12/31/13

trends | interior design trends for 2014

 from the off duty section of the 28-29 december 2013 wall street journal newspaper...
 
the top ten interior design trends for 2014...

out?
1 | ikat patterns
 ikat patterned upholstery | living room | dallas, TX | interior design by KK | photo credit max kim-bee | veranda | january/february 2012

2 | white kitchens
 white kitchen | montreal, canada | design by anne sophie goneau | photo credit adrien williams | contemporist | 11 november 2013

3 | woodland creature motifs
resin squirrels mounted on the hall walls | hotel paradox | santa cruz, CA | interior design by david oldroyd ODADA (orlando diaz-azcuy design associates) | photo credit matthew millman | interior design | 1 january 2013

4 | books as decor
living room | southampton, NY | interior design by cynthia frank with haynes-roberts | photo credit simon upton | elle decor.com

5 | the 'belgian look' 
sitting area | algarve, portugal | interior design by axel vervoordt | photo credit laziz hamani | architectural digest | september 2013

in?
1 | macrame wall hangings
knotted cotton rope curtain | michael schmidt | 2009 | lobby | ace hotel | palm springs, CA | photo credit michael schmidt studios

2 | sheer window coverings
sheer window coverings | dining room | southampton, NY | interior design by shelton, mindel & associates | photo credit michael moran | architectural digest | november 2005

3 | corduroy upholstery
corduroy upholstery on the interior of the wing chairs | family room | chicago, IL | interior design by melanie elston | photo credit werner straube | traditionalhome.com

4 | marbled patterns
fornasetti collection malachite wallpaper by cole & sons | powder room | new york, NY | interior design by nate berkus | photo credit pieter estersohn | architectural digest | november 2012

5 | 'art deco' colors
could it be coincidental that orchid is the pantone color of the year for 2014? 
dining room | san francisco, CA | interior design by orlando diaz-azcuy | photo credit nathan kirkman | interiors | october/november 2009

 i think that the following interior design trends are also noteworthy...

 1 | edited interiors
'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.' 
-leonardo da vinci (1452-1519)
reception room | new wardour castle | tisbury, wiltshire, united kingdom | design by john pawson | furniture by nigel tuersley | photo credit bill batten | world of interiors | october 2004

2 | classic furnishings used in a modern way
'fashion fades, only style remains the same.'
-coco chanel (1883-1971)
 classic chinese horseshoe backed chairs | living room | new york, NY | interior design by vicente wolf | photo credit pieter estersohn | architectural digest | july 2012

3 | relaxed, comfortable, flexible spaces
'...comfort is perhaps the ultimate luxury.'
-billy baldwin (1903-1983) courtyard | dallas, TX | interior design by square foot studio | photo credit max kim-bee | veranda.com

4 | colorful accents
'color is a matter of taste and sensitivity.'
-edouard manet (1832-1883)  
colorful accent tables | cote d'azur, france | interior design by axel vervoordt | photo credit laziz hamani | axel vervoordt | living with light

wishing you a noteworthy new year!
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12/5/13

color | orchid | pantone color of the year



2014
radiant orchid 

color authority pantone, has named radiant orchid the color of the year for 2014.  pantone, a division of x-rite, provides professional color standards for the design industries.

leatrice eiseman, executive director of the pantone color institute® associates orchid, which has purple, fushcia, and pink undertones, with creativity and originality.

wendy donahue, a chicago tribune newspaper columnist, describes the pantone color of the year as 'one part cultural indicator and one part marketing forecast.'  

so from a marketing perspective, the color orchid could appeal to fashion conscious, tech savvy, 20-30 year old consumers because they value creativity and originality.

would you describe 'it' colors, such as orchid, or other fashion trends, such as 'it' handbags or 'it' shoes, as individualist?  or, as conformist?

 manolo blahnik | bb suede pointed toe flat | orchid purple
photo credit neiman marcus

people seem to either really like or really dislike purple.  so, orchid could be considered an individualistic color. 

if you are an interior designer, orchid could seem too reminiscent of 1980's mauve and teal color schemes to become 'the new new thing'.
 
