That I DO Tick...
(enjoy design I mean)
I like that you talked about your chair as a sculpture, as that is my primary excitement with many of the pieces I have too. Of course the greatest designs must function beautifully and age well, but I have no trouble with "artifacts" that have out lived their functionality. My eyes still get to enjoy them, so there is "use" there!
The particular way something wore out or broke can sometimes provide another layer of interest-- if it happens in a way that is visually pleasing or alive -- in terms of the formal elements of shape, texture, coloration, and overall form (composition). I know I may be in the minority on this one, and I know what it does to value, etc. But I love the forensics. The story. The patina of life.
STARLINE - I definitely CAN enjoy and appreciate a bold or surprising move, and I agree that the very best examples of "mix-and-match" are just as rare and good as the best of anything else.
In whatever approach to things one takes, it comes down to transcending the feel of "formula", and creating some kind of magic with one's environment that is personal to the inhabitant- be it functional useable pieces or oddball artifacts. As you said in another thread, it only has to be magic for the owner.
A list of very expensive objects brought together without an interesting "point of view" or "vision" is often pretty hard to look at. (And the "formula" point of view (that Tick cites often) is as good as NO point of view, in my opinion)
I used "mix and match" in my example only because it is prevalent now, and to say that some things stay the same even as the trends change.
I hope I have not made it sound like I live in a dusty attic crowded with falling apart artifacts! I am quite reductive at heart. An empty space or two is just as important as another object, and should be valued and interesting in itself. Negative space is underrated.
I like the old italian chair in that room. That move WAS masterful.
But take the magenta bouquet off the coffee table and the Warhol easily overpowers everything in the room. The bouquet is a rather obvious little crutch to make the Warhol work, don't you think? To me, the bouquet is a rather formulaic "device".
I would rather add more Warhols (or remove the single one) than build my whole room on a single bouquet. Seems a bit "set up" just for this shot.
If you take away both the Warhol AND the obvious device bouquet, that room goes pretty flat. To me, the "boldest move" about that room is the attempt to mesh the Warhol with the otherwise militantly beige room. It would be fun to know just how that happened. Chicken or the egg first?
(edited to add the last paragraph)
Eameshead,I am not learned...
Eameshead,I am not learned enough to explain it that way but I like your thoughts.
As in another post with that Danish inspired New York apartment for sale I mentioned the placement of flowers and this is an example.
It does not matter which come first as that is how designers or decorators work.Well I am assuming but believe so from what I read over the years.
It only ever takes something seeming small or unexpected to set a room off whether it be an object or just the colour in it.Flowers transform most rooms beautifully.
They see it as connecting a piece in a room to make it work so in essence the bouquet is on purpose and would come after the Warhol.That is usually because he most likely used his own art and furniture.Flowers are done to suit the final touch and he would not know the colour or texture needed until the end.
That is just how I see it anyway.
sure that all makes sense...
I just hope he doesn't run out of magenta flowers.
As you say, flowers are often used to make the room "work", but that relates to my point also-- that if they are used as a "solution" the same way over and over by designers, then at some point it can become a predictable cliche. I guess it is up to each individual to decide if this room has crossed that line or not though.
Also, what if one is not viewing the room with the flowers in their immediate foreground?
Unless you are hanging out at that end of the room and looking towards the Warhol, there would be no other color to pick it up.
In this case, I wouldn't mind being a little more surprised by how the designer made the room come together. The flower accent seems a pretty obvious trick, even if it serves its purpose well, and I think there are more truly creative solutions.
I may be the only one that feels that way though!
I like what you said about not knowing what little detail will make a room come alive. That is so true! I love it even more when I didn't see it coming.
I don't think entering the...
I don't think entering the room from a different angle is overly significant but different.
Keep in mind in person your eyes only see bits of the room at a time so you tend to walk through the home enjoying the story as it unfolds.
We forget that it's only because the image on screen is small we can see the complete aspect in one.After all the reality is it's a hero shot taken from the best viewpoint for a reader to enjoy.
Flowers is just an example for easy colour and the scent is always appealing.
Many decorators advise a pillow,a throw or other item with a hint of the same colour to link the room but they often move things around until they get the desired effect.
When I set my house for sale the only thing the photographer changed in the whole house was moving the flowers from one side of the room to the other.He only noticed after viewing from the lens.
Yes Eameshead,the unexpected is key but that's another story.
On the subject of auction...
On the subject of auction results being weak.....Ive been seeing the exact opposite. I failed to buy as many lots as I wanted at three recent auctions. In all cases the bidding was strong and the estimates on the lots I liked were all beaten by a considerable margin. I also sell furniture and currently sales are strong. I dont believe there is a downturn. What area / Country is the OP shopping in ?
Ha
Yes Mark, a big plate of raw red meat will be a "gotta have" centerpiece in every trendy pad of the future. Now THAT's creativity. And red meat is "alive" just like flowers are. Talk about aromatherapy.
And Soutine's exquisite paintings of huge raw animal carcasses on meat hooks will grace the walls of every stylish home, as the Warhol paintings are quietly shunned and stored in mothballs.
Anything but Deco.
(you can blame Ray)
Hi Killian, I am in...
Hi Killian, I am in Australia and prices for MCM in Sydney and Melbourne auctions have been extremely low with most items passed in at the last 2 modern design auctions. The only big ticket items have been a few super rare Australian chairs sought after by collectors. Prices on eBay have dropped too, which is great for buyers. In some case prices have dropped as much as 50% when compared to a year ago.
MCM has been popular in Australia over the past decade, and over the past 5 years Danish furniture has been the dominant trend, Replica stores are everywhere and MCM has become a ubiquitous style. Everyone has it, and that's exactly why there will now be a change in the dominant style.
But there is a big difference between the highend tastemasters wanting to be seen as being different from the masses and the mass market wanting to be seen as having the latest thing. In the case of Australia, I suggest that we are very conservative as a nation, we like white 'whitegoods' and having the same thing as our neighbours. When most people talk design they usually talk about a trip to Ikea or Freedom Furniture. Our brief love affair with MCM was perhaps an anomaly, and as the economy slows we are seeing signs that people are tightening their belts and making practical choices. Ikea anyone?
The dominant trend in home...
The dominant trend in home furnishings will continue to be pressed-paper shit from Wal-Mart and Aaron's Rental.
In the "higher end" world of "design", the dominant trend will continue to be simulations and derivations that allow the rich to maintain pretenses of "worldliness" and "good taste".
ebay
I cant say I agree about ebay prices for MCM Tick.
I just saw a Zenith Parchment Rope shell on an LAR base go for over $2000. a couple of weeks ago, and that was a straight auction.
Most of the time the good stuff never gets near a straight auction, and starts at a very high "buy it now or best offer" price.
Sure, a nice piece that goes off on a straight auction at a bad time late at night might go for a bargain price as it always has... But it seems to me that sellers just re list good pieces at close to the same price, and are very very patient for the most part.
The more common or damaged examples may be softening a bit. But I see a widening of the gap between the best pieces and the standard stuff.
Just my opinion.
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