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Hugo Guinness Happiness

20130320-071007.jpg On this first day of Spring, I thought a little Hugo Guinness artwork would be a nice way to kick off the start of the season. The parrot tulips in a vase that we have hanging in our living room is still one of my favorite pieces of artwork in our collection. I love walking past it each day, glimpsing at the dancing tulips.

20130320-071851.jpg Just back from our framer is another round of our best selling images of Hugo’s linoleum cut prints. We have them housed in vintage frames I find, which adds a one of a kind quality to each piece.

20130320-072131.jpg These look great singly or massed together. We have a good variety of other images as well. Check out the Watson Kennedy website for more options.

A happy Spring to you!



 

 

Breathe, Be Alive

20130305-064926.jpg It is an early morning start today. On the presentation line-up, are Barbara Barry, which you know will be amazing. She is speaking about beauty, which is a perfect tie-in to her new book. Then the talented Editor Newell Turner from House Beautiful will present later in the day. I can hardly wait!

I snapped this photo of a vintage flashcard that we had framed and is for sale at Watson Kennedy. The sentiment always a good reminder. Especially when we get busy. I also thought the image was funny because you can see my shadow holding the iPhone. I had a customer in recently that said there was no way all the photos from the blog come from my phone. Indeed, they all do. I love that this little device can do so many amazing tasks. Happy Tuesday!



 

 

My Favorite Hearst Trio

20130212-080442.jpg We have both been a tad under the weather, so I was very excited when I opened the mailbox and found my 3 very favorite Hearst magazines waiting to be enjoyed. An instant pick me up, and perfect for getting my creative juices flowing while not feeling well. House Beautiful focusing in on the perfect color combinations. Town & Country highlighting Spring Fashion, perfectly timed with Fashion Week in New York. They did a shoot at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, which was beautifully done. We took a trip there years back, and the photos brought back great memories of the spectacular setting and ruggedly warm spaces. The feature of design is the focus of Elle Decor this month. But my favorite section is always “12 Things He Can’t Live Without” Shortlist section. It highlights designer Thom Filicia, who I had the pleasure of meeting last May when I attended the Blogfest on Design in New York. He was just the most gracious, down to earth guy. We spoke of his then upcoming book, ‘American Beauty’ which is now out. Put it on your list if you are looking for a new design coffee table book–it is really lovely & filled with great ideas.

20130212-082025.jpg Lots of rest, lots of fluids, mixed with lots of good reading and I am ready for a busy Valentine week at the shops. Happy Tuesday!



 

 

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

20130211-091153.jpg Out last week on iTunes, the documentary about Diana Vreeland that I was incredibly excited to watch. Certainly growing up I heard and read stories about the Vogue editor and her eccentric style. The film did not disappoint in the least. Quite a few years ago we were treated by friends in Seattle who took us to see the play, Full Gallop. It was then that I became smitten with Mrs. Vreeland and her very to the point quotes. She says it like she sees it–which can be incredibly refreshing & witty. I was then in New York a year later and saw Full Gallop there, wanting to compare the two performances. After seeing this documentary last week, looking back, they both nailed it. “Style is everything. It helps you get up in the morning. It helps you get down the stairs. It is a way of life,” were her thoughts starting the film. Born in Paris, or Par-isss, as she would say, her family emigrated to the United States at the outbreak of World War I, moving to East 77th Street in New York. “I certainly didn’t learn anything in school. My education was the world.” She started work at Harper’s Bazaar in 1936 and remained there until here legendary run began at Vogue in 1962. “There is only one very good life, and that is the life that you know you want, and you make it yourself.” As her son Tim said in the film, “She always made it clear that she wanted us to be originals.” Mrs. Vreeland certainly was. In spades. The documentary is really a delight.



 

 

The Beauty of Black High Gloss Paint

20130103-070658.jpg Interesting how as you get older/wiser your priorities on gifts change. One of our Christmas gifts to one another was a “refresh & new paint job” of our bathroom in town. Now this certainly is not a spiffy new pair of shoes or some other ‘can’t wait to have cooking gadget’ but it something we both thought we would derive a tremendous amount of pleasure from. So while we enjoyed our week out on the island, our city bathroom was getting bit of a re-do.

