Cindy's Salon

Hanging Ornaments and Disguised Chandeliers

I saw this strange hanging object in a painting I saw at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco—I have no clue, yet, of what it is, however, I am sure after this post, we might hear from someone why this origami like object looms over this family group.

Seeing this mysterious element caused me to think about the role of hanging ornaments and chandeliers in interior design. Though we see them pr

Dedon Collection

I am excited to welcome some new friends to New York City—SoHo, to be more specific. The Dedon Collection has safely landed and their outdoor furniture is graciously displayed in their new space on Greene Street. It was super fun to be invited to a lovely dinner at their showroom last week, hosted by Cindy Allen and the owners and associates at Dedon. They are a wonderful genuine group of peopl

Field Trip to DDC

It is finally spring and nothing gives me more incentive to leave my desk to go play and discover design in the city than a little warm-ish weather. First stop this week was DDC at 136 Madison Ave. So here is some advice to my fellow designers: leave those desks and go and explore! There is nothing better than being inspired by the real thing.

The Bruco chair by Sophie Larger, the TwentyTwo chair

DIFFA's Dining by Design 2011

Butterflies are free; tickets to the sold-out opening cocktail party for DIFFA's annual Dining By Design are not. Nor should they be, given that the proceeds benefit one of the nation's largest AIDS charities, providing funds for direct care for people living with AIDS/HIV, and preventive education. DIFFA stands for Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, and it brings together members of the

WORKac

Sitting at my desk gathering inspiration... Somehow one thing leads to the next and I am on WORKac's website. Can we just discuss how brilliant they are? Brilliant!! Matching is easy, making things look good together in other words requires a sense of style for sure, but being edgy and current and leading the way in design is brilliant! WORKac's portfolio shows all of that.

I want to share a proje

The First Maya Romanoff Showroom

I've known about the extraordinarily exquisite wall coverings of Maya Romanoff since 1991, the year I started working for Holly Hunt Ltd in Chicago. Freshly out of my master's program in architecture, I was not too fond of the decorative aspect of design. In fact, it did not exist in my world of architecture. Yes, I was a part of that extraordinary architectural society. Soon after entering the w

Marimekko at Mardi Gras

My partner and I live across the street from Crate and Barrel (and up the street from Louis Vuitton to balance things) and were casting about for a Mardi Gras costume idea while walking by one day. French luxury was out but the bold prints of Marimekko featured in the windows of Crate and Barrel made perfect sense for a costume. And, in the end, their large scale, bold drawings and strong color

Cheese by Paola Navone for Poliform

This is a delightful little table or stool that reminds me of my mother's thimble that she keeps in her wooden sewing box. I'm a sucker for circles and absolutely adore the super talented designer Paola Navone. Made of perforated sheet aluminum and designed in 2008, you can talk to the folks at Poliform for more info. I've got to use this for a project soooooon!

Shine

I recently discovered these dressers on the website shinebysho.com. Modern and sleek, yet they have a beautifully executed nod to the past. Maybe this caught my attention too because that yellow on the taller chest of drawers is so beautiful, bright, and happy!

WhatIGotRidOfToday.com

Have you ever walked into somebody's home and thought "SPRING CLEANING ALERT" the second you entered? Disorganized homes drive me insane and, unfortunately, as a residential designer finding a home for all the stuff is part of my glamorous work.

I took a break from work last week and had the most amazing week at TED Active in Palm Springs (thank you, Paige)! My brain is filled to the brim with in

Hyper Links

"Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins." -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Since the days of Bauhaus, I am not sure that professional designers have held any significant design revolutions. Though we should probably not forget the postmodernism movement during the 1980's that most of us were happy to see go away. Perhaps the exhibit at the MoMA when Phillip Jo

Pick Six: The Armory Show 2011

The New York Times presented an overall favorable review of last week's Armory Show, pointing out that in lieu of the top dealers who have abandoned the show for more intimate and trendy venues, the cavernous pier 94 was filled with fresh curatorial blood, particularly from Latin America. This imparted a new energy lacking in recent years. From what I saw, I suppose this is the case, and I had a b