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(Photo Source) “A snow-covered volcano” This was director Alfred Hitchcock’s description of Grace Kelly,and I love it! I couldn’t choose my favorite actress of all time,but Grace is certainly my favorite movie-star,and tops my personal list of style icons. 
(Photo by Howell Conant –Source) I suppose,like most people,I admire the package –her great beauty,her ballerina posture,her patrician way of speaking. Her full name was actually Grace Patricia Kelly –how fitting is that? She had a cool mystery,but also conveyed a warmth and…graciousness! She really was the epitome of a lady to me. 
(Photos by Howell Conant –Source) Then there is the fascination of her life story:The first act –raised in a robust,Kennedy-esque Irish-Catholic Philadelphia family (father and brother were Olympic medalists in sculling,mother was the first female coach at UPenn,father made a fortune in construction before entering into politics). The second act –becoming a Hollywood movie queen,winning an Oscar for Best Actress,starring opposite such leading men as Cary Grant,Jimmy Stewart,Frank Sinatra and Clark Gable. And the third act –leaving the silver screen while her star was shining at its brightest to become Princess of Monaco,a mother and a philanthropist. (Interesting fact:Grace’s father paid a $2 million dowry to Prince Rainier for taking her hand in marriage. Imagine that!!) 
(Photo Source) Grace had a short career,moving onto the greener pastures of Monaco at the age of 26. My favorite of her movies are undoubtedly the three by Hitchcock –Rear Window,To Catch A Thief,and Dial M for Murder. 
The reason for this post is the timeless style of Grace Kelly in her heyday. I’ve always had a thing for the 1950s,and nobody wore those fashions better than she did. From full-on Hollywood glamour,to fresh,all-American casual style,she always looked amazing. 
(Pictures Source) When I got married,I didn’t try to do a total princess thing,but there was a lot of 1950′s inspiration in there… and I was definitely channeling Grace with my choice of a mantilla veil,after having this image stuck in my mind. 
(Picture Source) In October,2007,I made a pilgrimage to New York for a special exhibit at Sotheby’s entitled ”Grace,Princess of Monaco:A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Grace Kelly”. I was pregnant with my first daughter at the time,and I had made up my mind years before that if I ever had a girl,her middle name would be Grace –for the meaning of the word,and in honor of my original girl-crush. So although my third trimester wasn’t the most ideal time to make the cross-country trek,it seemed a fitting opportunity to revel in an homage! For two afternoons in a row,I spent wonderful hours poring over a priceless trove of Grace’s dresses,accessories and jewelry,rarely seen photographs,personal correspondences with people like Hitchcock and Sinatra…even some of her childhood schoolbooks. There were also home movies and archived news clips on display,and I remember one in which she was speaking French. It was before she had lived in Europe,but she did it beautifully,naturellement! 
(Pictures Source) One of the costumes on display at the Sotheby’s exhibit was this one,from the 1956 film,High Society. It was by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose,who also designed Kelly’s spectacular wedding gown. 
(Picture Sources 1, 2,3) The Kelly Bag! Although this Hermes style had been around for a couple of decades,Grace made it iconic. She famously used it to shield her baby bump from the paparazzi when she was pregnant with her first child. Several years ago,I bought a beautiful pair of white leather gloves,and when I look at these pictures,I wish I had more occasions to wear them. Instead,I throw on an a-line skirt,maybe tie a scarf in my hair,and walk a little taller with Grace in mind. 
(Picture Sources) “I’ve had an interesting and wonderful life,and I like to think I have made it so. If I’ve had unhappy moments,I’ve probably made that so,too. We do it to ourselves.”–Grace Kelly
My Patrick Dougherty – inspired design is a bit different to my usual postings. Because of the ephemeral beauty of his installations,I’m feeling an event more than an interior. So… I WOULD LOVE TO 1. For a wedding ceremony,see an arch or a chuppah fashioned out of saplings. 
(Image Source) Now while the arch pictured above is certainly pretty,it is much more manicured than what I have in mind. I’m really imagining something more organic and wild…more in the spirit of one of Dougherty’s elaborate structures,but on a smaller scale. I can’t find a picture of it because it doesn’t exist yet. But here is a picture I took of a detail of a Dougherty installation that might convey my idea. 
