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Annual ICON Honors presented at Americasmart Atlanta

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Earlier this month as part of the Americasmart Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, manufacturers, retailers, sales reps and service providers were recognized for achievement, contribution and innovation in the gift and home furnishings industries.
Grammy-winning musician Peter Frampton entertained the crowd, and former CNN anchorwoman Lynne Russell helped to emcee the event alongside Americasmart President and COO Jeffrey L. Portman Sr.

Highlights from the 2012 ICON Honors
Here’s a look at the winners from the design industry:
The ICON 2013 Americasmart Medal of Excellence Honor went to Century Furniture for its long-standing role as a leading force in the American home furnishings design universe, maintaining levels of workmanship, craft and quality that are rare in the industry today.
The Innovative Product Design award went to Blue Ocean Traders, a company that has championed vintage and reclaimed product in its mission to offer the home furnishings industry's largest variety of such merchandise.
The Industry Contribution and Influence award was given to Coton Color and Groovystuff. Attached to a Cause, Coton Colors' national annual giving program, ensures that 100% of net profits from the sale of components of its Happy Everything Collection benefits a selected charitable organization. Dallas
 Groovystuff's not-for-profit University Hall of Innovation & Job Creation represents a breakthrough approach to the nurturing of home furnishings design talent in partnership with leading U.S. colleges and universities.
The Individual Career Accomplishment award went to Robert Currey, an Atlanta
 home furnishings industry veteran, whose career encompasses a long line of notable achievements, from the creation of his highly successful Storehouse home furnishings stores to today's Currey & Company lighting and home furnishings brand.
The ICON Honors are sponsored by Americasmart Atlanta, along with its partners the Gift & Home Trade Association and Progressive Business Media.

High Point Market receives additional state funding

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The State of North Carolina will provide $1.86 million in funding to the High Point Market Authority (HPMA) for the 2013 fiscal year, an increase of $200,000 from the prior year. The upcoming High Point Market, October 19 – 24, will be the first beneficiary of the expanded funding, of which $1.2 million will help cover transportation expenses and $655,000 will go towards marketing.
“We greatly appreciate this increase in funding from the State of North Carolina,” said Doug Bassett, the High Point Market Authority’s chairman of the board and president of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture. “These funds will allow us to continue to provide a first-class experience for the more than 75,000 visitors who come twice each year to the largest, most well-known and most important home furnishings industry trade show.”


Scenes from the 2013 Spring High Point Market
The High Point Market is North Carolina’s largest economic event with an annual impact of over $1 billion, providing tax-revenues to the State of $40-45 million. The Market, in existence for over 100 years, creates more than 13,000 jobs annually during Market weeks including construction, design planning and logistics.
Market is the largest concentration of international visitors in North Carolina in a one-week period; includes 180 buildings and over 10-million-square-feet of show space; and provides the equivalent economic benefit of three Super Bowls to the state in a single year, every year.
“The $1.86 million in funds provided by the State of North Carolina represents a fair compromise between the $2.0 million we requested and the $1.66 we received last year," said Bassett.
The budget also designates the funding as recurring, which means the legislature intends to provide the same funding in future years.

“What’s The Matter?” explores the creative design process

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R 20th Century’s latest exhibition, What’s The Matter?, will concentrate on raw materials and illustrate how different generations of designers have used and incorporated these elements into their work. The show will be will be curated by Kulapat Yantrasast, founding partner and creative director of WHY/HOW, the LA-based international architecture and design firm.

Installation Rendering Courtesy of WHY/HOW
“R 20th Century has long been interested in the themes of materiality and craft in decorative arts, art and architecture,” said Evan Snyderman, principal of R 20th Century. “I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Kulapat Yantrasast on this exhibition and to take that passion and interest even deeper through close consideration of the making of objects and into the realms of science, mathematics and even food. I think Yantrasast is one of the most interesting architects working today and it is fascinating to see how he will transform the physical space of the gallery and work of our designers.”
Yantrasast and his team at WHY/HOW selected iconic objects from R 20th Century’s inventory, which will be combined with contemporary designs by fresh new talent.

"Guaraci" chaise in pequi wood with woven leather. Designed by Hugo França, Brazil 2007.
“Like chefs, designers work with materials and processes,” said Yantrasat. “Creativity is manifested in the encounter of these two. Clusters of curated objects, presented in a highly unconventional manner, convey the creative energy of the maker.”

Unique Hex stool in brass tiles over wood form. Designed and made by The Haas Brothers, Los Angeles, CA, 2013
Exploring both the source material and the process, What’s The Matter? serves as the debut of WHY/HOW's object-making workshop. Limited edition pieces, designed and fabricated by WHY/HOW, will examine the ideas behind three current construction projects through three materials—glass, metal and concrete—and the processes by which these materials are transformed. These pieces will be on display alongside the select works from R 20th Century’s collection.
The exhibition will be on view September 17 through November 1, with an opening reception on Tuesday, September 17, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Parsons reveals student thesis and capstone projects

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Parsons The New School for Design has unveiled a new website featuring select projects by graduating students from across the disciplines, highlighting the next generation of artists and designers. The thesis site can be filtered by each of the academic programs at Parsons, as well as the five thematic schools in which these programs are housed.
Here’s a look at some of the interior design projects:
Entropic Decadence, Interior Design MFA, Molly Page Prickitt

The pretense of perfection in the composed interior relies on the illusion of stepping outside of time. When in truth, at the very moment of completion, it begins to age and decay. This project proposes an interior informed by the temporal nature of space and celebrates the inevitability of variation and change. Beyond nostalgic stagecraft, it pursues an experiential approach to the contemplation of time by exploring the aesthetics of entropic change as a means of offering a meaningful re-connection with natural rhythm, incomplete, imperfect and impermanent.
A Place for Dust, Interior Design MFA, Rebecca Amponsah

