TOLEDO GAS 1

I was in Toledo on June 15th for the GAS (Glass Art Society) conference. 

They don't call it the rust belt for nothing.

In the evening I was scheduled to work with Glasslab, but during the day I was free to roam around. As part of the GAS Conference, Beryl Vallien was doing a demonstration. It was the hot ticket of the morning. It was cool to watch him cast one of his ship sculptures, even if I don't like the work too much.

The demonstration was in the stunning Glass Pavillion, designed by SAANA, after I toured the glass galleries.

The bench in the galleries was a masterpiece of cast glass.

The collection is great. These early american molded pieces caught my eye.

The museum is a gem. They have a small but comprehensive collection. I loved this Mark di Suvero and Gehry pairing - two creatives who explore the irrational world. I don't like their work on its own, but together they had a great dialogue going. Context is everything in art and design.

Stay posted for some pics of the Glasslab event that took place in the evening.

Natural Warmth

Paperwork featured in Inside Out, an Australian based home life magazine.

COIL AND RECOIL

My friend, Tim Convery's rope tattoos were my original inspiration.
                                                                                                                                                                        

Tim has been at it for years, adding knots and flourishes. He is a graphic genius and just started an amazing venture in Provincetown called Tim-Scapes. Check out his website and Facebook page.

Lindsey Adelman's Knotty Bubbles chandelier also caught my attention early on, but I was midway through my rope project when I realized the larger zeitgeist. Art Basel Miami was brimming with rope. Stephen Burks showed his rope stools and around the fair it showed up in various forms. Everyone I mentioned 'rope' to, suggested I read an article in the NYTimes about an artist who only works with rope. I have yet to dig it up and read it, but I will.

Honestly, the prevalence almost made me want to abandoned the project, but I can certainly stake my claim on rope. My love affair started as a child, sailing on the NJ shore, making Turks Head bracelets, and tying bowline knots - "up the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole again." When I discovered Ashley's Book of Knots last year it stoked the fire.

Rope is the perfect utilitarian symbol, beautiful in its spiral structure and endless associations. It's a reminder of simpler times, and our REALITY take on the subject, Coil Rope Vase and Coil Rope Bowl, for Areaware launched at the ICFF in May.

And there is more coming at the NYIGF in August ...

NEOCON 2012

I arrived in Chicago yesterday to attend Neocon.

                                                                                                                                              

Neocon is the contract furnishing market that takes place in Chicago. I come every few years to see what's going on. The ICFF is all about press and schmoozing, but Neocon is serious business.

My flight in was uneventful. I woke up to this spectacular view just before landing:

It reminded me of my favorite Georgia O'Keeffe painting, Sky Above Clouds:

My first stop was the Interior Design Giants party. Chicago totally delivers on modernism, but the law office of Baker & McKenzie, designed by Goettsch Partners, where the party was held, is "modern on steroids." Check out the lit beams, and the pool of water.

The building gave me vertigo.

The view of Millennium Park was spectacular.

I then attended the IIDA Cool Ball, a fundraiser for the IIDA (International Interior Design Association). They also announce the winners from the competitions I judged for them back in February. I sat with Cindy Allen at the Interior Design table, and I should have taken more pics. I didn't think of it until the dancing began. This pic sort of looks like a shot from Soul Train, but the party was very chic - black tie, in fact, in a ballroom at the Ritz Carlton - and the competition results were very well received.

I'll go to the fair today, and see what I can see.

Color Report: Hot

If color trend is any indication we are in for a hot summer.

                                                                                                                  

It all started in Milano in April, on Via St. Andrea where they were selling these patent leather goodies...

... and then I started spotting bright colors all over town ...

... and it seemed to follow me home ...

So here it comes. The summer hots, to love all year round. There are so many incredible colors to invite into your life.

A Day in China

Design Milk asked Harry to document "a day in the life" as a designer for their Designer Dailies column. They had asked for an average day of a working designer, but Harry had an interesting trip to China, which he thought would be interesting to share with readers. Read the full article here.

Design Week Wrap-up

ICFF was a whirlwind this year, and in the midst of it all I did not take as many pics as I wanted. I just forget to get out the camera. So instead of reporting day by day, here is a round up of the four days.

