Just imagine Diana camouflaged in a grove of these maaarvelous blood orange trees.
Must see movie! Must see tree!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Columbus Discovered
A few us from the studio took a field trip uptown to see the Discovering Columbus installation. Artist Tatsu Nishi built a living room around the sculpture and it is free to all.
The scaffolding was beautiful, and I have a touch of vertigo that adds to the excitement to any climb. Turns out the black protrusions on the column are the Nina the Pint and the Santa Maria.
I did not, however, get the living room scenario. I know that is Tatzu Nishi's schtick, but it was not great design and did not really contribute to the dialogue. In fact, I felt it detracted from the experience. I would have preferred a gallery setting, a nice white box.
Poor Columbus. He's a victim of acid rain, and desperately in need of restoration. Which he will get soon!
The scaffolding was beautiful, and I have a touch of vertigo that adds to the excitement to any climb. Turns out the black protrusions on the column are the Nina the Pint and the Santa Maria.
The views from the center of Columbus Circle were also nice.
And getting up close and personal to the great explorer (even though he did not discover America, and only brought disease and destruction to the natives) was a unique experience. The scale was fun, and I loved the intimate access to a usually inaccessible NYC landmark. I'd love to to see Mercury, on top of Grand Central, up close.
I did not, however, get the living room scenario. I know that is Tatzu Nishi's schtick, but it was not great design and did not really contribute to the dialogue. In fact, I felt it detracted from the experience. I would have preferred a gallery setting, a nice white box.
Poor Columbus. He's a victim of acid rain, and desperately in need of restoration. Which he will get soon!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
GOBAMA
You may not agree with my politics, but you must admit I made a handsome sign for our house in Pound Ridge.
At 4' x 4' it is what I think a political sign should look like. I just hope there are no regulations against a large expression of freedom like this and/or rowdy GOPers that pull it down. Sign painting is not my forté, but I managed with some Sharpies and house paint. It features my favorite quote from the campaign and has been stopping traffic on Long Ridge Rd all morning!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Pink Jalk Project
Twenty leading interior designers, architects and design icons were asked to customize the Grete Jalk GJ Chair. Bid now for a one-of-a-kind chair to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Auction closes on October 31st.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Gardener's Party
The annual Gardener's Party at Wave Hill is one of the high points in our social calendar. We were invited by Adam Rose and Peter McQuillan, who are very generous in their support of all things horticultural.
Drinking and shopping is a great fundraising formula so they hold a plant sale and silent auction during cocktail hour. I admired this Jackpot at the silent auction, designed by Jack Lenor Larsen for Seibert and Rice and planted up with an Agave plant.
John and I bought this little Hydrangea Sargentiana at the plant sale / cocktail hour. It will go in the garden this weekend.
When the party moved inside for the dinner and live auction, I was very impressed with the clear plastic tent - so expansive under the twilight sky.
This Marten house was on the block. Made of wood reclaimed from the garden it also sported a green roof.
Reckless bidding was encouraged, and the auction supports the garden. John and I bid on some tree work but were quickly bulldozed by someone with more money (and sicker trees, I imagine).
On our way out, the greenhouses glowed.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Paperwork Lantern
As seen in The New York Times, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012.
By Arlene Hirst: Harry Allen deals in twisted household archetypes. The New York-based designer's continuing Reality series includes a fruit bowl cast from a bunch of bananas, a coat hook shaped like a hand, and a roller skate playing the role of a door stop. For his latest project, Paperwork lanterns for Hive, he has transformed an old barn lantern into a ghostly light fixture. Cast in papier-mâché and mounted on black or chrome steel, the collection includes a table lamp, floor lamp, and chandelier, all designed to hang from hooks attached to an armature. The lights are illuminated with LED Bulbs. A single lantern costs $350. Information: (888) 889-9005 or designbyhive.com
By Arlene Hirst: Harry Allen deals in twisted household archetypes. The New York-based designer's continuing Reality series includes a fruit bowl cast from a bunch of bananas, a coat hook shaped like a hand, and a roller skate playing the role of a door stop. For his latest project, Paperwork lanterns for Hive, he has transformed an old barn lantern into a ghostly light fixture. Cast in papier-mâché and mounted on black or chrome steel, the collection includes a table lamp, floor lamp, and chandelier, all designed to hang from hooks attached to an armature. The lights are illuminated with LED Bulbs. A single lantern costs $350. Information: (888) 889-9005 or designbyhive.com
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Paris Seen
I spent the weekend in Paris for the Maison et Objet show where Hive was launching our Paperwork lamps, and Gaia & Gino was exhibiting our fashionable little Gaia vase. Paris is a fantastic mix of old and new, high and low, home and garden, and fashion and design. It always provides a unique design perspective, and although I was taking it pretty easy, I stumbled upon many beautiful things. For instance, these folded tables at the Tools gallery ...
... a green wall tucked away in the Bastille ...
... a mix of rustic Americana ...
... and colorful, electro-community at Merci ...
... these folding LED fixtures at Triode gallery ...
... a classic display of macaroons at Ladurée ...
... the public bike system ...
... more garden-as-adornment atop a contemporary shelter ...
... Giverny, the original green muse ...
... the Docks building along the seine ...
... that housed the exhibit NOW! le OFF, a show of young design that included these smart little self-adhesive folded paper lamps by Well Well Designers (paper was everywhere BTW so our Paperwork lamps, after five years of development, were right on trend) ...
... not to mention the food, sunshine, and people-watching at the cafes ...
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Eclipse
We are happy to announce that our Eclipse lighting for Vialight will be available for purchase online at Vialightdesign.com in October 2012.
During Harry's travels in Brazil, he visited many tropical gardens and was inspired by the vegetation. The form and structure of the lamps were originally inspired by the concentric growth rings at the base of palm trees. The forms are sensuous and modern, and the finishes run the gamut from fun to sophisticated.
During Harry's travels in Brazil, he visited many tropical gardens and was inspired by the vegetation. The form and structure of the lamps were originally inspired by the concentric growth rings at the base of palm trees. The forms are sensuous and modern, and the finishes run the gamut from fun to sophisticated.
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| Eclipse 1, Twilight Blue and Eclipse 2, Sunrise Yellow |
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| Eclipse 1, Midnight Black |
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| Eclipse 2, Timeless Metallic |
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
The Wild Rabbit
After years of student competitions and sitting on design juries, I have become pretty good at it, and when my alma mater calls, I try to show up.
The Pratt Henessy Challenge last week was a challenge for the judges as well as the students. A variety of students were involved, artists, designers, and fashion students, so there were no apple-to- apple comparisons to be made.
Hennessy sponsored the project and was looking for a piece that embodied their brand message of "Chasing the Wild Rabbit." I love the phrase as it is all about embracing your creativity and going for it. So students could design pieces that spoke to the theme, or they could actually embrace their own wild rabbit.
Here I am with, Michael Cook, the winner and the other judges, Billy Paretti, Vice President of Marketing, Moet Hennessy USA; Yours Truly; Jennifer Yu, Director of Communications, Moet Hennessy USA; The Winner; Futura 2000; and Jeff Bellantoni, chair, Graduate Communications Design.
Michael crafted a rabbit out of art materials and also produced an incredible video about its making. I LOVED the video, rabbit was OK, but thematically it was all there and it was the perfect project to win. As we have all learned on RuPaul's Drag Race, the jurying process is complex.
There were two runners up. Felix Aarts (an apt name if there ever was one), who I was championing in the jury session, created a crazy piece of art that was mounted on the floor. It was a photograph of the very colorful paintings in his studio, produced as lit signage. He told us a story of walking past a signage place in Brooklyn and being struck by the idea of producing his work as a lit sign. To me he was pushing his boundaries, and the boundaries of art. He was really chasing the wild rabbit.
The third winner was Natalie Sims who taught herself to crochet and made a rug out of plastic bags that she had received in stores over the course of a period (I cannot remember, a month or three months or something like that). It was a great project, similar in many ways to some of my reuse projects - my can clusters and cocktail tables - in that they are all commentaries on recycling, reuse, and waste. I wanted to see it huge, installed in Grand Central Terminal so everyone could see how many goddamned plastic bags we use. I hate plastic bags.
All in all, it was a very interesting day with the students.
All photos by Rene Perez.
The Pratt Henessy Challenge last week was a challenge for the judges as well as the students. A variety of students were involved, artists, designers, and fashion students, so there were no apple-to- apple comparisons to be made.
Hennessy sponsored the project and was looking for a piece that embodied their brand message of "Chasing the Wild Rabbit." I love the phrase as it is all about embracing your creativity and going for it. So students could design pieces that spoke to the theme, or they could actually embrace their own wild rabbit.
Here I am with, Michael Cook, the winner and the other judges, Billy Paretti, Vice President of Marketing, Moet Hennessy USA; Yours Truly; Jennifer Yu, Director of Communications, Moet Hennessy USA; The Winner; Futura 2000; and Jeff Bellantoni, chair, Graduate Communications Design.
Michael crafted a rabbit out of art materials and also produced an incredible video about its making. I LOVED the video, rabbit was OK, but thematically it was all there and it was the perfect project to win. As we have all learned on RuPaul's Drag Race, the jurying process is complex.
There were two runners up. Felix Aarts (an apt name if there ever was one), who I was championing in the jury session, created a crazy piece of art that was mounted on the floor. It was a photograph of the very colorful paintings in his studio, produced as lit signage. He told us a story of walking past a signage place in Brooklyn and being struck by the idea of producing his work as a lit sign. To me he was pushing his boundaries, and the boundaries of art. He was really chasing the wild rabbit.
The third winner was Natalie Sims who taught herself to crochet and made a rug out of plastic bags that she had received in stores over the course of a period (I cannot remember, a month or three months or something like that). It was a great project, similar in many ways to some of my reuse projects - my can clusters and cocktail tables - in that they are all commentaries on recycling, reuse, and waste. I wanted to see it huge, installed in Grand Central Terminal so everyone could see how many goddamned plastic bags we use. I hate plastic bags.
All in all, it was a very interesting day with the students.
All photos by Rene Perez.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
FRAME Lighting Reports
We are happy to announce that Hive will be launching a new lighting design as part of the Paperwork series at Maison Objet in September. We'll keep you posted!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Tysnes
Our final stop in Norway is Tysnes.
Tysnes, an island off the coast of Bergen, is the home of my in-laws, and although it's not a design capitol, there was lots to see and do. The traditional buildings yield some modern details, like this mossy slate roof.
And this last weekend, Tysnes was home to Tysnesfest, a music festival that attracts some impressive talent. On our way to a blues cruise we stumbled upon this display set up by Ingunn Undrum, one of the last traditional ropemakers in Scandinavia.
In light of my recent work with rope, her work peaked my interest, and her tool bag was a hand-made thing of beauty.
We fly back to NYC tomorrow, refreshed, and looking forward to some summer heat.
Tysnes, an island off the coast of Bergen, is the home of my in-laws, and although it's not a design capitol, there was lots to see and do. The traditional buildings yield some modern details, like this mossy slate roof.
And this last weekend, Tysnes was home to Tysnesfest, a music festival that attracts some impressive talent. On our way to a blues cruise we stumbled upon this display set up by Ingunn Undrum, one of the last traditional ropemakers in Scandinavia.
In light of my recent work with rope, her work peaked my interest, and her tool bag was a hand-made thing of beauty.
We fly back to NYC tomorrow, refreshed, and looking forward to some summer heat.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Oslo
We had a moment between the rain showers to take a walking tour today.
One sees these great little electric Buddy cars all over. They are made right in Oslo, and are the best looking electric car I've ever seen.
I also love the Funkis (Functionalist Period) buildings.
Aker Brygge, an entire neighborhood on the waterfront that has been built in the last few years, is pretty impressive. Development on this scale is not something you would see in NYC. Among its many, many new buildings are a few gems. Like this office building.
And the soon-to-be-finished, Renzo Piano-designed, art museum.
We ate at Onda, a sleek restaurant on the water.
And finished our tour at the fantastic Snohetta-designed Opera House.
One sees these great little electric Buddy cars all over. They are made right in Oslo, and are the best looking electric car I've ever seen.
I also love the Funkis (Functionalist Period) buildings.
Aker Brygge, an entire neighborhood on the waterfront that has been built in the last few years, is pretty impressive. Development on this scale is not something you would see in NYC. Among its many, many new buildings are a few gems. Like this office building.
And the soon-to-be-finished, Renzo Piano-designed, art museum.
We ate at Onda, a sleek restaurant on the water.
And finished our tour at the fantastic Snohetta-designed Opera House.
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