Sotheby's Designer ShowHouse April 11 - April 19

On Monday, I attended the reception of Sotheby’s Designer Showhouse cosponsored by Architectural Digest.  The famed auction house's fifth floor was transformed into a home by thirteen interior designers and design firms.  Pieces from the showhouse will be available for sale to the public in a dedicated auction on April 20.  

Dining Room by Russell Piccione Design, Artwork James Rosenquist, George II marbletop eagle form console table

Dining Room by Russell Piccione Design

It was a treat to see how designers put together rooms.  Favorites of mine included the Breakfast Room by Ashley Darryl.  The room was very playful with bold striped blue, black and white wall paper as a backdrop, with antique pieces, such as a Chinese export black lacquer cabinet and beautiful neoclassical bronze six-light chandelier artfully arranged.  

Breakfast Room by Ashley Darryl Interiors

Chinese export lacquer cabinet, Breakfast Room

2nd Annual Holiday Hampton House Preview and Opening NIght White Gala

Last weekend, I visited Sag Harbor with Vyna St. Phard (High End Weekly) and friends to preview the 2nd Annual Holiday House Hamptons, presented by HC&G (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens) located at Watchcase, 15 Church Street in Sag Harbor, New York.   Watchouse, a 130-year old historic, former Bulova watchcase factory, is undergoing a dramatic transformation by the developers Cape Advisors into the Hamptons' first resort-style luxury condominium project. 

Eighteen top interior and landscape designers, each transformed a unique space within three Watchcase homes,  featuring original holiday-themed indoor and outdoor living spaces. The showhouse will be open to the public daily through Sunday, August 10, 2014.  Proceeds from the event will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.  

Top right: Iris Dankner, founder of Holiday House, is a 17-year breast cancer survivor who created the event to join her passion for interior design with her determination to eradicate this deadly disease.

Holiday House Hamptons' participating design and landscape firms: Bjørnen Design, Brady Design, Campion Platt, dale cohen designstudio, Elizabeth Dow Home, Elsa Soyars Interior Design, Eugenia Au Kim, The Design Studio, Huniford Design Studio, ID Creations, Jen Going Interiors, Milly de Cabrol - Ani Antreasyan, Scott Formby, Studio MRS, Tamara Magel, Terradesign, Vicente Wolf, West Chin Architects & Interior Designers.

My Japanese Discoveries: The Extraordinary Kogei Art and Contemporary Design from Toyama, Japan

I recently attended the Opening Ceremony of My Japanese Discoveries, at

Onishi Gallery, their latest project

intended to share highlights of Japanese heritage and culture. The project's inaugural show is in collaboration with Toyama Prefecture and runs from May 16th to 22nd.

Shakunaga Yukio (b.1954): Triangle Plate (The Hungry Ghost(No.2)2013 Stoneware

Highlights of this reception include catering provided by Danny Meyer's Union Square Events and sake tasting courtesy of Toyama Prefecture. Also featured will be plates and sake cups courtesy of Toyama's metalware manufacturer Nousaku.

Karim Rashid and Bo Concept

Bo Concept and famed industrial designer Karim Rashid have collaborated to create a new dining collection for the spring.  A special event was held at their Madison Avenue location, and I had the opportunity to hear Karim Rashid speak about his designs.  Dressed in his signature color, pink, Rashid said he has long been a fan of Danish furniture, and was influenced by his father who believed in saving up to buy one quality piece for the year.  Karim Rashid had been following Bo Concept since its first store opened in Paris in the early 1990's.  Although he didn't think he would be designing for them, he had always admired their work.  He felt that with Bo Concept could reach the quality of high end furniture but because of volume, could offer it for middle market prices.

The collection was nostalgic for him, because he had studied the history of Danish design during his university years in Ottawa, Canada.  Thus, his collection is called Ottawa.  A lot of products shift from one function to another, for example, the expandable table, which is great for city dwellers.  Karim Rashid worked on the collection for about a year and a half with Bo Concept, starting with 50 pieces which were edited down to 10.  Rashid described the collection as "friendly, soft, and more seamless with everyday life".  The aesthetic is sensual but minimal, with high functionality and comfort.  The collection echoes nature, with soft, organic lines.  My favorite piece was the Ottawa chair, which has a shape reminiscent of a leaf.  Besides, the table and chair, there is a room divider and sideboard with an changeable color accent board in green.

In terms of accessories,  Rashid has imprinted his thumb print on a 100% wool rug as well as cups. The cups and plates have other prints, including one that he created during his university years.  There are 4 colorful acrylic neon vases that can fit together like a puzzle or used individually. The Ottawa glass pendant in white and orange and touch-activated table lamp are an ode to Scandinavian design.   To check out more of the collection, visit BoConcept.