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Designwire Online Exclusives

Annie Block, Mark McMenamin, and Meghan Edwards -- Interior Design, 9/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Good Will Pump

Wait a spell before hitting up these designers for donations. They already gave at the studio. On July 31, Interior Design and Harter sponsored Heart's Desire, a silent auction of cardio improvisations supplied specifically for the event by the "In" contingent of the A&D community.

Giants like Gensler and Perkins + Will put their hearts on the block, along with a dozen Hall of Famers, including Victoria Hagan and David Rockwell. By evening's end, 35 teams had raised more than $15,000 for the International Children's Heart Foundation and Ability Aids India International. Full disclosure: Beth Verssen, mother of Interior Design editor in chief Cindy Allen, founded AAII, serving the disabled and disadvantaged in India. Seems like two hearts can beat as one—even when 7,800 miles apart.

Irish Eyes Asmiling

Corkman Joseph Walsh may think his recent installation, In Aer, was his lucky charm. Nearly 10 years after its founding, Walsh's namesake studio made its U.S. debut with it at 2007's SOFA Chicago, the first submission by an Irish designer. So well received, his unique wooden furniture is now making its New York premiere in "Realisations" at the American Irish Historical Society, October 17 to November 2.

Alongside video, photographic, and graphic representation of In Aer will be pieces from Walsh's organic Figure and Form collection, including the sinuous Suaimhneas rocking chair, and his new Prism collection of geometric tables and consoles. Want more? Walsh has been invited back to SOFA Chicago, taking place November 6-9.

More Sugar on Top

It's the go-to place for pint-size New Yorkers in need of Pixy Stix or Charleston Chews. But Dylan's Candy Bar, now expanded to 15,000 square feet, is poised to satisfy many more cravings. Founder and CEO Dylan Lauren enlisted TSC Design Associates to establish new signature elements, such as a rock-candy aquarium and a falling-candy staircase. The reconfiguration sports several new departments: Bath & Body, for beauty products that smell like desserts, and Candy Couture & Accessories, a fashion outpost likely inspired by Dylan's dad (you know, Ralph?). The 5,000-square-foot addition on the second floor contains a trio of party rooms plus a lounge, where over-21's can sip Candy Cosmos. Sweet.