Stream of Consciousness...Hard Lines

Aesthetic associations are based on numerous physical characteristics--color, material, form, location (adjacency), influences, etc. When we sat down to create this blog, we looked at the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony which led us to the hard lines of the Arts and Crafts Movement, then to early Lucian Freud paintings. His palette and flat rendering reminded us of the furniture of Roy McMakin (of whom we've been a fan for years.) This is how and when our "Stream of Consciousness Week" ends...with an explanation of the thought process and a result quite divorced from our original idea. Welcome to the minds of Hunters and Gatherers at Home:

Farmhouse by Roy McMakin inspired buy the Wizard of Oz after the fall

Lucian Freud, Girl with a Kitten

O.G. Adirondack Chairs by Thomas Lee, 1905

Lucian Freud portrait of a man

Roy McMakin interior

Lucian Freud portrait of a woman

Sofa by Roy McMakin

Lucian Freud, John Minton

Dresser by Roy McMakin

Lucian Freud, Girl with Leaves

Stream of Consciousness...Windsor Style

Window at Barney's New York

The Duke of Windsor's custom blazer collection by Scholte of Savile Row in London, 1919-1959

Georg Baselitz, Checkered Thing, 1994

Collection of the Duke's shoes including velvet slippers by Pearl & Co via Black Watch

Vintage sofa re-upholstered in Harris Tweed via Sula Furnishing

Slim Aarons, The Marlboroughs, 1957

Stream of Consciousness...The Elegance of Utility

Today's inspiration is a collection of boxes (and brushes, only one shown) that we've found along our travels. From the hand stenciling of a utility tray to the hand drawn wallpaper on a pantry box, these items harken a time when even the littlest chore was synonymous with pride and beauty and accomplishment.

Antique packing box, pantry box, utility tray and brush

Portrait of a Dickensian house painter via Anonymous Works

19th century barn in Shoreham, VT

Photo of an antique chair found on Anonymous Works

Stream of Consciousness...Imagining a Decade

Taking my life in my hands, I've gone '80's again! Actually, after last night's blog entry, this week we've decided to use an inspiration photo that we've taken to define a movement, decade or an aesthetic we love. It's a stream of consciousness that we're having fun with, so stay with us!

Components of Monday night's dinner become inspiration

Frank Gehry's Venice Beach House, 1986, via GreatBuildings.com

James Brown, Self Portrait in Red, 1983 via Artnet

Memphis Milano Retrospective

A really timeless lesson in branding and creating a design-centric culture at the Menkin's Esprit

Stream of Consciousness...A Trip Home

We found ourselves driving behind a vintage Cadillac this weekend and it got us talking about the evolution of modernism and timeless luxury. Here are some associations we made in terms of style of design...

Vintage Cadillac on the road in Dutchess County

Red Satin, Jacques Olivar, 2005/2006

Marcel Breuer's Wolfson Trailer House, 1949-51, Salt Point, NY

Family of Man, Barbara Hepworth, 1970

A Dark Secret Passion: Design of the '80's

The Standard, NYC

A fantastic knife set I won at Housing Works (auction)

Hartford, CT

While one of us is asleep early with a headache, the other will indulge a secret passion that has been hiding just under the surface for quite sometime--Memphis and 1980's design! Fun, color-saturated and very relevant today, Memphis and 80's design means movement and experimentation. Influenced by Bauhaus, Constructivism, Primitivism and Art Deco, the designs (and unfortunately the worst) of the decade are almost instantly recognizable, as are those inspired by the time...see for yourself:

Forrest Myers, The Wall, 1973. Though early for Memphis and the 80's, I think it epitomizes the colors and geometry of the decade. Broadway and Houston, NYC.

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George Sowden clocks for Memphis

Marco Zanini Colorado teapot for Memphis, 1983

Lacoste sheets currently in the Macy's Herald Square window

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Nathalie Du Pasquier (a favorite!) lamp, Objects of the Electronics Age

Scholastic Building on Broadway, NYC

Peter Shire table via Manishtama

[3]

Ingas Sempe for Ligne Roset in the Soho showroom

Playgound on Houston

Du Pasquier for Objects of the Electronics Age

Houston and Wooster, NYC....I wish they'd try to keep this up! Great building.

Fractions of Light

George Washington Bridge one evening on our way home from New England

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The High Line

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From Grandma's Floor to Gallery Pedestal; Vintage Linoleum

A page from the 1939 Sears and Roebuck Catalog

We're often inspired, sometimes disheartened and usually surprised by what we find on our search for an antique home. From generations of wallpaper found in closets to a sweet basket filled with shoes, hats and tools--all found in the chimney of a 18th century Connecticut home, we've seen a lot. One of the most intriguing is the vintage linoleum found on the floors of closets and kitchens, left as a handy reminder that home fashions may change, but linoleum seems to last forever! Artist Don Baum makes use of linoleum's lasting power and references time and domesticity with his house sculptures at Carl Hammer Gallery, Chicago.

Skyhouse IV, 1983

Linoleum, wood construction

Don Baum

Linoleum found in the guesthouse of a 1840 colonial in Greenville, New York

White Lake II, 1986

Linocut, wood

Don Baum

Linoleum found in the closet of 1795 colonial in New Ipswich, New Hampshire

Studio for M, 1983

Linoleum, wood

Don Baum

"Wood" linoleum over antique wood floors in a 1840 Colonial in Greenville, New York

Chambered Nautilus, 1982

Linoleum, wood

Don Baum