Valentine's day is just around the corner, but here at H&H we're busy planning the May issue — hooray for spring! — which is one of my favourites of the year. Its indoor-outdoor living theme is the mandate of my dream home, which I imagine having fold-away glass walls, vases full of flowering branches and scads of natural light. It would also be filled with beautiful furniture, which brings me to legendary Danish architect Finn Juhl.
A little history: Last Monday, January 30th, would have been Juhl's 100th birthday, and in preparation for his centennial, his home in Denmark was recently restored and opened to the public in September as part of the Ordrupgaard Museum. (The museum also hired architect Zaha Hadid in 2005 to give it a futuristic extension. Yep, I want to go to there.)
The house, which Juhl designed as a young architect in 1942, looks almost exactly as it did when he died a celebrated pioneer of the Danish modern movement in 1989. Shaped like an L, the home's two ends are joined by an entrance hall that opens onto the garden — just like in my dream home! In fact, no matter where you are in the house, there's always a view to the garden, and the ceilings are painted a pale yellow that gives the rooms a warm sunny glow.
The furniture — mostly designed by Juhl himself — is organic in shape, with soft inviting curves. One chair (pictured above right) is called the Pelican, but I think it looks like a brilliant spring bloom.
A few years ago, the only way you could get your hands on Juhl's furniture was to luck into it at an auction or stumble across it on eBay. It had been out of production for decades and was increasingly scarce. Then Juhl's widow asked Denmark's OneCollection to reproduce a piece for her. One thing led to another, and now Juhl's designs are once again being made (available through Design Within Reach in Canada).
And the lovin' is growing: to celebrate Juhl's 100th, a 1:1 copy of his house was built in Gifu, Japan by the Finn Juhl Art Museum Club (Juhl is big in Japan.) This year will also see the restoration of the Trusteeship Council Chamber in the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which Juhl designed in the 1950s. Click here to see archive photos and a video of the on-going restoration. If my Valentine is smart, he's already plotting a pilgrimage for next year, when the space is completed. In the meantime, I'll keep planning my dream home, with its lush garden views and a Poet sofa in a cosy corner.
For more mid-century furniture pieces, browse our Iconic Furniture gallery.
Photo credits:
1, 3a, 4a. Ordrupgaard Museum
2. Poet Sofa, Design Within Reach
3b. Finn Juhl Art Museum Club
4b. Pelican Chair, Design Within Reach
5. Baker Sofa in Fabric A, Design Within Reach
6a. Chieftains Chair, Design Within Reach
6b. Eye Table, Design Within Reach
Almost a year ago today, I blogged about visiting the BDDW showroom in New York and discovered that the designers there were up to something rather unexpected: making bows and arrows.
I ended the post by predicting, "Don't be surprised if their wild west inspiration proves just as influential as their furniture designs. Navajo-print pillows anyone?" And almost immediately I started to notice First Nations-inspired design moments everywhere. Now, I'm ready to declare the look is a full-blown trend.
For the Proenza Schouler fall/winter 2011 collection, fashion designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez took pattern inspiration from Native American blankets they picked up on a road trip from Santa Fe to Wyoming. The collection, which reworked the prints for a contemporary look, was a critical hit, with Vogue's Hamish Bowles declaring it "a modern approach to couture — thoughtful, inventive, and desirable." The same can be said of the look at home if the approach is similarly modern.
Arrows in particular have emerged as a hip accent. Whether it's childhood nostalgia for summer camp days spent trying to hit a bull's-eye or the artisanal appeal of arrows and their colourful feather tips, stylemakers are eagerly exploring their decorative potential. In Blu Dot's Soho shop in New York, two arrows that echo (or inspired?) the colours of the Cant desk topped the walnut work surface during last spring's design week.
Fuzzco, a branding agency in South Carolina, recently designed new offices that they describe as "functional sculpture." A boardroom features a salvaged wood wall and two arrows that playfully shoot into the concrete floor.
And Partners & Spade, a knowing arbiter of all things cool (the studio/shop, located in New York's NoHo design district, is co-owned by Andy Spade, the husband half of Kate Spade), recently featured an installation of arrows among its artful objects.
When you have your own arrows in hand, a theme song might be just the thing to further spark some inspiration. In which case, cue up "Arrow" from the Sainthood album by Canadian indie band Tegan and Sara, and start redecorating.
For Suzanne Dimma's favourite Navajo-inspired accent, read her blog post.
Photo credits:
1, 3, 5. Kimberley Brown
2. Proenza Schouler fall/winter 2011 collection
4. Fuzzco offices via Remodelista blog
I regularly pop into Toronto café and design shop La Merceria to sip a yummy cup of caffeine and chat up owner Sandra Rojas-Chinni. Sandra has amazing style and is a trend forecaster for retailers like The Bay, so I like to pick her brain often about what's catching her eye. When I popped in recently, all she could talk about was the new look Club Monaco is giving its stores. Sandra worked for the Club waaaaay back when, so she knows the brand well. "It lost its way for awhile," she noted, "but this new direction is perfect."
When I popped by Toronto's Bloor Street store, I understood her enthusiasm. The clothes were nice — I remember fondling a cashmere sweater — but I was far more interested in the decorating. Right from the double door entrance, you feel like you're walking into the fabulous apartment of a fabulous friend — who has so many clothes, she's devoted her whole home to them. The walls on the main floor are painted creamy white and given architectural interest with added mouldings for an old world feel. A showstopping chandelier at the entrance complements the hinged brass task lights that are mounted above the displays and cast a warm glow that dominates those unforgiving overhead lights (shudder). Instead of boring floating shelves, tall weathered-wood wardrobes fitted with glass doors were filled with seasonal woolens.
But it was the men's department on the lower level and pictured here that I found most inspiring.
