What Makes an Interior Designer Tick?

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's challenging for many homeowners to find the interior designer that's just right for them. Some clients want to be able to manage their own projects, so they're looking for designers who can implement their personal vision and perform good, efficient service. Some clients have no idea what they're looking for, but they yearn for a high-end space that is accomplished by a great designer's vision. 

I really enjoyed this video from Westport, CT interior designer Katy Cleare of Catherine Cleare Interiors. As a personal statement of what she believes and who she is, any client will be able to see in an instant that with Katy, what you see is what you get. You'll be able to determine if Katy is the right professional for your project. If you're looking for a fun, imaginative, and results-oriented process with a roll-up-your-sleeves decorator, this video shows you that Katy might just be right for you. 

I salute any interior designer who runs a blog and shoots video pieces like the following to give clients a great before-we-start-working-together preview. If you're an interior designer, take a page from Katy's video and "put yourself out there." If you're a homeowner looking for an interior designer, choose one that gives you an authentic preview of who they are before you make a decision. 

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Celebrating Morocco's Majorelle Gardens

Blue Workshop, Majorelle GardensJanet Ramin - The deep cobalt blues and contrasting bright lemon yellows that compose the color palette of the Majorelle Gardens appear to have stepped out of a Matisse painting. Every scene, every vista, everywhere you look could be the setting of an unforgettable painting. The Majorelle Gardens were the brainchild of French artist Jacques Majorelle, a contemporary of Henri Matisse. Majorelle envisioned a green, cool oasis amidst the hot red Marrakesh desert and proceeded to turn a mirage into reality. 

Despite a fruitful association with Morocco, Jacques Majorelle was not a native of the country, nor did he start his artistic career there. He was born and raised in Nancy, France, of a very artistic family. His father was the famous ebeniste or cabinetmaker, Louis Majorelle. His father helped found the School of Nancy – a group of designers, artists, and cabinetmakers famous for their Art Nouveau style sculptures, glasswork and cabinetry. With this background, Jacques easily moved through French artistic circles, coming into contact with many of the artists of the early twentieth century. 

(Art Nouveau style building)But when he developed tuberculosis, Majorelle was forced to move to sunnier climes, first stopping in Spain, then eventually further south, into Egypt and Morocco. This move became a turning point in his artwork – the tribal and desert scenes he encountered became the source for his Orientalist period of work. He painted Bedouin natives and life behind the walled medina. 

(Casbah by Jacques Majorelle) Majorelle eventually immersed himself with the French community in Marrakesh and by 1919 decided to settle down there. He also began to plan his oasis in the desert, the Majorelle Gardens. 

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Fire Farm Lighting Lights Our Fire

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's difficult to keep up with every interior design vendor in existence, but with that said, it's always a joy to come across someone that's been around for awhile, knows their craft, and can offer stylish merchandise at good value. I'd say that Fire Farm Lighting, a firm started in California in 1990 and now located in northeastern Iowa, fits that bill. Look at some of their lovely designs - the delicate Magnolia pendant (top photo), the clever Juliet flush mount ceiling fixture (bottom, top photo - in bronze dupioni silk), the amazing custom acrylic sunset/sunrise chandelier (bottom, middle photo), or the incredible grouping of custom oval laminated linen pendants (bottom photo) - and you'll keep going back to select stock and custom lighting solutions for your home or, if you're a designer, your clients.

 

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Richard Lavigne Sells Witty Goods at Knollwood Antiques

Irwin Weiner ASID - Still so many memories from the invitation-only opening night preview of the latest Antiques, Art & Design at the Armory show this past September 21 at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, co-hosted by Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake, and Dr. Eva Andersson-Dubin.

Besides being one of the nicest dealers in Manhattan, Richard Lavigne of Knollwood Antiques has just launched his new showroom space at Center 44, one of our favorite open showrooms (over 25,000 square feet of awe-inspiring furniture and decor in handy Midtown). This gives Richard great access to all those designers and clients who prefer to shop online and do their research before bringing out the credit card. Smart thinking.

So what caught my eye? So many things that were either tongue in cheek or just plain cheeky. I loved the camp 1970s silvered resin faux rock console table (top photo). How about the pair of stylized coral estate lamps? (middle photo) I love their upright block shape, so easy to fit on a narrow end table and leave room for setting down a cocktail or snack plate. Richard's booth at the show was dotted with wonderful touches of coral accessories. And a home is just not a home without a wooden African baga tribal fetish (below, top photo) or this pair of delicate, stunning 1950s wrought-iron Italian lanterns (below, middle photo) or the megawatt glitter of a pair of Italian bronze and glass leaf design light fixtures (bottom photo). 

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