Atelier-M Living

Airstream Penthouse Trailer Park - The Grand Daddy Hotel - Cape Town, South Africa

2010-06-14T14:38:00.001-04:00

The world is looking to South Africa with the soccer World Cup happening right now. Even though I am not there in person, but in sunny suburban New York, I am fascinated by this Airstream Penthouse Trailer Park that functions as a hotel located in Cape Town. Seven of the iconic American Airstreams made their way to the Penthouse terrace of "The Grand Daddy" hotel and every single one has been decorated by a very creative Capetonian. I love the design and eclectic feel of this place and looking at all the pics, I want to pack my bags and head straight to South Africa. Hopefully one day...

Le Labo - Fragrance Lab

2010-05-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

A friend introduced me to Le Labo and we made the trek to the fragrance lab on Elizabeth Street in Nolita (New York). The Le Labo boutique looked like a very stylish lab and I was instantly impressed by their perfumes. Exquisite perfumes that are hand mixed and filled into bottles that are customized. This is not any old perfume counter, but a place where perfume is made and sold the way it should be. High quality perfumes created to be as individual as the person wearing it. Le Labo fragrance labs can be found all over the US and Europe and you can also purchase it online. If you are in the area, visit one of their stores, you will instanly fall in love and take home a personalized perfume that will garner you many compliments.

233 Elizabeth Street

New York, NY 10012

(212) 219-2230

lelabofragrances.com

Books as Art

2010-05-17T17:53:00.001-04:00

Books can create artful installations in one's decor and I had to share this image of this very artsy library wall. I have never seen anything like this and really like this. Very avant-garde.

The Selby for Louis Vuitton

2010-05-17T16:57:00.001-04:00

If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed that I have a huge admiration for The Selby. Love his work and love, love, love his new campaign for Louis Vuitton. The campaign is called "The Journey of a man's wardrobe" and takes you around the world "The Selby" style. Take a look here!

http://press.louisvuitton.com/TheJourneyOfaWardrobe/

Design at MoMA

2010-05-17T13:28:00.001-04:00

I have to admit that I badly neglected my blog over the past couple of weeks. I started a great new job in the design world and have been so busy with the training that I didn't devote much time for anything else. But I am back and get ready for more posts soon. I made my way to MoMA though, taking a look at their current design installation and I am sharing my images with you. I am familiar with the Modern's design collection and was rather disappointed in their installation. It is a small space and the collection does not follow much of a time line. The signage is very difficult to read or non existent and everything seems to be cluttered together. I really enjoyed viewing the design collection at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and have to say that showing the works in a larger space in chronological order makes much more sense. Nonetheless, the works are spectacular.

May in New York City

2010-05-02T10:55:00.005-04:00

I love the energy of May in New York. The weather is starting to get summery and almost everybody is still in town before the "unofficial" summer starts at Memorial Day and people start to get away every weekend. A lot is going on now and if you love art and design as much as I do, May is the perfect month. The Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions at the big houses are less than two weeks away and the art market is eagerly waiting on how these auctions will fare. I am hoping to make it to Christie's to take in a preview of the works up for auction and I will post some of my favorites below. I also can't wait for ICFF, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which is also only two weeks away. A lot of the museums have opened new exhibits, the Farmer's market is going full force and life is beautiful. Throughout May I will post some of my favorite happenings this months and I am off to read the Design magazine that is part of the New York Times today and I need to fill out my paperwork for my summer CSA.

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Multicolored Retrospective Painting (Reversal Series)

signed, titled and dated 'Andy Warhol 79 multicolored retrospective reversal series' (on the overlap)

acrylic and silkscreen inks on canvas

50½ x 64 1/8 in. (128.2 x 162.8 cm.)

Painted in 1979.

Jasper Johns (b. 1930)

Flag

signed 'Johns' (on the underside); signed again and dated 'J. Johns 1960-'66' (on the reverse)

encaustic and printed paper collage on paper laid down on canvas

17½ x 26¾ in. (44.5 x 67.9 cm.)

Painted in 1960-1966.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

Two Apples

signed and dated 'rf Lichtenstein '72' (on the reverse)

oil and magna on canvas

20¼ x 24 in. (51.4 x 60.9 cm.)

Painted in 1972.

John Graham (1881-1961)

Circus Horse

signed and dated 'GRAHAM XXXXII' (upper left)

oil on canvas

20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.9 cm.)

Painted in 1942.

Conrad Marca-Relli (1913-2000)

Summer Noon J-L-20

signed 'MARCA-RELLI' (lower right); signed again, titled and dated 'MARCA-RELLI J-L-20-68 'SUMMER NOON' (on the reverse)

oil, canvas and burlap collage on canvas

53 x 72 in. (134.6 x 182.8 cm.)

Executed in 1968.

Eva Hesse (1936-1970)

Untitled
gouache, ink and paper collage on cut-out paper
5½ x 3¼ in. (13.9 x 8.2 cm.)
Executed in 1965.

All images courtesy of http://www.christies.com/

Living Walls - Green Living

2010-05-02T09:06:00.001-04:00

The LA Times featured an interesting article on "Living Walls" in Venice, California. I love the idea of a manmade green wall, for aesthetic reasons and even more for green reasons. Bringing green into the cities is a big part of sustainable living and with the space issues in many big cities, walls and roof tops are now more and more creatively used. Below are a few pictures of manmade walls and walls that had decades to develop their green "patina". I hope to see much more of that and I am also excited that many roof tops are now being used to grow food.

London Interiors

2010-04-24T14:55:00.000-04:00

British Interiors and especially London interiors always top my list for inspiration. I love the eclecticism, the range of colors and textures, the art and most of the time, a touch of "eccentric something or other" mixed within. The interiors have style and always look different, they never appear too staged and I love the mix of high and low, a mix that the Brits do so well, combining very expensive pieces with things that either cost nothing or were inherited from granny. The pics here are from Marie Claire Maison and show an artsy, very creative and sophistcated apartment.

Jennifer Rubell - Food as Installation Art

2010-04-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

Art + Food are two of my biggest passions and I love Jennifer Rubell's work, so cleverly combining both and thus creating installation works that are edible. Rubell's works is part performance art, part installation art, both on a large scale and her work deconstructs the meal or ritual, and reshapes it into a series of installations that prompt participants to partake without any instruction or guidance. Her installations become events and I love the work she has done. A lot of her installations happen during Art Basel Miami. The pictures below depict her installation "Creation" and the pictures were taken from her website: http://jenniferrubell.com/index.php

I highly recommend her cookbook Real Life Entertaining, Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom. Her recipes are easy to make and this book makes a great reference for entertaining.

Peanuts as snacks

Dig in!

Drinks anyone?

Always a good time with drinks around.

Water, tea, coffee...

Juicy ribs

Healthy desserts, apples and trees

Jeff Koons chocolate bunnies - high in antioxidants

Looks like fun!

Oh well, original Koons gone kaputt!

Jennifer Rubell having fun!

All pictures courtesy of http://jenniferrubell.com/index.php

Michele Oka Doner - Artist and Style Icon

2010-04-17T13:03:00.000-04:00

Some of my posts have been about my personal style and interior design icons and my decorating style has been highly influenced by them. Another one of my personal favorites is the artist Michele Oka Doner, an inventive maker of sculpture, jewelry, furniture, functional objects and handmade books. Her work is very influenced by organic forms and executed in bronze, wax, silver, clay and other media. Her art is organic, but elegant, sophisticated and playful, on a large scale or very small, like a piece of jewelry. Oka Doner's work has been widely exhibited and I can highly recommend her book "Natural Seduction," a fantastic portfolio of her work. Photos of her gorgeous atelier and living space in Soho are featured below and looking through the images, I want to go out to nature and start collecting and looking for artistic inspiration. I also wanted to mention Michele Oka Doner's always impeccable clothing style, she is a true style icon and I am looking forward to seeing future works of her to come.

Atelier images courtesy of New York Social Diary.

Street Style

2010-04-14T12:51:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't love The Sartorialist, Garance Dore or other websites and blogs devoted to Street Style. Street Style has always fascinated me and no better place than the big cities to wander and do some people watching. I love to watch people all around me and take stylish cues...so do the designers, it all comes full circle. I wanted to share a new favorite website of mine, Lookbook , also devoted to Street Style that allows the hipsters in this world to upload their own images.

All images courtesy of http://lookbook.nu/

Psychedelic Rock posters 1960's

2010-04-08T10:44:00.001-04:00

Just for fun, psychedelic rock posters from the Haight-Ashbury / San Francisco days in the 1960's. I love these for the colors and that a lot of them found inspiration in the Art Nouveau movement. They are such amazing graphics, I just had to post them. Click for more info here and enjoy!

Posters: Collection of Historical Design Inc. , New York, NY

At home: Polo player Nacho Figueras and family

2010-04-07T12:03:00.003-04:00

When I received my latest issue of Elle Decor I was blown away by the beautiful interior of Nacho Figueras home outside of Buenos Aires. I love the mix of organic sculptures, integrated cow hides, so typical for Argentina and beautiful art work that he created, as well as his wife, Delfina Blaquier. Figueras paints and Blaquier photographs. It is a very stylish environment, but also a place that seems so livable. Love the mix of personal art, great pieces of furniture and IKEA mixed in. See the article in Elle Decor for more info and additional images and kudos to Elle Decor, they did a great job revamping their website. And yes, when is Figueras coming back to NYC to play polo?

Photographer: Miguel Flores-Vianna for Elle Decor, April 2010

Alan Fletcher

2010-04-06T10:51:00.001-04:00

I love design and am always happy when I discover something new (not necessarily new, but something I personally haven't seen before). I like Alan Fletcher's graphic design work and wanted to share a few images. Alan Fletcher was among Britain’s most inspiring graphic designers and visual thinkers. Fusing modernist clarity with an irreverent pop spirit, he played an important part in modernizing the visual landscape of late 20th-century Britain by designing visual identities for the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Institute of Directors and Lloyd’s of London, and books for Penguin and Phaidon. During the 1960s Fletcher was a pioneer of the modern British design industry, and in the early 1970s he co-founded Pentagram, now one of the world’s leading design consultancies. Enjoy!

Vintage Photographs 1940's

2010-04-04T17:46:00.002-04:00

The Sartorialist just did a wonderful series of vintage photographs and I love to look at photos from times long gone by, especially black and white photographs from the 1940's and 1950's. The women always looked elegant and the men looked so dapper and looking at these images you can't even image that this was life only 60 years ago. The following images are family photographs from the 1940's and were taken in Poland. The first image shows my grandmother and other images show my grandfather and mother.

Dennis Hopper Photographs

2010-04-02T21:51:00.002-04:00

It was James Dean that gave Dennis Hopper his first camera and Hopper carried his camera with him everywhere he went in the Sixties shooting celebrities and street scenes, all in black and white when color photography was all the rage at the time. TASCHEN published a gorgeous, limited edition book on his photography entitled "Dennis Hopper: Photographs 1961-1967” and I was struck by his images, 400 photos that survived are all in here. They seem raw, but glamourous and moody and show what a great talent Dennis Hopper is with his camera. They are quite a testament of that time and I hope that TASCHEN will publish a smaller, wide release run book, as it truly is a treasure.

Muriel Brandolini - Interior Design Icon

2010-03-31T18:10:00.000-04:00

Muriel Brandolini is one of my personal interior design icons for her daring use of color and pattern. It is so refreshing to see someone embrace bold saturated color, instead of playing it safe with muted tones and pastels. Her style is eclectic and sophisticated and incorporates rich fabrics with more contemporary pieces. The pictures below show her house on Long Island.

Moroccan Riads

2010-03-29T17:02:00.001-04:00

It is a rainy and miserable day here in New York and I am in front of my computer dreaming of Moroccan Riads. I have never been to Morocco and I am dying to go. I am fascinated with the beauty of these riads, the solitude and can just imagine how relaxing it must be to be there. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden. The word riad comes from the Arabian term for garden, "ryad". I try to integrate as many Moroccan influences to my interior and a little goes a long way. Lanterns, lights, plants, Moroccan tiles and furniture... Ebay is a good source. Enjoy the images!

Looking at Art - Jeff Koons

2010-03-29T06:39:00.000-04:00

I am heading to the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC today for my class in making French Macarons, but wanted to post a few images by one of my favorite artists, Jeff Koons. Koons work is like no other and I am not surprised that his work brings blockbuster prices at auction. Jeff Koons is making his curatorial debut at the New Museum in New York with the exhibition "Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection" . The show features many overscale items that Linda Yablonsky, art critic for Bloomberg News describes as "being here is like walking into a nightmarish world of creatures who are lonely at the top and just want to be loved for what they are." Other artists in the exhibit are Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, David Altmejd and Gober.

