FZ Collection Travels to Arizona For HOTEC North America

FZ Collection Heads To HOTEC

Two weeks ago, I headed southwest with my FZ Collection partner Joao. After a short flight and drive through the Arizona desert, we arrived at the stunning Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort in Tucson. Tucked away in the hills surrounding Tucson, Ritz Carlton's Dove Mountain Resort was the perfect fit for HOTEC, a conference that brings together vendors and buyers in the hospitality industry. 

As a designer, my first impression is always the decor. Dove Mountain's decor fuses elegance and durability (longevity is always important when selecting materials for hotels) with the relaxing ambiance that is typical to the Southwest. Rich terra cotta fabrics and stone pillars brought the look of the surrounding landscape into the hotel. Although the day's were filled with back-to-back meetings and educational speaking engagements, the natural decor was relaxing and put everyone at ease.   

Welcome to FZ Collection!

HOTEC is a bit like speed dating, or so I imagine, except you actually want to speak with the people across the table from you. Meeting with the Principals and Buyers of high-end hopsitality design firms and hotels was an invigorating and enjoyable experience! We discussed FZ's production facilities and our ability to manufacture turn-key and custom furniture, in addition to our existing designs. Thanks to our factory in Portugal, FZ can easily live up to our slogan "Collect Ours, Create Yours!" To browse our extensive collection and see some of the examples we showed during our presentations, click here: 

http://www.fzcollection.net/hospitality.aspx

Team FZ & The Naked Jalepeno!

The meetings may have been all-business but connecting with your fellow colleagues in between meetings and during the evenings was when the real fun began! One of our favorite activities was the HOTEC Salsa Competition. Joao and I teamed up with Francis Wong, Elkie Saunders, and Neil Morrow to create the amazing NAKED JALEPENO!! Green and spicy, our salsa was a favorite with the judges. Look how clever the other contestants were:

Getting to know other vendors and buyers in the hospitality industry was a real treat, especially when it involved top-chef like competitions and pool side white parties. Listening to the educational panel, Patricia Rotundo of VOA; Bill Langmade of PMI, Ted Brumleve of Virgin Hotels; and James Carry of  Wilson Associates,  and interacting with the industry's leaders was informative and inspiring. I can't wait to be a part of such a welcoming and engaging experience next year!

Learn more about FZ Collection and browse our gallery! For questions, contact info@fzcollection.net or customerservice@feliciazwebner.com. 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

Romeo & Juliette: FZ Collection Debuts At The D&D Building

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

FZ Collection has made its debut at the Decoration & Design Building in New York City! Featured in Romo's new Romo Black lobby window, our FZ Collection Romeo Settee makes a stunning statement.

Distinctly modern with his high sloping back, the regal Romeo is handsome upholstered in a luxurious turquoise ombre velvet. Romo's textured Cadiz velvet has a Byzantine design that is both ancient and contemporary, making our Romeo Settee as timeless as his Shakespearean counterpart.

I love pairing exotic fabrics with our modern furniture to create a design style that is sophisticated and functional.

It is my lady; O, it is my love!

Every Romeo needs a Juliette, which is why we are creating the Juliette Chair! Coming soon to FZ Collection, the Juliette Chair will have the same graceful silhouette as her Romeo Settee companion. Clean, tapered lines make our Romeo & Juliette story a great addition to elegant modern decor.

What is a love story without an audience?

Love our Romeo Settee? Compliment the Romeo Settee and Juliette Chair (coming soon) with our Leah Coffee Table and Allura Cabinet for a worldly and inviting sitting room.

Shop the entire FZ Collection online. Contact info@fzcollection.net or customerservice@feliciazwebner.com with questions.

World Class Luxury Travel: My Kips Bay Cinderella Story

The 2013 Kips Bay Decorator Show House boasts spectacular spaces filled with gilded treasures, luxurious textiles, and sensational art. Each room begins as a blank canvas and is transformed by a talented designer into a microcosm of creative energy and fairy-tale perfection. Here is my Cinderella story:

When I was invited to participate in the Kips Bay Decorator Show house, I was in the midst of traveling overseas. I knew I wanted to design a room inspired by World Class Luxury Travel, complete with lush fabrics and a fireplace. What I did not know was, which room I would be assigned. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I would be decorating the laundry room!

Even more shocking, was the fact that my blank canvas was not actually a clean palette but instead had rusty pipes and a corroded tile floor.

