From New York I went to Spain, and my first stop was in Barcelona where I made a pilgrimage to see the Barcelona Pavilion.  This incredible space was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain.

It was quite an experience.  Mies’ talent and his design’s timeless quality makes this pavilion one of the most incredible pieces of architecture that exists.  It epitomizes what contemporary design is all about.  He plays with texture and pattern between different marbles, reflective steel, and clear and frosted glass.  He also thought a lot about how light plays in the reflecting pond.  The simplicity of one beautiful piece of bronze sculpture floating in space is quite amazing.  It’s a sculpture by Georg Kolbes, and is named Dawn.  I got chills just standing there and taking in the space.  If there was ever a temple built for modernity, this is it.

Below are pictures I took of the pavilion.  Enjoy!

Reminder to all designers out there, this Thursday is ‘Designers Happy Hour’ at the ALB Design Center of Chelsea.

The first open house will take place this Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the ALB Design Center on 53 W 23rd Street, 9th Floor.  Designers will be served drinks and hors d’oeuvres while viewing the featured products line without an appointment.  

Custom interior luxury product lines will be featured at the Open House, and VW Home will be there too.  All designers are welcome to attend so tell your designer friends about it too!

“We are very excited about the happy hour at the ALB Design Center.  We will have a small showroom displaying objects from Thailand, Indonesia, Africa, Hong Kong, India, and other locales.  Everything that we will be showing is one-of-a-kind so please get there early.  We will also be offering a trade discount so come and shop!  I’ll be there to answer any questions, and hope to see you there.”

– Trudi Romeo, Showroom Director, VW Home

I just arrived in Hong Kong from Thailand.  I missed the fireworks display for Chinese New Year, but the city is still all lit up.  I leave Hong Kong and head back to New York on Sunday.  I am ready, willing and able to come back but it will be hard to leave Asia and the balmy weather.  I’ll be posting photos from my travels when I return.  Happy Year of the Dragon!

LUXE Interiors + Design Spring 2012 (New York edition)

One of my projects is featured in the latest issue of LUXE Interiors + Design (New York edition) which just hit newsstands this week.  You can read my interview for this story, and see what I did to lighten up the space.  I also photographed this project, which is always fun to do. 

Click here to read the story!

To all fellow designers out there, save the date for ‘Designers Happy Hour’ at the ALB Design Center of Chelsea.

The first open house will take place Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the ALB Design Center on 53 W 23rd Street, 9th Floor. Designers will be served drinks and hors d’oeuvres while viewing the featured products line without an appointment.  

Custom interior luxury product lines will be featured at the Open House, including my line: VW Home.  All designers are welcome to attend!

I will post another reminder about this event a few days before it takes place.

As some of you may have read in previous posts, I have been working on a volunteer project with The Joyce Theater Foundation to re-design the interior space of the theater’s Dance Art New York (DANY) Studios and spruce it up for the many people who use the studios on a daily basis.

With a singular mission to serve and support the art of dance, The Joyce Theater Foundation is a major catalyst for dance creation and performance, and brings the best in dance from around the world to annual audiences of over 140,000 in New York City.  Responsible for The Joyce Theater in Chelsea for three decades and Joyce SoHo for 15 years, The Joyce saved the venue now known as DANY Studios  in 2009 to provide much-needed affordable rehearsal space for the dance community.   

“When The Joyce took over responsibility for DANY Studios and learned of our wonderfully artistic and creative new neighbor, Vicente Wolf, we reached out for his help with bringing these rehearsal studios back to life.  His amazing and generous support of this special project is remarkable, and we truly can’t wait to implement his vision.”  - Linda Shelton, Executive Director, The Joyce Theater Foundation

Shown with this post is a “before” photo of the reception area so you have an idea of what Eric Paeper and I are working with.  I will keep you apprised of developments at the DANY Studios so keep checking back for updates!

Winter is often the time when people draw within themselves and withdraw from the world. Using Feng Shui methods to light up and enhance your house can be a terrific way to push away the winter blues and bring fresh energy into your house and life. Here are five things you can easily do yourself.

