Interior Design

Saved NY. A Warm Friend!

| Design & Culture by Ed

If I had a chance to go back to New York, I think I would need a month to visit all the places I Insta-love in this city. One of them is SAVED NY – the ultimate heaven for all things soft and truly, truly beautiful. The founder of the brand is Sean McNanney, the Brooklyn-based artist and designer. He realized his dream of creating a line of luxury blankets with the introduction of his first collection in 2015 after working for Ralph Lauren Home. Since that time, SAVED NY has gradually grown, expanding from cashmere soft goods for the home to a fashion line including multiple collaborations with artists and designers around the globe – from Richard Haines to Andrea Zanatelli. Along with Sean’s passion for design is his belief that he can create a quality product using sustainable materials and following fair trade practices. He has great reverence for the traditions of Mongolian nomadic culture and works closely with the people involved: from the herders to the artisans. Each item is hand-crafted in fine, sustainably sourced Mongolian cashmere, camelhair and yak down. The SAVED NY label is a unique marriage of old-world craftsmanship and modern sensibility. Sean’s designs are influenced by a lifetime of collecting objects, textiles and ephemera from around the world – no wonder why some of his most delightful designs make you think of the art of cabinet des curiosités. Designed to be an instant heirloom, loyal and lasting – “a warm friend“. Make sure to follow SAVED NY on Instagram and check out their gorgeous on-line shop, which as well presents all their collections. Big shout-out to dear Ellen (@ellencareyseedinc), thanks to whom I discovered this brand!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki, all photos sourced from SAVED NY’s site.

Hermès in Warsaw

| Design & Culture by Ed

Just a step from the entrance to one of Warsaw’s most refined and elegant hotels, Hotel Europejski, which is located in the historic Old Town district of the city (known as Krakowskie Przemieście), a very special opening took place a couple of days ago. It’s the first ever Hermès store in Poland. The light-filled, dripped in tones of honey, burgundy and beige interior was designed by the Paris-based RDAI interior design studio and is furnished in a signature, equestrian style, which is distinct to Hermès house codes. The marble floor is a black & white checkerboard, the furniture is all about French design classics, while the metallic screen displays silk and cashmere carré scarves and shawls (the bold Animapolis edition by Jan Bajtlik is its star!). Behind, you will see the iconic bags, and one of them will strike you the most: the Birkin designed especially for the Warsaw store, with a trompe l’oeil store façade intarsia. Take a few steps back, and to the right you will find a selection of Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski’s chic and terrifically luxurious womenswear and menswear; to the left, the store is supplied with homeware (think porcelain and blankets), fine jewellery and perfumes which are sold exclusively in Hermès flagship boutiques. In the past, I would never believe a brand like Hermès will open its doors (here, I emphasize a separate store, not just a ‘box’ in some department store…) in Poland. So believe me, visiting the brick-and-mortar space for the first time was an experience filled with excitement and… a kind of pride.

Krakowskie Przedmieście 13 / Warsaw

Photos by Edward Kanarecki.

Dover Street Parfums Market

| Design & Culture by Ed

25 years after the launch of the first Comme des Garçons perfume, 15 years after opening the first Dover Street Market in London, Comme des Garçons opens Dover Street Parfums Market in Paris. It’s a place you never knew you needed so much. Located two minutes from Musée Picasso, this outpost of DSM is dedicated to beauty with a selection of perfumes, cosmetic and make-up brands from around the world. From avant-garde independent young labels (Kerosene, 19-69, Ormaie…) to the most established and classic references, it’s an explosion of scents, sounds and textures. Skincare, body and hair care products are also part of the proposal, with a majority of sustainable and organic brands aimed for all the human spectrum. It’s about authencity, diversity, originality and inclusivity. Special guests include Gucci with its Alchemist’s Garden line; Byredo’s unique corner; events by MAC cosmetics (and their Instagram-big Comme Des Garçons tattoo kit available only here); Julien D’Ys’ hair installations; and Thom Browne who is about to launch his very first perfume range entitled 09.27.65. Dover Street Parfums Market has no commercial visuals, logos or gifts with purchases. As for the interior, Rei Kawakubo designed a forest of pillars with egg shaped shelves carved within them. Mainstream beauty stores and department stores are becoming even more bleak and charmless in my eyes now.

11 bis rue Elzevir / Paris

Sottsass’ Carlton Shelf

| Design & Culture by Ed

Carlton room divider, designed in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass, in wood and plastic laminate. The vivid colors and seemingly random interplay of solids and voids suggest avant-garde painting and sculpture. The ultimate dream, seen at The Store X Soho House in Berlin.

The Row Stores

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s quite a lot of The Row on the journal this week. Blame it on Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen‘s universe, which is so, so… perfect. Their Los Angeles and New York stores aren’t any news, but posting about them is pure pleasure. Getting the details right is pretty much a full-time occupation for the Olsens. You know that from seeing their collections, for both, women and men. You realize it even more once you see (or are lucky enough to visit) their store interiors. In Los Angeles, the space unfolds at ground level in a personal, quiet way, where one minute you can’t tear your eyes away from a cashmere robe, only to have some exquisite chair begging for your attention the next. As Ashley put it in her own words for Vogue, “in Los Angeles, it’s all about mid-century homes and growing up, it was glass and water and trees.” They opened their second store in New York, the city where the designers are based. Having lived in New York now for 12 years, the Olsens wanted the store to very much feel like a home. Located in a townhouse, with a Jean Michel Basquiat canvas on the wall for instance, it’s a sort of dream-house filled with the finest garments. Induldge yourself in all this The Row goodness by scrolling down to the stores’ images…

8440 Melrose Place / Los Angeles

17 East 71st Street / New York

All photos courtesy of The Row.