Chic Industrial Salvage Decor from Trainspotters UK

Irwin Weiner ASID - The notion of reusing industrial products in your home is appealing to me on several levels. You're recycling and reusing something that has outlived its original use, and that's a good thing. You're adding a tech vibe to your decor, which will add some eclectic edge to your interior design scheme. And you're adding objects with interesting stories to tell - like the metal shelving in your kitchen (see above) which used to be British train car luggage racks. We found Trainspotters - a UK source for industrial salvage from the UK, former Eastern Bloc countries, and elsewhere - and dug up some real treasures. Click on each photo for more info.

Decommissioned NYC Walk/Don't Walk Traffic Signs

Double-Sided Czech Communist Clock

Polish Bulkhead Factory LightingCzech Factory Plan Chest with Bakelite Handles

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Blown Away by Unusual Objects from Il Segno del Tempo

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.

One of the show's absolute standouts was a collection of unusual technical and industrial antiques from Il Segno del Tempo, the collaboration of two gentlemen (Pier Luigi Carboni and Pierangelo Marengo) and their operation online and in Milan, New York, and Miami Beach. Yes, I'd like to possess most everything they were exhibiting. Examples of their amazing inventory: a rare thin stainless steel rug (top photo); a beautiful compound lever and compass - a scientific instrument that would add conversational interest to a coffee table tablescape (below, top photo); an industrial iron cart with wheels and a rotating glass tabletop (below, middle photo); and contemporary art from their "Are You Prepared?" series (below, bottom photo).

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Edgy 20th Century Design at Mantiques Modern

Irwin Weiner ASID - We'll be showing you more of the favorites we saw during 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. 

Ever since we walked by their West 22nd Street windows in Manhattan, we were drawn inside the Mantiques Modern showroom ... and spent time gawking ... at one thing ... that was more fabulous ... than the next.

If you'd like to take my taste and distill it in one dealer's booth or store, it would manifest itself as Mantiques. First, their eye for detail is amazing.

Second, they curate their design so it blends - industrial chic, sometimes just industrial, solid materials, sculptural design, unique one-of-a-kind pieces, and conversation starters.

Finally, there's a sense of humor and not taking themselves so seriously that we love at Design2Share. Who needs uptight design when you can display a real skull embedded in Lucite on your nightstand?

Click on the photos above and below to check out some of their inventory.

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Bergdorf Goodman Windows

Irwin Weiner ASID - This was the week that sent blizzards to New York City to finally add atmospheric oomph to the beautiful department store holiday windows around town. My office is a block north of Bloomingdale's, and I'm afraid that their windows completely missed the mark this year. Video screens slowly showing an animated Christmas tree and snow falling and messages of merry, merry, joy, joy. Blank windows filled with video screens on a constant loop. Disappointing, and the store lost the usual crowds of tourists and families waiting in line to see every animated detail of the windows. Hopefully they'll shift back to tradition next year.

Consistently pleasing are the elaborate holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman. They always amaze, and this year there was a steampunk, industrial chic vibe to their fashion-forward displays. Beautiful gowns framed with Victorian-meets-Information-Age futurism straight out of the pages of a Jules Verne novel. Enjoy this video of the behind-the-scenes making of these wonderful windows.

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