Before

When my team sent me photos of the room so I could create the floor plan and design the custom furnishings, I realized I had to adapt my design concept. It was a challenge to accommodate the small dimensions as well as the metal pipes and tile floor, neither of which were a part of my vision. 

In order to cover the tile, we raised the floor and installed wide plank ebony wood. We then extended the wall to hide the plumbing and make room for the fireplace. Luckily, I was  able to find a fireplace that didn't have open flame and could fit in a 4"wall. Essentially, I made my small space smaller; when you have lemons, make lemonade!

After

Once the construction was complete, the real decorating magic began. Much like Cinderella before the ball, my room quickly turned into an elegant and inviting sitting area. 

I wanted my room to feel relaxing and luxurious even though it was barely larger than a closet. I selected Stark fabrics for the sofa, which I custom designed to fit into the space, and the pillows. The coffee table, another piece I custom designed just for this room, has a beautiful mother-of-pearl table top and an intricate metal base, which was inspired by a sculpture I saw at Art Basel. 

The walls are wrapped in a shimmering Stark paper that enhances the metallic accents throughout the room and complements the dark wood floor and silver wood veneer ceiling (also covered in a Stark paper).

Designing With Art

My philosophy is that good design warrants fine art and sculptures. I selected a David Dunlop painting depicting New York's' Grand Central Station to further enhance my concept of high-end travel. The moody blue hues invoke a sense of mystery and create a focal point. The glass sculpture and soaring lamps adhere to this belief and give the room a polished effect. 

I think I achieved my goal of depicting World Class Luxury Travel, but you be the judge!

The silver Clenos Console, FZ Collection Ottoman, Wilhemina Settee, and Basel Coffee Table are all custom designed by me and available for purchase through my furniture company FZ Collection. 

Please contact info@fzcollection.net or customerservice@feliciazwebner.com with any questions.

Photography: Thank you to Marco Ricca for the beautiful photographs!

FZ in this month’s issue of Traditional Home!

 

Felicia was one of the 37 designers that participated in The Holiday House Designer Showcase! The theme she chose was Thanksgiving and included a limestone fireplace, walnut paneled walls, and a beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling. In the Traditional Home article, Felicia says, 

“I wanted guests to experience the comfort and warmth that comes with that holiday.”

Felicia specifically divided up the space by creating a seating area in front of the fireplace to invite guests to come sit down and engage in conversation. Although the room was rather formal, she wanted it to be elegant and intimate. To create this feeling, the eating areas were divided into two round tables. Felicia says, “I love using round tables rather than one long table because you can easily see everyone around the table and engage in cross conversation.”

The structure of the room was also considered. Because the walls had dark stained paneling, ornate details in the ceiling relief, and adorned columns at the garden entrance, it was necessary to lighten the room with the color palette. A soft ice blue was chosen for the two large sofas and rug. Felicia says, “The inspiration for the whole color palette was a silk embroidered fabric I found in Stark.” With vibrant colors like orange and raspberry, she used that fabric for a pair of long lumber pillows for the sofas as well as the tablecloths. Very autumn!

New technology was also incorporated... sound from light bulbs! By recording sound clips programmed by iPods, Felicia was able to have various sounds in the 3 different areas. On the table lamps there was an audio sound of actors talking about Thanksgiving food. Inside the fireplace was an audio sound of leaves crunching. By the seating area one heard the sweet sultry music of Edith Pilaf.

The fabrics used in the space varied in colors and texture. From the cool crisp grey leather on the pair of wing chairs flanking the fireplace to the luscious velvets on the chairs and sumptuous silks on the tablecloths and pillows. The space was elegant, appointed, and inviting.

FZ Collection furniture pieces that are featured in this room are the Robin Chair, Ukiyo Sofa, and the Charles Wing Chair. To see more of the collection, visit fzcollection.net.

 

Pick up your Traditional Home issue today or click here to see it online!

Bling, Bling!

IGT International Gem Tower

Extell Development Corp.

55 W 46^th Street

New York, New York

The International Gem Tower is a commercial condominium complex located in New York’s Diamond District and is designed for the diamond, gem, and jewelry trade. This building attracts global jewelry companies and provides unobstructed views of the city.

It all happened when Felicia received a call on Thursday to complete a design renovation for an event IGT was going to have the following Tuesday. The project? We had 72 hours to create a luxurious model office with all the bling! So it was Felicia Zwebner Design to the rescue! This office was important because it would set an example as one of the driving forces to sell office space to global jewelry companies. Extell chose Felicia Zwebner Design because they were familiar with FZ Collection and the level of quality and design driven look that we are known for. 

