On my way back to NYC
After seven weeks of traveling (I’ve been to Mali, Timbuktu and Lisbon, to name a few places), I am finally returning to New York this weekend. Getting back into the big city and the usual routine is not going to be an easy thing, but on the other hand, 2010 is a new year with a lot of new possibilities. I have an optimistic sense and am looking forward to receiving all the things I bought for VW Home.
Not even back yet, I’ve already started planning my next trip for December 2010. This year I’m heading to Uzbekistan. I like to have these annual trips to look forward to all year – it’s like dangling a carrot in front of the donkey’s nose. Have you ever traveled the Silk Routes? What comes highly recommended? And what does not?
Staying at the Oriental
When you stay at the Oriental in Bangkok, you just never know who you are going to run into. I’ve been here for the past couple of days and on this trip I met Thomas Britt, a legendary designer whose quirky personality and extravagant and layered design has carried him through many years in the interior design industry and the darling of Architectural Digest.
With his distinctive raspy voice, he related stories of his career over lunch at The Veranda overlooking the river – stories of his travels in India and the Maharani of Jaipur which offered a great and unexpected insight into one of New York’s grandest designers.
Preston Bailey – Celebrations
My dear friend and event-planner-to-the-stars, Preston Bailey, last night threw a party to end all parties at The Armory on 27th and Lexington to launch his latest book, Celebrations, and it was quite the place to be seen. The invitation, featuring Preston in all his magnificent-ness, described the dress code simply as ‘Hot’ and the scene did not disappoint. Entering the Armory was a feast for the eyes and in Preston’s usual style, nothing was left untouched. With just 48 hours in which to dress a huge space, Preston and his team draped the walls, created breathtaking fake trees, a flower-covered entryway and, most impressively, built a ‘printing-press-runway’ where projected images from his book scrolled from the ceiling. It was absolutely breathtaking.
The food was spectacular, the dessert tables stacked high and wide and the drinks (named the Celebrations Mojito) flowed. The party moved to the next level when four models with strategically placed flowers (and not much else) started strutting the runway before Preston made a short speech and introduced the two star performers for the night - Gloria Gainer and Martha Washington. Their performances sky-rocketed the crowd and there was just no stopping the fabulousness. To see more photos from the party, click here or visit Preston’s blog.
Congratulations Preston! You’ve done it again.
Ask Vicente: Conceptualizing the Space
Posted by Vicente in Ask Vicente on January 26, 2010
Name: melissa lee
City: lamy
State: new mexico
Country: usa
Comment:
Dear Vincente,
Does it ever happen that after you are hired and in the clients space, you see a picture in you mind that is totally different than you first impressions and you have an emotional response that changes the direction of the job??????
xxoo
Melissa
Vicente Responds:
No. Because I don’t start visualizing what the job is going to be until I see the plan. We go to measure and look at the existing space before the design process start. You have to, if you don’t, how are you going to design it? You have to see the light and get a feel for the space. We always look at the job prior to desigining as one needs to see the light, how the space works and to measure it.
You have to know what you’re working with before you conceptualize it.
Ask Vicente: Shopping in New Mexico
Posted by Vicente in Ask Vicente on January 24, 2010
Name: Melissa Lee
City: Lamy
State: New Mexico
Country: USA
Comment:
Dear Vincente,
I am renting here and for the first time live in a mondern home. I find that there is not much to find here as far as furniture is concerned. I have always decorated my own homes and have an ability to do so, but find not much in this city? What would you recommend?
P.S there are wonderful rug merchants and reclaimed items for builders.
xxo
Melissa
Vicente Responds:
Melissa – why don’t you go shopping in LA and send it over? A lot of people do it and that will ensure you have the pieces you really want. If you don’t have a designer ID, the merchandise mart many times have designers who can go shopping with you that will allow you to go shopping for a small commission.
Are there any readers in New Mexico that have any great ‘hidden spots’ they’d like to share?
Technical difficulties
After a week of technical nightmares where we lost all the blog content and then found it again and then we had lost all the links, but found that again and then the images weren’t loading it seems to finally all be working again.
Thank you for your patience during this past week. Please let us know if you find any other technical glitches that we have not picked up on yet. You can email any problems to info (at) vicentewolf (dot) com.
Ask Vicente: Design Board Services
Posted by Vicente in Ask Vicente on January 21, 2010
Name: Visual Vamp
City: New Orleans
State: LA
Country: USA
Comment:
Hi Mr. V, Miz V here!
What do you think of e-design, that is doing ID projects on the internet.
I recently see design board services offered by ID web sites. I like the idea.
What do you think a fair price is for a virtual design board?
Thanks!
xo xo
Vicente Responds:
Price is in the eye of the beholder…How much is it worth to you, considering the energy, time and creativity of the person doing it? I think it does lose that human connection, but in this day and age, with what is happening economically, I think we all have to try different things and not be caught in a one-track mentality.
Birthday
Thank you so much for all the kind wishes for my birthday yesterday. I did not celebrate it as I don’t believe in celebrating things like birthdays or new year’s…I usually try to be out of New York for these so-called ‘big dates’.
That said, I truly appreciate all the well wishes.
What Is An Original Idea?
Posted by Vicente in Interior Design Business, Projects on January 19, 2010
In design everyone’s always looking for new and original ideas and it got me thinking about what constitutes an ‘Original Idea’. I think a ‘new’ idea in design is how something from the past can be reinterpreted to suit today’s point of view. Yes, nothing is new, but on the flipside, new ideas are always coming out in the marketplace and it’s “Is anybody else doing it right now?” or “Has anyone else seen and old idea and reinterpreted it in a new way”? In being reinterpreted, are you taking that which served one purpose before and is now reinterpreting it with a new use?
I think that one of my strengths have been being able to see something from the past and using it in a new way. Like when I first did picture ledges eighteen years ago, or the first time I leaned a huge mirror for fashion designer Willi Smith twenty eight years ago and presently, with an easel, which was always used to rest art on, but which we now use as a TV stand.
My Easel-as-a-TV-stand idea recently got copied by a major retailer and they are now selling these at a really affordable price across the country. On the one hand it is a flattering thing when your idea gets ripped off, but on the flipside one has to wonder why these manufacturers don’t go to the source of the creative idea and have them create for them, instead of just copying them. I think in Europe it is much more prevalent that manufacturers see someone with a good idea and for the manufacturer to ask the designer to come up with other good ideas in partnership. In this country they just knock you off, which to me is very frustrating.
That does not stop me from trying to be innovative in my work and keeping the hope alive that manufacturers will see the possibilities of working with a creative firm to not just come up with one creative idea, but many.
I’m back!
After a very frustrating couple of days in which I realized why I only trust paper and definitely not technology, I’m happy to say that we are back up.
Thank you for bearing with me during this adversarial time.
BTW – Did any of you spot the proposal in Thursday’s issue of the Metro newspaper? There was a follow up in Friday’s issue and we learnt that he took his girlfriend to my restaurant Alto pop the big question, which kind of makes me an accomplice, right?
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