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Greg Natale: A Famous Designer Continues His Tour de Force

By Design by by Elaine Markoutsas
by Elaine Markoutsas
By Design | September 1st, 2019

Australian native Greg Natale's design aesthetic can be bold or subtle, but color, often in tandem with pattern, always catches the eye. It's telling when you consider the titles of his two books: The most recent, "The Patterned Interior" (Rizzoli), and the previous, "The Tailored Interior" (Hardie Grant). There's not a dichotomy. The styles coexist seamlessly in his interiors.

With an international design following, a range of products -- furniture, rugs, bed linens, tile, wallcoverings, towels, cushions -- and a home accessories collection launched in the spring at Bergdorf Goodman (with a second group debuting in November), the 45-year old Australian is a rock star.

Natale has what "Happy Chic" guru Jonathan Adler describes as "it," along with luminaries such as Kate Moss, Adele and Ellsworth Kelly.

Whatever it is, it's working. His design business is thriving, he continues to earn accolades everywhere. He was honored in 2016 as International designer of the year by the High Point (North Carolina) Market Authority, and is contemplating a further extension of his product offerings ("I would love to add fabrics and dinnerware," he states.). And this month, he'll open his first retail shop in Sydney, Australia, with an eye on a chic spot in Los Angeles.

Part of what has grabbed attention in publications from AD to Elle Decoration and Vogue Living to the Robb Report, is his mastery of pattern. It's a signature consistent in his work -- sometimes in-your-face, but never overpowering, and even subtle. Page through the new book and you become aware of pattern as perhaps you had not considered it before. How the fluting on a glass shower door interacts with the grain of a cerused wood vanity, geometric marble tiles on the wall and a green terrazzo floor. Consider Art Deco-style paneling on a seafoam green entry door, inspired by arches of gold wallpaper nestled against it inside.

His own pattern designs, as in mosaics for Bisazza, include swirling malachite, an alluring watery moire, along with undulating or graphic linears. But what sets his look apart from others equally ebullient about pattern is that it's tempered with crisp tailoring, such as a rustic Oklahoma property furnished in sophisticated Navajo and plaid motifs with bluestone fireplace.

His "crazy dream" began in a home custom-built by his Italian immigrant parents in 1978. They apparently embraced their heritage with decorative tiling everywhere, for which he then confessed an "inherent dislike." Now he appreciates it.

"Pattern has always been in me," he says. Influenced profoundly by the '80s TV series "Dynasty," which he devotedly watched with his four older sisters, he "loved the sets -- the Carrington home, Alexis' office. "It's totally one of the reasons I became an interior designer," he states.

Embracing that decade's Memphis Movement, he then wanted to paint everything pink and turquoise. He went to design school, studied architecture, and worked for three different modernist architecture firms. When he decided to go out on his own, he thought long and hard about who he wanted to be as a designer.

"I was inspired by David Chipperfield and John Pawson, amazing (British) architects," known for their minimalist aesthetic. "But everything in Sydney looked like that. Minimalist white boxes dominated interior design. If I kept doing what everyone else was doing, I wouldn't stand out." So he did his homework, researching mid-century design, and was drawn to the works of Italian Gio Ponti, the late English designer David Nightingale Hicks and Danish designer Verner Panton. His aha moment was the idea of laying pattern over '90s minimalism.

His first "lucky break" -- a bedroom he designed for his oldest sister -- generated a lot of buzz. Inspired by fellow Australian and pattern pioneer Florence Broadhurst, he went for it: with a Broadhurst wallpaper that he tinkered with, custom-colored, "turned upside down and pulled out one of the (printing) screens to make it feel very current." He covered nearly every surface with the pattern -- walls, window shades, bedding and framed art. It was published in Belle, an Australian magazine, and then Wallpaper magazine.

"Look, for me, design has to be a statement, spark conversation," Natale says. "I like it to be provocative."

Unafraid of big notes, as he puts it, Natale often sets the tone at the front door. In a home whose interiors he crafted with strong Spanish Revival influence in a western suburb of Sydney, he punctuated the staircase for maximum impact, paving the treads with black granite and lending character to the risers with alternating patterns black and white cement tiles that he designed, and finishing if off with a black iron hand rail and graphic spindles.

Describing himself as "never one to shy away from a bold design gesture," that goes for Natale's personal style as well. While he is crazy for tailored clean lines of photographer Hedi Slimane and declares, "Tom Ford is a genius," Natale totally can rock a boldly patterned Versace jacket. He doesn't love jewelry, but his gold Rolex Date Just is de rigueur. When he travels, black jeans (Ksubi, a cult Australian brand) are a staple, as are trainers by Saint Laurent. And he's a huge fan of American artists -- Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and L.A. graffiti artist Retna.

