interiors

At the Herman Miller pop-up shop, a family of Alexander Girard figures implore visitors to peruse Todd Oldham and Kiera Coffee’s mega-monograph on the designer. At right, an Eames lounge and ottoman with pedestal tables and an asterisk clock designed by George Nelson. (Photos: UnBeige)

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair doesn’t kick off until next Saturday, but Herman Miller is getting a jump on New York design week with a pop-up shop in Soho. The 6,000-square-foot showroom, open to the public through July 1, is arranged as a series of vignettes sprinkled with whimsical objects and designer-friendly books as well as art from Portland’s PDX gallery. It’s also the first place to see the Herman Miller Collection, a mix of classic pieces (Eames chairs, Noguchi tables, George Nelson‘s enduringly endearing Marshmallow sofa) and the work of contemporary designers such as Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison, and Naoto Fukasawa. The portfolio of freestanding furniture for home and office is a revival of sorts. Ben Watson, executive creative director of Herman Miller, looked to heed Nelson’s 1948 call for “the continuing creation of a permanent collection designed to meet the requirements for modern living.” And so Ward Bennett credenzas mix with Stefano Giovannoni‘s swooping Paso Doble chairs, and BassamFellows’ elegant Tuxedo sofas cozy up to Nelson’s own mod tables. Watson has lined up future Collection pieces from the likes of Leon Ransmeier and Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck.

Wooden bears by David Weeks prowl a table of books and accessories. At right, Grcic’s new Medici chair, produced by Mattiazzi, has a mod Adirondack vibe.

A rainbow of Eames molded plastic chairs around a Nelson X-Leg table.
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Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

Did you get your hands on a bottle of that coral-infused red polish that became a must-have accessory for designing women? Achieve a pedicure that pops thanks to Cato Pink? These trendy shades aren’t the latest creations of Chanel’s Peter Philips but part of a popular series of upholstery-themed nail colors from…KnollTextiles. Founded in 1947 by Florence Knoll (née Schust), the company prides itself on creating fabrics that “combine beauty and function in the Modernist tradition” and recently was the subject of a color-soaked (and widely lauded) exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center in New York. What began as a one-off holiday marketing move—the December 2010 introduction of Knoll Red nail polish—quickly gained traction in the design community. Soon Facebook fans were begging for limited-edition bottles of the company’s signature orangey red, and the polish even inspired a tablescape at DIFFA’s 2011 Dining by Design benefit gala. KnollTextiles wasted no time in debuting a second hue: a bright pink tribute to its beloved Cato fabric, which turned 50 last year. Its latest lacquer is Tryst, a pewter-toned polish that celebrates the unique polyurethane upholstery of the same name (pictured above, in the icicle colorway). Designed by Dorothy Cosonas, the elegant horizontal stripe has already attracted some discerning fans: earlier this year, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum acquired the textile for its permanent collection.

(Photos courtesy Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec)

It wouldn’t be the Milan International Furniture Fair without a slew of smashing new creations from Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. At this year’s mega-show, which kicks off next week with an eye-watering 1,400 exhibitors, the designing brothers will debut their glossy storage nooks for Vitra, a textured textile/shelving system hybrid created for Established & Sons, and assorted objects for Magis and Mattiazzi. Those who can’t make it to Milano can get their Bouroullec fix in the pages of Works, out next month from Phaidon. “Works is a comprehensive monograph featuring a wealth of images of our projects, models, drawings—that is to say all visual material we found interesting to dig out from the archives of our workshop,” said the brothers in an e-mail. “It documents what we do by proposing an intuitive understanding, a flowing journey from one project to another.” Organized thematically and designed by Sonia Dyakova, the book spotlights the Bouroullecs’ greatest hits—including collaborations with Vitra (Algue makes the cover), Flos, Alessi, Cappellini, and Kvadrat—and reveals previously unpublished images and drawings alongside text by Abitare alum Anniina Koivu. Also weighing in on the designers’ first dozen years of projects, which are all doumented in a catalogue section, are the likes of design critic Alice Rawsthorn, Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum, and Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo.

