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.

Louis Vuitton legendary trunks

I don’t usually care much for logo action but these beautiful vintage Louis Vuitton Trunks drive me insane!!! They remind me of old movies with glamorous people on steamships, romantic voyages on the Orient Express, exotic adventures and the wild possibilities that come with travel…and of course they make the perfect coffee table!!!! 

Philippe Starck's Master’s Chair

Philippe Starck a master of design in his own right, decided to pay homage to his forefathers: the master’s of midcentury modernism. By combining the lines of Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip chair, and the Eames’ Shell chair, Starck has created a clever and surprisingly beautiful tribute. Made of plastic (sold by Kartell), the Master’s Chair serves as a poetic three dimensional representation of a defining time in design history. Though it is debatable that it may be a more successful art object than a piece of practical furniture, what is undeniable is Starck‘s ability to spark dialogue and debate within the design community through his work.

Eero Saarinen Tulip Armchair, a symbol of mid-century modern design

This one-legged chair was meant to alleviate one of Saarinen's great concerns: clutter, "The undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clear up the slum of legs. I wanted to make the chair all one thing again." Saarinen designed each piece of furniture in the Tulip series with a single pedestal leg, creating a unified environment of chairs, tables, and stools.

Produced by Knoll since 1957, this visually arresting chair, which many have said evokes the space age, has evolved into a symbol of mid-century modern design.

Eames Shell Chair

This chair was designed by Charles and Ray Eames, the most influentials American Designers of the 20th century. The story behind this chair is particularly amazing. This chair was actually the end result of a “failed” design. Having experimented with molded plywood, they could never get the single shell strong enough to handle the stresses of being a chair. But when plastic appeared, Charles and Ray saw the potential in it and they came up with a shell composition that was made out of plastic reinforced with glass fiber. These shells could be had in many colors which was infused into the plastic to remain consistent throughout. Because of its four legged metal base, this chair was called the Eiffel.

Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7

Outstanding Danish architect and designer, Arne Jacobsen created this versatile and low key side side chair in the 50’s to adjust to the body's contours and movements and so it is a stackable chair.

"I have made my chairs so that they can be stacked and leave the floor open. This is very important in private homes..."

His furniture and other design work have become an international heritage.

Timeless Chesterfield sofa

My favorite sofa is the chesterfield sofa. It’s distinguished look demands and grabs the attention of anyone who walks into a room. It is both chic and comfortable and can be incorporated into traditional, modern or contemporary homes.

This icon of the furniture world is widely thought to have been commissioned by, and consequently named in honor of, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, Philip Dormer Stanhope, in the 18th century. Aside from being a much-admired politician and writer, the suave Earl was a known trendsetter. When the Earl requested a cabinetmaker to construct a piece of furniture that would allow a gentleman to sit upright in the utmost of comfort, thus was the inception of the Chesterfield sofa with its characteristic deep buttoned upholstery, rolled arms, equal back and arm height and nail head trim.

 

Nothing says “Romance” as a canopy bed

A typical canopy bed usually features posts at each of the four corners extending four feet high or more above the mattress. Fabric is often draped across the upper space between the posts and a solid swath of cloth may create a ceiling, or canopy directly over the bed. The canopy bed came into existence more for utilitarian means rather than for extravagance or decadence. In fact, the earliest incarnations were probably beds of common people seeking an additional layer of shelter beyond that of a less-than-impenetrable thatch roof. Canopy beds with curtains that could completely enclose the bed were used by lords and noblemen in medieval Europe for warmth and privacy, as their attendants often slept in the same room.