Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Trend Watch: Leather

Heather Kilmer here . . . and this week is all about leather.  We are seeing lots of innovation in interior artisan leather these days.  From chairs to accessories to fashion, here are some of our favorite leather trends:





Ngala Trading from South Africa is one of my favorite leather artisans.  Their handcrafted Urchin Chandeliers and Shaggy Leather Chairs are meticulously constructed with hand-stripped leather and have a dramatic life-like appearance.  All their pieces make a distinctive statement in any interior.

The Objets Nomades collection by Louis Vuitton uses leather to celebrate the Art of Travel.  From intricate morph-able interior screens to portable furniture leather is fastened, cut, woven and reimagined in visually stunning ways.






I am in awe of Una Burke's complex skillful leather constructions.  Ranging from art to fashion to accessories, her handcrafted pieces are made using vegetable tanned leathers and solid brass fittings.

Nest Studio likes leather so much we are adding it to our hardware collection.  Here is a sneak peak of our soon to be launched Mod Series prototypes with a customizable leather option.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Classic Kids Bedroom Retreat

Hey there, it's Kate Cabiltes!

This kids bedroom by Shannon Wollack of LA design firm Studio Life.Style is the ultimate kids retreat. The space features built in bunk beds coated in a custom paint by Soho House and outfitted in neutral hued sheets and mud cloth pillows. While the space reads fresh and minimalist, fun outdoorsy details like the Pendleton blanket and rope handles keep it playful. The blue palette carries through in the ombre drapery and textured baskets. This is a room that is tasteful and can be enjoyed as a child continues to grow and I'm sure some adults such as myself would be completely happy relaxing in this !




Here's how to get the look in your kids bedroom...




White African Mud Cloth Lumbar Pillow via Chairish
An Inky Navy Paint via Farrow & Ball
Reversible Letter Throw Pillow via Jonathan Adler
Huntington Baskets via Serena & Lily
Glacier National Park Blanket via Pendleton USA
Pliant Rope Handle via Anthropologie

Inspiration image via Lonny

Monday, May 22, 2017

Lina Bo Bardi: Design Spotlight

Happy Monday, it's Heather Kilmer with this week's Nest Studio Design Spotlight.  This week we are spotlighting one of the most important 20th century architects, editors, illustrators, furniture designers and curators, Lina Bo Bardi.  Her bold, distinctive and prolific work successfully integrates the values of the modern movement with popular culture.  Living the majority of her professional life in Brazil, Bo Bardi designed an astonishing variety and number of projects ranging from private homes, museums, office buildings, theaters, churches and cultural centers.  Her buildings are vibrant when inhabited and come to life with the energy, diversity and creativity of the people who occupy them.

In 1951, Lina designed her private home in Sao Paulo.  Here, nature, art, handmade crafts, toys, collections and chairs--from peasant stools to Eames and Le Corbusier chaise lounges--all co-exist in playful harmony.  Of her residence, Lina Bo Bardi writes:

No decorative or compositional effect was sought in this house, as the aim was to intensify its connection with nature, using the simplest means possible, in order to have the minimum impact on the landscape.  The problem was to create an environment that was physically sheltered, i.e. that offered protection from the wind and the rain, but at the same time remained open to everything that is poetic and ethical, even the wildest of storms . . . . This house represents an attempt to achieve a communion between natures and the natural order of things.






In 1957 Lina Bo Bardi constructed the modern iconic Museum of Art Sao Paulo (MASP).   The above ground museum component is a floating glass volume supported by two red monumental concrete beams.  Visitors approach the building through a public area underneath the main structure known as "free span" on grade with the surrounding pedestrian sidewalk.  The museum vertically connects its underground space with the floating museum through a glass elevator.  Lina' intent was to create a portal between sidewalk and artwork, interior and exterior, challenging the notion that art is should be inaccessible.

Design intent is also evident in MASP's interior.  To reinforce its transparency, there are no solid partitions in the main exhibition space.  All artwork is displayed in an open area, held by glass and concrete easels designed by Bo Bardi and centrally places artwork rather then relegating it to the museum's perimeter.

Bo Bardi's SESC Pompeia cultural complex in Sao Paulo is revered for its tectonics as well as its democratization of space.  Built on a derelict factory site, Bo Bardi kept the old complex brick buildings, preserving its industrial memory, but removed interior partition walls to create a fluid space.  On the remaining plot of land in the industrial village, Bo Bardi erected a shockingly Brutalist complex of two high towers and a tall chimney all built in raw concrete.  In contrast to the old factory space, this complex enters into open competition with the urban environment and responds to it contextually.  The compact tower houses a swimming pool and showers and the larger volume houses stacked gymnasiums.  The two towers are interconnected by either Y- or V-shaped open-weather bridges and gangways.  The architecture's own playfulness becomes evident by virtue of its circulation, form and the use of vibrant color juxtaposed with its gray building mass.



