation and an active timber black market have marred the country’s reputation. The work of many contemporary Brazilian furniture designers goes a long way to correcting that. The ones I’ve met have been universally respectful of Mother Earth, embracing sustainable practices long before they came into vogue and celebrating nature’s inherent beauty with exquisitely poetic work. França included.

The show is up through June 14. If you can’t afford one of the pieces (which run into the tens of thousands!), order a copy of the catalog. Photographed by Tuca Reines, it’s a work of art in itself. –Jen Renzi

Technorati Tags: Hugo Franca, R 20th Century Gallery, best New York art exhibitions, luxury eco-friendly furniture, Brazilian wood furnishings

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

Scared of auctions? Don’t know when or how to raise the paddle? Not sure how to sign up in the first place? Wondering whether you need a lot of money? Curious about how it works when you win?

Then get thee to Phillips de Pury + Co’s Saturday Sale pronto! The next one is tomorrow, April 26, with sessions at 10 AM and 2 PM. Go! Even if it’s just for an hour!

Really, I cannot say enough good things about this newish series, launched a year and a half ago as a sort of “starter” auction targeted at first-time buyers. Sales typically feature an assortment of lots from all departments–from modern design objects to jewelry to fine art–with lower starting bids than their usual fare. Tomorrow’s sale has an emphasis on art toys (think: limited-edition vinyl Godzillas) and watches, but still includes the usual complement of Thomas Demand photographs, Damien Hirst prints, Roy Lichtenstein art plates, and furnishings by the likes of Raymond Loewy and Terje Ekstrom (above). Check out the catalog for details on each item. (You can also bid online! Although that’s not as fun.)

My advice for auction neophytes: Go, register (very easy) for a paddle, then sit and enjoy. Don’t even bid the first time, unless you feel moved. Just get into the vibe of the thing and start to notice the tenor of how bidding escalates and get a feel for how closely estimates match selling prices. I always learn a ton, and discover all sorts of intriguing name and unusual furnishings I’ve never seen before.

Even if you are a well-seasoned art buyer, it’s a fun and lively event, with an unpretentious, feel-good vibe. And great bargains. –Jen Renzi

Technorati Tags: how to buy at auction, Phillips de Pury & Co Saturday sale, Saturday@Phillips, affordable modern furniture auction, collecting modern design

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

I was flipping through the current (April 2008) issue of Food & Wine magazine last night and came across a plug for a kitchen slide show featured on the mag’s website–including those of celeb-u-chef Mario Batali and restaurateur Steve Hanson (whose Hamptons cucina is above). [Photo courtesy of F&W and copyright Douglas Friedman.] Many magazine websites just slap a bunch of pictures on their sites and call it a day, so I was excited that F&W included full articles, too. They do an amazing job of breaking down each space, including an annotated resource list of where to buy the appliances shown (or, heck, the whole look!). I only wish they ran a few additional photos so that you can really get into the space. Nonetheless, I consider it required reading for kitchen lovers–or anyone in search of design ideas.

(*Additional recommended F&W reading: The issue also featured an excellent, informative article on home wine cellar design, including a Q & A with David Spon.)

If that leaves you drooling, then check out Domino’s cool series of kitchen and bath slide shows, too. These chic designs are a little closer to home for me, since many are in urban apartments. They also have great nuts-and-bolts primers on topics like choosing countertops, plus inspiring before and afters. Get a taste!

–Jen Renzi

[Photo copyright Laura Resen/courtesy of Domino:]

Technorati Tags: modern kitchen design, chef’s own kitchens, Food & Wine magazine, Domino magazine

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

Pop a cork for…cork!

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a paean to my favorite eco-friendly material? Versatile, sustainable cork (made from the renewable bark of Mediterranean cork oak trees), is experiencing something of a rebirth, with new shapes, colors, formats, and uses. Take a look:

1) Use cork on the ceiling to deaden sound, as edgy design firm AvroKO did at Park Avenue Spring, above!

2) Cork accessories are always divine, especially when rendered in really sleek lines, like VivaTerra’s tray.