The model office is furnished with FZ Collection. For this very special space, we created two custom made pieces and they have glitz and glam in all the right places…

Luis Bench white rift oak in our dark espresso finish with a white pearlized python cushion

Lea Table black lacquer table inset with rock crystal glass with silver leaf

Even with the time constraints, we were able to create these gorgeous custom pieces. If Felicia can visualize it, FZ Collection can create it!

Not only was the space furnished with FZ Collection and accessorized with books on jewelry collections and auction catalogs from famous estates, but also because of Felicia’s expertise in art, she was able to curate a fine art collection that was worthy of such a glamorous office!

Stanhope

                                                       STANHOPE

On 1/2/12, Felicia received a phone call from a real estate developer asking her to check out an old historic building for a possible job opportunity. From the start, Felicia considered the offer a dream come true in the interior design field. Even before finding out the exact details about the job, Felicia was sold on the opportunity to work on a job in such an amazing location. What really sealed the deal was the fact that the job would allow her to design an entire floor in the building!

Early on, it became evident that time was of the essence since the wintertime job was expected to be completed and ready to be sold that spring. Despite the time restraint, Felicia felt confident that the end result would be far from typical and average. Also, like many other big design jobs, Felicia was given a pretty tight budget to work with. However, Felicia strategically and carefully selected furniture that would be perfectly fitting for the apartment and the budget she was given. Among the selected furniture was some of Felicia’s own from her furniture line, FZ collection.

The main struggle that Felicia faced was the fact that the old building is from the early 1900s and it only has one elevator! Given that she had never had to work with such a limited mode of transportation for furniture, Felicia and her team had to put their heads together to figure out how to get the large and lavish furniture into the apartment. Ultimately, the solution was to remodel the large furniture to have detachable parts so it could all fit in the tiny elevator! Clearly, Felicia’s ability to really roll with the punches allowed her to come up with a great solution under pressure.

Since the project was so big, it required a lot of installers to get the job done. Throughout the job, there were painters, electricians, upholsterers, and many more installers across the spectrum to help finish the apartment. Being that the apartment is right next to the Met, Felicia felt that the apartment should be decorated with fabulous art. She ultimately chose artwork by Robert Motherwell and Willem De Kooning, both of whom have art featured at the Met. Felicia also included photographs of Sean Connery and Bridget Bardot by world famous photographer, Terry O’Neill.

In the end, the one-of-a-kind apartment was finished on time and came out as perfect as could be. The combination of the prime Manhattan location and Felicia’s unique designs is what sold the apartment after two months for $30 million. Felicia’s hard work and dedication paid off and her eye for elegance is now showcased in this beautiful space.

Holiday House May Be Over..But the Holidays Continue

As yet another Holiday approaches this weekend.  We wanted to share with you our Holiday photos.  Holiday House was a smashing success.  The Dining Room was a popular venue for many types of press. Fox 5 conducted several interviews with  both Design Editors and Antiques Editor of  Traditional Home Magazine, not to mention an expose given by Felicia Zwebner of how to make the most of Thanksgiving without being cliché…click here to see Thanksgiving Without Using Turkeys   

Editor at Large also got in on the action by conducting a casual and entertaining interview with Felicia regarding  her take on the Holiday season from decorating to gift giving  and more…

The Dining Room also was the venue for theatre performances.  Ironically enough the play that was performed was called “The Long Christmas Dinner” by  The Fundamental Theatre Project directed by Sam Underwood. It was fascinating to see how a room comes alive once there are actors performing in the space.  The  majority of the furniture was created by Felicia from FZ Collection  (www.fzcollection.net).  The sound and movement of the actors breathed life into the room.  Since there were only several performances and  6 weeks of show house touring, Felicia decided to incorporate the concept of sound into the designed space.  However given the age of the home coupled with the antiquated lighting there were very few outlets to be had.  Lighting was also important since the room is enveloped in dark paneling so clearly lamps (requiring outlets) would take precedence.  Therefore, in collaboration with Saga Electronics, Felicia used special bulbs for the lamps that contained sound bytes.    These sounds filled the room, by the window one could hear the sound of horse hoofs clopping through Old New York, the tables had dinner conversation (which was recorded by the very actors that were performing), the fireplace had the rustling of leaves, and by the seating area the French Sultry Music by Edith Piaf.