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Furniture Pimp : Jim Walrod

Ettore Sottsass Hsing Vessel from The Pop Series, Model 456

Stools After Jean Prouvé 1985

Kim Moltzer & Jean Paul Barray Coffee Table 1965

Guy de Rougemont Wall Mounted Console

On May 3rd Wright presents The Collection of Jim Walrod at auction. Comprised of 250 lots of art, design and objects from Jim’s personal collection, the sale is a celebration of a man who collected everything and knew just as much. 

“Jim Walrod’s eye was legendary. Mike D of the Beastie Boys called him his ‘Furniture Pimp’ in sincere gratitude of his talents as a designer and in appreciation for the breadth of his knowledge. Clients worldwide—from David Bowie to André Balasz—sought his unparalleled expertise. Although Jim saw his role as a guide, aiding clients in finding their own distinct eye, it was his unique vision that shaped so many others.

His career began after a chance meeting with Andy Warhol led Jim to work for Fiorucci, the legendary style makers. There he was introduced to the radical designs of Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group, as well as the key members of the New York art world. In 1987, Jim entered the New York art scene with his first gallery on Lafayette. He opened Form & Function in 1998, which became a mainstay for those looking for expertly curated vintage design. He remained true to his unique vision throughout his career, later lending his expertise as an interior designer, adviser and curator. With exhibitions at R & Company and Patrick Parrish gallery, Jim shared his collecting vision with an even wider audience.

Jim’s beloved Chinatown loft always remained the truest expression of his remarkable collecting vision. Works by friends were placed alongside modern icons creating an interior rich in dialog. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jim sought works labeled as ugly or incompatible. And it is those experiments that make his collection so wonderfully rare and unique. Jim shared glimpses of this extraordinary space with friends, followers on social media and clients. Sourced from numerous locations, he was proud of his finds, whether it was a rare book or piece of radical lighting. Each cherished object was thoughtfully selected and likewise showcased within his interior.

This collection celebrates a rare collecting vision without boundaries. Each object was assembled with a singular appreciation of its aesthetic, regardless of the value to the outside world. As Jim was known to say: “Time is the only real critic that matters”. ~via Wright 20

*Our friend Jim is deeply missed*

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I’m Back…

THE WEBSTER at THE ELDER STATESMAN


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statesman.png-001In case you noticed, I’ve been MIA on Design*ByProxy, pretty much the whole summer. Well, I’m back now and I’m want to play a little catch up.  It’s been a summer of music festivals, traveling in Europe, and a few unfortunate events that had to do with the family pets.

Before I went MIA I did attend a few events.  One was a cocktail party in celebration of The Elder Statesman and The Webster Miami’s T-shirt collaboration.  The Elder Statesman is a Los Angeles based luxury lifestyle label founded in 2007 by Greg Chait. Specializing in high end cashmere goods, Greg’s line includes items for men, women, kids, accessories and items for the home like blankets and pillows.

The party was cool, with the likes of Balthazar and Rosetta Getty, Anthony Keidis of Red Hot Chili Peppers and designer Magda Berliner, most sipping on the free tequila and conversations centered around Coachella that was happening the following weekend.

images via: BFA, tmagazine and the Elder Statesman

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LADF

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LA Design Festival is a citywide Design Event starting now continuing through June 14th. Events include Marmol Radziner Studio Tour, award-winning firm known for its innovative design approach and expertise in architecture, construction, interior design, landscape design, furniture design, and jewelry design,  River Makers Bash; an outdoor event on Mission Street by the LA River,   Intro LA at Mack Sennett studios in Silver Lake  showcasing local and contract firms,  a solo exhibition for Arik Levy, the Israeli born and Paris-based artist and designer at Please Do Not Enter, 549 S Olive Street,  as well as City Design Tours that cover design studios in Inglewood, Historic Downtown LA, and the Arts District, Chinatown and Olvera Street.

Many, many more events are scheduled and can be discovered here.

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Designed in California

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Commune was established in Los Angeles in 2004 by four like-minded souls—Roman Alonso, Steven Johanknecht, Pamela Shamshiri, and Ramin Shamshiri— with a common mission: to enhance life through design and to blur the lines between disciplines, eras, and styles. California is for those who refuse to conform and who live for freedom of expression, indoor/outdoor living, and that golden sunshine glinting off the waves of the Pacific. 

Commune perfectly captures this spirit and embodies a new California style that freely mixes old and new in its layered, highly personal interiors that embrace color, pattern, and texture. This book is the first monograph of Commune’s work, featuring its designs for private residences, hotels, commercial spaces, and restaurants, as well as the works they specially commission from virtually everyone in the artisan craftsman movement in California today.~ abramsbooks.com

Check out this interview with Roman Alonso, one of the founders of Commune featured in T magazine here.

