Dressed for Success

St. Louis Magazine hosted a private party to celebrate style in St. Louis, all accompanied by great food, drink, and music thanks to wonderful contributing sponsors.

There were some fabulous folks who clearly regarded fashion as FUN!  For a minute there, I thought I was in New York, London, Paris or Milan...

So I put my best foot forward and joined the fray...

I used to design and sew my own clothes...nowadays, if I do my own altering, it's an accomplishment! 

A hot band entertained all:  Dawn Turlington and the Electro-Funk Assembly.

FORM 2010

On another horrendously hot week-end in St. Louis, I dragged myself out on a Saturday to an event that promised to be refreshing and invigorating hosted by Luminary Center for the Arts.  I was not disappointed!

FORM 2010 presented a well-rounded display of contemporary furniture, functional object,  and architectural design.  Designers from around the country participated, with a focus on sustainable design.  The honesty of material was omnipresent. Here are a few images of favorite picks of mine from the show:

www.confluence-df.com

Designed by CONFLUENCE Design/Fabrication, this concrete bench is actually not too bad to recline on or sit on! 

I always like a conversation-provoking chair.  This chair is constructed from metal studs.  As it is used to

hold up walls, it will hold you up, too!

Rough Construction Chair

www.kassenlifestye.com

This was one of my favorite pieces: a cat scratching post! It is beautifully sculptural and is available with two sides painted black or white.  Two of my favorite components:  corrugate and concrete.  It is 32" h and 9" x 8" wide.  Your cats will love you and so will your upholstered furniture!

Skiitch Cat Scratch

http://www.kassenlifestyle.com/

You have to get in gear and have a proper place to store a few bottles of wine...

Real Wine Storage Reel

www.fluxmateria.com

And then, I am always fond of cut out steel for furniture forms. They provide a nice silhouette with 2-d effect blended with 3-d.

www.colescegodesign.com

A fun side attraction was this 1970's era GMC motorcoach.  It was designed by Mandi Maurer Gray, a new transplant from Chicago.  Her clients graciously allowed her to show off the transformation, air-conditioning included!  The theme is "martini lounge meets zen garden"  and features bamboo cabinetry, cork flooring, eco-resin side and back splashes and much more!

Mandi Maurer Gray

Interior Designer

eclec7@gmail.com

Way to go Luminary Center of the Arts http://www.luminaryarts.com/  for all the good things that they do and for bringing to St. Louis FORM 2010!  It was a cool place to be on a hot day, and I saw some very cool stuff! I look forward to FORM 2011 and hope that you all can be there, too!

Bates Motel No More!

I was delighted to attend the formal unveiling of five apartments renovated by some of St. Louis' top interior designers.  The site was a bleak 60's era cinder block apartment complex that I remember walking past many a time in my youth.  It was next to the train tracks and so out of place in the gracious neighborhood of Webster Groves.  It was eventually taken over by Webster University to house visiting actors for both the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Opera Theatre of  Saint Louis.  Unfortunately, it became known as the "Bates Motel" in theatrical circles...not any more!  Generous contributions were also made by numerous donors.  What a fun project!  My dream would be to design the apartment for divas such as Christine Brewer or Renee Fleming!  

Zachery Cramberg and Jennifer Manganaro, designers

Brick and Bramble Home and Garden 

Note the great flooring laid on the diagonal.  It really helps to expand the space.

Holly Blumeyer (shown), Jenny Rapp, Kristin McGrath, Cecelia Rowland, Judy Krewet, Barb Donohue, Vicki Wolken

Holly Blumeyer Interior Design

Homey and comfy!

Dana Romeis of Fibercations (shown), and Emily Castle of  Emily Castle Interiors

I understand a truck trip was made up to Ikea.  And yeah, I like the way the leaves echo the wallcovering!

Denise Fogarty of Denise Fogarty Interiors, and Marcia Moore of Marcia Moore Design.

If you're not fortunate enough to have actual mouldings, then paint them!  It gives a traditional treatment a contemporary tweak!

Tim Rohan of T. Rohan Inc.

I love the way Tim put the table and painted chairs stage center.  I can imagine it will be a popular place for the actors and singers to dine and have brilliant conversations!

You should have seen the before pictures!  It was truly bleak at the Bates!  This project once again demonstrates the power of interior design.  Great job designers, donors, and all who helped to make this depressing abode a beautiful home away from home!

Summer Melt

It's 100 degrees plus outside and the humidity is fierce!  Much as I like the outdoors, I have a great appreciation for air conditioning on days like today.  In the world of art and design however, there can be a certain beauty to what appears to be melted from the heat.  Surrealistic, and other-worldly,  these artistic examples take the ordinary idea of a chandelier, tablecloth, and candelabra to a whole new level of creative thinking.

  Atlantis by Terzani

What's this?! Those Italians are at it again! This chandelier is composed of two miles of delicate nickel chain, looped and draped on three metal tiers. It appears to be made of light shimmering fabric, and is appropriately called Atlantis, as if excavated from an ancient palace beneath the sea.

Spectrum West Collection

An old standby that I've shown you before, drapes of gentle folds are created by heating this sheet of clear acrylic. Classically graceful in its simplicity, it's the transparency that propels this into progressive design.

Tar Candelabra

I remember visiting Los Angeles for the first time, and putting the La Brea Tar Pits on my must-see list.  Designer Matta Biagi was so inspired that he designed an entire home collection around the idea of tar dipping and dripping.  This is a bronze candelabra actually dipped in tar.  Naturally, each piece is unique!

Atlantis by Terzani

Here is a side view of the Atlantis chandelier.  It has a stalactite quality.  Now THAT concept of being in a cave sounds very cool!  In common parlance,  perhaps these images are a contradiction of being both HOT and COOL! Perfect!