3) Use it on the floor, where it’s both cushion-y and resilient; the material’s structure traps little air-like bubbles inside, so it spring back after you walk on it. Check out Globus Cork’s beautifully colored versions, which come in crazy shapes like hexagons!

4) Check out this great new(ish) product: cork penny tiles–love. Habitus will do them in custom colors, too.

5) You can even use cork to cover furniture! Try Tessuto in Sughero, a quirky-cool upholstery fabric, also from Habitus.

6) Cork comes in all sorts of intriguing formats. Try MIO’s easy-to-install, interlocking tiles on floors or walls–where it can dampen sound, function as a bulletin board, or even warm up a chilly room (it’s a natural insulator). MIO also just came up with these cool modular cork trivet/placemats, too:

7) Try out these other intriguing designs…Cork Concepts’ plank-shaped floor tiles that look like painted wood, AmCork’s tiles, animated with colored rivulets, and Expanko’s darkly decadent Terra tile.

Or pop a bottle of organic bubbly to celebrate the day. Check out picks from Treehugger, who grilled my fave New York shop– Appellation Wine & Spirits–on the subject.

–Jen Renzi

Technorati Tags: cork accessories, colorful cork planks, eco-friendly flooring

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

What, feeling all left out and loser-ish because you missed the hottest design show of the season–the Salone de Mobile–last week? Well, I’ll let you in on a dirty secret. While the Milan Furniture Fair is a truly amazing phenomenon to witness first hand and, indeed, any design lover should make a pilgrimage at least once, the best way to see everything–the latest releases from big-name European manufacturers, crazy innovative prototypes by the most cutting-edge designers–is to…not go at all. Seriously. Better to sit on your couch, macchiato in hand, and voraciously read the blog and magazine coverage after the the dust settles. I swear, I felt more plugged-in about new products last year, when I made an effort to “see” everything in cyberspace, than I did the previous year when I actually attended and almost collapsed from exhaustion.

Thought I’d share my fave design blogs—and some of their top picks–so you, too, can experience this year’s show virtually:

1. New York Times’s The Moment

There is probably no design journalist who’s opinion I take more seriously than Pilar Viladas, the New York Times’s resident expert. Read her posts from Milan–sprinkled in with other bloggers’ savvy style sound bites.

* Top pick: Rainbow mirror by Ettore Sottsass for GlasItalia

2. Core 77

The self-proclaimed “industrial design supersite” is, well, exactly that. Wanna know what the other designers thought was the coolest of the cool? Check this site out.

* Top pick: Konstantin Grcic’s super-light, cantilevered MYTO chair [pix courtesy of core77]

3. Wallpaper magazine guide

Comprehensive coverage from my fave design mag, including a slideshow of 108 great finds.

* Top pick: Naoto Fukasawa’s curvy-swoopy chairs for Vitra

4. Inhabitat

For cutting-edge design with a green twist, we love Inhabitat’s in-depth coverage of eco-friendly, environmentally responsible innovations. What better way to kick off earth week?

* Top pick: Alain Bertreau’s poufs

5. Italian Design 360

Interior Design magazine’s great website pointed me to this blog, which covers all things Italian design related, 24/7. They even published videos from the show–check it out.

* Top pick: Lime Studio booth at Salone Satellite

6. Dwell blog

I’m always curious to see what Dwell’s online editor, the esteemed Mike Cannell, has to say about the show. He proved a prolific poster in Milan! I love a design editor who gets around (so I don’t have to leave my couch).

* Top pick: Everything from Established & Sons [pix courtesy of Dwell’s blog]

7. Dezeen

Great, great coverage and lots of juicy images.

*Top picks: Front Design’s Shade project

8. Design Crack

Spot-on trendspotting–and cheeky meta-coverage.

*Top pick: The Beautiful Game table soccer! [pix courtesy of Design Crack]

9. Design Boom

1,383 images! Enough said. But I’ll say more: great comprehensive survey of the show, helpfully organized by manufacturer.

*Top pick: Sustainable design at Droog: Creatures by Tobias Rockenfeld

Trust me, people, this is the only way you can do Milan in stilettos. –Jen Renzi

Technorati Tags: Milan Furniture Fair blogs, top Salone de Mobile coverage, contemporary design news, coolest Italian furnishings

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook