Life and Style – Page 3 – High End Weekly™

Dream for the Sky

Peter Wilderotter, and Dorothy Cosonas

SO LUXE!

“This project is personal. My 24 year old daughter became paralyzed suddenly from a rare auto immune disease,” says Dorothy Cosonas. “The Reeve Foundation is a place that creates hope — like birds, that hope can rise to the sky.”

The veteran brand, Knoll Luxe Textile, recently collaborated with Savoir Beds in order to benefit the Christopher Reeve Foundation. My friend C. Jean and I went to the event last week, and we were both impressed with what we saw. The event was spearheaded by Dorothy Cosonas from Luxe Textile; and the bed in question: Dream for the Sky is made of 100% linen with design elements in viscose and an accent of Swarovski crystals – the aesthetics were simply très jolie.

Savoir Beds is currently offering these custom designed headboards in five of my favorite patterns from Knoll: Arabella, Sandis, Mepal, Gates, and Garden City. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury. Additionally, for one year, a percentage of the proceeds for the sale of the selected Savoir beds that are upholstered with the above-mentioned fabrics from Knoll Luxe, will also go to the Foundation.

Custom Savoir Bed upholstered with a Knoll Luxe Linen Fabric

The ‘Dream for the Sky‘ bed is being auctioned by CharityBuzz.com for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation 100% of the proceeds will go towards the foundation

Photo credit: Knoll Textiles

CAPPELLINI

That same evening, a few blocks down, in the same artsy neighborhood of Soho, the folks at Cappellini were celebrating a project which involved a couple of cool designers from Amsterdam…

Social-Unit: The plastic bed is made from consumer waste plastic in Amsterdam’s sheltered workshops

The evening was fueled with some pretty acrobatic entertainment

The Social-Unit Team and Designers (Far left: Wouter and Corinne – far right)

Checking out the goods: Left: Yours truly. Right: Christ Jean-Palling

Photo courtesy Social-Unit

The Social-Unit is a luxurious residential bed, complete with ample storage, a vanity table, a desk and electrical outlets and lighting. It is specifically crafted to create a cozy ‘sheltered island’ space, in the middle of a large open plan living area. This sustainable bed is from a project that was part of a larger initiative – One Hundred Days – an international art competition launched by Contaminate NYC back in 2011. Contaminate is a social and cultural platform for art immerse experiences and – given its social entrepreneurial roots – decided to challenge artists to produce projects combining art and sustainability issues. Wouter and Corinne’s Social-Unit is the third and final show of the series dedicated to the winners of One Hundred Days. The Social Unit is available at t the Cappellini Showroom in Soho.

Drama At The Table

Photo credit Chronicle/Eric Luse

How To Decorate Your Tables – Beautifully

My gift to you today is a series of dramatic table settings that I’ve collected from the Internet over the years. No doubt you appreciate the pleasure and the importance of preparing a meal, and setting an elegant table as you get together with your friends and families. So today, as you welcome them in your homes and ultimately your tables, why not do so with a bit of flair, and a lot of drama?

Simple and personal touches at the table equal lasting memories

Photo via Brunch at SAKS

Centerpieces are key to any table settings. It’s important for the eye to wonder and fantasy, especially when the conversation around the table gets a bit dull

Black and white is the new black. Seeing these bold stripes at an outdoor table setting is “a good thing”. It makes a lasting impression, even if the flowers were absent from the table

Bountiful: Preston Bailey’s over the top, yet elegant table setting

Breaking bread: The folks at Le Pain Quotidien always manage to create a dramatic table, even with they bare-polished furniture

Elegant: Greek keys, monograms and zig zags… Who could ask for anything more?

Photo via Reasons to Breathe

Lost in the woods: This setting is by far one of the most interesting ones. It provides a means to escape, and be wrapped up – In The Moment

Photo credit Chronicle/Eric Luse

I would of liked to see a bit more color here, especially since all the flowers are white. However, the peacock provides plenty of that – even though it is neutral

Monique Lhuilier’s Table Setting

Shine on: Nothing says drama, and romance than candlesticks

Okay, we get it! Audrey equals drama!

Photo credit Timothy Kilk, via Elle Decor

Outdoor festivities are always a great ideas. Even in the winter

All other images via Pinterest

NOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you.

Is Daniel Day-Lewis The World’s Greatest Actor?

