THANKFUL

What a perfect way to start the holiday season!

We are thrilled to share and so THANKFUL that our Woven Rush Side Chair has been chosen to be featured in this months, December issue of Elle Decor - The Top 10 Occasional Chairs. Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible. You can also watch the video of the designers discussing their choices here.

Smilow Furniture in the News

A mid century re-introduction. Authentic design by Mel Smilow

It has been an exciting month since the Relaunch of Smilow Furniture at the ICFF. Read about Smilow Furniture in the News. Mid-Century Designer Focus: Mel Smilow Magazine July/August 2013 An unsung mid-century designer is poised for a triumphant revival. MORE >> Dwell Magazine Slide Show >> Smilow at ICFF 2013 A notable trend among the smaller makers is domestic manufacturing. East Coast factories are partnering with designers to bring back skill sets that have been handed down through the generations, reviving some long lost disciplines in the process. One of our favourite finds this show was the American company Smilow. An authentic mid-century brand that started as a retailer in NYC in 1949, Smilow has created a collection of enduring modern classics in a very accessible way.  MORE >> 50 Years In the Making: A Mid-Century Modern Master Debuts at ICFF Perhaps there’s no better testament to the enduring power of a designer and his designs than celebrating the relaunch of his signature pieces half a century after they were first produced. For Judy Smilow, who is launching a capsule collection of furniture based on Mel Smilow’s original designs at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, this enormous undertaking was much more than reintroducing the world to some of the best examples of mid-20th century modern furniture, it was a labor of love. MORE >> Old Is New Again Mel Smilow (1922–2002) was an American furniture designer, manufacturer and retailer whose seating, case goods and lighting are widely regarded as among the very best of the mid 20th century. The works were entirely crafted by hand (in America) of solid walnut, birch and oak, rather than the more common teak of the time. Known for clean lines and impeccable proportions, they were sold under the name Smilow-Thielle and offered through namesake retail stores, from the late 1940s through the 1970s. MORE >> For more information contact us at info@smilowdesign.com or visitsmilowfurniture.com. Additionally you can see and purchase the Smilow Furniture collection at reGeneration Furniture at 38 Renwick Street in New York City and DeringHall.com

Go See ..... at the Brooklyn Museum...

El Anatsui (Ghanaian, born 1944). Gli (Wall), 2010

Gravity and Grace, Monumental Works by El Anatsui

Last week I had the great pleasure to visit the Brooklyn Museum to see the exhibit Gravity and Grace, Monumental Works by El Anatsui. It's on view through August 4th.

I am a lover of all crafts and especially love art where you can see and feel the makers hand. El Anatsui creates just that kind of art.

"This is the first solo exhibition in a New York museum by the globally renowned contemporary artist El Anatsui, The show features over 30 works in metal and wood.  Anatsui converts found materials (for example bottle caps and discarded printing plates) into a new type of art that lies between sculpture and painting. The curtain wall above made from folded, twisted and linked liquor-bottle caps, combines aesthetic traditions from his native country, Ghana; his home in Nigeria; and the global history of abstraction." (from the Brooklyn Museum)

The installation process is flexible, which is crucial to Mr Anatsui's  art; curators may ruffle 
the surfaces of the wall hangings as they please, smoothing old wrinkles or developing new ones. You can fall in love with a piece in one show and not even recognize it in its next venue.(from the NY Times)

Each of his works, although macro in scale, reveals itself as a series of micro-events. See and enjoy the details below.

Folded, twisted, flattened and linked liquor-bottle caps 

To get an idea of scale, Here I am standing next to one of the giant walls.

Below, one of my favorites, a monochromatic version.

Below is one of his earlier works in wood. Note that the strips of wood are flexible and can be rearranged to show different points of view, just like the walls.