marcus hay fluff 'n' stuff

Good Housekeeping/ Dark Victory

2012-01-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

Photography: Con Poulos

I have a childhood friend who was allergic to chocolate, I always felt so bad for her, Imagine a life without it? Easter time would come around and we would watch with chocolate smeared faces as she would have to eat the half eaten carrots left out for Easter Bunny!

When I was asked to do this Chocolate Story for Good Housekeeping I had visions of some fantastic world coming to life like Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and when I turned up at the studio I was not disappointed, It was like a bunch of Oomp loompas in the kitchen, working on endless chocolate creation after creation, It would be mean to say they looked like them because they didn't but Food Stylist extraordinaire Stephana Bottom had prepared herself with a team of talented assistants to help her farm out the chocolate menu which included chocolate cream pie, brownies, truffles, pave, tart and whoopee pies to mention just a few.

The color palette for the story was rich like the menu with guess what chocolate brown mixed with tan, purple, pink and orange, It was nice to work on such a deep palette after months of doing red white and blue beer heavy BBQ stories, It;s not often when you get to work on a whole story on desert. Needless to say I picked a bad time to start dieting, I only had a slither of each, I promise!

The story was shot by the amazing fellow Australian Photographer Con Poulos

Quistgaard, Dansk and those Købenstyle Pots

2012-01-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

Dansk pots in use, Picture left: blueflowerginger

Some of the silhouettes

The pots inspire many pictures, An Ad probably from the 1970's

An Ad probably from the 1960's, Yellow is probably the most popular color

A pitcher in the small size in Turquoise, An Orange Baking Dish

A yellow loaf pan and Red pots stacked the way they were intended to be stored, Picture right: incolororder.blogspot.com

A later style pitcher in red and an orange butter warmer, Picture right: melissaeastondesign.com

A variety of pics showcasing the different styles, Please note: All pics credited where possible, Let me know if yours is not and I will re correct.

A favorite of Prop and Food Stylists, Købenstyle Pots from Danish company Dansk have been popular ever since their release in the 1950’s. Designed by Jens H Quistgaard who in 1954 co-founded the company Dansk International Designs with Ted Nierenberg, an American entrepreneur with whom he worked for 30 years producing the majority of designs for the company, These pots have stood the test of time with their beautiful colors and lines. Quistgaard was an amazing designer who by 1982 had created more than 2,000 different designs for Dansk of dinnerware, glassware and items for the home. Sadly, he died in 2008.

The pots are made of enameled formed sheet steel in brilliant colors such as bright yellow, crimson, turquoise, orange, blue, almond, chocolate brown, both kelly green and hunter green, They also were very popular in black and white. Most have white interiors that contrast the exterior of the pot, but some can be the same color in and out. In addition to the lidded casserole in its two sizes is a range that includes also coffee pots, fondue pots, a stockpot, a frying pan, pitchers in 3 sizes, butter warmers, a baking dish, a paella pan in 2 sizes and loaf pans, Some were designed with wooden handles and others with the pronged handle that has become so famous.

The term Købenstyle comes from the shortening of København which is the Danish way of pronouncing their capital city Copenhagen, The Købenstyle line was originally manufactured by Danish supplier Glud & Marstrand, but, in 1966, Dansk switched to a French supplier. The earlier Danish-made pieces are marked with Dansk's "four ducks" logo, and are generally more sought-after by collectors than the later French ones. The initials "IHQ" are Jens Quistgaard's mark.

They have indeed become a modern classic. They hold much interest to me in particular as growing up in Australia I never really saw them there but when I came to the States, I realized how much of an affinity people here had for them, Having been distributed by an American owned company whose headquarters for years were in Mt Kisco, in New York, they were readily and easily available in the USA. Dansk is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenox Corporation with headquarters located in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Unfortunately they no longer produce the Købenstyle pot, but you can still pick up some vintage examples in Flea Markets and E-Bay. I have been collecting them for years now, I have to admit that are hard to find in good condition, I never tire of them or stop marveling at shiny wonderfulness.

Color Pops at CB2

2012-01-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Front Cover

Photography: Andy Barnes

Back Cover, Photography: Andy Barnes

It really feels like I was just in Chicago yesterday completing the CB2 Spring Catalog, but it probably has been a couple of months. I spent 2 and a half weeks shooting with a great Chicago based team consisting of Jolene Rivera, our Art Director, you can see more of her work on Paul Lowe's wonderful online magazine Sweet Paul and Photographer Andy Barnes, It was so great to work with both of them.

While some of the Catalog was shot on location, I worked mainly on the studio portion. Working with a wonderful team of set builders at the Crate & Barrel Studio in Chicago, We created some magical sets that included a hotel foyer, a hotel room, a urban cafe and dusty old warehouse. I love the evolution that we go through to create these sets that often days/ weeks in the planning. While it's often grueling and requires a lot of manpower and attention to detail, It's just so fulfilling to see these sets born and photographed. As a Stylist on these sets, I need to think big picture in terms of how the entire picture will read right down to the rivets on a beam to the patina on a industrial goods lift. Everything needs to look authentic and believable.

