Tuesday, January 31, 2012

PARIS: Maison et Objet - Art - Design - Food - Restaurants - Fashion - People... and more



Paris: Maison et Objet - Part # 1. The Maison et Objet trade fair is the largest and most beautiful international event for the home, bringing together emblematic brands in interior decoration, upholstery fabrics, design, rare pieces, perfected materials and cultural objects.  And for the fourth season, Paris des Chefs, where under the sponsorship of multi-starred chef Alain Ducasse the event celebrates the exceptional explosive alliance of cooking and design.


Maison et Objet: Deisgner of the Year – Fernando and Humberto Campana.  The Brazilian Campana brothers where awarded Designers of the Year alongside Hubert Le Gall and Tokujin Yoshioka. The creative duo developed their eco-design sensibility during their craftsman-centric childhoods growing up in brotras, And, for their installation at Maison et Objet they created a plantation of organic trees made out of corrugated cardboard which seemed to spill from the ceiling, as where the gigantic green lights.

 portrait by Fernando Laszlo courtesy Maison et Objet

 Fernando and Humberto Campana

photograph courtesy Musee d"Orsay

Musee d’Orsay: Fernando and Humberto Campana. The Musee d”Orsay asked the Campana brothers to reinvent the newly re-opened famous Café de l’Horologe.  The décor was inspired by the travels of Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.  “Our work has always been broad-based and interior design allows us to bring together all the aspects of our design work.” Explains Humberto.

 photograph courtesy Maison et Objet

  Maison et Objet: Tokujin Yoshioka, Now! Design a Vivre 2012 Deisgner of the Year.  Tokujin Yoshioka was the Designer of the year for the Now! Deisgn a Vivre 2012 space.  Yoshioka’s works transcend the boundaries of product design, architecture, and exhibition installation and are highly evaluated also as art. At Maison et Objet the "Crystallized Project" explores the mutual dependency that exists between human's memories and nature and he uses it as a creative inspiration, which tries to create a new "portrait" of nature that shakes up the imagination of the person who views it. In the exhibition Tokujin Yoshioka presents new works, the crystallized painting series grown by the vibration of music by Frederic Chopin, the crystallized chair, Venus Natural Crystal Chair and the crystallized painting in the aquariums.

 photograph courtesy Maison et Objet

Tokujin Yoshioka

 photograph Sophie Boegly courtesy Musee d”Orsay



Musee d’Orsay – Galerie des Impressionistes.   Tokujin Yoshioka’s Banc Water Block, a representative work of optical glass projects started since 2002, is permanently exhibited in Musee d'Orsay.

 photograph Takuya Suzuki courtesy Maison et Objet


Maison et Objet: Tokujin Yoshioka, Now! Design a Vivre 2012 Deisgner of the Year.    Tokujin Yoshioka’s Banc Water Block.


 Seen at Maison et Objet, design gallery owner Luisa delle Piane.



Maison et Objet – Eclectic by Tom Dixon.  Eclectic by Tom Dixon is a new accessories brand launching exclusively at Maison et Objet.  The first collection of everyday home accessories, giftware and design objects comes after ten years dedicated to creating lighting and furniture design. Using honest and resilient materials traditional to the British designer, including copper, marble, cast iron and wood.  These products are made to be used or played with, to be treasured or given.
Above. Bash Vessel, a brass vessel shaped by hand into an expressive crumpled form and finished with gold wash.



Eclectic by Tom Dixon. Generously proportioned  Stone Pestle and Mortar carved from a solid piece of Morward marble.


Eclectic by Tom Dixon. Chop, three, rectangle, long and paddle shaped chopping boards milled from solid oak with soft curved edge detail.