Natale realizes that pattern can be intimidating and polarizing, but that it can impact how we feel about a space. His own fearless approach sounds simple.

"It's about balance. I may start with a geometric pattern, then use an organic pattern, then a plain texture or wall color. It's a magic trilogy. And I love the way pattern plays with architecture." He often introduces pattern in a more architectural way. In his own apartment in Sydney, he created a 3D effect on the doors of a walk-in closet in the foyer.

"I wanted it to feel like a piece of art," Natale explains.

When he designed a mosaic tile collection for Bisazza, he wanted to explore "how motifs that are so wild, uneven and random, could be reinterpreted" within a linear, unvarying medium.

Organic expression is important, not only in pattern, but in the natural materials he uses, like shells and stone. His bowls and boxes celebrate form and pattern with modern lines in a classic way. Upcoming accessories will include more color, ceramics from Italy and resin.

Natale uses a lot of gold for warmth, and he likes it both shiny, matte and burnished, sometimes intentionally luxe.

"Glam to me is about all the layering, with metals, texture and pattern," he says. "I like an interior to look glamorous and feel rich."

It's that layering that Martyn Lawrence Bullard of Bravo's "Million Dollar Decorators" applauds: "I am particularly fond of his layering -- a difficult skill to master -- with which he brings personality to each space; whether eclectic or minimal."

"Pattern can bring a space to life," writes Natale. "It introduces a vital layer to the design of a house, delivering a dynamic buzz, adding contrast and balance, injecting warmth, detail and interest. And I couldn't live without it."

SIDEBAR

TIPS

There are plenty of tips to glean from Natale's book:

-- Choose light, bright tones to maximize proportions. In Natale's own apartment, white dominates, but pattern defines it.

-- Use wallpaper to effectively and elegantly tie spaces together and create an impact at first sight. Even on the ceiling.

-- Pare down the palette. Natale mainly uses blues and greens, with one bolder hue, such as fuchsia or mustard, for punch. Pink is his latest go-to, often paired with green, like emerald and even olive.

-- Incorporate metallic touches -- Natale loves gold -- to deliver warmth throughout a home.

-- Consider a piece of art as an important element of design. Colorful, bold -- even on a bold wallpaper backdrop.

-- And, of course, play with pattern. Abstract, linear, graphic, floral, plaid, geometric -- whatever you choose can be a cohesive link throughout a home.

-- Pop patterned cushions on a sofa. Natale says it's an attractive, easy way to add color, pattern and texture, especially to sofas and beds.

Source

-- Greg Natale Design, www.gregnatale.com

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Houseware Trends Offer Something for Everyone

By Design by by Elaine Markoutsas
by Elaine Markoutsas
By Design | August 1st, 2019

Whether you're setting up a new apartment, getting married (or uncoupled) or just want a change as an empty nester, housewares probably are on a to-buy list. When you shop in a store or online, you'll find things you didn't know you needed, from the Lekue pan mold that forms rhombus mini pies -- or its Nut and Grain Milk Maker -- to gadgets like spiralizers to form curly strips of veggies or special slicers to prevent avocado hand.

There's a choice of low-tech and high-tech barista-worthy coffeemakers. Mills for making your own grain or kits for brewing craft beer. Smart home devices, robo vacs and massagers that help dissolve wrinkles and boost collagen.

The housewares category has experienced a sea change in recent years, and it's not just about color -- even when it's neon.

"We don't buy objects anymore," says global trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, who also is an editor for Pantone. "We buy aspirations. We buy experiences."

And driving it all is lifestyle -- from Pinterest boards showing off food fads to Instagram design obsessions and influencer blogs. Manufacturers are paying attention. So much so that even the name of the 80-plus-year-old International Home and Housewares Show held in Chicago each spring is changing to The Inspired Home. The stage was set with a highly successful consumer website that explores emerging trends and eventually a journal sold at Whole Foods and bookstores like Barnes and Noble. It's chock-full of gorgeous photography, engaging products pages, mouthwatering recipes and stories like the art of hygge.

Even some traditional bridal registries now include aspirational gifts -- like funding a honeymoon, beach vacay, Airbnb experience, SoulCycle classes or Global Entry/TSA Precheck fees, as evidenced by several websites, such as www.zola.com, which also features traditional gifting with more than 500 brands.

