MollyLoot

Whilst cruising V&M today, Kate let out a shriek.  At first I was concerned but after rushing to her desk to see what was up, I quickly understood her excitement.  Apparently, V&M has launched something they are calling their Design Atelier, which showcases four lines produced exclusively for V&M by the designers Marie Aiello, Heather Maloney, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and Christopher Coleman.  The standout (in my not-so-humble opinion) and the cause for Kate’s exclaiming are Mr. Coleman’s bold, graphic items.  I did a House Beautiful showcase house with Mr. Coleman many years ago and somehow lost track of him.  Looking at the images of his work, I have trouble understanding how that could have happened.  Love it or hate it (I love it!), his work is unforgettable - strong, fearless and full of energy:

I love his saturated palette and am thrilled to see him bring it into this collection.  Some of my faves are below.  Let’s begin with two fabulous acrylic side tables (that could easily double as stools for occasional seating).  The black and white is simple and crisp while the yellow number screams Albrizzi to me: Then it’s on to these dynamite boxes.  The large ones would make the chicest home for a pile of ugly remotes…

I am also feeling his large decorative chargers.  This one calls to mind a snippet of some fabulous vintage European travel poster: And these acrylic discs are a showstopper. That a lot of bang for $448!

I am trying to decide which of these vases I must have (and how many!). So Ellsworth Kelly!

One Kings Lane Sale

Posted from: CA, USA

Hey all.  I went by Christopher Farr's lovely shop on La Cienega today to see a group of drawings recently completed by the man himself.  I was completely entranced by the intricate patterns and rhythms of each piece.  Mr. Farr uses inexpensive paper he sourced after seeing wrapped around a purchase at Crate & Barrel (love that!) so he can work freely and experiment without hesitation.  Arte Povera in action!  He begins with black ink (in most cases) and an object (sometimes a broken paintbrush or a rubber stamp) and works his way across and around the paper, feeling his way through, allowing the designs to take shape without a preconceived plan.  Some of the paintings are done in a "single breath" - the object is dipping into the ink and the drawing begins.  Once the ink is gone, the drawing is complete.  These pieces invite you into the process and entice you to stay a while and explore.  I suggest you do!  The drawings will be up at his gallery until they are sold out so I would go soon (because at prices starting at $750, I plan on snagging a few for gifts or maybe, just for me).  Take a look and enjoy!

I am obsessed.  Years ago, I saw an image of this wall of wonder in a magazine and promptly tore it out and put it front and center on my wall of inspiration: Of course, I lost the article with all of the info on who divined this rippling, metallic cloth.  A few years down the line, when I was asked to do a space for the Skid Row Housing Trust’s latest building, I thought back to this image and decided to make a curtain in a similar style, with the help of my fellow M. Design-ers, Kate and Amy.  My mistakes were multiple but the top two were 1) my unfettered optimism that this would be easy and 2) not understanding how the original was fabricated. I thought it was constructed of flattened bottle caps but alas, I was wrong.  The ensuing three days of pounding hundreds of bottle caps flat, drilling tiny holes in them and attaching them with jewelers rings has gone down in M. Design history as one of the worst ideas I have ever had.  Oh well…

Despite the quiet seething elicited from the ladies whenever I glance at the picture and remark on how cool it is, I remained intriqued so you can imagine my excitement when I ran smack into an incredible piece called Dusana II at the Met by the same artist, who I now know is El Anatsui.  Mr. Anatsui was born in Ghana and now works in Nigeria and according to the Met’s website, “he is considered today’s foremost contemporary African sculptor”.  I guess I am just catching up!  

Afternoon everybody!  I finally have some shots of the California Home + Design Big Style, Small Spaces Showcase house we recently completed.  All of the designers were asked to create spaces for the same imaginary clients, a costume designer for stage and film and a precussionist for a rock band.  My space was the oddly shaped mezzanine and I decided to break it into two sub-spaces - an office/creative lab for her and a cozy jam room for him.  Enjoy and check out a list the kind sponsors after the pictures!

