Scalamandre Haute Decor and a Fabulous Holiday Gift

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Holiday Open House at Designers Only here in Kansas City. Steven Stolman, the president of Scalamandre was the featured guest, signing his new book, Scalamandre Haute Decor.

In his book, which was a year in the making, Mr. Stolman takes us through the history of Scalamandre. There is a multitude of founder Franco Scalamandre's correspondence saved in the company archives. It includes letters from the era's top designers and heads of major department stores. 

A table at Kansas City's "Dining by Design" to benefit DIFFA, Katy Sullivan uses  Lenox Zebra China and shows a gallery of Scalamandre Fabric patterns.

This fascinating book includes hundreds of images featuring  Scalamandre's luxurious fabrics, wallcoverings, and trims that both Interior Designers and their clients crave for their interiors. 

The Hudson Valley estate  of Architect and Interior Design Alison Spear. Her  sofas are covered in "Falk Manor House" jacquard velvet.

Mario Buatta uses the Scalamandre iconic "Resist" print to perfection in this New Jersey living room.

Scalamandre designed numerous fabrics, wallcoverings, trims and even rugs for many rooms of importance in our Nation's White House, including the Kennedy Blue Room.

One of Scalamandre's most coveted Chinoiserie prints, "Shanghai".

Joye Adamson, the showroom manager of Designers Only, The source for Interior Designers.

Steven Stolman, President of Scalamandre divides his time between homes in Florida, New York, and Wisconsin.

Scalamandre "Zebra" Silk Scarf"

Scalamandre has generously offered one of their "Zebra" silk scarves as a giveaway to my readers. Their website offers a varieties of accessories, from pillows and totes to pet beds and ottomans. This gorgeous silk  scarf is valued at $200 and is a 36 inch square.

To enter please follow The Arts by Karena either via Google+ or or email subscription and for an extra entry, on Pinterest.

The winner will be chosen on Thursday December 23rd at midnight EST.

Thank you to my friends and followers who so generously support The Arts.

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

Stephen Sills Decoration

 A design book filled with stunning photography by Francois Halard, Stephen Sills Decoration showcases a selection of incredibly  designed properties. Featuring sixteen homes, including Sill's own country home in upstate New York, you will want to include  this equisite publication  in your Interior Design library! 

The tester bed canopy is made from an antique Turkish runner. Plexiglas hanging chairs add  contemporary  flair.

Alberto Giacometti lighting in Sill's dining room.

A rice straw chair by artist Kim Hyun-been contrasts 18th century Turin chairs in Bedford guesthouse.

A fabulous entry hall with paintings and sculptures by Picasso, Mark Rothko, Henri Matisse, and Giacometti. The intricate floor is wood and stone inlay.

A rare 17th century rug mimicking mosaic stonework found on the floor of a Venetian palace inspired this magnificent home's decor. 

Stephen Sills portrait by Lord Snowdon

Stephen Sills Decoration by Stephen Sills as told to James Reginato
Forward by Karl Lagerfeld
Photography by Francois Halard

Review copy courtesy of Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.

Thank you to my friends and followers who continue to support The Arts

xoxo 
Karena
The Arts by Karena

Luminous Interiors by Brian J. McCarthy

Recently named to Architectural Digest's esteemed  list of Architects and Interior Designers, the 2014 AD100, Brian McCarthy has published a new book on his work, Luminous Interiors.  Destined to be a classic for years to come, there are 200 color photographs of sumptuously finished rooms accompanied by his very personal and descriptive text.

McCarthy joined the venerable Parish Hadley design firm in 1983, where he worked alongside Bunny Williams, who wrote a most admiring forward to this luxe book. Since starting his own firm in 1991, business has grown exponentially as has his elite client list.

Atelier Mériguet-Carrère plaster panels carved with nature scenes surround this luxurious dining room. 

