Christmas windows in New York

Tiffany's miniature windows

One of a greatest pleasures of living or working in New York is to be swept up by the city's vibes...glamorous, enchanting, whimsical...New York is glittering in all its splendor.

I phone in hand, I  fought the crowds to capture the essence of the city at Christmas .

Bergdorf Goodman's Holiday windows

New York is a dog loving city

Louis Vuitton...Glam and sparkles

Tiffany's miniatures

I now, need to work on our own Christmas windows as  Interieurs and Luxe magazine will be toasting the Holidays on Tuesday December 4th.

If you are in New York, come and join me in the Celebrations of our cover in Luxe this month!

A Bientôt,

Francine

Chocolate factory

Credit: Mast Brothers

I have enjoyed some wonderful outdoor dinners with family and friends.  During one of our intimate late saturday, al fresco dinner, content with the delicious meal, a little tipsy from the Rose wine, I looked at the starry sky and thought...what if this was my last dinner with the people I love most?  I interrupted the general conversation and asked outloud: This is the end of the world... we are all together, what would be your last meal? Every one got going, from caviar, oysters to foie gras, my younger son, just returning from France, went into this elaborate 10 course dinner, his girlfriend into a frenzy of my mother's dishes... then came my turn, one word will suffice...CHOCOLATE...from the perfect truffle, to the traditional french chocolate filled with Armagnac, chocolate fondue, an orgy of chocolate slowly melting in my mouth.

The following Monday, work took Estera, Interieurs' project manager and I to Brooklyn to scout a steel manufacturer. We both love to explore neighborhoods and usually try to turn a simple trip away from the office into an opportunity for discovery. We turned on a street, totally gentrified and fell upon... a chocolate shop! But not just a shop - a chocolate manufactory. We were in heaven; I taste-tested various chocolates and did not want to leave. The space is fabulous, the concept really original and the end product... beyond delicious.

The size of a chocolate bean, held by Estera

Love the packaging!

Bakers at work

Mast Brothers Chocolate

111 North 3rd Street, New York, NY 11211

www.mastbrothers.com

Mast brothers; image from mastbrothers.com

Enjoy!

A Bientot,

Francine

Jose Esteves Lighting Show

Every spring, Interieurs introduces Jose Esteves latest collection of unique lighting sculptures. 
The creative process is by far the most fascinating part of my work. I love my working relationship with Jose as we both share similar sensibility and taste. 
I went to Paris for one day in January to meet with Jose and discuss the May 2012 show. I already had an idea in my head, I saw...organic, movement, mobile, white and black always with a touch of whimsical. On perhaps the coldest day in Paris, we walked the streets of Saint Germain, and visited all the Mid Century galleries. Warming up over dinner, Jose, pen in hand, and me, talking non stop with excitement, the fusion of our ideas started to take form on the paper table cloth of this quaint fabulous little bistrot that Monique had booked for the three of us.


If you are in New York City on May 8th, please join me at Interieurs and meet the charismatic Jose Esteves and view his Night Light creations.

A Bientot,

Francine

Saying Goodbye To Summer!

I'm very excited to greet Francine's readers, this week it's Ania Palermo, a guest blogger filling in for those adventurous shoes. Francine has successfully completed her climb of Mt.Kilimanjaro and called from a satellite phone to let us know she's alive and well and we were very excited to hear her African adventure is exactly just that.

But here in New York, as we are dealing with deadlines, project installations, coming up with new products for the fall, we haven't even noticed when Fall has taken our summer days away from us. The Burberry trench coats have came up, the good ol' New York trick of switching out the wardrobe for the new season, is already in full swing as temperatures have dropped to 49 at night time. But facing the cold months ahead, just hasn't entered our minds as summer hasnt quite left us.

image by Jeff Cate

So, I wanted to share some images shot by a wonderful friend and a great artist, Jeff Cate, here of Interieurs terrace, still in full bloom.

image by Jeff Cate

image by Jeff Cate

We've hosted editors, bloggers, dear friends and clients on our terrace and welcome many more next spring and summer.