 Don’t miss the lo-fi but extraordinarily clever table by San Francisco based, Jason Lees.

I have to give a big shout out to my fellow M-Designer for the embroidery she did on the back of this chair.  She had never done anything like this before but didn’t balk when I asked her to do this and the results are dynamite!  The already cool Horses Stampede fabric by Florence Broadhurst really sings and dances now, huh?

And I had to include a close-up of the remarkable Elitis Geisha wallpaper in situ:

Please note the fabulous bathroom done by my friend, the talented Christian May.

Take a good look at the gorgeous standing lamp custom made for us by the creative, happening (and cute!) Jason Koharik:

And of course, I had to include a close-up of the walls covered in images I scoured from every form of printed media I could get my hands on - magazines of all kinds (music, surfing, art, skateboarding, popular interest, sports, even the New Yorker), invitations, scraps of newspaper, a bag for popcorn - anything printed was up for grabs.  It took me three days to get all these images up in a balanced and (somewhat) coherent way.  Thank god for my iPod!

    As a reminder, the showhouse is open through November 18th on Fridays from 10am-2pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-3pm.  Tickets can be purchased here and benefit the Architecture and Design Museum here in Los Angeles.  Come see it for yourself!

We here at M. Design have the honor of being included in California Home + Design's inaugural showcase house that opens this Friday, September 14th.  When their fabulous editor-in-chief, Erin Feher asked if I would like to participate, I jumped at the chance to let my freak flag fly a bit.  Showcase houses are always fun for designers because we don't have to compromise on our vision and can use pieces that clients might shy away from in our day-to-day projects.  To wit, my inspiration was Southwest-on-acid (not exactly an easy sell to many, er, most clients) and my jumping off point was this super fly wallpaper from from the French company, Elitis's Geisha Collection.

It is a handmade, textured paper shot through with neon pink (also available in yellow and blue) and I love the marriage of the organic, natural feel and the uber-contemporary vibrant color.  To give you a sense of how it looks in the space, check out this rendering, done by the wonderful artist and illustrator, Victoria Molinelli.  

Like Monet's waterlillies, images of Georgia O'Keeffe's work were ubiquitous throughout my high school and college career, covering the walls of dorm rooms and beat-down apartments, so much so that I dismissed her as a "poster art" artist and moved on.  Oh, you silly, naive fool! This summer after a particularly trying visit to a conceptual contemporary art show, I began thinking about Ms. O'Keeffe and her lush, emotional paintings of the western flora and fauna she held so dear. It was time to revisit her work. Man, am I glad I did.  I was truly moved and deeply excited by what I saw.  Both the palettes of her painting and the homes she lived in are deeply inspirational to me and I am happy to say that I am not the only one feeling this way.  There is a gorgeous piece on her home in Abiqui, New Mexico currently being re-run on the Architectural Digest site and a new book out on both that home and her beloved Ghost Ranch called Georgia O'Keeffe and Her Houses: Ghost Ranch and Abiqui by Barbara Buhler Lynes.  Naturally, I snatched a copy up pronto and have been covetously flipping from one austere, elemental image to the next for days on end.  In case you doubt the power and freshness of this thoroughly modern woman and painter, feast your eyes on some of her elegant, enduring work and enjoy!

How to get rid of fruit flies

Are you like me?  Do you wait all year for summer to get here so you can gorge yourself on gorgeous fresh produce?  Juicy berries of all kinds.  Watermelon.  Sun-kissed tomatoes.  Sweet white corn.  Yum!  I am salivating as I write this.  The only downside to all this bounty are the motherf&!#%ing fruit flies that accompany it into your home.  

Don't fret, people!  I came across a remedy in a hardware store on Martha's Vineyard last summer and let me tell you, it works.  I thought the time was nigh to share.  Here goes:

Do you know Design Milk?  I recently discovered this fabulous blog that has all kinds of interesting articles on subjects ranging from architecture to fine art to interior design to fashion.  These days, when I have five free minutes (when is that, exactly?) I love to pop over and catch up on what is happening in the world of design.  Marni Elyse Katz curates a very cool feature each Friday she calls Friday Five in which she asks designers of all ilks to share their top five favorite inspirations.  I am thrilled to share mine with you today.  Enjoy!

