BEST ART: vintage

Showing posts with label vintage. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Summer Design Trends: Organic Shapes

Rounded and flowing organic shapes are a hit this summer. Furniture, frames, and lighting fixtures with rolling curves and smooth lines will be perfect for this style. Showcase pieces that evoke organic shapes and stay trendy!

Make the trend:

Get the look:

1 Murano glass lamps by Seguso 2 French Art Deco side table 3 Murano glass sconces by Venini 4 Moustache back club chairs 5 Murano glass chandelier 6 Art Nouveau plant stand 7 Bombe chest of drawers 8 Louis Philippe gold-leaf mirror

Monday, May 23, 2011

Summer Design Trends: A Splash of Color

As we continue to share our favorite interior design trends for Summer 2011, we move on to... splashes of color!

Vintage pieces in orange - Murano lamps and a Modernist gueridon - add a bright flare to this room

Bring the colors of summer into your home with bright splashes of your favorites. Vibrant hues in vintage and antique pieces will add variety and interest to your rooms. Bold colors will add freshness and light to your interior after the dreary winter.

Colorful flowers and textiles add a pop of yellow to classic pieces

Keep things coherent by sticking with a simple palette - try honeysuckle, sunshine yellow, or spring green on top of neutrals in white or grey. Make sure to choose pieces with character in colors you love. Just remember to keep it bright and light - the look of the season is color!

Make the trend:

Get the look:

Reds & Pinks: Restoration period meridienne; Louis XVI armchair; Vintage Lucite and brass armchair; Napolean III gold leafed stools
Oranges & Golds: French Modernist gueridon; Murano glass lamps; Spanish gold leafed sunbursts; vintage anduze pot; Italian Murano glass sconces
Blues & Greens: Murano glass lamps; vintage Murano glass chandelier; "Water Lilies" by Kathryn Goodnite; vintage green Murano glass lamps; vintage green Murano glass sconces

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Welcome Back Lucite!

Lucite furniture has officially made a come-back in contemporary interior design since it’s heyday in the 60’s and 70’s. After all, who hasn’t seen one of Philippe Starck’s Ghost Chairs featured in one of the latest design magazines lately?

Philippe Starck's "Ghost" chair.

Not only can Lucite furniture be a more economical substitute for glass or even wood pieces, it instantly adds a touch of glamor to any interior. Vintage Lucite furniture, in particular, is in high demand by interior designers and collectors alike, so if your family has one of these fabulously hip, futuristic pieces hidden away in storage from their earlier days, it may be time to brush the dust off!

Plexiglas ball chair by Christian Daninos, 1968.

The term “Lucite” is the official DuPont trademark for “methyl methacrylate” - also known as, “Plexiglas” or “Altuglas”. Methyl methacrylate was actually discovered on accident by the Rohm and Hass Chemical Company in 1924. It was first used as a glass substitute for industrial purposes like boat windshields and aircraft windows in the late 1930's, but later found a niche in residential and commercial architecture in the 1940’s.

By the late 1950’s and on up through the 1970’s, “Plexiglas”, or “Lucite”, had made its mark in modern furniture design. Crystal clear or tinted, lightweight yet ultra resistant, this new form of plastic was a miracle product, easily shaped into any form and so versatile it was used for everything from fashion accessories like jewelry and handbags to sculpture, furniture and light fixtures.

Contemporary version of Verner Panton's S chair.

Acrylic furniture manufacturers started to pop up worldwide in the 1960's and architects and designers alike, such as Charles Hollis Jones and Verner Panton pioneered the trend for modern acrylic furniture. Their work was well received in Hollywood amongst celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Johnny Carson, and is still in vogue today as Madonna will attest in a recent ad for Versace.