Every two weeks, T&C puts together an assortment of the best design news and happenings— everything from interior projects that pique our interest to auctions of note, and must-have products on the market.
Café Ginori Opens at Bergdorf Goodman
For the lady-who-lunches, it's customary to have a regular place to dish on the latest society secrets over light bites. But, why not dedicate this summer to trying someplace new? Café Ginori at Bergdorf Goodman is a great contender.
Located in the heart of the legendary department store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, Ginori 1735 takes its rich Italian porcelains and turns them into stylish culinary experiences. Minimalists beware: There are pink walls with floral motifs, which also make their way to the upholstered chairs, china of every color placed proudly on the walls, and colorful table sets.
For those who actually plan to eat, the café serves cream-colored beetroot risotto, eggplant parmigiana, and beef carpaccio on plates a part of the brand's Oriente Italiano collection. If you don't learn a new piece of gossip over lunch, then you're certain to learn a thing or two about setting a table.
De Gournay Opens New Outpost in Los Angeles
How many rooms does it take to be able to truly show off de Gournay's wall decor expertise? If you're to believe the brand's stunning new residence, a by-appointment-only "living portfolio" and pied-à-terre for the family of its founder, located in the Hollywood Hills, that number would be 11. The home is ultimately de Gournay's take on Southern California with the brand's wallpapers and fabrics driving home its singular sense of style.
The hand-painted Nordic Gardens and Arbour, which illustrates green gardenias against a soft gradient background in a similar color, envelopes the living room. The brand's hand-embroidered wall coverings, Mughal Trees and Dawn Chorus, depict a blossoming tropical setting. Jazz, one of de Gournay's more contemporary offerings, makes the kitchen feel playful and energetic.
Not only will the home be a point where clients can truly envelop themselves in the world of de Gournay, but it's also available for trunk shows, photoshoots, and more. Caution: Once you visit, you might never want to move out.
Three Questions With... Suleika Jaouad
The artist and writer Suleika Jaouad has lived parts of her life in the public eye, detailing her life experiences in journalism as well as the bestselling memoir Between Two Kingdoms, and appearing in the Matthew Heineman-directed documentary American Symphony, which followed her experience with cancer treatment as her husband (the musician Jon Batiste) works to compose a symphony. Now, Jaouad is telling her own story through an exhibition titled The Alchemy of Blood on view at ArtYard Frenchtown, NJ. The show features work by Jaouad and her mother, Anne Francey; the person who introduced her to art as a form of healing. Below, Jaouad gives us an inside glimpse of the show and its personal significance.
T&C: Why did you and your mother feel that now was the time to show works alongside one another?
For so much of the last two years, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a goopy, larval, chrysalis-like state. I wanted to design a rite of passage to ease me through this period of recovery and healing, to get me from that place of no longer to not yet, and I’ve always found the best vehicle for that is a creative practice. This new body of work that I’m showing is the incarnation of that odyssey. I planned this in collaboration with my mom, Anne Francey, because going through something like a cancer diagnosis and treatment doesn’t just affect the patient—it affects caregivers just as much. Since she is my teacher and my greatest inspiration artistically, and because she is the person who has been by my side always, especially during both bouts of illness, a joint show felt appropriate.
T&C: Both art and music have played major roles in your life. What effects have they had on you during difficult moments?
Creativity, be it music or visual art, or writing, may seem superfluous, like a luxury, especially during times of great distress. But to me, it’s the opposite. It’s what gets me through. It’s what allows me to take narrative control, to meaning-make, and to figure out what jewels can be excavated from the muck. I believe that creativity is a gift that everyone has access to and can benefit from cultivating. Genre and medium are less important. The form needed to say what you’re trying to say announces itself; you just have to be limber enough to adapt and move with it.
Your work feels whimsical and surreal. Why do you think this is an effective way to tell your story?
The initial studies that inspired the 10 never-before-seen paintings that I’ll be showing in The Alchemy of Blood were born of medication-induced hallucinations and fever dreams that plagued me during my second bone marrow transplant and planted me in the realm of the surreal. But the truth is, I’ve always straddled the real world and the realm of magical thinking. There’s something profoundly liberating when you’re in a hospital bed, and despite that confinement, you realize you can transport yourself anywhere. Anything becomes possible in your imagination and on the canvas or the page.
Style News Editor at Town and Country covering society, style, art, and design.