Academy award actor, Daniel Day-Lewis

There’s been more than 15K books written about Abraham Lincoln. Yet to the general public, Lincoln remains an enigma, the man himself dubbed his persona as “strange”. I wouldn’t pretend to be an expert on Lincoln, but I will say that I know a lot about Daniel Day-Lewis (over the years, I’ve accumulated countless of scrap books about the actor’s personal life, and career). Daniel has been an inspiration, and I’ve admired his acting skills since I was 18 years old. Although I do not have a razor sharp memory of each and every single moments of his earlier films, I found his performances in My Left Foot, The Last of The Mohicans, There Will Be Blood – unforgettable. Even his less known films left a tremendous impact on my view of him. When I look back at his one-liner, tornado force introduction in Gandhi, I knew even then that he was destined for greatness.

And so decades, Daniel Day-Lewis has been called to the world’s stage to show, once again, his immense power as this generation greatest actor (I’m all in agreement with Time Magazine). It makes sense that he went out of his way to pursue the lead role in a film that delves into the portrayal of a president that was revered, and will so far be remembered as the greatest president of all time.

Left: The official movie poster of Lincoln. Right: DDL on the cover of Time Magazine

A Room with A View (Daniel Day-Lewis shaking hands with Helena Bonham Carter)

Daniel Day-Lewis

The Age of Innocence: Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln

Let’s Meet at Vallois!

Rachid Khimoune next to his Strange Fruit Installation

Out & About

Friedman & Vallois hosted a successful art opening this past Thursday evening at their posh gallery location on East 64th Street. For the very first time in New York, an exclusive showing of French artist Rachid Khimoune‘s avant garde pieces were on display. The exhibition opened on November 8th and will run until December 21. Look for my brief interview with the artist tomorrow morning. And for additional images of the party, visit our Facebook page.

Rachid Khimoune, Robert Vallois

Margaret Le Coze (Le Bernadin) Rachid Khimoune, Eve Ruggieri

Barry Friedman, Patricia Pastor

Eve Ruggieri

Eve Ruggieri (center) and her friends

Thanhyen Nguyen

Patrick de Bourgues, Rachid Khimoune, Alexandra de Grece, Nicolas Mirayantz

Laurence Fayard

Alex Barlow, Karim Khimoune

Elodie Giancristoforo

Kahina Khimoune and friend

Photo credit Benjamin Didier

Shine On!

Photo credit: Corriette Schoenaerts via Arch Lighting

A few of us from the office were invited by Architectural Lighting Magazine to attend the 2012 Design Awards last week. The ceremony was held at The New York Times. As a residential interior designer, I haven’t had a full scale opportunity to work with various lighting professionals as often as I would of liked. So to have been in the company of some of the most illustrious individuals in that field was an eye opener, and brought to mind, once again, the importance of good lighting. In the age of Instagram, and Facebook, many people, including me, see ourselves as a self professed photographer. The trouble is, we often neglect the vital fact that good lighting is often the deal breaker.

This past summer, I witnessed an excellent example of good lighting in the form of an outstanding installations which Bruce Monro did by transforming Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, into an illuminated wonderland. It left me with a few positive conclusions, one of which were – I’ll never look at lighting in the same way ever again.

Images courtesy Arch Lighting

To read the article appropriately called: Daydreaming in Light that was penned by Arch Lighting editor, Elizabeth Donoff, visit: www.archlighting.com.

Cold As Ice, and Twice as Nice

Pictured: Nicole Miller, Michel Mercure

As you saw on my previous post, the Ice Theatre of New York’s 2012 Fall Gala took place this past Monday. It was a charming evening hosted by the founder of the company, Moira North, benefiting Richard “Mr. Debonair” Dwyer of Ice Follies and Ice Capades fame.Festivities included a performance featuring Mr. Debonair himself, and his “Dwyer Girls” – former World Champion and Olympian Tai Babilonia, former Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill, former World Champion Linda Fratianne, former Olympian Jojo Starbuck all dressed in Nicole Miller.

John and Sinead Kerr

The Company performed pieces from its repertory, including works from NYC dance choreographers and Artistic Director Douglas Webster. Ryan Bradley, the 2011 US Men’s Champion, was the guest performer and some of the performers included World Team Members Kim Navarro & Brent Bommentre, and 7-Time British Champions and Olympians Sinead & John Kerr. Dick Button was Honorary Chairman and Co-Chairs included Natalie Carey, Aja Zanova and Tom Collins; attendees included Joan Erdheim, the new Chairman of the Board, former Olympic Champion Sarah Hughes and family, John MacColl, Debbie Gordon recipient of the Ice Angel award, Michel Mercure, Brigitte Altenhaus, Charles Pavarini III, Randall Tarasuk, Nadine Ahmed, Donna and Andrew Ryan. More pictures of the evening can be found on our Facebook Page.

