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Meet Russian Photographer And Artist Oleg Dou





I can't even recall how I came across this young (and handsome!) photographer's unusual and haunting work, but I'm so glad I did. Be sure to visit his site for much more, I can only post so much.



OLEG DOU (1983-)
With staggeringly unique vision, Oleg Dou's work develops and pushes to the limit the idea of a body, evoked by the surrealists, as an object of subversions, distortions and other mutations that undermine its integrity.


Above: Self portrait

His photography has been celebrated in Paris and Moscow exhibitions, as well as such French and Russian publications as Le Monde2, PHOTO magazine and Fotomasterskaya magazine.

Often strange and disturbing, Dou's artistic search pushes to extreme limits, his subjects destroyed and massacred before the lens seemingly without pity...but take a look at their eyes and see if your interpretation is shaken.







Artist’s Statement:
"I was born in Moscow on the 19th of August in 1983. My mother was a painter, and I grew up spending a lot of time among artists — although I was not particularly interested in their activities.

I felt an urge toward the arts and creation some time ago when I was working as a designer, and I began seriously studying design. That’s how I “bumped into” photography."



"I worked hard to create my own style and technique. The main tool is computer photo-manipulation and a mix of several photos. I’ve already created several art projects and showed them in a few countries, including France, Belgium and the USA."



"Creation brings me enormous pleasure. I am stubborn, ambitious and optimistic by nature; I like being different — and my work, I hope, reflects these features of my character."





The Artists Page on DeviantArt
See Much More of His Fabulous Work On His Website

Deborah Bowness' Unique Hand Printed Wallpaper



The word "unique' is thrown around a lot without really registering in many cases. We've grown a little anesthetized to it. Especially in design. But I made a point of putting that very word in this post's headline because, despite a glut of beautiful wallpapers on the market, these are truly unique.




She has a few different collections, each of which seem to combine art, space and meaning.


Below are some selections from her collections:









In addition to these (and many more you can see on her site ), she sells wallpaper 'kits', multiple images one can add wherever they want like decals.

These are so much more elegant looking than the popular vinyl wall decals and stickers selling everywhere these days.
Take a look:




Finally, below are some images of her wallpaper in the Lacroix Hotel du Petit Moulin in Paris and in the Phillip Starck Yoo Design project, Aldelgade in Denmark.

When space and furniture interact with her art, a whole new environment is created:




Below: Seems she has some new wallpaper, Typography, in the works which should be available soon. I can't wait!


Click here to see more and learn more.

Click here to reach Deborah Bowness.

Sometimes Drinking & Driving Do Mix

At least when you're talking about Veuve Clicquot champagne and Porsche Design Studio.





Together they have launched a limited edition 'treasure' chest of sorts called the Vertical Limit.
An entirely handmade stainless steel cabinet that holds 12 individual vintages at a temperature maintained 12 degrees celsius.



Above: Each compartment is individually lit and automatically lights up on when opened.



Above: The year of each vintage is etched on the end of each compartment.

Only 15 were made and only 2 will be available in the US. the going cost? $70,000. USD






Above: specially produced label will be on each of the 12 bottles in the Vertical Limit.

Click here to visit Veuve Clicquot.

And here to visit Porsche Design Studio.

Product Pick Of The Week: Shadow Bulbs by Melissa Borrell




Melissa Borrell is a very interesting designer.
She makes beautiful window shades and her unconventional "pop-out jewelry' is gathering a cult following.

Here's another wonderful product from her.
Her 5" diameter etched glass shadow bulbs are beautiful.
They are pricey at 90$ a piece but think of the money you save without having to buy a shade!

They make stunning shadows.
She sells lamp bases as well on her site here.

Cute Dog Crates (Can You Believe It?)




Wired Crate

daisy crate

spiral crate

leaf crate

Bamboo Crate

banana leaf crate

...and some variations in shapes sizes and varying tops:




Who is behind Bow Wow House?

Lori Grey's love of animals and interior design led her to develop Bow Wow House, a whimsical pet product line of Doggie Doll Houses, Critter Crates and "For The Birds" bird houses. The colorful and playful designs are part of Lori's "fresh ideas and fun products for furry friends."