“I’ve worked very hard in a very short time to gain Michael and Felice’s trust,” a deadpan Jeff Lewis confides to the camera, less than 24 hours into his five-day, live-in makeover of the Steinbeck family’s Brentwood home. “Unfortunately, that trust gets questioned when water starts leaking out of the ceiling in the hall.” Bring on the busted pipes and twisted family dynamics, because the persnickety house flipper is back with a new show, Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis, which premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on Bravo. The frantic project juggling of Flipping Out (now filming its sixth season) is here replaced with feverish yet focused efforts to identify and solve the problems of homeowners, whose cramped closets or shabby bathroom may be symptoms of deeper conflicts—whether turning a child’s bedroom into a posh closet is the best solution is up to the viewer to decide.

Each episode follows Lewis and trusty assistant Jenni Pulos as they move into someone else’s house and get down to business: finding flaws, discreetly rolling their eyes, chatting with adorable children, and calling in reserves (sassy-but-lovable housekeeper Zoila Chavez, a contractor and his ever-growing crew) to accomplish considerable feats of design within the allotted five days. “On Flipping Out, you don’t always get to see the finished products,” said Lewis on a recent press call. “With Interior Therapy, it’s a true before-and-after reveal, which I like, because I get to see the project all the way through, and then so do the viewers.” Tonight’s premiere episode involves a domineering wife, a wildly ambitious tiling scheme (marble, herringbone), and a shopping trip to the aptly named “Interior Illusions.” When a conflict-soothing headboard gets wedged in the stairwell, the only option is cringe-inducing: “Open the wall!” barks the contractor. And for all of his smirking asides, Lewis’s softer side does emerge—occasionally—on the new show. “These people had problems. It wasn’t just about the design, and I really became a champion for them. I really cared about them,” said Lewis, pausing for a beat. “Some of them, not all of them!”
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All is well at Knoll. The mod furnishings company powered through 2011, picking up a Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award along the way to a 14% year-over-year increase in net sales, to $922.2 million. With an eye to further expanding its high-margin, high-design “Specialty” business, Knoll recently announced a pair of acquisitions. The company has purchased Boston-based FilzFelt, the go-to source for German-milled wool design and craft felt. Founders Kelly Smith and Traci Roloff will continue in their executive roles at FilzFelt. Also joining the Knoll family is Richard Schultz Design. “Richard Schultz began his career as a designer with Knoll and co-founded his company with his son Peter in 1992,” noted Knoll CEO Andrew Cogan in a statement announcing the deal. “Together, they have built an international reputation for exploring new materials and forms for outdoor furniture.” Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. In other Knoll news, the Cooper-Hewitt has added five KnollTextiles upholstery fabrics and two wallcoverings to its permanent collection. They include designs by Abbott Miller, Proenza Schouler, and Dorothy Cosonas, creative director of KnollTextiles. All of this Knoll talk making you crave Bertoia chairs and Risom stools? Good news: the Knoll Classics Sale is now on. Peruse discounted goods through Saturday at the NYC Knoll showroom (76 Ninth Avenue) or click over to Design Within Reach, where the sale runs through Sunday.

New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and on Friday morning, Kate Spade presented a Paris-infused fall 2012 collection dappled with polka dots and painterly prints, all smartly styled by Brad “Pop of Color” Goreski. “I’m kind of the Kate Spade girl but a boy,” he says. “I connect very well with the clothes and the aesthetic.” Meanwhile, Deborah Lloyd‘s ever-sharper, retro-chic brand is also busy rolling out cheeky spring offerings, a tribute to Australian textile designer Florence Broadhurst (1899-1977; we like to imagine her palling around with a young Edna Everage and going by the nickname “FloBro”), with the help of a boldly patterned bus-cum-pop-up shop. The collection is part of a larger collaboration with Helen and David Lennie‘s Signature Prints, which controls the Broadhurst design library. In addition to handbags, shift dresses, and Tretorn sneakers in her mod-nouveau Japanese Floral pattern, Kate Spade has debuted homegoods awash in graphic FloBro patterns. Now on offer at the brand’s just-launched Florence Broadhurst Decor Shop are eye-catching cushion covers, old-school luggage, china, and, of course, wallpaper. Bedding and other items incorporating Broadhurst prints will be added in the months ahead.

