marks & frantz

My Home in Madame Figaro

Lydia Marks — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:06:06 +0000

Madame Figaro (Japan) ran a really fun photo series called “Creators in their Homes” and they asked me to be involved. I love the shots they took of our home – they are real and reflect how we live. They did not send any stylists, just one photographer with a camera and two lights. At first this whole concept made me really nervous, I felt like my apartment should look more like it would if it were going to be in a shelter magazine. But, after speaking with the editor and writer, I understood that that was not the point. The intention of the series was to show how people who create live- and what their spaces they create really look like, in every day life.

I love the pictures because: the mirror over my mantel was bought for $40 at a flea market and I had it silver leafed – then hung it over Miranda Priestly’s desk in Devil Wears Prada, my husband’s mess of analog stereo equipment sits next to my sons Fischer Price record player, one of my favorite pieces of art by Boston artist Isabel Riley pops off the white wall with its candy colors, my son’s toys are (barely) tucked away, like usual, and there is also a small picture of his nursery – a brief moment in time (decorating wise) that will never be the same again.

The Selby runs a very similarly themed photo essay on their fantastic and wildly popular website. Here are a few pictures I loved from a feature they ran on Angelika Taschen.

from The Selby

Read and see more at theselby.com

Florine Stettheimer

Lisa Frantz — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:20:15 +0000

Florine Stettheimer (1871-1944) is often described as the “Deco-influenced early Modernist who’s never really gotten her due.” This upper-class, American born artist considered painting an entirely private pursuit and only had one show in her lifetime at Knoedler & Company in Manhattan in 1916; not one of the six exhibited paintings sold. Her will specified that her paintings be destroyed upon her death and fortunately her sister, the executor ignored this wish. I discovered Stettheimer by accident on a random visit to the Whitney in 1995. I was taken by her paintings as well as the way in which many were framed. I searched for a book on Stettheimer’s work, getting blank stares at many bookstores before finding Florine Stettheimer/manhattan fantastica at The Strand. The title of the book sums up Stettheimer’s frequent theme: Manhattan society in the Jazz Age. Enjoy!

Stettheimer's portrait of Marcel Duchamp, a friend and oft painted subject. Note the frame composed of Duchamp's initials!

Beauty Contest to the memory of PT Barnum, 1924

Heat is in the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Museum

Love Flight of a Pink Candy Heart

Portrait of our Nurse

Stettheimer's Portrait of Myself

James Lecce Show

Lisa Frantz — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:04:39 +0000

One of our favorite artists has a show opening tonight at McKenzie Fine Art, 511 West 25th Street, #208… click here for more info. Can’t wait to see his new work!

James Lecce

Hugo Guinness

Lisa Frantz — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:48:14 +0000

I discovered Hugo Guinness while shopping at John Derian years ago and if you saw my post from Monday, he is also the husband of Elliott Puckette. I have a complete and total obsession with silhouettes and Guinness’ work falls in line with this passion of mine. His bio on Derian’s website tells a sweet little back-story on him, in his words!

A Biographical Sketch
By Hugo Guinness

Hugo’s earliest memories are of walking hand in hand with his twin sister Julia and his nanny Miss Lyons. They walked in the magical parks of Kensington, London, most days, looking at the trees, the dogs, the old ladies feeding the pigeons.

Sent to boarding school at the tender age of seven, Hugo spent much of his spare time in the art department making figures from empty toilet rolls and cornflake packets. Later he made a large three-legged horse from plaster of Paris which stood in the garage of his home until it was run over by his mother.

Although he won a painting prize at school, his artistic nature was not encouraged. Eventually he prevailed upon his parents and went to art school in London to study studio pottery. The success of this business brought Hugo to New York in 1995.

In 2002, Hugo showed his early linocuts of underpants and battleships to John Derian. They became friends and John encouraged Hugo to do larger work.

He has had four shows at the legendary store since then and when he is not working for John, Hugo works as an occasional illustrator for the New Yorker.

Hugo lives in Brooklyn with his wife Elliot Puckette, the painter, and they have two daughters, Isabella and Violet, and a canary.

The End.

Rashida Jones Studio

Cathy Whitlock lecture at the Park Ave Armory Art and Antique Dealers League Show

Lydia Marks — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:03:15 +0000

Cathy Whitlock will be speaking at the Art and Antique Dealers League Show at the Park Avenue Armory this Friday, May 4th from 3-4pm. Her lecture will cover a century of cinematic set decoration, featuring highlights from every decade of Hollywood history. A slide presentation will show photographs, behind-the-scene images and designer sketches of sets from Top Hat, The Fountainhead, Gone With the Wind, The Age of Innocence, Something’s Gotta Give-and many more!

