Friday Favorites 4/13/2012

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
I was amused to get an email the other day from the Phillips Collection–not the museum, that is, but the North Carolina company, home of Jason Phillips’s visionary furniture and accessory designs. It seems that set designer Margaret Hungerford used eight of Jason’s Seat Belt Chairs to kit out the penthouse training apartment in the recent blockbuster film, The Hunger Games.

Photo courtesy of the Phillips Collection

Lest you think New England Home is not ahead of the curve, check out this furniture trends video I made at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair back in 2009:

2009 New England Home Furniture Trends video (click to play)

Guess what you’ll see about 5 minutes and 50 seconds in? When it comes to trends, Hollywood ain’t got nothin’ on us!

Jared Ainscough, Assistant Art Director
Last year I spent a day with Landry & Arcari‘s Jerry Arcari and his staff, setting up a photo shoot for our 5 Under 40 award winners. Jerry showed me through an enormous stack of rugs, and I had to pick the perfect one for the shoot.

One of the most amazing pieces that Jerry showed me was this silk rug that was woven out of recycled saris from India. The pictures don’t do this rug justice because its color and vibrancy is truly stunning in person. I was tempted to use it for the shoot, but I knew that nobody would be able to take their eyes off of it.

The 2012 5 Under 40 winners will be announced later this month. At our gala celebration on September 13 you’ll be able to see the custom rugs that this year’s winners design, which will be produced by Landry & Arcari and auctioned off to benefit a local charity. I wonder if any will be as colorful as this?

Sari rugs at Landry & Arcari

Blue sari rug from Landry & Arcari

Cheryl Katz, Contributing Editor
My maternal grandmother, Fanny–my daughter’s namesake–believed that the way to stay happy and healthy was to stay busy. Into her late eighties, until her eyesight failed and the mobility of her hands became limited by arthritis, Fanny kept busy. She was never without a skein of yarn and a crochet hook, making baby blankets when each of her eleven grandchildren was born and, later, lap blankets when each of us left home for college or otherwise.

Once I was out of school, I took a job in the fashion office of a large department store and met a woman whose habits I emulated and whose style I adored. Dee wore a different-colored crocheted dress, made by her mother and with matching stockings, no less, each day of the week. I have never met anyone as chic since.

So when Quin, a talented design assistant in our studio, sent me the link to Naomi Paul‘s website, I was enchanted, sure that Fanny and Dee would love Paul’s work as much as I do.

Sonne Pendant by Naomi Paul. Photo courtesy of Naomi Paul