DGS Interiors: Conversation pieces

DGS Interiors: Conversation pieces: Sometimes we talk a lot and say nothing and we write a lot and say nothing, but it sure looks pretty on fabric:  Fauteuil from Cote Fr...

Conversation Pieces

Sometimes we talk a lot and say nothing and we write a lot and say nothing, but it sure looks pretty on fabric:

Fauteuil from Cote France
http://www.cotefrance.com/



Several thousand years ago, writing was invented as an alternate means of communication to oral and illustrative forms traditionally used in historical documentation.  The invention of writing implemented the typographic use of symbols and signs in order to translate language two-dimensionally. Without going into depth about the evolution of the use of the written word since the high times of Mesopotamia, it is safe to say that we have repeatedly enjoyed it's use in art and interior decoration over the subsequent centuries:

The writing is on the wall: This fabric can be used to upholster furniture, as a window treatment or  wallcovering:

Document brown design fabric
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/



$153.85
http://www.etsy.com/

                                             

             Shades of the past:

Shaker rug
http://www.bddw.com/

 

Empire lampshade
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/



 The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin
  

bonjour bon nuit burlap pillow

Conversation rug

http://www.overstock.com/

             



Dresser
http://www.anthropologie.com/

There seems to be something inherently comforting about being surrounded by visual conversational companions in the form script writing on the wall and on fabric and alphabetic characters on furniture and accessories. They are inanimate, they do not communicate audibly, they seem in fact, nonsensical, but is that really true? They do not seem to make a statement in the obvious sense but perhaps in a far more abstract one. What was formerly invented for the sole purpose of communication now finds itself regenerated as tangible poetic residue, ever reminding us of our important connection to one another. And though nothing replaces human companionship, the evidence of one of man's most important visual inventions created from the mysterious vault that we call the mind, breaks down the walls of cosmic dimensions.                                                                           

                                                        Talk to me:



Bookcase

http://www.saporiti.com/

             



Vintage container for metal parts, $165
http://www.etsy.com/

Be obscure clearly. ~E.B. White





The famous Belgian surrealist artist, Rene Magritte, used the written word in many of his artworks in order to impress a philosophical statement that what one might perceive to be real, was in fact not. This was a familiar theme in the philosophy of surrealism.  His famous paradoxical series: "Ceci n'est pas", used the written word as art in order to impress upon the viewer that what was thought to be a recognizable object in the painting was not really what it seemed to be, but in fact, a mystery that might never be solved.  In this case, the written word is used as a vehicle not to label or record what it is, but what it is not:     

Signs of the times: Ce n'est pas un signe.  (This is not a sign.)  

  

Signage, once created solely for identification, as a warning or for directional purposes, have in present times experienced a morphism into unique forms of decoration in many homes and commercial institutions. Ordinary objects now became artistic statements, a classic surrealist concept.  These ghostly apparitions of their former occupations now act as poignant reminders of the paradox of existence and non-existence.  

                                               

                                                                                                  Coming or going?



$1,095 http://www.1stdbs.com/



Enter-Exit Welcome Mat, $19
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/



Ok sign, $2,400
http://www.1stdbs.com/

Vintage bus destination map, $1,800

http://www.hollywoodathome.com/

 

 



This just about says it all.



A Mansarded Italianate in Maine

The United States Customs House

I have spent almost every summer of my life in Maine and a good portion of it in the city of Portland where incidentally, I was born. After my parents retired and and moved up there from New York City in 1990, I have since enjoyed every season up there and to this day, it remains to be one of my all-time favorite cities. From the time of my childhood up until now, Portland saw a tremendous evolution in it's massive renovation from being a virtual ghost town back in the 1970's (which purely for romantic reasons, I confess to missing) to a bustling tourist and cruise ship destination which, according to a New York Times article written a few years ago, boasts the highest amount of restaurants per capita in the United States. The restaurants are good, too.

Portland, Maine once enjoyed the status of being one of  the most important seaports in the country with a rapidly growing customs business in the 1800's. After a massive fire destroyed most of it's commercial buildings in 1866, the city was rebuilt. 

A city rife with mostly Victorian style structures, it hosts an amalgam of many different revival styles conducive to the architectural era. The Customs House is one such prominent example. The Italianate style building that still stands today near the city's waterfront was completed in 1872 under the architectural supervision of Alfred B. Mullett.



Palazzo Ducale in Genoa, Italy



The Italianate style derived from the Renaissance Italian palazzos and was one of the most popular revival styles in the Victorian Era from the mid to late 1880's. The buildings were boxy in shape but had a more open and airy feel as well as less symetrically rigid design than the Greek Revival style. Most notable architectural details included the use of wide cornices, doors and windows with overhangs with the wide use of ornamental brackets underneath them. The building is dominated by rounded windows which are framed with attached doric columns and a balustrade surrounds the entire building.

The Neo-Baroque and Second Empire style became a popular architectural vogue in the United states in the 1870's and was heavily influenced by the fanciful architecture built under Napoleon III in the 1850's and 1860's in France. One of the most prominent characteristics included the element of the Mansard roof which is a steeply sloping roof shingled with slate as seen on the cupolas on the Customs House. Mansarded roofs became highly popular in both Europe and the United States after the construction of the Musee de Louvre in Paris and were designed to functionally create more interior space than traditional sloping roofs.

Mansard roof on the Louvre Museum

The Mansarded roof has always held a deep fascination for me as it strikes me as a mysteriously handsome design, yet also an elegantly disfigured and spooky one. The evolution of this roof style  historically traces back to the Gothic era. Today, we think of it as the archetypal element for haunted mansions infamously portrayed in such scary movies such Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and on the majestically decaying abode that houses the twistedly wholesome Addams Family, one of my all time favorite cartoons created by the inimitable Charles Addams. Perhaps this is one reason it holds such a ghostly allure for me, but as an architectural enthusiast, the real-life counterparts are always a joy to behold.