Feng Shui Tip #1 – Add Warm Colors

Red, yellow and orange are feng shui colors that represent fire, warmth and masculine active energy. You can add pillows, throws and floor rugs to your home to liven up the decor and bring wanted warmth and activity into your home during cold winter months.

To enhance the feng shui energy, choose natural fabrics with natural vegetable dyes. Often, you can find wonderful inexpensive colorful decorator items at thrift stores, international markets and flea markets.

Feng Shui Tip #2 – Add Indoor Plants

Indoor plants are a great way to bring positive feng shui energy into your home. Place them near windows, in hallways and in places where you want to divert difficult energy and improve the flow of a room or space.

Choose plants that are easy to care for and do well indoors. Avoid placing indoor plants near heating vents or fireplace or wood stoves. Also, a mix of large and small plants can add diversity and visual interest to your home.

Feng Shui Tip #3 – Improve Your Lighting

One of the things you can do to improve your feng shui energy during the winter is to install full spectrum light bulbs in your lighting fixtures and lamps. Full spectrum light bulbs have light that is extremely close to natural sunlight and will naturally improve your energy and mood.

Also, open windows and allow light into your house as much as possible. Natural sunlight will enhance and improve positive energy flow through your house during dim winter months.

Feng Shui Tip #4 – Winterize Water Elements

If you have installed a water element or feature in your backyard, perform any needed maintenance to prevent damage from freezing. Water elements, even when they are winterized, are one of the four elements you should integrate into your home and living environment for feng shui balance.

In your home, add a small desk or table fountain to bring the water element inside. Add small plants around it to encourage positive feng shui energy and improve energy flow throughout your house.

Feng Shui Tip #5 – Plant Evergreens

Another thing to add to your home for winter is evergreen plants. Inside your home, plant them in large containers and place them near doorways and in hall entry ways. Outside, plant evergreen trees to encourage positive feng shui energy into your living space and residence.

Winter months can be a great time to redirect energy in your home. Feng shui techniques allow you to encourage positive energy in your living space to promote positive emotions, prosperity and abundance.

Author Bio: Michael Schnippering is the founder of Feng Shui at Work. He is committed to the true art and science of Feng Shui. Over the years his Feng Shui practice has taken him to various parts of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. If you’d like to learn more about Feng Shui, read Michael’ blog and follow him on Twitter @fengshuiatwork

Wow what a trip it was to Spain!  Two days in Barcelona, two in Sevilla, two in Grenada, and two in Madrid…but I was able to see a lot in a short time.

My big stop in Barcelena was seeing the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe masterpiece that was built for the 1929 World’s Fair – I felt like I was going to church. It was so enlightening and spiritual to see his work.  The other buildings at the World’s Fair site were also a sight to behold.

I was especially excited about going to Grenada to see the Alambra.  I absolutely loved the Islamic architecture, and spent two days walking through the gardens.  I also did a night tour, which was very interesting.  I’d suggest going there first thing in the morning, and booking the tours ahead of time, as there are hundreds of people waking through. 

As for shopping in Grenada, I found some great antiques at a store called Antiquedades Decoracion Abascal.

In Madrid I visited the Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Reina Sofía, and many other beautiful sights.

I visited two shops in Madrid: Justiniano X SL and Mercedes Urquijo Antiquedades for 17^th Century Spanish and other objects for the showroom.

The best meal I had in Spain was a magnificent dinner at the La Terraza Del Casino restaurant in Madrid which serves nouvelle food.  I had the tasting menu which came with 15 small courses and it was delicious.  The flavors were a combination of sweet and sour, infusion and froth – my meal started at 9:30 p.m. and I left at 11:45 p.m.  I also tried several different wines.  The whole experience made me want to come back to Spain just to eat there again.  I cannot recommend this restaurant enough…plus it has a Michelin star.

The next day, I took off to Delhi for a whirlwind shopping trip with a furniture dealer.  My next stop is Bali, Indonesia, where I’ll be visiting my good friend Bruce Carpenter who is the owner of Amirshop (which sells furniture and objects from different islands in Indonesia).  I’ll be spending Christmas in Bali – it truly is the perfect place to celebrate the joy of the holidays. 

I’ll post photos from my Spanish adventure when I return!