Oh The Holiday House is Upon Us...

Hello fellow design enthusiasts!

Just as I'm sure you're gearing up for the holidays, I am preparing for this year's Holiday House in NYC.  For those of you not familiar with the event.  Holiday House is a mansion on 5th Avenue whose rooms are designed by professional designers with a different holiday for each room.  While it is an amazing experience to let my imagination take flight and think up an environment we all dream of during our favorite holiday, putting it together is a real life experience in the trials of designing.

The holiday I am designing for is Thanksgiving, and fortunately enough I am designing the dining room, with a real working fireplace.  This entails setting a gorgeous table with all the dinnerware and finery we can only dream of.  This however, proved challenging when the crystal is still in France and yet to leave with only a few days to go.  It's fortunate that there are so many companies in NYC that carry beautifully crafted stemware.  So it wasn't too long before I had a lovely replacement.

Now, if I can get the lightbulbs to fit properly in the antique lighting and the landscape design to reflect autumnal harvest, we should be all set!  Stay tuned for more adventures in designing and pictures of the final product.  The Press is stopping this upcoming Monday, so I will have pictures soon.  If you're interested in visiting this year.  Please click on the following link to purchase your tickets.   http://www.holidayhousenyc.com/buy-tickets/

Here is a pic of my colleagues and I preparing for the kick off.

And some before pictures for you.

All the best,
Felicia

Coffee or Tea?

Happy Summer Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying the weather and making time for some R&R.  Although I have taken some vacation time, I have also been working at my usual pace.  One of the newest and exciting projects this summer has been the launch of the Contract line for FZ Collection.  After, the residential line was on display at The Lucida, I had an opportunity to meet with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to design custom furniture pieces for their new flagship store in New York City.  You might recognize this coffee company from its West Coast locales.  They are opening their new venue this August.  Be sure to check out the store on Broadway and 39th Street.

One of the first pieces that I have designed is the “Signature Coffee Bean Chair”, which has a hand-carved design on the back part reminiscent of a coffee bean dimple.  Adding to the coffee farm motif,  are the custom upholstered banquettes in burlap with the printed names of the coffee plantations that contribute to Coffee Bean’s product line.  The table tops have been made to order as well with the company logo embossed using an acid application.  The amber, gold color of the table top makes you think of a warm cup of coffee or tea.

Take a look at the photos below to see how the process comes about.

Be sure to check back on my blog to see how all of the pieces from FZ Contract Collection come together to form Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's new store!

Rumson Showhouse After Pictures

As Promised!  Below are the After pictures of the Recreation Room I designed at this year's Rumson Showhouse.  If you look at my previous blog, you'll see that the room, was dark, cluttered and didn't really lend itself for entertaining of any kind.  But now, you could definitely have a sophisticated party that includes family and friends. 

If you haven't had a chance to visit the showhouse yet, I really encourage you to go and visit this jewel of a house.  From it's location above the Navesink River, the views are spectacular.  And the tastefully designed rooms only add to the whole experience.  Don't miss out!

Showhouse at Holly Hill

Hello Everyone,

Once again it is that time of year when interior designers prepare to partcipate in the Stately Homes by the Sea Designer Showhouse.  http://www.statelyhomesbythesea.com/default.asp
The event is being held from May 3rd - June 12th, 2011.

This year, the event is being held at Holly Hill, a historic country estate, near Red Bank, NJ.  More than 35 of the region's top interior designers participate in designing a different room or area in the estate.  

For my own design, I am transforming a dark recreation room in the basement of the residence into a room that not only looks chic but can still be used for entertaining guests at any age.  I've used the greys and calming colors of the sea to create a sophisticated atmosphere and at the same time brought the garden outside through the french doors and into this 'new' space.  I can not wait for all of you to visit and take a look at the transformation.  Hope you can make it!
Stay tuned for the after picture......

FZ Collection at The Lucida

Hello All!

Phew!....These last couple of weeks have been non-stop and I can't wait to tell you about them.  I was asked to design a whole apartment in New York City's first LEED residential building, The Lucida.  You must be asking yourself what does LEED mean? 

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an ecology-oriented building certification program run under the auspices of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED concentrates its efforts on improving performance across five key areas of environmental and human health: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development, and water savings.

The program is designed to educate and inform those in all areas of the design profession how to best design a space in a "Green" way.  And constructing a green building in New York City of all places is no easy feat.  That is why I am so proud to be asked to participate and design for this space.

At the same time I was asked to design for The Lucida, I was also launching my new furniture line FZ Collection.  And what better way to introduce my line to the public than by including them in the design of the apartment.

But wait!  The news gets better.  I had the opportunity to showcase Anthony Quinn's art at The Lucida after the lovely introduction to his wife, Katherine Quinn.

And how to present so much art and design to the public?  With a party of course!  The official FZ Collection Launch Party took place on March 24, 2010.  Guests included people from the design trade, clients, friends and family.  With the jazz pianist playing on the baby grand in the background, guests were able to go from room to room and see how FZ Collection can be incorporated into different designs and uses.  From the Roark desk in the Study/Guest Room to the Gatsby in the Dining area to the Port in the Living Room.  The furniture is not only functional but versatile in its design. You can check out my new FZ collection by clicking on this link www.fzcollection.net

FZ Collection has Launched

Bonjour!


I am glad to share with everyone that I have launched my very own custom furniture line entitled FZ Collection.  The catalogs for these custom pieces have just arrived and already people are remarking what they would like to order!


Putting this together has long been a dream of mine and seeing it come to fruition is not only exciting but opens up Art de Triomphe to many new possibilities.  To get a sneak peek at some of the pieces and see how it all came together, take a look at the pictures below.  I never thought a photo shoot in a freezing warehouse would get such beautiful results.

New Year, New Opportunities

As part of the New Year, I am embarking on a new venture by launching a  furniture line in conjunction with Joao Costa. After many years of collaborating on various projects together, we felt the need to create a new furniture line that would contain all the details, materials, and finishes my clients are used to seeing in my designs. 

Our hope is that our new design and fresh creativity will meet old fashioned European craftsmanship to produce one-of-a-kind pieces. Our collection is created by hand one piece at a time. We start with a custom design made specifically for the project; a wood species is selected for the frame, a finish is hand applied, and a luxurious fabric stitched in place. Attention to detail is our standard.

As many of you are aware from reading my blog or seeing my work, Art de Triomphe's mission statement is Capturing The Art of Interiors. Art isn’t just what you hang on your walls, it should also be the products you use on a daily basis,  such as your furniture. Our products are created by skilled artisans whose skills help us achieve our goal of creating unique yet functional  furniture that can be customized to meet specific needs.  

I'd like to invite you all to take part in the launch of our new line FZ Collection.  Stay tuned for further information and pictures of our new line....