It doesn't mean there's a divide between design and utility, form and function. We want it all -- but with an evolved set of parameters.

"It's an appeal to the more fluid self," says Mirabile. "To one group, I'm a baker; to another, I'm an artist. To another, an analyst. DIY now is more CIY (create it yourself) or GIY (grow it yourself) -- not just to save money, but because you're learning or experiencing something. We want products that make our lives more interesting. Products that save time and save space."

And although analysts like to focus on demographics, charting millennial, boomer and Gen X buying habits, Mirabile says those lines now are blurred.

"People don't see themselves in those groups anymore," says Mirabile, while acknowledging that millennials have been a key influence.

Eating habits among millennials -- like substituting two snacks for one meal, for example -- have spawned a niche for particular storage containers that mimic Japanese divided bento boxes. And keeping hydrated led to a whole new drinkware category.

Current houseware trends reflect the times.

Wellness. Air fryers that use less oil with little or no fat remain hot, as does steam cooking and sous vide, and many brands are adding these features. Heavier duty, less noisy blenders are competing with dedicated juicers.

Connectivity. Billed as the world's first connected food storage system, Ovie Smarterware will tell you what food you have in the fridge, how fresh it is, when to eat it, what to make with it and when to order more; it was projected to be available late summer(www.ovie.life). Blueair's Wi-Fi enabled air purifier has a built-in air quality sensor that continuously measures toxin levels in the air, displaying results on a digital panel. The TasteTro spice blending system incorporates Bluetooth technology for dispensing 100 blends, with customization on the horizon.

All that jazz. Even familiar products can dazzle with style -- sometimes where we least expect it. Brabantia's footed trash can, for example, is all that. The design brings a sexy edge to utility, with an appealing modern form on legs, in orange decorated with a hip 1969 flower print in magenta.

Saving time and doubling down on function. Hybrid appliances combine several functions. For example, some air fryers are being combined with toaster ovens. Just make it simple, fast and easy to clean, please.

Storage. Space-saving has ramped up, from stackable cookware to stackable bins for pantries, closets and baths to modular workstations like the new Prepdeck, with bins to ban kitchen counter clutter. Thank Marie Kondo or not, we all want our spaces to spark joy.

Artisanal products. Most come either with the look of crafted or in DIY-crafted products like cheese, beer, home fermenting and kombucha starter kits for your dose of probiotics.

Color. Pastels and mellow hues are on the uptick. Le Creuset's new Calm collection offers silver or gold knobs. Gold, rose gold, bronze and copper, as in other areas of home decor, can be seen in everything from Nordic Ware fluted loaf pans to hand mixers, sous vide pots and even hair dryers. The warm metallic can adds a touch of glam.

Creating Insta-worthy meals and drinks. Pro function gives consumers the tools -- and sleekly designed beverage makers like Bartesian, Aarke's carbonator and Jura's new barista-like coffeemaker will photograph well.

Practical. Cuisivin's Snak Carafe (available on www.amazon.com), is a curved glass container (in 10 or 25 ounces) with two finger notches, tapering at the top. The clever idea is to pour your snacks into your hand instead of digging into a bowl. It also doubles as a carafe for beverages or salad dressings.

Fanciful, playful and just for a change. Zoku's Iceberg ice mold looks like a piece of cut crystal; it melts ice slowly without diluting your drink. Polka dots are fun on a toaster and tea kettle from Emma Bridgewater and Russell Hobbs. KitchenAid's limited-edition textured and patterned china bowls switch up your everyday look on its 4.5- to 5-quart mixers.

Sustainable. Asobu's stainless steel straw has a bendable colored silicone section, a reusable alternative to plastic straws (www.asobubottle.com).

So what does a trend-spotter respond to in the expanding world of housewares?

"Something different," admits Mirabile. "Just engagement. For me, it's a combination of style and color. But the bottom line is we buy what we love. Not just a suit or shoes or a bag we have to have. Now we're our own status symbols.

"For me, the best products are about what makes life better."

