apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The 4’ Troy ping pong chandelier

One could not help but notice the “classic” French empire chandelier upon entering St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO at the Brooklyn Designs 2006 Show. Created by the lighting atelier of Zia-Priven Design, this 4-foot show stopper was made with over 1000 white ping-pong balls.

According to Paul Priven, this chandelier is the mini version of the 10-foot Troy ping-pong chandelier that was debuted earlier this year at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. Hmmm…I should have asked Paul if they made a “mini” mini-version of the Troy. I would love to have one in my tiny apartment.

The Troy chandelier is part of the Couture Collection and is available to the trade only, but do check out their website www.priven.com to salivate at their gorgeous fixtures. Also check out ZIP Studio, their new retail line of contemporary table lamps and pendants available online through www.velocityartanddesign.com.

I did see some lighting possibilities for my apartment. Andrea Claire’s nature inspired pendant lamps were absolutely lovely.

Simple, elegant and quite affordable (the prices range from $320 -$375) these hanging pendants can be purchased directly from Andrea Claire www.andreaclaire.net or the Brooklyn-based store, Future Perfect.

I asked Andrea if she has done any custom work and she said that no one has approached her as of yet, but she is willing to collaborate. Currently her lamps feature digital shots from the Shawngunk Mountain Range, The Everglades National Park, a Miami sunset, and a graveyard in Queens NY.

The Future Perfect
115 North 6th St
Brooklyn NY 11211
78-599-6278

Saw-horse style dining table from Pryor & Williams

Pryor &Williams debuted their teak furniture and objects line at this year’s Brooklyn Designs. Pryor Callaway and Mark Williams collaborated specifically for this design show to create probably some of my favorite pieces from the weekend.

The line is so new that it currently consists of a saw-horse style dining table with a dark glass or corian top, a cutting board, and a collapsible serving. The simple designs are exquisitely made of solid layers of plantation grown teak and darkened bronze joinery. At the moment, only the serving tray is currently priced at $275.00.

The company is still trying to figure out pricing for the other pieces. For more information, you can contact Pryor & Williams at 718-522-2500 or check out their website www.pryor-williams.com

Serving Tray (Pryor Calloway demonstrating the collapsible serving tray.) “Twilight Plum”

Brad Teasdale of Brad Teasdale – Custom Mosaic Artwork had a gorgeous piece called Twilight Plum at the show. Made of kilm formed glass fused into concrete, this work of art was quite a lengthy and laborious process. I was told the fusing process takes about 10-15 hours.

Unfortunately folks, this lovely number was already sold (for $7500) by the time I inquired about the piece. But never fear, Brad specializes in custom installations…If you are interested in his work, you can reach him at 917-362-7546 or check out his website www.bradteasdale.com

"Kohana”

I fell in love with the two pieces from A&G design. The “Kohana “a boxy but well-proportioned sofa featured a cherry blossom design silk screened on ultra suede. The “Side Table” made with Pau Ferro wood and inlaid w/ stainless trim had built-in corner lights … bright enough to provide some sexy mood lighting.

Furniture designer, Adam Almquist, the “A” of A&G mentioned that each piece is hand-made and takes about 4-6 weeks to be built. For more information, you can check out A&G design’s website www.aandgdesigninc.com.

“ ”Side Table” Newest piece from Lighten Up Design

I was also drawn to Lisa Goldberg collection of ceramic lamps for Lighten Up Designs. The rich colorful palette reminded me of juicy gumball drops that I used to enjoy as a kid. Her lamps are handmade and can be customized to any lamp style and color combination that she offers. She currently has 10 different lamp styles and 17 colored glazes to choose from with prices starting at $280. For the Brooklyn Design show, she unveiled her latest collection featuring her hand drawn sketches of dogwood and butterflies etched on her ceramic lamps. These delicate beauties are priced at $800 and can be purchased from Clio in Soho, Nest Interiors in Chelsea, and Show in LA. You can also purchase directly from Lisa Goldberg through her website www.lightenupdesign.com

It was nice to see some familiar faces at the show this year. The girls from Decoradar, Elisheva Bieroff and Jennifer Smith released “East”, the 3rd of their mural paint kit series. The kit includes everything you need to paint a whimsical cherry blossom vine on your wall: paint, a brush, stencil, and artificial blossoms. The East paint kit and the first two, South and North are available at www.decoradar.com for $50 each.

The DIY Mural Kits from Decoradar

Also at hand at the show was Jenny Argie of Argington, the very stylish and modern children’s furniture company. She wanted to give a shout out to AT and let everyone know that her collection has expanded to include a toy box, a booster seat, a toddler bed, and a twin trundle bed. She also emphasized that she paid attention to the feedback that she received from the AT community when she was featured a year and a half ago and now all the furniture pieces are made from Baltic birch plywood allowing for much lower price points. Check out Argington’s aesthetically pleasing but very functional children’s furniture at www.argington.com

Jenny Argie demonstrating on how to adjust the Babylon Highchair - By Christine Capulong – 3Little Monsters Design Group