Pierre Frey Inspiring Interiors

An occupational hazard for those of us in the design field is we want all of the pretty things that are paraded in front us.  When I was decorating, I handled this dilemma by choosing my favorites and bestowing them like like gifts to my clients.  If I couldn't have them, they should. 

Now that I spend my time writing about design, I need another solution.

A book like Pierre Frey Inspiring Interiors provides the perfect answer.  All of my darlings from the House of Pierre Frey are gathered together in one volume, allowing me to pull it off the shelf and drink in the beauty whenever I need a shot of loveliness in my life. 

The book is roughly divided into four parts, each of which is equally fascinating. It opens with a personal account of the history of the House of Pierre Frey.  How fabulous that a business founded in the 1930's is still run by the family.  The key players are all featured and sprinkled throughout the book are tantalizing glimpses of their homes, which naturally feature Pierre Frey products.  I can assure you that the current head of the company,  Patrick Frey, is very charming, having met him at a recent book signing at Bergdorf Goodman.

Next the book explores the stunning, historical Pierre Frey Museum.  Can I move in? Their archives are astounding and richly illustrated. 

You will gasp at images of fragments of men's waistcoats and pockets embroidered on silk from the 18th century. 

This gorgeousness is followed up with features on some interior designers who use Pierre Frey and more luscious photographs featuring the fabric, wallpaper and other products, with descriptions of the inspiration behind them.  Creative mood compositions that will get your juices flowing also are shown.

Finally, the book closes by showcasing the artisans behind the designs such as the weavers, embroiderers, embossers and upholsterers who bring it all to life. Experiencing the individual hands at work is moving and compelling.

This book is a must for any design library. 

IMAGE CREDITS // Images in the collages are courtesy of the House of Pierre Frey and are from the book.  All other photographs by Lynn Byrne of Decor Arts Now.  Thank you to the House of Pierre Frey for providing a review copy of the book to Lynn. 

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.

DXV Design Panel

Earlier this year, we received the tremendous honor of being one of seven design firms invited by DXV, the luxury division of American Standard, to create a space inspired by a classic work of literature.

Water for Elephants by novelist Sara Gruen was the novel we chose. It spoke to us on many levels, but primarily because of the beautifully tragic nature of the love story that unfolded in a third rate traveling circus, at the start of the Great Depression, between Marlena, the heroine and an orphan with no where else to turn, and her lover Jacob, the circus vet. The pages are filled with freaks and clowns, wonder and pain, anger and passion, which created a unique design opportunity for us to imagine what Marlena's only real retreat and refuge - her personal dressing room in a train car - may have looked like.

Marlena's signature color, pink, was a starting point for the creative design that guided the mood for this space. We kicked the design off with a custom wallpaper, the lush and robust leaf and lotus pattern of Shanti by PaperMills in a sultry and shocking hot pink, which we showcased within ebonized wood paneled walls of a traditional train car.

These elements guided many of the design details in both vignettes, with nods seen in the vintage brutalist lotus chandelier, the murano glass leaf sconces and floral pendants, and the custom scroll metal work that we designed on the water closet doors.

As is always the case with us, fabrics tell our story, and thus we incorporated the exotic textiles Lazlo and Idadora, both patterns from Tulu Textiles, and custom tassels and bouillon trim, created for us by our partners at Fringe Market. We envisioned Marlena primping at a vanity with a Hollywood style mirror, our custom designed brass luggage rack above her piled high with all of the necessities of the star of the show, nestled under the arc of the train car ceiling with a dressing screen and steamer trunk at her side.

And then as kismet would have it, we landed on the new DXV Oak Hill Suite including the soaking tub, freestanding sink and toilet paired with the Traditional tub filler and Rain Can shower head for their nod to the Depression Era. We also incorporated several accessories from the Randall collection, including the towel ring, toilet paper holder and robe hook. All of the DXV suites work so well and seamlessly together that it was a cinch to pull from the various collections that we felt best fit our overall aesthetic. And their gorgeous new Satin Brass finish is divine! Everything came together so beautifully, and paired elegantly with the Tempest Tileworks Dublin tile from Filmore Clark that we used for the dramatic backdrop within the shower. This all coalesced into a swanky getaway, a personal oasis for Marlena.

One of our favorite parts of this project, aside from having the total creative freedom provided by DXV to create this space exactly as we dreamed of it, was styling our set with the help of Jim Goulet. Fanciful vintage costumes, precious perfume bottles, beat up old luggage sets, and even a stuffed peacock all became a reality as Jim and his talented team found a way to bring our every whim to life.

Our set design became reality in a way that is so stunningly authentic through the creative vision and talent of photographer Earl Kendall and his team at Quincy Street Studios. Not to mention, Earl's light-filled studio was just about the perfect place to spend three days styling and shooting our set while noshing on scrumptious food, delicious coffee and sweets. We were totally spoiled! We owe a debt of gratitude to every single person involved in building our set. 

We couldn't resist this beautiful finishing touch, a nod to the novel's title, a pair of Brass Elephant Handles from our friend Carla Stolper at CF Michaels.

Serious fun! We got all glammed up for a photoshoot that took place on set. Much appreciation and bravado for the talented and lovely Selena Salfen for capturing these swanky images of us, and to the very cool and equally skilled video team that shot the clip you saw at the beginning of this post, Run With Scissors, Inc.