Sources

-- Aarke, 212-575-2373, Opt. 4, www.aarke-usa.com

-- Ayesha Curry Kitchenware, 888-383-0738, www.ayeshacurrykitchenware.com

-- Brabantia USA Inc., 201-933-3192, www.brabantia.com

-- Dash, 800-898-6970, www.bydash.com

-- Eva Solo North America, 507-269-0497, www.evasolo.com

-- JIA Inc., www.jia-inc.com

-- Jura, 800-220-5701, www.us.jura.com

-- KitchenAid, 800-541-6390, www.kitchenaid.com

-- Le Creuset, 877-273-8738, www.lecreuset.com

-- Rachael Ray, 800-214-8369, www.rachaelray.com

-- Prepdeck, 833-773-7332, www.prepdeck.com

-- truMedic, 888-264-1766, www.trumedic.com

-- US:E, 626-820-9686, www.elecprous.com

-- Wolf Gourmet, 800-222-7820, www.subzero-wolf.com

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Sit on It! New Styles Mark a Shift in Sensible Seating

By Design by by Elaine Markoutsas
by Elaine Markoutsas
By Design | July 1st, 2019

The best design requires culling furniture with intention. A chair or a sofa is not merely a place holder for a floor plan. And while a desire for comfort goes without saying, seating can be pivotal -- a make-or-break style and look.

Houston designer Paloma Contreras' study for this year's prestigious Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York is a perfect illustration. She followed her recipe for mixing traditional and modern by pairing an armless settee upholstered in marine blue velvet with creamy swivel chairs edged in a sexy fringe, and framing a gilt-accented antique desk with 18th-century Adam chairs, emboldened in chrome yellow upholstery. It's an effective anchor for a meticulously appointed room with a backdrop of pale chartreuse silky drapes and a stunning floral de Gournay wallpaper, which informed the palette.

Today's chairs and sofas are not taking a back seat to other interior furnishings. Many cutting-edge designs are coming from Europe, which has become a bellwether for decor trends.

"Seating is obvious because it's so essential," says trend spotter/writer Arianne Nardo, most recently home editor for The Robb Report. "You have to have one or two comfortable pieces. And there's not only a move toward making form and function even more relevant, but also that people are less afraid of making a statement with a utilitarian piece.

"Usually we look to chandeliers, sconces and accessories as our fashion moments," Nardo continues. "We've moved into an era where pieces that are essential can be awe-inspiring. Not a basic sofa with a low profile that disappears, or a lounge chair meant as adjunct piece. People are being more considerate about choosing what to bring into the home. Every piece has its own personality."

Nardo says that context matters more -- "whether it's a small studio in New York or an exciting landscape competing with inside views."

"We're also now making a link to what's going on in hospitality -- where those wow moments are. How we feel when we walk into well-designed hotels and restaurants. How can we recreate those same emotional references in our homes -- where we sit down, where we put our drinks down."

More and more, savvy shoppers turn to Instagram, design magazines and Pinterest for leads, trying to hone in on styles and looks that resonate. A more informed customer seeking ways to put it all together is duly noted by manufacturers and retailers, who now are providing some tools in showrooms and on websites.

Modern profiles and treatments (think an unexpected pop graphic on a traditional frame or classic wing chair) have been gaining traction. Backs are tighter, with channeling and minimal tufting sometimes defining them. Arms have been pared down or dropped off altogether. Loungy ease is a new focus. Dramatic shapes are sculptural or architectural. Patterns are not timid -- from floral to geometric, deco- to Bauhaus-inspired, with fashion riffs like animal prints or plaids in altered scale and unexpected hues. Feet and platforms are going for gold, following burnished metal leads in other areas of home decor.

Throwing a curve. Curvy sofas and chairs seem to be everywhere. The Italian brand Minotti describes its new Lawson collection, as "an impressive choreography of curves and linearity." Okamura's Nagare makes a statement with an exaggerated silhouette inspired by geologic forms. A Roche Bobois chair features stone-inspired back cushions in different scales. Some new seating, especially in the contract arena of offices and hospitality, looks like it's made up of bolsters or cylinders joined together.

All the angles. Architectural pieces that boast more straight lines and angles are dramatic.

The Italic chair by Fabio Novembre for the Italian brand Driade, for example, is a curiously off-kilter design -- its seat, back and arms totally canted to one side. The company describes the piece as "midway between an armchair and a small architecture."

Get Back, the latest design by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba for Poltrona Frau (which follows Let It Be and Come Together) takes an accustomed modular approach and shifts the angle of the generously proportioned add-on piece.

Modular expands its base. In modular seating, one growing trend is an almost bedlike addition. Long and wide, it often features a pillow or two for leaning and enough space for people to sit on either side. When it's skillfully designed, it's not at all overpowering. The Josh sofa by Edward van Vliet for Moroso shows how harmoniously two such pieces come together. The uber-scale botanical print cover on a light ground has a stitched pattern reminiscent of traditional Japanese futons. The designer sees it as "the main player in the living room where everything starts."

Other pieces are like modern tete a tetes, "head to head" from the French, a 19th-century invention featuring an S-shape with a central armrest and two seats facing opposite directions, designed to engage conversation. German designer Christian Werner created what he calls "a conversation seat" for Ligne Roset, with large pillows and bolsters anchoring the overscaled area.

Velvet still rules. The love affair with velvet that began a few years back still is going strong. Its elegance and textural richness appeal. And palettes have expanded to include dark rich indigo, teal emerald, bright and light blues to soft apricots, terra cotta, blush, rose and saffron.

Fringe benefits. Fringe once again is enjoying a moment. Roberto Cavalli's home collection clearly nods to fashion, as was evident at its introduction at Salone del Mobile in Milan in April. Two standout pieces: a sofa with padded rolled arms and fringed leather that dances just below the arm and extends all around the back. Another Cavalli armchair, Dudley, is upholstered in a bold silk black, blush and white animal print. The back, which seems to hug the chair, is cloaked in layered leather fringe, with some chunkier pieces for dimension.

That movement is fun and edgy, while the Portuguese company Dooq handles embellishment more conventionally -- as a flirty, silky bullion fringe above the plinth base of a sculptural tub chair. The thick pink adornment is a pretty complement to the apricot velvet upholstery.

Gilding the lily. Even though maximalism has challenged minimal interiors with an abundance of pattern and embellishment, detailing on seating has been more restrained. But it's strategically placed for great impact. Contrast piping and tape trims, while not new, are being employed more creatively and colorfully. Italian fashion brand Etro's impeccably styled new velvet sofa called Morocco borrows the back's shape from the architecture of its namesake. Barely there passimenterie at the bottom edge draws the eye to multicolored hues that blend with other contrast piping.

Give it a whirl. Motion chairs hit the sweet spot for many. A midcentury influenced rounded swivel chair from Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams is sleek and low with an angled back and sits on a metal (or wood) base.

Global accents. Notes from around the world continue to inform seating, as well as other areas of home decor. What's especially striking are the current interpretations of folk art or primitive designs on modern seating. One of Etro's new chairs, Masai, takes inspiration from Africa, with its strong shape, use of wenge wood and bronzed metal rings.

Bring it outdoors. Curves, texture and color have spilled into outdoor furniture design. Thea, from Fendi Casa's first al fresco collection, in fact, replicates its indoor offerings, but translates them with all-weather materials. In the place of strand-by-strand applied leather to a circular wraparound design (now on a 316 stainless steel frame), there's high-tech cord.

Sources

-- Cappellini, 212-966-0669, www.cappellini.it

-- Dooq, claudia@dooqdetails.com, www.dooqdetails.com

-- Driade, 212-334-3295, www.driade.com/en/

-- Etro Home, 212-247-1200, www.etro.com

-- Fendi, 212-897-2244, www.fendi.com/us

-- Ligne Roset, 312-846-1080, www.ligne-roset.com

-- Minotti, 212-685-0095, www.minotti.com

-- Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams Home, 800-789-5401, www.mgbwhome.com

-- Moroso, 212-334-7222, www.moroso.it

-- Okamura, 312-645-0115, www.us.okamura.com

-- Poltrona Frau, 212-777-7592, www.poltronafrau.com/en

-- Roberto Cavalli Home, 323-716-1497, www.robertocavalli.com

-- Roche Bobois, 212-889-0700, www.roche-bobois.com

-- Viccarbe, usa@viccarbe.com, www.viccarbe.com; distributed through coalesse, 877-318-2061, www.coalesse.com, and Steelcase, 888-783-3522, www.steelcase.com

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Paloma Contreras' Big Apple Showcase

Houston designer Paloma Contreras (www.palomacontreras.com) has had an interesting career path. About a decade ago, she started out as a blogger, amassing a devoted following with her on-point text and luscious design sensibilities. Because of the consistent, outstanding style she delivered, magazines and brands (Williams Sonoma Home, the most recent) came calling.

This year, she was honored to join the ranks of top designers like Vicente Wolf and Charlotte Moss to design a room for the prestigious Kips Bay Decorator Show House in New York City. In the inviting study, she showed off her signature style -- a mix of traditional and modern furnishings in a fresh palette; in this case, one courtesy of a beautiful hand-painted garden floral wallcovering by de Gournay that she had custom colored, as well as the springtime views outside the tall windows in the room.

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