palm springs modernism extravaganza alert!

the palm springs modernism weekend has crept up upon maison21 faster than he realized- it's only two weeks away! and this year, it's not just a weekend- it's billed as modernism week- a nine day long orgy of 20th century design and architecture events from friday 2/15 to sunday 2/24! if you want a winter getaway in the desert sun, this is the time to do it...

now if you have no idea what the heck maison21 is talking about, modernism week (formerly weekend) is an annual event in palm springs, california centered on the Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale, described as "80 premier national and international decorative and fine arts dealers presenting all design movements of the 20th Century" (from their website)- which means the best dealers schlep their best things out to the desert for you to drool over (and buy, if you have the $$$$). really, the caliber of furnishings and art exhibited is quite amazing, and the crowd is fun and festive- always a good time! (and no, this is not a shameless plug for maison21's own wares- we aren't quite ready to exhibit there... yet).

over the years, the event has grown from just a simple decorative arts show to a true destination event for design and architecture aficionados, with lectures, tours and parties, and as mentioned, this year's schedule has expanded into a whole weeks worth of activities! - too many to list on this humble blog, but go to the modernism week website and check out the entire dizzying array of events!

if he can get away, maison21 is thinking he might have to be out in the desert for both the first and second weekends of the event: the first weekend (2/15-17) for the modernism show itself, of course, as well as the friday night opening reception benefiting the palm springs preservation foundation, and a cocktail party saturday night for the palm springs modern comittee- both organizations do great work to preserve the threatened architectural heritage of palm springs (check out their websites to see some of the buildings lost forever to ill-thought out development- so sad). saturday's benefit promises to be particularly fun as it's held in the below private home- maison21 is a huge voyeur and loves to peek inside the houses of strangers! the talented superstar d.j. (and maison21's good friend) victor rodriguez will be spinning at the party, and he always serves it up, so a good time is virtually guaranteed! victor also regularly spins at the kelley wearstler designed viceroy palm springs on sundays, so you can check him out there if you can't make modernism weekend. maybe someday if we're lucky, victor will give the readers of this blog a peek inside his own home- like the title of this post, it too, is a palm springs extravaganza...
the second weekend of the modernism extravaganza has the opening of julius shulman: palm springs, a retrospective of the master photographers' work in the desert, including the below photo of a palm springs home designed by john lautner (credits at museum link). the exhibition opens at the palm springs art museum with a lecture on saturday 2/23 at 5:30, by the authors of the rizzoli book with the same title as the exhibition.

and finally, on the last day of modernism week, there is a day long tour sponsored by the museum entitled "The Desert's First Exclusive Enclaves: From Marrakesh to Smoke Tree" which should be fab opportunity to get a peek inside several architecturally significant members-only developments that are normally closed to the likes of maison21- yay! we like to to look!

so, will maison21 see you in the desert?

maison21 loves a bargain (on a chic chinoiserie stool)

found this fantastic looking stool on overstock.com for $116.99 + $2.95 shipping! yes, it's from china, so it's undoubtedly made by political prisoners using wood from an endangered species, but hey- it looks good!

guest blogger gots game

so my daddy let me guest blog for him last week, and i guess i was really popular, because one of the comments i got was this one from all things bright and beautiful:

Mona - You've been tagged on my post yesterday - (By DY - who's also in the doghouse!)

Hope you'll come out and play :-)

You just have to tell us 7 things about you that you think we would like to know (that you haven't already told us about yourself)

Then you have to tag 7 more bloggers

now my daddy says he probably would never play such a game- he says it sounds too much like a chain letter (whatever that is), but they asked me, not him, and i think tag sounds like it involves chasing things, and i like to chase stuff, so i want to play!

so here's my 7 things:

1. the only food in the world i don't really like is lettuce- why eat that, when the grass in the yard has more flavor? unless of course it has dressing on it, then it's salad and it's yummy!
2. i'm basically sweet and nice and get along with everybody- except for stanley the big, dumb standard poodle from down the block. for some reason i just can't help myself when he's around and love to bully him. maybe it's because he's so dumb he doesn't even realize i'm the boss! i think maybe i'll marry him someday and boss him around forever.
   
3. my first language isn't english, it's corgilese. it's a complex welsh dialect consisting of lots of "rooooorooooooooos" and "wooowooooos" and "boooofs" (spoken under the breath). lots of body language is involved too (like italian), including spinning in circles and stamping my feet. i tend to lapse into corgilese when i get excited, like right before dinner or when a toy is involved.
4. i fart in my sleep. a lot.
5. puppies scare me. they are unpredictable and they move too fast. same for babies and toddlers, so i keep my distance ('cept for when they are eating- they have deliciously poor hand-eye coordination, so if there is food involved, i stick to them like glue).
6. i love a car ride. i'll get into any car, anywhere, anytime. let's go!
   