Here is a selection that I worked on, The new CB2 Catalog has an exciting new look and it was great to be part of a new but ever evolving product.

See all of the catalog at CB2.

Inspiring Design Legend/ Eva Zeisel

2011-12-31T15:11:00.000-08:00

I had just been collecting images on Eva’s work to write a post about her inspiring design and influence on American ceramics when I heard the news that last week we lost Eva at the truly amazing age of 105. The Design world has certainly lost a legend, Born In Budapest in 1906, She studied at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts there. She lived in Germany and Russia where she was actually jailed due to a Stalin purge where she experienced horrific conditions, her reason for imprisonment never really known even to her, it seems narrowly escaping execution she went to England in 1938 and married before moving finally to NYC in 1939 where she created the department of Ceramic Arts at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where she taught until 1952.

She has been credited for merging the worlds of the fine arts with mass merchandise and industrial design and introducing modernism into middleclass American homes, Her designs look like sensual modern sculptures but have a warmth and everyday quality that makes you just want to reach out and use them, She said herself: "We feel differently, more intimately, about dishes than we do about shoes or chairs or forks. If we unexpectedly come upon a chair like we used when we were children we say, 'We had a chair like that at home.' But if we come upon dishes like we used on the dinner table with our parents, we will surely exclaim: 'Look! Our dishes!” Her work is so instantly recognizable with their rounded curves, arches, teardrops and wave motifs.

Over the years she designed for well known ceramic and glass companies Hall China, Red Wing Pottery, Castleton China, Norleans Meito (Japan), Rosenthal, Royal Stafford, Noritake and Western Stoneware and more recent collaborations with Klein Reid, Chantal, Design Within Reach and The Rug Company.

Here are a smattering of her huge library of design, I cannot even touch the surface of her massive contribution to modern design, I am so sorry I never got to meet her, RIP Eva.

Dutch Eigen Huis & Interieur Belgium Deco Idee's Magazines

2011-12-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

Cover

Article Photography: Jonny Valiant

Cover

Article Photography: Jonny Valiant

While we are on the bandwagon, I received in the mail from Ian at Tripod Agency my issues of
Eigen Huis & Interieur and Deco Idee's Magazine Both European magazines have featured in their latest issue their own interpretations of my shoot for my last apartment. I have to say I am overwhelmed by the support and interest in this shoot, It's amazing where it ends up, I hope you are not getting tired of me sharing it with you, I have included just a snippet of each one here so you get a flavor as I know many have seen this shoot many times.

I am very excited to be part of these magazines! I love seeing how each title approaches the story differently.

Again thanks to Ian Philips at Tripod Agency who distributed this cover and wrote the great accompanying story also and Jonny Valiant who photographed the space and made it look amazing!

Elle Decoration, UK Feature/ Jan 2012

2011-12-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Photography: Jonny Valiant

So here it is, My first Elle Decoration U.K cover, Such a honor to be on the front of my favorite magazine. This cover appears on the Jan issue and has just hit the newsstands. See also the story inside also that has been beautifully layed out. Many of you would have seen this story before as it has appeared in quite a few European publications and covers. This is the first time however that have used the blue office on a cover. I remember painting that color blue and as assembling the arrangement on the wall, thinking this would make a striking shot and low and behold it did! The room on the cover is actually tiny, 7x7 feet, hard to believe.

Again thanks to Ian Philips at Tripod Agency who distributed this cover and wrote the great accompanying story also and Jonny Valiant who photographed the space and made it look amazing!

Italian's do it Better/ Ettore Sottsass

2011-12-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Ettore Sosstass in 2006, photographed by J.Emilio Flores, His famous Memphis piece

Vases for Bisotti designed by Ettore Sottsass

Totem series designed by Ettore Sottsass

Memphis piece and Enorme Telephone designed by Ettore Sottsass

Memphis piece, Vase and Olivetti typewriter by Ettore Sottsass

Vases and Vessels by Ettore Sottsass

Memphis pieces by Ettore Sottsass

Vases by Ettore Sottsass

Enamel plates by Ettore Sottsass

Sketches/ Designs by Ettore Sottsass

It was in the 1990’s a part of my Design Degree that I first studied quite intensively the Post Modern Movement, In the 90’s we were actually still really going through it and some would argue we still are, Post Modernism refers to a point of departure for works of literature, drama, architecture, cinema, journalism, and design. The movement of Postmodernism really began with architecture, as a response to the perceived blandness, hostility, and Utopianism of the Modern movement. Modernist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is associated with the phrase "less is more"; in contrast Post Modernists say, "Less is a bore."

The 1980’s was such a powerful decade in the way when we look back but in the minimalist 1990’s we almost looked at this work in shock and horror, It was too close to appreciate. The 1980’s had been so radical, in the 1990’s we came out of the 80’s a bit shell shocked and dazed by it’s boldness and tenacity. At school I remember studying the work in particular of Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) who was the famous Italian architect, designer and leader of the Post Modernism movement. In the height of it in 1981, Sottsass and an international group of young architects and designers had come together to form the Memphis Group. Memphis was launched with a collection of 40 pieces of furniture, ceramics, lighting, glass and textiles, which featured fluorescent colors, slick surfaces, intentionally lop-sided shapes and squiggly laminate patterns. It hit the marketplace with such force that it influenced the design of that decade on so many levels.

The interesting thing with Sottsass’s work is that although his work hit the mainstream in the 1980’s and is remembered so vividly with being connected with Memphis and seems so iconic with that era, his work right back to the 1950’s still holds the same vision, playfulness and life. I have recently been re connecting with that work, Here on this post I am sharing his range of totems, vases and enamel plates that he developed much earlier than the1980’s I think they are pure genius in their use of colors compositions and form.

Sottsass was truly a giant of Design, as said by Paola Antonelli, the senior curator in the Museum of Modern Art’s department of architecture and design. “He had a capacity to really feel the times that he was living in and to change with them.”

News Flash! /Elle Decoration UK

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Photography: Jonny Valiant

Such exciting news for me! I have not had a chance to get to a shop to see in person (Very busy on shoots right now during this crazy time of the year) but apparently my last apartment has made it on the actual cover of one of my favorite magazines in the world, Elle Decoration UK The top image shows the actual cover, The other when I did a search came up, Perhaps they are using as promotion or as an alternative cover but it shows another view in my last very blue office.

Again thanks to the wonderful Ian Philips at Tripod Agency in Paris who distributed this cover and story also and Jonny Valiant who always photographs my places so majestically!

I can't wait to pick up a copy!, Stay tuned!

The Lady at Barney's New York

2011-12-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

Graphics courtesy of Barney's New York, As used in tore and for promotional purposes

Outside the Store, Image courtesy of Barney's New York

Photography: Marcus Hay

Some of the merchandise being sold, images courtesy of Barney's New York

Photography: Marcus Hay

Every now again an Artist comes along in history that pushes boundaries and makes us gasp, sometimes in shock, sometimes in delight. Whether you are a fan or not, you can’t deny the world had become quite a boring place before Lady Gaga. You can’t deny her force; highly charged, motivated beyond belief she seems to be taking over the world. Living in New York I can’t deny her presence even more, for this is her town, the city in which the Lady was born.

This week I made the trip to the flagship store on Madison Ave, Barney’s New York where it seems Lady Gaga has her stamp all over the building, On street level you are greeted by some amazing window displays inspired by guess what Lady Gaga! One window is entirely made of hairpieces; a black-clawed Lady Gaga figure sits in amongst her boudoir, the other window a serene Lady Gaga mermaid swims amongst sparkly icicles in a sea of blue.

Gaga apparently teamed with her style guru Nicola Forichetti from Thierry Mugler and Barney’s Creative Director Dennis Freedman, Also with Christophe Hamaide Pierson, Eli Sudbrack and their art collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus (check out their amazing website) to help out with creating the windows, imagery and an entire floor of Barney’s to create a Gaga wonderland that houses crafted accessories and cosmetics and other gift ideas.

On that floor are giant sculpture installations including a giant 8 foot Lady Gaga spider, The floor feels quite Surrealist meets Pop Art with an 1980’s edge. Campaign visuals include a cartoon rendering of Gaga with long blue hair and a sparkly red jumpsuit is being used to decorate Barney’s shopping bags and other packaging.

As a Stylist and Creative Director, I can’t help but marvel at the way a whole persona like Gaga can be packaged so well, to me this is quite inspirational. It reminds me of other icons we can’t forget, the unforgettable stamp recording artists like Elton John and David Bowie made on the 1970’s, Of course Madonna in the 1980’s (and beyond). It is without doubt pure fantasy, it could also be seen as self indulgent, but as people that work in a creative field would recognize, to have this freedom to create such an explosion of imagery is to be celebrated, at least I think so!

It’s open till Jan 2^nd, so make sure if you are In NYC, go and take a look!

Just Hanging Around

2011-11-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

Photography: Marcus Hay, Taken in store At Anthropology, Right: Street Art Portrait in Dumbo, Brooklyn

Left: Page from Megan Morton's "Home Love" Right: Page from Geraldine James book "Creative Walls"

Photography: Marcus Hay, Portait "Chinese Girl/ The Green Lady" by Vladimir Tretchikoff

Left: Page from Geraldine James book "Creative Walls" Right: Unknown Artist

Photography: Marcus Hay, Portrait: Unknown Artist

Various Unknown Portraits

Photography: Marcus Hay, Portrait: Unknown Artist

Wikipedia says: “A portrait is a painting, photograph or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality and even the mood of the person”

Lately I seem to have been drawn to buying vintage oil portraits in particular, although some have also been pastel and even pencil line work. I really love to decorate with them, mostly I don’t even know the subject or even the artist, but there is something about a portrait that draws you in. As Geraldine James in her wonderful book “Creative Walls” say’s “The drama of a portrait wall cannot be denied. The mystery surrounding them gives added intrigue to the collection” I love the way a portrait can elevate an interior or how when someone walks into a room, often it’s the first thing they see and ask “who is that”

My favorites seem to be from the 50’s and 60’s when haughty women in particular seem to all have aura that resonates even from beyond the canvas. Most of these featured here are portraits that I own myself and are photographed in my apartment in New York. The most famous here as most of you would recognize is “The Chinese Girl/ Green Lady” by Vladimir Tretchikoff who was one of the most commercially successful artists of all time. The model for “Chinese Girl/ Green Lady” was the daughter of a restaurant owner Tretchikoff met in San Francisco. It has been featured in many sets of famous movies. Tretchikoff's work was immensely popular with the general public, but is often seen by art critics as the epitome of kitsch, I disagree and think it has earned the right to be regarded as a mid century classic.

If looking, Portraits are quite easy to pick up in Flea Markets or Vintage Stores, Of course some are better than others but I think it’s good to pick an era when collecting and that way if displayed together they will have some sort of uniformity. As a Stylist, I love themes and nothing draws you in quicker in an interior scheme than another set of eyes on a wall, in my opinion, the more the better!

Pottery Barn/ Holidays, 2011

2011-11-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

2011 Cover

Photography: Brad Knipstein

Back In July I spent and week and a half in San Francisco for Pottery Barn. We were of course shooting Holidays which is a regular thing to do in July in the world of catalogs, However this was my last Holiday themed job for the year and a big one to end with.

Of course as we all trim and wrap and prepare for the big day later next month, It is the perfect time to share with you! The Holidays are truly upon us so all this work in advance I have done on Holiday themed shoots this year seems to seem real now.

What some might not know is that The Pottery Barn was co-founded in 1949 by Paul Secon, a music Editor and musician and his brother Morris. They have over 200 stores and a direct mail business that distributes a staggering amount of over 100 million catalogs a year. Pottery Barn is quintessentially American and it is great for me having grown up abroad to gain an understanding of the vastness and influence that Pottery Barn have on decorating in The USA and beyond, It is a huge product with over 60 years influence on the shelter market.

These images even though shot in a studio look remarkably like a location which is the magic that the team strive to create. We had some quite large set ups including the 4 beds in a indoor porch situation that took many hours to perfect and create. With Pottery Barn, It is all in the detail, As a Stylist you need to consider every element, The exact way a curtain fold hangs, The ribbon on tiny presents in stuffed stockings, anything that can help give a narrative to the shot.

These images were shot by the very talented Brad Knipstein, www.robertbradleyphoto.com

Real Simple/ Week of Dinners/ December

2011-11-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Photography: Jonny Valiant

An all too familiar revisit happened when I worked on Week of Dinners for the December issue of Real Simple which is out now. I had never really worked as the Stylist on this section but when I was on Real Simple as Style Director, I would be responsible in overseeing the styling of this section with another Stylist. Of course it has bee a number of years since I was there and although the concept has not really changed having been a regular staple section of the magazine for many years, it has moved on aesthetically quite a bit.

Shot by the ever wonderful Jonny Valiant jonnyvaliant.com.au , We started with the Process Style shot that appears on the opener, This represents some or most of the ingredients featured in the recipes before cooking them, I always love working with the raw food elements, The colors and texture of raw food is always inspiring. The other shots are simple and clean. I really liked the palette on this story, Being a winter story we were able to go and bit dark and moody.

Behind the Scenes/ The Workshop

2011-11-19T07:43:00.000-08:00

Photography: Marcus Hay

There is just something I love about workshops, in an ideal world I would love to have one, but living in Manhattan with an apartment and 2 storage units already, I might be pushing the limits. Workshops are where great things happen though; I often think it is the things that perhaps get overlooked in workshops that are the most fascinating. It’s the element of surprise, the way the paint can left its messy rings, the testing of colors on a random swatch. It could be the stacking of painted planks of wood, the outlines left over from painting blue tiles. Stencils, rulers, tools, old ladders, these are all such fascinating things for me, I never tire of them.

I am in and out of workshops a lot with the overseeing of sets, working with set builders is a great process even though sometimes I still do feel like we speak a different language at times, Being an Art Director or a Stylist means your language by nature I think can come across as a bit flowery, Most set builders talk in measurements and as the expression goes in “nuts and bolts” A great set builder can be multi lingual or as time goes on a Stylist or Art Director gets to know the terms needed to get the job done.

It’s probably why I am the one wandering around workshops with my camera taking photo’s of what most would consider just messes and finding the beauty there, You can make the old “Jackson Pollack” analogy and get caught up in just the drips, splotches and strokes, but really there is way more to look at then just that. As most would see from my current website I have a fascination with pegboard. I love its simple approach to organization; nothing is greater than a wall of organized tools of the trade (or if you were Julia Childs, organized pots and pans) on pegboard. I love vintage hardware; it reminds me of my Grandfathers mechanics workshop that I was fascinated with as a kid, brushes are such beautiful things to me also and vessels for such creativity.

These images have been collected over the last couple of years, A collection of many that inspire me, I hope you enjoy my tour of the workshop and catch a glimpse of a behind the scenes world you don’t often see, It is the place of reality, where amazing things happen to help create the end result, I feel privileged to be witness of it and work with many set builders who bring so much to table.

CB2 Holiday Cover

2011-11-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Photography: Alec Hemer

Imagine my excitement when I received the latest CB2 Catalog in the mail and there it was a cover I had conceived way back in July. The idea had come to me while on the CB2 Catalog shoot, we had a last day of cover tries and had tried many options that day. I was looking at some of the product from afar and noticed how they kind of resembled small buildings.

CB2 for the holidays have the cutest little chair decorations, They became the springboard to creating a city, I used chalkboard paint for the surface and background, drew a moon and stars, We wanted to give the feeling it was snowing in the city so we sifted fake snow from above as it rained down upon our city made with wrapped buildings and CB2 product, It was so much fun to create and I am so pleased they picked it for one of the 2012 holiday covers!

You can see more product and shots at www.cb2.com

Photographer Alec Hemer shot this great cover, you can see his other work at www.triciajoyce.com

Back to School with Osh Kosh

2011-10-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sketches by: Marcus Hay

Photography: Marcus Hay

I had not worked on a Kids Catalog for some time, you know what they say “what ever you do try not to work with dogs or children”, but I have to say these kids were amazing! When the team at leading Children's ware brand Osh Kosh approached me to design the sets and prop style for the Fall Catalog I was excited. Being for the season Fall, naturally it was a back to school theme. Once again I found I needed to put on my “American” hat, I attended school in Australia and while there maybe some similarities, there are also many iconic American symbols of school that I did not grow up with! (Cheerleaders for instance!)

The kids ranged from Toddlers to 10 year olds. It was a 4-day shoot with a line up of kids at every hour; many of the kids were old timers, having been working for Osh Kosh amongst other Catalog clients for many years! The palette was bright, We had sets that included bleachers, lockers, school rooms amongst many others, I have to say I Iove working on Kid’s shoots, You really do get to explore your inner child when devising the scheme.

You can see here my sketches from the set, plus some behind the scenes shots I took myself, There is also just a selection of the images shot here for the Catalog. Thanks to Empire Set Shop, empiresetshop.com for working with to create such inspiring sets, Thanks also to my wonderful Assistant's Don, Alyssa, Jill and LynLeigh for helping me on this very large shoot for very small people!

Tis is the Season at CB2

2011-10-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

The Cover

Photography: Alec Hemer

I am currently back in the Windy City, Chicago on another CB2 Catalog for Spring but timing wise the Holiday Catalog I worked on back in July has just come out! This is my first CB2 Catalog so it is very exciting! Our section shown here shot by the very talented Photographer Alec Hemer, you can see his other work at www.triciajoyce.com. Alec and I have worked together before on other projects.

As mentioned before Christmas (or the Holiday’s as it’s called in the U.S) is a big part of the year when it comes to a Stylist. Sometimes, depending on the bookings, it can feel like at least 6 months of the year if doing back-to-back Holiday themed shoots. CB2 is a refreshing take as the approach is contemporary and clever, not too many cliques or expected ways of seeing this theme, so as a Stylist, this is both more challenging but also more liberating.

The color palette for CB2 is always largely bright, although in this catalog we did slip into a darker place palette wise in some set-ups, all these pictures are sets that have been carefully designed and constructed by the talented team at the studio. Working through ideas, The sets are inspired with the thought of keeping each space contemporary, often loft like and urban. CB2 do a mix of location and studio, but for our section this time it was in the studio.

Look out for more Holiday themed shoots here in the near future! After all “Tis is the Season!”

The Royal Palace, Sweden.

2011-10-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Left: Photography: Marcus Hay, Right: The Royal Family in the 1970's

Photography: Marcus Hay

While on my recent trip to Stockholm, Sweden’s capital city I had the pleasure of visiting the Apartments of the Royal Palace, which is, located in Gamla Stan, which is the oldest part of the city. No longer occupied by the Family, The Palace was largely built during the 18th century in the Italian Baroque style, on the spot where the “Tre Kronor” castle burned down in 1697. The current Royal Family consists of King Carl XVI Gustaf, born 1946, Queen Silvia, born 1943, Crown Princess Victoria, born 1977, Prince Daniel, born 1973, Prince Carl Philip, born 1979, and Princess Madeleine, born 1982 but as I mentioned they no longer reside at the Palace but only use it for formal occasions or to house guests.

