Henrik Simonson ~ Inspired Art

I've got a new art crush ~ from Denmark by way of the UK meet Henrik Simonson. Much of his work has a distinctly Asian tone with a bit if grunge and whimsy thrown in for good measure.


He describes himself as a painter but would rather say that he draws his work. The foundation of his art is the drawn line with paint being a co-conspirator in the process.




His pieces have great depth from the layers of sketching, paint and more sketching.


On his website he speaks about his process and the fact that he likes to leave remnants from deleted motifs behind by only erasing them lightly so they show through in the finished work.



His use of color in washes with strong highlights is soft and soothing to the eye.


Even his vibrant red pieces have a soft quality to them that is hard to achieve with such strong pigment.


Limited edition prints are available of many of his works through galleries listed on his website.



Visit it here.

All images www.henriksimonson.com

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Mother Daughter Design Team

Since my own daughter will graduate in 2012 with a degree in interior design and architecture from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and hopefully join me in my business I was particularly interested in this mother daughter team from New York, Robyn Karp Interiors. This mom and co-designer daughter look so young it doesn't seem possible that they could have achieved such an impressive portfolio - but they have! Check it out..........................

Great use of the KW Imperial Trellis.


Love the light fixture



Lavender and Lemon - Delicious




Soothing blues and tans



Adorable girls room in pink and grey.




The Venetian mirror hung over the back drape of the canopy is delightful and worthy of the great AH.



Perfection!




Nice...........




Fabulous tiny tot retreat.

These ladies seem to know what they are doing. I love their fresh aesthetic and the uncluttered arrangement of their rooms. I'm sure we'll see more of their work in the future. You can check out their website here.

All pictures Robyn Karp Interiors

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The Rebirth of the Botanical

Botanicals are all the rage these day but we've come a long way from the framed prints from Redoutes Roses we all had on our walls in the 80's. I must have framed hundreds of those pages for clients in every color and variety. Today, rather than perfect images of beautiful flowers the exotic and more interesting botanicals are getting the spotlight.





Bold colors or subtle hues are fine as long as the composition of the overall print is interesting. www.Panteek.com is a great source for antique botanicals. They have a very diverse selection.



I'm absolutely in love with these fantastic antique griege prints from Gutenburg.org. These would make a stunning statement in any room.


This years Kips Bay Show house was no exception with Bunny Williams placing this pair of vibrant botanical paintings front and center in her space.


The colors in these images are just breathtaking!



I'm in love with this entire artichoke series.

They are very reminiscent of Georgia O'Keffe's paintings


The brilliant mind behind these painting is Scottish born artist Sarah Graham.


She seems to be bringing new life and vitality to an age old art form that dates all the way back to the Egyptian culture. Her huge oversize charcoal drawings and paintings lend themselves to modern and traditional interiors alike. There is a universality to the natural subjects that she paints. I think we will be seeing a lot of her work in the future.



If you're looking for a readily available source for botanicals, purveyor of fine art and blogger extraordinaire Soicher~Marin is the place to go. They have a fresh take on the traditional form with these prints done in a light blue silhouette.



Or, check out my personal fave, these black and white reproductions of traditional colored prints.


If the real thing is more your style take a trip over to Velvet & Linen and read Brooke's post about preserved botanicals.


No matter what your style I think botanicals will always be a staple of the design trade. What amazes me is how one subject matter can be interpreted in so many unique and beautiful ways.

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Positive Thoughts for a Friend

Vicente & Me at the Fall World Market Center Reception

Please send some good thoughts and prayers to our blogging pal and all around nice guy, designer, Vicente Wolf who has been in the hospital for the past two weeks with a bad case of pneumonia. He blogs about it here but says he is on the mend although still in residence in the hospital.

You can send him a get well message here.

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Pillows ~ Pillows ~ Pillows

What's your pleasure?
Furry?

Nubby?

Slick?

Fresh?

Metallic?

Baroque?

Fancy?

Oriental?

Bold?

Country?

Embroidered?

Regal?

You Can Get Them All at Pillow Decor

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Book Giveaway ~ And The Winners Are..................

Paris Hotel Boutique

Thanks to everyone who enter the giveaway - I wish I had enough free books for everyone!

The three winners are:

#11 ~ Tonya Strong
#20 ~ Donna Cash
#56 ~ Shelia

Congratulations winners ~ Please email me at: jackie_vontobel@msn.com with your mailing address and I will send your new copy of The Design Directory of Bedding to you .

numbers generated on www.random.org

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