7. my dad says my brother, richard the cat, is not allowed to have nice toys because of me. i say whats the fun of a toy if you can't shred it into tiny pieces in the first 30 seconds? i like to pull out the squeaker first, then spend 10 minutes pulling out all the stuffing, making a big mess in the process. when i go visit my doggy friends at their houses, my dad has to keep an eye on me to make sure i don't destroy their favorite squeaky toys, too. 'cause i will, if i get the chance!
   

'kay, that's my 7 things, so now i have to pick some other blogger's doggies and kitties (and my dad says sorry, and he understands if their humans decline to participate). i pick:

bonnie, my fellow corgi from more ways to waste time

costa and rica, studio annetta's felines

connor from pig*town design

newly discovered blog, design snitch and trinity

and doggie who's name i don't know at pve design

i don't think that's 7, but i'm just a dog and don't know how to count to seven anyway. besides, i don't know any other blogger doggies and kitties! but if you are out there and would like to participate, please do!

laters!

ps- i'm still waiting for treats!

i ♥ lucite: maison21 explains the care and feeding of one of his favorite materials

maison21 loves lucite- loves, loves, loves! after reading a couple great posts lately regarding lucite furniture and accessories from fellow bloggers alkemie and absolutely beautiful things, maison21 thought he'd share a little lucite lore of his own with y'all.

the first post miason21 was inspired by was "sources for lucite furniture" from the san francisco-based blog alkemie- if you haven't been to her blog, go read up on the sources she's listed for the lucite and then read her gorgeous and hunger-making series of posts on french pastry maker, ladureé,. be sure to visit this week, as one of my favorite blogging friends, the delightfully colorful and upbeat, all things bright and beautiful is guest blogging from hong kong!

maison21's second inspirational post was from the well established down-under design blog, absolutely beautiful things. one of the first design blogs maison21 started reading, and one of the inspirations for starting a blog of his very own. anna from abt posted this great oversized, monogrammed lucite graphic tray from iomoi (pic is from abt). proving that great design minds think alike, maison21 was all set to order one of these trays (the smaller, cheaper version, mind you) as a christmas gift for a friend but at the last moment switched instead to this modernist lucite dog bowl feeder from everyday studios in san francisco, purchased via supermarket (i realized the tray is more my house, the feeder more the style of my friend's home).


lucite is such a beautiful and versatile material, with incredible optical properties, but a material that is surprisingly fragile when one considers it's a form of plastic. it is one of maison21's absolute favorite ways to add a little shine and glam to a room without overwhelming it with sparkle (you know like with a bedazzled zebra figurine). over the years maison21 has owned (and sold) more lucite than he can remember, and had both success and heartbreak in trying to bring neglected pieces back to life. now, it's time to pass on some of that knowledge to you, grasshopper...

as stated, lucite is plastic and the name "lucite" is actually a trade name, owned by dupont- the generic term is acrylic and the technical name is "polymethylmethacrylate". even though lucite is a trade name, as a term it's pretty much interchangeable with acrylic, and we definitely prefer to use the term "lucite"- it sounds more a little more upmarket than "acrylic", which sounds to us like a badly pilled 70's knit sweater. if you want to sound all fancy and english like madonna, you can call lucite "perspex", the trade name from across the pond.

the chemical compound lucite is compsed of, was discovered in 1928 (wikipedia) and brought to the market in the early 1930's which is why you'll see it first used in deco and moderne pieces from that era. of course lucite's use as a decor material really took off with the forward thinking designs of the 60's and 70's, and some of the many designers that used the material extensively during that period are dorothy thorpe, neal small, charles hollis jones and karl springer. (links are to 1stdibs for more examples of their work)


dorothy thorpe candlesticks sold by maison21



neal small tables at treadway-toomey aucitons



charles-hollis jones table sold by maison21



springer lamp at lobel modern on 1stdibs


as mentioned, lucite is a somewhat delicate material, and care should be exercised in use and in cleaning. household cleaners like windex shouldn't be used as they can cause surface crazing. "crazing" is a series of hairline cracks to the material. they are especially visible when struck by strong light but can't be felt on the surface, and often can develop deep inside the material. they can't be polished out, even when they appear to be near surface. besides chemical cleaners, crazing is most often caused by extremes in temperature, so try to avoid exposing your lucite to heat. extreme heat can also sometimes cause the lucite to turn cloudy, another condition for which there is no cure. note- the same optical qualities that make lucite so pretty can cause it to heat up when left in direct sunlight for prolonged periods, so keep that in mind in hot climes. below is a lucite ice bucket from maison21's personal collection with some severe crazing to bottom portion- maison21 isn't sure how damage occurred as he acquired it in that condition, but he assumes it was used for it's intended purpose, holding ice, then immediately rinsed in hot water causing the frost like crazing (actually the most extreme example i've ever seen- which makes it kind of cool!). lucite is still quite usuable and pretty when crazed or clouded, but one should be aware that is not it's original state- don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