But for now, welcome Fall! For now, we'll transform the terrace with heat lamp and some outdoor sculptures and see if some brave souls will brave colder months with some spiced apple cider.

As I'm packing my art supplies and my yoga mat for a retreat in rural Pennsylvania as New York is drenched in record rainfall, I'm looking forward to hearing the rain drops in a more serene setting.

source Internet

for now

A Bientot!

Current design project....Architecture by Jean Nouvel

image: designcrack.com

Jean Nouvel building next to Frank Gehry's designed IAC headquarters

This past summer, I was invited by a client to look at their newly purchased apartment in New York and to come up with design inspirations. As our cab drove closer to the space, my heart started to palpitate faster and faster as I realized the space was in the 100 11Th Avenue building designed by Jean Nouvel.

image: Flickr

The 23 story tower is described by Jean Nouvel as a "vision machine" which features the most technologically advanced curtain wall ever designed and constructed in New York City. The walls are a curved mosaic of nearly 1700 windows, all different size, color,depth, set at unique angles. The light and color change constantly as it is a direct mirror and reflection of the outdoor and its ever changing chromatic light variations. Looking at this magnificent building, one feels immersed in a gigantic Mondrian landscape.

image: Flickr 

Each window require a specific shade, size and color

photo by Tod Eberle

Terraces and balcony are part of the intricate facade mosaic

Stepping into the space is mind blowing. I felt as if I were floating over New York. You become immersed in the three dimensional landscape of the city. Each window was designed and placed with a specific purpose, to frame a chosen piece of new York.

photo by Tod Eberle

The kitchen floats in the open space

Photo Tod Eberle

Magical sunsets on the Hudson River

I greatly admire Jean Nouvel, who, in my humble opinion, is one  of the world's most brilliant architect. He received  architecture's most honorific Pritzker Prize.

Jean Nouvel is by far the boldest French Architect, who over the past 30 has developed one of the largest french architectural firm, pushing contemporary architecture to its limits.

Jean Nouvel was born in the small town of Fumel, a few miles away from my village of Clermont Dessous in Lot et Garonne. One has to have travelled through the South West of France to appreciate the intellect, vision, creativity required to have achieved such an extraordinary carrier, coming from such a rather remote and back country part of France. It took New York for our paths to indirectly cross.

Town of Fumel

I could write a dissertation on his work but instead will just share,via images, the works that I am most sensitive to.

The highly controversial Musee du Quai Branly, so criticized by the French is one of my favorite Jean Nouvel commission. The museum houses indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania.

archipensees.blogspot.com

Jean Nouvel  designed  the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi which is scheduled for completion in 2012-2013. The controversy over "selling" the Louvre name to the United Arab Emirate has led to intense criticisms.

The museum will house art from all periods and regions and will include Islamic art.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel Atelier won the competition for restructuring the port of Vigo  in South Western Spain. The building is to emulate a granite monolith. Read the story here

Ateliers Jean Nouvel, via eikonpraphia

Jean Nouvel's concept for his New Museum in Qatar is influenced by the bedouin culture. The desert rose, a crystalized formation that is found buried in the desert sand is an inspiration for this extraordinary building

image via designboom.com

Jean Nouvel winning design for La Philarmonie de Paris to open in 2012in Parc de La Villette.

http://kwc.org/architecture/2007/04/la_philharmonie_de_paris_desig.html

Breathraking scale model of jean Nouvel concept and design for La Philarmonie de Paris

While working on this post, I kept reading numerous articles and essays on Abu Dhabi being transformed in the hand of the world's most brilliant architects into the largest artistic center in the world.

I will be going to Africa this fall and just have a add a stop over in Abu Dhabi...it might be a rather long stop over.

Meanwhile, need to attend on last details and deliveries to have the apartment ready for our clients to enjoy

suggested reading: