Japan made me do it...

One of my favourite places to go while in New York is the Museum of the City of New York. Located on 5th avenue, it's a stones throw away where I usually am so I'm always drawn to enter it's doors.

From previous posts, you know how I get all excited about museums, so I wanted to share the upcoming event... you will want to go I'm sure.

On November 3rd, design expert and author, Phil Patton, Chay Costello, the Manager of MoMA retail and Adam Glickman, formally of Tokiton magazine [could it get any better?] the three will discuss the progression, prevalence, and production of the familiar, everyday objects that were born from New York and Japan’s enduring legacy of cultural design exchange.

Japan has been an influence on artists/designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Tiffany as well as the now-popular manga and anime. I think it will be a great talk and certainly worth your while.

I should mention, this is in conjunction with the not-to-be-missed exhibition Samurai in New York: The First Japanese Delegation, 1860 [showing through November 7th].

Reservations required: 917-492-3395 or e-mail programs@mcny.org.

$6 museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members

And the best part???

$6 when you mention Design Guy University [thanks!]

A yarn about quality...

Holland & Sherry is perhaps one of the best clothiers in the world. Hand tailoring garments out of the most luxurious wool known. Their suits as well as the well-crafted handmade shirts, would proudly hang in anyone's closet. Impeccable detailing.

A few years ago I was drawn into a showroom where in the small, well appointed space, stood this sofa with elaborate embroidery. Restrained in what could have been an explosion of thread was an example of finely, layered cut wool precisely stitched together to create a remarkable detail on what would otherwise be a rather plain sofa.

I was standing in Holland & Sherry. Knowing they made exquisite shirts/suits since the 1830s (they also provided the cloth for costumes for Mission Impossible and Moulin Rouge) I was a little surprised to find a Showroom bearing the same name. Eric, the showroom manager, confirmed it was the same company.

The showroom provides examples of fabric, embroidery, accessories and wallpaper. I chose some items to show... so please enjoy:

Merchandise Mart Trip!

Click below to see the great new trip I've devised for Design Guy University. For only $149.00 visit the Merchandise Mart in Chicago for two whole days going behind the scenes just like a real interior designer. See what's new, see what's in, see the new trends before they hit the retail market.

Be in the know with this great trip. Please join me! Call 314.761.5740 for more information

or to reserve your seat today!

Classic French

I was at a friends house today enjoying the sun shine, the fresh air and also a glass of wine out on the outdoor patio. The coming of fall.... it was reminding me of France. Fall is I think the best time to visit France because, like certain parts of the United States, it's ideal for walking about and enjoying the colorful autumn leaves. My favorite areas are Strasbourg, the Loire Valley, or Mountsegur (the later actually the best for fall in my opinion). With all this I was thinking: Pierre Deux.

If you're not familiar with Pierre Deux, it's such classic french country. You just can't go wrong. Perusing the website, I found new things as well as some old favourites:

From the Grand Salon collection, this is just gorgeous. Teildras Gold Wall paper. It's so versatile, so many colors in it. It can be paired with most anything.

Bureau bente, or a slant-top writing desk... this one is fashioned after one from the home of Madame Hedwidge Cointreau de Bouteville (the President and Creative Director of Pierre Deux). I can see myself writing a traditional note as well as checking out my iPad doing online banking and writing emails.

I love these new green glass candle sticks. I would french wire one for a lamp or just gather a bunch of them. They're so great for all-year round... and the color is perfect to use for Christmas too.

I'm totally in love with this new fabric called Bijou. This is the red, but it comes in different colorways. So fantastic.. it's a small, but great print. Perfect for anything.... especially reminding me of this perfect beginning-0f-fall day.