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Book Review :: Classical Chinese Furniture

December 3, 2012 · Comments { 0 }

My love for classical Chinese furniture grew while living in San Francisco. Like many, I’m naturally drawn to the innovation, beautiful lines and iconic forms of Chinese antique furniture. It’s some of the finest furniture ever made and can make a ho-hum room come alive. And best yet, it’s a timeless look.

In the new book, Classical Chinese Furniture by Marcus Flacks, the art of Chinese furniture of the 16th-18th centuries is explored and celebrated. He begins by giving a brief history of Chinese furniture starting with the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). He discusses how the Ming period (14th-16th centuries) directly influenced the “golden age” spanning the late 16th to the early 18th century. Like the furniture itself, the book is simple in nature. Flacks showcases 52 masterpieces – all exemplary, exquisite and rare.

“I have tried to avoid the predictable as much as possible, focusing on the pieces that I felt took the designs or concepts under-lying classical Chinese Furniture that little step further; pieces that surprised me for their innovation, rarity, quality, antiquity or sometimes their sheer beauty.” explains Flacks.

After discussing trends in collecting Chinese furniture (dating, materials, condition, etc.), Flacks launches into the first piece of furniture: the Rose Chair with ‘S’ – Shaped Spindles (Huanghuali wood, 17 – early 18th century). He describes the extraordinary spindle chair as “one of the most surprising and exciting” pieces he has ever handled.

One of my favorite pieces, the Root Stool (18th century) caught me by surprise. Perhaps it’s because the rich tradition of Chinese root furniture is often overlooked by historians. In it’s most natural form, the root stool (this one in the Ming style) is a beautiful marriage of craftsmanship and nature.

In the appendices, Flacks continues to share invaluable information by diving a little deeper into the secrets of timber, joinery, regional production and the art of restoration.

Design experts will apprecite Classical Chinese Furniture’s rich content the most. However it’s a book all can enjoy and would make a wonderful addition to any coffee table or design library.

- Cristin

Read full story By admin on December 3, 2012 in antiques, book review, chinoiserie, Features, furniture

Book Review: Sister Parish –The Life of the Legendary American Interior Designer

September 19, 2012 · Comments { 3 }

These past few weeks, I have enjoyed reading, Sister Parish – The Life of the Legendary American Interior Designer. Written one of Sister’s daughter’s, Apple Parish Bartlett and a granddaughter, Susan Bartlett Crater, the book is comprised of Sister’s own unpublished memoirs as well as hundreds of interviews with family, friends and fellow design icons. I had a feeling I would love parts of the book (I devoured chapter 10 on decorating), but to my surprise the book kept me captivated to the end.

(image via Architectural Digest)

Perhaps is was the fascination of her privileged life. Born into a prominent New York family in 1910, Dorothy May Kinnicutt (better known as Sister – a nickname her brother gave her) spent her childhood attending elite schools, sailing yachts and going to coming-out parties. She met her own husband, Henry Parish II at her own debut party (he was perfectly mannered) and married him at the age of nineteen. During the Great Depression, Sister was compelled to work and launched her first design firm in 1933. Her innate design ability coupled with her upper-echelon social connections, the business was extremely successful. Over the decades, the Parish-Hadley (interior designer, Albert Hadley joined Parish in 1962) firm’s list of clients included the Rockefellers, Astors, Gettys and Kennedys. Even though her client’s homes were scattered world-wide, small and large, Houses from all over the world In the 1960s, Sister paved the way for the “American Country” style. She championed the humble striped cloth called mattress ticking, which had traditionally covered mattresses, and used it to cover chairs and throw pillows. In Sister’s New York Times obituary, John Richardson, an art historian was quoted, “No one else in America does a room with such patrician aplomb, such life-enhancing charm, such a lack of gimmickry or trendiness.”

“She taught me that it doesn’t have to be perfect. That it doesn’t have to match. To follow your instincts.” – Libby Cameron – Parish’s last apprentice.

There are many pearls of wisdom and design tips in this book. It’s a must for any interior designer, but would make a wonderful addition to any design library. With the holidays nearing, this affordable book would make an excellent hostess gift too!

Read full story By admin on September 19, 2012 in book, book review, interior design, Interiors, interview, Interviews

Giveaway :: Good Bones, Great Pieces Book

August 1, 2012 · Comments { 94 }

Selecting furniture pieces that you will love for decades can be overwhelming. However, the mother-daughter designing duo, Suzanne and Lauren McGrath are making the selection process much easier in their book, Good Bones, Great Pieces. By focusing on seven essential, timeless pieces – the love seat, demilune, bench, dresser, slipper chair, side table and occasional chair - the McGraths have created a resourceful book that everyone including seasoned decorators will want in their collection.

