Once a month, Town & Country puts together an assortment of design news and happenings—from trends that everyone seems to be loving to real estate listings in case you're looking for a second (or third) home. No need to get your decorator on the line... yet.
They Did What?
We might avoid telegraphing status by over-posting about where you'll be skiing this season... unless you're skiing past the James Turrell piece at Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah.
James Turrell’s Ganzfeld Apani (2011) was originally commissioned for the 54th Venice Biennale.
The famed ski resort is upping its game by working with architects Reed Hilderbrand (Storm King Art Center) and Johnston Marklee (MCA Chicago) on a new public art and large-scale sculpture installation at the resort. Turrell's Ganzfeld Apani (2011), originally commissioned for the 54th Venice Biennale, will be installed in a new trailside pavilion nestled within the mountain's 156 ski runs alongside work by Nancy Holt, Jenny Holzer, and Paul McCarthy. Want to plan your trip around bragging rights? Plan accordingly.
Your Friends Already Have One. Hurry Up.
At Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Dallas this year, Beth Holman, CEO of Sanderson Design Group USA, had her sights set on a soft landing.
We love wooden desks, but why not spice things up by upholstering them with Sorilla fabrics?
For the annual fundraising event, interior designer Victoria Sass outfitted a modern home office complete with a geometric chair, velvet carpets, and wood paneling. There was also an ultra-chic screen (this editor's absolute favorite design item) worth talking about. But the true hero of the room for Holman was the upholstered desk, wrapped in a Sorilla chintz fabric. "I loved the way Victoria thought creatively and used this gorgeous fabric with yellow florals for the desk," Holman tells T&C. "I've noticed that upholstering hard-surfaced items is becoming popular. Henry Holland upholstered their dressing room, and French and French upholstered a ceiling."
Don't Just Rent, Buy.
There's a Paris in Texas, a Naples in Florida, and... a Versailles in Southern California? Yes, and it's on the market for an asking price of $108 million.
This Southern California home, currently on the market for $108 million, is inspired by Versailles and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
Billionaire Darwin Deason forged this cliffside mansion right above La Jolla Bay in San Diego, California back in 2005. The locals call the 13,000 square-foot-home The Sand Castle, but it gets its French nickname from the interiors: a dining room with gold-leaf detailing; descending crystal chandeliers; coffered ceilings and arched windows; marble floors; and opulent mosaics.
We Saw This, Have You?
Jeffrey Seller has produced any number of impressive productions for the stage and screen, from Rent to In the Heights and Hamilton. But his latest spectacle is bringing audiences outside of Broadway theaters or cinemas—way outside.
Through December 1 at the New York Botanical Garden, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail —created by Seller’s Adventurelive and the Madrid-based creative team LETSGO—brings the spooky magic of Tim Burton’s iconic movie to one of New York City’s greatest outdoor spaces with projections, installations, music, and no small amount of eerie holiday cheer. “I love the New York Botanical Garden, and the notion of being able to make an experience that illuminates the entire garden in a whole new way was irresistible,” Seller tells T&C.
Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail runs at the New York Botanical Garden through December 1.
Visitors stroll through a section of the garden after dark, taking in fantastical, charming, and just-a-little-bit-scary moments including foggy graveyards, giant pumpkins, off-kilter Christmas scenes, and character encounters. Fans of the film will appreciate the knowing nods to its charms, and even newcomers are sure to be bowled over by the smart, cheeky design and the ways in which the show interacts with the Bronx flora.
“What I love most is looking up and seeing how the light carves itself into all of the different trees; you get these amazing images that are kind of like Rorschach tests,” Seller says. And if you’re lucky, you might encounter some spooky moments that are native to the Garden. “Once, while we were coming toward the end of the trail,” Seller recalls, “we saw a whole family of bats go by—real ones!”
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The Design Network Leadership threw a truly divine summit in Edinburgh, Scotland this past month where hundreds of designers and architects congregated for a week.
They were treated to lectures by locals (in the gorgeous McEwan Hall, where I fantasized about going back to academia), private tours of galleries (the best was visiting Bard Scotland), and partying at the Hopetoun House (a Saltburn fantasy come true). Even if you weren't there, now you can to bring a piece of the Design Network Leadership's work home.
Tom Kligerman, of Kligerman Architects, created this modern woodland getaway in the Pacific Northwest. It is just one of the many design projects included in the book.
The Living Room by the Design Leadership Network (Assouline) is a 300-page paean to the superior work their team is doing for the design community. Projects from more than 200 of the group's members is featured in the book, and standouts include Olivia O'Bryan airy interiors for a project on a barrier island in Florida; a woodland getaway in the Pacific Northwest by Kligerman; and a case-study of elegant restrain by Dana Wolter.
Cheaper Than a Second Home
We wrote about the Upper East Side's latest it-hotel, but haven't you heard? SoHo has a new contender, too. The Manner, a stem from The Standard Hotels, is a delicious slice of contemporary design heaven.
Need a home away from home that doubles as a visual feast? The Manner is packed with design standouts, including custom chandeliers (seen here in the lobby), contemporary shaped furniture, and various wall coverings.
The Italian artist Giovanni De Francesco designed and forged the lobby's ceramic wall art; Danish sculptor Nicholas Shurey outfitted the lobby with totems; Milanese architect Hannes Peer created custom glass and polished steel chandeliers; and painter Elvira Solana created a modern renaissance mural in the hotel's restaurant, The Otter. Altogether, the space is a visual treat, like a trip to Salone de Mobile without having to leave Manhattan.
T&C Stamp of Approval
If you found yourself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this past weekend, hopefully you ran into the Ticking Tent: an annual one-day shopping market filled with over 40 artisanal and antiques vendors. Interior stylist Benjamin Reynaert and communications consultant Christina Juarez are the masterminds behind the event, and hope to "educate [their] discerning shoppers about the magic of artisanal goods." Some standout vendors include the young Christopher Cawley, whose antique gallery in downtown Manhattan is a step into the past century (or three); the interior design fixture Bunny Williams; and Vaughan lighting (one of the event's sponsor).
One of the most promising participants is Christopher Cawley, a young antiques designer based in New York City.
Isiah Magsino
Style News Editor
Isiah Magsino is the Style News Editor at Town & Country. He reports on fashion, interior design, architecture, and philanthropy. He also handles the brand’s modern manners column (Faux Pas, Moi) where he talks about Group Mooches, Plus-One Etiquette, rules of tagging on social media, and more. Before joining Town & Country, he worked at American Vogue in the menswear department while contributing to the brand’s parties and arts section. He’s also written for Vanity Fair, W Magazine, and GQ.