“The ‘designer,’ loosely defined, has secured a prominent place in the cultural dialogue…[and] ‘interior design’ as a pastime has never captured more general interest. A growing appreciation for the value of design has fueled the advancement of the professions, but it has also led to dilettantism in the field. Cable television shows and shelter magazines loudly proclaim that anyone can design, thus diminishing recognition for the designer’s unique skills and abilities. As a result, the widespread impression of the role of the designer is that of surface stylist and form giver. There is also an unrealistic perception of the mystique of a talented few ‘artists’ who shape new trends by combining unusual shapes and materials with a certain flair. While this interest in design serves to raise a general level of visual interest among the public, ‘design’ is this most rudimentary sense falls far short of what is needed for the meaningful improvement of the human condition. Regarding interior design as an instrument of the ‘cool,’ ‘trendy,’ or stylish ignores its most important contribution: the advancement of well-being.” -Shashi Caan, president of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers, in Rethinking Design and Interiors: Human Beings in the Built Environment, published recently by Laurence King

From left, David Kleinberg, George Beylerian, Nada Andric, and Patricia Urquiola.

The Interior Design Hall of Fame has welcomed four new members to its storied ranks: interiors whiz Nada Andric of Skidmore Owings & Merrill, importer and curator George Beylerian (founder of Material ConneXion and Culture & Commerce), interior designer David Kleinberg, and Patricia Urquiola, whose Milan-based design studio focuses on product design, architecture, and interiors. Interior Design honored the inductees last night at its 27th annual Hall of Fame awards gala, held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Meanwhile, tonight the magazine moves down to Hall of Famer Frank Gehry‘s IAC building for its Best of Year Awards. Among the products and projects up for the honor are Andre Kikoski‘s warehouse-to-retail Wyckoff Exchange, the Rockwell Group-designed Untitled restaurant at the Whitney Museum, Karim Rashid‘s “Woopy” chair, and a pendant light from Yellow Goat Designs known as “Fat Fuzzy Thing.” Look for a full list of winners in the December issue of Interior Design.

It was a bit of a shaky restart for the recently rehabbed Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Planning to reopen on Thursday after a reconstruction effort to the 200-year old former train station that cost nearly $30 million and required a closure of two years, the museum was hit by staff protests, which pushed back its opening. The NY Times reports that the staff, most of whom were security guards, were angry over planned “broad government cutbacks that see retiring civil servants – including museum workers – not replaced by new hires” and decided to use the reopening as a publicity-heavy method of getting their message across. That temporary disruption eventually lifted on Friday, giving people a first look at the addition of more than 20,000 square feet, the newly hung Impressionist masterpieces, and most importantly: get a look at the color of those new walls. Perhaps one of the more talked about aspects of the rehab effort is the museum’s decision not to go with the standard all-white gallery walls. Saying that “white is the enemy of painting” given that it can reflect light too brightly and create a subtle aura that washes out the works of art, the museum decided to go with subdued shades of green, gray, etc. Thus far, no one seems particularly bent out of shape over the decision, but the Guardian‘s Jonathan Jones has stood up for white walls in one of his most recent columns, arguing that “there are lots of whites, good and bad” and that sometimes it’s just the best color for art to exist alongside.

The Stirling Prize? The Pritzker? Who needs ‘em when there’s been a winner selected for a far more important contest. Following up on a story we’d posted over the summer when the shortlist was announced, and something we’re sure you’d been on the edge of your seat about ever since, the America’s Best Restroom contest has chosen Chicago’s own Field Museum as the greatest in the country. Granted, the whole thing is just a marketing effort for Cintas, a provider of restroom equipment, and it’s perhaps not the greatest accomplishment to be known for, but still, we here in Chicago will take what we can get. Here’s a bit about what brought the Field Museum the gold:

With two large family-friendly restrooms on the ground floor, the Field Museum features sufficient stalls and sinks, as well as eco-friendly hand-dryers. The women’s restroom has a special nursing room with a shut door, sink, and small sofa for new mothers. The women’s restroom also has a large Tot Area with smaller toilets for our littlest guests. The restrooms are also right across a Nanny Caddy filled with diapers, band-aids, wipes, etc.