A Place for Dust explores the accumulation of dust in spaces through a series of experiments, collections, observations, and representations using the second-floor service elevator lobby in Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments as a testing site. The study resulted in site and design modifications that subtly remind residents about dust that collects in interiors, promoting healthier environments.
Habitation Leclerc, Interior Design BFA, Joanna Tanasescu and Ryan Cirkus

As part of a design studio where teams of students were assigned a cluster of previously existing structures to redevelop sustainably, the duo created a design for the restoration of Le Habitation LeClerc, an estate situated in the middle of one of Haiti’s largest slums in Port-au-Prince, which was supposedly built in the early 19th century as the home of Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of Napoleon. Tanasescu and Cirkus created a series of structures to emphasize both the creative programmatic gestures occurring in the spaces as well as integrating a feeling of community that emanates from residents of the country.
For the design, which includes two housing units and a larger multipurpose building, they utilized local materials such as bamboo, and combined concrete with soil to make rammed earth. The pair selected bamboo due to its flexibility and porosity, which allowed for strong structural patterns, and also applied a metal screen fashioned by Haitian metal artists, which is handmade from oil drums. They used the two housing units’ combined grey water to create a lush, shared garden. They used the larger third building as an artisan shop to allow for a workspace for communal income. Inside the artisan shop, people will have a space to practice and hone a variety of crafts and skills such as woodcarving, pottery and metalwork.
Tectonic Illusions, Interior Design MFA, Scott Hsu

Recognizing the capacity of illusion to unsettle and subsequently heighten our senses and perception, this thesis attempts to explore and develop a range of illusory detailing techniques to create a physically and perceptually engaging experience of space. Using the top floor of the abandoned Temple Court building at 5 Beekman Street in New York as the site for his research, Hsu designed a drinking establishment. A series of design implementations begin to intertwine sensory illusions with the tactile elements of the built environment. Visitors are secretly deceived and subtly engaged by the surrounding architecture to provoke new forms of dynamic interplay within the context of a social venue.
Interior Gene Therapy: Design For A Bioscience Research Institute, Interior Design MFA, Shu Zhao

Interior Gene Therapy aims to apply principles of gene therapy to the design of scientific research spaces. Most modern laboratories have sterile interiors that often create an atmosphere that inhibits creative thinking. In fact, when researchers are asked where they usually go to think, it is most often somewhere else than a laboratory. In evolutionary theory, gene selection and recombination enables organisms to respond to environmental forces in order to survive. In the interior context, DNA is comprised of objects, light, texture and sound, and the selection force for what is expressed is the physical and emotional connection between the space and the users. By analyzing and recombining essential interior elements, a new lab “genome” is dynamically adapted to the requirements for conducting research as well as the needs of the researchers, thus making the scientific research center a hub for proliferation of the life sciences both intellectually and biologically.

Matouk forays into furniture design with headboards

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Known for its luxury linens for bed, bath and tabletop, Matouk has fulfilled its longstanding dream of designing furniture with a collection of three free-standing upholstered beds intended to complete its “perfect bed” story.
“I think upholstered beds were the perfect place for Matouk to enter the furniture space,” said Meg Woodhouse, director of marketing for Matouk. “We have such a strong connection to fabric and texture and these beds each make a great canvas for so many Matouk sheets and top of bed items.”
The designs include Coco, a bed that lends a touch of femininity to a traditional, button-tufted style; Sebastian, with sharp angles and decorative nail head trim; and Sarah, a pared-down silhouette featuring a modern update on classic tufting.

Coco design
"The Coco bed, for example, with its curved and tufted headboard and low profile and clean-lined footboard, is a perfect example of both masculine and feminine and attention to detail,” said Woodhouse.

Sarah design
Each of the beds is manufactured in the U.S., incorporating sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and practices. All three styles are offered in a range of sizes and a variety of colors and/or fabrics. They can be made to order in eight weeks and prices range from $2,950 - $4,450.

Sebastian design
For the time being, the collection is available exclusively through Matouk and Matouk retail partners, and while there are no immediate plans to continue on with furniture design, Woodhouse says the intention is to expand the line over time.

Considered Design Award recipients announced

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Gardenista and Remodelista, sister blogs that explore everything from indoor and outdoor garden design to entertaining, DIY projects and decorating spaces, have announced the results of their first-annual Considered Design Awards.
More than 500 projects were submitted for the awards and fans of the sites voted for their favorites more than 40,000 times. Awards are given in include both professionally-designed projects and reader-submissions.
Here’s a look at the winning projects:
Best Professionally Designed projects:

Kitchen Space: Mark Reilly Architecture

Office Space: Kate Monckton Interior Design

Bedroom Space: Dash Marshall

Bath Space: Chambers + Chambers Architects

Children's Space: Wettling Architects

Dining Space: MNA (Michael Neumann Architecture)
Best Reader-Submitted projects:

Bedroom: Loren Madsen

Bath Space: Steve Carbin

Dining Space: Janna Hymes

Kitchen Space: Jan Hammock

Office Space: Jane Archer
Gardenista Awards:

Best Indoor Garden: Liz Tan

Best Architectural Garden Feature: Specht Harpman Architects

Best Urban Garden: Alexandra Tasker Marx Landscape Architect

Best Edible Garden: BaDesign

Best Outdoor Room: Wall Morris Interior Design
Winners will receive a hand-wrought iron Symi Lantern made by Casamidy, as well as a project profile written by Gardenista editor in chief Michelle Slatalla and Remodelista editor in chief Julie Carlson, which will go up on the site throughout the next couple of weeks.

V&A to display Bodleian Libraries chair concepts

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Over the past two months, six designer-manufacturer teams have developed designs for a new chair concept that, if selected, will be produced to furnish the historic Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford in London.
Responding to an exacting brief including comfort, usability, practicality, longevity and character, the designs have now been shortlisted to three designs that will be developed to a full-scale working prototype for testing within the library environment by readers in September.
The three partnerships that have been shortlisted include AL_A (Amanda Levete Architects) and Herman Miller; Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby and Isokon Plus; and Matthew Hilton and SCP Ltd.

The original Bodleian Chair design
A final judging session will select the chair destined to become a contemporary statement in the newly refurbished Weston Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries.
Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in the 1930s, the building is currently being remodeled by Wilkinson Eyre Architects to create a state-of-the-art facility when it opens its doors to readers in fall 2014.
As the competition enters its final stage, designers and manufacturers will fine-tune their designs to create a chair that will join a historic range of bespoke furniture for the library. The winning design will be in the enviable company of the 1756 Curator’s Chair, one of the earliest custom-made chairs for the Bodleian Libraries, and will play a crucial role in supporting the research of leading academics for decades to come.
Judging of the three final prototypes will take place in early September. A display of the competition, including full size prototypes, maquettes, designs and historic chairs from the Bodleian collection, will take place during the London Design Festival at the V&A museum and the winner will be announced during the festival.
The chairs will be on display from September 14 through 22 at the Architecture Landing, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL.

RIBA offers support for students, architectural research

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the RIBA Research Trust Awards and the RIBA LKE Ozolins Studentship, as well as five student winners of the Wren Insurance Association Limited Scholarships.
The RIBA Research Trust Awards are offered annually to support independent architectural research; the RIBA LKE Ozolins Studentship is awarded to a student who wishes to pursue, continue, or complete a higher degree in research; and the Wren Insurance Association Limited Scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students persuing a career in architecture.
“Research is integral to the strategic direction of the RIBA and to the advancement of architecture more generally, and we are delighted to be able to support such important projects with our funding schemes,” said RIBA President Angela Brady. “The quality of applications to the RIBA Research Trust Awards and to the RIBA LKE Ozolins Studentship this year was extremely high, and allocating the awards was not an easy task."
The 2013 recipients are as follows:
RIBA Research Trust Awards (£8,000 each):

Rutter Carroll—Something Concrete and Modern: Post war Architecture in the North East of England.
Alan Lewis (University of Manchester)—The Mathematization of Daylighting: a history of British architects’ use of the daylight factor.

Anna Liu and Mike Tonkin (Tonkin Liu)—Shell Lace Structure.
Asterios Agkathidis and Rosa Urbano Gutierrez (University of Liverpool)—The Aesthetics of Energy Efficient Retrofit: Post-War Social Residential Towers in Britain.
RIBA LKE Ozolins Studentship (£16,000 per year for three years):

Helen Stratford (University of Sheffield)—Performative Architectures.
Wren Insurance Association Limited Scholarships (£5,000 each and invaluable mentoring from some of the UK’s leading architectural practices):

Laura Cannon from the University of Dundee

Piotr Garstecki from the University of Westminster

Erl Johnston from Queen’s University Belfast

Megan Passey from Oxford Brookes University

James Pockson
from the Royal College of Art
“Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s scholarships, I wish them the very best for their final year of the Part 2,” said Brady. “These generous scholarships, made possible by The Wren Insurance Association, will provide these talented students with financial support at an important stage of their architectural education. I am also delighted that the Members of The Wren Insurance Association Limited are supporting the next generation of talented architects through mentoring.”

MAD celebrates five years with design exhibitions

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As the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) approaches its five-year anniversary at its Columbus Circle location, it is preparing to celebrate with a diverse roster of exhibitions and programs that emphasize its focus on materials, process, and contemporary creation.

Necklace from the Barbara Berger Collection
Featured exhibitions in 2013 include Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger, Body & Soul: New International Ceramics, and Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital. A further highlight of the year is MAD's annual curated contemporary jewelry exhibition and sale LOOT 2013: MAD About Jewelry.

Christopher Kurtz design part of current exhibition Against the Grain
Anniversary celebrations continue in 2014 with Inspired; New Territories: Design, Art and Craft in Global Latin America, 2000–2013; and Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography.
Opening in spring 2014, Inspired is the centerpiece of MAD's fifth anniversary and will present a thematic overview of works that have joined the MAD collections since the opening of the new building in 2008. The diversity of materials, techniques, geographic origins, and function explore alternate forms of artistic inspiration and also reflect MAD's mission to explore the creative synergy among art, craft, and design.

Matthias Plessing design part of current exhibition Against the Grain
Next summer, New Territories: Design, Art and Craft in Global Latin America, 2000–2013 will present works from 80 designers, artists, crafts practitioners, and collectives from Latin America, building on MAD's 2010 exhibition, The Global Africa Project.
Also opening in summer 2014, Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography will be the first museum exhibition to focus on the interface of two rapidly evolving visual art forms—studio jewelry and photography—over the course of the last century.
Multiple Exposures is an assemblage of provocative and expressive works by over 80 contemporary jewelry artists from across the globe. This exhibition displays an astonishing range of concepts and techniques, featuring many works that have never been exhibited before.
For additional information on each of the exhibitions, and to view the 2013 exhibition schedule, click here.

WestEdge builds participant list for its fall debut

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Since the launch of WestEdge design fair was announced, the show’s co-founders Troy Hanson and Megan Reilly have built an impressive list of seasoned exhibitors (many new to the west coast) and media sponsors which will be part of its October debut in Santa Monica, California.
Exhibitors will be making their way to the Barker Hanger from across the globe. New York exhibitors include Apparatus Studio, Egg Collective, Fort Street studio and more; West-coast brands include Nolen Niu, Phase, Cerno and more; and UK exhibitors include Royal Botania, Lamberti Décor, and Toscoquattro.

Photo courtesy of Royal Botania for WestEdge
Another exhibitor highlight includes a collaborative exhibition between Brenda Houston Design and Holly Hunt, in which the pair will present select pieces from their respective collections.
WestEdge will also help to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ligne Roset's Togo collection by featuring select pieces from the brand’s archives.
In the media lounge, sponsored by Design Within Reach, attendees will be able to pick up issues from WestEdge media partners, relax and recharge, and browse digital content as well.
Media sponsors for the fair include national, regional and web-based publications, including: Architectural Digest, Coastal Living, Editor at Large, Lonny, Metropolis, The Architects Newspaper, California Homes, Form, Modern Luxury Angeleno, Modern Luxury Interiors California, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Ocean Home, Modenus, Surface and The Retail Observer.
“We felt that is was important to align with various media partners on all fronts, and really create an event to bring the design community together—rather than creating an event that focused/aligned with one sole media sponsor,” said Reilly. “Our strategy here was to offer each media brand an opportunity to be involved, serve their readership through ownership of a feature or programming component, yet also be part of something bigger and more festive in the sense of a uniting design event.”
Stella Artois is on board with plans to build an outdoor beer garden, and Moderinsm.com is set to sponsor the fair’s Tweetup/Blogger welcome reception on opening day, as WestEdge prepares to welcome hundreds of design and lifestyle bloggers.
WestEdge will host various educational programs, seminars and lectures throughout the weekend, including the “Business and Value of Design” workshop series, “Architecture Inside Out” Architecturally Inspired Products with Form and Function,” “Designing the Perfect Beach Cottage,” and “Renovating a Modernist Masterpiece: Improving Upon the Spirit of the Greats.”
There will be a preview open only to the trade, press and VIP guests on Thursday, October 3 from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. followed by an opening night party to benefit Heal the Bay from 6:30 – 10:00 p.m.
WestEdge is open to the trade and public
Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5 from 12:00 –8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 6 from 12:00 –7:00 p.m.
General admission tickets are $25 online in advance and include a one-year subscription to Architectural Digest, tickets are $30 on-site at the fair’s box office.
A detailed schedule of events will be available on the website in the coming weeks, as well as an announcement of the opening night designers committee.

Natuzzi gets the ball rolling on reorganization plan

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Aimed at safeguarding and relaunching the competitiveness of the company, Natuzzi has shared the details of its reorganization plan, which includes a 190 million Euro price tag as well as a new production process with the planned use of groundbreaking technology.
One of the largest Italian furniture companies in the world, Natuzzi specializes in leather upholstery, and now plans to enter the bedroom furniture market as well as launch a new range of armchairs.
“The need to reorganize our Italian plants doesn’t imply any relocation of the production activities,” said founder and chairman Pasquale Natuzzi. “The ‘Natuzzi Italia’ products—appreciated worldwide for their high quality and design—are the result of the know-how built up over fifty years of history. A longstanding expertise and ability to innovate that cannot be replicated outside our country.”

Pasquale Natuzzi
Natuzzi has broken down the strategy into three parts:
Process innovation—in all the Italian plants, a new production process (Moving Line) will be implemented, modeled after the Lean Manufacturing’s principles. Thanks to a more efficient and effective use of the workers involved, the Moving Line will allow the relaunch of competitiveness of the Italian plants, minimizing wastes, improving productivity and quality. The new production process will fully enhance all the human capital potentialities, increasing their skills and motivation.
Expansion of the range—entering the bedroom furniture market, with a collection specifically designed for a home environment never before developed by the Company.
Product innovation—the launch of a new range of armchairs, which use groundbreaking technology, based on the concept of “dynamic comfort” that is a result of in-depth studies in the field of ergonomics.
The company, which since 2002 has invested more than 420 million Euros in the brand’s repositioning, and developing the worldwide network of point of sales and showrooms, confirms its commitment to continue expanding in the international markets whilst reorganizing its Italian operations.
The investment will carry the company’s reorganization through 2018.

Online retailer Wayfair acquires DwellStudio

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Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair today announced it has acquired DwellStudio. The deal will accelerate Wayfair's launch of proprietary product lines and lifestyle brands in 2013 while addressing new market segments.
DwellStudio will operate as a standalone brand joining Joss & Main, which received a $36 million capital infusion in December, and AllModern.

"DwellStudio has built a following of devoted customers who enthusiastically identify with a certain lifestyle and modern design aesthetic," noted Niraj Shah, CEO and co-founder of Wayfair.com. "We look forward to expanding the DwellStudio brand through our world class e-commerce capabilities while staying true to DwellStudio's strategy of developing and delivering trend-setting products of exceptional quality to a growing customer base through a large number of partners."
Based in New York City with a flagship retail store at 77 Wooster Street in SoHo, DwellStudio is a catalog and e-commerce retailer with a worldwide wholesale business. The company's products are currently sold in more than 800 high-end specialty retail stores and design oriented online retailers across the United States, Canada and throughout 40 international territories. Known for its modern sensibility, iconic textiles and forward colors, DwellStudio products can be found at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Giggle, Bel Bambini, ABC Carpet, HD Buttercup and F.A.O. Schwarz.
"We are thrilled because Wayfair.com is truly transforming the way people shop for home goods and furniture through innovative e-commerce solutions, extraordinary customer service and state of the art logistics. They have the best backend in the business," noted Christiane Lemieux, CEO, founder and creative director of DwellStudio.  "Our design, merchant and product development teams are so excited to help fuel Wayfair.com's move into new market segments and additional proprietary product categories. At the same time, we want our customers to know that we remain dedicated to building the DwellStudio brand with a continued commitment to beautiful original design and impeccable construction. It's the perfect marriage of style and substance."
"DwellStudio is an ideal addition to Wayfair.com's portfolio of brands – joining Joss & Main, AllModern.com and Wayfair.com to meet market demand for distinctive modern design in bedding, furnishings and decor, with a special emphasis on products for baby and children," added John Mulliken, Wayfair.com's SVP of strategic initiatives. "The acquisition is a logical step on Wayfair.com's path to becoming the dominant retailer in home. We will enable DwellStudio to scale its core business at a much greater pace while staying true to its design DNA and commitment to the highest quality products for home."
DwellStudio was represented by Financo in the transaction.

MAD celebrates 5 years with design exhibitions

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As the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) approaches its five-year anniversary at its Columbus Circle location, it is preparing to celebrate with a diverse roster of exhibitions and programs that emphasize its focus on materials, process, and contemporary creation.

Necklace from the Barbara Berger Collection
Featured exhibitions in 2013 include Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger, Body & Soul: New International Ceramics, and Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital. A further highlight of the year is MAD's annual curated contemporary jewelry exhibition and sale LOOT 2013: MAD About Jewelry.

Christopher Kurtz design part of current exhibition Against the Grain
Anniversary celebrations continue in 2014 with Inspired; New Territories: Design, Art and Craft in Global Latin America, 2000–2013; and Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography.
Opening in spring 2014, Inspired is the centerpiece of MAD's fifth anniversary and will present a thematic overview of works that have joined the MAD collections since the opening of the new building in 2008. The diversity of materials, techniques, geographic origins, and function explore alternate forms of artistic inspiration and also reflect MAD's mission to explore the creative synergy among art, craft, and design.

Matthias Plessing design part of current exhibition Against the Grain
Next summer, New Territories: Design, Art and Craft in Global Latin America, 2000–2013 will present works from 80 designers, artists, crafts practitioners, and collectives from Latin America, building on MAD's 2010 exhibition, The Global Africa Project.
Also opening in summer 2014, Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography will be the first museum exhibition to focus on the interface of two rapidly evolving visual art forms—studio jewelry and photography—over the course of the last century.
Multiple Exposures is an assemblage of provocative and expressive works by over 80 contemporary jewelry artists from across the globe. This exhibition displays an astonishing range of concepts and techniques, featuring many works that have never been exhibited before.
For additional information on each of the exhibitions, and to view the 2013 exhibition schedule, click here.

Wallpaper* Handmade makes its way to London

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Wallpaper* Handmade, the magazine’s exhibition dedicated to the marriage of craftsmanship and design, will make its London debut at luxury Knightsbridge store Harrods this October, with several newly commissioned design pieces in collaboration with Jaguar.
Now in its fourth year, the exhibition was previously hosted by Wallpaper* magazine during Milan Design Week (Salone del Mobile) in April. Acting as patron, client and creative director, Wallpaper* commissions designers, artists, craftsmen, makers, brands and manufacturers to create unique and one-off items of furniture, fittings, fashion and more.

Blue Porter by Mathias Kiss and Pierre Frey
For the first time, Wallpaper* Handmade will travel out of Milan to be shown in London this year. Around 50 pieces from some of the world’s leading designers, artists and brands, all previously commissioned by Wallpaper* editors for the exhibition, will be on display across 12 of Harrods’ famous Brompton Road windows.

Drinks cabinet by Hosun Ching
“Our Handmade project is testimony to the power of good design, great ideas, creative collaboration and quality production, the value of striving to make things better,” said Tony Chambers, Wallpaper* editor-in-chief. “We are delighted to bring some of the best pieces from our annual celebration of art, craft, skill and vision to London—with the best British partners one could wish for—Harrods and Jaguar.”

Butler No. 4 by Ron Gilad and The Woolmark Company
The London exhibition will exclusively introduce five new collaborations between Jaguar and emerging design talents, craftsmen and brands from around the world. Five new concept products, each representing an avant-garde take on Jaguar’s contemporary design, creativity and technology, will be revealed for the first time at the exhibition.
Following the exhibition at Harrods, Wallpaper* and Jaguar will take some of the key pieces on a global tour, including Milan Design Week in April 2014.

Paul Gunther steps down after 10 years as ICAA president

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After serving the Institute of Classical Art and Architecture (ICAA) for 10 years as president, Paul Gunther has decided to pass the torch and embark on a new chapter in his life.
Gunther came to what was then called the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America in 2003, just after two organizations merged with a combined determination to sustain the classical tradition in the contemporary context of design, and its allied fine and building arts.

