377: Egoless utilitarian >>> loud minimalism
And where a floral designer sources the best blooms.
Welcome to Magasin Interiors. In a dedicated monthly send, Xavier Donnelly shares his latest on-the-ground intel, dives deep into a timely interiors topic, and pulls together a useful edit of resources from his vast network.
First up…
A couple of weeks ago, I had a very tasty dinner at Osteria Della Mattonella in Naples, which is outfitted in the most incredible hand-painted tiles (above). You can’t buy these, but if anyone is trying to go after custom tiles like this, I can hook you up with a source! Drop a note in the comments.
I needed an affordable, quick-ship classic brass sconce for an upcoming project, which I ultimately found from a lighting parts supply store: These are $55, chic, and unlacquered, which means I can age them for a nice patina. They don’t come with a shade, though.
On my way back from a site visit in Philadelphia last week, I checked into The James Bradley Hotel on the Jersey Shore, which was seriously nice and had me questioning why people sit in four-hour Long Island traffic.
There’s an excellent Italian design auction coming up on July 29; there will be some good deals, and the auction house can help arrange shipping. Some key names within: Gio Ponti, Osvaldo Borsani, BBPR, Franco Albini.
In praise of the utilitarian interior
I’m partial to the stark contrast created when the strictly utilitarian is paired with the purely decorative, thus striking a balance between the practical and the flamboyant, the high and low. “Utilitarian” furnishings and fixtures, which I find to be pragmatic and ego-less, should not be confused with minimalism, which in today’s design landscape often feels self-important and, in a way, loud. Meanwhile, utilitarian style can be attributed to artists: people who are in the business of creating and whose spaces are both studio and showroom, where personality is self-evident, but some things are there to simply perform a function and enable creativity.
Personally, I get an inordinate sense of gratification when I find something exquisite from, say, globalindustrial.com, as if I’ve found a hidden treasure buried deep in a pile of HVAC parts, scaffolding tubes, and multifasteners A recent example of this are the photography light stands I’ve taken to buying, from which I hang paintings (rather than drilling into the wood panelling in my apartment).
Utilitarian fixtures are most obviously suited to work spaces but can do wonders for the look and functionality of a small rental unit’s kitchen. My dream kitchen (which will be an Alpes-Inox configuration, someday…) is evocative of a commercial, restaurant operation. So while I wait for that ship to come in, my go-to resources are the kitchen supply shops on the Bowery or webstaurantstore.com, where you can find minimalist, functional prep tables, or every possible configuration of stainless steel shelving.
A constant reference of mine over the years has been Donald Judd’s Mercer St. kitchen, which is a beautifully unstuffy and to-the-point composition of commercial equipment and perfectly sized custom wooden shelving that plays home to the artist’s collection of dishware and cookware. I think DJ would approve of my recent kitchen island purchase, which is a long but narrow stainless steel workbench that I got at tractorsupply.com, which is truly an organizational dream.
Outside of the kitchen, there are any number of masterfully engineered, down-to-earth pieces. I would evoke Karl Lagerfeld’s Louveciennes library by installing these almost retro cantilever library shelves (the fancy version would be this design by Frama), or flash-back to high school gym class through this refreshingly uncomplicated aluminum player’s bench, or this stainless locker room bench.
Going the vintage route is always a good idea: Keep your eyes peeled for pairs of patinated sawhorses for a dining table, for example. When working on restaurant projects, I often look for lots of old French school furniture, particularly from the manufacturer Mullca. A recent search turned up this elegant long bench and this large lot of red and white stacking chairs. (I almost hate to give away this intel, but for large lots of vintage institutional furniture, Merchant & Found is an amazing source in the UK that will ship.)
Ultimately, the fun of finding these commercial-use hidden gems is the thrill of discovery, so my advice is to always have one eye trained outside the world of interior design and furniture for inspiration—and don’t buy from ULINE!!
The interiors interview — Emily Thompson
I was recently running an errand in the Flower District when I ran into Emily Thompson, an artist whose medium encompasses all things growing, and whose floral designs have transformed the White House, the great mosque of Cordoba, and the Chelsea Flower show, not to mention countless fashion week runways. Emily and I grew up in the same wild corner of Vermont, and I spent my first college summer doing odd jobs around her jungle of a studio. Her gorgeous new book Flowers, published by Phaidon, documents her illustrious career-to-date. I’m always nosy about other creatives’ means and methods, so I asked her a few questions to shed some light on how she does it.
To me, your work is a visual expression of the unbridled spirit and beauty of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I imagine the natural landscape there is a constant source of inspiration, but are there other places that capture your imagination?
I look to extreme landscapes: The Giant's Causeway in Galway, the Zhangjiajie National park in China, volcanoes everywhere.
What’s your definition of a weed?
I do love a humble weed. In my work, they are an antidote to commercial flowers that are grown under wretched conditions without regard to the season. An invasive in a vase? A delightfully contrary gesture.
How do you present your vision of these fantastic, immersive worlds you create to a client?
I try to conjure some gale force in this process as in the designs themselves. But it's quite challenging to bring people into consciousness of the living world, especially when I want viewers to experience a touch of trepidation along with their awe. I think drawings are the best way to communicate, although I am constantly living under the boot of the dreaded rendering.
What’s your workday uniform?
I dress like a member of the Parks Department.
Do you always have flowers at home? If so, what do those look like?
A sprig is what I like best: a single stem of something fragile.
Where should us regular New Yorkers go to buy truly special flowers and plants?
Of course, my beloved NYC Flower Market (which is actually a loose bunch of wholesale vendors that span 28th St. between 6th and 7th Aves) is the place for the most spectacular things. Look for the local materials! 28th Street Wholesale specializes in local and domestically grown. My favorite plant seller, Foliage Garden, has recently shuttered, leaving a painful absence on the street. Now I tend to look for plants from Fantastic Gardens at the Union Square greenmarket or wholesale nurseries in Long Island.
The Directory — custom carpets
Vendors, artists, and suppliers to know, plus what you need to prepare and what you should expect from the process.
A few weeks ago, my friend Annie Shi (from the team behind the restaurants King & Jupiter and the proprietor of the fantastic new Lei wine bar in Chinatown) asked for a recommendation on where to source a custom rug. Below are a few wonderful options:
Manhattan Rugs
manhattanrugs.com
Can do custom sized rugs/carpets with a large library of styles and colors.
Rush House
shoprushhouse.com
My favorite natural-fiber carpeting comes in squares that can be pieced together (DIY or you can order to size), so it’s easy to size the material to your space.
Woodard Weave
woodardweave.com
The heritage woven rug company can make to order area rugs and runners from their extensive pattern collection. Keep an eye out for their annual factory sale!
Nordic Knots
6 Greene St, New York, NY 10013
NK does great made-to measure hand-knotted rugs with a pretty quick turnaround.
Aronson's Floor Covering
135 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011
A great resource for wall-to-wall carpeting; they have a large selection and can cut a custom size or shape per your needs.
Beni Rugs
35 White St, Floor 3, New York, NY 10013
Beni offers a few popular styles of their hand-loomed Moroccan rugs in made-to-order sizes.
Magasin may earn some money if you make a purchase through one of the links above.
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For lampshades, try Harold’s in Seattle. There do custom work and a pleasure to work with. A few years ago I watched while a woman was sewing the lampshades for Air Force One.
https://haroldslighting.com/shadesHarolds Lighting
Tell me about the custom tiles!