I have to say that I really do STILL get excited when I see
abounding talent. This group from Chicago is pretty impressive and I
think when you see all the photos you will be inspired, and you will
want to throw everything out and start over! Let me introduce you to
PROjECTS Interiors.
Aimee Wertepny is the design visionary and has been given
the moniker of “Provocateur”. I read from the website her
design philosophy and I love that she has inserted, "organic-glam mash up of
texture, color and high contrast", as a description of her design
intellect. The body of work from this firm is intoxicating and the entire
gang has an edgy feel and a risky take on interior design. How fun is
that!
Another visionary that caught my eye is Jennifer Lissner. She is the “Renegade” of the firm and is known for never being
satisfied with the obvious answer. This is fundamentally the backbone of
successful interior design, in my view. Then when you add in her
other steadfast characteristic which is a penchant for rule breaking, well
then we have an outside the box mindset that breeds success. The entire
team as described under the title of visionaries on their website clearly have
talents that are unique and fundamental to the firm’s success. Check them
all out!
PROjECT Interiors work is featured in the August/
September issue of Interiors Magazine and I've included photos from that
project. In fact, the opening shot is the one that caught my eye. I've gone on to include others from that project, as well as examples from many
other interiors they have managed. I am inspired and my hope is that all of you will find
something in this body of work that knocks you off your feet. I have a
feeling the girls would love that!
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Maison Gerard Gallery, in New York, will be introducing (exclusively) the wildly creative
collection of William Georgis Furnishings on Wednesday September 10th,
2014, with a reception commencing at 6:00 pm. Mr. Georgis will be attending. I’ve written before about
both, Maison Gerard and William Georgis but please allow me to recap and add a
few more details.
Elle Décor, in its issue this month, has gathered an
impressive list of creative design leaders. These professionals,
supported by their wildly savvy eye, provide a unique platform of ground breaking
talent driven by design integrity. Maison Gerard founder, Gerard Widdershoven along with his business partner Benoist Drut, are among a very small list of design leaders that were mentioned. When you consider it was
the magazines 25th Anniversary issue, the jury selection must have been
grueling. What an honor…
In June, I wrote about William Georgis but my focus was
his new book “Make it Fabulous” and of course, his super cool design
projects. I had no idea he was developing a furniture line. So, when the
announcement came from Maison Gerard, I just had to write about it. What
a perfect team these two will be. Watch for the Whalebone series. It is
edgy and crisp but comforting and inviting in its appearance. I love the
architectural base with its slim angular slabs in gold supporting the lush seat
of deep ocean blue which was selected for the upholstery but custom is available. The Console, which Georgis describes as a “sanguine epoxy flow,” is
reminiscent of a poured bucket of paint and it must have a story to it. I
only wish I was there to find out the design inspiration behind the finished
product!
Congratulations to both Maison Gerard and William
Georgis...the design world just got even more FABULOUS!
I surprised myself when I started writing about Pierre
Paulin. As I researched his past, I started to feel a
similarity between Pierre and my father in terms of accolades and undue
applause. Pierre, as you will read, had a very humble perspective
regarding his acknowledgements. The design world gave him many highly coveted awards but he felt it was just what you do when you are asked to do your
job. My father was the master of sincerity and took very
little time to talk about himself. He, like Pierre, was very careful to
keep his feet on the ground. Pierre’s talent took hold and he truly
had a vision and an important contribution to the modern design aesthetic.
Read on!
“A chair should be more than simply functional. It
should be friendly, fun and colorful”.
Born in Paris in 1927, Pierre Paulin grew up in Laon, which
is in Northern France. His uncle, Georgis Paulin, had a huge influence on him. Georgis designed cars for Panhard, Peugeot and Rolls-Royce
Bentley and in fact, he designed the first power-operated retractable hardtop
in 1931.
The early years for Pierre were challenging and he had many
setbacks. First, he failed his baccalaureate and as a result, he
decided his next step would be to enter in to training as a ceramist and a
stone carver. All of this ended due to an injury to his arm so he
then began his studies at Ecole Camondo in Paris. There, his admiration
and appreciation grew for Scandinavian and Japanese Design. Later, he
then found immense respect for American designers, Charles and Ray Eames,
Florence Knoll, Herman Miller and George Nelson. In 1954 he began working
for Thonet and had the opportunity to experiment with using swimwear materials
stretched over traditional chair frames. The real breakthrough came in
1960 when he designed the Mushroom chair while working for Dutch manufacturer
Artifort. The design of Pierre's “Tongue” chair didn’t sit well (pardon the
pun!) with Artiforts boss Harry Wagemans. Pierre argued, “I am trying to
appeal to the young people”. In 1968 he was proven correct when
Harry’s son fell in love with the chair design. After that response, the
chair was off to production!
Pierre Paulin’s career accelerated and many awards and recognition followed, including the 1969 Chicago Design Award for his Ribbon
Chair. Time also brought him many prestigious interior design
assignments. Although he was applauded, he remained modest.
He is quoted as saying, “It’s extremely dangerous to give too much importance
and status to people who are only doing their job. Working for the
enjoyment of the greatest number is very gratifying, much more so than any
official honor”.
He continued to design for many years and even in to his
retirement he came up with new inventive designs. Pierre Paulin died,
June 13th, 2009.
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