Friday Favorites 2/1/2013

February 1, 2013

Karin Lidbeck Brent, Contributing Editor
A well-designed home is always a work in progress, an idea that rings especially true in the home of my friend, interior designer Nancy Monahan of Fairfield, Conn.

Nancy’s quest to improve her designs is never-ending. She is constantly challenging herself and refreshing and reinterpreting her spaces.

I have had many great opportunities to work with Nancy, often using her exquisite home as a backdrop for magazine photo shoots, and with each new visit to her home I am prepared for a pleasant surprise.

Arriving at Nancy home this week, I was more than surprised. She completely wowed me with her simple and ingenious redesign of what I thought was already her picture-perfect seating area.

The sitting area “before.”

Alas, she proved me wrong with her ingenious remodel.

And “after.”

Reinterpreting the space by replacing the French doors with the gas fireplace surrounded by blue stone and millwork was a resourceful idea.

Moving the doors to flank the outside of the fireplace retained the light source while making the focal point the warming fireplace, creating an even more welcoming place to congregate.

Bravo, Nancy!

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
The New Hampshire Furniture MastersÂ have just the thing to brighten up your winter. The organization’s new exhibit, Three Women: A Contemporary Approach to Furniture Making, features the work of three talented Granite State studio furniture makers. The pieces by Vivian Beer, Lynn SzymanskiÂ and Leah WoodsÂ are beautiful examples of the best studio furniture being crafted today. In the words of the gallery director, Ted Blachly, they’re â€œtechnically sophisticated and delightfully sculptural.â€

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll see at the exhibition, which runs from February 15 through April 9 at the Furniture Masters’ Gallery in Concord, New Hampshire.

Vivian Beer crafted this chair of steel, automotive paint and patina. Beer’s work reflects her fascination for metal and her research and exploration into the techniques, industrial processes and cultural associations of the material.

Anchored Candy no. 2, by Vivian Beer. Photo courtesy of VB Studio Works

Lynn Szymanski has been working with wood for more than twenty years, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, whose tools she still uses.

Detail of Idolatry, by Lynn Szymanski. Photo courtesy of Lynn Szymanski

Leah Woods, an assistant professor of art at the University of New Hampshire, has been passionate about creating unique pieces of furniture since she earned her MFA in wood working and furniture design from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2000.

Hall Table, by Leah Woods. Photos by Bill Truslow

A detail shot.

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
My Friday Favorites post a few weeks ago about Edward Berebi still has me thinking hardware. So, voilÃ : more beauties for your delectation–this time on the more restrained end of the spectrum. Some are available locally; some, alas, are not. (But fear not, your architect or designer can always make things happen for you.)

Zaha Hadid‘sÂ ZH Duemilacinque Series door handle for Valli & Valli