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Design Guide Online Editorial
Interior Design Blog and Interior Design Ideas
Ask the Expert with Outrageous Gallery: Glass Embraces the Best of Art
Photo by Devin Bannister
Everything from our actions to the art and décor we place in our homes is an extension or expression of ourselves.
Inviting a visitor to our home allows the design style we choose, our color palette, furnishings, and most importantly our art choices to speak for us. Immediately, aspects about you are revealed: your aesthetics; your experience; your awareness; your world.
Speaking of art choices, there are myriads of them.
“There is so much to select from, and it can be very confusing and frustrating, which is why it’s imperative and helpful to have a professional guide and educate you,” says George Hakimeh, owner of Outrageous Gallery, in Austin. “The average layman is not expected to have his finger on the pulse of the gravitating moods and latest explorations in the art world.”
Photo by Devin Bannister
The trends and media in the art world shift as quickly as those in society.
“Those creative little artists out there are always changing the program; jumping out of the box, coming up with something new,” says Hakimeh.
According to him, that “something new,” and the medium of interest today, is glass.
So forgotten for centuries, so fragile, so functional – it is no longer restricted to a fruit bowl or a flower vase, no matter how colorful or artfully crafted it may be.
No person who has wandered into an art gallery in the past decade sees glass the same way anymore. It has finally jumped off of the dining room table and exploded into fulfilling its own creative potential; it has come into its own.
Glass is made from a variety of methods and techniques, and offers everything that is wonderful about art: vibrant color, amazing light movement, infinite shaping possibilities, three dimensions, alluring textures, and transparent layers of mood.
“We are drawn to glass with a hedonistic wantonness,” he says. “Our environment must have it!”
Ask The Expert with Antique Floors, Inc.: The Return of Rookwood
Photo courtesy of Rookwood Pottery
Once a household name among the wealthy, but crippled by the Great Depression and nearly forgotten, Rookwood Pottery has begun to rise from the shadows and into the spotlight.
Everyone enjoys a good comeback-against-all-odds story. Rookwood’s rise to fame is filled with monumental victories. Perhaps the most extraordinary, easily missed fact, is that it was founded in 1880, in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Maria Longworth Nichols, and was the first U.S. manufacturing company to be owned by a woman.
She had a vision and passion for pottery. However, the international art community did not share her sentiments, believing pottery to be inferior. This negative appraisal only succeeded in intensifying Nichols’ resolve, as she set out to prove otherwise. A few years later, she silenced the skeptics by taking the Grand Prize at the 1889 Paris Exposition. This launched what has become known as the American Art Pottery Movement.
Rookwood Pottery became so recognized that everyone who was anyone had at least one Rookwood piece in his or her home. It began appearing on the shelves of high-end retailers across the nation. Even museums started requesting pieces for their permanent collections.
“Nobody did or does anything quite like it,” said Janet Bottomley, owner of Antique Floors, Inc., in the Dallas Design District.
Ask the Expert with Spaces Designed: What's New in Accent Walls
A couple of years ago, you may have walked into a room and been struck odd by the fact all the walls were white except for one, which popped with color. This décor trend, often referred to as an “accent wall,” quickly caught on, and is popular among homeowners and interior designers.
What accent walls do for a space
“It helps to anchor and define a separate space within a larger space,” says Komal Sheth, owner of Spaces Designed, Interior Design Studio. “With a large, open plan layout in a home, an accent wall can help define a smaller area, be it a reading area or a dining space.”
An accent wall can also help to highlight a certain piece of furniture that is against a wall versus displayed on it, such as a bed, entertainment center or a fireplace.
Even stand-alone divider walls can be used as an accent wall that helps your eyes transition through a space.
“It’s how we, sometimes unknowingly, as people and deliberately as designers, look at a space when we enter a room; we are looking at a space and seeing where should you anchor your eyes, and where your eyes should go,” she says.
But, much like a pattern that goes from pleasant to busy, accent walls are in danger of becoming more of an eyesore. According to Komal, avoid that décor nightmare by balancing various finishes (i.e. paint, wall covering, tile or a faux finish) that complement each other and the space.
“Change it up by using different techniques throughout your home,” she says. “When accent walls are overused their power is lost in too much movement, texture and color, which result in them competing for the eye’s attention.”