The thing that struck a chord with me the most was the color scheme of the apartment, The rooms are largely from the 18^th and 19^th centuries ranging in style from Baroque to Rococo to Gustavian Neo-Classicism are decorated in a range of colors that exist of dusty blues, pinks, deep candy apple reds and the deep Swedish blue of which I never tire. Gold also features a lot but not in a bright gaudy way, It is a palette that resonates with me as the combination and tones are exactly what I respond too in my own current Interior schemes, Gustavian Style is largely marked by grayed pastels and has the interesting juxtaposition between the informal and the formal which does not make it appear too stuffy like many other European Palaces, This is what I love in an Interior. Some rooms which were decorated in the 1950’s with artwork/ portraits of the period seem straight out of a movie of that period, These were my favorite rooms. I love the eclectic nature that the rooms change but are still so tastefully done that it is a smooth transition as you wander the many many rooms. The inlaid wooden floors are amazing as is all the detail and the casual but sophisticated upholstery of chairs and sofas.

It is a huge Palace; the construction lasted for 57 years, from 1697 to 1754 and was the largest single construction project in Europe during this time, The Apartments are only a small part of the Palace as a whole. There are 5 museums within the complex.

The Royal Apartments are closed 8-31 January and subject to closure according to the King's official duties, but open daily 10am to 5pm (June to August), 10am to 4pm (15-31 May and 1-14 September). Opening hours are shortened the rest of the year, and closed on Mondays, Definitely check it out when in Stockholm.

On the Streets of Berlin

2011-10-12T11:05:00.001-07:00

Photography: Marcus Hay

Graffiti (singular: graffito) is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since ancient times.

On my recent trip to Stockholm and Berlin I was further amazed by the level of artistic expression on the streets in the form of street art/ graffiti. In East Berlin in particular, it's everywhere! I live in a city (NYC) where street art is also a strong component of it's visual identity, but I would say that Berlin in particular surpasses even New York in it's volume of random art found largely in it's back streets.

For myself as a Stylist, this form of expression delights me! In my world, you might pay thousands of dollars for a graffiti inspired artwork to be mounted in an interior scheme, but here its readily available on the street for all to enjoy only most people don't to even seem to notice it? Of course in Berlin celebrated artists on the Berlin wall, or what is left of it can find a large number of works! Perhaps in a way the rest is an extension of this?

There is just something so fresh and spontaneous about art that you know when you walk past a week later might be gone or added too, or changed out all together!

Creating My Personal Space/ Welcome to my world 2

2011-10-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Photography: Marcus Hay/ My enamel bowl collection, My beloved Womb chair

Photography: Marcus Hay/ Still life on Danish Cabinet, Oil painting by Ruth Cohen

Photography: Marcus Hay/ Still life on mantel

Photography: Marcus Hay/ My bathroom collection of mirrors

Photography: Marcus Hay/ My Areaware Rollerscates and plates on wall

Photography: Marcus Hay/ My tile collection and small bottle collection

Photography: Marcus Hay/ My Danish bar cart and starbursts

I have spoken many times about how my apartment is a platform for me to experiment with my own personal style. I was lucky enough to be able to move into a larger apartment in June and so all of a sudden I had a larger platform to work from. For me I was delighted, I was definitely feeling the cramp in my old apartment, which would be less than half the size of my new one!

Furthermore I suddenly had a whole extra room, closets and a mantle to style. After many jobs in other states and with the ability to ship new finds back from faraway places, I started to formulate a new look which also meant I had many more new things here to show you.

My old apartments have been featured many times in magazines all around the world, I am always surprised where they turn up, Anywhere from India to Sweden, It seems my space translates to many cultures which is fantastic. Ironically, my place has never been featured in an American magazine, still working on that!

Here in these shots you can see my new baby, my Womb chair which has become my pride and joy, Designed by Eero Saarinen, A request from Florence Knoll Bassett to create "a chair she could curl up in," led to Saarinen's 1948 design of the Womb Chair, I have always wanted one in this color. I also have a new oil painting by Ruth Cohen, picked up at The Garage Flea Markets in Chelsea matched with a Danish cupboard I bought in New Hampshire. New vases include a Dutch vase with a round cutout I picked up in Berlin, A German Pottery vase with stripes and a faux tufted leatheresque vase by Haeger.

On my mantel, I have a new collection including my Lisa Larson piece, the boy with the cat, A Moomin figurine, recently launched by Finnish company Ittala. With another German vase from my recent trip.

My new roller skate satue by Brooklyn based company Areaware sits on my floor and added to my collection of plates on my kitchen wall are many new additions including a new one from Marrimekko and a couple from Sweden I found in Stockholm. I also love my new bar cart stocked with new decanters I picked up in a vintage store in Manhattan. In the bathroom I am building my collection of random objects and vintage mirrors on the wall. I love a repeat of small mirrors.