From Dougherty’s Natural History Installation at Brooklyn Botanical Garden I think a botanical garden should commission Dougherty to design something suitable and let people hold their wedding ceremonies there! 2. For a wedding reception,see a Dougherty-esque sapling installation mounted to a wall (indoor or outdoor) as a dramatic backdrop to a banquet table. Dougherty has done a few installations on walls. Of course,there was the facade of the Max Azria store in Los Angeles that began my whole obsession with his work. And here are a couple more. 
Cell Division, Savannah College of Art &Design (Image Source) 
Out of the Box, North Carolina Museum of Art (Image Source) This one is actually part of the restaurant at the museum. Awesome!! 
(Image Source) I love the juxtaposition of this quite free-wheeling arrangement of saplings against the very ordered,kind of space-age look of the dining furniture. The title of the piece,Out of the Box,seems very apropos. For MY Dougherty-inspired wedding reception design,however,I want the vibe to be woodsy and organic. Here are some inspiring images I found on the web that fit my theme. 
(Image Sources:Place-cards;Invitations;Centrepiece Candles;Buffet Table) 
For a wedding or just a little dinner party,this is dreamy. (Image Source) Honestly,I could have really gone to town with all this. I just love poring over the details of weddings. But my own wedding was several years ago,and just the way I wanted it back then. Bridal magazines and web-sites are a guilty pleasure to me now. And anyway,I strongly believe that what makes a wedding gorgeous and memorable is the ways that the big and small details reflect the couple being celebrated. So without a real couple to design for,I wanted to keep this design somewhat general. Maybe I will pull this idea from my Inspiration Source Files for a vow renewal and party when my husband and I have our 20-year anniversary. I had imagined we would do something big for our 10-year anniversary,but now it’s right around the corner. It’s gone by so quickly that it doesn’t feel like the right time,and frankly,I would rather plan a fabulous vacation than a fabulous party! But perhaps an art and nature-loving bride-to-be will stumble upon my Patrick Dougherty-inspired idea,include all kinds of personal touches that make the people who know her and her groom think,“That is so THEM!”, and have a magical wedding. I would love to hear all about it. SEE MY PREVIOUS POST TO LEARN ABOUT MY INSPIRATION FOR THIS DESIGN.
Back in 2007,I was working on a couple of projects in West Hollywood that had me cruising down Melrose Ave a couple of times a day. The highlight of the drive was invariably the little stretch of road west of La Cienega past the Max Azria store. What had been done to the facade of that store was both arresting and completely delightful. Sometimes I would look for a parking spot with a good view of it,and sit and eat my lunch in my car while gazing at it and day-dreaming. 
(Photo Source) So began my obsession with the artist,Patrick Dougherty,a sculptor whose medium is saplings! “Peacock feathers”,“paisley” and “Van Gogh’s Starry Night “ –these are some of the things that I’ve read people said when describing the pattern above,and I would agree that the branches evoked all those things and more. In an interview I watched,Dougherty said that he thought a good sculpture “causes lots of personal associations in people”. For me,the Max Azria installation made me think of the English countryside where I went to boarding school. I remember how stunned I was by the landscape at certain times of the year,dotted with neatly rolled-up hay bales. It made me feel like I was looking at an Impressionist painting,come to life. This is a contemporary painting of the kind of setting I mean,(albeit one in Italy,rather than England). 
Umbria Hay Bales by Lyn Farrelly Daugherty’s installation made me imagine a landscape of hay bales,let loose by a crazy windstorm! 
(Photo Source) Although this gorgeous sheathing of willow branches is no longer there,in my memory this remains the most fantastic storefront of all time. Thankfully,Daugherty is always hard at work,installing huge,elaborate sculptures made out of sticks all over the world. 