Dorothy Hamill, Charles Pavarini III

Michel Mercure, Moira North ( Founder of Ice Theatre New York ), Richard Dwyer

Emily Hughes, Sarah Hughes, Rebecca Hughes

Images courtesy of Kenny Jacobson

A New Chapter for Le Cirque

What makes a restaurant legendary in a city that has seen its fair share of great restaurants come and go through the revolving door? Let me offer a suggestion. Perhaps the formula for success should be a restaurant with a combination between Italian cuisine alongside the french classics? If that is the case, than Le Cirque, celebrated for its fine dining and frequent celebrity spotting, has managed to achieve this coveted feat since 1974.

So this evening, when I head out to the book launch of A Table at Le Cirque, I know that it will be a charming occasion to mingle with my friends, and perhaps chat with the seductive Sirio Maccioni, who most famously, created a buzzing social club for titans and tastemakers from all walks of life, from every U.S. president since Nixon, kings and Hollywood royalty; café society and business magnates.

Above photos property of Le Cirque

As I’m writing this post, I’m also glancing over the pages of A Table at Le Cirque… It is the first book to chronicle the fascinating stories, fabled history, the glitz and glamour, and the iconic recipes from the restaurant that is synonymous with luxury. The first half of the book recounts Maccioni’s journey from Montecatini to Manhattan and Le Cirque’s rise to glory. There are hundreds of photographs and drawings, and they all represent a visual history of the world inside the tent (some of them captured by The New York Times society photographer Bill Cunningham who posted himself, in rain or shine, in front of the entrance to capture the comings and goings. I see fashion titans Oscar de La Renta and Carolina Herrera; moguls Donald Trump and Swifty Lazar; socialites Blaine Trump and Nan Kempner; media mavens Barbara Walters and Liz Smith; music legends Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Ross; celebrities Woody Allen and Sophia Loren, to name a few. I also get to go inside the kitchens of each tenured chef from Jean Vergnes to Olivier Reginensi, each of whom brought something amazing to the table, as well as witness the reinvention of Le Cirque at the three Manhattan locations the restaurant has occupied in its storied history.

My favorite Chocolate Soufflé at Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque

The second part of the book shares the recipes that have kept everyone coming back for four decades. Le Cirque has been credited with inventing a cornucopia of plates that have become legendary: Jean Vergnes’s Dover Sole Le Cirque and Spaghetti Primavera, Alain Sailhac’s Fettuccine with White Truffles, Daniel Boulud’s Lobster Salad, Pierre Schaedelin’s deconstructed Caesar Salad, Jacques Torres’s Bombolini, and Sottha Khunn’s update on Chicken Diable. Enticing isn’t it? Now even you can try these delicious dishes at home by obtaining this movable feast at their online store. What are you waiting for?

The Weekender: The Rubelli Story Lives On

On September 19th, 2012, Margaret Russell, Editor in Chief of Architectural Digest, Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli, CEO of Rubelli, and Andrea Favaretto Rubelli, CEO of Donghia, came together at the New York Showroom of Donghia to celebrate the brand new book, Rubelli: A Story of Silk in Venice. The book chronicled the rise of the Rubelli family and the company’s extraordinary textiles.

Pictured: Matthew White, Giulio Capua, Vice President & Publisher, Margaret Russell, Andrea Favaretto, Rubelli and Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli

A portion of the evening’s book sales will benefit Save Venice Inc. More photos of the celebration can be found on our Facebook Page.

Margaret Russell with Chuck Chewning, Donghia Creative Director

Andrea Favaretto Rubelli, Donghia CEO, Margaret Russell, Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli, Rubelli CEO

Andrea Favaretto Rubelli, Carolyn Reed, VP Residential Sales, Donghia, Margaret Russell, Chuck Chewning and Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli

Matthew White, Chairman, Save Venice with Nicolo Favaretto Rubelli

Photos courtesy Jude Domski

The Grande Dame of Antique Fairs

Biennale des Antiquaires, Paris

The XXVI Biennale des Antiquaires:

Part 3 of 3

There is some considerable talk about the Biennale coming to New York this November. Christian Deydier, the president of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, has long toyed with the idea, and it’s becoming quite clear that this may become a reality this fall. If that’s the case, I venture that it will be well received by many people from the United States. This past week, I’ve gotten a great deal of feedback, and read a lot of press about this foremost fair of antiques, fine art, and jewelry.