so how do you clean lucite if you can't use cleaners or hot water? mild dish soap with cold or lukewarm water does the trick, along with a clean, soft cloth or sponge-. NEVER use a scrubby sponge as you will scratch the lucite badly. if the item is really dirty, rinse it under running water first to remove any dirt particles before wiping with cloth or sponge, because if there gritty particles on the lucite while wiping, you will scratch it.
there are also commercial sprays available to clean lucite- one of maison21 favorites is called "brillianize" and you can order it direct from their website, or some hardware stores carry it as well. maison21, being a big ol' ebay hag, likes to buy his from follow sellers there. it's really the best way to keep your lucite looking new and fabulous.

if you don't want to invest in a special product to make your lucite shiny, a cheap and easy way to shine up dull lucite is with a regular car wax, like turtlewax- just buff with a soft cloth and you'll be amazed at how good even the dullest acrylic will look. turtlewax has an advantage over brillianize in that it can remove faint scratches as well. the disadvantage as that sometimes it can leave a bit of a haze, visible in certain lights.

if lucite has sticky residue, like from a price tag, nail polish remover will remove it quickly and easily.

now if lucite is not just dirty, but is scratched as well, the solution is another commercial product called "novus 1-2-3". novus is a three step system: 3 for heavier scratches, 2 for fine scratches, and 1 for general cleaning (1 seems to be very much the same as brillianize). once again, you can order these from the company's own website, or get them off ebay. to buy them locally, you'd need to go to a specialty plastic store (maison21 goes to hasting's plastic in santa monica). the novus products produce remarkable results on even the most scratched up lucite- just follow the directions, and you'll be pleased with how new your item looks. and while it can't remove deep scratches, novus will at least polish up those scratches, reducing their visibility- the below sculptural vintage bowl was in pretty bad shape when maison21 found it, but looked rather amazing after a little novus and a lot of elbow grease! for really deep scratches, you can use use 600 grit sand paper followed by a buffing compound applied with a buffing wheel, but that's waaaaayyy too DIY for maison21- he just isn't that butch of a lesbian (no offense meant to my sapphic sisters- you girls know you are naturally good at stuff like that). maison21's advice is that if the lucite is that messed up, send it to a professional!
now maison21 is sure he isn't the only one with a lucite obsession- would anyone else care to share photos of their favorite lucite objets d'amor? (and link, if applicable)- he'll post a follow up post with pictures if enough of his threes of readers care to respond...

also, if you try any of m21's tips, email to let m21 know how much you love the results! or if you need further advice, maison21 is happy to help!

maison21 is totally 80's (on the inside, where it's nostalgic, not on the outside, where it's just icky)

maison21 makes no secret about the fact he is totally 80's- i mean hello!, my blog is named after an adam ant song (see my sidebar if you have no idea what i'm referring to). don't worry- i'm not still rocking big hair and shoulder pads, i'm referring to more of an internal thing - my aesthetics and cultural references were shaped during that era and while much of it looks ridiculous these days (watch a television show from the era like dynasty or growing pains, and you'll see what i mean), but some things from the 80's are still looking remarkably good- at least to this middle aged design queen.

my first apartment was decorated in wannabe memphis, and i'd still kill for an ettore sottsass carlton room divider (image: metropolitan museum) or other my other favorite sottsass designed piece, the mobile giallo cabinet (image via architonic- who listed an estimate of $25,000-30,000 for the cabinet, and this was well before mr. sottsass' recent passing). maison21 couldn't afford a sottsass memphis piece when it was originally released, and he certainly can't afford it now that it's increased so greatly in value, but if he could, he would love to have a piece or two in his current decor (too bad i threw out my 80's memphis knock-off furniture a long time ago- i'd definitely work a few of them again now).
all kinds of other late 70's- early 80's design is looking remarkably fresh to maison21- he is loving a mix of pieces by the likes of sally sirkin lewis, willy rizzo, karl springer (particularly his tesselated stone pieces like the one below from robert masselo, miami, via 1stdibs), and a host of lesser remembered designers, placed alongside traditional antiques (particularly empire, federal and egyptian revival styles as well as maison21's beloved chinois). contemporary pieces are inportant to the mix too, so as not to get all "period" or theme-y. we wouldn't want it to look like alexis and crystal are going to walk in any second- that would be ridiculous!

even more so than with interior design, maison21 is shocked and amazed at how fashion from over 25 years ago is still influencing the styles of today (not all fashion is still being echoed in today's looks, thank god- no one wants harem pants and headbands to be come back anytime soon!).