(Photo Source) Call of the Wild at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma,Washington,2002-2003 
(Photo Source) Running In Circles at the TICKON Sculpture Park in Denmark,1996-1998 
(Photo Source) Paradise Gate at Smith College in Northampton,Massachusetts,2001 
(Photo Source) Holy Rope at the Rinjyo-in Temple in Chiba, Japan,1992-1994 
(Photo Source) Nine Lives at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus,Ohio, 2006-2007 Although Dougherty had a life-long love of nature and building things,it wasn’t until he was a grad student in his late thirties that he started sculpting out of saplings. In the thirty or so years since,he has completed over 200 installations. In an essay from Stickwork,a recent monograph of the artist’s work,Jennifer Thompson writes, “In exchange for a stipend,vehicle,lodging and meals,a stick creation is born from the site,saplings,and Dougherty’s imagination. Drawing from culture,mythology,history,science ,literature,and dreams,Dougherty creates from scratch structures that are at once willowy and robust.” The saplings that Dougherty’s uses vary,depending on whatever is being cleared locally in relation to his given site. Willow and maple are apparently very well suited to sculpture,but Dougherty has also worked with dogwood,alder,bamboo and more. Each work takes about three weeks to install,and involves a whole team of local volunteers. The installations are sturdy,but being organic,they might change with the seasons and are ultimately ephemeral. Some might be allowed to fade back into nature,while others are incorporated into actual buildings and removed after a given period. I love the way the following two “encroach” on architecture. 
(Photo Source) Easy Does It at the Hollywood Art &Culture Center in Florida, 1998 
(Photo Source) Crossing Over at the American Craft Museum in NYC,1996 I have to admire Dougherty,not only for his incredible imagination and artistic gifts,but for his apparent ability to teach and lead. It is obviously very physical work,bending these saplings to his visions. The fact that the artist continually keeps teams of unpaid,inexperienced people enthusiastically on board alongside him for three weeks at a time is a testament to the camaraderie that I imagine he fosters in his work environment. It would take not only commitment,but patience and humor. In one article I found,a woman called Patrice Sutton who worked on Dougherty’s 2009 installation, Summer Palace,at the Morris Arboretum in Pennsylvannia,described the experience of working with the artist. “He is so passionate about what he does that it became contagious. Working on this was like getting a Christmas present. You know it’s coming,but you have to wait for it.” “He has such a great method of working,it’s like no one is ever really wrong . He works with you and really makes you feel like an artist too.” Last summer,a short trip to New York had to include a visit to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to see Dougherty’s Natural History installation,which he envisioned as “lairs for feral children and wayward adults”. 
My feral child thought it was as wonderful as I did. 
Do you ever get the feeling,when you’re walking away from a piece of art,that you don’t want to leave it? Even if you’re lucky enough to be able to take pictures of it,you wish you could just be in its presence whenever you felt like it. So it was for me with Dougherty’s Natural History. Now that I look at these pictures,the installation makes me think of a herd of baby woolly mammoths,communing! If you’re curious about Patrick Dougherty’s process,there are lots of great time-lapse videos of the artist assembling his installations on his web-site and on You Tube. You can watch a short one here,showing his Diamonds In The Rough installation at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond,VA in 2011. 
(Photo Source) Diamonds In The Rough,Richmond,VA 2011 To learn more about Patrick Dougherty and his work, visit his web-site,buy his book,Stickwork,and read this wonderful 2010 profile of him from the New York Times. And stay tuned for a feature-length documentary about the artist that is in the works. I can’t wait to see it!! Dougherty’s web-site also shows the many places where his current and upcoming installations are located,because nothing could be better than seeing his work in person. I personally wish I could teleport myself over to look at what he does in Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire in France and Federation Square in Melbourne,Australia later this year! SEE MY NEXT POST FOR MY PATRICK DOUGHERTY –INSPIRED IDEAS FOR A WEDDING!
AS A DESIGNER OF INTERIORS,the Hemingway Home in Key West reminds me of what I love about Island Plantation-style design: -the architecture – expansive porches; large,shuttered windows and French doors -the architectural details –ceiling fans; glossy paint finishes on trim and porch floors -an eclectic mix of art and furniture,reflecting places travelled to and adventures had And of course,I never want to see anything too literal when it comes to a design style! The cliches surrounding this one are well-established,and can be found in less-than-stylish beach rentals the world over. If I choose a grass-cloth wall-covering,or a piece of wicker furniture,or a stack of trunks,I want it used sparingly and given a fresh spin. 
