The In Crowd

Located at: 15 W. 116th St., nr. Fifth Ave. in (South) Harlem NYC.

Phone#: 212-828-3700

Click here for further details. 

(h/t: Jeannine)

From the NY Times Style magazine a couple weeks ago:

Havana chaise longue in solid walnut with leather upholstery by Paul Mathieu for Ralph Pucci International, $20,400. Call (212) 633-0452. 

Click for more: 

Ralph Pucci International

Special shout to the clothing, card & stationary boutique Serimony in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn near my house. It's not cheap ($3 for a birthday card the size of a thank you card!) but do you really want to spend the rest of your life buying cards for those you love and care about from drug stores when every once in a while you can go that extra mile and look like you actually made an effort?

More on Serimony:

"every special occasion starts with something remarkable.

serimony is a design studio and boutique based in new york city, where originality and quality are key. we specialize in social stationery, custom invitations and original greetings. we don't believe in one-size-fits-all. our philosophy is that each card should be as distinctive as the individual or couple it reflects."

Click here for more and happy birthday to baby Nyla Crespo whose 1st birthday is the reason I went into Serimony in the first place yesterday afternoon.

 
From last week's Sunday Times magazine:

"Tomek Rygalik is not exactly a household name. But after this year’s fair, you can expect to see it a lot more often. Rygalik’s Raw chair for Moroso was a soulful, funky standout against the seas of 60’s and 70’s redux. Made from four pieces of leather, the chair supports itself — and the sitter — without an internal structure. Rygalik, a native of Poland who now works both in Lodz and in London, showed the prototype to Ron Arad, who had been one of his teachers at the Royal College of Art. Arad in turn showed it to Patrizia Moroso, the furniture company’s creative director and owner, who loved it. Rygalik, who laments the fact that we are ‘‘detached from the things we use,’’ wanted to make something ‘‘that was as it looked. What you see is what you get.’’" (click here to read more)

Spotted via Boing Boing:

"This is designer Alexander Reh's "Fully Loaded" chair. It's made from more than 450 12-gauge shotgun shells. "The bright brass tips create a massaging texture on the top of the chair, much to the contrary of their intended use," he writes." (click here for more)

This is really some grown man person ish for those for whom home design is a concept that extends beyond shopping at Ikea. Coming Mar 9-12: the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Read on:

"Fine furnishings and style solutions from nearly 300 premier companies will be exhibited at the 2006 Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Displays will represent a mix of leading names and up and comers from furniture and fabrics to the latest trends in lighting, kitchens and electronics. The Architectural Digest Home Design Show will also feature seminars with design world luminaries, cooking sessions with noted chefs, one-on-one designer consultations, a special exhibit that explores color, special events and much more.

The event is open to both design professionals and consumers. Thursday, March 9, is dedicated as a preview day for members of the trade and press, while Friday-Sunday are open to the general public. In 2004, the show welcomed more than 22,000 visitors, including 3,000 trade professionals and more than 200 members of the media." (click here for more)

Regular readers know I am a fan of all things wooden, particularly snowboards so it's no surprise that I would be a fan of the 2005 Burton Idiom 158 board (right). It's already sold out - at least on the site where I discovered it - but props and shine are still due. Read on:

"The Idiom 158 has a directional shape intended for all conditions. This board has healthy sidecut conducive to nice, tight turns. The board has a mellow, medium flex which makes the board easy to handle. Edge-to-Edge quickness is very good and turn initiation is responsive due to the shorter effective Edge, making this board very agile in all situations. Materials are very good and quality is exceptional, making the Idiom one of the premier snowboards in the world. The IDIOM SELECT 158 is inspired from early modern furniture design and draws influence from the designs of Charles and Ray Eames." (click here to read more)

Spotted via Boing Boing:

The Croissant Sofa from Muleh furniture made from coconut-leaf core and steel. It consists of a giant, horseshoe-shaped hollow and airy tube with cushion between the horseshoe's arms. (click here for more details)

Caught these coasters by Thirsty Stone while up in VT snowboarding this weekend for a nice belated Xmas gift for my boss. Too bad most of the rest of their product line is really kitsch-y and corny looking.

(Coasters available at Aubergine in Woodstock, VT.)

Design Within reach might not quite fully live up to its name for those of us with flatter wallets but it is yet another boutique home design store in NYC that offers shoppers the opportunity to step up their home design game beyond the standard Ikea and Crate & Barrel level and outfit their home with reproduction pieces by designers like Le Courbusier and Isamu Noguchi at an afforable price. This LeCourbusier Basculant cowhide armchair is just one example:

"Often discussed as a "sitting machine" and one of the signature classics of modern design, the Le Corbusier Basculant Armchair (1929) was an integral part Le Corbusier’s full burgeoning of the International Style. Introduced at the Salon d’Automne, the Le Corbusier Basculant Armchair's emphasis lay in the juxtaposition of new construction techniques, mechanical versatility and precious materials. The beauty and grace of the chromed-steel frame lies in eight simple tubular pieces that are seamlessly welded together and given life by two unexpected arcs connecting the seat to the posterior frame. The visual effect is that of simultaneous weightlessness and solidity. The overall comfort of the chair is exceptional, with a reclining seat and mobile back for constant support. A natural cowhide seat and back with black leather sling arms lend warmth and stylish neutrality to an artfully constructed design of classic luxury. Haired hides are a natural product and no two will be alike. Each hide will have a varying pattern of brown, black and/or white spots. Made in Italy. " (click here to read more)

Click here for the DWR website.