I also love my new collection of Danish enamel bowls in punchy colors,

Sometimes it scares me how many new things I find to add to my collections, Like bunnies collections seem to grow overnight in my home!...but then I take a step back and realize without these purchases I would not be able to formulate vignettes that will eventually will grace the pages hopefully of further magazines and books, After all as a Stylist it’s my job to inspire others, it’s my duty to collect, at least that’s how I conveniently justify the process! : )

Good Housekeeping/ Slow Cookers

2011-09-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Photography: Anna Williams

The weather gets a little cooler and all of a sudden people turn to comfort food, slow cooking comfort food. To be honest I never really had heard of a slow cooker before I moved to the USA, but this is definitely not the first time I have shot one of these type of stories since landing on these shores many Fall's ago!

Now most people would not know that shooting a slow cooker shoot can be a challenge if the slow cooker appliance actually needs to be in the shoot, If you shoot it from above it can resemble a porcelain toilet bowl, not a pretty thought, sorry but it's true! Often we crop into it to avoid it looking that obvious! : ) Luckily for me this time in this shoot for Good Housekeeping we did not need to even show one!

The Food Styling on this shoot was done by the very talented Maggie Ruggiero www.maggieruggiero.com who has done amazing work on the late and very missed Gourmet Magazine. Anna Williams, annawilliams.com one of my favorite Photographers to work with shot the story. The story as you can see has quite a rustic feel, always a favorite to reflect the season, I used lot's of woods, vintage bowls, flatware and earthy colors.

So maybe it's time to embrace the season..maybe even time to get a slow cooker? (If I can work out how to turn it on?) : )

Ceramic Master Bjørn Wiinblad

2011-09-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Bjørn as young man and later in his life alongside an example of one of his many collectable wall plaques

Left: More pieces from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay, Right: A poster design for the Tivoli Gardens

Left: A piece from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay, Right: Bird vessel

More pieces from my collection, Photography: Marcus Hay

Various pieces by Bjørn Wiinblad

In Elle Decoration, October, 2010, Photography: Mikkel Mortensen

From my collection on right, Phtography: Marcus Hay

It’s amazing how certain artist’s work can stick in your mind a lifetime, I suppose subconsciously Bjørn Wiinblad’s (1918-2006) work has always seemed familiar to me, perhaps as a child I was drawn to it’s whimsy and a sense of childhood innocence, but I do remember seeing his designs on plates and vases in many homes of my parent’s friends as a kid and always loving his characters and motifs. I am sure many of my German and Scandinavian friends would be very familiar with his work, I believe he even had a store in Copenhagen right up until the late 1980’s.

He was best known as the Rosenthal Porcelain company's chief designer for 35 years, but his career spanned more than 60 years, covering a wide range of mediums including ceramics, metals, glass, stage and poster design, furniture, illustrations, textiles, tapestries and ceramic decorations for hotels and restaurants in Japan, USA & the UK.

Bjørn Wiinblad was born in Denmark, As Wikepedia states “Characteristics of Wiinblad's work include whimsical round-faced people, dressed in vaguely 19th-century costume. They are often surrounded by natural elements: twining vines, floral wreaths, and fantastical trees. When Wiinblad employed color, he did so with great assurance. His colors are saturated and strong--sometimes almost psychedelic and are often supplemented with metallic gold or silver”

I have been collecting with glee, Bjørn’s work largely from Rosenthal for many years. Whenever back in Germany, I gather with vigor as many pieces as I can find as it seems his work for the German ceramic company seems most available here. To me his talent was so profound, his passion so obvious, He is truly and inspiration to me on so many levels. Elle Decoration in the UK www.elledecoration.co.uk, ran a piece on his house “The Blue House” in their October issue last year, As mentioned in the article you can actually do a tour with his niece Tina Wiinblad Richter, 00 45 24 44 16 69, This is something I would love to do on my next trip back to Denmark, It would be amazing to see where he lived and worked for more than 40 years.

I would encourage you all to get to know and love his work more, He is an artist truly worth celebrating.

Stockholm, The Story Hotel

2011-09-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Signage and the dining room, Photography: On behalf of The Story Hotel, Marcus Hay

The Dining Room, The morning latte, Photography: Marcus Hay, On behalf of The Story Hotel

The hallway and flowers in dining room, Photography: On behalf of The Story Hotel, Marcus Hay

Our room, The Story Hotel, Photography: Marcus Hay

The dining room and artwork in our room, Photography: On behalf of The Story Hotel, Marcus Hay

The Garden Terrace, so cute! Photography: On behalf of The Story Hotel

I have been back a couple of weeks now and still have not had a chance to blog about my recent European trip to Sweden and Germany, Many more posts to come I promise but for now my second post is about a great hotel we stayed at in Stockholm called The Story Hotel, www.storyhotels .com Wallpaper Magazine calls it “The ideal mix of comfort and cutting edge, It is a bohemian-chic hotel mixing new design with vintage, original details. It’s like a slice of New York, Istanbul or Paris has slammed into Stockholm. The surprisingly lo-cost redevelopment has created a hotel in which the outside world simply pales away. The hotel enjoys a packed bar, full bookings and vibrant atmosphere any day of the week. And why not – everyone loves a good yarn”