Amada Table Lamp by Orestes Suarez,Layers Rug by Campion Platt for Roubini Rugs,Vintage Book Cover (source),Panorama Pendant Light by Currey and Co.,Savannah Story papier mache Gazelle Bust by Anthropologie I WOULD LOVE TO design a fantastic vacation home in Key West. The town is full of gorgeous houses with architecture similar to the Hemingway Home. Here is a design for such a house,with homages to Key West’s most colorful character in some of the notable phases of his life throughout. My design includes papier mache animal head trophies,psychedelically-colored wood-prints,and paper and wire sculptures of horses and birds by an Australian artist that I recently became obsessed with. There is a mix of and brand-new and vintage furniture and accessories,running the gamut from exotic to Danish Modern in style. LIVING ROOM I gravitated to things that felt simple and masculine,with a feminine element worked in –like the desk with the single turned-wood leg. There are little sculptural details in wood like this throughout the house,but no flowery ornamentation.  LIVING ROOM: 1. Bullfight Poster (Contemporary),2. Sethos 1 Chandelier by Currey and Co.,3. Floor Lamp at Plantation Home,4. Lounge Chair by Carlos Motta,5. Eames Stools at Vitra,6. Desk by Carlos Motta,7. 2077 Vitrinskap (1946) by Josef Frank,8,. Axis Sofa in Flax by Crate &Barrel,9. Coralshade Fabric (for sofa pillows) by Katerina Tana,10. Bingham Chair and Folding Stool by Palacek,11. Monarch Coffee Table by Anthropologie,12. Lamp at Jayson Home,13. Chevron Ginger Jar at Jayson Home,14. Bullfight Poster (Vintage 1950s),15. Contour Vintage Chair by Vladmir Kagan,16. Metropolitan Faceted Side Table by Plantation Home,17. Night Mare Paper Sculpture by Anna Wili Highfield
DINING ROOM This being Hemingway –inspired,I had to have a bar-cart,and some bull-fight poster art. 
DINING ROOM: 1. Bullfight Poster (Contemporary),2. Pendant Lights by Jeremy Pyles at Niche Modern,3. Vintage Tramp Art Mirror at Jayson Home 4. Walnut Dining Table at Twentieth,5. Cantu Dining Chairs at Twentieth,6. Lotus Bleu Mirror in Persimmon by Casamidy,7. Bar Cart at Velocity,8. Vintage Ice Bucket and Seltzer Bottle at Jayson Home,9. Bird in a Bell Jar Paper Sculpture by Anna Wili Highfield,10. Caceres Rug by Oscar De La Renta,11. Cadeira Chair by Carlos Motta,12. Kyoto Shelves by Anthropologie,13. Dancing Horse Copper Pipe Sculpture by Anna Wili Highfield GIRLS’BEDROOM I designed this one with my nieces in mind. Bella is 9 and Asia is 5,and between the hanging beds and the trippy animal imagery,I think this room would stir their vivid imaginations!  GIRLS’BEDROOM: 1.( Background) Bois Rug by Jamie Drake for Roubini,2. Moorish Chest at Wisteria,3. Capiz Chandeliers by PB Teen,4. Bertram Crewelwork Chair by Anthropologie,5. Papier mache Bugs by Jennifer Khoshbin,6. Barnwood Hanging Bed by Anthropologie,7. Cirrus Sheet Set in Coral by Anthrolpologie,8. Fauna Pillows at Velocity,9. Havana Stool in Lime by Serena &Lily,10. Side Table with Leather Tray in Lime Green by Linley,11. Papier mache Rhino by Jennifer Khoshbin,12. Beckett Desk by Serena &Lily,13. Junior Panton Chair by Vitra at Velocity,14. Havana Stool in Mango by Serena &Lily,15. Dream Menagerie Round Rug by Anthropologie.
MASTER BEDROOM I thought Hemingway would appreciate a luxe bed for a couple of his polydactyl cats! This room has touches of glamour (that pendant light) and romance (that dreamy canopy bed). 