Restoration of the building was begun in 1998 and it is listed in the National Registor of Historic Places. It has maintained most of it's architectural integrity due to very little changes made to it.

312 Fore Street, Portland, Maine.

Huh?

I was looking at a design trend report today when I happened upon this um...chair from a well-known modern furniture company and felt compelled to feature it on my latest design post. The identity of the company and the designer shall remain nameless of course, but I do want to thank them for providing me with yet more comedic material.

You could look at this as a Rorschach test: for instance, to me, it looks like someone went out and shot the Michelin Tire Man, quilted him and then recycled him into a "cozy armchair suitable for any space". OK, that might be an extreme interpretation, but extremely tacky furniture is bound to foster some modicum of emotional imbalance. 

Going forward, I feel inspired to do a regular post on what not to furnish your space with. Perhaps I could call it: "The latest abomination of the week"? "Furniture from Hell"?  or, "Why oh why was this not on the Titanic"? 
 
Hey, this reminds me of the classic "Puffy Shirt" episode on Seinfeld.
 
OK, I'll stop.

It's official: Orange is the new black!

      

 PANTONE, the world's most renowned authority on color, named "Tangerine Tango" the color for 2012. These days, the bold reddish-orange hue is found worn on clothing, lips and nails and used in interior design to make a unique design statement.



http://www.tibetfurniture.com/

 

Hand-blown confetti glass, set of 4, $34
http://www.directfrommexico.com/

Ottoman cube covered in vinyl fabric.
http://www.etsy.com/

Color trend decisions are not random: there is always a method to  such choices and timing. Orange is a bright, warm and exotic hue. Countries known for embracing and encorporating bright, warm colors such as those in Central and South America have become popular destinations for many Europeans and Americans. Argentina is one such example. For the last several years it has been saturated with tourism, not only due to the strength of  the monetary exchange but also due to the enticing blend of both ethnic and European architectural and interior styles. Additionally, tango dancing has become a craze all over the world, and I am personally jonesin' to take a few classes myself!



Orangentinian tango (ouch...I know).



Orange colored wallpaper

Orange, a color traditionally used in signage and advertising, by it's sheer brilliance, commands attention. Psychologically it is a color associated with self-confidence, cheeriness, warmth and flamboyancy. These are traits much needed these days as our forlorn global economy has reaked emotional havoc on our collective psyches. Whether you are a fan of bright orange or of the more subdued variety, there is an orange out there for everyone and it blends and complements others very well. 

  

Oushak Carpet
http://www.1stdibs.com/



Catch episodes of "Mad Men" on AMC

Immensely popular TV shows such as "Mad Men" which premiered in 2007, have catapulted the world into a renewed love of 1960's style. Items with bold patterns and coloring typical of the mid-century fashion and "Mad Men chic" have flown off of the retail shelves in the last few years. It is no surprise that a hue such as "Tango Orange" would have eventually found it's debut as color of the year.

Tangerine colored telephone
http://www.sagemcom.digital.co.uk/

http://www.zarinfabrics.com/



Shag rug.
http://www.homedepot.com/

Murano glass orange chandelier
http://www.lamurrina.com/

  

Chair, sample sale: $1,950
http://www.brightchair.com/



Beaded Moroccan Mirror, $100
http://www.etsy.com/



Antique Amalero Pots
This wall color would make a bold
statement in an entranceway, small
room or on one wall!
http://www.mexicanstyle.com/

House in the Czech Republic

 

 

Why shouldn't orange animals be in vogue too?
To help save the orangutans, go to
http://www.orangutan.org.uk/









Green Day

"For 'tis green, green, green, where the ruined towers are gray,

And it's green, green, green, all the happy night and day;

Green of leaf and green of sod, green of ivy on the wall,

And the blessed Irish shamrock with the fairest green of all."

~Mary Elizabeth Blake



Anglepoise lamp
http://www.limedesign55.co.uk/



Gorgeous green bathroom tiles.

Door in Morocco

We all know that green symbolizes the Emerald Isle and St. Patrick and consequently, it is the most pervasive color in the natural world.  No wonder it is one of the top two favorite colors next to blue.

And yes, it is easy being green.  It is considered soothing and relaxing and it the color used most frequently in hospitals and health care facilities as many years of research have proven it to be instrumental in lowering stress and anxiety levels.  'Green' is also the poster color for the ecology movement because of it's abundance on the planet.

Alternately, there are several instances of the use of the color green when referencing envy and jealously.  In ancient Greece jealousy and envy was said to cause a buildup of bile in the system thus causing skin to turn a green, sickly pallor.  The poetess Sappho utilized the color green describing a forlorn lover and Shakespeare  referenced the "green-eyed monster" in Othello and "green sickness" in Antony and Cleopatra.

Outdoor pillow from Pier 1
http://www.pier1.com/



Fringed Matisse shade, $49.95
http://www.anthropologie.com/

"What color should be seen

Where our fathers' homes have been

But their own immortal Green?"

~Author Unknown

Green lantern, $20
http://www.realsimple.com/

Set of two mod stacking chairs, $67.99
http://www.target.com/

Lime green telephone from the 80's
sold on Ebay.

Crystal wine glasses from Waterford.

Lantern, 29.91
http://www.lampsplus.com/

St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans
Photo by Taylor S. Kennedy for National Geographic.

May the Irish hills caress you.

May her lakes and rivers bless you.

May the luck of the Irish enfold you.

May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!