NOW AND THEN: Find Out Where Kelly Wearstler Gets Her Ideas

Roxbury dining chair and Huntley cabinet designed by Kelly Wearstler for E.J. Victor

Where do leading designers get their ideas?  Take a lesson from Kelly Wearstler.

She turns to design history and the decorative arts.

Kelly Wearstler's Huntley cabinet for E.J. Victor is a modern riff on the skyscraper furniture designed by Paul Frankl during the Art Deco period.  Her Roxbury dining chair finds precedent in the chairs designed by Josef Hoffman, a foremost designer in the Wiener Werkstatte.

Let's take a closer look.

Skyscraper Furniture and the Art Deco Period

Paul Frankl, like other designers from the Art Deco period, especially those from America, was enamored by the new buildings dubbed "skyscrapers" being erected in then dizzying altitudes.   He mimicked the design of those  buildings by crafting furniture where he massed elements in various heights, in a stepped back pattern.  Today, he is best known for his "skyscraper furniture" which is highly sought after by collectors.

An example of Paul Frankl's skyscraper furniture.

It is not hard to see  how Wearstler's Huntley cabinet stems from Frankl's stepped back forms.

Wearstler has used luxe materials for the Huntley cabinet also much like cabinet makers from the Art Deco period, especially those from France.  Her Huntley cabinet is made of blackened stainless steel, solid walnut and faced in parchment and clear and champagne colored mirrored and seeded glass with hand sculpted bronze pulls.  Have a look at this cabinet by Jean-Michel Frank, where he used equally splendid veneers and bronze accents.

A Gypsum and patinated bronze cabinet by Jean-Michel Frank. c. 1935

Josef Hoffmann

Josef Hoffmann, a leading designer in  the Wiener Werkstatte, is another inspiration for Kelly Wearstler.  In addition to being a fan of opulent materials like Wearstler,  Hoffman  designed many chairs where he featured a curving element, similar to the curves in Wearstler's Roxbury chair.

Chairs and settee by Josef Hoffmann, Weiner Werkstatte designer

For her Roxbury chair, Wearstler simply turned Hoffmann's trademark curve upside down.  As you see from the apron on the blue chair above, Hoffmann sometimes did that too.

Tour Wearstler's Malibu beach house to see how it is yet another example of how she is influenced by design history and decorative arts.  In that case I explain how it fits under the umbrella of that mouthful of  a term, "Gesamstkunstwerk." (I know what it means, don't ask me to actually say it. :-)  )

How do you get your design ideas?

Photo credits: Kelly Wearstler furniture image from her website.Paul Frankl cabinet from Sotheby's  .  Jean-Michel Frank cabinet from Sotheby's .  Hoffman chair collage: Set from Sotheby's via the chair blog,pair of chairs from Christie's ,single chair from architonic