Dutch designer Maarten Baas's "Smoke" is a series of a charred furniture finished with an epoxy resin so that the pieces are preserved instead of destroyed. A 2004 exhibition called "
Where There's Smoke" at Moss in New York showcased the collection of 25 one-off pieces, including iconic designs by Gaudi, Eames, Rietveld, Sottsass, and the Campana Brothers among others, which had each been burned with a blow torch and then salvaged with the translucent sealant. At the exhibit, the pieces were put in a timeline from antique to modern, grouping pieces like a grandfather clock and
chaise lounge together, and a second stage of pieces like an Eames LCW chair and Noguchi coffee table from 1900-1950 together.
Artist Christopher Chiappa's
Chainsaw Rocker is a to-scale reproduction of a junkyard-find Honda Accord car seat that was chiseled to form by a chainsaw sculptor. Currently on view at
Moss in Los Angeles, it's
lowbrow artwork for the design elite. While its brass plated legs make it a delightfully functioning rocker, it's the chair's texture that really gets me.
Otherwise known as "pastel," the
Heiko Bleuel Light Colors Chandelier ($2,735) has the perfect color scheme for Spring. Of course, I'm not suggesting you switch out your chandelier come Fall. This aluminum, stainless steel, and laminated paper light fixture is just something to get excited over if the increasingly warm weather isn't doing it for you (which would be just plain silly).
The
Vegetariana Tray ($1,400) was designed by Italian artist and businessman Piero Fornasetti in 1946, and is constructed from printed and hand-painted wood. Each of these trays is crafted completely by hand. I love Fornasetti's designs, and this Vegetariana Tray is no exception, but what do you think?
I'm a firm believer in the notion that it pays to dream. Just the thought of one day hanging this
Cloud Chandelier ($40,000) in a high ceilinged foyer of my own truly has me floating on cloud nine. Yes, I know the thing costs more than a car or a down payment on a house.
Moss is a swanky store in New York that toes the line between design mall and museum. Products by various designers are often displayed behind glass, and the mix of limited-edition creations is often quite bizarre. (The online store even has a section entitled
Extreme Other.)
Now, founder Murray Moss is taking his sleek and cheeky aesthetic to Los Angeles.