'the kids are rocking an '80s-comeback thing, but mauve is like the one thing I will never, ever embrace.'
 -jonathan adler, potter, designer, and author

if you really like purple, would you use orchid as an accent color in a neutral interior design scheme?

living room | greenwich CT | interior design by suzanne kastler
photo credit simon upton

or, as the primary color?

bedroom | 2007 kip's bay decorator showhouse | new york NY | interior design by drake design associates
photo credit nick johnson
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10/23/13

art | david hockney | a closer grand canyon

then, maybe you're interested in acquiring a study for a closer grand canyon...

david hockney | a closer grand canyon | pastel on paper | signed with the artist's initials | dated 98
sotheby's new york | contemporary art day auction | 14 november 2013 | lot 214 | estimate US$ 400,000-600,000

click here to read more about a closer grand canyon.
click here to read more about david hockney:  a bigger exhibition, showing at the de young museum in san francisco CA from 26 october 2013-20 january 2014.
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10/21/13

art | david hockney

do you dream in technicolor or in black & white?  

if you are like artist david hockney, then the answer is both.

david hockney:  a bigger exhibition, is showing at the de young museum in san francisco CA from 26 october 2013-20 january 2014. 

the exhibition is enormous.  it features over 300 works, shown in 18,000 square feet of gallery space, making it the biggest exhibition in the history of the de young museum.

even bigger than david hockney RA:  a bigger picture, where i first saw hockney's technicolor landscape paintings at the royal academy of arts in london, united kingdom during 2012.  the san francisco show includes many of the paintings from a bigger picture.


david hockney | the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 2 january | one of 52 iPad drawings printed on paper | 2011
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom

but, the san francisco show also includes new work, which has never been exhibited or published before.

since a bigger picture, hockney suffered a stroke, lost a studio assistant, and relocated to his los angeles CA studio.

during his recovery, he began drawing with charcoal on paper.  during this period, hockney revisited many of the locations from the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven), a series of 52 iPad drawings.  the arrival of spring in 2013, a series of 25 charcoal drawings, will be showcased in one gallery of the de young museum during the exhibition.

hockney's charcoal drawings have been described as more detailed, and more defined than his previous work.

'i'm very proud of them, actually, very proud. i think it's one of my great works, this, the 25 drawings.'
-david hockney

david hockney | woldgate, 6-7 february | from the arrival of spring in 2013 (twenty thirteen) | charcoal on paper | 2013
david hockney: a bigger exhibition | 26 oct 2013-20 jan 2014 | de young museum | san francisco CA

during his recovery, hockney also began drawing charcoal portraits of colleagues, friends, and family members.  hockney prefers drawing people that he knows.

'if you know them well, you've got different memories of them...we all see with memory, don't we?'
-david hockney

his most recent portraits are painted with acrylic paint in swimming pool colors.  since hockney has not worked in acrylic paint for over 20 years, to him, it seems like a new medium.  in addition to approximately 40 recent charcoal drawings, the de young exhibition also features 14 recent acrylic portraits.

david hockney in his los angeles CA studio with works from his upcoming exhibition at the de young museum in san francisco CA
photo credit financial times

during 2012-2013, david hockney RA:  a bigger picture attracted over 600,000 visitors in london, and a total of 1.2 million visitors at the royal academy in london, the guggenheim museum in bilbao, spain, and the museum ludwig in cologne, germany.

could the san francisco show be a bigger exhibition?
click here or here or here to read more about david hockney's recent work.
__________________________________________________________________________
art | david hockney 
when you think of david hockney, you might think of his pop art paintings of california swimming pools.

david hockney | a bigger splash | acrylic on canvas | 1967
tate collection | london, united kingdom
photo credit tate

and, david hockney RA: a bigger picture, a blockbuster exhibition at the royal academy of arts (RA) in london from 21 january-9 april 2012, includes a painting with a swimming pool.

david hockney | mulholland drive: the road to the studio | acrylic on canvas | 1980
reproduction | david hockney RA: the bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
original | los angeles county museum of art (lacma) | los angeles, CA
photo credit lacma

but, david hockney is also a landscape artist.

after showing bigger trees near warter, a 50 canvas painting, at the summer exhibition 2007, the RA offered hockney all of the main floor galleries for a landscape painting exhibition.



david hockney | bigger trees near warter | oil on 50 canvases + two collages of 50 color photographs | 2007
tate collection | london, united kingdom
photo credits (c) david hockney and tate

the exhibition features over 150 works, most created between 2004 and 2011.