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was invited to “reimagine” the exteriors of the old palais. Being that he is one to dazzle his audience at all times, the majority in attendance anticipated an extravaganza in the style of the Chanel shows that he’s become so well known for. Instead, what they got was a demure and uncharacteristic scenography from the Ice Man. Nevertheless, as his hot air balloon took center stage, the euphoric atmosphere was elegant, most appropriate, and for the well-heeled who were seriously interested in collecting design, and jewelry, this was the place to be. Are you ready to enter the festivities inside the grand palais?

Photos courtesy Billy Farrell Agency

Photo courtesy Vogue

Notable attendees: Karl Lagerfeld, Former First Lady Bernadette Chirac, Calvin Klein, Benjamin Steinitz, Becca Cason Thrash, Dominique Levy, Christian Deydier, Peter Marino, Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani, Didier Claes, Bernard Arnault, Gisele Croës, Sophie Marceau, Pierre Bergé, Hubert de Givenchy, Yue Sai Kan, Charlotte Casiraghi, Diana Widmaier Picasso, Eugenie Niarchos.

Social Butterflies

The social swirl of New York City already started with a boom. At the closing of Fashion Week, New York’s socialites continued to put on the ritz by attending a series of high profile events. It’s impossible to cover them all, so on this post, I’m only going to focus on just two (look for a series of others to come, and for more pictures on our Facebook Page). Alright then, let’s start with the Nancy Gonzalez‘ event last week at Sotheby’s.

Pictured: Santiago Gonzalez, Nancy Gonzalez, and China Chow

Nina Garcia, and Nancy Gonzalez

For those who are not familiar with her work, Nancy Gonzalez is a precious skins accessories designer who’s known and admired for her innovative design, distinct craftsmanship and timeless elegance. Recently, she’s partnered with TWO x TWO, a Dallas-based charity, in order to create a truly unique, and outstanding tote collection. Cindy and Howard Rachofsky of TWO x TWO and her design company commissioned ten world class contemporary artists to each create a one-of-a-kind Leaf Tote Bags for the upcoming TWO X TWO For Aids and Art benefit for AmfAR and the Dallas Museum of Art. The one-of-a-kind totes debuted at a preview event at Sotheby’s in New York last Thursday evening.

Leaf Tote, Lawrence Weiner

Leaf Tote, Joseph Meckseper

Leaf Tote, Kaws by Nancy Gonzalez

Lorenzo Martone, Cheyenne Jackson

Richard Phillips, Nancy Gonzalez

China Chow

Lorenzo Martone, Chris Salgardo, Darian Darling, Jeremy Kost

Nina Garcia, and Nancy Gonzalez at Sotheby’s

Howard and Cindy Rachofsky will host the TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art gala and auction in their Richard Meier-designed home on Saturday, October 20, 2012 in Dallas, TX. The ten ‘priceless’ Artist Leaf Totes will be available at auction the night of the event with 100% of the proceeds benefiting TWO x TWO for amfAR and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Photos courtesy Billy Farrell Agency

2ND ANNUAL TIMECRAFTERS

When I told my friends I was going to attend the TimeCrafters event at the Armory, generally, all of them asked: What is that? Now on its 2nd year, and from the looks of things, still going strong, The TimeCrafters Luxury Watch Exhibition is an event organized by Editions Temps International, a leading European publisher of magazines in the international watch sector. Their goals is to educate people on fine watchmaking and showcasing the latest designs from the world’s top watchmakers. Brand executives and representatives were on show at the Park Avenue Armory up until this past Sunday, as they presented an excellent timepiece exhibition, and discussed the newest inventions to this centuries-old craft, as well as shared technological advancements and behind-the-scenes information. Last year, the show was held at the New York Times Building in midtown Manhattan, but for some reason or the other, they moved into the Armory. Although fairly well attended, the exhibition itself lacked the warmth and atmosphere which the former building brought about so effortlessly. But I believe most of the folks who attended were not there to notice the negative space, but to enjoy and buy some of the world’s most exquisite and sought after timepieces.