Modern Victorian

Benjamin Stanley Freeman House; photo by Boston.com

Irwin Weiner ASID - Victorian furniture and architecture is quirky and fun. I love to collect random pieces and sprinkle them into my overall decor and tabletop. The quality that jumps out at me with Victoriana is the handmade, handcrafted quality of the pieces. Some pieces are so bizarre, they make me wonder who made them. Sadly, many modern pieces put me to sleep and I never wonder which machine turned out one piece after another. The Steampunk movement - or we've been hearing it called Modern Victorian lately! - imagines what life would have been like if the Information revolution had occurred 100 years earlier. It would have been a world where Jules Verne novels come to life. This video show you what we love about Modern Victoriana. For those interested in attending a convention, there's a ModVic "Back Home to the Future" Exposition on March 5 and 6, 2011 at the Philadelphia Expo Center. Visit the ModVic website for more information.

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Update on December 28, 2010 by Design2Share

Rolf's German Restaurant - Winter Wonderland

Lucienne and Robin Day

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Irwin Weiner ASID - We just saw The King's Speech over the holiday weekend and loved it. The acting was superb, and we are in an all-things-British frame of mind. World War II was such a tremendous ordeal for the UK, and the post-war period needed bold and fresh furniture and textile designs to liven up everyday life. Designers Lucienne and Robin Day (she - textiles, he - furniture) brought modernist, functional, and artistic sensibilities to the masses and the world is better off as a result. Good design lifts the spirit, and after a nightmarish period in history, their work was a welcome tonic. Watch the following superb video and appreciate this wonderful duo.

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Favorite 2010 Retailer: Two Buttons

      

Irwin Weiner ASID - Our D2S award for Best Home Goods Retailer in 2010 goes enthusiastically to Two Buttons in Frenchtown, NJ. This is the house that Eat Pray Love built, the best-selling memoir and hit movie from writer Elizabeth Gilbert.

Liz and her Brazilian husband Jose have spared no expense converting a warehouse into a treasure trove of goodies from Asia. The recent addition of gemstones and exotic jewelry heighten the appeal, and the warehouse building also hosts natural-food destination Lovin' Oven. Shop in December while you can because Two Buttons closes each year in January and February as the staff travels to Asia to gather fresh inventory for 2011.

 

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Custom Wood Furniture

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Irwin Weiner ASID - Our videohound Jay Johnson taped furniture maker Paul Dumond, from Montana when he was in NYC this summer installing some of his chic custom wood pieces in the new Diane Paparo Studio. It was fascinating to learn how he makes furniture and rescues fine wood from the scrap heap. Click on the photos for more information.

 

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