Tag Archives: Furniture

Art Of Gaming: Designer Alexandra Llewellyn’s “Beautifully Original” Backgammon Sets

Launched in 2010, Alexandra Llewellyn is known for creating original and Alexandra Llewellyn Backgammon Collectionbeautifully handcrafted backgammon sets, luxury games and bespoke furniture. Her designs are both games and objets d’art.

The seed was sown when Alexandra played a game of backgammon in Cairo as a child. Her opponent was ten times her age and although they had nothing in common, they were able to communicate through their shared love of the game.

Alexandra Llewellyn Backgammon Collection

Seen in some of the most exclusive locations, Alexandra’s timeless designs are played all over the world. Her creations are owned and commissioned by Royalty and VIPs including Richard Branson, Sony Music, Elle Macpherson and American Vogue.

Alexandra Llewellyn Profile
Alexandra Llewellyn

A collection of Alexandra’s signature handmade games are available online including some of her collaborations with icons such as Terry O’Neil, Alice Temperley and the estate of Milton H. Green. For the ultimate bespoke gift, Alexandra will work with you, guiding you through ideas and memories to create a one-of-a-kind  specially commissioned game.

I am forever inspired by how games bring us together and the conversations that ensue. Time is now our greatest luxury and games create a space in which we can enjoy time with our loved ones” says Alexandra.

Alexandra’s work has been published and talked about in publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, How to Spend It, Robb Report, Harper Bazaar, AD, Time Luxx, Telegraph Luxury, Tatler, Country& Town House, and Homes and Gardens.

Website

Furniture Design: Profile Of Japan’s Famed “Maruni Wood Industry” (Video)

Monocle Films logoIn 1928 Maruni Wood Industry was born out of a fascination with the masterful carpentry in ancient shrines. Today its furniture is found in the Californian headquarters of Apple as well as airport lounges, galleries and restaurants around the world. We meet the company’s president to talk about the challenges of managing a family-run business.

Maruni Wood Industry Furniture

Pioneering the industrial application of craft skills following establishment of the company in 1928

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From building structures such as Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines through to private dwellings and the tools that we use in our everyday lives, Japan is a nation that has for many centuries cultivated traditions based on wood that occupy an important position in our daily lives. Takeo Yamanaka, the founder of Maruni Wood Industry, spent his childhood at Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture, a place that has a rich heritage of traditional crafts based on the use of wood.

Website

Podcast Profiles: Irish Architect And Designer Eileen Gray (1878 – 1976)

Monocle 24 On Design LogoUnderappreciated in her lifetime, the career of late Irish architect and designer Eileen Gray is the subject of a timely new exhibition at The Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York. Jennifer Goff, curator of the Eileen Gray collection at the National Museum of Ireland, tells us more.

Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 1878 – 31 October 1976) was an Irish architect and furniture designer and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, she was associated with many notable European artists of her era, including Kathleen Scott, Adrienne Gorska, Le Corbusier, and Jean Badovici, with whom she was romantically involved. Her most famous work is the house known as E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

Eileen Gray website

From 1922/1923 to 1926 Gray created an informal architectural apprenticeship for herself as she never received any formal training as an architect. She studied theoretical and technical books, took drafting lessons, and arranged to have Adrienne Gorska take her along to building sites. She also traveled with Badovici to study key buildings and learned by reworking architectural designs.

E-1027 table by Eileen Gray

In 1926, she started work on a new holiday home near Monaco to share with Badovici. Because a foreigner in France couldn’t wholly own property, Gray bought the land and put it in Badovici’s name, making him her client on paper. Construction of the house took three years and Gray remained on site while Badovici visited occasionally.

Renewed interest in Gray’s work began in 1967 when historian Joseph Rykwert published an essay about her in the Italian design magazine Domus. After the publishing of the article many “students began to ring at her door” as eager to learn from the now famous designer.

At a Paris auction of 1972, Yves Saint Laurent bought ‘Le Destin’ and revived interest in Gray’s career.

The first retrospective exhibition of her work, titled ‘Eileen Gray: Pioneer of Design’, was held in London in 1972. A Dublin exhibition followed the next year. At the Dublin exhibit, the 95 year old Gray was given an honorary fellowship by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.

In 1973 Gray signed a contract to reproduce the Bibendum chair and many of her pieces for the first time. They remain in production.

Eileen Gray died on Halloween 1976. She is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but because her family omitted to pay the licence fee her grave is not identifiable.

From Wikipedia

Short Film Documentary: “Achille Salvagni” Is An Artistic Look At The Renowned Designer

 

Achille Salvagni DesignerAchille Salvagni is recognised as one of the most sophisticated and innovative creatives working today. His influences range from the rich heritage of generations of master designers before him, to cutting-edge contemporary design tendencies. Combining Italian craftsmanship with his passion for noble materials, Salvagni’s timeless interiors reflect his unique approach and the understated elegance of his aesthetic.

For the past 18 years, Salvagni has been at the forefront of his field, tailoring bespoke interiors for some of the most influential personalities, and commissioned to lend his expertise to prestigious international residential projects in New York, Miami, Paris and London, amongst other leading global cities. Salvagni continues to delight and surprise through his careful and considered juxtaposition of objects, materials and tones.

His London Atelier draws from a selection of now iconic pieces and places them in an intimate domestic environment allowing collectors and design aficionados to experience their craftsmanship first-hand. Using only the noblest materials — mahogany, rosewood, royal oak, laurel, onyx, bronze and gold — the works are realised by Rome’s rich collection of unparalleled artisans found in the Vatican City and amongst the cabinet makers of the Quirinal Palace. With a couturier’s approach to design, even the smallest details of the Atelier’s works are the result of an exacting attention to detail, from the patina selection through to custom door handles and hinges.

In this film, Salvagni offers an insight into the philosophy behind his works and how his Roman heritage has influenced his craftmanship.

Website: https://www.achillesalvagni.com/about/

1950’s Nostalgia: In Ten Years Television Sets Went From Luxury Item To Family Room Furniture

From a Curbed.com online article:

1950-Motorola-TV-AdThe postwar boom made TV ubiquitous: In 1950, 3,880,000 households in America had a TV—about 9 percent of the total population. By 1960, 90 percent of all households had at least one. This was the golden age of appliance marketing for all kinds of durable goods, from cars to dishwashers, and television marketers initially took a curious tack with their wares. While the auto industry and manufacturers of coffee makers and cooktops positioned their products as accessible components of a high-tech future, the makers of television sets often sold their devices as elegant pieces of contemporary or even classic furniture.

 

To read more click on the following link: https://www.curbed.com/2019/7/31/20729252/living-room-design-tv-history