the sexy Niche

Allure and temptation are one of the ingredients that spice up your life. Or can do at any rate. Today I bring you 2 companies who play into the 'playing'. I'm not talking sqeaky sextoys, but matters concerning interiors.

A company in the US sepcializes in 'shushing' and transforming pads for educated single men. The guys haven't a clue or do not particularly care how their place looks, but generally they DO like company at night... so what to do? How to fix the predicament? Get an interior designer in who specializes in creating sexy bachelor pads... the solution to fizzy and cuddly bliss. Their website reads: "Sexy bachelor pad is a full service design firm, working exclusively with male clientele in the nyc metropolitan area." (Brilliant idea.)

Talking about niches in kinkiness.... Jonathan Adler has been amusing the world with funky interior pieces (as photos above show). I enjoyed his mailing today and also the referring to his other range of vases if one is trying to find something more 'straight up'. Hila.

Have a bit of zest in your life. A bit of kinky goes a long way and you might as well have fun while you're at it.

Inspiration

For those who are wondering where I get my inspiration from: my history, background, experience, roots and personality would sum it up, but here are the main players at the moment that influence what I design:

In furniture:

David Trubridge: (New Zealand) clean crisp lines. Lightness and essentials. Very much New Zealand. You could say a down under scandinavian look but that would probably tick some people off. Like I said, very New Zealand. Beautiful.

Ligne Roset: (French)

Unexpected lines and round heavy shapes. Not your standard cup of tea. Especially when they place their futuristic pieces in a totally different environment it appeals more then when they place it in a modern house. The contrast makes it zing. To be honest their furniture looks quite ugly at first glance, but it's very much the statement factor in its heaviness that I like. Funny enough I would prefer another type of settee in our own house.

Actually the settee that I do want is this one, below, the Alcove settee from Vitra: sells for $12500.-, say 5000 euros. Nico said, one could pay a car for that. Yep. Love it though. Man it's comfortable, as I have tried it.

Moooi: (Dutch)

What can I say, Dutch Design to the mega max. Strong, bold, sometimes slightly creepy, like you're watching a thriller, and a magnificent ability to work with black and white. The highest marks. Very edgy. And yes I like the animals too of course.

In interior design:

Kelly Wearstler, (American)

Her use of colour and glamour are beautiful. She does the whole modern hollywood thing down to a t. Eclectic but smart. She posesses the ability to mix different styles and textures which create the most of striking interiors. I'm less traditional furniturial inclined but find her bold combinations very clever and effective. Great finesse and you can spot her trademark easily.

In home decor/interiors:

Jonathan Adler: (American) zest for life and whimsicalness, colour, colour, colour. How come gay men always seem so talented and creative? I've never met a gay man who wasn't!

At home/ farmlife: my animals

My kune kune pig Spunky (believe me she does her name credit) is so zesty and full of personality that even the highland bull Carlin goes out of her way when she ambles along. Power to the Piggess I say! Our goats are inquisitive and always have a happy friendly nature. The highland cattle have shaggy lines, thick coats and big horns. They cannot be tamed but are lovely to be around. I'm always happy to see all the animals and hang out with them. They put things in perspective and enquire where the food is at. Most of all they make me laugh. I love animals, they are easier to deal with then humans more often then not.

My grandmothers:

Both my mum's mum Margaret and Bep my father's mum were creative strongwilled women who didn't take no for an asnwer. Apparently Bep was the kind who loved parties and dancing on tables. I never knew Bep as she died when dad was 6, but I did know Margaret very well. She was what many people would call, an eccentric lady. Always well dressed and her make up on, ready to go out. A real flair for life and liking quality and living the good life. Very much the lady who loved her furcoats and trips to their home in Switzerland, discussing which restaurant was good and which one wasn't. Her and granddad were always going on about manners and we had to eat properly, behave properly and not be a nuisance. I got told off a few times for running off with brother Rene or being loud and feisty on the swing. Of course she was very human as well and probably not always the easiest to live with but heck she was fun. I have very fond memories of her and when granddad was being strict with us she would wink that we could have another cookie when he wasn't looking. She had a good sense of humour and I still remember how she would chuckle and sniff.

