Rock & Roll Offspring Edition
La Ferla is, of course, a seasoned writer, and her shopping adventure is skilfully chronicled, but we finished reading it still waiting to discover something we didn't already know about ABC.
Critical Shopper | ABC Carpet & Home: A Souk for Trust-Fund Hobbits By Ruth La Ferla (NYTimes)
ABC Carpet & Home 888 Broadway at 19th Street, Flatiron District
The Conran Shop Colonizes The Basement At ABC Carpet & Home
The Conran Shop quietly opened this week in its new location taking over the lower level of ABC Carpet & Home, and it's a glass half-full/half-empty kind of thing. Initially, we were skeptical at first of how such a bold retailer as Conran would fit into ABC's already well rounded collection of departments. Depending on your point of view you can see it as a condensed, easily digestible collection of Sir Terence Conran's highly evolved design vision, or a diminished, watered down version of his dramatic former flagship in the shadow of the Queensboro Bridge. We're leaning toward the former, but there are definitely a few drawbacks to the move.
On the positive side, the Conran crew has done a remarkable job recreating the feeling of the former location which, in all fairness, was mostly underground anyway. Gone is the clutter of former tenant, Silk Trading Company (which has relocated itself a few blocks up Broadway to Domain's former domain). The space has been cleared out and cleaned up, and fixtures from the former location have migrated downtown and settled in similar configurations. Conran has broadened the the offerings under ABC's roof in other ways as well. As far as we can tell, this is the only place in the huge home store that actually has cookware or any kitchen appliances at all. Of course, it is expensive pieces from the likes of Mauviel and Alessi that are available, but they are still a welcome addition. Conran's sleek entertaining collections also make a much needed counterpoint to the increasingly dainty and fragile looking tabletop offerings on ABC's main floor. Surprisingly missing from the mix are the collections from Sir Terence's children Jasper Conran and Sophie Conran, but boxes were still being unpacked when we visited yesterday, so they may still appear. Still around are the carefully curated gift offerings as well as a more concentrated selection of lighting and other novelty items.
Still, it's not a total replica of the East Side Conran Shop. The furniture selection appears greatly reduced, and in some cases seem to have been boiled down to celebrated design pieces which would already be widely available elsewhere. Garden and Outdoor Entertaining and Bed and Bath appear to have been eliminated almost entirely with a few exception items, and rugs also seem to be gone, although it would be hard to imagine that Conran could offer any floor coverings that wouldn't already be included in ABC's own vast assortments. And, of course, the dramatic greenhouse-like building that housed the other store made a bold design statement itself which is missed in the shopping experience here. What's to become of that building, we don't know. Clearly, if it had been in a more accessible, or even highly visible location, Conran might not have had to move, but now that they have, we are betting that they will do more business in less space. Ultimately, it will probably become a more popular destination, and we are happy to see that Terence Conran will not have to once again exit his U.S. business after all.
The Conran Shop at ABC Carpet & Home 888 Broadway, Lower Level, Flatiron District
Winter Vacation Edition
While the fashion seems nicely edited down, the housewares — from glassware and silverware to lighting, tables and chairs — are refreshingly wide-ranging. There were celebrated designs like a red-and-white ceramic vase by Hella Jongerius I have long coveted (350 euros) alongside rough blown-glass bottles that appeared to be, believe it or not, without fancy designer attribution.Of course, New Yorkers may already be more familiar with Merci than Colman assumes. It was only a few months ago that the boutique spent a few weeks on Fifth Avenue as a guest of the Gap, so this is less a discovery than it is the sort of follow-up we wouldn't mind doing ourselves the next time we go to Paris.
Comfort Zone Edition
We can't help wondering if it is mere coincidence that finds New York Times Critical Shopper Cintra Wilson treading much safer waters in today's Thursday Styles. Her acerbic bite has been dialed back to a playful gnawing as she visits the latest location of Jonathan Adler's growing chain of home furnishing boutiques. We can only hope that this is a temporary response to La Cintra's recent, much publicized misadventures in Middle America. Adler's whimsical stores would seem to be aimed squarely at the
“1,300 women in Connecticut and urban gay guys in Manhattan”whom Wilson
previously perceived her readership to be. Of course, we have no
problem with that demographic whatsoever. Adler's aesthetic, which appears to have been imported directly from the Valley of the Dolls, really does Wilson's work for her. Adding a mordant edge to his already twisted sense of humor would seem to be gilding a ceramic lily.