although it is an exhibition, instead of a retrospective, a bigger picture includes a survey of earlier landscapes, painted from 1956-1998, that offer an opportunity to reconsider hockney as a landscape artist, instead of a pop artist.  

hockney's work reflects the influences of past artistic movements, such as cubism, impressionism, or fauvism.

hockney also uses optical tools to experiment with the representation of space, the manipulation of perspective, the use of color, and the variation of technique.

the camera is one of hockney's favorite optical tools.  he photographed the grand canyon in 1982, but didn't use the photographs to create grand canyon with ledge, arizona, 1982, collage #2, a 60 photograph collage, until 1986.

david hockney | grand canyon with ledge, arizona, 1982 | collage of 60 color photographs | 1986
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney

he described the process of making collages from the grand canyon photographs as a ‘cubist idea.'

'when you put one piece of paper on top of another...
you put two pieces of time together...
therefore, make[ing] a space.

i thought i was making time.
then, you realize you’re making space.
then, you realize time and space are the same thing.' 

in 1998, hockney painted a bigger grand canyon from the collages and other studies, and a closer grand canyon from memory.  the multiple viewpoint perspective in both paintings again references cubism.
 
the grand canyon paintings also reference cubism by translating the grid pattern from the photo collages into a multiple canvas format.  this becomes the standard format for hockney's large scale works.

david hockney | a bigger grand canyon | oil on 60 canvases | 1998
national gallery of australia (nga) |  canberra, ACT, australia
photo credit nga

david hockney | a closer grand canyon | oil on 60 canvases | 1998
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
louisiana museum of modern art | humlebaek, denmark
photo credit (c) david hockney

secret knowledge:  rediscovering the lost techniques of the old masters, a book by hockney published in 2001, explores how optical tools, such as the camera, influenced painting composition for over six centuries.

photo credit amazon.com

but, hockney rejects the use of optical tools when he decides to paint the yorkshire landscapes in the exhibition from direct observation.

hockney's landscapes could define yorkshire like impressionist landscapes defined the south of france.

like monet's paintings, hockney's yorkshire landscapes are studies of changing seasonal and light conditions.  sometimes, he paints the same location, such as the thixendale trees, at different times of the year.

david hockney | three trees near thixendale, spring 2008 | oil on 8 canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney 

david hockney | three trees near thixendale, summer 2007 | oil on 8 canvases | 2007
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney 

david hockney | three trees near thixendale, autumn 2008 | oil on 8 canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney 

david hockney | three trees near thixendale, winter 2007 | oil on 8 canvases | 2007
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney  

other times, he paints the same subject, such as blossoming hawthorne trees, in different locations at the same time of the year.

david hockney | hawthorne blossom near rudston | oil on two canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney
 
david hockney | the big hawthorne | oil on 9 canvases | 2008
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney 

david hockney | may blossom on the roman road | oil on 8 canvases | 2009
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney

hockney's yorkshire landscapes are also technical studies.  he experiments with impressionist or fauvist painting techniques, such as pointellist seurat dots, swirling van gogh brushstrokes, or colorful matisse stripes.

and, hockney also experiments with technological tools.

the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 includes a series of 52 prints, drawn on an iPad, that capture the transition from winter to spring along a country road near his home.

as he was drawing, hockney adjusted the color and his technique so that the drawings could be enlarged and printed.

david hockney | the arrival of spring (untitled iPad drawing, 12 april 2011, no. 1) | iPad drawing printed on paper | 2011
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney 

the series also includes a 32 canvas oil painting.  the brighter colors, simpler brushstrokes, and bolder composition reflect hockney's iPad drawing techniques.
 
david hockney | the arrival of spring in woldgate, east yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) | oil on 32 canvases | 2011
david hockney RA: a bigger picture | 21 jan-9 apr 2012 | royal academy of arts | london, united kingdom
photo credit (c) david hockney


if you are in london, david hockney RA: a bigger picture is a 'must see' exhibition!
click here or here or here or here to read reviews of the exhibition.
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antiques | 2013 san francisco fall antiques show

question: 
wondering about how to combine antiques with a modern lifestyle?
answer: 
just ask one of the interior design authors participating in the lecture series at the san francisco fall antiques show, held at festival pavillion in fort mason center from 24-27 october 2013.

question: 
wondering if antique furniture could be considered modern?
answer:
just ask interior designer stephen sills how to select it with an editing eye...

