ChairMan Mao

Mae West's Lips Sofa by Salvador Dali
What it used to mean when celebrities ‘had their lips done.’

Ever since I did my post on Pedro Friedeberg’s hand chair, I’ve been thinking about other pieces of furniture inspired by the human body.  What’s beautiful to some, is creepy to others. So, what do ya’ll think of these?

Him and Her by Fabio Novembre 
I wonder if these have ever been met with a straight face.
They bring out the 10-year-old in me: the giggles.

Human Chair by Tucker Robins
Looks more like a monkey chair to me. 
Maybe some of our ancestors evolved into chairs.

Perspective by Pharrell Williams for Domeau & Peres

Left foot, left foot, right foot right.  Feet in the morning, feet at night. How many, many feet you meet?   –Dr. Seuss, The Foot Book

Tongue in Cheek by Peter Harvey
Clearly Mick Jagger was Harvey’s muse.

Salvador Dali's Hands Chair

Mr. Surreal himself gave this chair hands. 
Eccentric, creepy, they seem to be reaching for something.

Ruby Rocking Chair: Anatomic Rocking Chair by Pouyanm
Does this come with its own clinical hospital gown?

Leggy Blonde by Rupert Cavendish
This piece of furniture had me at its name.  Plus, it’s like the leg lamp redux.  Who can forget this beauty from the classic Holiday flick, A Christmas Story?

But this takes the cake:

CHAIRman Mao chair by Geralde Scarfe

CHAIRman Mao eerily resembles Jabba the Hutt in this rendition.  This may be as comfy as Peepaw’s Barcalounger, but lounging in the arms of Mr. Mao/Jabba just doesn’t strike me as relaxing. 

What do you think? 

Kitchen Bitchin'

I’m bitchin’ about my kitchen today because I want a bitchin’ kitchen.  Please understand, I realize there are a lot more serious things to gripe about: one being that our country’s credit rating is rapidly approaching my own. 

But laying at the foot of the priority ladder is my shallow desire for a new(er) kitchen -- one that sparkles in all shades of stainless, glistens with fresh white marble countertops, and most importantly would turn me into the goddess that is Giada De Laurentiis, (or anyone really who can be that gorgeous and cook gourmet meals).

Here is the kitchen in question:

Before Breakfast Area

After Breakfast Area

Before we moved in, I rushed to replace the linoleum floors with something…anything.  In my haste, I picked out the cheapest, most decent tiles I could find.  Everyday since I have regretted not putting hard wood floors in there.  Moral of the story, listen to your gut, not your impatience.

Another before and after of the breakfast area.

 Paint, new floors and a George Nelson Bubble pendant give it new life.

I love the recessed ceiling above the table.  I can't wait to paint it!

A better view of the Ghost chairs with an antique table.
(and can you tell I'm a sucker for my kid's art?!)

Kitchen before

(*note the horrid 80s style box halogen lighting.  Believe it or not underneath all the plastic is a recessed ceiling, much like the one over the breakfast nook.  I can't wait to demo this sucker, and add recessed lighting, molding and paint!)

Kitchen after painted cabinets & new floors.

new hardware and SW Decorator's White on the cabinets

After stovetop area -- no medieval meals!

We painted the outdated cabinets white and replaced the hardware.  Big difference.  I also painted the brick surrounding the stovetop white – a decision that has been met with mixed opinions.  Some people really like the exposed brick look.  I, however, felt like I was a serf cooking fowl in a medieval castle.  Not a good look for me.  Plus, the kitchen is more narrow than wide, and the brick really made the space feel cramped and dull.  Anyway, the painted brick is a temporary solution. (see below plans).  

Chalkboard paint on the wall leading into pantry -- a big hit (with kids and adults)!
The desk area, where I sit and contemplate kitchen ideas, sits across
from the breakfast table.

Now for the fun stuff...this is what I’d like to do:

First, for the brick surrounding the stovetop.  I told you I had plans for it...  I'd like to demo the brick and do an architectural build out around it, along the lines of:

this.....

or this.

Here is the inpiration board for the rest of the room:

• 1. The ceiling will get a coat of Farrow and Ball 'Skylight.'  The recessed areas above the kitchen island and kitchen table will get a coat a tone or two darker.
• 2. Recessed lighting for recessed ceiling area in kitchen.  Molding in recess will be painted  same white as the cabinetry and walls.
• 3. Materials:
• a.  Subway tile backsplash (I'm a sucker for it).
• b.  Quilted stainless steel backsplash for stove area
• c.   YES to Carrera marble countertops (Although they aren't always practical, I love them.  There are lots of good alternatives now...quartz for instance.) 
• 4. Kitchen faucet -- I love the look of a bridge faucet.  I wonder if a standard levered faucet is more practical, however.
• 5. Undermount double stainless sink.  While I adore the look of the porcelain farmhouse sinks, being the mess that I am, I need a double stainless sink.
• 6. Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon fabric in aquamarine (I LOVE this fabric)
  for window box and cafe curtains around sink window.  I'd also like to use it with cork board above the desk area.
• 7. Material for desk chair
• 8. Pendant lamp above table
• 9. Rug under kitchen table
• 10. Hardwood floors!!! yay!
• 11. Oops, there is no 11
• 12.  Kitchen island (the one I have now is an really old Pier One breakfast bar and wobbles with a gust of wind).
• 13 a & b.  In desperate need of gorgeous Bosch stainless appliances!

Here are some other ideas for unique kitchen islands that would fit in my kitchen:

 love this one!

**Please forgive me for not sourcing the above images.  I have had them saved in inspiration files long before I ever thought of starting a blog.  If anyone knows the designers, or where they came from, feel free to let me know.

Do you think I can win the lottery this week?

Give it a Hand please...

A hand to hold your bottom

Hand Chair by Pedro Friedeberg

The wonderful, the sublime, the beautiful, and to some, the creepy: the hand chair. Do you love it or loathe it?

Personally, I love it. I have seen Mexican sculptor Pedro Friedeberg’s hand chair used, up close and in person, and in many editorial pieces. In my experience, people tend to have very adamant opinions about the notion of such a chair. Let’s examine its positive attributes: its sculptural, its conversation worthy, and it’s a functional place to sit. Not many pieces of furniture can claim such diverse utility. Of course, there are many different versions of the hand chair floating around now, but we’ll begin with probably the most notable and recognizable done by Pedro. Here we see it used in haute design:

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan’s palm beach apartment via Metropolitan Home

Nate Berkus designed home for Brian Atwood via Elle Decor

(Don't believe that's a Pedro chair, it sort of looks like one of the wood versions from Bali below.)

Kelly Wearstler designed home office via Vogue Living

Kelly Wearstler in her Foyer

Some of Pedro's hands are joined by a foot

What I like most about the Pedro’s hand chair is that it’s surreal, it’s whimsical, and a little tongue in cheek, which makes it all the more stunning (if you have the real Pedro). Most importantly, it merits a chuckle. Certainly, laughter was even Pedro's intention. (read about him here.)

But Pedro was a true 'artiste,' and thus his pieces are not only valuable but also timeless, regardless of your taste. But what if you don't have the $ for the real deal? Would you still furnish your living room with a hand to hold your bottom?

For centuries designers and artists claim nature as their muse. Even the most modern and abstract pieces may draw inspiration from the human form, or from natural surroundings. So God made the hand in such a way that when cupped, it can mimic the shape of a seat. Pedro took it, elongated it, abstracted it, and gilded it (in many cases) to create his masterpiece. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he did not have a copywright on the hand. And thus we've seen thousands of versions of the hand chair.

Here are some from a Balinese Company. Hand carved of hardwood, they look pretty interesting to me:

What's beautiful to me is creepy to a friend who says the nails freak her out.

Here's one that seems to be saying 'A-Ok' ...

I can imagine one certain hand gesture that might take this idea a bit too far.

And here's a whole inventory full, looking like they're waiting to catch a fly ball.
Much further down the hand chair food chain (think cheap) are the plastic versions, which come in a rainbow of colors from ebay...

What's at the end of this rainbow? Buster from Arrested Development....

If not you, Buster Bluth from one of my all time favorite TV shows, Arrested Development, loved his red hand chair. There was even a plotline where he rescued his favorite chair from his mother's philandering habits:

Hey, what's good enough for Buster..

Apparently what's good enough for the immature and socially inept Buster is good enough for me. You read that right. I actually fell victim to one of these plastic numbers from ebay, and provided lots of laughs and odd looks from my friends, family and houseguests. Whether the jokes were at the expense of me, or the hand chair is yet to be determined. But here's the evolution of mine:

I was so excited to get my hand chair that I painted it gold and put it in the living room-the first room you see when you enter my house.  What, dare I ask, does that say about me?

I loved the whimsy and the contrast of the antique French chair juxtaposed with the more modern, suffice cheap, hand chair. I also felt it spoke pretty well to my life and my design aesthetic --to not take oneself too seriously. While it provided lots and lots of conversations, suggestions that it move to my four-year-old's room, and fights over who got to sit in it, my favorite moment with this chair was when someone suggested I paint the nails red. True story.

Don't worry, the chair didn't move because I succumbed to pressure. It only moved because I found these two beauties (thank you again ebay):

I can no longer say, "take my hand," in this room without referring to my actual hand.

So the chair moved to the TV room below a large painting:

I liked that it added a sculptural contrast to what's on the wall behind it.

Most recently it has moved outside where it collects rain, and provides a new territory to mark for my lab:

A sculptural territory for a tasteful lab to mark.

So maybe my taste isn't so discriminating when it comes to the hand chair. But I'm all sorts of lost when it comes to the mitt and foot chairs:

Just no. Unless its for a playroom.

I just am not a foot person. Sorry.

Now, for those with a foot fetish, maybe?
PS:Blogger, why is the formatting so messed up on this post? ugh.