apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We're quite taken with the quilts of local designer Liz Jaff. Reminscant of some of artist Ian Hundley's (recently featured on The Selby) more abstract works, Liz takes inspiration from many sources, including "Navajo weaving, Southern American quilt making traditions, Japanese and urban architecture, and Modernist design."

This February, Yves Saint Laurent’s longtime partner, Pierre Bergé, is joining with Christie’s in Paris to begin auctioning off the art and objects with which he and Saint Laurent filled the late designer’s duplex at 55 Rue de Babylone. In the current issue of Vanity Fair, a piece entitled "The Things Yves Loved" profiles the story of the stunning apartment and its contents...

We're very proud to announce that our own Amy Azzarito, librarian and blogger extraordinaire, and Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney have recently collaborated on an exciting new video series for the New York Public Library. From the NYPL's website:

"The New York Public Library holds a wealth of unexpected sources of inspiration for artists and designers — from vintage valentines and textile patterns, to fabric samples and turn-of-the-century menus from around the world. For this online-only miniseries, Design by the Book, the Library partnered with the leading design blog Design*Sponge to invite five New York City-based artists to sift through our collections in search of inspiration. Then we challenged the artists to go back to their studios and make something, based on what they had seen at the Library."

We've written extensively about Ting's mat made from recycled leather belts, a brilliant idea we wish were a little more affordable. The London-based designers recently introduced the logical next step in working with vintage leather, modular floor tiles.

Aaron Ruff, Brooklynite and jewelry designer, recently took a few snapshots of the gorgeous studio where he creates the goods for his line Digby & Iona. Antique mirror, decorative cord and weathered wood feature prominently, so it's not hard to see where he gets his inspiration. More images after the jump...

Say what you will about Damien Hirst, but the man clearly understand the importance of merchandising. His venture Pharmacy, opened in 1997, was essentially a pill-themed bar and restaurant, serving pharmaceutically-inspired food and drink from inside walls of medical cabinets. This wallpaper, originally designed for the restaurant, is currently for sale via Other Criteria, Hirst's London-based gift shop.

Pity the Papasan. The maligned chair had a moment, once. Really, over a decade-long stretch; yet now you can barely give one away (we see at least one on the street weekly). A quick perusal of Craigslist New York brings up about forty of the chairs, all posted within the last two weeks, almost all under $50. As our friend Chelsea put put it, they are "the Stair Master of furniture".

Not that it requires an introduction, but according to Pier 1 Imports, the company that initially imported the chairs from the Philippines, "The Papasan Chair, also known as a dish or moon chair, is a perennially popular choice for those furnishing their first dorm rooms, apartments and other spaces. This chair features a sturdy rattan frame that sits atop a durable base and a removable decorative cushion. Papasan Chairs have been a favorite for so many years because they are extremely comfortable, making them a great place to hang out while watching TV, reading, gaming or talking to friends."

Stream of Light is a conceptual sofa by Olivia Lee and Alienor de Chambrier made from four separate items of furniture wrapped and bound in silk, wool and horse hair. Created as a response to a challenge set by Vitra for the D&AD Student Awards 2008 competition, the piece utilizes a variety of materials and methods of weaving to join originally disparate seating...

Long a favorite of some of New York's top prop stylists and editors, we were a little surprised to discover we had never given the West Village's The End of History a proper shop tour. EoH specializes in mid-century art glass, arranged in unique, at times arresting combinations.

From the shop's blog: "There is nothing quite like the fabulous lines and sensual shapes of the vintage hand blown glass and rare ceramics and furniture found at 'The End of History'. I opened my shop in Manhattan's West Village in 1997. Since then we like to think we've cornered the market on the mid-century aesthetic with more glass from the 50's & 60's in one room than anywhere in the world."

Second-hand costume jewelry was not just the inspiration for this chandelier; it's actually made almost entirely of old jewels. Using cast-off necklaces, bracelets and brooches, "Pendant Light" (get it?) by Floto + Warner have created a gorgeous piece using almost zero waste, sourced entirely from the Goodwill and Salvation Army...

We've always liked the look of classic warehouse shelving. With a strong, basic shape and simple palette (they're usually powder coated in black or grey), these shelves work in almost any setting.

We spotted this photo of Abby Low's apartment (originally photographed for Design*Sponge) over at one of our new favorite blogs, Books At Home, and wanted to share a few resources.

We're loving Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles' Red Shift room at Tate Modern. The piece was conceived, as Meireles puts it, as "a place in which someone, for some reason – whether due to preference, mania, imposition or circumstance – would accumulate in a given place the greatest possible number of objects in different shades of red."

More images after the jump...

Last Friday we had the pleasure of attending Kiosk's opening night party (free soft pretzels!) for their new mini-exhibition, curated by Reference Library's Andy Beach. For those unfamiliar, Kiosk describes itself thusly:

"We opened the store to offer an antidote to over-design. We consider the objects we stock to be humble, straightforward and beautiful for their simplicity and directness. Often they are traditional goods that have developed over generations or anonymous design found in general stores, DIYs and kiosks, products created by not one personality but things that are the result of local aesthetics and needs."

Reference Library is essentially an ongoing catalog of Andy's lost bids on Ebay; there are other posts, but as the blog's focus remains interesting, unique objects, the Kiosk pairing makes perfect sense. After the jump, a few of our favorite, still-available items...

Miles Redd is one of the few decorators we can think of who concerns himself with the substance of things, actively experimenting with new textures and materials. In the forthcoming holiday issue of Domino, due on stands next week, Redd runs down a list of 10 lessons applicable in any space, and we thought we'd share a few of our favorites after the jump...