NYC & ABC
Dromedary Sofa designed by John Derian for Cisco Home
I can't believe its been 4 months since I returned from a week long trip to New York City and I have yet to post even half of my photos! It was such an overwhelmingly inspiring trip that I find myself looking at the photos over and over again on my computer, almost forgetting that most of them I haven't even shared on the blog yet. Before visiting NYC I had heard so much about ABC Carpet & Home it was legendary, needless to say I had it on my list of 'must see' places. As things turn out, on my very first day in NYC my travel companion Michelle and I ended up there late in the afternoon and even enjoyed drinks and dinner at the adjoining restaurant Pipa, with its decor designed by ABC Home.
Pipa Restaurant
Pipa has an incredible ambience with its exposed brick walls, reclaimed timber tables, candlelight and hundreds of crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling (all for sale, with price tags), they serve a great tapas style menu along with their specialty, sangria - two designers couldn't have found a more perfect place to relax, eat and drink while we got to know each other in person. It was a stroke of luck we just stumbled upon this gem completely by co-incidence and had the place to ourselves when we first arrived but by the time we left, it was a fully packed house with a long lineup out the door. Apparantly we were doubly lucky with our timing!
That first day walking thru ABC it was all just a blur, so overwhelming I just got a taste of everything and vowed that I'd come back for more. Later in the week I had an afternoon to myself while Michelle was working at a clients so I headed back to the Flat Iron district and spent a leisurely couple of hours browsing all the floors of this home furnishings emporium. Just when you think you've got me pegged as a modernist, let me tell you how crazy I was for this collection of plates displayed on the wall - it was so stunning in all its vintagey antiquey traditional gloryiousness!!
Without question my favorite find in the entire 10 floors, were these hand blown glass pendants by Cisco Home. In fact the entire Cisco Home Collection sent my heart racing. What impresses me the most about Cisco's collection is not only how simply, utterly gorgeous it is (I dye!!) but that their product is hand made to be 100% sustainable.
Jug Lamps, hand made, blown glass. By Cisco Home. Each glass jug is unique, they're made in various glass colours.
Simply beautiful. My idea of lighting perfection. The 'stopper's at the top of the jugs are made of wood. The smokey grey and the blue glass (shown in top photo) were my favorite. I'm hoping to be able to use them in a project or my own home one day soon....
Cisco Home is based in California where they have eight locations in addition to one location in Florida and one location in NYC. They pride themselves in offering petroleum free upholstered products, and state that their furniture is hand crafted and 100% sustainable.
The Cisco furniture and lighting collection in the ABC showroom. It has such a simple sophistication to it that I absolultely love.
The hand blown glass pendants on either side of the tufted headboard were the first things I spotted from this collection and instantly had me wanting to see it all. Sadly none of this product line is available in Canada but I can only hope that will change in the near future, I can't think of any other manufacturer that's offering anything similar here.
And here's a glimpse of what I wasn't so crazy about elsewhere on the floor......there were a LOT of these deconstructed pieces on display and they weren't props - they were for sale, and they weren't cheap. I don't get it. if anybody gets this, please, leave me a comment explaining?
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It was hard not to miss this collection! I'm not a fan of anything patchwork so obviously this kaleidascope of mismatched upholstery didn't appeal to me (understatement), but I could see how one of these pieces on their own in the right setting could make a colourful statement. Less is definitely more in this case. I did however, love the dark grey wall and the gold gilt frames. : )
I was in heaven strolling thru the mid-century modern vendors on the 2nd floor. The quality and selection of the pieces were superb.
This table was made of steel......gorgeous.
I've admired Barbara Barry's work since early in my career, I loved this room setting from her collection for Henredon. I thought it was so unusual to have wall sconces installed like that on either side of a bed...
Studio pottery and porcelain is one of my biggest weaknesses, particularly when it comes to bowls! I was totally in love with this series from
MUD, Australia. Its handmade porcelain dishware that's sold in about 30 locations in the US but only sold in two shops in all of Canada, in Toronto at Hollace Cluny. I couldn't leave without taking a piece home with me but trying to decide
which piece,,,and whether to get white or grey proved to be a challenge. After a LOT of pondering,,,,I ended up taking home a small size noodle bowl in white (you can see on the top shelf in this photo) and it now sits on one of my end tables in my living room. I look at it (make that stare) every single day and love it, i actually pick it up a lot because I love the texture so much.
Here you can see both the white, is actually a a soft ivory colour, and the grey. The organic shaped dishware is made with a matte finish on the exterior and a glossy glaze on the interior. There's something about it that compells you to want to touch it all the time.
The pieces are handmade and the irregularity you can see in the shapes is what makes it special.
I managed to make it home with my MUD bowl in one piece and hope to accumulate more from this series over time. Now I can't stop thinking about all the other great finds I couldn't bring home with me. Its a good thing I'm planning my next trip to NYC, I'll be heading there sometime in May - but a larger suitcase this time is a must.
All Photos: Carol Reed