Wrapping his interiors in an envelope of equisite finishes, this designer works with artisans around the world sometimes having entire suites of rooms crafted at Feau and Sie in Paris. He uses materials such as  gilt, silver leaf, lacquer, Venetian plaster, and bold architectural elements to transform spaces into his clients vision. 

Three elements, reflectivity, texture, and silhouette are hallmarks of McCarthy's interior designs, adding interest across a rooms "skyline".

A pair of bronze crocodile sculptures by artist Claude Lalanne in the Manhattan apartment McCarthy shares with his partner. Art and sculpture fill every corner  of his home down to the Alberto Pinto dinnerware and water glasses by Deborah Ehrlich. Many of  McCarthy's  clients have world renowned collections of art and as a collector himself,  he believes that works of art are what give  an interior design its "zing".

An antique suzani from Madeline Weinrib graces this 19th-century iron four poster bed made in France.

This home on the south shore of eastern Long Island has dining room murals based on Monet's Water Lilies. The porthole mirror is surrounded by sconces of amethyst and beaded glass.

Luminous Interiors

By Brian J. McCarthy

 Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York 2013

Photography: Francesco Lagnese, Max Kim-Bee, Fritz von der Schulenburg

This is  a book I will pick up many times and one that is a must for your library. 

Copy and images courtesy of Abrams and Sarah Birmingham of Little Bird Publicity

Thank you to my friends and followers who support the arts!

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

Beyond Chic by Ivan Terestchenko

Internationally acclaimed Ivan Terestchenko studied Art History at the Ecole du Louvre and was a painter until the age of 30 when he switched to photography. He landed his first assignment with Vogue France. Soon after, Ivan gained recognition for documenting the private homes of artists and high profile designers for magazines worldwide including The World of Interiors, Casa Vogue Italy and The Wall Street Journal.

Ivan travels extensively, he has sailed twice across the Atlantic ocean and is a passionate surfer. He also paints and sculpts.

Beyond Chic gives a photographer's private view of the  homes, and collections, capturing the personalities of many iconic names in fashion and design.

This is truly a must have book for your collection and holiday wish list.

Cover: Giles Dufour's living room in Paris. Giles worked with Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel for fifteen years.

A study in the Victorian home of Manolo Blahnik in Bath

 A nine-foot longboard signed by Richard Prince for Supreme appears as a work of contemporary art in the home of Stefano Pilato, the head of Saint Laurent's fashion house. 

A Murano glass chandelier in the Venetian home of Rosita and Ottavio Missoni in Italy

The home of Sculptor Nicole Farhi in London

Kevin Carrigan's dining room in Bellport, a village on the south shore of Long Island. Kevin is the Global Creative Director for Calvin Klein.

The home of shoe designer Christian Louboutin in Luxor Egypt.

Ivan's website: IVAN TERESTCHENKO photography
You may visit  Ivan's Blog: Ivan Terestchenko, Visual Diary


Purchase Beyond Chic: Great Fashion Designers at Home  and The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge 

Copy courtesy of The Vendome Press

Photographs courtesy Ivan Terestchenko

Thank you to my friends and followers who support The Arts

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

Staircases: The Architecture of Ascent

Staircases: The Architecture of Ascent, with an introduction by Oscar Tusquets Blanca contains 236 beautiful images of unique staircases, many photographed specifically for this book. We are taken through the centuries and see architecture as varied as that of the ancient staircase of the Maya pyramid at Chichen Itza to The Baroque  Jordan staircase in The Winter Palace  at St. Petersburg to the stunning spiral at the Flemish Centre for Contemporary Art Glass in Lommel, Belgium.  A most informative tome on the significance of many grand staircases around the world.

The Navy (later renamed The Nelson Stair) Staircase at Somerset House in London designed by architect William Chambers. c.1775

One of the stunning cast-iron staircases in the State Law Library of Iowa in Des Moines. (1884)

The staircase of The Palazzo Canossa in Mantua, Spain was built in the 17th Century, then refurbished in 1779 by Paolo Pozzo. The statuary evoke the spirit of the Baroque.

