Chic sheeps by Lalanne

In the 60’s, French husband-and-wife artists François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne made these famous “moutons de laine”, bronze-and-wool sheep. I can’t resist the whimsy and how elegantly they are forgetful of the boundaries between fine and decorative art.

Certainly a reminder that art doesn’t have to only be admired on a wall from afar. 

These sheep have been featured in the most prestigious art and design publications, and owned by fashion personalities such as Coco Chanel, Marc Jacobs or Valentino.

Totally buying into François-Xavier’s credo: “The supreme art is the art of living”  

Really cool bookcase designs

For all the book-lovers out there, here are some of my favorite stylish and inspired bookcases designs.

COLOR TREND 2012

Chic design is not always “beige”, it can be whimsical and cheerful. No doubt in my mind that this summer we will all adopt a plethora of vibrant colors like emerald, ruby, amethyst, sapphire, vivid turquoise and golden yellow tones but the favorite of all will be  this Sophisticated, dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango which marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow.

 

Happy Valentine's Day

The Abisko Washbasin from Eumar

This fun, modern and environmentally-conscious washbasin from Eumar was designed by Johan Kauppi and Lars Sundström, 2 swedish designers. They intended this cast mineral marble sink to mimic the organic and unspoilt waterfalls of the Swedish National Park. Like a water slide, its pipe-free construction lets water cascade down towards a floor drain like a mountain stream and the sculptural approach accentuates water usage, encouraging people to (hopefully) use less.

Nude and Dunes, by Simon Chaput

I love these Nude series from the photographer Simon Chaput (French, born in 1952, currently living in New York) and had to share it.

Commenting on his work, Simon Chaput explains how the nude series started in Death Valley. He was interrested by the abstract qualities of the sand dunes however while on location in Death Valley he could shoot only one hour at sunrise and one at sunset. While shooting, he realized that landscape could be a body and the body could become the landscape so he came back to New York and started shooting in his studio where he could control the light and thereby the form. The body became the landscape. The work is about playing with shape, light, negative space and abstraction.

Yves Klein coffee table

Have you ever “done it” on the coffee table? I mean having lunch of course! What did you think? Well you would be “doing it” on $25,000.

Alright now more seriously, Yves Klein, a French artist, considered an important figure in post-war European art patented his own color International Klein Blue (IKB) blue in 1960. The next year, he designed a low, simple table filled with that blue pigment. Beginning in 1963, Yves Klein's widow, Rotraut Klein-Moquay supervised an edition of the table that came in three options: 'Table Bleue' (filled with Klein International Blue pigment), 'Table Rose' (with rose madder) and 'Table D'Or' (containing 3000 sheets of gold leaf).

Beautiful cement tiles

I have vivid childhood memories of the beautiful cement tiles on my grandmother's Foyer and Kitchen floors in Morocco. The same decorative cement tiles which are now all the rage and featured on the floors of several high end boutiques in Paris.   

Unlike ceramic tiles, which are usually glazed and fired, decorative cement tiles are made by first pouring a mixture of cement and color pigment into separate compartments in a metal mold. Then concrete is added and the tile is pressed under 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. This upside down cake is left to cure, creating a remarkably strong and lustrous cement tile. Et voila!

Karl Lagerfeld at The Biennale des Antiquaires

Art lovers, if you have been waiting for the right moment to visit Paris (again), this is it. Gathered together under the prestigious dome of the Grand Palais from the Sept. 14 to 23, 2012, nearly 150 international art dealers and great jewelers will present to the public their most beautiful masterpieces.

The SNA (Syndicat National des Antiquaires) has asked famous designer Karl Lagerfeld to stage, decorate and create the visuals for the Biennale des Antiquaires, which will take place from September 14 to 23, 2012 at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Karl Lagerfeld, an artist with many talents, has agreed to accept the challenge. He will design a temporary world within the Grand Palais to serve as a backdrop for the thousands of objets d'art that will be presented at the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires.

In addition to the main dome of the Grand Palais, the event will also take place in "Le Salon d'Honneur", which is opening its doors after several years of restoration work.