Idiosyncratic furniture

Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum purchased a rare Zodiac settle designed by a 19th century Gothic Revivalist, William Burges. Designed for his personal residence, the Zodiac Settle (built around 1869) is an ornate canopied bench that combines an Italian Renaissance day bed with a castellated canopy.
The settle is made from painted, stenciled and gilded wood and decorated with rock crystal and vellum. The central panel features the sun on a throne surrounded by the dancing signs of the zodiac. The Settle’s other panels show the planets as musicians and female figures.
The art piece is extremely rare because it was an experiment and the design was never repeated.

Behold the world’s most expensive bed

When you live in a 20,000-square-foot mansion a regular bed is like drinking tap water or flying commercial—it’s just not done!
Stuart Hughes (the British guy that blings out multimillion-dollar iPhones and flatscreens for the uber rich and flashy) and Hebanon by F.lli Basile Interiors of Nocera Superiore Italy have designed the world’s most expensive and exclusive bed, the Baldacchino Supreme. I know this bed sounds like an awesome new pizza creation, but it’s for real.
The bed of all beds is smothered in Italian silk curtains; the canopy bed is a luxe pairing of crème and gold hand carved from chestnut, ash and cherry woods. The Parisian influenced headboard is a capitonnè, button-punctured fabric that can be customized with diamond buttons or another stone for that extra flash.
If you covet gold, I mean COVET gold then hold on to yourself— this bed is covered in gold leaf (107kg of solid 24-carat gold). Only two Baldacchino Supremes will be made at a cost of $6.4 million to start. Anything and everything can be customized on this bed, and one has already been ordered by an Italian businessman.
As you lay in your common bed tonight with no gold leaf or diamonds and dream of the Baldacchino Supreme, don’t be surprised if you wake craving pizza.

Soak up Tuscany from an antique chair

Everyone should experience a little “la dolce vita” every now and then.
Heather Dempsey and Massimo Mallamace, owners of San Francisco home furnishings shop Fatto a Mano are offering a select few the opportunity to experience Tuscany in a 500-year-old stone country house, Podere Erica.
The country house recently underwent a $1 million renovation and is packed with antique furniture and décor. A few amenities include a huge claw foot tub, working fireplaces in the bedrooms, air conditioning and a dreamy wisteria-covered pergola.
However, a little “la dolce vita” will set you back a few Euros, (6,685 Euros per week during the high season).

Liege ornamental carvings is my kind of wood porn

You've heard of food porn (those cooking shows you only watch when you're starving), well, for me this is wood porn.
Patrick Damiaens is the only fulltime ornamentist (the carving of ornaments in wood) in Belgium and the Netherlands who is devoted to Liége style ornaments for interieur and Liege style furniture (XVIIIe century style).
Because of the European quality standards, the originality of the drawings and the performance, Damiaens says his profession appeals to the imagination of many, including Belgian magazines and newspapers and even the Belgian Royal family.
The fabrication of Liege style woodcarving for the interior and the reproduction of Liége style furniture is done only in Belgium, and is known for its design and look, the drawings, and the carving. Damiaens says the work is not commercial, since the number of pieces of furniture produced on a yearly basis may be two or three. The main reason for fabrication is to satisfy the highest standards of craftsmanship and to keep and old tradition and art alive. For more information, see Patrick Damiaens.

Moser to make furniture for Simply Ming television show

Thos. Moser, designers and builders of hand-crafted wood furniture, will once again partner with chef Ming Tsai to handcraft a table and chairs for the set of his public television cooking show, Simply Ming. The cherry Meridian round dining table, designed by David Moser, is the newest addition to the Meridian collection and is an adaptation of the existing Meridian trestle table. Tsai will use it to dine with his guest chefs in the last segment of each show, as well as to help display the food they have prepared to the viewing audience.
The Meridian 48-inch tabletop accommodates up to four. The dining chairs feature a fine radius of the chair’s underside, the inverse matched radius at the top of the leg, and the optical correction effect at the termination of the chair’s crest. The single back slat is a first for David and accentuates the chair’s sleek lines. The Meridian collection will be available in ash, and cherry and includes a coffee table, dining sideboard, rectangular dining table, hall table, chests, and stools.

