another project ends

the modern sybarite is off this week, working to complete a project for a couple, their two toddlers and two dogs.  I'll be back next week, on the eve of our very own summer holidays, with a week-long series I've been working on for awhile - what travelling to Europe was like in the 18th century - fascinating!!!!

two tables, one master parisian designer

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. 

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what are you going to name your jellyfish?

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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joni sternbach; a contemporary brooklyn photographer looking to the past

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

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.

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