20130103-071549.jpg We had wanted to have the bathroom painted with a high gloss black paint for quite some time. I thought it would add real interest to the room. We could not have been happier when we arrived back in town the other day to see the end result. The black just made the room so cozy and cocoon-like. The black playing off of the original black band of tile swimmingly. We were so excited to start hanging artwork and put the room back together.

20130103-072019.jpg The tile is original from when The Gainsborough was built in 1929. We adore the tile work, so we just wanted to play off of that, and have all the tile super cleaned, have the grout redone, and just make the original tile sing.

20130103-072433.jpg The work on the original floor tile just brought them back to life. The hand-painted shower curtain by local artisan Janell pulls out all the green from the floor. The pattern in the Yves Delorme towels playing off the pattern of the shower curtain. The green and white adding light to the dark black.

20130103-072833.jpg These 2 pieces are by Hugo Guinness, which were a gift from the artist, become a sort of window in the room. The creamy white background again adding a bit of light against the black wall. The flowers in the piece just make me happy being in the room.

20130103-073201.jpg We just filled the walls with some of our favorite pieces. I think artwork really belongs in every room of a home. The high gloss black working nicely as a background for the various pieces of art to be enjoyed each and every day. No wrapping needed.



 

 

The Art of Gloria Vanderbilt in Town & Country

20121211-074458.jpg Part of my day off yesterday was filled with perusing and reading my beloved stack of monthly magazines. The article in the current Town & Country about Gloria Vanderbilt is the one I found most intriguing.

20121211-074843.jpg I have always found her and the journey of her life to be so interesting. From her family background (both grand and at times tragic), her jeans empire, to her art–she at her core is a creative soul. The article focused mainly on her painting, which I have long been a fan of.

20121211-075629.jpg It was fun to see glimpses of her studio as well as more of her artwork. I was also happy to learn about her website, which features her current work. Check it out at Gloria Vanderbilt Fine Art



 

 

New Hugo Guinness in Vintage Frames at WK

20121108-080457.jpg Just picked up from our framer extraordinaire, another awesome round of Hugo Guinness linoleum cut prints. There is just something about his work in a vintage frame that just bumps up the specialness quality to the entire piece. The crusty, chipped gorgeous silver frame above really is just brought back to extraordinary life which in a word is, beautiful.

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20121108-081433.jpg We have a few more rounds being delivered after they are finished at the framer, so much more to come. These will be added to the Watson Kennedy website in the next week, but if one speaks to you before then, just shoot me an e-mail. They become a one-of-a-kind piece when housed in a vintage frame, which makes me dig them even more. Just a perfect addition to any home.

A happy, happy Thursday to you all!



 

 

Hugo Guinness Eggs & More

20120925-062528.jpg A new crop of Hugo Guinness linoleum cut prints have returned from our framer, and I am really loving the images. The eggs would be so fun in a kitchen or a restaurant. Hugo’s singular image work is so whimsical & stylish all rolled into one cool piece. Here is a look at some of my other favorites.

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Glimpses of a Cool NYC Apt

20120829-072605.jpg I have had so many folks ask me at the shops and by e-mail about the apartment we stayed in at the London Terrace in Chelsea, on this last trip. It is the Manhattan pied-à-terre of Seattle restaurateur/bar owner & tastemaker Linda Derschang. Here are a few snapshots of the stylish home in the legendary building.

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20120829-074119.jpg We adored staying there–comfortable, personal, filled with art–all things that made us feel right at home in the big city. Thanks Linda, it was such a treat!

20120829-074452.jpg This was the ceiling pattern in the lobby. LOVE.



 

 

New Art for the Art Wall

In addition to the lovely photography by Grant K. Gibson that is new for us at Watson Kennedy, many other new things have been added to our art wall in the past weeks. Here is just a small glimpse of what caught my eye the other day.

20120810-050849.jpg Just back from our framer, is another whole new batch of Hugo Guinness linoleum cut prints in vintage frames. The above pooch looking so darn sweet.

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20120810-051101.jpg The Hugo chairs are always a big hit.

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20120810-051259.jpg You might remember a few of these from a post I did about some of the fun stuff I found in New York on our last visit. These pieces are taken from very old images which are then painstakingly hand-painted and colored by Italian artisans. I am quite happy with the simple, yet elegant gold frame we chose for these. I think these would look great singly, or make a huge visual statement grouped together.