Before and After

Some guys just have all the luck. As if it wasn’t enough that my client Lewis owns 6 mint-condition Wegner Cowhorn chairs, he also has a dining chair by Sam Maloof, an acclaimed woodworker and furniture maker who passed away last year at the age of 93. Revered as museum quality creations, Maloof’s designs fetch thousands from collectors and Lewis found his chair in the trash. That’s right, he found it in the trash in SoHo. While I give credit to his expert eye, again I say, some guys just have all the luck.

Being that it lived for sometime in a city dumpster the chair was in terrible condition and smelled, big time. Thankfully I was able to find a beautiful piece of fabric that almost perfectly matched the original upholstery. And with the help of the incredibly talented Andrew, of Upholstery by Andrew, the chair was refinished and reupholstered into the glorious condition posted above. I think it looks pretty exceptional. What do you think?

Jami Supsic Designs on TMI Weekly!!!

Meghan posted the video of her apartment!! So far the response has been amazing and I’ve been floating all day. Click here to see the video for yourself.

Fine Dining

I’m so excited to have another beautiful home to focus on and couldn’t stop myself from dreaming today about solutions for Jennette and Patrick. Since the eat-in-kitchen will be a major focus of my design I spent a lot of time looking for inspiration and was particularly drawn to these images from House Beautiful’s web site. On the left is Ashley Whittaker’s creation. To the right is a room by Gary McBournie. Both incorporate dark woods with lighter colors, something Jennette wants to imitate in her own home. Both have dramatic multi-tiered chandeliers and both blend traditional and contemporary elements. Which do you prefer?

Snow Globe

This summer I sat in attendance as Jennette, my friend since college, married Patrick. I couldn’t have been happier for them and so a month or so ago when Jennette told me they bought this house in Connecticut, I was once again thrilled for her as she took the next step in life…..surprisingly panic settled in a little later when she asked if I could help them decorate it as I’ve never worked on a such a large scale project.

Thankfully after seeing it for the first time yesterday, my fear has subsided. The house is incredible!!! Tons of land, high ceilings, incredible light, a his and her closet…..the list goes on. It’s perfect for Jennette and Patrick and I absolutely can not wait to help turn the construction into a beautiful home.

We’re going to start with the family room, the master bedroom and the eat-in-kitchen. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I begin to post idea boards and color themes. This is going to be a super fun project and I’m excited to share the progress of it with you here.

Manly Man

I’m having a lot of fun with my client Lewis, but I have to admit; it’s been a bit of an adjustment. After working with the glam tastes of girly girl Meghan, I’ve had to switch gears quite a bit to focus on the style preferences of a bachelor……albeit an extremely successful aristit/hippy-at-heart bachelor. Currently we’re tackling the vital task of selecting a sectional for the den along with its accompanying fabrics. So far, I’m pretty smitten over these picks.
I love Maharam’s solid blue cotton velvet at right. This would make an excellent upholstery for the sofa as it uber soft and the blue’s rich color mimics the landscape beyond Lewis’ floor to ceiling windows, think blue river, blue bridge, blue skies. Muriel Brandolini’s more tribal printed selections are masculine but add an elaborate pattern to suits Lewis’ eclectic preferences. As throw pillows they’d break up the solid expanse of blue quite nicely. At the far right (and it’s hard to see with the wood background), we’ve found a cashmere fabric from Maharam that would make a super cozy throw – the perfect finishing touch.

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Here in New York its freezing and sadly there’s no end in sight. Days like today (painful 22 degree days) really make me miss living in California with it’s glorious year-round sunshine and indoor/outdoor living lifestyle. As a respite from the biting cold I’ve posted this lovely image of NY designers Ashe & Leandro’s fresh take on a LA terrace. To see more images of the creative project go to the Inspired Ideas page or simply click here.

Modern Link

A few weeks ago my new client introduced me to a store in the city that I didn’t previously know about, Modern Link. We went in to scope out dining room tables but found an unexpected treasure – a set of six Hans Wegner Cowhorn Chairs. I can’t even claim credit for spotting them; it was Lewis who gravitated to them right off the bat.

At first glance you may not realize their inherent beauty, but take it from me, these babies are by far the coolest thing I’ve yet to purchase with a client. Last night I had the pleasure of speaking with William Lee, the owner of Modern Link, and he gave me an incredible lesson in the history of Danish design. So in case you’re as interested as I was here’s a brief synopsis of why these chairs are so special.

- Nearly 60 years old these chairs were hand made by the Danish company Johannes Hansen, a small furniture and cabinetry company dedicated to extreme craftsmanship. Key design features include interlocking planks along the back support, a subtly sloped seat and the “cow horns” which curve up at the tip.

- Despite their age, the teak and wegne chairs have never been restored, a feature that dramatically increases their value.

- Extremely difficult to make there were probably less than 300 ever made; leading Lee to believe there are less than 150 left in the world.

- These are antique quality pieces, meaning they will gain value over the years. Lewis will likely hand these down to his children one day (I wish he would hand them down to his decorator one day) and I love that. It’s so inspiring that he took a risk and splurged on something that he fell in love with, but what I really love is that he made an investment in the art and history of beautiful furniture.

Wall Flower

Now that Meghan’s apartment is nearly a wrap, I’m happy to focus on my next project….an apartment in my own Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg! The space is incredible thanks to expansive city views, glass ceilings, wide planked pine floors and many other gorgeous features. I can’t wait to share pictures with you, but for now I’ll settle on sharing my very first purchase for the space, Bernard Brucha’s LAX desk. The design’s raw wood will perfectly compliment the natural flooring in my client’s apartment while its lack of legs will helps conserve floor space in the small guest room where it will be placed. Another perk of this purchase? I found it at Future Perfect one of my favorite stores. It was great to help contribute financially to a local store that promotes and discovers young and emerging furniture designers and artists.

The Pics Are In!!!

I’m ecstatic to announce I just received all of the shots from Meghan’s apartment!! To see the bedroom, bath, entrance and living space click here.

Sneak Peak

Meghan’s apartment is finally complete! While I haven’t received the professional shots just yet (this image is from my Blackberry), here’s a sneak peak. Note the dramatic Jim Thompson drapery, the beautiful window seats, the soft blue velvet sofa. I’m really pleased with how the space turned out and Meghan is absolutely thrilled. Stay tuned for more shots and an episode of TMI Weekly on the design.