 
Maison et Objet – Saint Louis.  Charles-Henri Leroy is Saint Louis’s commercial and communications director.   Saint Louis is the oldest manufacturer of glassmaking in Europe. In 1767 Louis XV gave the company the prestigious name of Verrerie Royale de Saint-Louis and later, the formula for producing crystal was discovered.  Today thanks to advances authorized by chemical and mechanical processes, Saint-Louis has introduced the most innovative techniques in coloring the crystal, hot shaping, cold cut, the most sophisticated patterns engraving and gold ornament.
Above: Behind Charles-Henri Leroy is the Potiche vase designed by Laurence Brabant.


Maison et Objet – Saint Louis.  Four of the six bulb vases in the Corollaire collection by Jose Levy. They are made of colored or clear crystal and each colored model is released in a limited collection of twenty-nine items. With Saint-Louis, for whom he has already designed the Endiablés collection, José Lévy decided to pick up the idea of flower vases, “A vase for violets or carnations: what really drew me in was the idea of pushing function to the extreme and being dictated by the very nature of the flowers themselves to create a complex decorative effect. Here, the content dictates the container, a basic notion in design that takes on a whole new dimension in the world of decorative arts and in the tradition of crystal.”  He explains. The result is a direct corollary: six vases that form a group of strange solos, requiring new color work with innovative overlay techniques. “Like crystal characters, these pure yet abstract narratives reflect both the memories of tradition and the unavoidable challenges of modernity.” Levy concludes.

Maison et Objet – Saint Louis.  The Theoreme collection designed by Laurence Brabant. As Tea is the second most widely drunk beverage on the planet after water, it is infused with an important ritual value. Saint-Louis has already released other tea tumblers imbued with Middle-Eastern influence. With Théorème, a family collection of offbeat, unusual tea glasses Saint-Louis is making a dramatic re-entrance on the tea scene with the firm intention of reinventing teatime. The clear crystal tumblers are designed for urban everyday living, their brilliant transparency makes them the perfect stage for floral decoctions, red-fruit infusions or exotic- spice brews.  The tumblers in blue crystal are perfect for summer, between the light of the sea and the sky, these holiday glasses evoke lazy days. Their apothecary blue adds a hint of mystery to the beverages they will contain.  And last but not least, the in dark green crystal tumblers are Middle Eastern and languid by nature, the obvious choice for serving mint tea, these subtly exotic glasses both contain and give off the scent of tempting, spicy, floral and smooth brews.



Maison et Objet – Saint Louis. Jasmin tea in Laurence Brabant white tumbler with gold rim from the Theoreme collection for Saint Louis. Naturally she is a great tea-drinker, after an initial morning coffee, her day is punctuated with intimate moments stolen away to enjoy a green tea, black tea, or spicy evening infusion. She holds her cups with both hands “That way, they are occupied and don’t need to do anything else”. She explains that this almost ceremonial gesture helps her to “feel, taste and smell the liquid and soak up all its scents”.


Maison et Objet – John Derian. John Derian is one of the few American designers showing at Maison et Objet.  The talented designer started his career scouting markets for old prints, books, handwritten manuscripts and deeds. These he cuts up, tints and mixes the images and the calligraphy, creating beautiful decoupages on the back of plates, bowls and paperweights and more.  The handmade decorative items are sold at the John Derian Company stores on the charming Second Street in the East Village, as well as at his seasonal boutique in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The busy and talented Mr. Derian also designed an environment-conscious furniture line with Cisco and created two signature accessories lines for Target, as well as a stationary collection based on decoupage and a collection of ceramic tableware for  the French company Astier de Villatte, see below.
Above.   John Derian is photographed next to his Skeleton wall hanging.

 
Maison et Objet - John Derian.   The new decoupage Bug plates.  Decoupage is the art of cutting and pasting paper images, which has its roots in the ancient tomb art of Siberia and became a fashionable pursuit across Europe in the 18th century. A small staff of artists assist John Derian with production and all his decoupages are made by hand right on the Lower East side of Manhattan. The handmade decorative items can also be found in many high-end boutiques and department stores around the world and his own “shop within a shop” on the Home floor at Bergdorf Goodman.