Trained as a graphic designer, fine arts painter, furniture designer & decorative painter, Lori uses all her skills in Bow Wow House product development. As an international sales and marketing consultant for the non-profit "Aid to Artisans" she uses those same skills to help artisans from developing countries reach international markets.

After graduating from art school, Lori opened Fish Tales Gallery, which specialized in contemporary handcrafts. She then founded "That Girl Decorative Painting and Design" where she designed and crafted faux finish murals, decorative paintings and furniture in high-end residential and commercial buildings.

Lori's current product development line includes textiles, furniture, home decor products and more surprises from Bow Wow House.

Born in Connecticut, Lori worked in Atlanta and San Francisco and now lives in Los Angeles with her pets Ivan & Daisy, and her husband Bob, though not necessarily in that order.


And, they have many wonderful dog houses, birdhouses and cat houses as well, so be sure to check their site out here.


Bow Wow House
5333 Village Green
Los Angeles, CA. 90016
Phone: 323-291-9948

Kaufmann House To Be Auctioned By Christies. Care To Bid? There's No Shipping Costs...



Above: The Kaufmann House, a 1946 glass, steel and stone landmark built on the edge of Palm Springs by the architect Richard Neutra, has twice been at the vanguard of new movements in architecture — helping to shape postwar Modernism and later, as a result of a painstaking restoration in the mid-1990s, spurring a revived interest in mid-20th-century homes.

NY Times By EDWARD WYATT
Published: October 31, 2007
PALM SPRINGS, Calif.,

The Kaufmann House, a 1946 glass, steel and stone landmark built on the edge of this desert town by the architect Richard Neutra, has twice been at the vanguard of new movements in architecture — helping to shape postwar Modernism and later, as a result of a painstaking restoration in the mid-1990s, spurring a revived interest in mid-20th-century homes.



Now the California homeowners who undertook that restoration hope Neutra’s masterpiece will play a role in a third movement: promoting architecture as a collectible art worthy of the same consideration as painting and sculpture.

Those owners, Brent Harris, an investment manager, and Beth Edwards Harris, an architectural historian, are finalizing their divorce, and plan to auction the Kaufmann House at Christie’s in New York in May. The building, with a presale estimate of $15 million to $25 million, will be part of Christie’s high-profile evening sale of postwar and contemporary art.

Commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., the Pittsburgh department store magnate who had commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright about a decade earlier to build Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, the house was designed as a desert retreat from harsh winters. Constructed as a series of horizontal planes that seem to float over glass walls, the house seems to absorb the mood of the surrounding desert.

Auctions of such midcentury landmarks have become more common in recent years. In 2003 Sotheby’s sold the 1951 Farnsworth House southwest of Chicago, designed by Mies van der Rohe, at auction for $7.5 million. In June Jean Prouvé’s 1951 Maison Tropicale (seen below), a prototype for prefabricated homes for French colonial officials stationed in Africa, sold at Christie’s for $4.97 million.


Above: Jean Prouvés Maison Tropicale on Long Island, sold to a private bidder

Such auctions are bringing a new level of scrutiny to a form that, little more than a decade ago, attracted so little notice that the Kaufmann House was being offered for sale as a teardown.

Still, such sales sometimes draw criticism from preservationists who would prefer that the houses be tended by a public institution or trust that guarantees continued access for architecture students and scholars rather than sold to the highest bidder. (The Farnsworth House, now open to the public, was bought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, while the Maison Tropicale went to a private bidder.)



The couple behind the restoration, Brent Harris, an investment manager, and Beth Edwards Harris, an architectural historian, are finalizing their divorce, and plan to auction the Kaufmann House at Christie's in New York in May. The building, with a presale estimate of $15 million to $25 million, will be part of Christie's high-profile evening sale of postwar and contemporary art.

The Harrises also bought several adjoining plots to more than double the land around the 3,200-square-foot house, restoring the desert buffer that Neutra envisioned. The Harrises “were visionaries in their own way,” said Joshua Holdeman, a senior vice president at Christie's. Asked how it felt to be close to selling the property, Dr. Harris blinked away tears. “Oh, it’s horrifying,” she said. “But we did our time here. There will be other things.”

But Dr. Harris, who worked toward her doctorate in architectural history while restoring the Kaufmann House, said she believed an auction would further the preservationist cause.