Friday Five heads to LA this week to chat with Molly Luetkemeyer of M. Design Interiors. Molly, whose personality is as sunny as her looks, creates modern interiors with a ’70s vibe. She started out in the film industry, having headed West from New York City with director Mike Nichols, but ended up enrolling in a design program at UCLA, meeting Kelly Wearstler at a party, snagging an internship, and the rest is interior design history. You may have seen her work in In Style (actress Julie Bowen’s house), as well as House Beautiful, Angeleno, Sunset magazine, and others. Her five picks lend a bit of insight to this groovy girl with great taste; they’re both classic and eclectic, just like her designs.

  1. Constantin Brancusi Brancusi is my favorite sculptor, hands down. A bronze version of his iconic “Bird in Flight” that used to sit on the second floor of the old MoMA building would reveal itself slowly, in all its elemental, majestic glory, as one rode up the escalator. It was one of the best-placed pieces of art I have ever seen. When I went to Paris a few years back, I stumbled upon the meticulous recreation of Brancusi’s studio, adjacent to the Centre Pompidou, and was floored. Seeing so many of his totemic pieces together, alongside his tools and work tables was a treat I will never forget.

2. Ice Cube Cube is my fake boyfriend. (Sadly, he has already been snatched up by another lucky lady.) I love him not only for his killer raps (especially the album The Predator, which articulates the rage over the Rodney King trial and verdict better than anything else I have read), but also because he is into architecture. If you didn’t see the fantastic mini-movie featuring him walking through the Eames house (part of Pacific Standard Time art happening), take three minutes to watch it.

3. Tony Duquette Jewelry Oh, Tony Duquette, how I love him. His interiors continue to inspire me daily with their maximalist layering and enormous range of influences, but it is his jewelry that I truly covet.  I missed the auction of his “Talismans of Power” (necklaces to you and me) at Bonham’s last April, but it’s probably just as well. I would have drained every penny from my savings account and been hitting people up on the street for cash to purchase one of the incredible pieces. Please note the golden grasshopper sitting front and center on this one; surreal and divine.

4. San Cristobal Stables by Luis Barragàn I can’t get enough of this masterwork by Luis Barragàn. Who else could make horse pools so damn engaging? I love his vibrant, sensual take on the austere international style he favored, and am constantly inspired by his bold color choices and the way he worked water and light into all of his projects.

5. Scholten & Baijings I want one of everything this Dutch design duo creates. Their color palette (the blasts of neon woven into a field of neutrals) and the thoughtful consideration they put into designing everyday objects give their products an art-like quality. I loved seeing the conceptual car they designed for Mini at the 2012 Salon del Mobile in Milan. It’s fresh and unexpected and chic as hell.

Today, ladies and gents, I'd like to turn you on to an artist I discovered recently who is doing a few very cool and different kinds work.  His name is Nick Lamia and he paints, draws and creates installations, but it's not the range of mediums that intrigue me as much as his diveristy of subject matter and style.  I am a sucker for art that observes the natural world so was rather moved when I saw some of his recent watercolor and pencil studies of dead flies and bees and other bits of natural detritus.  These were all done while he was in residency at the extraordinary Wave Hill this winter as part of their Winter Workspace immersion program.  Here is Nick doing his thing (photo courtesy of the Wave Hill blog):  But here's what blows my mind.  The same guy who created the delicate images above, also created these dynamic, abstract, graphic images: And these super groovy installations where the paintings literally crawl off the wall and onto the floor: God, I wish I had this kind if range!  Impressive, no?  If you want to see some of his work in person, get yourself over to the Jason McCoy Gallery before June 29th.  If you aren't able to make it to the gallery, you can explore his site or check out this great video showing Nick in action.  Enjoy!