After a careful national search, Gunther was hired and resigned from his post as Vice President of the New-York Historical Society, where he'd served eight years helping to save America's oldest cultural institution, which is thriving now as never before since its 1804 founding.
“When I got here, there was a staff of four total in temporary digs and my mandate was not only to get settled and chart a strategic plan, but also to forge a way to spread the ICA&CA via a network of chapters,” said Gunther. “It added up to a tall order but 10 years later I look back with pride and gratitude. The accomplishments are many but existence of 15 regional chapters with three others in formation is perhaps my best legacy. Each one of them embodies the kind of innovative energy that first gave rise to the national office and its programmatic blueprint.”
The programs and initiatives that were launched during Gunther’s presidency are too long to list, but among the highlights are a full-time art and design program along with a diverse panoply of continuing education courses and public programs, an annual scholarly journal called “The Classicist,” the advent of a historic plaster casts collection and research library in the ICAA headquarters along 44th street in New York, and an affordable housing pattern book conceived and implemented with Habitat for Humanity International rank.
The ICAA’s staff now numbers 14 full-time employees with several dozen others both part-time and volunteer, who fill out a growing roster of teachers and administrators carrying out the ICAA’s guiding mission.
Gunther’s initial goals of stability and growth in like measures have been achieved, he said, “But no healthy organization can stay static. I found a threshold for expansion in both the structure and the programs it allowed. A big vision is only as good as the resources to fulfill and especially sustain them. Our late treasurer, Chris Browne, and co-founding chairman emeritus Arthur Ross, were both critical at the outset in terms of both wisdom and generosity of means. It couldn't have happened without them as with so many others. The three board chairs I have had the privilege of working with—Gil Schafer III, Anne Fairfax and today Peter Pennoyer— have stepped up as like-minded leaders besides the standard each upholds in the arena of today's classical expression.”
According to Gunther, the ICAA’s budget is up nearly 10-fold since he began, but along with success came new challenges and opportunities.
“A new leader will proceed as I did by taking stock of where we are and then ranking priorities for future viability and growth,” said Gunther. “The focus on print is already in dynamic play as occurred with our beautiful Forum newsletter now sent electronically, but we will be the last to abandon it totally. The next steps will be taken with comparable attention to the broader culture we inhabit.”
The skepticism of those who do not share the ICAA’s intent were Gunther’s biggest challenges when he took on the president title. “I worked to lower the temperature and separate content from the politics of both academia and public policy generally,” he said. “Our advocacy work for example has always been confined to what it seems to us as essential underlying principles and fair play, not as much to the daily battles which other organizations have been founded to wage.”
As for the future of the ICAA, Gunther sees electronic teaching methods being introduced as well as the continued expansion of ICAA chapters.
“I cannot stress enough the excitement of the chapter network with what are essentially maniple nodes of innovation and education in active interplay,” he said. “This cross current of ideas will keep us alert. The Rocky Mountain Chapter for example has made several steps forward including the forging of a new classical certificate program in the School of Architecture of The University of Colorado.”
As for his own future, “I will take a breather,” he said. “I will do some writing and traveling and consider the next best step for me in a career devoted to the civic realm and how in differing but intertwined ways America can best conceive and secure a better built future. One thing in which I believe strongly is change. It is never good when a cause becomes excessively intertwined with one personality or leader.”
“A decade feels right,” he added. “My work here is complete. I am proud and grateful but depart with refreshed vigor, and I leave with colleagues in place whom I hope readers have the joy to work with in the months and years ahead. They, like the volunteers and governing trustees in New York and nationwide, bring energy daily to a cherished cause that is uniquely ours in this advancing century. I depart knowing that the Institute's brightest days lie ahead.”

Barclay Butera forges partnership with Highland House

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After admiring the brand for years, West coast interior designer Barclay Butera has signed a deal with Highland House to create a licensed furniture collection for the company. Scheduled to launch at the April 2014 High Point Market, the new offerings will include 70 to 80 pieces of upholstery, case goods and occasional accents for living room, family room, dining room and bedroom.
Butera shared the details of this new endeavor, how he’s making the collection come to life and how his brand is evolving:

EAL: What made Highland House the right partner for you?
BB: Highland House is a company that is steeped in tradition, has a flawless reputation, incredible distribution and design capabilities. We have complete confidence this company will produce spectacular product and deliver the quality and excellent customer service our retailers and designers expect and deserve. The fit is right because we have a mutual respect for each other and understand and appreciate each other’s strengths in the market place.
How did the partnership come about?
We have admired this brand for years and knew quite a few of the principals there. One amazing meeting at High Point market and it was quite clear from the start this was the right fit for our lifestyle brand and our team synergy.
How have all the licensed lines that you’ve done, shaped your brand as a whole?

My “high-low mix” philosophy of design has benefitted greatly since my licensed product has hit the market place! It is a wonderful option to be able to offer a myriad of rugs, lighting, mirrors, textiles, bedding, home décor and accessories of incredible beauty, quality and value for our client’s projects that won’t break the bank.
What's your path been like from the beginning to now?
It’s been quite a journey! When I started in this business it was my partner Ray Langhammer and I; and never in our wildest dreams did we have any idea we would have this kind of run. We have worked in extremely high-end interior design, run multiple showroom and retail operations, delved head first into licensing, worked in numerous multi-media platforms, done the trade show route, showhouses, whatever it took to move my company and my brands forward. My team and I have been extremely successful, but it is because of hard work and perseverance we are here today.
What is your goal/vision for working with Highland House?
Truly what we look for in all our partners—a very mutually successful long-term partnership where both parties contribute their expertise and together we turn out incredible product. The collection will be a very chic, all-American line that works well with traditional and transitional interiors. The goal is to be very retailer friendly, to show complete collections, and certainly to enhance and romance those presentations with our other licensed product.
What are you working on now?
Well, it’s going to be a wild ride the rest of 2013 and beyond. We just launched our third book; Barclay Butera Getaways and Retreats, we’re preparing for our next Kravet textile launch, there are numerous interiors projects going on around the world, more licensing opportunities in the hopper, and we are looking forward to an incredible Fall 2013 High Point Market.

Preparations underway for star-studded design summit

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The Design Leadership Network (DLN), now operating under a new team and vision, is gearing up for its 8th Annual Summit being held in New York City for the first time this November. 
The Summit’s roster of keynote speakers and panelists will focus on four key areas: Fashion, Art and Culture; Technology in the Design World; Marketing, Branding and Media; and Public Design and The Power of Hospitality. 
   
