CasaSugar

Home Away From Home: Chandelier Creative

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0800

Chandelier Creative is a three-year-old, full-service creative agency based in New York City with a focus on fashion, beauty, retail, travel, and luxury lifestyle brands. Among Chandelier's clients are Coca Cola, Four Seasons, Parfums Givenchy, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Old Navy, Nanette Lepore, and W Hotels. Though the agency's client list is certainly an impressive one, you know me: I find myself more taken with the interior design of its SoHo penthouse, designed by agency owner, Richard Christiansen. Much like its work, Chandelier's space is slick, colorful, and imaginative and in every sense far from what the word "office" conjures in even the most forward-thinking mind. Here, a black leather Chesterfield sofa with matching tufted Louis XIV chairs and a Saarinen table set on glossy white floors form a creative conference area. Soccer balls roll about to lighten the mood. A Chippendale chair at a turned wood dining table makes a desk space, and an overflowing book case with colorfully spined volumes infuses the space with life and language. To see many more photos of this amazing space, read more.

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Coveted Crib: A Subtle SoHo Loft

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:15:21 -0700

Actor Hank Azaria (well-known as the voice of Apu and Moe on The Simpsons) gave free rein to decorator Eric Hughes to design his SoHo loft, purchased from master photographer Cindy Sherman, away from his primary digs in LA. The result is a home that's unique, rugged, and elegant, filled with a mix of European furniture from the 1930s through the '70s and original art, framed by awesome architectural elements. PointClickHome's Dealer's Choice shares the story of how the place came together, as well as some fab photos. Check out this slideshow to get a peek, and be sure to check out the article. Source

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Trend Alert: Yarn

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:15:02 -0800

In the recent New York Times article "Comfy's Comeback," former Martha Stewart Living editor and owner of the SoHo knitting supply store Purl Joelle Hoverson describes how knitting has expanded its reign into the home design world.

The article notes:

. . . [M]ore unusual pieces, like ottomans, rugs and room partitions, [are] all part of a burgeoning trend in home design: knitted furnishings and accessories.

On a recent tour of New York shops and Web sites offering such items, Ms. Hoverson was drawn to a number of decorative and functional pieces, including a large rug made of thick-core yarn, at roomandboard.com. Such an object, she suggested, would be a headache to make by hand because of its size, stiffness and weight. “That’s one of those things that I’m really glad someone else made,” she said.

To see how this trend is taking life in the world of interior design, read more.

The Flocks Pouf ($800), which is knit on gigantic needles by artist/knitter Christien Meindertsma, is just one of the items representing this trend. Felted wool "stones," which can be used for floor seating, as well as wool shag pillows and dreamy cashmere throws, are also all representative of this trend. Check the widget for some other unique finds.

David Goldman for The New York Times and Source

Nice and New: Amy Butler August Fields Collection

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:27 -0700

Amy Butler has introduced a new home décor fabric collection for Rowan, called August Fields. The collection features four diverse color stories inspired by gardens and wild fields in "high season." Their natural prints and modern textures are easy to mix and match . . . which is good because you'll want to get your hands on every one of them. I'm particularly drawn to the pared-down, shell-shaped tile repeat pattern (top, second from left). But honestly, I just love how they all look together. The collection is available at Purl SoHo. To see more of the fabrics, read more.
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Crave Worthy: Deborah Bowness Wallpapers

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:46:07 -0700

I first saw Deborah Bowness's wallpapers for sale a few years ago. It was just a poster version of one of her wallpapers, but regardless, I've been craving them ever since. Bowness has been designing and hand-printing wallpapers for seven years. Her collection includes several series of ready-made digitally and hand-printed wallpapers with trompe l'oeil effects that can reinvent a home or business with just one roll. Many of the wallpapers are printed with technicolor-like images of floor lamps, filing cabinets, Louis XIV style chairs, or other furnishings you might normally see in a home.