The Mixology of Design

Hey peeps!  Today I am going to turn you on to, hands down, the chicest shop in Los Angeles.  It is called the Gray Gallery, and when I first saw it, I was stunned into silence.  For those of you faithful readers of Mollyloot, you know what a rare moment that is.  The gallery captivates and entices you in from the moment you approach the front window: Upon entering, dead ahead is a monumental wall ceramic relief wall by Peter Lane.  It is brutalist and moody and demands you come over for closer inspection.  I adore the vitrines sliced into the massive sculpture.  So much texture and gusto!  So chic!

Founded by Vram and Chahan Minassian, Gray showcases work that blurs the line between art, craft, and design (to quote my dear friend, Oliver Furth).  I would call each piece functional sculpture.  For instance, this piece, again by Peter Lane, evokes the feeling of a whale vertebrae as seen through the eyes of a midcentury ceramicist and functions as a screen, or room divider, or hell, just the best damn backdrop any room could hope for:

The gallery is small but chock-a-block with covetable pieces:

I am a new and ardent fan of Antoinette Faragaliah’s work.  It reminds me of curious, delicate sea creatures:

The store is a mix of the work of contemporary artisans and vintage treasures.  Exhibit A: this divine lamp with a deep green-blue mineral specimen nestled into its golden, ragged coral.  (There are actually a pair and I am desperate to make them mine…)

And I can’t get enough of these boxes by Nancy Lorenz.  Do not miss the pool of silver lacquer on the bottom edges.  J’adore! And of course, as a jewelry enthusiast, their collection of vintage jewelry had me screaming out loud: And the work of Marie Khouri, a designer based in Montreal, made me apoplectic.  What’s that in the back you ask?

Oh, just the sexiest clutch I have ever laid my eyes on: But the shop doesn’t just cater to the ladies.  Fellas, if you are looking for a peerless vintage watch or an impossibly elegant shagreen iPhone cover, this is your place, too.

On my last visit to New York, I was able to carve out an hour or so to sneak over to MOMA to see the jaw dropping Cindy Sherman show (more on that to come).  When I was finished and needed to digest the range and intensity of what I had just seen, I slipped out to the sculpture garden.  When I lived in New York, I spent many, many hours in the garden's previous incarnation so was curious if the new version would stand up.  I am thrilled to say that even on a brisk day with the trees denuded of their foliage, the garden was thrilling.  Every element is considered from the placement of the magnificent sculptures, to the selection of the trees, to the architectural details.  I forgot how much sculture, especially twentieth century sculpture, moves me.  I love how evocative each piece is and that you can touch and feel the work.  I dare you to remain unmoved: I love the blast of color Katharina Fritsch's Figurengruppe brings to the otherwise bronze and gray palette of the garden: Please notice the beautifully integrated drain to the left of Joan Miro's Moonbird:  How great is this kid's slouch echoing the sculpture behind him?  He has no clue... As a person obsessed with trees, I am always curious to see how they look in all seasons.  It is so critical to consider this when thinking about what species to select and particularly so in a public place that will be used throughout the year.  I love the architecture of the bare branches on these weeping guys and look forward to seeing them in all of their incarnations: I am always inspired by accidental art.  The shadows from the bare trees create great patterns on the wall and would be very cool worked into a painted wall mural: And finally, the view.  New York was certainly ready for her close-up this day!

I sat out Westweek this year due to a hideously over-extended schedule but the one event I could not miss was the always fabulous House Beautiful party, this year at Peter Dunham's oasis of understated chic, Hollywood at Home.  As we approached, Kate squealed out loud and said, "Oh my God!  LOOK at those chairs!"  Imagine my delight and surprise when I rushed over to find that the coveted chairs were designed by and covered in my dear friend, Rodman Primack's gorgeous fabric from his RP Miller line. I immediately grabbed him and made him perch on said chairs while I snapped away like a loving paparazzi.  I mean, come on.  Look at him!

Please note the slim yellow piping that makes these dynamite chairs really crackle! The entire RP Miller line is carried at Hollywood at Home.  Below are just a few of my faves.  The pictures are good but you really should see the fabrics in person so you can appreciate the luxurious weight of the linen...