The Story Hotel is all that, A small hotel in a redeveloped building, It is filled with original wallpapers and wooden flooring, eclectic contemporary pieces dotted with artistic abandon and an understated tertiary pallet, With design from the Swedish supremos at Koncept, www.koncept.se Story is an amalgamation of heritage sophistication and contemporary innovation. Adapting original features from the period building it is housed in. It is also surprisingly affordable with a range of different sized rooms. I really liked the bedheads re purposed from old office doors, the mailbox slot still intact.

I have to say the staff were also so great, Our luggage was by our airline lost for 3 days and the staff worked tirelessly to help us search, locate and have it delivered to the hotel, we were so grateful. I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting beautiful Stockholm, What a city!, More to come, stay tuned.

Apartment Feature/ Design*Sponge Book, Grace Bonney

2011-09-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

The spread of my Apartment

PJ Mehaffey's Brooklyn Apartment

Most of you would know the wonderful blog/site Design*Sponge www.designsponge.com and if you don't then you are long overdue to check it out! Grace Bonney, the creator has just released her first book, Design*Sponge at Home, You can order a copy at Amazon, www.amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble, www.barnesandnoble.com A constant source of info and inspiration, Design*Sponge, founded in 2006 is a daily Web site dedicated to home and product design. Grace in the past has worked as a contributing editor at publications like House & Garden, Domino, and Craft Magazine.

The premise of the Web site and book is to make home decor and renovation accessible and affordable and to create unique spaces that reflect our personality and style, The book is nearly 400 pages of creative, fun and do-able ideas featuring 65 apartments and houses, mine is just one of those many! : )

Grace has been working on the book for 2 years and it was quite some time ago she asked me to be part of the project, One of my apartments features in the book shot by super fine Photographer Hallie Burton, www.hallieburton.com It was very exciting to be asked to be featured on such a big project, My friend PJ Mehaffey's, pjmehaffey.com place is also featured, see above.

Grace is about to hit the road on a national book tour, Congrats and Good Luck Grace!

Life is a Vase, In Berlin!

2011-09-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Photography: Marcus Hay

My what a year in Berlin can produce! My dear friends Neill Seeto and Damien Miller celebrated their first year living in Berlin and I was lucky enough to be able to meet many of their friends in Berlin and celebrate it with them in their amazing apartment located in Mitte, In Eastern Berlin just last week on my European vacation. I had visited them last year also in 2010, but as yet they had not moved into their current apartment, nor did they have many belongings or furniture either having waited to set up home officially in their new space.

Last year Neill and I had trawled the Flea Markets in Berlin, Having been a seasoned Flea Marketer I was ready, willing and able to collect as much German ceramics as I could stuff into my hand luggage, I would never have expected however a somewhat newbie like Neill to have amassed in a year such a passion for collecting and a knowledge of German ceramics that maybe even surpasses my own. Now I knew there were bargains to be had but with a keen eagle eye and an ability to haggle like there was no tomorrow, Neill has collected and cleaned up with such speed and tenacity, it is truly admirable.

In their Berlin apartment once habituated by German Fashion Designer Wolfgang Joop, Neill and Damien have carefully curated collections in themes of prized Rosenthal in particular. Pieces by Bjørn Wiinblad, Tapio Wirkkala and Bele Bachem. Also acquired in Berlin a fabulous Ingo Maurer bamboo fan light fitting, plenty of Royal Copenhagen, Poole, Murano and beautiful Danish furniture pieces, some bought indirectly from pieces that once sat in the Danish Embassy in Berlin.

I was blown away, I thought that I had the bug, Neill used to tease me about all my “dust collecting” collections but it seems times have changed, ha ha! : ) I certainly felt right at home surrounded by this mass collection of vases and I am so glad to have a fellow appreciator and collector, We joked that we now live our lives through vases, Can a type of spirituality be found in these vessels for flowers, what is their appeal? ..Perhaps I will save this concept for another post : )

PS: Neill, a Fashion Model expert also has an amazing knowledge of fashion models and has a blog devoted to the subject, check it out at inoubliablemodelarmy.blogspot.com

Apartment Feature/ Ideat Magazine

2011-09-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

September cover, 2011

Portrait: Jonny Valiant

Photography: Jonny Valiant

Thanks to Tina www.englishmuse.com for featuring my apartment on her wonderful inspiring blog and also to super cool French magazine Ideat www.ideat.fr for the feature on one of my apartments, It really is such a thrill to read such great feedback and comments.

Again thanks to Ian Philips at Tripod Agency in Paris www.tripodagency.com who distributed this story also and Jonny Valiant www.jonnyvaliant.com.au who photographed it so well.