Built by Edward Riedel, Christian Jank, and Georg Dollman, this is the stunning  staircase leading up to the apartments of Ludwig II of Bavaria at his castle in Neuschwanstein. The decorative details combine both the Gothic and the exotic. Designed by Julius Hofmann in 1881. 

This Art Nouveau staircase and entry detailed with mosaics, stone, and wood with exposed steel pillars is in a Victor Horta ( architect) townhome built for the Tassel family in Brussels.  (1892)  Classified in 2000 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

I M. Pei's stunning staircase at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar (2008) 

This book is a must have on the holiday wish list for both men and women.

To purchase:  Staircases The Architecture of Ascent 

Authors: Oscar Tusquets Blanca, Martine Diot, Adelaïde de Savray, Jérôme Coignard, Jean Dethier

Copy courtesy of The Vendome Press  

Images courtesy of The Vendome Press

Thank you to my many readers who avidly support The Arts 

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany by Paul Doros

 

This equisite book, The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany is one of the most mesmerizing books I have ever read. Including 225 Color Illustrations many that have NEVER been published, the sumptuous photography of this art glass will take your breath away.

This Art Glass was produced between the 1890's and 1920's. Louis Comfort  Tiffany coined the phrase "Favrile Glass" and considered this hand blown glass to be "his Signature Artistic Achievement".

These glass works in their jewel tone palettes shimmer inside and out with the finest of detailing !

This superb book shows us a most unique range of art glass, from delicate flower forms to "Lava"  Glass with purposeful drips enhancing the forms.

There are numerous examples of stunning "Cypriot" vases. At times Tiffany had his glassworkers and scientists spend so many hours refining new techniques, that the art glass had to be priced in the "Collector Range" even back in that era. 

This did not keep buyers away however. The desire of this one of a kind gorgeous glass works has kept it in numerous private and museum collections throughout the world; bringing prices unheard of at auction.  

This book also gives us the story of the iconic Tiffany as a young man, his years as an artist, and interior designer, and the creation of Tiffany Glass Company starting with the expansion of leaded glass windows  so much desired. 

The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany by Paul Doros courtesy of  The Vendome Press

Photography by David Schlegel

Images Courtesy of The Vendome Press

This book is a must have for anyone in with an interest in The Arts. 

Purchase The Art Glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany  

Please leave a comment for the author and photographer of this fine book.

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

House Proud by Valorie Hart: Unique Home Design in Louisiana

Introducing  House Proud a book that celebrates homes and life in New Orleans and the surrounding areas in Louisiana. When I think of a particular region in the United States or the world, for that matter. A certain style of architecture pops into my mind. 

Now we know that every city has a variety of architectural examples, from Colonial to Contemporary; however New Orleans architecture is infused with "that certain  brand of hospitality and history not to be seen in other cities.

Author and Designer Valorie Hart. She is known as The Visual Vamp, the title of her very popular blog. 

Valorie has an innate sense for bringing together High and Low; melding them seamlessly and adding in all of the most important layers of a clients cherished collections into what is a most unique and interesting home....a start to many conversations at any gathering.

These wonderful images will do the talking, as I want each and everyone of you to put this book on you Holiday Wish List! You will find some or many  things that mesmerize you in every room! 

Ghost Chairs virtually disappear and bring into focus the console, art and silk panels!

Collections displayed on a cobalt blue wall

Ahh those floors and the luxe fabric on this antique chaise/ daybed!

Unique candleholders catch the eye and the chandelier, amazing!

The burst of fuchsia with this classic gold toned serving cart makes my heart sing!

House Proud may be purchased Here! 

Visit The Visual Vamp

Please leave a message for Valorie about her book and the images she has presented so generously

Published by Glitterati New York

Forward by Debra Shriver

Photography by Sara Essex Bradley

Review Copy provided by Glitterati 

Thank you to all of my friends and followers who support The Arts!

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena