Manhattan Actress Arden Myrin Wants You to Take Her Home!

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm addicted now to SPACEStv. They're a YouTube channel devoted to interior design videos. I wanted to share one of their vids with you - NYC/LA actress Arden Myrin is a comic, sassy presence on the interior design video scene and she asks complete strangers to "Take Me Home," picking folks off the streets and taking potluck that she'll get a tour of a great private living space.

Her Russian Roulette street gamble pays off in spades in today's featured video as she encounters, Jeff, a well-to-do Upper West Side Manhattan ... bricklayer? His tricked-out apartment is filled with gadgets and goodies, particularly in the multiple-showerhead master bathroom, Crestron control center, and light-up agate countertops in the kitchen. 

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5 French Style Furniture Favorites from Roche Bobois

The Ferre table adds welcome color notes to the otherwise bland outdoor furniture scene.

Irwin Weiner ASID - We're heading to Paris in mid-October, and today the trip has us thinking all about fine French contemporary design. That immediately puts to mind Roche Bobois, a leader in contemporary French home furnishings. Here are some of my favorites from their current collections; as usual, please click on each photo for more information.

The BLOGGER 3-seat sofa's plump profile is daring and innovative.

Love the PLI chair's crisp plexi folds!

Hail the VICTOR 4-door dresser for its wake-me-up-happy color blocks.

These KOBE armchairs are both comfortable and fashionable, a 1-2 punch.

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Fresh Creations from Jarrod Lim Design, Singapore

Koi ChairIrwin Weiner ASID - Formerly a designer with Patricia Urquiola's iconic studio in Milan, Australian born, now Singapore resident Jarrod Lim has had a distinguished career in creating products that capture a fresh international vibe. Look at his Koi Chair in these top photos; daring, sculptural, and playful, the piece demands attention and makes a clean statement in any room. There's an Asian zen about the chair, yet it has an anything-but-calm energy. And when the light shines through, the shadows really dance! Here are some other designs to admire from this young design star. Click on each photo for more information.

Kikari Coffee Tables

Pawn Clock

Apex Chair

Collar Magazine Rack

Cuff Chairs

Tips for Haggling and Navigating Local Flea Markets

Irwin Weiner ASID - Flea markets are irresistible to me. The concept of finding home decorating treasures amidst trash is compelling. It's even better if you can find a great deal - "the steal" - and drive home with something absolutely amazing that you purchased for a song. While visiting my new grandson Oliver James Joyce in Minneapolis, I found some great tips for flea markets in the inflight magazine (an excellent one, at that, with a focus on design: for a free subscription, go to Complimentary Cambria Style Magazine); here were some of my favorite tips from their Navigating the Flea Market article.

1. Bring some helpful supplies with you whenever you "flea." Cash is an essential, naturally. But bring a measuring tape or retractable steel tape so you can size up potential purchases. I oftentimes know that a client will need a specific size console, dresser, sofa, or painting to accommodate a certain dimension within their decorated space; without measuring, there's always an element of doubt (so eliminate it!). Also bring a cell phone. I snap photos of an object and email them with a description to my clients; they're usually eager to okay a purchase on the spot. Courtesy tip: Always ask a vendor if it's alright to take a photo before you take it.
2. It's a worthy goal to practice civility and friendliness at your local flea market. Create a dialogue with a vendor if you're truly interested in a certain piece. Ask questions about how they found a certain object, how they started out in business, and the like. The Cambria Style article quoted Manhattan vintage shopper Lauren Linton: "Ideally, you both want to leave a transaction feeling like something positive happened." And isn't that great advice for the workplace, your family life, and living in general?
3. No price on an item? Ask for the vendor's "best price," then be quiet and let them do all the talking. Many times the price will surprise you because it will be lower than you expected, so never be the first one to offer a dollar amount. 

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