this last summer, maison21 and two of his closest friends took a road trip to san francisco to see the vivienne westwood retrospective at the de young museum. if you haven't seen the de young since it was redesigned by herzog & de meuron and reopened in 2005, it's worth a visit- a truly stunning building with a starkly beautiful perforated copper skin (image courtesy of thomas mayer_archives). and of course, if for no other reason, san francisco is always worth a visit for the amazing roast chicken at zuni cafe. zuni is a true restaurant classic, still going strong almost 30 years after it's 1979 opening, making it- yes, you guessed it- an 80's classic! their roast chicken is such a culinary classic, maison21 has been ordering the same meal virtually every time he's been to zuni since his first visit over 20 uears ago: oysters on the half shell (with a martini, of course), followed by zuni's classic anchovy-laden caesar salad and then his most favoritist dish in the whole wide world, that amazing roast chicken- i'm tempted to book a flight north right now, just thinking about it!



anyway, back to viv: the exhibition, which originated at the victoria and albert museum in london in 2004, then traveled the world before ending up in san francisco this past summer, was absolutely wonderful. the growth of vivienne westwood as an artist and designer was clearly illustrated by the massive retrospective- from her silk screened tee's and safety pins to later couture gowns, all the while touching on the same recurring themes of subverting historical traditions, and literally revisiting the same tailoring techniques in new ways for 30 years. her designs are a truly works of art, and when collected in one space, the obvious influence she's had on fashion over the same period of time becomes overwhelming. without dame vivienne, we would have no john galliano spectacle, and no rock n roll meets fashion vibe ala versace, et al (whom she influenced in spirit more than in fashion, as versace's actual clothes probably owe more to liberace than the talented ms. westwood). and i mean, heck, who ever thought that bondage pants (a westwood invention) would become a fashion staple available at any american mall in hot topic stores, some 30 years later?

westwood is a true visionary, and a tremendous influence on maison21's own aesthetic. if you weren't able to check out this great exhibition, go visit her website or that of v&a exhihibit via the above links- you be glad you did. maison21 was so moved by the exhibition, he actually got a little choked-up viewing her early 80's collections like "pirates" and "witches", and now that he's discovered that the rug company has a vivienne westwood collection, he's determined to someday design a room around the "squiggle orange" rug, based on the legendary prints used in dame vivienne's landmark 1981 "pirates" collection. see, the 80's are still influencing design today!

this little trip down 80's memory lane was inspired by not so much by maison21's near constant blasting of the 80's hits (loving the lush sounds of work produced by trevor horn such as the lexicon of love by abc or grace jones' slave to the rhythm) but rather by a recent visit to the house of beauty and culture blog. HOBAC had a video clip of of the incredible stylist and performance artist, leigh bowery, and while maison21 had admired leigh's work via photos since the 80's, m21 had never actually seen any of mr. bowery's œuvre on video before and it was a treat. HOBAC summed leigh up thusly, and maison21 couldn't say it better hisownself: "A creative genius beyond compare that never ceased to amaze or to inspire."

so m21 did a little googling and discovered lots more leigh bowery videos on a website dedicated to his memory, leighbowery.com (where all the photos of him used on this post are pulled from). leigh bowery was an artist whose canvas was his body, and like vivienne westwood, his influence on fashion to this day is huge. what's even more amazing, is that leigh is basically just a club kid, who through his own creativity turned his life into something more extraordinary, albeit for very brief period of time, having passed away at 33 in 1994.



i'm sure in england, leigh is still remembered, but here in america, he isn't really even forgotten- more like never known at all. (though, i suppose after the short lived run of the taboo musical on broadway, a few more people might have been exposed to his genius). maison21 strongly suggests that if you don't know who leigh bowery is, you visit his website to acquaint yourself with his body of work. the images there are sometimes amusing, sometimes disturbing but always original and you'll get first-hand visuals on how influential this little known icon was. nowadays, we don't blink an eye at an avant garde fashion designer sending models down the runway with their heads fully covered or in clothes that dramatically distort the shape of their bodies, but look at the work of leigh from 25 years ago and tell m21 where you think those designers are getting these crazy "new" ideas from? without leigh (and viv), i doubt anyone would have ever heard of alexander mcqueen, and leigh's influence is seen by moi in the works of many others over the years, like viktor & rolf or nicholas ghesquiere. color maison21 crazy, but all jennifer connolly needs (wearing ghesquire for balenciaga) is a mask and a german army helmet, and poof!- she's leigh bowery!

now, since the title of this blog is "decorative not serious", we'd like to leave you with a lighter look at style in the 80's via the hysterically dated and funny brenda dickison video "welcome to my home", parts 1 and 2. 20 minutes of pure, unadulterated camp- yes, the 80's were kinda scary sometimes too...