Reinventions of original designs for modern wallpapers

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Fornasetti the man, the artist, and the atelier are all pervasively synonymous with the legacy of Piero Fornasetti. A Milanese painter, sculptor, interior decorator, engraver of books, and creator of more than 11,000 products, he was yet another great impresario of Italian design and wit. Fornasetti’s production of objects and furniture was one of the largest of the 20th century. Even today, under the leadership of his son Barnaba, the firm is thriving and ever-growing with the introduction of many re-inventions all referenced through the vast archives available to him.

By Anthony Costa

May 18, 2013

Fashion

1 Comment

Fashion: Does Size Really Matter?

Thought on Abercrombie & Fitch's latest PR debacle

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This week Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO Mike Jefferies was quoted in the press with some truly idiotic statements about his company’s sizing parameters for women. Couple that news with the June issue of Vogue (which just dropped) featuring the voluptuous Kate Upton on the cover and I decided to write this post about how the real American woman feels about her size.

I have worked in retail, wholesale, and as a fashion buyer – and have always encouraged the companies I have worked for to purchase on a higher sizing arc due to the fact that 80% of the population of woman are above a size 8 – with an average at a size 14.

I have met thousands of very extremely fashionable woman in my life of all shapes and sizes, and unless health is an issue I would never conceive of criticizing any of them. So with that being said I asked a few of my good friends and family members to chime-in on Jefferies’s statements, and to tell me about the retailers who they feel support the average sized woman.

By Carl Lana

May 14, 2013

Design

Design: An Evolution Of Style Continued

Angelo Donghia, designer of interiors and so much more

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As an interior designer, Angelo Donghia was the first in so many aspects of interior design. His professional history is vivid and emblematic, and unlike anyone before him, he built his business in a manner unheard of for an interior designer.

By CJDellatore

May 13, 2013

Business, Design, Technology

2 Comments

Business & Design: Rounded Corners

The Riad brothers continue Fortuny's legacy of innovation

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Mariano Fortuny left behind a legacy of creative innovation when he died in 1949, having been a painter, a lighting designer, a fashion designer, and textile designer. The richly pigmented cotton fabrics he designed and produced for home furnishings are still sought after by members of the interior design community today as symbols of true luxury.

Fortuny is now owned by Mickey and Maury Riad, who continue the legacy by regularly introducing new fabrics in new colorways, and by representing new products they feel compliment the firm’s aesthetic. But they have expanded Fortuny’s spirit of creative innovation into the digital age by pioneering the creation of Rounded Corners, and online application which affords both interior designers and showrooms alike the possibility of having their work available via a dedicated, personalized app on iPhones and iPads.

I met with Maury Riad upon his return from the Leaders of Design Council meeting in Berlin earlier this year to talk about Rounded Corners, and asked several questions about the software’s service.

By CJDellatore

May 10, 2013

Design

8 Comments

Master Class: Robert Couturier

Thoughts on the state of contemporary interior design

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I’ve been incredibly lucky working in the interior design industry, and have had the opportunity to meet many talented people. But I’d never had the pleasure of meeting Robert Couturier, until last week.

We’ve long been Facebook friends, and here on the blog we humbly count him among our readers. I messaged him and asked if he might be interested in an interview – he agreed and graciously invited me for an afternoon chat. We talked about the ups and downs of decorating in the age of the internet, about how 1st Dibs has impacted the industry, and about his favorite contemporary architects. He also shared some images that represent the scope of his formidable portfolio.

By Carl Lana

May 9, 2013

Design

5 Comments

41st Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2013

Highlights and Impressions

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This year’s Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Decorator Show House features 18 interior designers who have spread their creative wings and have something to tell us about how they envision design in the present day. From the understated elegance of the English style to a Vasarely-esque tableau, these 18 are making their statements via art, historic reference, classic appointments, and color.

By Carl Lana

May 7, 2013

Design

At The Newsstand: May 2013

5 interiors, 5 products, 15 resources

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The merry month of May is here and the life is good in the world of interior design. Fresh ideas are cropping up as abundantly as the weeds in my new garden (having moved to the country recently).

As promised, every month I peruse my stack of shelter magazines to find what’s exciting, inspiring and news worthy for our readers. This month I was looking for unusual items to focus on. I hope you find them helpful. As always, with each showcased furnishing or accessory I provide three resources to help you in your search for similar things.

Let’s get to it.

By CJDellatore

May 6, 2013

Business, Technology

3 Comments

Business & Design: Business Plans

Insight and resources to help you launch your company

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You may remember the post I wrote about business branding several months ago in which I touched on the concept of a business plan. I have started and operated 3 businesses, and have found business plans invaluable in charting a course for each of them.

Over the last 6 months Carl Lana (who has himself started several businesses) and I have been working on establishing a new venture - which will launch later this year – and have been busy preparing our business plan. I’d like to share some of the basic reasons we believe you need one to establish your company, and 4 online resources we’ve discovered that have proven to be invaluable.

By Anthony Costa

May 4, 2013

Fashion

1 Comment

Fashion: Matin Maulawizada and Afghan Hands

A celebrated make-up artist and his philanthopic foundation

Angelina Jolie

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While I was researching another story for my post this week I came across a most impressive portfolio from a celebrated makeup artist named Matin Maulawizada. I was instantly intrigued, so I called his agency, Timothy Priano, to find out more information.

It turns out he’s not only a very established artist, he is also the Global Artistry Director and Brand Ambassador for Laura Mercier cosmetics. His list of celebrity clients reads like a roll call of the Academy Awards red carpet. But that was not what interested me the most about Matin (he uses only his first name professionally), it was his philanthropic work with a foundation that he started called Afghan Hands.

Matin graciously agreed to talk with me by phone earlier this week. I’d like to share the Q&A.

By CJDellatore

May 2, 2013

Design

The New Guard: Kati Curtis

At the crossroads of technical prowess & refined taste

Photo courtesy Gregory Holm

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Several weeks ago my young friend Dustin O’Neal brought Kati Curtis of Kati Curtis Design‘s work to my attention. In ‘The New Guard’ we feature designers who’ve been in business for themselves somewhere around 10 years or less, and whose talent we feel exemplifies the best of interior design today. Kati certainly fits the bill.

I contacted her last week, and asked her to join me for coffee. We spent an engaging hour chatting about design (honestly I ended up feeilng like we’ve know each other for decades), about her successful career in contract design, and about how she brings a mastery of mechanical knowledge to her stylish residential interiors. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.