So that sums it up in a very small way as of course as there's always other things that work for me.

I like a combination of kiwi/scandinavian, smart and bold, colourful and black & white, a touch of the good old glamour with a dash of slightly unhingedness, all exuding great creative panache. Go figure...

the 10 commandments

Jonathan Adler is a man and brand. He embodies the wondrous mix of style and whimsicalness and he carries it off with dashing aplomb.

Here follow his 10 commandments (applying to interior design) which I find hilarious.

#1 Thou shalt embrace maximalism.
Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles, and rustic modern lamps - these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad.

#2 Thou shalt not deny thyself hotelish comfort at home.
Thou shalt furnish thy rooms with paw-pampering, hand-loomed llama wool rugs, luxurious lighting and our fabulous furniture.Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed.Thou art worth it.

#3 Thou shalt buy an X-Bench.Then, thou shalt buy another.
Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfect under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets to rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about thy X-Benches. Perhaps thou should consider a sign up sheet.

#4 If thy nest needeth zest,consider thy crest!
Thou shalt emblazon with thine initials wherever possible.

#5 Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.
Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation - excellent proportions, classic furniture - with a layer of playful punctuation. Then thou shalt rest.

#6 Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.
David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad - if thou dost not knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy, and chic.

#7 Thou shalt not commit murder,unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory.
If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.

#8 Thou shalt not be afraid of orange.
Thou shalt use orange copiously in thy interior, whether it beeth in an orange breakfast room or via the zing of an orange lacquered box. Thou might even consider painting thy front door orange to pique thy neighbor's curiosity. Thou shalt also covet chocolate brown.

#9 Thou shalt play ping pong.
Better still, thou shalt have a ping pong table in thy living room. Then, lo, thou shalt play ping pong with thy spouse rather than sitting around watching thy tv.

#10 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
In fact, after following these 10 commandments, thy neighbor might covet thy house. So there.

Applaud the man and his crew, theyr'e freakin' genius. Love it.

Into the wild

What's one of the best things? Releasing one's creation! I'm hoping for some sunny weather in the weekend to do some photoshooting of my finished pieces. I'll show you next week with any luck! The DesignEx tradefair is looming and I want to lug a portfolio around with my new jewellery. And it's crispy kinky groovy alright. I'm very excited. The feedback so far has been extremely positive. I'm running it past strangers, friends and people 'in the industry'. The idea is to do some trial runs (done 2 now) and see how they're received. I intend to change my bonvivant.co.nz website and make it an online store. All in good time of course. Aside the woman accesories I'm thinking of expanding in other areas too. I have to start somewhere! Goodie goodie.

Designex Trade show Auckland June 2009

My fabric baby has been born: 'Cows and Couches' by Hemptech has been printed in 3 colour ways...

Designex 2009 in Auckland. You might think heck another tradeshow. For me, it's the launching of my fabric design career, a chance again to catch up with my friend Beverley, and to scout around for avenues for my woman accesories as an add on bonus. Above picture's design will be plastered over the Hemptech stand for all to see. Of course I'm proud of that. Really because I'm still amazed it all actually happened. It's the greatest fun and Lynne and Colin have been so lovely and supportive. I am flying up to check the fair out for myself. As you know there's always tons to see and you need coffee breakes in between even though there's not really time for it. It's been ages since I have been to a big trade show and this will be excellent!

As I have told you I'm also keen to get into the woman accesories and otherwise designery niche market. I have designed a few by now and am waiting to receive my first batch of my design attempts. Nailbiting stuff! Ah back to the glory days of nerve wracking anticipation.... Anyhoo: the aim is to have fun with design and to share this with others. Once I have received my first results and done some photo shoots etc I will share that with you too. For now I'm bouncy balling about the Cows and Couches with likely more designs to follow. Woohoo! Marvellous. (Ok I better have a coffee now before I will prematurely collapse in exitement.)