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). 

Click to read more ...

Scenes from the Fall Armory Show Preview Night

Irwin Weiner ASID - We wanted to share our photos 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.

General observations: We loved how Donghia supplied all the seating in the center of the show, contrasting an elegant, luxurious, modern look with all the antiques and traditional works. The show focuses on items that are

Click to read more ...

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.

Click to read more ...

Dumpster Diving Pays Off with Stolen Art Find

Irwin Weiner ASID - My partner Jay likes to take home old things he finds on the curbs of New York City. He's wise enough not to go for throw-out upholstered furniture or old mattresses. (Think: bedbugs!) But one day he brought home a painting I despised. It's an abstract of what looks like an Eastern European village and there's an old woman bent over walking with the help of a cane. Art is visceral, and I took an immediate disliking to the piece (it's now hanging up in a storage barn in the back of our lot in rural Pennsylvania).

But Jay loves his "major art find" and showed me the story of "Tres Personajes," the Rufino Tamayo masterpiece that was found by a woman who was dumpster diving in the very spot you see in the photo above ... on the streets of Manhattan, just like Jay's art discovery. The painting that she found, however, had been stolen 30 years before her 2007 discovery; she had the painting researched, returned to the owners, she collected $15,000 reward for the painting's return and Sotheby's gave her

Click to read more ...