Now that Wilson is a target for the disgruntled, we expect that some killjoy will take offense at these dangerous, ceramic jars despite their likely destinies of holding nothing more harmful than sugar or cotton balls.
Its not that Wilson is totally toothless this week, but we have come to enjoy a little bit more conflict in her columns.
Let's get this woman to a Kohl's!
Critical Shopper | Jonathan Adler: Take a Sunrise, Sprinkle It With Dew by Cintra Wilson (NYTimes)
Jonathan Adler 378 Atlantic Avenue between Hoyt and Bond Streets, Brooklyn
Picardie Glasses Reappear In Stores
As Bistros And Cafés Restock
Is it weird to get too attached to a drinking glass?
Well, we have been known to obsess over lesser things, for sure.
A few years ago, brasseries, design aficionados and lovers of arcane French stuff were beside themselves when the famous glass company Duralex ceased production of its famous Picardie tumblers (and everything else they made) due to financial troubles.
Designed in the 1920s and made of durable tempered glass by the 30s, they are suitable for hot and cold beverages. The curvy, stackable tumblers are nearly unbreakable, and when the do shatter, it's in a million pieces, avoiding the danger of jagged edges. Practical, comfortable to hold and pretty, they are the perfect glasses, and were considered a classic example of 20th Century design.
Part of their appeal has also been their low price, but in spite of their democratic charm, Picardie glasses had been staples at upscale stores like Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and The Conran Shop (but also at Target.com) for years, until recently.
The Shophound managed to score a boxfull in different sizes when C&B closed out of them, figuring that they would eventually be collectors' items, while while anyone trying to replace their stock was forced to turn to eBay, expensive internet resources like Replacements.com, or make do with clumsy, chunky "substitute" styles.
No longer!
Last weekend we spied a whole shelving unit full of the glasses in various sizes at Bowery Kitchen Supply in the Chelsea Market and promptly grabbed some of the largest 17 oz. coolers for a whopping $4.50 each. "We just started carrying these", we were told by a clerk, unaware that there was a colony of drinkware fans pining for their return. Still made in France, they were exactly as we had remembered them right down to the stamp on the bottom.
At Design Within Reach's Tools For Living store in SoHo, two sizes are now available in sets of six for $25, and the sales staff told us that they can't keep them in stock, and a new American company, Duralex USA, has been set up to handle distribution.
Our kitchen shelves can rest easy now, knowing that our little link to the cafés of Paris has been restored.
Muji Forges Partnership
With Historic Furniture Maker
This month, Japanese cult retailer MUJI launches a new capsule collection made in collaboration with Thonet, the German furniture maker famous for perfecting bentwood construction techniques. The tiny group includes a classic beech chair and table as well as items in bent steel pipe.
We're happy to see MUJI expanding their furniture offerings in its New York stores (the line will be sold in the Times Square and Flatiron locations). The downside? While bentwood furniture was popular for being inexpensive in the 19th century when it was introduced, that's not so much the case now, with the beech chair priced at $495.75 and the table at $795.75 –not horribly extravagant, but somewhat higher than we have come to expect from MUJI. Quality is the priority here, however, as the pieces are all being made in Thonet's German factories (hence the higher prices).
On a related note, limited time discounts will be offered on other items through the end of June including 20% off of pocketed coil mattresses with legs and mold urethane sofa components. Need more enticement? Selected business bags and accessories will also be discounted this month, so a visit within the next two weeks should be in order.
MUJI (Official Site)
Still Shabby. Chic?
Not So Much, And Other Stories
• A while back there, we are sure that Rachel Ashwell's combination of vintage-y floral and embroidered linens, oversized, overstuffed couches, weathered white chairs and tables and a profusion of cabbage roses must have looked like a fresh new look. By now, however, that look has been so co-opted at every price level that its not terribly surprising to hear that Shabby Chic, Ashwell's brand, is finally liquidating after filing for Chapter 11 protection earlier this year. While we are sure the economy has something to do with this, we can't help thinking that this look has long since passed its sell-by date, without updating particularly well. It was once popular enough to spawn a series of books and a show for Ashwell on the Style network.
If, by chance, you are still in the market for piles of pillows and frills, and perhaps a $1,200 vintage prom dress or two (seriously), the brand's New York stores are conducting liquidation sales (currently at around 30% off) in SoHo and on Columbus Avenue. Though it is really not our style at all, we have to point out that there are still some perfectly nice items to be had individually, just not stacked atop each other.
Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic 83 Wooster Street at Spring Street & 450 Columbus Avenue between 81st & 82nd Streets
In other news:
Droog Materializes On Greene Street
Droog, in case you were wondering, is not just a weird name for a company that sells weird stuff.
It is the Dutch word for 'dry' or 'wry', which makes sense, because the new outpost of the Amsterdam based design company must be taken with at healthy sense of humor. How else is is one to comprehend a 'bench' made from a hefty tree trunk, bark and all, on its side, randomly sprouting chair backs.
That's the sort of thing found in abundance at Droog which has become famous for its innovative, often environmentally sensitive and aesthetically jarring design products.
In the end, we can't help but like a store that offfers a version of the famous Gerrit Rietveld chair entirely made out of Lego. Actually, we love just about anything made out of Lego, and yet we don't actually want to sit in that chair. That typifies the way we feel about much of what Droog has to offer. We marvel at the wit and inventiveness, but we can't really see ourselves living with much of anything in the store. Frankly, we don't actually have room to live with most of it, and we don't know too many people who would.
The centerpiece of the display is the 'House of Blue': interior designer Jurgen Bey's sectional structure constructed out of blue industrial foam that can be sold as a whole or in pieces. Maybe this is where Björk would live? Once this piece has been sold (which, we are betting, will take a while) Bey will create a new interior for the store.
Not everything Droog sells is so bulky, though much of it defies easy description. There is Peepshow wallpaper, meant to be pasted over existing wall decoration that will show through a pattern of holes.
They also offer more accessible items like the well known 85 Lamps chandelier made of a tassel of light bulbs hanging from their wires.
Ultimately, Droog feels more like a gallery than a store. It makes Design Within Reach feel like a Rite-Aid. In fact, the lower level, which was closed when we visited, will be a gallery space, but the company's dedication to commerce is evident. The store opened in retail-heavy SoHo rather than arty West Chelsea, so they are serious about selling stuff. To whom, we are not entrely sure yet.
Droog 76 Greene Street between Spring & Broome Streets, SoHo
Continue reading "New Additions: Droog Materializes On Greene Street " »
West Elm Goes Mega
On The West Side
Though the West Elm that opened yesterday at Broadway and 62nd street is the New York's third, it is by far its most significant.
For starters, it's the biggest by a lot, spanning length of the entire block from 61st to 62nd street. It also raises the brand's profile with a much more visible and higher trafficked location on the back side of Fifteen Central Park West, home to some of the most expensive new apartments the city has seen in decades.
So how does it measure up? It still feels like the more modern, somewhat less pricey cousin of Pottery Barn that it was conceived as, but the chain has now grown up a bit. This location is more comfortable to shop than the often cramped and crowded Chelsea store, and the new staff is certainly as solicitous as one would expect during a store's opening weeks. We were approached frequently to make sure we were finding everything we needed, and occasionally quizzed as to familiarity with West Elm. We might have thought we were the only customer, but, on an encouraging note, the store was busy with shoppers who were buying, and it had only been open for a few hours.
We can't tell if the store offers more merchandise than the other locations, but there's a lot more of it, and it's spread out over a lot more space. Ultimately, though, like all of the stores operated by Williams-Sonoma, it is meticulously designed to reflect the consistent corporate image dictated from headquarters, not unlike McDonald's, but in a most upscale way. This is simply the most complete representation of West Elm that we have seen so far. This doesn't make it unappealing. In fact there's plenty of stuff there that we would be happy to have. It's just not where we would go to discover anything new or surprising.
West Elm 1870 Broadway at 62nd Street, Upper West Side
Fishs Eddy Announces
Its Continuing Existence
It would seem that just staying in business is something of an accomplishment for a store these days.
The folks at Fishs Eddy, the ever popular purveyor of sturdy vintage and faux vintage tableware want to make sure everyone knows that they are definitely not going out of business or being dislodged from their longtime home at 19th and Broadway by a bank or Duane Reade.
To celebrate, They're having a nice sale which means that some of their well priced goods are really cheap now.
Of course, this clever promotional strategy would seem a little bit callous to the increasing number of unfortunate stores who have suffered the above listed fates, but hey, it's Fishs Eddy's karma. We're just telling you about it.
Fishs Eddy 889 Broadway at 19th Street, Union Square