I saw this dresser in Interior Design Magazine featured with other interesting and unique storage cabinets.  I was immediately drawn to it as it displayed everything I admired in contemporary furnishings: unpredictable , clever and some place between a functional and an artistic creation.

 

 

That I am totally intrigued by designs that reside in the art furniture category should be evident by now if you follow me.  That old adage “form follows function” doesn’t fly with this gal. I am definitely attracted to  furnishings that have one foot in functionality and the other foot in the creativity side of the spectrum, with a preference to more of an emphasis on the creative.

 

 

The homes and  apartments I admire most are ones where it is hard to tell where the furniture ends and the art begins as both of these important aspects of interior design seem to meld so seamlessly. That is, for me, is interior design perfection!

 

 

Enter stage left, Elisabeth Garouste, designer extraordinaire! Her background and training were in interior design and set design but she is most known for her collaborative work with Mattia Bonetti, a Swiss photographer.

 

 

Garouste and Bonetti were design partners for well over 20 years and are undoubtedly considered among a small group of iconic designers of the 1980s. Their designs were highly original and creative and miles away from the concept of mass produced furnishings.

 

 

Their creations incorporated unique material such as bronze and terra-cotta, carefully executed in a highly innovative manner. The actual design trend, “Barbaric Style” was a result of their famous Barbaric Chair , a fabulous mixture of  poetic and medieval symbolism. This super-talented duo achieved all sorts of artistic and design successes and their furnishings can be found in numerous museum collections throughout Europe.

 

 

Today, one can find the whimsical and totally enchanting art furniture of Elizabeth Garouste at Ralph Pucci International here in New York City.  After joining Pucci International in 2014, Garouste finally had the first solo exhibition of her fabulous creations at Pucci last May.

 

 

Hats off to seeing the usual in unusual ways and bringing art and design to the common and the ordinary…which we all realize can happen only through the eyes of a great designer.

 

Ciao, ciao ’til next time!