Hayslip Design Associates Translate Color Trends Into Paint and Pantone
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“The best color in the world is the one that looks good on you.” - Coco Chanel
Recently, Sherry Hayslip of Hayslip Design Associates, translated her choice of accent colors for this season into paint options available from Benjamin Moore or Pantone colors, for a prestigious site dedicated to trend analysis and forecasting.
Well, as Hayslip Design Associates specifies a wide variety of paint brands in its work and rarely gets down to anything as detailed as specific Pantone colors, that put an interesting twist on things. But color is so inspiring, and those little Pantone chips are so fun to play with that she thought she’d take a stab at it.
Hayslip started by looking through photographs of her work and pulling out those that she felt really spoke to trends in colorful interiors.
Here are the top Pantone colors called out as Sherry’s “key accent colors"......
......which were used in a couple of Hayslip Design Associates’ projects.
“I love to see the heat of fuchsia pink cooled by a luscious green,” she says.
Glassblowing Artist David Gappa Reveals "Abalone Crest"
THE DESIGN
Vetro Glassblowing Studio and Gallery founder, David Gappa, designed this exquisite, original vessel to be a prominent accent within a private residence. Gappa's vision was to create a glass replica of an aquatic abalone transcending from its oceanic existence to an even more woundrous and complex place among man. He calls it ABALONE CREST.
THE ART
Sand-inspired tonal hues were handblown by Gappa and his team into the abalone shell base, forming a vessel lined with metallic blues, greens and magentas. Crushed glass envelopes the art glass sculpture in a display of both illusion and certainty. ABALONE CREST is 14 inches tall and 7 inches in diameter. Commissioned for a private residence.
Restoring History Through the Beauty of Artful Touch Up
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This lovely painting was brought in to Brown Mountain Art Restoration in the spring of this year. The canvas is 37 x 40” and has much sentimental value to its owners. Purchased at an antique shop while vacationing in Atlanta over 30 years ago, it holds cherished memories of that treasured time for the couple.
Although little information was found of this particular paintingʼs history, it does date back to the early 1800s. Very similar to subject matter of that time, the often depicted Madonna and child with St. John is an image that warms the heart. Unfortunately, the tears and subsequent paint loss on the Madonnaʼs face, dress, and the distant hills affected the aesthetics of the painting.
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The staff paintings conservator, Amy Dobson, carefully patched the tears in the painting from the back. She applied a reversible adhesive and two linen patches to the damaged area allowing the frayed edges of each tear to meet.
Maxwell Fabrics Launches New Summer Collection
Endless Summer Collection: Sea Pearls 103 Cookie Drapery; Balmy 301 Linen Drapery; Watermarks 501 Sesame and Rising Tide 401 Nougat (ottoman); and Whitecaps 204 Raffia (pillow)
Maxwell Fabrics has launched its Summer Collection to the design community and it’s invigorating and bold.
“We’ve definitely returned to the uplifting and vibrant.” says Jennifer Apple, Maxwell Fabrics Design Director. “This collection is full of bold color and energizing fabric choices: faux silks, a variety of natural linen, cotton, and poly blends. We’ve even included heavy-duty upholstery fabrics.”
There are five books in Maxwell’s Summer Collection: Endless Summer, Warrior, Wow Factor, Two’s Company and Pure & Simple. Among these five books are 31 patterns and over 270 colors ranging from contemporary neutrals to bright citrus, vivid fuchsias, soft blues and minty jades.
Wow Factor Collection: Labyrinth 201 Aluminum (patterned drapery and pillow); Labyrinth 208 Peony (pillow); and Soiree 01 Silver (drapery)
Endless Summer is exclusive to Maxwell Fabrics with its satin and sheer embroideries and vintage-vibe inspiration. Also exclusive to Maxwell Fabrics are Wow Factor and Warrior: Warrior is a multi-purpose chenille with 40 colors, while Wow Factor is a faux matka silk backed with heavy chenille, creating a full-bodied hand and drape. Designers will be attracted to Wow Factor for large-scale, commercial and hotel design projects because it passes both the NFPA 701 test as well as 60,000 double rubs. Wow Factor is comprised of three patterns - Labryrinth, Aluminum and Ellipse – and 24 chic and contemporary colors for drapery and bedding.
