The Old New Masters - A Collector's Narrative

One of the first canvases I ever purchased, Stacked Bars from German gallery Artline in Erfurt adorned the walls of my student room at University. I liked how the architectural steel linkages between the canvasses invited the wall to become part of the artwork [that and it was easy to dismantle and transport home at the end of every term!]

While I wouldn't necessarily buy Stacked Bars now, and it does take up valuable 'wall estate' which could be used for work with more pedigree, establishing a narrative over time is as important for a collector as it is for an artist. As far as collections are concerned, it's easy to make new additions, but considerably less easy to make old additions.

Club Dining for Small Spaces

Unless you live in a duplex penthouse, it's unlikely that your city apartment will have a separate dining room. Even then, I remember being shocked by the $35,000 a night Penthouse at the Four Seasons New York, having a dining table in the living room for only 4-6 persons.

Where space is at a premium, dining chairs with arms [pictured from Dwell] create an ambiance of clubby comfort. Upholstered chairs with arms help diffuse the line between living and dining and are as suitable for coffee and cake as they are for a candlelit dinner. If seating more than four or going formal however, ditch the arms... or some diners.

Venetian Blinds Take Off - BA's First Class Cabin

Flying recently in British Airway's new First cabin, I was most impressed by the 'on the ground' approach to the cabin interior design. From the same team responsible for styling Aston Martin and Jaguar [it shows], the cabin features design touches more in line with an luxury apartment Conran showroom than a conventional airline seat.

Take for example the dusky illuminated electronic blinds that span several window profiles or Starck Archimoon style individual reading lights. If airline cabin components can find a home in residential interiors, then it stands to reason that venetian blinds and reading lights work just as well in the sky [and yes, evidently, as does Puss in Boots]