Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Mad Men Style @ADHomeShow

Designers Rosanne Palazola and Katherine Hawkins
behind the bar at The New Traditionalists space at the
Architectural Digest Home Design Show 2012


The AMC cult classic Mad Men Season 5 premiered this past Sunday night, just as my friends and I were returning home from our road trip to New York to view the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. It appears the design industry is trending nostalgic for the simple lines of unplugged times, as mid-century modern classics were being served up in many a vignette. Below are some Draper-era sightings that I thought were pretty nifty. 



The New Traditionalists:


The New Traditionalists:



Herman Miller: dinner party



Wud Furniture Design: sleek bar storage  



USM: the modular office



CF Modern: mid-century made custom 



Jonathan Adler: mad potters print mash-up



Design Within Reach: chair classics
large and small 



Stay tuned for more of my design favorites from the show ...










Friday, March 23, 2012

Kristin Drohan Collection @TwelveChairs

John Canopy Bed from the Kristin Drohan Collection
available at Twelve Chairs in Boston

A couple of weeks ago I attended the launch of the Kristin Drohan furniture collection at Twelve Chairs design studio in Boston. The owners of Twelve Chairs, Miggy Mason and Roisin Giese, are interior designers and purveyors of sustainable furnishings. Their pretty shop, filled with organic wares, has a warm and inviting ambience. It is the perfect spot to host a party! They recently started to carry pieces from Kristins line, and the rooms were filled with guests who were invited to check them out in real life.





Each piece from the collection is made from reclaimed woods and is marked with its own “Provence.” The fabrics are extremely durable and the eco-friendly soy-based cushions have extreme bounce back (inner coils = no bootie prints on these seats!) The upholstered pieces are also quite beautiful in design, scale and proportion.


Click here to see Kristin describe the anatomy of her collection in her own words.






The Sydney Lounge Chair available at Twelve Chairs


With Kristin Drohan at Twelve Chairs launch





Kristin was featured in the summer issue of New England Finery Magazine. Shortly after, she moved with her family to Atlanta. It was so nice to meet up with her during her return visit to Boston. Read her design story here.


One of Kristins goals when I first interviewed her, was to expand the offering of her collections to a variety of showrooms and geographical markets. She recently had a very successful sale on One Kings Lane in addition to launching at Twelve Chairs. Lots of designers are finding out about her custom-build options ... I think she is well on her way!

Congratulations, Kristin, and thank you Twelve Chairs for hosting such a fun evening! Below are more pics from the party.



My friends and feature contributors to New England Finery:

 
Rosanne lounging on The Reagan Sofa at Twelve Chairs.


Dunes and Duchess: Michael Partenio and Stacy Kunstel
with designer Linda Merrill of Surroundings

FYI: Stacy is the honorary chair at this years North Shore Design Show at the Wenham Museum. Order your tickets to the Gala event now! Its always a fun time (I will be there : ) 


This Dunes and Duchess Chappy Table was stunning,
painted in a rich, charcoal blue-gray. 



The console table by the window is another
pretty piece from Dunes and Duchess.



Photographers Greg Premru and Michael Partenio



Window treatment expert Sarah Devaney-O’Neil, designer Barbara Elza Hirsch  
and Elizabeth Wilcox who works with Sarah at Storibook Designs 



Wendy from BDCs Ralph Lauren Home with Erika Johnson from Radiant Republic
and another designer seen in New England Finery Kristen Rivoli



Katie Stinchfield From House Rules (and Rue La La)
with Kate Van Geldern from DomestiKatedLife



Yours truly catching up with Kate.



With designer Julieann Covino, photographer Sarah Winchester
and her adorable new baby girl - the youngest guest on the list!





Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Art in Bloom 2012



Last week was the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield’s Annual Art in Bloom display at the Lynnfield Library. Seasoned artists from the Lynnfield Art Guild along with talented students from the Lynnfield Middle and High Schools were asked to submit their works of art to be interpreted with flowers. 




“Soaring Colors” by Alison Council

I fell in love with this collage by Lynnfield High School student, Alison Council. First, the typography combined with hand written words of inspiration really appealed to me. Second, the bird image is made up of little bits of ripped magazine pages. You know how much I love magazines! The composition of the piece impressed me and I admire its confident message.



Arrangement by Yvonne Blacker
“Soaring Colors” by Alison Council


For my arrangement, I chose mini carnations which look like crinkled pieces of paper. I found these really neat floral accessories that looked very Dr. Suess-like (the tall curled brown branches remind me of Alison’s poetic script, bright pink orbs repeat the pink of the bird, and the fragile white pods resemble eggs). I supported the flowers with a nest of feathers tucked into the tall, vintage silver vase. In order to incorporate some blue into my interpretation, I twisted a pale blue silk ribbon around the vase as one might wrap a hand-held bouquet. This arrangement was all about the container, the scale, and finding inspiration in whimsy. 




It was such a pleasure to meet the artist, Alison, on opening night. Her parents were also there, and I could tell they are very proud of her! The audience was quite lively being composed of students, their families, and those of us who have been at this Art in Bloom thing for awhile : ) I think it was one of my favorite shows because it really captured the spirit of community. 




“Life, The Universe and Everything” 
Artist Gabriel Fadel, Lynnfield High School
Arrangement by Ann Encarnacao



“Eiffel Tower” by Britt Daw, Lynnfield Art Guild
Arrangement by Laura Thomson



“Spring Blooms” by Ashley Bass
Arrangement by Chris Barbosa of Northeast Nursery



Lynnfield Middle School student Ashley Bass
discusses what inspired her painting.



“Pastorale” by Beth Aaronson, Lynnfield Art Guild
Arrangement by Bootie Stevens



“Twilight Garden” by Juhi Saxena, Lynnfield Middle School 
Arrangement by Karen Hathaway and Betsy Foley



“Happy Pandas” by Marina Maylor, Lynnfield High School 
Arrangement by Mary Schwartz




“Live Free” by Mackenzie Comeau, Lynnfield High School 
Arrangement by Paula McKeever and Debbie Caniff



“Jetty” by Britt Daw, Lynnfield Art Guild 
Arrangement by Jan Lisacki and Karen Hathaway



“Candle Light” by Shaila Desai, Lynnfield Art Guild 
Arrangement by Micki Trigilio




“Henna Design” Samantha Shapleigh, Lynnfield HS 
Arrangement by Judy Barry, Floral Designer



Judy shared a neat professional trick with us ... she created her arrangement in a shallow dish that she then balanced on top of the tall floor vase.


“Window Reflections on Rue De May”
Artist Ruth Mowder, Lynnfield Art Guild
Arrangement by Greg OBrien of Gregorys
Flower Shop and Garden Center in Wakefield



“Cat Tail” Connor Reardon, Lynnfield Middle School
Arrangement by Nadine Richie



“Sedona” by Gail Rober, Lynnfield Art Guild
Arrangement by Lisa Green, AIFD



“After the Storm” Joanne M Graham-Troy, Lynnfield Art Guild
Arrangement by Darlene Donnelly, Heritage Flowers, Lakeville



Club members Micki, Wendy, Laura, Betsy, Karen, Joan, Ann

Thank you for stopping by to visit our arrangements.
We hope you enjoyed the show!