Interior Design in New York City

New York City is the only city I’ve lived in where the garbage is just put right on the street.  When I lived in  San Francisco,  the garbage men pulled the discreet truck in and carted away our cast offs. In DC, the basement was neatly organized with the weeks’ waste which was conveniently hauled off every Tuesday. But in New York, there’s no hiding. The dump that is the sidewalk outside my crowded apartment building bi-weekly becomes a seething bevy of unwanted garbage, paper, plastic, and sometimes…..FURNITURE.

Okay, I must admit I have picked up a couple of street gems  since I moved here 8.5 years ago…And my amazing, perfect, mid-century Danish dresser was rescued from the basement of a 54th street apartment building….but I’ve often wondered about other New Yorkers who furnish their homes with street-trash finds…

So I  had to share the latest marketing stint from Blu Dot-

What would you do if you saw this chair abandoned on the sidewalk? Keep walking? Or take it?’

It’s  a question many New Yorkers pondered in a few weeks ago when 25 brand-new $129 Blu Dot chairs were dispersed throughout NYC. The company did the experiment to celebrate the year anniversary of their SoHo store. They thought, “What would happen if we left a bunch of Real Good Chairs all over New York, free for the taking? Who will grab them? Where will they go? How will they get there? What will their new homes look like?”

would you take it home?

To answer these questions, they embedded GPS tracking devices on the chair and set up hidden cameras around each drop-off location. Then they waited and watched.

In one Brooklyn neighborhood, the chair lasted a mere ten seconds. But surprisingly in other areas, many people walked by without giving the chair a second thought. Others stopped and inspected it, but continued on their way. In Chinatown, the chair sat there for an hour and a half.

look good in your Living Room?

The chairs eventually went to 25 different homes and Blu Dot followed up with each new owner to find out what happened for their mini documentary. I laughed my way through the eight-minute video, admittedly embarrassed recalling the many times I’ve pondered such a heist – “is it a real Eames?” “OK, it’s Knoll, so would it be worth it to reupholster?”.  It’s he best PR stunt I’ve seen in years; and one I’m sure every New Yorker can relate to!

Watch the experiment:

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment from Real Good Chair on Vimeo.

Today is the last day to tour the Metropolitan Home’s Showtime House. Set in a pair of $25.5 million penthouses within Manhattan’s Tribeca Summit, this 14,000-square-foot dream space has become the creative playground for architects and designers. The design of each of the rooms reflects plotlines from six of the hottest original Showtime series.
We visited a month ago, and bring you some of the highlights:

Nurse Jackie quite literally interpreted:

Mirrored ceilings at Californication:

Murder chic for Dexter:

Home grown style at Weeds:

Multiple personalities at the United States of Tara:

Great Gothic luxe for The Tudors:

I was not surprised to see many items we’re currently using in designs  for our clients -

Bertoia Chairs in the Kitchen:

Dexter Kitchen

Trove wallpaper we used in a multi-family building on 23rd street:

Kyle Bunting Rugs:

Californication Sex Appeal

The same rug in different colorway, our design UES

Phillip Jeffries cork wallpaper:

Phillip Jeffries Seagrass wallpaper our project UES

Whether it be a commercial or residential job, I can pretty much guarantee we’re going to use something from Knoll on the project.

For the RCS Experience Store on Madison Avenue, we used Knoll’s classic Saarinen womb chair in a new smaller-scale size.

Two of these chairs flank the entry to the conference room, which is furnished with  Saarinen tables and tulip chairs.

On a recent residential job, we used pieces from Knoll Studio’s Platner Collection.

And in the Dining Room, we used Flat Brno chairs by Ludwieg Mies van der Rohe.

But at Neocon this year, Knoll came away with gold awards for some of their amazing new products including the new Generation Chair, which we featured in our last newsletter. Generation acknowledges that there’s no ONE right way to sit, and responds to a variety of work activities.

Also winning a gold was Knoll Textiles Air Rights drapery fabric collection by Suzanne Tick.

We’ll certainly be using the new and old award winners in many projects to come!

A couple of days ago I was fortunate enough to score some tickets (they’re sold out for ages) to the Philip Johnson Glass House and compound in New Canaan, Connecticut.

I’ve studied Mr. Johnson’s work since those architectural history days at SCAD, but I was overcome with excitement to see his most intimate creations in person.

Welcome Center and one of PJ's later works

We picked the worst day weather-wise and it poured with rain all day long.

Johnson's Private Study - Glass House was too distracting for working

But I was grateful for the rain, as it created a wonderful backdrop for appreciating the interiors of the Glass House.

Approach to the House

Glass House Interior

I was most struck by the fact that the interiors included many pieces which I had just installed in an apartment on Central Park West. 60 Years later, mid-century style endures.

Dining Table and Chairs at the Glass House

Identical dining chairs in our clients' apartment - April '09

Same Knoll cocktail table, but in crystal clear Starphire glass - April'09

Knoll Side table - Glass House

Same side table April'09

Timeless design!

Today, as everyone recovers from the over-indulgence of the New Year’s celebration, we’re recovering some favorites from the past year.

Our go-to furniture and textile manufacturer of ‘08 would definitely be Knoll. This year, Knoll celebrated 70 years as the leader in home and office furnishings, and introduced a revolutionary new luxury textile collection called Knoll Luxe. Combining fashion and home furnishings, Knoll called upon fashion designers Proenza Schouler for their Fall ‘08 collection.

Using Knoll Studio and systems furniture collections, we created some much needed office space for the RCS Experience Store here in NYC on Madison Ave. Knoll does this in a streamlined and sophisticated way, which doesn’t distract from the retail element, but adds to the sleek, technical feel of the space.

From office to home, Knoll has something for everyone. For a high-profile residential client of ours on Central Park West, we used Knoll’s studio collection to create the minimal and modern, yet comfortable feeling the client was looking for.