Also part of this summer’s collection is Two’s Company, an ultra-contemporary, heavy duty upholstery fabric with a natural linen look. It’s bound to be popular because of its durability and comfortable look and feel. Pure & Simple finishes the collection with 19 patterns ranging from poly blends to natural fibers that will bring elegance and luxury to every bedding, drapery or upholstery design project.
One-Man Show and Artist George Kovach Making Annual Appearance at Southwest Gallery
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Artist George Kovach will be at Southwest Gallery, in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, June 15 from 1 - 5 p.m.
About the artist
George Kovach was born of Hungarian descent in Cleveland, Ohio. It was during his childhood on an Ohio farm that art became the focus of George's life. There he strived to capture on canvas the beautiful countryside that surrounded his home. He attended and graduated from the Art Institute of Miami and became a full-time artist in 1972. George is busy painting at either his home in Texas or in his summer studio in New Mexico.
A founding member of the Texas Cowboy Artist Association, George was awarded a gold medallion three years consecutively for best oil painting. In 1976, at the request of Governor Dolph Briscoe, George represented Texas for the State's Cultural Acheivements during the Bi-Centennial celebrations in Philidelphia. George co-illustrated XIT, The American Cowboy, a major book publication by Oxmoor House. In December 1993, "US Art" magazine featured George as one of the Top 10 Artists to watch for during 1994, and as one of the Top 25 Artists of 1993. George's sold-out print, "Harvest at Holy Hill" was ranked among the Top 25 prints of 1993 by galleries across the country. He has been commissioned to do puzzles, calendars, and notecards to be distributed in Japan. AMCAL commissioned him to produce 1996 and 1997 calendars, notecards, and Christmas cards. His other commissions include two collector plate series, figurines, and limited edition villages.
George's landscapes also reflect the sensitivity and warmth which flows from the artist to the canvas. Each painting, eloquent and rich with the artist's unique lighting effect, has put his work in demand. Concise and quiet in manner, George is dedicated to the integrity of his profession and strives for authenticity and accuracy in each work.
In his own words, "painting is a way of communicating my thoughts and feelings and the joy that I receive from my art." As one stands before a Kovach painting, nostaligia is brought into vivid focus as he masterfully takes the viewer on a personal journey through time where the romance of the past is brought back to life.
David Dike Fine Art Presents Deforrest Judd | The Hidden Treasure in Texas Regional Modernism
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Place to Picnic, 1953
Oil on masonite 28 x 38
Signed lower right: Deforrest Judd 53
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993) was a landscape and abstract painter. He was a longtime professor at Southern Methodist University, in Texas, from 1946 until 1982. Judd also taught at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Prickly Pear Cactus 1971
Oil on canvas 30 x 40
Signed lower left: Deforrest Judd 71
Born in Hartsgrove, Ohio, Judd studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, graduating in 1938. From 1939 to 1942, he did post-graduate work at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center as a student of Boardman Robinson.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Prickly Pear Cactus, 1991
Oil on canvas 20 x 20
Signed lower right: Deforrest Judd 91
Judd's painting style has a noticeable evolution over the years. The 1950's mark his almost cubist one-dimensional oil abstractions with his use of palate knife, reminiscent of fellow painter and Dallas Nine artist, Otis Dozier. Landscapes focus on native plants and foliage and are a prominent subject for Judd. Whether it's the native cacti of Texas, or spruces of Colorado, Judd's experimental use of color makes these paintings applicable and relevant in any space.
Deforrest Judd (Am. 1919-1993)
Blue Mounatin, 1977
Oil on canvas 38 x 40
Singed lower right: Deforrest Judd 1977
His work is in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (in Beaumont), and many other private Texas art collections across the state and country.
Latitude Collection by Delos Rugs: Exclusive Versatile and Innovative Technology for Indoors or Out
Rug Design: Coral SKU713
Delos Rugs is proud to showcase their new collection, Latitude, in their soon-to-be published, magazine-worthy catalog. They are the only company that sells made-to-order indoor/outdoor rugs, and all of the patterns within their line are available for this quality rug.
“What is surprising to me is how many large pieces roll through our manufacturing facility here in the U.S.,” says Leah Phillips, owner of Delos Rugs. “We didn't realize how many designers were going to utilize this collection for areas of high traffic, indoors.”
Rug Design: Hewn SKU36356
They also boldly added a pure white rug to the collection, because they had so many designers request it. It’s a “risk” that makes sense, because where else could you get a pure white rug that would actually be maintainable?