MASTER BEDROOM: 1. Edison Floor Lamp at Plantation Home,2. 1950s CH25 Easy Chair by Hans Wegner,3. Cochin Cubes by Roost at Velocity,4. Vintage Silver Tray at Jayson Home,5. Trace 1011 Glass Pyrograph on Paper by Etsuko Ichikawa (Original) at Anthropologie,6. Portico Pendant Light by Currey &Co,7. Vintage Suzani Bedspread at Jayson Home,8. Vintage Oushak Rug at Jayson Home,9. Dog Pod byVurv Design,10. Walnut Canopy Bed by Trace Furniture,11. Bubbled Table Lamp at Anthropologie,12. Brigitta Side Table at Anthropologie,13. Standing Mirror,14. Ivory Etched Dresser at Anthropologie,15. Horse in a Timber Box Paper Sculpture by Anna Wili Highfield,16. Peacock Pastel &Ink on Wood by Shelley Hesse (Original) at Anthropologie
(Illustration by Matthew James Taylor,source) You might reasonably assume that since I am choosing Ernest Hemingway as a source of inspiration here,I am a huge fan of his writing. Not so much! I read A Farewell To Arms back in high school,and I guess his signature writing style wasn’t really for me. It doesn’t matter,because I think Hemingway’s life was interesting enough for 10 writers. 
(Photo sources: left,right) I might have been more engaged by A Farewell To Arms if I had known that this story of a wounded soldier’s love affair with an army nurse was based on Hemingway’s own experience,and this is what he looked like at the time. A handsome devil,wasn’t he? 
(Photo sources: left,top,bottom) The inspiration I find in Hemingway comes from what I’ve read about the life he lived,combining a relentless passion for travel and adventure and interesting people with a serious commitment to his work -which was of course his artistry. One of my favorite coffee table books of all time is Hemingway And His World,by A.E. Hotchner. (Out of print now,but there are a few used copies on Amazon). It’s a good thing I’m married to somebody who likes Hemingway’s writing. Otherwise,I never would have bought this book for him and taken the time to look at it all myself. 
I just love the way it’s laid out,telling the story of Hemingway’s life while putting his literary works in the contexts of the cultures around him. The visuals are scrapbook-style ephemera –photographs,poster art,vintage book covers,ticket stubs and such. They work perfectly for such a colorful life. 
Hemingway in Paris in the 1920s (photo source) Now if I could time travel for a day,this is where I would go. (My grandfather went to art school in Paris in this era. I wonder if he wore a beret? I wish he were here to tell me anything about his life and times there.) 
Hemingway in Ketchum (photo source) Hemingway and his World is a little moveable feast of the author’s life,told by a close friend and journalist who had the privilege of touring Hemingway’s old stomping grounds with the man himself,hearing the stories first-hand. The book takes us through Hemingway’s childhood in the suburbs of turn-of-the-century Chicago,his heroic service in Italy during WWI,his so-called “Lost Generation” years in Paris in the 1920’s,his times in Spain,Africa,Cuba,Key West,Idaho and more. If you want to read about Hemingway’s depressive alcoholic side,pick up a proper biography of the writer. This book is a complete tribute to him! There are the most fabulous anecdotes about Hemingway’s encounters and friendships with some of his notable contemporaries. From Josephine Baker to Pablo Picasso to Gary Cooper,the writer hung out with fascinating figures from all areas of the arts. 
(photo source) One of my favorite parts of this book is titled The Kraut – Hemingway’s nickname for silver screen goddess Marlene Dietrich. The two shared a deep and surprisingly platonic friendship for 27 years. They were quite intimate in their letters to each-other,and the unconsummated romance is captivating. Hemingway said to Hotchner, “The thing about the Kraut and me is that we have been in love since 1934,when we first met on the Île de France,but we’ve never been to bed. Amazing but true. Victims of unsynchronized passion.” This is something Dietrich told Hotchner about Hemingway…. “Ernest found the time to do the things most men only dream about. He had the courage,the initiative,the time,the enjoyment,to travel,to digest it all,to write,to create it,in a sense. He once said he never left a place except reluctantly,and I believe him. There was in him a sort of quiet rotation of seasons,with each of them passing overland and then going underground and re-emerging in a kind of rhythm,refreshed and full of renewed vigor. He was gentle,as all real men are gentle;without tenderness,a man is uninteresting. Ernest Hemingway was the most positive life force I have ever encountered. I hate anything negative,and I hate waste. In Hemingway,nothing was wasted.” I don’t know about you,but that all just makes me want to get up and go and take a big bite out of life somehow! 
