Sticks & Stones

April 24 · Architectural Designs, News, Uncategorized · Black Walnut, Granite, Interior Design, JOHNHOUSHMAND, Luxury Residences, Manhattan, new designs, Reception Desk, Rockwell Group, the W, wood

They say first impressions last a lifetime – and we sure hope they do when you enter the new W New York – Downtown at 123 Washington Street. Our latest project, No. 0235, a Black Walnut dowel reception desk with a granite top, really is a statement piece.

Actualized in collaboration with our good friends at Rockwell Group, this bold and angular creation joined pieces by renowned companies such as Jim Thompson, Maya Romanoff and The Rug Company.

The Bowling Alley Table by RAA & JOHNHOUSHMAND

November 10 · Architectural Designs, Furniture Designs

In collaboration with Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), JOHNHOUSHMAND is pleased to present No. 0223 – The Bowling Alley Table and No. 0224 – The Chestnut Conference Table.

JOHNHOUSHMAND was approached by RAA to help create a working environment for their new downtown offices that would help foster creativity and collaborative design. Using reclaimed and salvaged materials, including vintage bowling alleys sourced from upstate New York, and setting the proportions of the tables at an extravagant size accomplished this goal. While the design of both pieces conveys a sense of dynamism and encourages team thinking, each piece is a unique creation unto itself.

No. 0223 – The Bowling Alley Table – boasts antique mahogany buttons and ribbon inserts with a thick, butcher-block weight and crisp, clean edges. No. 0224 – The Chestnut Conference Table – echoes the classic American look of the Bowling Alley Table through the use of chestnut, a popular wood in barns and simple country furniture throughout the country. By pairing together two, live-edge, sister slabs to create a conference table 28 feet long (over 7x as long as deep), No. 0224 replicates the look and undulating movement of an active river.

JOHNHOUSHMAND is honored to have participated in the creation on RAA’s new working environment. We can’t wait to see what they design next!

JOHNHOUSHMAND in InsideOut Magazine

September 27 · Architectural Designs, Features, Furniture Designs, Uncategorized · Cortney and Robert Novogratz, furniture design, Interior Design, JOHNHOUSHMAND, Sixx Design

Design mavens Cortney and Robert Novogratz of SixxDesign are best known for their effortless combinations of contemporary and classic design. JOHNHOUSHMAND is thrilled to have worked with this design duo on several notable projects including the The Bungalow Hotel at the Jersey Shore.

In a recent article by InsideOut magazine about this new venture the Novogratzs explain their aim for the hotel, a theme that is “chilled, comfortable, casual and chic” as well as their almost obsessive attention to detail “from the ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs and fun bar coasters, to the beautiful wood detailing in the lobby and bar – a design collaboration with JOHNHOUSHMAND – the light-hearted vibe complements the surfing/beach concept nicely”.

For more shots of our work for the Bungalow Hotel click here.

Now that’s what we call perfect harmony.

Woven Spalted Maple Screens at the W Hotel in Hoboken

April 06 · Architectural Designs

Across the Hudson River and a mere fifteen minute subway ride from Manhattan is the W Hoboken Hotel. Built in 2009 by architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, this is the fifth W Hotel in the New York City metro area.

(from Gwathmey Siegel & Associates’ site)

With spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, the hotel also boasts a Bliss spa, Living Room lounge, Chandelier Room and Zylo, a Tuscan steak house. Designed by Long Island Architects Bentel & Bentel, Zylo embodies the spirit of Hoboken through delicious Italian food prepared by executive chef Roberto Bellissimo.

Defining the Salumeria section of the restaurant are JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s spalted maple microslab Room Dividers. These woven innovations are accompanied by a woven Window Sculpture. The Room Dividers are doubled microslab spalted maple interlacements on timber bases with a light barrier between for added privacy. Perfect for loft apartments, dance studios, conference rooms, or banquet halls, these screens can be made in single or double width, with or without the light barrier.

