Breathtaking Beauty

Balance Chandelier - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

Being in the Interior Design business I have the good fortune to be introduced to beautiful things every day. I may spend the day at the Marketplace Design Center in Philadelphia, touring showrooms full of the most exquisite fabrics and furnishings. If I’m in the office, working at my computer magnificent imagery arrives daily via email and snail mail. Manufacturers, Importers and Artisans send photos of their latest products and projects. Free time is spent perusing my favorite design blogs. I don’t believe that I am jaded because I love and appreciate what I do. Being surrounded by beauty is a blessing, but there are not too many things that elicit a gasp anymore. Living in the country I am also influenced by nature’s splendor, which is tough to surpass. 

Swing Red & Gold Chandelier - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

Recently I received an email featuring the artist, Ulla Darni. As you can see from these photographs her work is stunning, and literally took my breath away. In less than a decade Ulla has been established as the modern master of reverse-painting on glass. A century ago, Louis Comfort Tiffany was using glass with impurities to create his unique style of stained glass. Prior to that, painting in glass paint or enamels on colorless glass had been the dominant method of creating stained glass for several hundred years in Europe. Ulla’s talent is so perceptible that she has been hailed as “Today’s Tiffany.” 

Paris Lamp Onion Dome - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

When she was a young woman, Ulla started her career in Copenhagen as a porcelain painter. The following excerpts were derived from Ulla’s online biography: “her luck, beauty, and vivacious personality led to a career on stage and screen.” After seven years as an actress, “Ulla moved to New York and began studying painting with renowned artist mentors at New York’s Art Student League and won prizes and recognition for her paintings on canvas.” Eventually, Ulla moved to the Catskill Mountains and began selling antiques from her home, which was also lavished with paintings by Ulla. An antiques dealer that had seen her paintings approached Ulla with a reverse painted lamp that needed repair. He sold the repaired lamp for a large sum which inspired Ulla to consider creating a business. 

Original Chandelier Number FiftyTwo - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

In addition to paintings Ulla creates painted glass shades for chandeliers, table lamps, sconces, floor lamps and nightlights. Similar to an authentic Tiffany, Handel or Pairpoint lamp from the Art Nouveau era, Ulla’s fixtures are supported by ornate metal bases. Ulla does the sculpture work for the cast bronze bases and one of her assistants makes the molds. Offsite an artist does the casting, another artist hand forges the iron bases and a third artist hand-blows the glass for the shades. When she collaborates with other artisans, Ulla carefully oversees every detail to ensure the excellence of the entire design. 

Vienna Thin Purple Lantern - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

There are several collections available. Each item in the Ulla Originals collection is a one-of-a-kind creation painted by Ulla. The Multiple Originals collection features studio painted versions of original designs by Ulla Darni. Each signed and numbered piece is executed under Ulla’s direction by her talented artists in the Catskill Mountains Studio. Currently there are thirty patterns available. Ulla’s Studio Line  is an affordable gallery of digitally-reproduced, limited edition works from Ulla. Designs have been completed and production is underway. 

Original Floor Lamp Number Twenty Five Ninety Eight - Photo courtesy of Ulla Darni

This past year I have seen two other things that I felt were visually spectacular, the world of Pandora in the Avatar Film and the Dream Garden at the Curtis Center. I was musing about just what makes these things so appealing. They share similar elements or connections, the Avatar; Ulla’s work; Louis Tiffany; the Dream Garden; Art Nouveau; Philadelphia; Maxfield Parrish and the recent film version of Alice in Wonderland. But that’s a topic for another day! 

Researching Family History Leads to the Location of World War I Gravesite

This past Memorial Day I was inspired to research the history of my family members who had served our country. My Great-Uncle, Joseph Brady Collins II lost his life during active duty, in World War I. I spent the day researching him, and after several hours I had an idea of which cemetery in France he might be buried in. To see how I arrived at this conclusion review my previous post.

The St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial is the closest American cemetery to the town where my great uncle passed away. However, I was not certain that this was where he remained. During World War I, the American government had announced, that the bodies of the men who fell in France would be carried back to America after the war. At the end of the war families were given a choice to have the bodies returned home or to have them left resting in France. My Great-Grandmother decided to leave her son resting in France. I wondered if he was still buried near Toul, or if there was a possibility that he had been moved to one of the other American cemeteries. 