Pretty December evening light in Key West,2009 A couple of years ago,I spent a long weekend in Key West,FLA. This is where Hemingway lived between 1928 and 1940 with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer,and their two young sons. He loved the place,once saying, “It’s the best place I’ve ever been anytime,anywhere,flowers,tamarind trees,guava trees,coconut palms…Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks.”(Source) I too adored Key West,where I may have gotten tight on mojitos and visited Hemingway’s house. 
(photo source) I adore plantation-style houses! The very idea of them,with their expansive porches,their shutters,their glossily-painted wood,their breeziness and their light makes me think of being anywhere balmy,near the beach,living the good life. Continue reading “INSPIRATION:Ernest Hemingway,Plantation-Style Design and Exotic Adventures in Faraway Lands”
Louis Kahn under his Yale Gallery ceiling,and the building’s staircase –triangles within a cylinder (Photos source) AS A DESIGNER OF INTERIORS,building such as Kahn’s Art Gallery and the Beinecke Library at Yale remind me of - my affinity for geometry in design,especially the multi-dimensional treatment of it seen in Kahn’s ceiling and the Beinecke’s marble and granite wall of “windows” - my appreciation of a mix of design styles and how refreshing it can be to make it all work together,in a room as much as on a whole college campus I WOULD LOVE TO 1. Design a ceiling installation for a public space such as a hotel lobby or restaurant,inspired by Khan’s concrete tetrahedron ceiling at Yale Gallery. With a nod to the visual rhythm of the tetrahedrons and my love of geometry found in nature,I would design a “honey-comb” ceiling… 
…Fabricated in 3-Form,an eco-friendly,translucent resin material that you can customize in a million different ways,including color,thickness and finish. (Honey-comb) I would order largely scaled,three-dimensional honey-comb “grids” of sanded 3-form,then have them mounted onto big,rectangular sheets of glossy 3-form. Unobtrusive little lights would be worked into the grids (3-form has a whole lighting team that could figure that out),and the overall effect would evoke dripping honey-comb! I can see these rectangular “light-boxes” joined up in a big rectangle and embedded flush into a concrete ceiling. The size of the whole installation would depend on the size of room (and let’s face it,the budget!). 2. Design the interiors for a Brutalist space. 
Paintings by Isabel Bigelow (Yellow Source) ( Red Source), Screen by Blackman Cruz (Source) I’m thinking of a light-filled but raw loft space that would make for a cool residential apartment. It would be a showplace for some fantastic contemporary art –pieces that would evoke nature and the outdoors to balance out the industrial feel of the architecture. I would warm it up with wood floors,eclectic furniture,and softly textured rugs and upholstery. The lighting fixtures would have a stripped-down character,but still be very elegant. 
DINING AREA Light Sculpture by John Wigmore (source),Drawing for The Gates by Christo &Jean-Claude (source) ,Pair of Antique Indian Clubs at Blackman Cruz (source) , Farol Chandelier at Plug Lighting (source) ,Photograph by Alex Prager (source) , 111Navy Dining Chair in Persimmon by Design Within Reach (source) , Big Sur Natural Dining Table by Crate &Barrel (source) , Zen Cabinet by Room &Board (source) 
LIVING AREA Untitled 2001Painting by Dan Korty (source) , Scripted Chandelier by Alison Berger (source) , Petunia Orgy Photograph by Christopher Beane (source) ,Sconce by Alison Berger (source) , Maxwell Sectional Sofa by Restoration Hardware (source) , Elina Lamp by Orestes Suarez (source), Hal Side Tables by Twentieth (source) , Constellation Rug by Laura Kirar for Baker (source) ,Coffee Table &Armchairs by Jens Risom at Ralph Pucci (source) 
Bedroom Area US Mixed Media by Ed Ruscha (Source), Mimosa Painting by Donald Sultan (Source), Wyatt Leather Bed by Room &Board (Source), Stria Dresser by West Elm (Source), Eco Rug by Mansour Modern (Source), Turned Lamp by West Elm (Source), DevonBedside Table by Pottery Barn (Source)