SESC Pompiea was conceived with a capacity of up to 15,000 multigenerational visitors per day.  Its program houses soccer, swimming, theater, ceramics, photography, dance, art, and concerts.  Old men play chess, people read newspapers and children play with building blocks, you can sunbathe on a boardwalk called "the beach" or simply sit and watch the passing scene.  The complex accommodates an evolving sprawl of planned and spontaneous activities.  It is extraordinary how physically unchanged spaces have the flexibility to completely change in atmosphere and quality depending on the time of day, event and use.




Check out our @neststudiohardware Instagram feed this week for more of Lina Bo Bardi's work.


Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Jon Call: Design Crush

This week we are featuring the work of the fabulously soulful Jon Call from Mr. Call Designs.
Mr. Call's work is tailored, masculine, stylish but not the least bit stuffy.  I love how his aesthetic combines classic American style with quirky elements of surprise and cleverly crafted details.

Appealing to an often untapped interior design clientele, the 30-40 downtown crowd, Mr. Call Designs has a savvy business model.  Rather than focusing on interiors and accessories that are inaccessible or fiscally beyond reach, MCD's philosophy is that luxury can also be accessible and achieved at multiple price points.  According to Call, luxury isn't necessarily about cost, but what is "best in its class" or what is "top-notch in a given category."  Affordable treasures, one-of-a-kind pieces, dramatic artwork are balanced side by side with beautifully accessible accessories giving Mr. Call's luxurious spaces "rooms with personality."

Check out our @neststudiohardware Instagram feed for more Mr. Call Designs' projects.  A sampling of his work can be found below.











Tune in next week as we spotlight the distinctive work of Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi.









Thursday, May 11, 2017

Crisp Neutral Dining Room

Hi there, it's Kate Cabiltes!

After spotting the image of this crisp neutral dining room by decorator (and former Million Dollar DecoratorRoss Cassidy on My Domaine I could not manage to get it out of out of my brain! Cassidy, who has recently launched a collection with CB2, has a style that resonates well with the modern furnishings brand. I admire how he took a room that is solely neutral hues and made it downright interesting regardless. He employed various shapes from the octagon mirror to the bubble chandelier to draw interest and thought the lines are clean there is enough texture to go around. This room could appeal to so many dinner guests as it is stylish without being too much.
Here's how to get the look in your dining room...




Beverly Oak and Leather Hexagon Mirror via 1st Dibbs
Large Bubble Chandelier via Y Lighting
Oyster White Paint via Sherwin Williams
Presley Neutral Wool Rug via Crate & Barrel

Inspiration image via My Domaine

- Kate

Monday, May 8, 2017

Cara Woodhouse: Design Crush

Happy Design Crush Monday!  This week we are featuring the chic interiors of designer, Cara Woodhouse.  Cara has panache to spare and really knows how to pull a layered room together.  With a fine eye for detail, symmetry and a commitment to function Cara is fluent in a multitude of interior styles.  No two projects are alike for this designer mom!

I just love Woodhouse's use of texture, soft color palettes and unique accessories.  She alway strikes a perfect spatial balance and a balance between luxury, comfort and function.  Cara also has a very compelling Instagram feed, @carawoodhouseinteriors that is not to be missed.

Check out or @neststudiohardware Instagram feed for more Cara Woodhouse projects.  A sampling of her work can be found below.






 




  Stay tuned for next week's Design Crush, Jon Call.



Monday, May 1, 2017

Heidi Abrahamson: Design Crush

Happy Design Crush Monday!  This week, we are spotlighting the work of artisan jeweler, Heidi Abrahamson.  Heidi's diverse body of work is inspired by everything from Scandinavian and American Modernists to minimalism and an industrial aesthetic.  Each hand designed piece is also a one-of-a-kind work of wearable art.

I love how she experiments with mismatched metals combining bronze, brass, gold or silver in one piece and sometimes using a metal in place of a gemstone.  Her large bold elements are also simultaneously perfectly balanced.  She elevates, constructs and sculpts her jewelry as modern architecture for the body.

Check out or @neststudiohardware Instagram feed for more work by Heidi Abrahamson.  A sampling of her work can be found below:











Check out our blog next week for Design Crush Cara Woodhouse.