the lecture:
editing the past for the present
stephen sills | stephen sills design associates | new york NY
saturday 26 october 2013 | 11:00 am
lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove 

the book:
stephen sills | stephen sills: decoration | rizzoli 2013


question: 
wondering how to mix and match contemporary and classic furnishings?
answer:
just ask interior designer suzanne tucker.  after all, it's all in the blend...

the lecture:
creating the blend: passion, vision, and the collected interior
suzanne tucker | tucker & marks | san francisco CA
saturday 26 october 2013 | 2:30 pm
lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove

the book:
suzanne tucker | suzanne tucker interiors: the romance of design | the monacelli press 2013


question:
wondering about how to lead a modern lifestyle in a historic home?
answer:
just ask interior designer timothy corrigan about weekend entertaining...

the lecture:
a visit to chateau grand-lucé: restoring and decorating a great country house  
timothy corrigan | timothy corrigan, inc. | los angeles CA & paris france 
thursday 24 october 2013 | 2:30 pm
lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove

the book:
timothy corrigan | an invitation to chateau de grand-lucé: restoring and decorating a great french country house | rizzoli 2013

 

question:
wondering how to update a traditional home?
answer:
just ask interior designer mario buatta how to decorate it.  after all, he reinvented the english country house style...

the lecture:
if you can't hide it, decorate it: a conversation with mario buatta
mario buatta | new york NY
emily evans eerdmans | brooklyn NY
friday 25 october 2013 | 11:00 am
lecture followed by a book signing in the author's alcove 

the book:
mario buatta & emily evans eerdmans | mario buatta: fifty years of american interior decoration | rizzoli 2013


and, an interview:
click here to listen to an interview with mario buatta on the skirted roundtable. 
photo credits: sffas
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8/16/13

color | does color reveal personality?

does the color of your home reveal your personality?

according to 'in living color', an august 2013 article by claire watson in 1st dibs.com introspective magazine, it might.

using product for sale on 1st dibs.com, 'in living color' builds eight color schemes based on eight test colors used by the lüscher color diagnostik, a personality test developed by swiss psychologist dr. max lüscher that has been in clinical use since 1947.

dr. lüscher thinks that your personality traits can be identified by your color choices.  not all clinical psychologists agree.

since i designed our home, let's see what the colors might reveal about me.
 
photo credit 1stdibs.com

i built the color scheme for our home around our red oriental rugs.  i know, i know...  more muted colored rugs are more fashionable right now...  i could redecorate.  but, i probably won't because i remember searching for (and saving for) each one...


 photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace

photo credit 1stdibs.com

since our rugs are colorful and patterned, our upholstery is plain.  i chose natural fiber textiles in subtle textures.  parchment colored linen, chenille, velvet, cashmere, and wool...







 
photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace

i love walnut furniture, especially english and italian antiques.  i love the warm patina that the wood develops with use over time.

so, our home has brown furniture mixed with vintage 20th century and new furniture in lacquer, leather, gilt iron, and bronze.  the mixture of materials makes our home feel warm, comfortable, and relaxed.

photo credit sven.co.uk

photo credit 1stdibs.com

since some of our furnishings are traditional, i chose contemporary art and minimal accessories to make our home feel modern.

our accessories aren't all modern because i love chinese and japanese blue and white porcelain, and antique textiles.  it must be my asian art and art history background...  but, you can use traditional furnishings in a modern way...




photo credits lisa walsh | innerspace

my husband and i love the location of our home because it has a panoramic view of san francisco bay.  my favorite sunsets are even blue and coral!

photo credit accuweather.com

does red + brown + blue mean that i am self confident, down to earth, and content?  i hope so! 

red
force of will | eccentric | active aggressive | competitive | action | desire | excitement | sexuality
brown
bodily senses | stability | natural | down to earth
blue
depth of feeling | passive | concentric | tranquility | calm | tenderness
green
elasticity of will | passive | concentric | defensive | persistence | self esteem | self assertion | pride | control
yellow
spontaneity | eccentric | active | projective | aspiring | expectancy | exhilaration
violet
identification | unrealistic | wishful fulfillment | charm | enchantment
black
nothingness | renunciation | surrender | relinquishment
grey
non-involvement | concealment

what do your color choices reveal about you?
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