I am really looking forward to the lecture - although I have been a big fan of the book since it was published, I have not had the opportunity to hear Cathy speak in person! I admit, I might be partial – the book features a film that I was the set decorator for: Devil Wears Prada.

Cathy Whitlock’s book Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction (Harper Collins, November, 2010) represents the marriage of her two passions-design and cinema. She is also a contributing writer for Traditional Home magazine and The Huffington Post, and features editor for Array Magazine. Cathy writes the blog Cinema Style, which chronicles trends and inspirations in film, reaches 70 countries, was named one of the Top Ten Best Design Blogs of 2010 by Fox News. A graduate of Parsons School of Design and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, Cathy has more than 24 years of experience in the interior design industry and has had practices in New York, Chicago, Memphis and Nashville.

Elliott Puckette

Lisa Frantz — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:57:20 +0000

This week I am going to devote each blog post to a favorite artist. Lydia and I often act as collection curators for many of our clients and May seems to be shaping up as a big art buying month for many! Choosing art for our clients is one of the most exciting parts of my job and Elliott Puckette, among many others, provides a big source of inspiration for me.

Elliott Puckette creates her abstract paintings using gesso and washes of colored inks. She then scores elaborate flowing lines using a razor blade. These purposeful swathes cut through the calming color washes giving the otherwise serene work a sense of lyrical purpose and movement. I could look at her work for hours

This Brooklyn-based artist is half of an art world power couple, her husband is the British artist and brewery heir Hugo Guinness…more on his work later this week.

Puckette, shot by Veranda Magazine on her Brooklyn brownstone stoop

Friday’s Favorite: Behind the scenes of your Favorite TV Shows

Lydia Marks — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:35 +0000

Tonight on HGTV, from 9:00-10:00pm ET is the premiere of “HGTV On the Set.” From the distinct houses of “Modern Family” to the “geek chic” of “The Big Bang Theory,” the surreal suburbia of “Desperate Housewives” to the layered decor of “The Good Wife,” the series takes viewers behind-the-set-design of TV’s most popular and best-decorated shows, including interviews with some of the shows’ stars. We can’t wait to see it!

Brooklyn Toile

Lydia Marks — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:15:31 +0000

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about toile de jouy wallpaper and how the modern versions of these patterns tend to be ironic and subversive. A few days ago the New York Times ran a story in their Currents column in the Home and Garden section about a brand new toile designed by Flavor Paper. The pattern is called Brooklyn Toile and it features images such as spray painted subway cars and the Notorious B.I.G. Check out Flavor Paper’s website to see the three different Brooklyn patterns as well as all their other great designs.

courtesy of the New York Times

50 Cent chooses The Top of the Strand

Lydia Marks — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:00:36 +0000

I was thrilled yesterday when the Huffington Post described how Andre Morris, president of Varran Media, chose the Top of the Strand, the rooftop bar we designed, as the venue for a party hosted by 50 Cent! “Morris knew that in order to please the celebrity rapper, he’d need a venue with the right mix of sophistication and tranquility” — sheathed in Ralph Lauren fabrics and complete with outdoor fireplaces, he found it in the “graceful atmosphere” on the 21st floor of the Strand Hotel.

outdoor fireplaces at the Top of the Strand

Ralph Lauren fabrics

The article includes a list of the best roofbars in the country – we are in great company! Below is an excerpt of the article by Adam H. Graham, or you can go to Huffington Post to read the whole article and see the list of must-see roof bars.

“Andre Morris, president of Varran Media, had a challenging puzzle to solve last December: where to throw a Manhattan party for his VIP client, hip-hop star 50 Cent. Morris knew that in order to please the celebrity rapper, he’d need a venue with the right mix of sophistication and tranquility; that’s why, once his search began, he decided to “go up”–that is, to look at rooftop bars.

High above the bustling din of Midtown Manhattan, Morris found what he was looking for atop the 21st floor of the Strand Hotel. The Top of the Strand had a retractable roof, chestnut wood-box planters, flickering hurricane lanterns, plush banquettes in wooly Ralph Lauren upholsteries and an overall graceful atmosphere designed by Sex and the City set designer Lydia Marks, which added to the rooftop bar’s selling points. But it was the awe-inspiring views of the city’s skyline that sealed the deal.

“The moment you step off the elevator, you feel as if you’re transported to a South Beach, hot spot,” said Morris. “But once you look up, you’re in the shadow of the Empire State Building.”

Ask us on eHow

Lisa Frantz — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:18:12 +0000

eHow asked Marks & Frantz “How to Choose a Living Room Paint Color”! Click on the eHow article to read on!