My Favorites from the Past Year

Irwin Weiner ASID -- Working out of a big city like New York enables me to shop from so many great resources. This past year, I was able to purchase and select items from the big NY showrooms for my clients' interiors.

Interestingly, many of the showrooms, like Holly Hunt and Jerry Pair, have their own lines and they also carry lines of other manufacturers. 

Which showrooms carry which lines may vary from city to city. Building rental rates sometimes make it difficult for showrooms to show their complete stock from all lines. Sometimes you might see a single item from a manufacturer's line and you will need to use a lot of imagination to sense how a different piece from that manufacturer might look. Seeing the quality and finish helps a great deal.

Here are some pieces I loved this past year:

I was thrilled that the glamorous Madison sectional sofa is back, with its flat pleat welt and gilded base from Nancy Corzine. I also loved their tobacco-colored, crescent-shaped, Deco-style Fushion desk.

A favorite way of concealing a TV was on one of two options from Niermann Weeks. Their Danish Entertainment Center is a beautifully-finished cabinet made to look like a chest of drawers. The drawer fronts are all faux and bi-fold to reveal a substantially deep cabinet capable of housing all sorts of equipment. Their Venetian Secretary is a great way to house and hide a flatscreen TV. The doors would be lined with fabric.

Both pieces are available in custom sizing and in many different finishes. The Secretary is currently shown on their floor, and it's wonderfully covered in antiqued mirror.

J. Robert Scott has the Salon Deco Dining Lounge Chair (at left) and La Femme Side Chair (at right), and both are gorgeous.

The La Femme is whimsical with a round seat and back, and splayed Lucite legs.

The Salon chair is more serious and great when viewed from the back, absolutely perfect for when the back of a chair needs to face the entry of any room.

Donghia's Woodbridge Club Chair (see first photo, above) is elegant and clever. The floating wood panel above the arm is sensual and fresh.

Jerry Pair has great lines of furniture, including antiques and accessories that he collects from all over the world. His combination of these old, well-selected pieces with new lines creates vignettes that take out all the hard work for we busy designers. Each space in his showrooms is like having the work done for you. I'm often tempted to say, "I'll take it all!"

Jerry Pair carries Therien's line of furniture in some of his showrooms, and it is sheer perfection. The styling, finish, and quality are well worth the price. My favorite is their Volute Dining Table (photo, at left); sturdy and elegant.

On a more modern note, B & B Italia's 9611 table  (photo, below) designed by Antonio Citterio, from their APTA collection, is timeless.

John Salibello's stylish mid-century pieces (see two examples in the photos below) work well with all of the items I've described. One of the advantages of buying pieces from him is that they're available off the floor and can be taken on approval.

Like Salibello, all the dealers I've listed have detailed websites and beautiful showrooms. Most of the items from the showrooms selling new furniture have extensive options for customization, from finish to function. So now it's time for you to get busy in the New Year, rev up your interior designer, cruise the showrooms and their web sites, and start finding some of your own favorites!

Photo Credits: Design Journal, Nancy Corzine,  Donghia, Jerry Pair, B&B Italia, John Salibello

Design2Share's Irwin Weiner ASID had a children's room featured in the December 2007 issue of Architectural Digest.

Go to Rooms of Their Own: Flights of Fancy to the Ultimate Hideaway, 11 Spaces Just for Children to see his contribution.