As promised, another installment of my BizBash Expo review - this time, with a focus on the great fabric and furniture vendors that were exhibiting. Perhaps its a sign of the allegedly abating recession, but glitz and glamour were certainly a trend for the stalwarts of theatrical fabric and event supply and furniture rentals. Take a look!

Powerhouse fabric companies Dazian and Rose Brand - think backdrops for theater productions, Broadway, television, events, and awards shows like the Oscars - showed vibrant textiles covered in crystals, bedecked with glitter, and strung with LEDs.  Both booths were so uplifting! Of course, the bread and butter of these companies is their basic duvatyns/commandos and cottons - these inexpensive fabrics are used constantly to drape and hide staging, AV equipment, lighting trusses, and more.

My beloved Party Rental, Ltd. set up a table absolutely choked with pieces from their burgeoning rental collection. Party Rental rents everything from basics like tablecloths and chairs to specialty items like glass chargers and miniature porcelain salt dishes. Their glass and crystal-laden table definitely had wow power - I could barely capture it with my little camera!

Speaking of glitz and glam, the booth for Signature Event Rentals flaunted their specialty: over-the-top furniture and decor rentals. Signature is the place to go for things like mirrored tables, stamped leather chairs, gold and silver lame couches, oversized crystal lamps, and quilted luxe furnishings.

There were many other rental companies in attendance, but two most worth mentioning that I was not able to photograph are Ruth Fischl - the Queen of exquisite fabrics and accessories - and Taylor Creative, THE place to rent clean, modern furniture and props.

Keith Johnson, buyer-at-large for Anthropologie, in Argentina in the Sundance Channel original series MAN SHOPS GLOBE

I have been a longtime fan of Anthropologie - though I can’t say I have actually purchased much there that wasn’t on sale, I can say that I have spent more than a few hours at a time browsing the store in a kind of retail reverie. Like ABC Carpet & Home, Anthropologie captures an artfully disheveled, precious, pretty aesthetic - and the store design and displays are as beautiful as the products they present.  Even mere passersby are enticed inwards by the famous window installations, which are at once decor and art.

As a fan, of course I am anticipating the premiere of “Man Shops Globe” on the Sundance Channel, a documentary-style show that follows Anthropologie buyer-at-large (what a job!) Keith Johnson as he travels the world in search of unique pieces and talented artisans. The show’s premiere party looked like good fun too - filled with beautiful objects and famous faces.

You can watch lots of clips and webisodes at the Sundance show website, and enjoy the charming promo below. Season premiere is October 7th.

How do we measure the passage of time? Digital numbers changing, hands on a clock turning, shadow on a sundial?

How about ink spilling forth from a bottle?

Get a load of this “Ink Calendar” by Oscar Diaz. He is really one of the most inventive, interesting designer/artists we’ve encountered lately. He’s in London.

Here is his own explanation of it, from his website:

“The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. A calendar self-updated, which enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it.

The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the weather on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to, three shades of green in spring or oranges, red in the summer.

The scale for measuring the “color temperature” that I have used is a standard called ‘D65’ and corresponds roughly to a midday sun in Western / Northern Europe.

The “Ink Calendar” was developed for “Gradual “, an exhibition featuring works, which were evolving during the exhibition time at the London Design Festival 2007.”

See more of his very cool work here: http://www.oscar-diaz.net/

One of the students at the Sheffield School of Interior Design found this very cool, very useful-looking organizer for design projects, in which you can keep paint chips, fabric samples, and work your way through a design project. Could be a really useful assistant to the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design!

Have you been stuck at home, wondering what’s going on in design in the world beyond your little corner? Or maybe you’ve just come back from your summer holidays, and your appetite for new ideas is whetted. Either way, you should check out the new Designer Monthly that just went up today, with features on how color is used in a handful of countries, the history and basics of using Feng Shui for interior design, objets d’art from around the world, and a whole lot more.
Check it out at http://www.sheffield.edu/designermonthly/

What a creative, savvy group designers are.

Give them a lousy economy, and they’ll find a way to make it work for them, whether it’s by jumping into the internet or coming up with new ways to sell their skills.

We were so encouraged by this article in the New York Times that we had to share it with you. Here it is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/garden/20decorators.html?_r=1&hpw

How do we measure the passage of time? digital numbers changing, hands on a clock turning, shadow on a sundial?

How about ink spilling forth from a bottle?

Get a load of this “Ink Calendar” by Oscar Diaz. He is really one of the most inventive, interesting designer/artists we’ve encountered lately. He’s in London.

Here is his own explanation of the Ink Calendar, from his website:

“The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month. A calendar self-updated, which enhances the perception of time passing and not only signaling it.

The ink colors are based on a spectrum, which relate to a “color temperature scale”, each month having a color related to our perception of the whether on that month. The colors range from dark blue in December to, three shades of green in spring or oranges, red in the summer.

The scale for measuring the “color temperature” that I have used is a standard called ‘D65’and corresponds roughly to a midday sun in Western / Northern Europe.

The “Ink Calendar” was developed for “Gradual “, an exhibition featuring works, which were evolving during the exhibition time at the London Design Festival 2007.”

See more of his very cool work here: http://www.oscar-diaz.net/

One of the great jewelry designers we mentioned recently has two shows coming up: Emanuela Duca will be at the Craft Expo 2009 at the Guilford Art Center in Connecticut July 16, 17 and 18, and then she’ll skedaddle to Seattle (well, to Bellevue, Washington, but “Bellevue” doesn’t rhyme with “skedaddle” ) to the arts fair at the Bellevue Art Museum July 24, 25 and 26

More info:

 http://www.guilfordartcenter.org/

http://www.bellevuearts.org/

If you’re going to San Francisco….before next weekend, schedule in a stop at the Metropolitan Home “Modern By Design” show house in Pacific Heights.

Several designers, each of whom was assigned a different area of the house, will show off their work in the  historic 7,000 square feet home. Proceeds will go to the San Francisco Ballet; tickets are $25 each, and the event ends on July 12th. For more information, go to: http://www.pointclickhome.com/renovation_inspiration/articles/modern_design_2009

Continuing the theme of art and wood from the previous post, at the Uptown Art Stroll this weekend, the Stylehound came upon the work of Michelle Bernard, who makes jewelry out of ceramic and colored stone, and sometimes wire, too. The necklaces are big, strong, earthy pieces. It’s unique, eye-catching stuff that seems to have emerged directly from the natural world.

This ring reminded me of our previous post about the work of Emanuelle Duca’s rings.

Check out Michelle Bernard’s work here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6923129

And her blog, which will alert you to upcoming gallery presentations and art fair gigs:

http://www.thewanderingpebble.blogspot.com