The woven Window Sculpture was installed on location, constructed of pine, walnut, and oak microslabs, creating a feeling of a deconstructed interior wall, as if the cement were reinforced with microslabs instead of steel.

Whether you’re visiting New York, or are from the New York City metro area and are looking for a Tuscan-style meal, Zylo is perfect for soaking up the Manhattan skyline, and watching the comings and goings on the New York harbor, and enjoying a private viewing of two unique pieces of JOHNHOUSHMAND sculpture.

Just One Isn’t Enough: Black Walnut & Bronze Patina Consoles

March 10 · Architectural Designs, Furniture Designs · console, furniture design, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Luxury Hotels, philosophy, Robb Report, table, wood

Variations within individual wood logs are such that different segments will show a wide range of personality. These three console tables, No. 0050.1, No. 0050.2, and No. 0050.3 each have their own distinctive flavor. The black walnut tops were crafted from squared off roundbacks and are in line with JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s philosophy of using the entire tree. A pair of perpendicular bronze patina legs were then attached to complete each piece.

These three consoles are being sent off to the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (covered previously on this blog) where they will be used in hallways and entryways. These consoles would translate perfectly to the home: in a foyer collecting car keys and mail, a unique sidebar set-up at a cocktail party, or showcasing family photos and keepsakes behind a couch.

Though no matter the use it is clear, repetition of this kind is far from boring. One just isn’t enough!

Hudson Valley Fireplace Mantel

February 24 · Architectural Designs, Audio Slideshows, Uncategorized · fireplace, Hudson Valley, mantel, maple, slideshow, timber

JOHNHOUSHMAND just finished installing a sublime fireplace mantel, No. 0210, in one of architect Jo Machinist’s creations in the heart of the Hudson River Valley. This beautifully pastoral area is home to the Hudson River School, where painters Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Frederic Church painted the valley in all its romantic glory. This mantelpiece is a welcome addition to this tradition, celebrating the natural beauty of the area.

This rustic solid maple timber mantel with hand-hammered bronze pitons was installed in an airy, light-filled great room. Take a look at the slide show to see it from all angles.

BABAKUL at Fred Segal

January 07 · Architectural Designs

We were thrilled when our friends and colleagues, Bob & Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design, requested our help to create the interior of the new Babakul store at Fred Segal, Santa Monica, CA. For this project we definitely gleaned some of the creative, SoCal energy present in the apparel designs of Kym Gold (former co-owner of True Religion Brand Jeans) and Sophie Wizmann, co-founders of the new women’s brand – Babakul.

The word “Babakul”, meaning “Hippie” in French, inspired the design motif which is an organic and free-flowing blend between vintage and modern, with the JOHNHOUSHMAND elements appealing to Babakul’s natural aesthetic. Our bleached, microslab, live edge, Sales Island is piled over with tropical flowers, quartz necklaces, and an exotic goldfish who bubbles along happily in its new abode.

We also like to think that our work for the store gives a nod to the omnipresence of strong female power – from co-founders Gold & Wizmann to Debbie Harry & Bonnie Parker – whose images grace JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s Bungalow Shelving.

The birch tree Garment Rack was created over the course of a weekend, when John personally chopped down and cobbled together this decorative alternative to traditional clothing display.

The whole project came together in only 3 months, inclusive of the design phase through to production and installation, culminating in the well-attended opening on December 9th. To read more about this great new line in a great new space check out the links below!

Babakul on JOHNHOUSHMAND
Babakul & Sixx Design in WWD
ApparelNews.net
Laurie Hasson – Babakul Opening Party

Babakul – 310-578-5600 – 2100 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90291

JOHNHOUSHMAND & Sixx Design present: the HARVEST BASKET

November 01 · Architectural Designs, Audio Slideshows · 9 by Design, Cortney and Robert Novogratz, John Houshmand, JOHNHOUSHMAND, Microslab, Rachael Ray, Sixx Design

This week JOHNHOUSHMAND & Sixx Design put their creativity together to exponential effect in creating a MICROSLAB HARVEST BASKET. This functional sculpture was specifically envisioned for a Sixx Design segment on an upcoming Rachael Ray Show Thanksgiving Special and is perfect for playtime and adult entertaining alike.

