Museums in the U.K. with special bird exhibits can finally breathe a sigh of relief.  According to the BBC, the individual who stole 300 exotic bird skins from the National History Museum at Tring in Hertfordshire last summer is finally being brought to justice.  And, better yet, the Museum will be able to reclaim the skins as they were found, completely intact.  The beautiful bird skin collection is not merely for display, scientists from across the globe use the skins for important research.

The Natural History Musuem in Hertfordshire (Photo courtesy of the Museum)

Make sure to check out some of Dana Killion’s beautiful designs on her website: www.killionclothes.com. Her next two stops are the Chicago and Vancouver One-of-a-Kind Shows!

Dana Killion

For those who can’t make it to Milan this year, there is always “Italia Design Street Walking.”  In celebration of the 50th anniversary of I Saloni , 20 Italian furniture showrooms throughout New York City will host an Italian Design “night out” on November 29th from 6-9pm.   Italian delicacies and vino will be served during the event…

Participants are listed below:

In celebration of Patrick Jouin‘s New York debut and new exhibit, Design and Gesture, we were feeling quite at home in the Museum of Arts and Design last week. Anxious to meet the French design phenom, we first headed to Columbus Circle on Monday for a special VIP members preview.

Front and center of the exhibit, perched in the lobby, we were struck by the large-scale cloud installation made of handcrafted lights from Venetian-based Leucos/FDV Collection.

Advancing to the second floor, the exhibition continues with a panoramic video by Belgian director JÈrÙme de Gerlache that explores the relationship between object and gesture. Several of his popular kitchen products (including every cook’s favorite: the Alessi pasta pot) were on display backed by pantomiming hands emerging from a glass mirror.

Praised for his futuristic use of manufacturing techniques, objects using rapid prototyping, including the One_Shot stool for MGX and the S1 Solid ottoman and S2 Solid chair, make our must-see list at this exhibit.

L-R: S2 Solid, S1 Solid and One_Shot.MGX

Wednesday night we returned to the museum for a party hosted by Interior Design to hear a few anecdotes from the down-to-earth design superstar. One of our favorites was a charming tale about his work with Alessi. He had originally  pitched them a prototype of a pasta pot with a a handle that also served as a spoon cradle. Although Alessi liked the idea, they told him to “Take some time to get to ‘know’ the significance of a pot and come back in a year.”  Jouin took their advice and went so far as to take a risotto lesson from Berlusconi’s personal chef (using pasta pots for making risotto was a trend at the time). As a result of the culinary tête-à-tête, Jouin went back to Alessi with a redesign which clicked with the Italian design firm. Jouin was now selling the Italians a product that would enhance their risotto and pasta making. “Quel scandal!  A Frenchman teaching an Italian how to cook his pasta properly!” Jouin exclaimed.  And that is just one of the many entertaining stories he told throughout the night.

Hanging with Matt Schroeder, Designer Pages

Design and Gesture will be on display at the Museum of Arts and Design until February 6, 2011. For more information, visit: http://madmuseum.org/

Our friends at NYDC gave us the scoop on another great fall sale…

For those looking to get a jump on holiday shopping, the One of a Kind Show and Sale is the perfect resource for thoughtful, unique gifts from talented artists.

The shopping extravaganza kicked off yesterday at 7 W New York and will run for the next two weekends.

The details:

Location:
7 W New York®
Midtown at 7 W 34th St. at 5th Ave.
Directly across from the Empire State Building

Hours:
Thursdays, November 11 & November 18    12 pm – 9 pm
Fridays, November 12 & November 19     11 am – 8 pm
Saturdays, November 13 & November 20    11 am – 7 pm
Sundays, November 14 & November 21    11 am – 5 pm

We always look forward to our late afternoon newsletters from mediabistro, but were shocked to see the news today about Moss.  Apparently there will be no window shopping on Greene Street for a little while as the storefront is covered in government notices. We hope it all gets settled soon…

Interior Design magazine is gearing up for their biggest event of the season, the 26^th annual Hall of Fame gala and this year’s inductees are as much varied, as they are talented. The inductees include Shigeru Ban of Shigeru Ban Architects, Neil Denari of Neil M. Denari Architects and designer Karim Rashid. Each inductee brings their own unique element to this year’s award show. Tokyo- born Shigeru Ban has dedicated his immense knowledge and skills for disaster relief projects as a consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner. Neil Denari is an equally talented architect that explores the technical and formal impact of technology on architecture and just recently had one of his drawings purchased by the Cooper Hewitt Museum. As one of the most innovative and prolific designers of our current generation, Karin Rashid, is also celebrated this year for his work all over the world that highlights the importance of design in everyday life. In addition to the three hall of fame honorees Interior Design is introducing one more award for the Design Icon. The first Design Icon is being awarded to the former editor of Architectural Digest, Paige Rense. Everyone honored at this year’s Hall of Fame gala have made significant impacts on the world of design and architecture. We can’t wait to raise a glass to them and celebrate the contributions they have made to our industry.

Shigeru Ban, Neil Denari, Karim Rashid, Paige Rense

Reservations required: 917-492-3395 or e-mail programs@mcny.org.

$6 museum members; $8 seniors and students; $12 non-members

$6 when you mention Design Calendar

The Museum of the City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 103^rd Street

New York, NY  10029

www.mcny.org

212-534-1672

Last week at the Hafele New York Showroom, Rusk Renovations hosted a virtual throwdown between kitchen design dynamo Florence Perchuk and visiting New Orleans Chef from Cochon, Stephen Stryjewski.

In front of a packed house, the petite Perchuk and staggering Stryjewski duked it out, each jabbing thoughts about the do’s and don’ts of kitchen design and offering tips in how to model spaces after residential and commercial environs. Each round was devoted to specific topics, storage, appliances, living, cooking with the CEO John Rusk serving as a referee moderator. Guests were wowed by the fighters as well as by the use of hydraulics for cabinet doors, height adjustable counter tops, hidden appliances and other innovations offered at Hafele and showing in projects completed by Rusk Renovations, one the city’s leading residential contractors.

In addition to being marveled by the gorgeous showroom and Hafele hardware, sliding doors and accessories, the food and drink were a major evening highlight. Delectables included fight night peanuts, boudin sausages, deviled crab meat, fried pork rinds, a variety of home made pickles and charcuterie, Cochon’s own mustard along with the “Swinekiller” signature cocktail made with gin, fresh limeade and rhubarb bitters.

Rusk Renovations owners John Rusk and Mary Kocy stand with John Risch, Business and Showroom Manager, Hafele New York.

In the end, it was hard to determine the evening’s real winner. One of the most insightful comments came from Ms. Perchuk who said that, “the kitchen is truly the most important room in the house, as it represents food, which, in truth symbolizes love.”

This post was written by guest blogger, Carol VanderKloot. All photos are courtesy of Dustin Pittman: www.dustinpittman.com.