They're a clever solution for small quarters dwellers without much room for additional furniture, but they would make a statement in any sized pad. Her pastel colored papers are very girly, which I love, but she also a black and white faux bookshelf wallpaper which would be a perfect fit for man's office. Bowness is also available for commissions, which she designs specifically to suit the needs of any interior, and has exhibited her work in museums and shows throughout the UK. Some of her noted clients include the Soho House , Reebok, Paul Smith, Selfridges, and Philippe Starck. Bowness was also a winner of the ICFF editors award for best wall coverings in 2007. Do you think she's a winner?
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Cool Idea: Blu Dot Chairs Go Curbside

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:10:05 -0800

Live in New York? Want to grab a Blu Dot chair for free? You're in luck, because today and tomorrow, Blu Dot's dropping 25 Real Good Chairs around New York City. Some of the chairs have been enabled with GPS, so you can trace the chairs' progress on Blu Dot's site. You can also follow each chair's progress on Blu Dot's Twitter feed.

Blu Dot explains the inspiration for this project thusly:

When we opened our SoHo store in 2008, we became surrounded by the resourceful culture of "curb-mining": the act of finding furniture and art on the street. Now that a year has passed, our friends at mono approached us with a way to conduct a curb-mining experiment of our own: What would happen if we left a bunch of Real Good Chairs all over New York, free for the take? Who will grab them? Where will they go? How will they get there? What will their new homes look like?

Do you live in New York? Have you spotted any Blu Dot chairs today?

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Steal of the Day: Z Gallerie Soho Pavilion

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:00:06 -0700

Z Gallerie's Soho Pavilion ($399.99, reduced from $599.99) is water- and fade-resistant, so you can host a chic party outdoors rain or shine. But, would you blame me for wanting to set up this chic tent indoors? I'm imagining a cross between Nick Olsen's tented workspace and interior designer Marjorie Skouras's oversize indoor topiary bedroom. We don't all have yard space, but this tasseled, Greek-key item could create a loungey, magical space in any room at least 10 feet in height, depth, and width. Just throw in some sisal or a Moroccan-style rug, plants, a hanging lantern, a few floor pillows, and a sofa like west elm's Overlapping Squares Daybed, and you're done. So cozy, yet so transportive and chic!

Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 -0700

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you read more.

The first seven chapters of the book each cover a house the Novogratz couple have renovated, including lots of before and after shots. The duo offer advice learned from each experience, such as how to handle contractors, tips for buying a wreck, how to make your house renter-friendly, and how to mix high- and low-cost furnishings.

While the book jacket says each project proves "time and again you can bring charm to any four walls - and do so affordably," it actually just left me with a sense of envy, and with the reminder that the word "affordable" is all relative. The pair do have a knack for flea marketing and using vintage artifacts and architectural treasures in a unique way, but having the time to do so is a luxury in itself.

The book is full of tips like taming bold colors with neutral furnishings and mixing modern pieces with regional furnishings that in theory are helpful and affordable. But in reality it's the Cappellini coffee table, the luxuriously upholstered bed frame, and the couple's extensive collection of artwork that make me want to "get the Downtown Chic look."

This book is definitely a treat to read. It offers a sneak peek into one family's wonderful life as well as lots of inspiration, but in all likelihood, it won't solve the everyman's design woes. But then again, I guess you can hire Sixx to do that for you.

Coveted Crib: A SoHo Loft

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Tori Golub is a Manhattan-based interior designer whose firm specializes in residential design. Tori is known for her clean modern aesthetic. Check out the slideshow to see how she brought this aesthetic to a SoHo loft. Source

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Kirsten Dunst's SoHo Co-op

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:40:12 -0700

Last summer, Kirsten Dunst purchased a SoHo co-op. See if you can answer my questions about this sweet apartment.

Source and Bauer-Griffin Online

Take the quiz

Lutz & Patmos Cable Pillow Cover - $39.00	Felted Wool Stones - $298.00
looolo Honeycomb Blanket - $500.00	Flocks Pouf - $800.00
ducduc Merino Blankets - $148.00	Cashmere Cable-Knit Set - $385.90
Lutz & Patmos Zigzag Throw - $89.00	looolo Mademoiselle Cushions in Lamb - $140.00
Molo Love Letter Light - $510.00	Felted Shag - $169.00
Avec - smile cushion by ivan baj - $1,384.00	Remy Shag Pillow - $32.95
Adrienne Landau Goma Knit Throw- Black/White - $1,795.00	Cotton Spaghetti Rug - $360.00
Rug & Floor Pillows - $146.00