“Skin Fruit: Selections From the Dakis Joannou Collection” runs through June 6 at the New Museum, 235 Bowery at Prince Street. Information: +1-212-219-1222; http://www.newmuseum.org/

Giorgio Armani - Beach House on Pantelleria

2010-03-28T10:40:00.001-04:00

I am eagerly awaiting summer. I love the hazy and lazy days and am already envisioning myself on a beach, or on a patio, drinking a cool drink and eating some amazing summery foods. I just spotted Giorgio Armani's beach house on the island Pantelleria off Tunisia on Marie Claire Maison. Simple and sophisticated. Gorgeous!

Strawberry mascarpone crostata

2010-03-28T07:55:00.003-04:00

I am always looking for new springy desserts to test bake and one of my favorites are fruit tarts and cakes. Strawberry cake is one of my very favorites and I just found this strawberry crostata in the LA Times. I love the combination with mascarpone, which will make for a rich dessert, but should have a nice balance with the strawberries.

Total time: About 45 minutes plus 1 hour, 30 minutes chilling

Servings: 8

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
10 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups imported Italian mascarpone cheese
About 2 pints ripe strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup red currant jelly
2 tablespoons Cointreau

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into half-inch thick slices

and add to the bowl. Using the tips of your fingers or a pastry blender, work the ingredients together until

the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add a scant tablespoon or two of cold water and toss until the mixture just clings together. Gather into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic film and chill 30 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Press out evenly across the bottom and about 1 inch up the side. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Freeze 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Bake the crust until it is set and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.

4. Spread the mascarpone evenly over the cooled crust. Arrange the strawberries decoratively over the top in overlapping rows.

5. Combine the jelly and Cointreau in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the jelly dissolves. Lightly brush over the strawberries to glaze. Chill 1 hour before cutting.

Each serving: 470 calories; 6 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 35 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 92 mg. cholesterol; 98 mg. sodium.

Hanami - Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura)

2010-03-27T11:36:00.001-04:00

Hanami is the traditional Japanese custom of celebrating the blooming of cherry blossoms (Sakura) and the arrival of spring. The Japanese celebrate hanami with outdoor parties and it is also becoming more popular in the U.S. Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ will have a two week festival staring on April 10th, 2010. Branch Brook Park and Washington DC have the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the US and the festival should make for a gorgeous entry into spring. On another note, one of my favorite movies from the past few years has been Hanami by the German director Dorris Doerrie. It is a tribute to a family, the mother's love of Japan and the search for unfulfilled dreams in a foreign country. A great film. Happy Spring!

Sofia Coppola - Style Icon

2010-03-25T22:19:00.003-04:00

Sofia Coppola does not need an introduction.

New movie "Somewhere" on the way, new baby on the way and she is always an inspiration....her style is impeccable and mixes Parisian flair with Italian High Society and Napa Valley cool... Voila, Sofia!

Jacques Grange - Interior Design Icon

2010-03-22T15:00:00.002-04:00

Jacques Grange is one of the great interior designers. His style is so sophisticated and he is a true Parisian gentleman. The images below are from "The Selby" and show Grange's apartment in Paris. The interior is quite eclectic and I love the way Jacques Grange mixes antiques with modern and contemporary pieces. I spotted a few of his Josef Hoffmann pieces which he collects and his Sottsass "Juliette" vase, one of my favorite objects. Best of all, he seems to collect rabbits, you just gotta love that. Don's miss his book Jacques Grange: Interiors. Gorgeous! His work truly is a gem.

Front Design

2010-03-20T13:46:00.001-04:00

I love design! I love clever design with a twist that will stay in your mind even long after you have seen it. That is why I am a big fan of the Swedish design group Front Design. Front Design was established in 2003 and is a group composed of four women based in Stockholm: Sofia Lagerkvist, Charlotte von der Lancken, Anna Lindren, and Katja S'vstr'm. They get inspirations from their surroundings, nature, animals, art, fashion and movies.