Want to see more behind the scenes from this project? Check out our Pinterest board (which has been our private design & collaboration space for this project, until today when we made the board public!) as well as our Instagram account (use #dxvtopsecret and #clothandkindcircus) to see all of the pics we snapped throughout the course of this project.

Please also be sure to check out the rest of the DXV Design Panel and the incredible work of the other designers, who all nailed it! 

Lisa Mende, Breakfast at Tiffany's
Regina Sturrock, Anna Karenina
Justin Shaulis, A Room With A View
Lori Gilder & Rebecca Reynolds, Like Water For Chocolate

We also want to give a huge shout out to our killer intern, Elizabeth Dooley, who contributed so greatly to this project before she graduated from The University of Georgia. This girl is a creative force to be reckoned with, as is evident in her renderings of our space below, and we have no doubt that someday you'll be reading about her in the pages of Elle Decor and House Beautiful.

There are not really words to truly express our thanks to the tremendous team at DXV and American Standard for including us in this visionary project of yours, and for taking our initial design concept (above) to beautiful and perfect completion.

Jeannette Long, Debbie Drury, Margaret Monteleone, Jean-Jacques L'henaff, we've immensely enjoyed this entire process from the very get-go and happily count you amongst our friends. Your product line is exceptional, your design work - visionary, and your team is simply the best. Sincere thanks.

Lastly, Miss V - Veronika Miller of Modenus, whose brainchild this project is, there are no words but you know how we feel about you. #soulsisters

Hue: Mineral

FABRIC // Nepal in Mineral from Lacefield // Interior // Pillow // Inspiration  // Stool // Rock

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte.

No. 46

Fab Five: Tasseled

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EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte.

Brit Kleinman of AVO

My name is... Brit Kleinman.

My company is... AVO.

I am the... Founder and Creative Director.

I make/design/create... Handpainted leather goods.  My flagship product is the full hide painted rug but I also make pillows and clutches. I like to fully explore one material and see what I can create with it,  and right now that material is handprinted leather.  I was first inspired by a trip to New Mexico where I experienced the hide painting by Native Plains Indians and their handprinted bags known as parfleche.  I then looked at a lot of different cultures that had this technique and I decided to modernize it.

Something you need to know about me is... I like to get my hands dirty.   Although I previously worked in the design field in different capacities, I wanted to work with my hands again.  I wanted to make things.  I think I function best as a designer when I actually touch the materials.

You first knew you were a creative type when... It seems like I always knew it. Certainly, from a very young age.  I come from a creative family and as a child I spent endless amounts of time in art classes and doing crafts.  Creativity is in my blood.

Here is how the company came to be... It all started with a college trip to Gautemala in 2006. While visiting and working with the textile artists in the Chichicastenango market, I was struck by the fact that design and culture were one and the same.  The name "AVO" comes from a vivid memory I have of a man carrying a huge sack of avocados in a string bag in that market. While that might seem mundane, it made me realize that different cultures used products and materials in their own unique way and fostered my anthropological way of thinking about design. I want to know what the back story behind all of my designs even if it isn't apparent to others.

My absolute favorite thing I sell right now is... My full hide rugs and I love the rugs and pillows I am doing in indigo resist patterns.

Here is a sneak peek of something I am working on right now... I am playing with leather tiles for interior spaces.  I see them as wall tiles, perhaps as a wainscot.

I am most proud of... Finally taking that first leap to start my own business, after years of thinking about it.

I really detest... Bookkeeping!

I could never have done it without this person... Definitely my Mom, Sherry Kleinman, who herself is a textile artist. She first showed me that a creative passion could have a large role in your life.  Also my husband because he is so supportive of my passions and taking the risk to start my own business."

I constantly read these for inspiration... I don't read! I just look at the pictures.

That said, I do like to leaf through Damn Design Magazine and Surface Magazine, and I sometimes go down the rabbit hole of the interwebs.  I have two books, Patricia Rieff Anawalt's The Worldwide History of Dress, and Jean-Philippe and Dominque Lenclos' Colors of the World that are staples in my library, but I am a visual person. In fact I don't measure when I create my product, I just eyeball it.  

I would like to share the limelight with... My longtime art mentor David Limrite, who is a fabulous artist in his own right and always pushes his students to enjoy the process of creating. 

IMAGE CREDITS // PIctures of Brit's mom and her art from Brit.  Pictures of David Limrite and his art from Outside the Lines blog. All other images by Lynn Byrne, all rights retained.

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.

No. 45

Hue: Citron

Fabric // Futuna fabric in Citron from Pierre Frey // Interior // Lamp // Art  // Basket // Sofa

EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte.

Palette No. 44

Hey, it's #fabricfriday! Today we have the pleasure of welcoming a talented interior designer and friend of ours to our Journal. Amy Berry of Amy Berry Design in Dallas, TX has compiled this stunner of a Palette which we're both feeling big time. If you don't already know Amy, you must check out her beautiful work AND her newly launched online shop (which has the coolest dog beds we've ever laid eyes on, amongst lots of other lovelies for your home). Thank you, Amy!

LEFT // Miramar from Clarence House (#34873-1)
TOP RIGHT // Shang Extra Fine Sisal Grasscloth Wallpaper from Thibaut (#T-5020)
MIDDLE RIGHT // Laundered Linen in Aloe from Peter Fasano (#LA15)
BOTTOM RIGHT // De Rosine in Pearl from Mokum (#10207-011)

Fab Five: Perforated Matter

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EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Molly Velte.