This year Harry Allen Design had work in a few shows. We took a booth at the ICFF with our friends Stefan Hengst and Casey Lurie. Stefan was showing a new line of digital wallpaper and Casey a new line of wooden furniture.

We showed DUNK, a new prototype waste can made from a hardened basketball net. 

On Friday night I headed to the BOFFO Showhouse where our Shed for Matter was on display. It looked great in the nature room, but of course I forgot to take a pic. Stefan's installation in the Future room was very impressive. 

And I loved this little lamp made out of cans in the Play room by Laz Ojalde. It reminded me alot of my recycled can clusters, needless to say, I love a tin can:

Saturday we hit NoHo to see our Cocktail Table on display in the Core 77 show on the Bowery. They invited five designers from each of the five boroughs to show. Our cocktail table is made from recycled bottles and sheet glass all sandblasted for a ghostly effect. It is a perfect side table and has a pretty low carbon footprint.

Patrick Townsend represented from Brooklyn, and Rama Corpash from Saten Island.

John and I ran into Guieseppe Lignano from Lot-ek (left) and his former student (I wrote down her name and lost it) who designed the show.

We stopped in to see my new glow in the dark "Bank in the form of a Pig"at 22 Bond. Get em while the last - edition of 300 - www.areaware.com.

We ended the evening on top of the new Standard Hotel on the Bowery with the folks from Dwell. The view was spectacular:

On Sunday evening I stopped by Moss Bureau, Murray Moss and Frankling Getchel's new office/showroom where I coveted these beautiful luster vases by Julia Kunin. 

Everyday we were at the fair. Our booth was right next to Areaware. My new introductions at Areaware included these rope vessels:

Two pastel (blue and pink) chrome pigs. Love!

I've sort of stepped back from the coloration of my objects, so brava to Laura Young for all of her sage decisions. Some very bright iterations of the classics - including a bright yellow Banana Bowl - wowed everyone. 

We also introduced two new hand hooks, but enough is enough. I'll post them at a later date.

New York Design Week

National Arts Club

I'm excited to be presenting my work at the National Arts Club on Wednesday.

15 Gramercy Park South
Meet & Greet: 6:45 PM
Lecture: 7:00 PM

RSVP: samantha@tigerlilysgreenwich.com

Milano: Day 4

My last day at the Salone Del Mobile was spent at the fair itself. Usually I think the offsite events are more interesting, and of course it is not possible to see everything so I might have missed something great, but this year I preferred the fair. I hate to say it, but the sobering effect the economy has had on the industry seems to have produced more considered work. Moroso and Kartel, in particular, looked amazing.

Warner Aisslinger's Hemp Chair at Moroso caught my interest.

Not sure who did this new waste can at Kartel, but it was a nice surprise and a great piece of plastic.

and Tokujin Yoshioka's new plastic chair for Kartel is perfect.

I then hooked up with my friend Theo Williams, Design Director for John Lewis.

We had a drink with from right to left, Philippa Prinsloo, Fiona Curran, Shawn Booth who worked for Harry Allen Design for seven years back in the early 00's, and his colleague, Alex LeTourneau, from Kohler,

A few of us went on to attend the Elle Decor Awards party. 

And party with some Swedes, including Ikea's Lars Dafnas (right) head of design management until recently, I believe.

Milano: Day 3

The day started with my friends Ilene Shaw and Katie Miller in the Tortona area where I was confounded by the Samsung exhibit. 

Admittedly, I am a luddite, but their vision of the future scares me. Too much electricity. Not enough doing. The basic idea was that they created all of these blank, greyed-out rooms, and then they gave you a computer tablet to walk around with. When the tablet was pointed at the room setup they came alive with visions of the future. The program was cool but when I looked up everyone was staring at their tablets, living another reality. It all just seems so remote.

I did however like the greyed-out rooms.

Then I took off to see my friends Fabio and Luigi in their new showroom called Primopiano. It is an amazing new space and they are showing some beautiful work. My favorite were the cast vases by Peter Marigold (in the image below with the boys).

Next up, Tom Dixon's new extravaganza, MOST, in the Museum of Science and Technology. Cool space, lots to see, including David Weeks giant Cubebot. The kid in the blue shirt was all over it.

In the evening I attended the opening for my Gaia Vase project for Gaia & Gino. I'll try to post some better pictures at some point. My vase was well received, many people were in attendance, and it was a fantastic party.