Something old, something new

Sotherby’s is featuring a cutting-edge, contemporary exhibition on the spectacular grounds of Sudeley Castle (across the pond) from May 28 to August 1, 2010. However at this exhibition you can touch and buy the art.
The selling exhibition arranged in association with Carpenters Workshop Gallery, is showcasing a series of one-off and limited edition pieces by contemporary artists and designers. The exhibition follows in the footsteps of previous successful outdoor shows by Sotheby’s at Chatsworth House in
Derbyshire (Sotheby’s Beyond Limits sculpture exhibitions at Chatsworth are now in their fifth year), and also at Isleworth in Florida since 2003. In contrast to Beyond Limits, which focuses on monumental sculpture, the Sudeley exhibition presents design pieces with a utilitarian aspect.
The works can be used as functional lifestyle objects or simply appreciated as works of art with profound aesthetic appeal.

Dynasty, Melrose Place and Barcelona

It had all the makings of a catty nighttime soap opera, see “Mies van der Rohe Furniture Designs causes legal catfight” but ended rather anti climactically.
Knoll Inc. and Alphaville Design Inc., settled their dispute relating to Knoll's registered Barcelona trademark. Knoll had alleged that certain products sold by Alphaville Design infringed the Knoll trademarks, while Alphaville Design claimed that the trademarks were invalid. To resolve the dispute, Alphaville Design Inc. acknowledged the validity of, and Knoll's rights to, the above-referenced trademarks, and in return Knoll granted them the right to sell similar furniture products for a limited period of time. In connection with the settlement, the parties have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Own a piece of the ‘King of Pop’

Twenty-two pieces of lavish, over-the-top furniture commissioned for Michael Jackson’s Kent home are hitting the auction block.
Unless you live in a cat house in Nevada or are a legend in your own mind, I’m not really sure if this hand carved, gilt wood, three seat sofa topped with crown, upholstered in red velvet with metallic thread crown over double headed eagle embroidery makes sense. The retail price of this gem, a mere $73,000.

Where furniture meets fashion?

Celebrity fragrances are so 2009.
Apparently “designing” a furniture line is the new must-have side project revenue stream for wannabe celebrities. Case in point: Nancy O’ Dell, former host of Access Hollywood launched her outdoor furniture line, Red Carpet at 2010 Las Vegas Market. She describes her line as high-end and A-list—similar to a beautiful woman on the red carpet.
Are you buying this?

Putting the ‘love’ back in loveseat

Martini (check)
Soft music, low light (check)
Drunken special someone (check)

Loveseat signed by Hugh Hefner?

Attention all you groovy cats even if you were born in the decade of greed, you can still own a piece of the 1960s’. “The Hef,” an iconic sofa will set you back a mere $15,000.
But can you put a price on mojo? Apparently you can.
Each sofa is covered in gray mohair, with nail head detailing, rosewood side panels, down-wrapped 2.0 density foam seat cushions and all-down back cushions. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s signature is under the cushions and sewn as a permanent label. Only 50 loveseats will be made and can be found through HazelnutNewOrleans.com.
Is mohair stain repellent?

Oh yes, bigger is better

Go big or go home.
Kindel Furniture Co. just shipped a gigantic round (12 feet in diameter) mahogany table for a December governmental dinner party in Kuwait. This mahogany masterpiece features 84 pieces of applied brass all around its apron with gilt leaf and a huge inlaid medallion with pieces of satinwood and ebony and at the center of the table. A rosewood inlay border completes the decoration.
The giant was built in two pieces and was completed in just eight weeks.
To prepare the table for its long flight, according to Mlive.com, it was dismantled into three pieces: the base, and the top’s two halves. The shipping crate is estimated to cost around $2,000 and is the size of a small house.
According to the furniture manufacturer, this is the most expensive piece of furniture it has ever produced out of its Michigan factory (Kindel pieces start at $10,000).
Maybe this is why gas prices are creeping up again?

Vintage with a modern twist

I have to admit it, I hate fall.

I like the colors and pumpkin flavored anything, but I hate what comes next--winter.

This vintage aluminum sofa with super chic modern fabric reminds me of better times (summer). As Chicago flirts with its first hard frost of the season, I will be dreaming of mojitos and hot summer days.

Pleasure, leisure, excess and all-out glamour

Even though the art deco period was cut short, its appeal continues to seduce generations.
Langin Design’s “Guggenheim" chair with its luxurious finish, streamlined form and exquisite materials is the epitome of the deco movement. The custom sexpot chair recently won 2nd place in the Classic Furniture category at the 2009 San Diego Design in Wood competition. According to the competition’s 16-person jury, “Elegant and powerful deco club chair with superb materials and craftsmanship throughout."
Francois Langin, owner of Langin Designs also won 2nd place in the Contemporary Furniture category for the “Gate”, a dining table.