Maison et Objet – Astier de Villatte. The John Derian designed tableware for Astier de Villatte is called Marbre, the mug has the marbling pattern on the inside of Astier de Villatte’s traditional white  glazed ceramics finish.


 
Maison et Objet – Astier de Villatte. The  new trompe-l’oeil Wall-Vase plate.


Maison et Objet – Astier de Villatte. The Astier de Villatte’s high-end vegetable wax Scented Candles. Exclusive, natural and pure, these candles exude a delicious aroma whether unlit or burning.  They do not contain paraffin or other petrochemical by-products. Their delicate and evenly burning texture is due to a judicious mixture of soy oil, two secret plant ingredients and tiny bit of beeswax, perfectly miscible with the fragrance.  They have braided cotton wicks, they burn slowly and perfectly for about sixty hours and are biodegradable and environmentally sound.
Quebec. An age-old perfume emanates from the steep lanes of Old Quebec bordered by country homes and secret gardens. Rustic scents of forage plants, the divine aroma of sweet grass, the Amerindian incense, sacred aromatic herb that attracts positive energy and wards off evil spirits.

Broadway. Neon letters on theater billboards flicker everywhere, while below the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Energy is at its peak. A curious effervescent aroma, inspired by the secret formula of the legendary soft drink, refreshing, citrusy and caramelized, delicately stings your nose.

Cabourg. It was here, under the flowering arbors of the gardens of the Grand Hôtel, in the heart of this elegant seaside resort on the Normandy coast, that Marcel Proust wrote Within a Budding Grove. A delectable aroma of wisteria and a whiff of creamy jasmine accented by the freshness of ocean spray permeate this timeless vacation spot.


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Saturday, January 28, 2012

PARIS: Maison et Objet - Art - Design - Food - Restaurants - Fashion - People... and more



PARIS: Chocolatier and Tearoom – Jacques Genin. The elegant haute Marais chocolatier and tearoom opened by renowned pastry chef, maître chocolatier and confectioner, Jacques Genin has been described more like a luxury  “jewelry” boutique than a chocolate shop.  The self taught Genin started his culinary career in a slaughterhouse and later worked as head patissier at La Maison du Chocolat.  Today he supplies most of the grand hotels of the capital like the Hotel Meurice and the Hotel de Crillon. “Pastry leads us to times of happiness, pleasure and forgetting.” Genin explains and adds ”I like to rework the classics, like fruit paste, caramels, nougat and soon the Provencal calissons, a fine tradition that has fallen by the wayside.  And why not look back into the specialties of French candy?  And also design a lighter, sugar version of the Black Forrest cake?”
Note: Be prepared to stand in line for tea, chocolates, candies and pastries.



PARIS: Chocolatier and Tearoom – Jacques Genin. Voted one of the top French chocolatiers in 2010 by the Club des Croquers de Chocolat with the accolade “Conventional or creative, his chocolates are distinguished by a remarkable sense of balance and an authentic purity of taste.”

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Friday, January 27, 2012

PARIS: Maison et Objet - Art - Design - Food - Restaurants - Fashion - People... and more


Paris - Les Arts Décoratifs:  Goudemalion exhibition.   Until March 18 at Les Arts Decoratifs museum is the first exhibition of Jean-Paul Goude’s work. Goude is one of the most brilliant ‘image makers’ of contemporary creation and the show proposes a retrospective and creative vision of his oeuvre encompassing all his areas of activity, from fashion and photography to advertising and live events. His entire forty-year career is retraced in the nave of the museum, featuring his drawings, objects, music, films and photographs. 
Conceived as a large installation, the exhibition also evokes the Bicentenary of the French Revolution he staged down the Champs Elysees in 1989.
Above: the monumental locomotive in the middle of the nave, is installed on a conveyor belt and surrounded is by numerous drawings.


