Archive for category Projects

50 Photos

Posted by Vicente in Photography, Projects on November 22, 2010

This weekend while reading The New York Times I stumbled upon the ad below. It reminded how much I enjoyed doing this project and everyone’s comments on my selection. The majority of the comments I have received either on the computer or in person have been about depth of the collection and how some of you could tell that it was curated by a photography collector. Which is a great compliment. Thank you all for your support and thank you again New York Times for including me in this great project.

The New York Times

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Back from Sweden

Posted by Vicente in Projects, Travels on November 17, 2010

Sometimes I feel like installing a job is similar to labor pains, in this case I was waiting for the delivery and it was much bigger than a bread box. We were installing a job in Stockholm and due to my upcoming travel plans I am on a very tight deadline for 3 installations. Stockholm being out of the country I thought it would be best to do first.

The original plan was to leave the day after I got back from Houston (last Wednesday) with Tina Ramchandani who has been working on the project. The container had arrived on Tuesday but shortly after it arrived we were told that it would take up to a week and half to clear through customs. This brought up the installation to Thanksgiving and was not at all in our time expectations. There was no reason for us to get to Sweden early so we cancelled our plans. Low and behold it cleared at 3pm on Wednesday. We immediately had to reissue my ticket and I had one hour to pack, get everything in the office in order and jump in a car and head to the airport.

When I landed on Thursday I called the shipping office to see when the container could be released, they told me that the payment of duties had not been received and they would not release it until it had and they would need the payment by Thursday at 1pm which was 6am NY time.

Like a determined Cuban refugee I bugged the hell out of anyone I could get on the phone to ensure the transfer would go through in time. 8am on Friday morning Sweden time I was told the container would be delivered at 3:30 that day.

It was 3 days of me unpacking around 30 cases of stuff, organizing, shuffling and moving etc etc etc. Though my back was hurting I was exhilarated to have it all done and to have a content client

This is was the installation of just the guest room and wardrobe because we had finished the rest of the apartment at an earlier date. Below are before and after images.

Guest bedroom/office before

Desk area before

Bed/sofa area before

Guest bedroom/office after

Desk area after

Bed/sofa area after

Left side of wardrobe before

Right side wardrobe before

Wardrobe after

Custom jewelry stand

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Kip’s Bay Part III

Posted by Vicente in Projects on November 10, 2010

Here is the after video of my room from Gilt Home .

Gilt Groupe, Gilt Home, Kips Bay, Kips Bay Contest

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50 Photographs with The New York Times

Posted by Vicente in Interior Design Business, Photography, Projects on November 1, 2010

In Good Company

When I was approached by The New York Times to curate ten photos from their archives for the 50 photos project, I was beyond elated. I have been collecting photo for the last 37 years and having the opportunity to go into the NY Times archives was an unbelievable thrill. I put together a grouping of images that represent a foundation for a photography collection. I selected images from a collector’s point of view not from an interior designer’s point of view. This gave me a clear direction in how to approach this process which otherwise could be overwhelming.

The grouping gives you a range of photos from 1910’s- 40’s -50’s -60’s -70’s and up to 2008, it is important to me to have images in a collection that capture you each time you look at them and make you think about what you are looking at. I think these 10 images do that.

To go through the New York Times archives is looking at the history of this country and especially this city. The photos take you from Grand Central to Hollywood to Global events. They capture very intimate moments to historical world events. Only the New York Times could give you an overview of our global history in such a masterful way.

To look at the collections that have been put together by the 5 of us, gives you a clear impression of who the designers are.

Geisha, Tokyo

At the Funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

You can see the whole project here

The New York Times

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Kip’s Bay Part II

Posted by Vicente in Events, In the news, Projects on October 21, 2010

This is a video I did with Gilt Groupe, head over to their FB page see how else they partnered with Kips Bay.

So we been through 2 weeks of the Show house and I have spent almost 2 complete days there. It is not something that I fully enjoy, but it has been nice to talk to people and answer their questions and get the chance to explain my point of view.

On the other hand you are facing comments that are not always kind or dare I say intelligent, for example one lady walked in to the room and immediately said “this room is disgusting” she then looked at the Mies van der Rohe chasie and said “who designed that and why would anyone put a bed in the middle of a living room?”

I am not sure if I am seeing this experience with the glass half empty of half full. It’s exposing yourself to the public and receiving their sometimes unsolicited opinions.

In the room I have Damien Hirst’s Pharmaceuticals over the fireplace and it is amazing to me how many people don’t know who Damien is or what he is known for. I was hearing comments such as “this is a sad vision for our society” and “does this mean the person that is living here is a pill popper?”

But on half full side of the glass I am enjoying having people see my work with a different slant and see me approach a traditional space with antiques and classic furniture and have it still read modern. We do get visitors that completely get the room Damien Hirst, the Maos and all.

I think being in a show house is like being in Amsterdam and walking through the red light district with the ladies of night behind the windows showing their merchandise and letting you know that theirs is the best on the block. Maybe this is the wrong analogy or the wrong perception but everyone is hawking their wares and every passerby squeezes the melons…if anyone of you has done a show house before what was your feeling?

Ps – the camaraderie with all the designers has been wonderful and we have all helped each other and bonded over the shared experience, to me that is a great thing.

20 Comments

Kips Bay Show House

Posted by Vicente in In the news, Projects, Video on October 18, 2010

So I haven’t been able to post anything about Kips Bay until the NY Times story broke. We were lucky enough to get the living room in this beautiful townhouse on the Upper East Side that is listed for $28.8 million. As you can see from the before video it was a very paneled traditional room. Our aim was to bring in light and give a modern sense to it. We were not allowed to touch the walls, floors or ceiling which in the end made our job easier. Our installation started at 10am and we were out by 3pm.

I encourage everyone that can make it to go see the all the room in the Show House and support the Boys & Girls Club.

Here is the before video:

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The Dumped Project

Posted by Vicente in Friends, In the news, Projects on October 5, 2010

On a different note, a dear friend of mine Andrea Blanch who is a great photographer and conceptualist has started a new body of work that I think will be very interesting. The project consists of interviews with people that have been (to use a crude word) DUMPED!

I don’t know about you all but I have visited the dump a few times myself…

She is looking for subjects to interview, if you are interested here is the link to her site that will give you all the information you need. http://www.thedumpedproject.com/about.html

I think it’s a worthwhile project to participate in, as it sounds very cathartic and when it’s finished going to be a fascinating piece of work.

5 Comments

What’s New, What’s Next

Posted by Vicente in Books, Events, In the news, Interior Design Business, Projects, Random on September 13, 2010

Next Wednesday I will be presenting at the WHAT’S NEW WHAT’S NEXT Event put on by The New York Design Center. They will featuring numerous discussions and presentations on every floor and in every showroom. I am thrilled to be involved in 2 presentations, one for each of my new books….see below. Please swing by if you are in town.

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Kips Bay – Round 2

Posted by Vicente in Events, Projects on August 21, 2010

After the unfortunate misfire the first time round, I wasn’t completely sure that I wanted to participate in the Kips Bay showhouse again. However, that all changed when I was shown the townhouse at 106 East 71st Street in Manhattan where it will be held from October 14th.

I was blown away by the living room. The beautiful paneled room speaks of an elegance and a formality from another era. And I felt that it would be a great way to show our work in what is a very traditional, dark room. My aim is to bring a sense of freshness, humor and lightness to it. The size of the room is approximately 29′ x 21′, a size which could intimidate some because of the overwhelming quantity of wood in it, but thinking of ying and yang, dark and light, formal and casual, I think that I could make this work. It was designed by the time I got back to the office after seeing it.

To me it was a very obvious plan, but it’s all going to be very white. I got a beautiful rug from Doris Leslie Blau and I want it to have formal elements, but with lots of very mid-century elements in it. As soon as I’m allowed, I’ll post pictures of the room empty so you can see the before and afters.

Here’s the official statement from Kips Bay:
The 38th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House is coming to the Upper East Side this fall with a magnificent and newly-renovated limestone mansion at 106 East 71st Street selected as the venue. Next week, top designers, including Vicente Wolf, Jennifer Post, Robert Couturier, Katie Ridder and Noel Jeffrey, will begin a seven-week renovation in which they will re-imagine each of the 17 rooms in the six-story, 10,000-square-foot townhouse to showcase the best in interior design talent and trends. With six bedrooms, seven baths, five fireplaces and a terrace that overlooks Park Avenue, the show house — the most high-profile renovation project in America — will delight design enthusiasts and anyone looking for inspiration in decorating their own living spaces. The show house will be open to the public from Thursday, October 14 to Thursday, November 11.

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And yesterday in the New York Times…

Posted by Vicente in In the news, Projects on August 6, 2010

I was so excited to see this amazing fuchsia pink room we designed as a fun project for the Times appear yesterday. I really loved the experience of doing something so different - you don’t get to play the way we played with most (real) jobs. The best part of this project was that I really had to let my imagination go – and there were no reigns from the client. In fact, I think she was worried I wouldn’t be outrageous enough in my approach to the project…but it all turned out just perfectly. While the budget was much smaller than the average, we really weren’t restricted by it because we utilized our imaginations in a playful way.

Just goes to show…I don’t only work with taupes!