Fall Market Round Up ~ Part 2

Celerie Kemble's new wall covering line for Schumacher speaks to classic motifs distilled to basic graphics in a bold, vibrant color palette.  She felt a need was not being met in the marketplace.  Wallpaper was becoming wildly popular again, and the younger customer wanted something that felt fresher, modern. and graphic, but rooted in classicism.  Celerie was inspired by the decorative arts as well as her love of fashion and the natural beauty of nature.

One of Celerie's classic inspirations was the acanthus leaf pattern:

She was working on a project, and as she explained, wanted a narrow stripe, but with a little more decoration and a more graphic quality.  That classic architectural element dating back to the earliest Roman and Greek time turned into this:

A nature inspired motif:  cirrus clouds that also have a great graphic and Asian feel.  Powerful in a bright color, yet easily adaptable too in a soft neutral.  The Tree of Life inspired the Hothouse Flower.  It has a nostalgic feel, modernized.

Celerie's love of fashion inspired the nailhead wallpaper.  She was intrigued by the possiblity of using hardware on the walls.  A beautiful decorative element, not a passing trend, studs have been showing up on the runway for several seasons.  Perhaps she owns a Valentino bag?  The feather blossom wallpaper came from a blown up pattern on a Chanel blouse Celerie saw in a magazine.  Manipulating the size, scale, and color of patterns completely changes the feeling.

We all commented that this blossom print would look gorgeous on a ceiling!

I am a fan of anyone who believes an animal print is a neutral.  I can't think of one area this wouldn't look great.  Again, Celerie thought of the shelf life of the paper collection and its flexibility of use.  Bold color or soft neutral, the texture of these grasscloths with their hand printed quality can take the place of all the geometric patterns we have been seeing over the past couple years.

Each pattern done on grasscloth has a luminosity, matte and shiny quality, is flexible, and is both happy and lighthearted.  That is the way some describe Celerie herself!




ph: Schumacher, CLI

Kips Bay Show House 2011: Part Un

 A never miss event is always the Kips Bay Show House in New York.  I am always dazzled and inspired.  This year's show house did not disappoint.  It is a privately owned home.  Usually these homes are for sale.  The former owner of this 10,000 sq. ft. neo-Federalist style mansion was John Hay "Jock" Whitney.  A charming diplomat, art connoisseur, and bon vivant.  The family of Disque D. Deane, a creative financier, owns the home presently and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mary McDonald knows how to make an entrance in her masculine meets feminine entry wrapped in lipstick red lacquer.

Turn the corner and you're met with Wayne Nathan's 80's inspired first floor stairwell.  Aakash Nihalani, a street artist, uses electrical tape as his artistic medium to create a sense of falling thru space.

My favorite room this year was by Celerie Kemble.  She gave me a lot of  "take aways".  The ceiling application is called verre eglomise.  It is painting or etching on the reverse side of mirror or glass.  Miriam Ellner did a breathtaking job creating a chinoiserie skyscape fantasy.  I only want to know, "what's going to happen to this ceiling after the show?"

The paneling is original Norfolk pine and was to remain untouched, so Kimble Interiors pulled out every trick in the book to add light and life to this already show stopping space.  A light carpet (hand stenciled sisal), fabrics, mirrored and gleaming surfaces, along with different light sources help achieve this.  Another clever little trick is the way Kimble Interiors incorporated the sconces into the frame of the painting over the fireplace.  I LOVED this touch!  Sometimes the beauty is in the details.

Matthew Patrick Smyth designed the dining room around the existing wallpaper, a graceful hand-painted silk.  It was a gift to the owners from the sister of Madame Mao.  The room was infused with a French and Asian  aesthetic.  Couture details in the drapes frame out the panels and draw attention to exquisite details.  The chandelier by Jacques Jarrige was made from a piece of brass to relate to the blowing branches in the wallpaper.

By New York standards the kitchen by Bilotta Kitchens is huge.  It even has an a joining butler's pantry!  You can never go wrong with neutral, textural and elegant.

      

The infusion of exquisite art-filled spaces was a theme in several rooms.   Richard Mishaan, a self described "art-holic", masterfully mixes well known artists' work with clean traditional lines in this 40 x 20 foot living area.  Not only did he incorporate a Fernando Botero (above the fireplace) from his personal collection, as well as a Damian Hirst series into the mix, he actually painted the two canvases on the opposite wall flanking the mirror (as opposed to the Botero which is flanked by gilt mirrors).  I loved this application of opposites.

join me upstairs in part deux ~ next time