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Gabriella Crespi

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“Since the 1950s, Gabriella Crespi has dedicated herself to the creation and worldwide circulation of furniture and other objects that balance design and sculptural abstraction.

Crespi began her career as a designer in the 1950s with her first production of objects, the “Small Lune Collection”, steel moon-shaped sculptures, in which the stylistic influences of time converge and are transformed.

In the beginning of the 1960s, she established an enthusiastic creative relationship with Maison Dior, especially in the context of home and table accessories and, from the 1970s, with furniture.

Between 1970 and 1974, she created her most significant lost-wax works, including the sculpture “My Soul” (1974), the “Animali” collections, (bronze sculptures with a fairy-like feel that reveal Gabriella’s relentless attention to the natural world), “Jewels,” and “Gocce Oro:” free flowing sculptures conceived through the ancient and precious process of lost-wax casting.

Between 1972 and 1975, she designed the “Quick Change Sofa”, the “Z” line ( “Z Bar,” “Z Desk” ) and the “Rising Sun” bamboo collection, material much loved by Crespi that, as she says, “unites strength and flexibility.” The famous “Fungo” lamps (1973) are part of this collection.

 In 1985 she released the last interviews on her work as a designer before setting out on a new life completely devoted to the spiritual quest, a path she follows to this today.

In 1987, she traveled to India where she met Sri Muniraji, who became her spiritual advisor. Gabriella lived in India almost without break for two decades.

In 2008, she created for Stella McCartney a limited reissue of some of her jewelry collection from the 1970s. The proceeds were donated to the Shree Baba Haidakhan Charitable and Research Hospital at Chilianaula, in the Himalayas, an institution specializing in eye care that was founded by Sri Muniraji, Gabriella’s spiritual advisor.

Gabriella Crespi now lives in Milan, practices meditation daily, and is considering new creative projects.” ~gabriellacrespi.it

 

 

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Gardens Are for Living

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With spring upon us and summer just around the corner it’s time to get on the good foot and get your outdoor space in order.  Who better to get some fabulous ideas than from landscape designer Judy Kameon and her new book Gardens are for Living.  Her Los Angeles based firm Elysian Landscapes, has designed many incredible outdoor spaces including, The Parker Hotel Palm Springs and many homes in and around Los Angeles that really help her clients relate to the areas around their homes. She takes interior design outside, creating inviting spaces for entertaining and relaxing.

Not only does she have a great eye, but she also has a line of outdoor furniture called Plain Air inspired by mid century modern design.  I encourage you to check out this book or even check into The Parker to see what I mean.

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M2L’s Harvey Probber Collection

harveyprobber_furniture 1972 Deep Tuft Sofa 

 

M2L BRAND reissues Harvey Probber’s most iconic seating and case-goods.  Probber, an artist and designer introduced the first sectional modular seating in the 1940s.  Pieces from M2L’s Harvey Probber Collection include Deep Tuft Sofa of 1972 and Mayan Sofa of 1983.

“Harvey Probber is part of that unsung second wave of mid-century modernists.  Though he hasn’t achieved the ‘label’ recognition of Eames or Noguchi, I think he’ll become considerably more important on the secondary market over the next few years”-James Zemaitis, director of 20th-century design at Sotheby’s via InteriorDesign.net 

 

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The Mayan Sofa 1983

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Michele Lamy & Scarlett Rouge

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A truly inspiring video via stylelikeu on Michele Lamy and her daughter Scarlett Rouge. Now living in Paris, Michele works with her partner designer Rick Owens and Scarlett as an artist.

It’s an intimate look at their mother-daughter relationship.  Scarlett discusses her art, how her parents never set limits on her, and how loves the “amazing, eccentric… aura” her mother gives off.  Michele speaks about her past working as a criminal attorney to being a restaurateur here in Los Angeles and how in her own life following the “flow of attraction” has lead her to do many different things.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

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Parachute Market | ELEMENTAL

parachuteThis weekend brings another event from Parachute Market : : ELEMENTAL 

E L E M E N T A L will provide a special opportunity for patrons to experience design through a theme that explores both the physical and ethereal origins of the design process. The participating designers are invited to represent their finished work, while including in their exhibit some nod to how the elements play into creative process. Some artists might exhibit their processes externally on the surface of their goods, while others could invite more conceptual inquiry about the influences that lead to the finished product. The objective is to communicate the value of the process while also presenting a final product for sale. In an era of behind the scenes and curated reality of the insta-community, this is an opportunity to editorialize one’s personal design with authenticity and freedom of interpretation.

At this weekend’s event you will find installations from vintage object/furniture store The Window,  LAs Joel Chen of JF Chen and artist Clare Graham of Mor York. Along with booths from Reform Gallery, A Current Affair, Twenty Two Hours to just name a few.

Parachute Market : : ELEMENTAL starts this Saturday and is located at 405 Mateo St. Downtown Los Angeles.  Please visit their Facebook page and web site for more information.