For the McGraths decorating isn’t about following trends, but about following one simple rule: “Almost every piece you purchase should have the ability to take on more than one role in your current or future home.” Their multi-functional design philosophy is aligned with my own and perhaps that’s why I adore this book so much. Take a peek at some of the beautiful images, valuable advice and stunning illustrations…

interior design quote element of surprise

I know you are going to want this book and am thrilled to be giving a copy away to one lucky Simplified Bee reader!

Here’s how to enter to win a copy of Good Bones, Great Pieces:

Simply leave a comment on this post {provide your email if I don’t have a way to contact you}.
Extra Entry – become a new follower of Simplified Bee’s Blog, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook Page.
Extra Entry – mention this giveaway in a blog post, FB link, tweet or pin one of these images on Pinterest, then leave a comment letting me know.
Please post a separate comment for each extra entry.

Entry period closes at midnight PST on Wednesday, August 8, 2012. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be announced on the Simplified Bee Facebook page on Thursday, August 9, 2012.

Happy Decorating & Best of Luck!

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Read full story By admin on August 1, 2012 in book review, Design Tips, furniture, Giveaways, interior design

Book Review: Katie Ridder Rooms

March 7, 2012 · Comments { 5 }

Katie Ridder’s award-winning interior design work and impeccable sense of style has attracted clients from around the globe. Her attention to lavish detail, use of rich color and mix of periods and styles distinguishes her work from the others. I most love that Katie’s interiors are sophisticated, yet approachable. This feeling is perhaps a result of both of her California upbringing and being a mother of three.

As you can imagine, I loved her design book, “Katie Ridder Rooms” published by Vendome and released last fall. It’s 235 pages are full of beautiful large-scale photographs of Katie’s design projects {many not found on the Internet}. From foyers to dining rooms, kitchens to bedrooms – a large variety of her work is represented. In addition to rich narrative accompanying the photos, Katie provides us with decorating advice and a complete source guide!

The final chapter and my favorite, focuses in on the attention of detail that elevates Katie’s interior designs. This section touches on the design details in lighting, upholstery, embroidery, tile and wallpaper which Katie incorporates to create her exquisite, signature looks.

If you love interior design, you will love this book! It’s a perfect décor accessory for your coffee table too!

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Read full story By admin on March 7, 2012 in book review, Design Tips, interior design, living rooms

Book Review: Pretty Neat & Chance to Win $250

November 28, 2010 · Comments { 27 }

When gazing at beautiful images of meticulously organized rooms, color-coded closets and flawless family schedules, does it make you think you are not measuring up? Some suggest at least 80 of of women feel organizationally challenged. Wow. Could this be true? Buttoned Up’s co-founders, Alicia Rockmore & Sarah Welch sadly found this to be the case when interviewing hundreds of women for their new book, Pretty Neat: The Buttoned-Up Way to Get Organized and Let Go of Perfection : Simply put, many thought their “imperfect” ways left them short of the mark organizationally.

In the introduction, Alicia and Sarah state, “Chasing perfection fuels something we call organizational inertia, a type of paralysis that makes it virtually impossible to get started. All too often, the most difficult part of getting organized is knowing where to start. If perfection is the objective, paralysis makes sense. Keeping your house, work and schedule magazine-ready requires a superhuman effort to achieve and constant superhuman vigilance to maintain. The goal of getting organized isn’t necessarily to have everything picture-perfect, but rather to eliminate inefficiency so that you have more time to do what you actually want to do.”

Pretty Neat is just that. The book drives home that getting organized can be approached in a practical way and insists women need to stop holding themselves to ridiculously high standards. Once readers get past these psychological hurdles, the book provides simple solutions for taking control of their time & stuff without having to become anal. Pretty Neat’s collection of road-tested tips from real women show busy people how to:

* Take charge of to-do lists
* Tame inboxes
* Temper toy tsunamis and more!

I love this simple solution found on page 103 for helping reduce clutter in our closets:

Place a large cloth bag or two on the floor of your closet. Each day as you stare at your wardrobe, ask yourself three questions about one piece of clothing, a pair of shoes and an accessory: 1. Is it flattering? 2. Do I love it? 3. Does it represent who I am today? If the answer to any one of these questions is no, put the item in the cloth bay straight away. Don’t rationalize. When the bag is full, take it to Goodwill. Repeat as necessary until your closet only contains clothes, shoes and accessories that you truly love and wear.

Wanna win $250? I would love to here your best organizational tip or shortcut. Share your tip here by commenting on this post no later than December 31st at midnight! The reader who submits the best tip across all participating blogs will win $250. The winning tip will be selected by Alicia and Sarah of Buttoned Up and announced on January 10th.

Can’t wait to hear all of your get tips for getting organized!