 
 
   
Row 1:  Norman Foster, Oscar de la Renta; Row 2: Aby Rosen, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy; Row 3:  David Carey,  David Rockwell; Row 4:  Bill Rudin, Arianna Huffington, Tyler Florence
Speakers include Lord Norman Foster, architect and Founder and Chairman of Foster + Partners; Aby Rosen, founder of RFR Holding LL, owner of the Seagram Building and prolific art collector; Oscar de la Renta, world-renowned fashion designer and icon; Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder and Chairman of JOYUS, former CEO and Chairman of Polyvore; Barry Diller, Chairman of IAC/InterActive Corp, Chairman of Expedia; David Carey, President of Hearst Magazines, Senior Vice President and Director, Hearst Corporation; David Rockwell architect and designer, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group; William C. Rudin, Vice Chairman and CEO Rudin Management Co. Inc.Arianna Huffington, Chair, President and Editor in Chief of the Huffington Post;Nick Jones, founder and CEO of SoHO House; Tyler Florence, chef, television host, best-selling author and restaurateur; Richard Phillips, artist known for strikingly distinctive painting created from found imagery; Andy Spade, co- founder of Partners and Spade; Glenn O’Brien, fashion, art and culture writer, columnist for GQ as The Style Guy; Jay S. Walker, inventor, entrepreneur and Chairman of Walker Digital, Founder of Priceline.
Additionally, panelists will include: Roy Kim, architect and Senior Vice President of Design, Extell Development Co.; David Wine, Managing Partner of Oliver’s Realty Group; Elisa Orlanski Ours, Vice President of Planning & design at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group; Newell Turner, Editorial Director of the Hearst Design Group; Maxwell Ryan, CEO and Founder of Apartment Therapy; Julie Carlson, Founding Editor, Remodelista; Michelle Adams, Founder and former Editor in Chief of Lonny. Additional speakers, panels, topics and unique private tours will be announced in the next month.
Media sponsors include Apartment Therapy, ELLE DECOR, Editor at Large, Domino, Dwell Magazine, House Beautiful, Lonny, New York Magazine, Remodelista, Traditional Home and VERANDA
“The extraordinary caliber of the keynote speakers and panelists for the 2013 DLS reflects our commitment to bringing truly world class content to our community and the value of New York City as a venue," said Summit co-host Peter Sallick. "The Summit will give invited designers, architects and industry leaders the opportunity to learn from thought leaders in design, fashion, art and technology, all while visiting iconic venues. In just two short days, our community will gain access to ideas that would otherwise take extraordinary efforts to attain.”
This annual conference format was created in 2005 to create a community of design leaders. The Design Leadership Summit is dedicated to fostering communication and collaboration within the highly fragmented design community. The attendees are by invitation only, and are exclusively principals in their firms, enabling a private and unguarded forum for senior level dialogue. 

Cocksedge’s inaugural solo exhibition opens next month in NY

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For one month beginning September 12, the Friedman Benda gallery will present Paul Cocksedge: CAPTURE, the British designer's inaugural solo exhibition in New York City. The exhibition is a new series of concepts informed by Cocksedge’s commitment to technological ingenuity, expanding the boundaries of physics, and the creation of works that are both thought provoking and unexpected.
It will introduce new works developed by Cocksedge over the last four and half years that push the mediums of light and structure, including a large-scale light installation, a collection of dramatic, seemingly impossible, hand-wrought dome lamps, and Poised, a series of unyielding steel tables inspired by the delicacy of paper.
The works include Capture, a 5 ¼ feet hand-spun aluminum dome that appears to "hold" the peaceful glow of a warm white light. The piece is informed by a process of reduction—a recurring theme in Cocksedge's work-as it subtracts the typical infrastructure around light, instead creating a hemisphere that seems to stop light from escaping.

For White Light, Cocksedge will create a room within the gallery in which everything and nothing changes. For this work, the designer will create an illuminated mosaic of precisely calibrated and positioned colored panels on the ceiling of the gallery. The ceiling will slowly fade from a spectrum of colors to a warm white light, while the room itself will remain unchanged, demonstrating the ways in which we do and do not perceive the interplay of color and light.
The inspiration for Poised comes from the elegance and amenability of paper. Half a ton in weight, the steel table appears improbable upon investigation. Created following an intensive series of calculations regarding gravity, mass and equilibrium, the table looks as though it is about to fall, but is perfectly weighted and stable.
In addition to these new works, Cocksedge will present three architectural models that take conceptual threads from Capture and White Light and reapply them to architectural settings outside of the gallery space. Central to Cocksedge's work is an appreciation for the ways in which people respond to and interact with his designs. As a result, potential real world applications of these new works will be explored in a series of architectural models.
Known for exploring the limits of technology, materials and manufacturing capabilities, Paul Cocksedge Studio has produced both commercial and experimental work, as well as a series of high-profile public installations around the world.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 12, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the gallery at 515 West 26th Street.

Morgans Hotel Group designer recreates iconic hotels

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Morgans Hotel Group, known for its iconic hotels including Mondrian in Los Angeles, Hudson in New York and Delano in South Beach, is spreading its unique designs and recreating the looks of such hotels in other cities across the globe—from a Mondrian and Hudson in London to Delanos in Las Vegas and Moscow.

The Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles
At the visual helm is Italian-born Senior Vice President of Design Verena Haller, who is bringing together the creative power of many—designers, artists and decorators—to achieve the flavor and flare guests have come to know.
Morgans Hotel Group describes itself as immersive, transformative and deeply engaged; embracing irony and style, elegance and luxury, with a strong and daring vision. This reporter sat down with Haller at the offices in Manhattan to learn about her background, her creative design process and what is coming down the pipeline.
Haller grew up in northern Italy and knew that New York was where she would end up. After studying architecture and interior design, she moved to Manhattan 13 years ago and dove into hospitality with Morgans Hotel Group.