The design house is launching a custom furniture fabrication line and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Blurring the boundaries

Paging Brad Pitt…

“Furniture Futures,” the first in a series at the V&A is tapping influential designers and industry heavyweights to discuss how contemporary furniture is blurring the boundaries among art, craftsmanship and design.
The event coincides with the growing awareness of furniture as an expression of contemporary culture, and is structured around three main themes: Creative Directions, Changing Practice, and Promotion and Communication. Additional topics include whether furniture is a new art form; what role new materials and sustainability play in making and design; and whether individual creativity or collaboration in the key to innovative practice.
The Symposium will be held September 18, 2009 and is part of the London Festival of Design.

Deep-seated eco silliness

Swiss artist and furniture designer Michel Bussien is an environmental matchmaker of sorts — his recent creation the “The Growing Chair” offers humans a reintroduction to nature.
A fast growing Willow tree and a Russian vine is planted into a chair-shaped plastic greenhouse. The Willow tree forms around the chair supporting the structure and the vine helps hold everything together.
When the flora outgrows its lush greenhouse, it can be snapped open and removed.
Awkward introductions aside, this living chair shows that environmentalists maybe have a sense of humor??!
According to the artist’s Nature Manifesto:
“… To move further we need to incorporate the living matter that surrounds us. Let us use the complexity of living nature and include it in our creations. These creations will then redefine the way we reconstruct nature. Only then will we truly move forward…”
Then again, maybe not.

If you've got it, spend it!

While Angela Jolie collects orphans, her other half, Brad Pitt collects high-end (not child friendly) contemporary furniture. During his shopping spree at Design Miami/Basel he purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars of contemporary furniture.

Here's a sampling of what he purchased:

I can’t help but wonder what this stuff will look like after it’s been exposed to their child army. Kudos to Brad Pitt for keeping the high-end furniture market rolling!

An ode to breezy summer days

After working in the world of loveless high-volume manufacturing, New Zealand native Jolyon Yates wanted to create some soulful and distinctive low-volume furniture.
In 2008 he started ODE, a venture that specializes in one-off distinctive, eco-friendly furniture.
I especially love his Breeze or Savannah Rocker. Its flowing surfaces lead the eye on an easy journey into a slower era. The Breeze is sculpted from Birch Plywood and stands approximately 1,000 mm tall by 520 mm wide by 1,000 mm deep. It’s finished with a strong satin lacquer to draw out the subtle natural colors of the wood.

Furniture visionary Maloof dies at 93

Sam Maloof’s wooden furniture was much like the man graceful and creative, has died. He was 93.
As a newlywed in the late 1940s’ Maloof couldn’t afford furniture and set out to build his own using discarded fir plywood and oak shipping crates. Soon after his friends and family started asking for copies of his pieces.
Maloof began his career as a full-time woodworker in 1948 and was completely self-taught.
In 1949, Better Homes & Gardens magazine published photographs of his furniture to show readers how to decorate on a budget. Less than 10 years later the American Craft Museum in New York displayed his work in its first studio-craft furniture exhibition. Maloof also was the first craftsman to receive a MacArthur Foundation grant in 1985.
Over the decades his handcrafted furniture sells for more than 100 times the original purchase price and can be found in the Vatican, the Smithsonian and the White House.
His signature design was a rocking chair with elongated rockers jutting backward. While the feature looks to be sculptural it was incorporated to keep the chair from tipping over.

Reduce, reuse, then what?

Furniture designer Hugh Hayden’s Tennis Ball Chair is as green as it gets. Instead of throwing out flat tennis balls, she turned them into a chair. It’s eye-catching and clever, but what do you do with the chair when it’s ready for the curb? I know this chair is art and would never get thrown out, but it does stop and make you think.

Can a recycled product be recycled again?

Magical table expands at the push of a button

I remember my Mom wrestling with extra dining room leaves for every major holiday. Besides being a hassle to install, it was always a chore to dig them out of the storage closet. Those days are over for anyone who can afford The Fletcher Capstan Table, a round table that can double its seating capacity at the push of a button.
What makes this table so very amazing is that it stores its expansion leaves within itself. According to DB Fletcher Design, the table can go from seating six people to 12 in a matter of seconds. When small, the top is made up of six pie shaped leaves, and an outer skirt in the manner of a drum table. Under this first layer lie two more layers of leaves, the first strata made up of six arrow-shaped leaves and, under that, a large star shaped leaf. The table operates electrically from a small remote, and bases can even be made to vary in height.
The motors controlling the mechanism run on low voltage, which can be supplied from a re-chargeable battery housed within the table’s base. This battery is easily removed for re-charging and installation of the second supplied battery.

For yacht installations (I told you it was pricey), the table can run on its own batteries, or be connected to the ship’s electrical supply.
All tables are individually designed and built, and each is one numbered.