the modern sybarite - advice on interiors, art and design

two tables, one master parisian designer

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Designer Nicolas Aubagnac and his partner Delphine Read have focused on private interior design commissions for 16 years and what wows me is some of the furniture and lighting designs they’ve crafted for their clients - both for private and high end decorators.

what are you going to name your jellyfish?

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Face it, jellyfish are way cooler than sea monkeys! One guy who agrees with me is Alex Andon of Jellyfish Art out in San Francisco who had the brilliant idea of bringing jellyfish to the peeps. We have fish as pets, so why not beautiful jellyfish?

channeling a contemporary picasso, miro and calder – the work of aaron curry

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Aaron Curry, courtesy MichaelWerner Gallery, New York

Perhaps better known to the average person for his monumental outdoor sculptures recently gracing parks in Dallas, New York and Paris, Texas-born but LA-based Aaron Curry (b. 1972) only delved into outdoor sculpture around 2010. But in addition to this, he also works on “domestic” sized sculpture (which is how I know his work), using plywood and cardboard to craft wonderfully mystical forms from sketches made on his computer tablet.

a modern and refined alternative to the traditional candlestick: Svenskt Tenn

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

A client recently asked for my help in finding the perfect candlesticks for her dining room: the only caveat, they had to be fresh and modern, and not the same old same old that all her friends have in their homes. The task was actually easier than I first thought. Not because there is so many alternatives out there (hint: we don’t live with candlelight), but because I lucked-out and found Svenskt Tenn, a Stockholm-based purveyor of contemporary home goods. Good golly miss molly! In one place, I found a variety of very cool and handsome candlesticks.

joni sternbach; a contemporary brooklyn photographer looking to the past

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:40:00 +0000

I’m over at Modenus today discussing the awesome photography of Joni Sternbach who is represented by Rick Wester Fine Art, New York. What’s unique about her work is that Joni shoots contemporary subjects using the craft developed by photographers back in the 1850s to create tintype images. The result is one-of-a-kind photos (no multiples, no computer enhancing) that have a feel of the past but are very much about the present. So come with me to Modenus and take a look!

image credit: © Joni Sternbach, Courtesy Rick Wester Fine Art, New York

viscount linley makes your home a castle

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

David Linley may be known to most as the son of the late Princess Margaret of England, but in the interior design world he is also a superstar designer in his own right, designing bespoke furnishings and the source of perfect hostess gifts at his eponymous Linley shops. He is also Chairman of Christie’s and I had the pleasure of working under him during part of my tenure with the auction house. Recently, I heard rumors that he is thinking about opening a Linley store in New York (although he already has a strong presence with Dering Hall) so perhaps this is the prudent time to introduce you to his wide range of luxury wares.

the colorful world of Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Alighiero Boetti, Divine Astrazioni, courtesy Sotheby’s Milan

Sotheby’s Milan is offering for sale on 22 May 2013, a number of works by a personal favorite - Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994) - one of the great Italian conceptual artists of the 20th Century and an early member of the Italian Arte Povera movement. Literally meaning "poor art"- this artistic movement characterized itself for using a variety of everyday objects to create their artwork. Like all the works illustrated here today, Boetti refrains from using the tried and true oil on canvas, but instead has created his magnificent works in embroidery and pen on paper. Each series of work, although inspired and imagined by Boetti, actually was realized by the hands of dozens of other people - not your average way to create great art!

metallic raindrops in london

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

More ABBA than Greta Magnusson Grossman, these blingy pendants were designed by the duo of Skogsberg & Smart - Magnus Skogsberg and Mimmi Smart - two Swedes relocated to London. Aren't these pendants luxury on steroids? They look like drops of molten silver and gold raining down from the ceiling. The light reflecting from the metallic surface is sublime.

Thank you for the shout-out

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:04:00 +0000

Earlier in the week, I received a nice surprise. ALT for Living's blog - ALT for Lifestyles - noted TheModernSybarite as one of their newest blog discoveries that is all about "innovative perspectives towards the developments in the world of interior design". THANK YOU.

leon ferrari and the art of the scribble

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Leon Ferrari, courtesy of Cecilia Torres Gallery, New York

Argentine artist Leon Ferrari (b. 1920) works in all manner of materials to create engaging works of contemporary art. I first encountered his work on one of my first trips to Buenos Aires and I fell for it!

recent design bound for the classics: the tk8 daybed by Kastholm

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

TK8 Daybed designed by Thomas Bo Kastholm

Thomas Bo Kastholm designed the TK8 in 2009 for Danish brand CarlHansen & Son. It’s the teaming of a great duo. Kastholm is a second generation Danish furniture maker, and Carl Hansen & Son was the firm who helped launch the career of Hans Wegner in 1949.

Edgar Brandt and the elegance of Art Deco metalwork

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Edgar Brandt, lantern, Christie's

This could be a first, but today's designer of Art Deco furniture, lighting and decorative objects, was a blacksmith who got his start designing weapons for the French military. This is not the most obvious route for talented designers to take, but it worked for Edgar Brandt (1880-1960) - today a name synonymous with great Deco metalwork.

bright and fresh wall treatments to consider

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Genevieve Bennett, London (leather tiles and trim)

Today’s post is to inspire you to do something with your walls - sculpted leather from London’s Genevieve Bennett, wallpapers that look like fabric from Paris-based Casamance or small limestone mosaics from London’s Limestone Gallery. Yes, fresh colorful paint is great, but these newly discovered wall treatments really amp it up and can turn something nice-looking into something awesome. Mind you, price is an issue, but in today’s world where things can be ho-hum, these sources can really make the walls of your crafted rooms pop and the spaces s-i-n-g!

oui, oui – luxurious french silver from puiforcat

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Jean Puiforcat, silver and ivory box, TheNational Gallery of Victoria, ©Jean Puiforcat/ADAGP, Paris. Licensed by VISCOPY, Australia

One of my favorite decorative arts designers of the past is Puiforcat, makers of exquisite silver. The firm was originally founded in 1820 to serve the French court, and for the next 100 years they did a brisk trade largely making reproductions of 18th century silver. The quality is superb and silver hallmarked Puiforcat is very, very desirable.

how to make a “home” – listen to nate berkus

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Nate Berkus, the interior designer whose energy and talent is known by many, first came into my periphery in 2005. Not initially as a designer, but as one of the survivors of the Indian Ocean’s tsunami of 2004. Coincidentally, I too had been in that part of the world, but as luck would have it, I was further inland than those who lost their lives. His story resonated with me.

New York and the experimental photography of Cynthia Karalla

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Experimental contemporary photographer Cynthia Karalla shot these wonderful photos last winter in Central Park. Influenced by Eugene Atget (1857-1927) and his photos of the trees around Versailles and Saint Cloud, Karalla like Atget, pays homage to the tree and its heroic position living within a man-made world. But she is also inspired by the moody renderings of “Gotham” by Hugh Ferriss (1889-1962) that reveal life in a gothic soul-less city.

paintings from the hermitage return to england

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Houghton Hall, Yorkshire, England
image credit: Houghton International

In an unprecedented move, The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is temporarily reuniting 126 major Old Master paintings with their ancestral home of Houghton Hall in Norfolk, England from 17 May to 29 September 2013 in what promises to be an exhibition to remember. “Houghton Revisited” will display the paintings in their original positions along with furniture and decorative art just as it was in 1740 when the house was the country seat of Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) and before the paintings were sold to Catherine the Great.

How “futurism” inspired the lighting of 20th century designers

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Phillips, London. Pendant by Carlo Scarpa

Carlo Scarpa, Max Ingrand and Serge Mouille certainly rank in the top 10 in vintage lighting design. And with mid century design gaining a greater share of the limelight, the works of these three appear more and more often in auction catalogues and interior design magazines. Today I preview but a few of their stunning lighting works at auction in London.

five killer mirrors that would rock any interior

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

image credit: Ralph Pucci, New York

Mirrors are a fun way to add pizzazz and sophistication to any space. They’re also very useful. Even the most narcissistic amongst us likes to take a glimpse in the mirror from time to time. While metal coated glass mirrors are about 2000 years old, there is some proof that polished metal and rocks were used in the same way as far back as 6000 B.C. … and you thought you were the only one who ever obsessed over a pimple!

Ico Parisi makes a statement at Phillips London

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Finally Italian mid century design is getting the respect it deserves! For the past few years, we have seen a run up on prices for French art deco and Scandinavian design all while the fruits of the Italians languished in distant third place. I for one, love the look for the most part - creative and very, very modern. Italian craftsmanship is world renowned for quality and style, and pieces from the 50s, 60s and 70s often have a playful edge not seen in designs north of the Alps. Phillips in London have a beautiful dining table coming up for auction that fits perfectly with a modern decor that won’t look out of place surrounded by a set of Wegner or Royère chairs.

back to the future – a 19th century townhouse in 21st century new york

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000

Loeb Townhouse, New York, (master bedroom)
photo Durston Saylor

My quarterly duties call and today I’m over at The Daily Basics where I’m featuring what has to be one of the most incredible interiors in New York City. A few weeks ago, I featured a post titled “taste really is in the eye of the beholder”, a post which created an enormous buzz and spirited debate. And while today’s feature also subscribes to that statement, you’ll see that although it may not be your thing, what townhouse owners Michael and Margie Loeb have done with this late 19^thcentury home is insanely m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s. So follow me with an open mind to discover one veritable Manhattan jewel box.

image credits: Durston Saylor, New York for Antiques and Fine Art Magazine

what happens in paris doesn’t always stay in paris! Looking into design gallery ymer & malta

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Paris-based design gallery Ymer & Malta may only be 4 years old, but boy are they getting great reviews! As a gallery supporting some of the top emerging and established French talent in modern/contemporary design, Y&M exhibits unique and limited edition works. Even the renown and finicky Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris has acquired work, which should tell you about the uncompromising level of quality and design that goes into these pieces.

accessorizing your home with Kerry Macbride’s jewelry lamps

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I recently came across some beautifully hand made table lamps by American jewelry designer Kerry MacBride. He uses travertine, black onyx and white quartz in his luxurious pieces. Not one to overlook details, he even built the lamp’s dimmers into the sockets. Finally somebody looking to resolve a problem!

sourcing photography at new york’s AIPAD

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

AIPAD, The Association of International Photography Art Dealers had its annual photography show in New York last weekend. More than 80 of the worlds top photography galleries from Beijing to New York presented their very best in both vintage and contemporary prints. It’s one of the art fairs on my circuit and I love the variety because you can pick up a great image for $500 or another for $200,000 at the next booth.

british traditional skills = superb handmade home collections = soane britain

noreply@blogger.com (the modern sybarite ™) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Soane Britain: London showroom featuring pair of Crillon chairs

If you haven’t been living under a design rock, by now you’ve heard of Soane Britain. And although it has been operating in the U.K. for years, recently it arrived on our side of the pond with a storefront at Dering Hall. I guess they’re testing the waters before a full invasion of the U.S. Go for it Lulu Lytle (she is one of the founders). We really like your stuff!!!