(Photo Source) Somewhere around the beginning of design school,I learned that one sort of architecture that I had always thought of as bleak and non-descript had a name: Brutalism. I found it such an apt moniker for the rough,boxy,colorless (and in my estimation,joyless) design I associated with housing projects and ugly office towers. I looked upon those buildings,with their unadorned masses of concrete and steel and glass,as utilitarian at best. Well,what did I know? I delved deeper,and learned about one of my favorite ever works of architecture,the main building of Yale University’s Art Gallery by architect Louis Khan. Clearly,brutal can be beautiful! Brutalism gained considerable momentum in the United Kingdom during the mid twentieth century,as economically depressed (and World War II-ravaged) communities sought inexpensive construction and design methods for low-cost housing,shopping centres,and government buildings. Nonetheless,many architects chose the Brutalist style even when they had large budgets,as they appreciated the ‘honesty’,the sculptural qualities,and perhaps,the uncompromising,anti-bourgeois,nature of the style. (Wikipedia) 
Main Entrance Façade (photo source) - This has been described as Khan’s Brutalist gesture –a fairly plain concrete block wall. What sets it apart from the look of a prison to me is the simple ornamentation of those horizontal bands of brick (which denote the positioning of the building’s five floors),and the quiet visual rhythm of the windows above the entrance. It may appear mundane in the context of buildings we see everywhere today,but imagine how radical and edgy this looked in 1953,surrounded by so much of Yale’s Gothic Revival and Neo-classical architecture. 
North &West Façades (photo source) – Cue the celestial music! These curtain walls make for the perfect art gallery,in my opinion. They bring plenty of natural light to the space,and the visual lightness of glass and aluminum* balances out all the heavy concrete. (*The original structure was steel,rather than aluminum. In a 2006 renovation by Polshek Partnership Architects,some unfortunate modifications to Khan’s 1953 design were eliminated at the same time as the whole gallery was brought up to optimum modern building standards –hence aluminum instead of steel.) 
(Photo Source) Here we have this building’s show-stopper. These webs of hollow concrete tetrahedrons floating above the lobby and galleries bring pattern and a play of shadow and light to the spaces. At the same time,the large scale and abundance of light on each floor allows the eye to rest on the artworks. It’s a beautiful balance. 
(Photo Source) Oak floors are a departure from the Brutalist aesthetic. They bring more warmth –and more pleasing acoustics –to the space than a concrete floor. 
(Photo Source) I made a trip to Yale a few years ago to visit a friend,and Khan’s tetrahedron ceiling didn’t disappoint in person. The real surprise was the collection at the Yale Gallery. Seriously,if you’re into art,you have to take a little trip to New Haven sometime. The collection at this gallery is world-class,and covers you lovers of everything from Modern to African to Asian art. I was so consumed by the display in the Contemporary wing that I only got to glide through some of the rest of the museum on my way out. But what I saw was varied and very impressive. Additionally,Yale has another entire gallery dedicated to British art (the largest anywhere outside of the U.K),a natural history museum,and a renowned collection of musical instruments. AND IT’S ALL FREE!! As if I hadn’t had enough beauty and inspiration for one weekend,on my wander around the Yale campus,I kept running into more. There is an array of installations by some big names in modern art scattered around the place. Here are a few of my favorites,and a link to a site about all the public art at Yale. 
- Alexander Calder’s Gallows and Lollipops,1960
- Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head,1974/1989
- Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Education (Chittenden Memorial Window),1889-90
- Claes Oldenburg’s Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks,1969-74 (great story behind this one,see the site)
I also have to mention the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (George Bunshaft,Architect,1963),memorable for its incredible marble “windows”,and the way it stands out in a quadrangle of neo-Classic and neo- Gothic buildings. 
(Quote source,above) AS A DESIGNER OF INTERIORS,building such as Kahn’s Art Gallery and the Beinecke Library at Yale remind me of - my affinity for geometry in design,especially the multi-dimensional treatment of it seen in Kahn’s ceiling and the Beinecke’s marble and granite wall of “windows” - my appreciation of a mix of design styles and how refreshing it can be to make it all work together,in a room as much as on a whole college campus SEE MY NEXT POST FOR MY OWN INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS INSPIRED BY THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE AT YALE!
