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  Designing Modern Britain at the Design Museum

Up Front: Sublime Finds in Art and Design

March 1, 2006

London Calling
Fans of British Design would be wise not to miss the Designing Modern Britain exhibition, in residence through November 26 at London’s Design Museum. The installation surveys the evolution of modernism in British architecture, product and graphic design, from its birth in the 1930s to forecasted trends for the 21st century. Exhibition highlights include a computer-generated image of the master plan for the London 2012 Olympics by Foreign Office Architects (above), photos of the reconstruction of several seminal British landmarks (most notably a 1930s tube station showcasing Harry Beck’s original diagram for the London Underground) and documentation on the development of British automotive design, with early models of an Austin­ Seven and an E-Type Jaguar. +44.870.833.9955, www.design-museum.org —Lizzy Epstein (Click image to enlarge)

Human Nature
Michael Aram handcrafts the molds for each piece in his eponymous 300-plus collection of home accessories—a rare practice in an industry that has come to rely on computerized design. Inspired by nature, his works include the small (coasters and trivets) and the large (screen and room partitions). The Botanical Bark vases (right, $250 each) and Enchanted Forest candlesticks (left, $145 per pair) are part of his Earth line. The entire collection will soon be available at Aram’s first boutique, which opens this fall in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Until then, his Internet offerings will have to suffice. 201.758.2551, www.michaelaram.com —Samantha Brooks (Click image to enlarge)

Re-Wright
When Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo in 1916, it was the first time anyone had attempted to fuse traditional Japanese elements with modern Western architecture. Though it sur­vived Japan’s worst earthquake in 1923, by 1968 the hotel was in an advanced state of structural decay and was, sadly, torn down. The Imperial Hotel was rebuilt in 1970. Its current owners have recently collaborated with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to complete a 2,300-square-foot Frank Lloyd Wright suite. Located on the 14th floor, with views of the Imperial Palace Garden and Hibiya Park below, the suite boasts a study, living room, dining room, bedroom and two bathrooms—all furnished with replicas of Wright’s original Prairie-style designs. Nightly rates start at approximately $3,405. Imperial Hotel, +81.3.3504.1111, www.imperialhotel.co.jp  —S.B. (Click image to enlarge)

Bright Lights, Small City
Designed and crafted by local artisans and sold in a downtown showroom, the Urban Electric Co. prides itself on its Charleston, S.C., roots, through and through. Creative director Michael Amato and cofounder Dave Dawson (who established the company with his wife, Jennifer) formed the Urban Electric Co. in 2003 after producing custom lighting pieces for some of the area’s most in-demand interior designers and architects. The company now offers nearly 80 different lighting fixtures, ranging in price from $200 to $3,500. Modern pieces like Amelia Handegan’s Sha Sha table lamp, with its silk shade and shagreen base, contrast with more vintage-inspired creations, such as the polished nickel-and-pewter Occulus fixture (left), which pairs Victorian elegance with modern sensibilities. 843.723.8140, www.urbanelectricco.com  —S.B. (Click image to enlarge)

Hole-Hearted
New York furniture designer Tucker Robbins deftly mixes downtown style with Eastern tribal aesthetics. His 20-year-old eponymously named company uses organic woods and produces beds, desks, home accessories and the occasional oddity (feathered headdresses). Ralph Lauren, Neiman Marcus and Nobu restaurants are among his clients. The idea for the acacia-wood pierced cube coffee table (right, $975) came to Robbins when he accidentally broke through the side of one of his popular hollowed-out tables. Liking the look, he kept carving. 212.355.3383, www.tuckerrobbins.com  —Robin Lee (Click image to enlarge)

Photo by Greg Firlotte. (Click image to enlarge)

Treasure Trove
Even the most spacious home can accommodate only so many ultra-king Grande Venetian beds, a signature piece by Phyllis Morris, doyenne of oversize and over-the-top design. But who can’t use another silver-plated scarab or Burmese bowl handcrafted from a single piece of wood? You will find them both at 655 Home, the new impulse-buy decor boutique in West Hollywood, Calif., created by Morris’ daughter, Jamie Adler. “I want to keep this store fresh and full of things you won’t find anyplace else,” Adler says. Standouts include hand-etched glassware by artist Michael Weems, silk pillows draped with crocheted mesh by Nancy Bacich and 655’s private-label candles—each named after a different Los Angeles neighborhood. 310.289.6869, www.655home.com  —Shelley Levitt

Fair Play
One of the biggest and most touted art fairs in the world, TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) will showcase 26 new dealers at its festivities March 10–19 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, bringing the total number to 215. New attendees include Hong Kong–based Grace Wu Bruce, a leading dealer of classical Chinese furniture from the Ming dynasty; Wildenstein & Co./Pace Wildenstein from New York, special­izing in paintings, drawings and prints; and the Gagosian Gallery in London, showing both modern and contemporary art. www.tefaf.com  —S.B. (Click image to enlarge)

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