Goudemalion exhibition  Jean_Paul Goude’s sketchbook is open at a page for the parade to celebrate the Bicentenary of the French Revolution he staged down the Champs Elysees.
Below: A video for Galeries Lafayette which he directed staring Ines de la Fressange.

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La Parisienne aux Galeries Lafayette - Ines de la Fressange & Jean-Paul ...

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PARIS: Jean-Paul Goude - Goudemalion exhibition.



Goudemalion exhibition. Jean-Paul Goude’s imagination was equally fertile in the presence of a number of fascinating women whose image he magnified by means of what he referred to as the “French correction”, a method of stylizing and transforming bodies, foreshadowing many of today’s computer techniques. By disguising, transforming and restructuring, cutting up an increasing number of ektachromes, he brought to life a succession of fabulous creatures, figures from his own personal mythology.  Grace Jones (above), for who he produced both images and shows, is undoubtedly the most famous of these icons.

Goudemalion exhibition. Grace Jones, Automate, Los Angeles, 1986 for the Citroen Cx 2 commercial.
Below: Citroen Cx 2 commercial directed by Jean Paul Goude and staring Grace Jones.
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Grace Jones: Citroën Cx 2 1985 Commercial

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PARIS: Jean-Paul Goude - Goudemalion exhibition.



Goudemalion exhibition. Azzedine et Farida, Paris 1985.
Below: Jean-Paul Goude's commercial for Chanel Egoiste perfume.
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Rue Faubourg: Famous Chanel Egoiste Ad Jean Paul Goude Commercial

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PARIS: Maison et Objet - Art - Design - Food - Restaurants - Fashion - People... and more


Paris – Concept store and restaurant: Merci and La Cantine du Potager:  In the northern Marais district of Paris is the well known concept store Merci, and in it’s basement is the busy and trendy restaurant La Cantine du Potager which translates as the canteen of the vegetable garden and so it is, as there is a real vegetable garden outside the big greenhouse type windows. The rosemary was picked fresh for this tisane of ginger and rosemary, which I had with my vegetarian meal.  I have since made this tisane at home and it’s delicious, and we all know how good ginger is for you.
  
La Cantine du Potager.  A view of the big greenhouse type windows that look out onto the vegetable garden right in the heart of Paris.  The blackboard displays the menu, which is mainly vegetarian. Simple dishes, include soups, salads, vegetable tarts, risotto, cheese and deserts.
Note: Try also, just round the corner from Merci, the new and cool pizza cocktail bar restaurant called Grazie, which means merci in French and thank you in English and as the name suggests it is all in the family as it is owned by Julien Cohen, the son of the owners of Merci.

La Cantine du Potager.  Chicken Kefta  and aubergine patties are served with spicy broccoli and fennel salad and yogurt dressing.


La Cantine du Potager. Mixed greens and carrot salad are a side to a vegetable tart.  Beware both where seasoned with fresh coriander or cilantro, which is an acquired taste.

La Cantine du Potager. Un-resistible is the Molleaux au Chocolat which is a cross between a Molten chocolate cake and a chocolate a mousse and just melts in your mouth.
  
Merci – The Bike. The theme for January and February in the Merci showroom is the bicycle.  An exhibition called My Bike, Transportation in the City, until February 20, covers most of the floors. Always sensitive to trends and lifestyles Merci has put together the best designer bicycles on the market.  The bike has become the new subject for innovation and style for designers. 
  
A Bianchi bike.

Merci – The Bike.  Designed by the Danish designers Maik, the Bike Crate is made from 100% recyclable materials that can withstand everyday use and all kinds of weather. The bike crate is made of dibond, stainless steel and polycarbonate and all brackets are custom crafted in lightweight aluminum, which can withstand even strong impacts. “We are presenting the perfect solution for the people who do not want to ride a cargo bike, but who still must carry stuff around on their bikes, no matter if it’s a computer bag, 30 oranges, two crates of beer or 12 bottles of wine.”  Said Rune Rex, designer and co-founder with Andreas Sachse of Maik.
 
 

 

 

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