Pink Balls Montreal,Canada 2011 (Pedestrian shopping mall) AS A DESIGNER OF INTERIORS, Cormier’s installations remind me of -the impact of one bright color used extensively against a natural or color-neutral back-drop -how interesting simple forms (such as balls or umbrellas) can become when done in multiples -the importance of a sense of play in design!! Looking at Cormier’s work makes me feel braver about going to the things that make me smile in my own work. I WOULD LOVE TO pull together a few interior design ideas evocative of the Blue Tree’s mix of artificial and natural elements… 
Cormier Images 1. The large-scale cherry-blossoms from Swiss photographer Thomas Flechtner’s Sakura series, mounted on frameless plexi-glass light boxes. Luminous and luscious!! (Link)  2. A whole bunch of David Weeks’ Boi sconces,scattered out on a wall like this (props to David Howell Design for this fabulous interior)…
…EXCEPT I would have all the sconces custom powder-coated in a robin’s egg blue finish. I would ask the powder-coater to color -match Fine Paints of Europe 176-AR17,as seen on the dresser below (via Apt Therapy). I would install them on a feature wall covered with something earthy and textured,like grass-cloth or hemp. I like Phillip Jeffries’ Manila Hemp in Khaki . Can you picture the scones like this over a buffet in a dining room? 
1. Nature’s inspiration; 2. The sconce; 3. The wallcovering; 4. The color of paint to be powder-coated onto the sconce. 3. A few of these brightly colored Stump Stool / Accent Tables by Stray Dog Designs scattered around a sisal rug would have a similar effect. Instant art installation! How cute would this be for a play-room or children’s library? I’m partial to the kicky yet soothing Bahama Sea Blue paint finish,but you can choose from several good low-VOC colors. These are hand-made of papier mache and recycled materials in Haiti. 
Finally,if you don’t have the budget for all this fine art and custom design,you could 4. Paint a room or accent wall a bright blue color in a lacquer finish ,and hang one –or several –of these bamboo dry-erase boards from CB2 in an office or kitchen. I love that they are frameless,and what an improvement on the standard white ones,which always give me dorm-room flashbacks in a bad way.(paint image) 
I will be sharing a new design inspiration,and my ideas that go with it,every month,so please visit again…Thanks for looking at my first post!
Look at this beauty! This once quietly majestic tree was afflicted with a terrible tree-killing disease and on its way to being felled. In its final act,along came Canadian landscape architect Claude Cormier to give it the grandest send-off a tree has ever had by adorning it with 75,000 plastic Christmas ornaments. 
This was executed by two men in a cherry-picker and one man on a step-ladder over 9 days. 
What could be better than a big open sky and the rolling hills of Sonoma as a backdrop for this work of art? 
Over time,the tree succumbed to its disease. Au Revoir,Blue Tree! The Blue Tree existed between 2004 and 2007 at the Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. The place is open year-round and conveniently located just outside of Napa (my favorite weekend getaway place,and yet another reason for me to love this tree!). Even though the installation is no longer there,I highly recommend a visit to Cornerstone if you like this sort of thing. There are 19 other installations at the moment,and I especially like the ones by Topher Delaney and Pamela Burton. You can have lunch and do some wine-tasting right there before you wonder around,and the setting makes for cool photo opps if the mood strikes. (All very handy for coaxing out traveling companions who might not be excited about looking at outdoor art installations with you! )
Continue reading “INSPIRATION:Claude Cormier’s Blue Tree in Sonoma,California”
| Hello art and design-lovers! I’m Natasha Jansz,an interior designer based in Los Angeles. I hope you enjoy your visit to my virtual file cabinet. This is kind of like the well I go to for ideas - the stuff that quickens my pulse and fires up my imagination. It’s a mix of recently discovered passions and things I’ve seen a long time ago that still enthrall me. It features artists I really admire. I would love to hear your thoughts on any of it,so please do leave a comment or send me a note if you feel like it. natashajanszdesign at gmail.com (use the @ symbol,of course,just trying to avoid spam here) My professional website is natashajanszdesign.com |
