Every two weeks, T&C puts together an assortment of the best design news and happenings— everything from interior projects that pique our interest to auctions of note, and must-have products on the market.
Highlights from Spring TEFAF New York City
If there is only one fair in New York City a collector or design enthusiasts chooses to attend, it should be TEFAF. From May 10 to May 14, the European Fine Art Fair plants itself at the Park Avenue Armory and the selection of treasures–from furniture to art and even jewelry–is one to be reckoned with.
Gallery Dansk Møbelkunst brought Hans Wegner’s Web Chair (above), which was originally designed in 1968. It is one example of the design treasures found at this iteration of TEFAF.
Galerie Chastel Marchel Paris came with a few heavy hitters: a gorgeous side table by Jean Royère alongside a credenza and two accessory chairs by the legendary French minimalist Jean-Michel Frank. How does Frank make minimalism feel so seductive? The pair of chairs offered a clue: luxurious fabrics with a slightly curvaceous frame lined with dark mahogany. Upstairs, another French legend could be found. Galerie Lefebvre offered a Palm-tree shaped floor lamp that was designed for the Parisian International Exposition in 1937 by Eugène Printz next to a credenza made in his signature Patawa Palmhood (word on the street is that it was offered for just over $1 million).
Elsewhere, Paul Coulon offered a set of Frank Stella paintings and Boghossian displayed a series of jewelry pieces. The bangle made with white jadeite? One could get lost in that for hours.
What to Look For During New York Design Week
You’d think that the design crowd could use a break considering that the marathon of Milan Design Week and the Venice Biennale took place just a little over two weeks ago. Yet, here they are, once again, coming together for NYCxDesign (Fashion Week for Interiors).
Aina Kari Venetian Amber Knot Candle Holder
During the week of May 13, galleries and shops will open their doors to exhibit their latest offerings. We’re excited to see what the Italian retailer Artmest has in store, as they will be exhibiting their “spring edit” alongside the new collection from Prada Home. Zak+FOX, a design company that somehow appears both rooted in classicism and contemporary design, is showing its latest collection of wallpapers. The work usually appears very soft and painterly; great for the romantics among us. Theirry Lemaire, a contemporary Art Deco designer, is showing his first-ever U.S. exhibition with the Invisible Collection’s Upper East Side townhouse. The Invisible Collection never fails to put on some of the most beautiful exhibitions, so this will undoubtedly be a feast for the eyes.
Armature Projects Presents Eastern Standard: A Celebration of AAPI Design
William Li, the founder of Armature Projects, corralled 13 artists and four makers at Fort Street Studio last Wednesday. With the help of Aamir Khandwala Interior Design, Li put on a show, Eastern Standard: A Celebration of AAPI Design, that thoroughly exemplified the aesthetic talents of Asian Americans. Happy #AAPI month.
Two standout moments from the Armature Projects exhibition at Fort Street Studio: a screen by Demuro Das and sculptures by Dai Ban.
A few standouts from the exhibition, which runs through June 20 at Fort Street Studio, include embroidered paintings on the wall by Hon Eui Chen (a study in minimalism, and language through texture), a screen inspired by Le Corbusier’s structures for the Chandigarh Capitol Complex by Demuro Das, and the meditative sculptures by Dai Ban. You’ve got to hand it to the crew: there’s always talk about how the Asian-American diaspora is a wide and wavering topic, and this exhibition showed a set of diverse talents from diverse backgrounds and diverse points of view.
Three Questions with… Tony Nominee David Korins
Speaking of Asian affairs, it was recently announced that set designer David Korins is nominated for a Tony Award for his set production of Here Lies Love, the Broadway show that told the story of Imelda Marcos, the wife of the Philippines’ former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. For those who don’t know, the Marcos family essentially bankrupted parts of the country, and some of the material goods reaped including a Park Avenue townhouse, more than 50 luxury properties in the Philippines, and more than 3,000 pairs of shoes found in their Malacañang Palace. (Hoping to catch another Korins masterpiece? His work is on display in The Who’s Tommy, now playing at the Nederlander Theatre.)
David Korins is nominated for a Tony Award for this nightclub stage. In the past, he’s been nominated for Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Beetlejuice.
Her life, glamorous and deeply corrupt, was turned into a disco-pop story in Here Lies Love, and Korins was tasked with making audiences feel like they were in a nightclub alongside her. Below, he gives us an idea of what it took to put it together.
T&C: Did you look at any architects or artists for inspiration?
Korins: Our research took us down several different paths. The first was a detailed examination of famous venues like Studio 54 and Terminal 5, and the other was a realistic examination of different locations in the Philippines and around the world where the show takes place. Obviously, we were inspired by both of those paths, but the big brushstrokes of the design were inspired by the nightlife scene. We had to fit the rest of the world inside the club, so the club had to call the shots.
T&C: How do you think the stage design adds to the Marcos story?
Korins: The stage design is so incredibly flexible that it allows us to go to rallies, riots, weddings, funerals, and everything in between. It’s a kind of blank canvas that can become anything and lets us show the way the Marcos saga continues today. Imelda is still alive and Bongbong, her son, is the current president of the Philippines. Our story is ultimately a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy and our design was the perfect envelope to hold up a mirror to that world.
T&C: What was the most interesting thing you learned about Imelda while working on this project?
Korins: There were two things I learned about Imelda that brought the whole picture into focus. The first was that she had a nightclub discotheque dance floor in the palace, and a mirror ball in her townhouse. Everything was a party to her. She also had these dioramas made of her entire life that are still on display in the Philippines and the scale of her figurine is slightly larger than those of all the other people. It puts into perspective the way in which she sees herself and wants others to see her.
Style News Editor at Town and Country covering society, style, art, and design.