“It’s an odd thing, but the more money this house goes for, the better it is for preservation in my point of view,” she said on Monday while giving a tour of the house to a reporter. “I think it will encourage other people who have the income to go out and get places like these to restore, rather than just looking for some pretty palace somewhere.”


Photo: Tim Street-Porter

The Kaufmann House is one of the best-known designs by Neutra, a Viennese-born architect who moved to the United States in the 1920s and designed homes for the next few decades for many wealthy West Coast clients. His buildings are seen virtually as the apotheosis of Modernism’s International Style, with their skeletal steel frames and open plans. Yet Neutra was also known for catering sensitively to the needs of his clients, so that their houses would be not only functional but would also nurture their owners psychologically.

When Brent and Beth Harris first saw the Kaufmann House, it was neither a pretty palace nor an obvious candidate for restoration. Strikingly photographed in 1947 by Julius Shulman, it stood vacant for several years after Kaufmann’s death in 1955. Then it went through a series of owners, including the singer Barry Manilow, and a series of renovations. Along the way, a light-disseminating patio was enclosed, one wall was broken through for the addition of a media room, the sleek roof lines were interrupted with air-conditioning units, and some bedrooms were wallpapered in delicate floral prints.


Photo: Tim Street-Porter

The house stood vacant for several years after Kaufmann's death in 1955. Then it went through a series of owners, including the singer Barry Manilow, and a series of renovations. A patio was enclosed, one wall was broken through for the addition of a media room, the sleek roof lines were interrupted with air-conditioning units, and some bedrooms were wallpapered in delicate floral prints.

In 1992 Beth Harris, an architectural tourist of a sort, scaled a fence one afternoon to peek at the famous house while her husband discovered a for-sale sign in an overgrown hedge.

“It quite clearly was at some risk of being severely modified by whoever was to buy it, or potentially demolished,” Mr. Harris said, recalling his first glimpses of the house.


above:Constructed as a series of horizontal planes that seem to float over glass walls, the house seems to absorb the mood of the surrounding desert. Photo: Julius Shulman and Juergen Nogai

In Palm Springs, increasingly dominated by faux Spanish estates, Neutra’s Modernism “wasn’t the prevailing style,” Mr. Harris said, and the Kaufmann House “had been for sale for at least three and a half years.” He added: “No one wanted it. And so it was a gorgeous house, an important house, and it was crying out for restoration.”



Auctions of such midcentury landmarks have become more common. In 2003 Sotheby's sold Mies van der Rohe’s 1951 Farnsworth House for $7.5 million. In June, Jean Prouvé's 1951 Maison Tropicale sold at Christie's for $4.97 million.

After purchasing the house and its more than an acre of land for about $1.5 million, the Harrises removed the extra appendages and enlisted two young Los Angeles-area architects, Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, to restore the Neutra design. They sought out the original providers of paint and fixtures, bought a metal-crimping machine to reproduce the sheet-metal fascia that lined the roof and even reopened a long-closed section of a Utah quarry to mine matching stone to replace what had been removed or damaged.


Photo: Tim Street-Porter

Without the original plans for the house, the Harrises dug through the Neutra archives at the University of California, Los Angeles, looking at hundreds of Neutra’s sketches of details for the house. They persuaded Mr. Shulman to let them examine dozens of never-printed photographs of the home’s interior, and found other documents in the architectural collections at Columbia University.



The Harrises also bought several adjoining plots to more than double the land around the 3,200-square-foot house, restoring the desert buffer that Neutra envisioned. They rebuilt a pool house that serves as a viewing pavilion for the main house, and kept a tennis court that was built on a parcel added to the original Kaufmann property.

The Harrises “were visionaries in their own way,” said Joshua Holdeman, a senior vice president at Christie’s who oversees the 20th-century decorative art and design department. With the renovation “they created a whole new public awareness of midcentury-modern architecture.”

Describing the results of the restoration in The Los Angeles Times in 1999, Nicolai Ouroussoff, now the architecture critic for The New York Times, said the house could “now be seen in its full glory for the first time in nearly 50 years.”



The pending sale is bittersweet for the current owners, who said they planned to give a portion of the proceeds to preservation groups. Asked how it felt to be close to selling the property, Dr. Harris looked back at the house, blinking away tears. “Oh, it’s horrifying,” she said. “But we did our time here. There will be other things.”
Click here to go to Christies Auction site.

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