JOHNHOUSHMAND was first approached by our friends in design, Cortney and Robert Novogratz of Sixx Design, with an open proposition: create a structure on their elegant Manhattan patio that would celebrate the coming Thanksgiving festivities. Taking into account the West Street Townhouse’s narrow front entrance, this was no simple task, as the materials would have to be snaked in through the front door and up the stairs.

JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s solution to the dilemma was to use an assortment of flexible Spalted Maple Microslab panels and good old packing twine to “engineer” an intersecting basket / hut. The first piece was a pure sine wave that arced under the basket and over the hut… pure geometry heading towards pure artisanship.

With the help of Sixx Design’s seven energetic children and a Japanese hand saw, we created a final product that can be enjoyed best by those with that rarest of qualities: an active imagination.

To fuel your own creative bug we recommend Sixx Design’s BRAVO show 9 by Design with clips available on Hulu.com, and their fantastic website – make sure to check out their Projects Page HERE.

TRUMP Hollywood Beach

October 08 · Architectural Designs, Features, Furniture Designs · architecture, furniture design, Modern Luxury, South Florida, Trump Hollywood, Yabu Pushelberg

One of the most touted new architectural developments this year is the South Florida, Trump Hollywood. In true Trump-fashion, this striking, 41-story, beach-front tower is ultra-luxury all the way.

The building boasts unobstructed ocean views, Miele kitchens, marble baths, home theaters, private elevators, a clubroom, a cigar lounge, cabanas, tennis courts, and climate-controlled fur storage (in case you get chilly while sun bathing). However, JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s admittedly biased favorite of all the amenities, is a communal wine cellar/wine tasting room that features our own palatial Floating Log Dining Table.

Working with renowned design firm Yabu Pushelberg, JOHNHOUSHMAND conceived a piece that reflects both the cutting-edge opulence of Hollywood Beach, while also offering warmth and intimacy. The 12.5-foot-long / 3-foot-wide table top is a bisected, black walnut log, sanded and polished to reveal the natural luminosity of the wood. This majestic trunk “floats” above 4 vertically mounted, translucent, glass-pane legs.

In truth the Trump Hollywood boasts a full-scale art collection of which JOHNHOUSHMAND is only one member. Nevertheless, amid a robust, building-wide exhibition that includes Mary Judge, Barbara Cole, and Daniel De Azoulay – we like to think our Dining Table stands out among the rest.

Apparently, Modern Luxury Magazine (the headquarters for style-savvy taste-makers) agrees as they featured the Floating Log Dining Table in their coverage of Trump Hollywood HERE.

MIDNIGHT Installation at Union Square

September 20 · Architectural Designs, Events · abrahams + may architects, architecture, LOG, sukkah city 2010

The JOHNHOUSHMAND team was up late this weekend installing the Abraham-May Architects‘ innovative architectural structure “LOG”.

As we described in the last post, “LOG” is a re-imagining of the traditional Jewish Sukkah for the international architecture and design competition Sukkah City 2010, now on view at Union Square Park, NYC.

We arrived in the middle of Saturday night, amid eleven other construction teams eager to put up a truly dazzling display of vision and acumen. It took 20 men, a 3 ton crane, a good amount of klieg lighting, and about 6 hours of intense labor to put together this deceptively complex fabrication. The mood was palpably one of excitement, as you can see from our home-made video below:

A soon as the sun rose, the park was swarmed with crowds eager to view this hand-picked selection of architecturally abstract naturalism.

If you haven’t already stopped by, we encourage you to do so, as this showcase is ONLY on view until this evening – Monday, September 20th (when we get the pleasure of taking it all back down again).

VOTE for your favorite Sukkah HERE. The winning design will be on view for one week, through September 29th.