Haller in the Morgans Hotel Group Manhattan office
With an architectural degree, what made you want to go into the interiors side, specifically into hospitality design?
Interior design grabbed me a little bit more because I felt I was better able to really express my feelings and touch people in a way I wasn’t able to do with architecture. Especially hospitality, which has so many different components—it’s a restaurant, it’s a store, it’s a gym, it’s a spa—so there are so many components, which really captured me.
Did you work on any of the original hotel designs?
That was way before I started here, but I do remember when I moved to New York, Hudson had just opened and I met a friend there for drinks. I was just absolutely and totally memorized by Hudson, and wanted to understand who did it, and whom it belonged to.
So, what is your vision for the new hotels?
That always depends on the city they’re in. So it’s really important that we make sure, even though they are under the umbrella of the brand, that they are city-specific. Not only city-specific, but for me it’s really important that they are neighborhood-specific as well. Sometimes we have multiple hotels in one city, and every neighborhood in a city—just like New York—is so different. You want to really make sure it captures that energy while still staying true to the brand identity. My design team spent quite a lot of time in the past year collaborating with our brand marketing team, to really define what the brands are, and how we want to move forward with them as we expand globally.
Do you travel to the cities in which the hotels are opening in order to get the feel?
I always spend time in the city; It’s incredibly important for me. Otherwise, I’m not able to really create a design vision for it. I want to see the culture, I want to get to know some of the locals. I really want to see how I feel and, based on that, I’m able to create a design brief for the hotel and begin the design process.
Once you’ve chosen the city, how do you approach the project?
It all starts with the design brief. Once I visit the city and indulge in its culture, I piece together a mood board for the project. The process is quite visual and has a small writing component, usually just a few words or phrases that relate to an image or feeling. For most of our projects, we collaborate with an external designer, which is inspired by our mood boards. We share the current details with them, to give them a head start on the project. The reason we create a mood board first, and choose a designer second is because we really want to make sure our brand standards are incorporated into the design. Each of our brands have different design qualities, for example Mondrian, is much more colorful and modern than our Delano brand, which is usually more sensual and provocative.

The Hudson hotel in Manhattan
Recently, I have been working on our Hudson London property. Hudson is our social or gateway brand; it’s much more eclectic. What we do with a Hudson roll out is we really pay attention to capturing the public spaces we have. We have a restaurant, an outdoor bar, a library—those components, we want to make sure we re-create them in a different way, unique to city they will be in while staying true to the Hudson brand.
How big of a team works on the project?
My design team is six people. I feel really lucky because everyone is really talented. They’re all very passionate, which I love. That creates very interesting conversations sometimes. Whenever we start a new project, I want to make sure I bring them all to the table, and start the conversation together, and then create the design brief with them all.
How long does it usually take?
It usually takes us three to four weeks to get into the right place. Then we select the designer, and from there the process starts. With building out the vision, it really depends on the size of the hotel, the location and whether it’s a new hotel or a renovation. But just getting through the full design process with the designers, getting all the approvals, that’s about a year-long process.
We noticed that you have a lot of great artwork in the hotels. How do you source that?
We usually work with an art consultant. That’s one theme of ours. We do want to get the best consultants on board for each aspect of the project because we absolutely do not know everything.
How do you see the hotels evolving as a brand?
Because the design hotels have been out there for many years, there are much higher expectations. It’s no longer about you walk in and ‘oh my god it looks so good!’ It needs to be comfortable and it needs to touch people in a different way. We are paying a lot of attention through our brands so that we capture exactly that and make sure people feel comfortable. When you walk in, it’s a beautiful design through and through, but it is comfortable, and it makes you feel good. It’s not a chair you can’t sit in. I think a lot of hotels maybe have not focused on that and I think it’s something people have expectations for.
Do you think when people go to the Hudson Hotel in London, they’re expecting to see the New York Hudson?
I don’t think so. I think they expect it to pay homage to the original and have a familiar feeling, but be location-specific as well. I think people would be disappointed if it was exactly the same. I think that’s part of the education and sophistication of our guests and what our company strives for, to offer a unique and exciting experience with each hotel in our portfolio.

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles names new Editor-in-Chief

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Formerly the Managing Editor of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Elizabeth Ralls has been selected to succeed Clinton Smith, who was recently named editor in chief of VERANDA. Ralls served as Managing Editor at the magazine from 2006 to 2008 and has since worked in senior positions at a variety of Atlanta lifestyle publications.

“I'm incredibly excited to continue the magazine's reputation for representing the best in design for our city and build upon Clinton's success in creating a definitive guide to cultivating Atlanta style,” Ralls said. “Atlanta's design community is one of the most talented in the country, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to return to the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles team and cover the work of the city's top design professionals, as well as our showrooms, artists, manufacturers and more.”
Ralls considers Smith a longtime mentor throughout the years and the pair plans to work in tandum over the next several weeks to ensure a seamless transition upon Smith’s departure.
"I'm thrilled that Elizabeth will be leading Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Having previously worked with her in a variety of roles, I can attest to her exquisite sense of style, as well as her business acumen,” Smith said. “I can't think of anyone else better suited for the job. I'm confident the local design community will welcome her with open arms."
Ralls’ extensive editorial experience includes serving as editor-in-chief of Atlanta Weddings Magazine, senior editor of Atlanta Magazine Custom Media, editor-in-chief of The Atlantan Brides, senior editor of The Atlantan, and freelance editorial contributions for local and national press outlets such as HGTV.com, 944, Flower, Southern Accents, Cultivate.com and more.
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