If I were a bachelor, I'd be shopping for ideas as well as pants.
Warm grey walls covered in art, tons of books, rustic wood tables, filing cabinets refashioned as dresser drawers, vintage task lights — oh so masculine, but a look women love, too.
I would happily help my fellow update his wardrobe here. (A task we both dread.)
And since we're in the midst of updating his apartment, I made a million mental notes, like how these vintage wooden shipping crates fitted with castors would be ideal as extra storage under his bed. I hope you're equally inspired.
For more of what inspires me, follow me on Twitter @kkb416.
Photo credits:
1-8. Club Monaco
I love getting good news, but I enjoy sharing it even more. So, here ye! Here ye! The fashionable Kate Spade label has declared 2012 the year of pattern and in a reversal of the runway to room trend, are turning Australian design legend Florence Broadhurst's groundbreaking wallpaper prints into pretty dresses, skirts, bags and more. Hurrah!
A bit of background: After being out of circulation for nearly 20 years, Broadhurst's prints were launched in North America in 2004. But interest in Broadhurst truly surged after Chronicle Books published Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives in 2007, which explores the designer's extraordinary life up to her unsolved murder in 1977. Today, her prints are offered as fabric, wallpaper, rugs, art — Gwyneth Paltrow made the cover of House & Garden magazine (RIP) sitting on an ottoman covered in Broadhurst's Circles & Squares. I also blogged about new Broadhurst rug designs here.
Kate Spade has reportedly acquired 12 prints in total. Three were featured in the spring collection: Japanese Floral (shown, above, on models, as luggage and on Kate Spade creative director Deborah Lloyd), Floral and a geometric hexagon pattern.
The remaining nine patterns will be rolled out throughout 2012 in both their clothing and home collections, including china, bedding and stationery. Ooh la la.
For more fashion and room inspiration, enjoy our Runway To Rooms photo gallery.
Photo credits:
1a, 3a, 3b, 4a. Runway shots via Kate Spade on Facebook
1b. Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives (2007 Chronicle Books)
2a. Olive & Joy blog
2b. Florence Broadhurst's Circles & Squares FBF-H31
4b, 5. Kate Spade's Behind the Curtain blog
Be it food or furniture, juicy mouthwatering colours add sustenance and style to everyday dining. I like my colours served up on the dining chairs that circle a table — sometimes in a rainbow of shades all mixed together, sometimes as a single pop of a bright hue. It's a great way to break up a matching set or bring an edgier feel to a traditional room.
U.K. design legend Terence Conran believed that, "The setting for a meal should be as joyous as the sharing of it." Seating in a cheerful palette of primary red, yellow and blue instantly lifts the mood of this mainly white room without overwhelming it. The classic scheme also gives the mix-and-match assortment a cohesive look.
Decorating with a trio of colours is a tried-and-true recipe for chic results. In this sophisticated white and pale grey space, chairs painted a sunny shade of goldenrod can be painted a new accent colour with little fuss.
L.A. designer Kelly Wearstler is known for her irreverent mix of colours and styles. At the Eos restaurant in the Viceroy hotel in Miami, she used bold orange chairs, marble floors and burnished brass accents to impart a sexy downtown vibe.
Former Elle Decor editor-turned-designer Ilse Crawford punches up her own dining room's dark velvety walls, old world herringbone hardwood and trad-ish white table with mid-century modern chairs in pretty pastels and preppy kelly green.
Hot pink is unapologetically pretty — and a perfect foil for a minimalist modern loft.
Suppliers, designers and retailers are encouraging the look by issuing classic chairs in hot new hues. Last year, to mark the 60th anniversary of Danish designer Hans Wegner's coveted Wishbone chair, the company that makes them, Carl Hansen & Son, released the design in 12 new colours. Toronto architecture firm AKB, chose the fiery red to give a modern chalet in Collingwood, Ontario a little sizzle. Mission accomplished.
For more inspiration, see our Inviting Dining Rooms photo gallery.
Photo credits:
1. Decora Tu Alma blog
2. The Detailed Designer blog
3. Viceroy Hotels & Resorts
4. Ilse Crawford's home, photography by Magnus Marding
5. Ant chairs by Arne Jacobsen, Fritz Hansen
6. Maison Glissade home in Collingwood, AKB
Around the same time Jeff Bridges took home an Oscar for his role in True Grit, Rodarte sent models down the runway in long prairie coats and flowing dresses printed with a wheat sheaf hem for fall 2011.
How timely.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, I can't help but be inspired. A symbol of abundance and respect for mother earth, the wheat sheaf is the perfect motif for fall decorating — whether or not you live on the plains or the prairies. And with warm metals still heating up stylish homes across the country, it's an elegant way to introduce a few gleaming hits of gold.
Coco Chanel introduced the wheat motif in her celebrated home at 31 rue Cambon in Paris as the base of a glass-topped coffee table (left). I spotted a similar one on 1stdibs.com, though I'm sure it's probably pricey.
More in my price bracket is this mid-century candelabrum offered by Object of Beauty on Etsy.
For something less permanent, top a table with a flared wheat sheaf tied together with a wide ribbon. My former colleague Michael Penney styled this one for the Fall Ablaze story in the October 2011 issue of H&H. Check it out for more great ideas on readying rooms for fall.
Lastly, I have my eye on this beautiful bracelet by Aurelie Biderman. It would look so beautiful with those Rodarte dresses. A girl can dream...
For more inspiration, see our Fall Decorating Ideas photo gallery.
Photo credits:
1. Style.com, photography by Monica Feudi
2a. Skimbaco Home
2a. 1stdibs.com
3. Etsy
4. House & Home October 2011 issue, photography by Janet Kimber
5. Aurelie Biderman