When I had a moment to resume the quest I sent an email to the St. Mihiel Cemetery and received a prompt reply. Bobby O. Bell, the superintendent at the St. Mihiel provided me with a link to the American Battle Monuments Commission website with instructions to click on WWI burials, and type in the name of my Great-Uncle. The link was very simple to use, and I found that my Great-Uncle is indeed buried at Saint Mihiel.

I sent Bobby another email to share my discovery and express gratitude for the kind assistance. Bobby was then gracious enough to visit the gravesite, take a few photographs, and forward them to me. It was great to discover that my cousin’s daughter, Sammi is also researching our family history. Whether blogging, or pursuing your family genealogy you never know where the path may lead and who you may meet along the way. I’m glad to have Sammi as a collaborator in family research and, it was a pleasure to cross paths with Bobby O. Bell while uncovering a piece of family history. 

Eric Cohler the Mixmaster

Eric Cohler has been dubbed the “Mix Master” because of his deft ability to blend traditional and contemporary design. Recently, I attended Eric’s presentation at the Marketplace Design Center in Philadelphia. Eric discussed his past, his concepts and his inspirations. Eric said “we all need a past to find the here and now.” I can understand how his experiences have provided a solid foundation for all of the wonderful designs he produces. By sharing Eric’s wisdom, perhaps I can help you fashion a space that suits your lifestyle in the here and now.

Since he was a young man, Eric has come in contact with a myriad of contemporary, traditional, and historic influences. Driven by a passion for design, Eric weaves contrary elements into interesting furnishings and spaces. His work includes fabric collections, carpet design, appliance design and more. 

Eric Cohler's newest fabric designs: The Lodge Collection for Lee Jofa

Eric’s passion for interior design developed at an early age. When he was just a boy of ten, a few decorating episodes on the “I Love Lucy Show” inspired Eric to rearrange the living room. His mother was an interior designer so she was not pleased with her son moving the furniture. However she left the bergeré chairs where Eric had placed them and a design star was born. 

Some contemporary influence came from the home of his great grandparents. George Keck was the architect for “The House of Tomorrow” at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. In 1937 Eric’s great grandparents hired Mr. Keck to design and build their Bauhaus style home. His great grandmother had stated one requirement, “I want the house of the day after tomorrow”.

The family business, Kuppenheimer Clothiers imparted a traditional influence. Kuppenheimer was a company known for quality textiles and classic taste. Eric is a trained art historian; he holds a master's degree in historic preservation from the Columbia University School of Architecture and a certificate in design from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Here are some photos that illustrate how Eric Cohler pulls it all together:

The Library, at Eric Cohler’s weekend home in Connecticut. Eric used a striped wall covering horizontally to visually widen a narrow space. The textiles in this space have geometric lines for a contemporary feel, mixed with chair frames in classic 18th Century styles.

 

Bedroom design by Eric Cohler. Black and white, yin and yang, wabi – sabi… Contemporary and traditional are not the only things that Eric contrasts in a design. He likes to create frisson - friction or tension in room. Eric professes that "tension holds things together".

This vignette is from Eric Cohler’s Manhattan home. The frames used are contemporary, but the photographs being framed are both vintage and contemporary. Since childhood Eric has loved the work of David Hicks and he uses one of David’s carpet designs here. 

Hanging the artwork Salon Style is a classic technique, one that Thomas Jefferson employed at Monticello.  There is a photo of the parlor at Monticello showing artwork hung salon style, but after several attempts to obtain permission to use the photo, I have not received a reply. A special thanks to Marc Leepson at Saving Monticello, for helping me track down this photograph and trying to help me obtain permission for use. 

If you would like to see more artwork hung salon style, check out Jennifer Boles post on her blog The Peak of Chic.

As I mentioned in a previous post Eric also discussed "The Power of Passion".

Eric summed up his presentation with what I believe was the most important design concept he shared: 

“Nothing is in good taste unless it suits the way you live”.   Eric Cohler