homebody musings

DC Design Story #1 (and a tiny rant)

As a proud DC native and resident suffering from taxation without representation (what the real Tea Party was all about, people!), there's nothing that irritates me more than hearing pundits and politicians alike using "Washington" as a synonym for the federal government. One might be led to forget that this city with a population larger than Wyoming's has its own unique culture and people, including not just politicians but teachers, scientists, doctors, artists, writers, architects and designers. Designers? Yes, and of furniture to be exact.

How did the Washington Color School get its start? A group of great artists with shared stylistic traits working in the same city was the beginning. Can a movement like this happen in the field of furniture design, too? With the right kind of support and exposure, I think it absolutely can.

It might be happening right now. There are designers all over the metro area working in studios, garages and warehouses, each designing with a unique combination of methodology, material and inspiration. Can all this variety give birth to a DC design vernacular? How about a movement? Each design tells a story and part of that story is the place of its conception and creation. The rest of the story is the inspiration, materials and know-how that move a creation from idea to finished product. DC is brimming with these stories, unfolding daily on bevnaps and workbenches. As many of us are focusing more and more on ways we can support our local economies, this seems to me like a good time for story-telling. Who knows, maybe we'll start a movement?

Design Story: Kurt Massé's Bourbon Barrel Chairs

The entire chair is made by hand

from reclaimed bourbon barrels.

The wood is quarter-sawn oak - nothing but the best for the bourbon - and has a gorgeous grain running throughout. The charring from the inside of the barrel is left intact and used as a decorative treatment. The red stain is derived from beet powder and the finishes are water-based and non-toxic. The joinery is old-school Japanese and fully exposed.

This is a chair and a work of art. A chair at its simplistic best, yet full of mystery, representing an honest repurposing of materials and built to last. There's even a hidden drawer under the seat. Something to look at, contemplate, talk about, sit on and grow old with. As Kurt likes to say: "Put your assé on a Massé."

Posted by Erin Mara at 1/19/2012 5:43 PM | Add Comment

Quote of the Day

I must confess that I set my weekday alarm to NPR at 6:36 am. I'm sure many of you know exactly why, but for those who are scratching their heads, that's when The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor airs in rather compact form. While some have a "bedroom" voice, I would say that Mr. Keillor has a "morning" voice and when applied to reciting writers' biographies and poetry it becomes, in my book, the world's best way to start the day.

So, because I love this quote and because today is Patti Smith's 65th birthday, I forward a bit of wisdom from Patti that I heard this morning thanks to Mr. Keillor:
"In art and dream you may proceed with abandon.
In life may you proceed with balance and stealth." Patti Smith

Next up: Local Design (and this time I mean it.)

Posted by Erin Mara at 1/19/2012 5:42 PM | Add Comment

Giving is better than receiving.

Months ago, I decided to make this year a "homemade Christmas". You know, think up clever, practical and beautiful gifts for my loved ones and make them all by hand. Good idea! It's a truly meaningful gesture that will also free me from at least some of the Christmas chaos.

Well, it's now December 3rd and I haven't made a damn thing. I'm trapped in the holiday rush. I'm also not one of those people that knows exactly what to get for others. No running catalog in my head of perfect gift ideas. What to do?

Thursday's NY Times ran The Gimme Guide, a clever article on the perils of gift-giving by Penelope Green, and in it quoted the findings of a recent study which revealed that gift recipients were more appreciative of gifts if (a) they got exactly what they had requested or (b) the gift were cash or (c), and not far behind, a gift card. Interesting! When did "giving" get so mixed up with "receiving"?? This finding seems to only take into account the desire of the recipient who has stated a specific want and has an already established expectation of receiving a gift in some form. The entitled bum! Of course, if you can pick your own gift you'll be very satisfied with it. But is that what Christmas is about?

What about the giver? What about their role in all of this? In my mind, the idea of giving starts in the heart and mind of the giver. If it starts with the expectations of the receiver then we have a different thing entirely. Christmas is all about giving (remember the three kings?) and in order to find the right gift, you must spend some time considering the intended recipient, their likes and dislikes, their areas of lack and abundance. Go out and look around, support your local shops in the process, mix and mingle with your fellow givers and enjoy the time spent thinking of someone else and what they might enjoy, find useful and ultimately cherish. Happy holidays!

Next up, local design.

Posted by Erin Mara at 1/19/2012 5:42 PM | Add Comment

How Right It Is

Lapo Elkann appeared recently on the cover of FT's How to Spend It sporting a scarlet Rubinacci suit and surrounded by vintage red Ferraris. According to Lapo: "customization is not a joke, or a philosophy, or a psychology - it is a reality. If you put yourself in the environment that suits you, you'll have a better life."

It's in that second sentence that Lapo really starts making sense to me and his too-true statement can be applied to just about anything, from custom-built ferraris to shoes that fit to designed interiors.

I had the recent pleasure of spending several days in just such an environment - one that fit me - at the home of my love's musician brother along the Hudson river. His is an artist's residence (formerly the country muse of Tony Kushner) replete with all of the attendant quirky artifacts and collected stuff, inspiring tableaux and rustic architectural moments one would hope for. We were unfortunately gathered as a result of the tragic passing of a beloved family member. Jenifer was an artist as well, loving and generous and stylistically advanced from an early age. She also knew a thing or two about environments and crusaded tirelessly against the monotonous intensity of overhead lighting, always insisting on the subtler, space-creating effects of table lamps, even in other peoples' homes!

There is a quiet serenity to this place with its artful arrangements that manage to feel entirely unplanned, though I know they're not. An unspoken dialogue is going on all around and this conversation concerns the relating of things, about how one thing needs the presence of another to give it meaning, to elaborate it's essence and beauty. This concept is beautifully illustrated throughout the house.

Waking up to morning sunlight washing over chalky blue walls, weathered ceiling beam, black and white framed photos and purring house kitty, I was inspired, and what ensued was a spontaneous pajama-clad iphoto shoot. Enjoy and feel free to comment or share.

Erin

I should add that you can experience "Paradise" yourself (it's written in rhinestones above the door) : http://www.vrbo.com/379450.