BEAUTY: Interior--Kelly Wearstler

Once again, interior designer Kelly Wearstler shows her talent and genius, this time in a spacious Bel Air home. Present are some of her signature pieces designed by her, as well as her passion for unique lighting, and vintage pieces spanning the Art Deco 20s to the abstract 60s. She is heavily featuring brass, which is making a very strong comeback in interior design, as well as her love for pietra dura or inlaid marble, and strong geometrics like stripes and pyramid shapes. I really like the Jean de Merry chandelier over the Pedro Friedeburg table in the entryway, and the gold and brass kitchen, but I especially love the very long sconces in the living room which were salvaged from a Roman cinema. Click on each one of these images and drink in her heady creativity.

Photos via Architectural Digest

http://www.kellywearstler.com/

BEAUTY: Sculpture--Aron Demetz

Italian artist Aron Demetz has always worked with the human figure. His classical yet somehow minimal people have been rendered in bronze, in wood covered with pine resin, and now, in his latest series, distressed wood. But the distressing occurs only in certain areas, wearing away the torso, or back, or face of a figure. The results are compellingly tactile as well as disturbing, appearing as if a fungus is taking over a body. The shredded, organic grain of the wood is brought out but we are not used to seeing a person torn open, suggesting fragility and the layers of psychological states we all have under our "surface."

I was originally going to post only these photos of his distressed wood figures but after I went to Demetz' website, I became enamored of an installation he did several months ago (September 2012) as part of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Called "La credenza della memoria" or "the belief of memory," this fascinating installation was in the famed Caffe Florian, off the San Marco Piazza in Venice. Demetz built a replica of their original Chinese Room from 1858, and carbonized the entire space with a blow torch. Installed over the real Chinese Room, the blackened space references the meditation process, whereby an individual, in order to find one's own spirit, starts in chaos or darkness but moves toward light. The fire burns and purifies, and from this primordial place comes light and color. I love his addition of new-growth blossoms coming out of the charred ceiling and walls.

It all reminds me of Maarten Baas' "Where There's Smoke" chair which receives the same charring technique but then receives a tough, heavy layer of acrylic, sealing in the damage. Marvelous!

http://www.arondemetz.it/
http://www.maartenbaas.com/

BEAUTY: Interior--Steven Sclaroff

Steven Sclaroff has done a marvelous job on the restoration and interior design of an iconic building registered with the National Register of Historic Places. The home currently belongs to Kate and Andy Spade but it was built as a residence and studio for artist William Merritt Chase (1849–1916) in 1892, as part of a larger Chase Art Colony. Chase was an American Impressionist painter and a highly revered teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design. But his personality was flamboyant and his Manhattan studio was extravagantly filled with opulent furniture, decorative objects, stuffed birds, oriental carpets, and exotic musical instruments. And clearly, Sclaroff used that as inspiration to fulfill the Spade's own penchant for interesting and art-filled interiors. In this project, Sclaroff retained the two large rooms where Chase taught and I love how he has covered the walls with art which is hung salon-style, along with Oriental rugs, a mix of classic comfortable furniture pieces, books, ethnic sculptures, and other fascinating objets. The mix of patterns is artful, playful, fun, and interesting without being overwhelming. The kitchen and bathrooms feel fresh yet period-correct too (how about that master bathroom?--you could park a few cars in it). I think Chase would feel right at home.

http://stevensclaroff.com/

BEAUTY: Photography and Interiors--Trevor Trondo

I have been marveling at the interior photography of New York photographer Trevor Trondo. I just wish he identified the designers of these spaces on his website. They are all quite unique and gorgeously designed, but some of them are just jaw-dropping, like the futuristic laundry room, the lounge with the swing, and the wild wood-and-pink bedroom!

http://trevortondro.com/