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JOHN HOUSHMAND DESIGN

JOHNHOUSHMAND at LongHouse Reserve Auction “White Hot and Blue”

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JOHNHOUSHMAND at LongHouse

Jack Lenor Larsen, textile designer, author and collector, celebrates LongHouse Reserve’s 20th anniversary with a gala benefit and auction “White Hot and Blue“. LongHouse Reserve, Larsen’s East Hampton, NY house, is a collaboration between the artist and the architect Charles Forberg. The design is inspired by the Ise Shrine in Japan, and is home to art works by Lucie Rie, Sol LeWitt, Willem de Kooning and JOHNHOUSHMAND – (Our custom made No. 0041 Low Bench still resides at Longhouse’s tranquil pebble garden).

The online auction takes place July 1st through July 15, 2011 and the live auction event takes place July 16th. Auction items range from Yoko Ono’s Promise Piece and Dale Chihuly’s Tabac Basket with Drawing Shards and Oxblood Body, to Ai Weiwei’s A Pair of Sunflower Seeds and Laurie Anderson’s A Love Song for You.

JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s No. 0064.7 Black Walnut Dining Table is included in the auction, and we are happy to support such an important organization! All proceeds go to LongHouse Reserve in support of its programs for visual and performing arts as well as the promotion of education.

Take a look at the auction page to see more fine works.

JOHNHOUSHMAND and JH2 OneTreeHome have been entered in the prestigious WAN Interiors + Design Awards for Furniture 2011

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WorldArchitectureNews.com, the largest community for architecture throughout the world, is holding their annual awards for the most influential and sustainable designs in architecture, interior design, urban planning, landscape and furniture design. The WAN Awards winners will be published around the globe to the WAN’s universal network which will provide the winner with the highest exposure for creating designs that have the “smallest carbon footprint”.

The judges consist of 164 international experts in each field of design and architecture, including Lee Broom for the Furniture category, Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill for the Urban Design category, and Grace Leo of G.L.A Hotels for the Hotel Category. We have entered the SHAZAM line from JOHNHOUSHMAND that demonstrates the natural beauty found within trees. In addition, we’ve entered JH2 OneTreeHome made from green, sustainable wood certified from the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

Stay tuned for the results! We are crossing our fingers and going for the gold!

INTERIOR DESIGN market tabloid featuring JOHNHOUSHMAND and JH2 OneTreeHome

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Interior Design May 2011 cover featuring JOHNHOUSHMAND and JH2OneTreeHome

INTERIOR DESIGN‘s Spring Market Tabloid features work from our two companies, JOHNHOUSHMAND and JH2OneTreeHome.

Reception Desk made of Spalted Maple and Cast Acrylic Apron

Our classic No. 0199 Reception Desk is featured in the section Logging In: Grains that have game (p. 100). It is made up of three distinctive parts: a spalted maple facia of varying topographical elements, a solid maple slab top, and an undulating cast acrylic apron lit by eco-friendly LED lights that catch the light at every imperfection in the wood.

Atik Bench of Nanciton Wood and Blackened Steel from JH2OneTreeHome

One of JH2OneTreeHome’s debut pieces shown at this year’s ICFF was the Atik Bench, featured in the section Farmhouse Facelift: City slickers come home to roost (p. 38). It can be made of Nicaraguan Nanciton or Cedro Macho woods with a contrasting focal point of 1/2″ thick maze-like metal leg that wraps flush around its 2″ slab top. This bench has the heart of Nicaragua with the lines of JOHNHOUSHMAND.

ID Magazine’s Spring Market is all about identifying cutting edge trends. Looks like we are ahead of the curve again!

Apartment Therapy’s ICFF 2011 Trend Report: Metallic & Mirrored Silver

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cast aluminum slab wood coffee table with black walnut legs In Apartment Therapy‘s recap of ICFF 2011, JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s No. 0103.4 Cast Aluminum Low Table was featured among other silver-hued design pieces. If you’ve admired our Cast Aluminum Dining Table but don’t have the space for such a stately piece, consider the Cast Aluminum Low Table’s features: This table was sandcast in aluminum from a mulberry slab and features black walnut legs. At 62″ long, 30″ deep and 15″ high, this low table would make a perfect coffee table in a light-filled living room or an entryway’s unforgettable focal point.

ICFF 2011 Highlights

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We had a spectacular time at this year’s ICFF at the Javits Center. We hope you were able to make it out to see all the inspiring design. Take a look at our slideshow of highlights:

New York Magazine’s Design Hunting Gallery features Cast Aluminum Dining Table

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Elegantly clad design enthusiasts came together on Monday May 16th at the Design Hunting Gallery, Drive-In Studios to celebrate the Audi A8. New York Magazine‘s Wendy Goodman put together this stylish even featuring Audi’s new car accessorized by five finely crafted, cutting edge designs. Pieces on view included hand-blown glass lamps by Lindsey Adelman, wood totems by Chris Lehrecke, a rocking lounge chair by Bonetti/Kozerski Studio, a raw cotton ottoman by Jim Zivic, and JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s No. 0103.3 Cast Aluminum Dining Table.

Included designers were hand selected for their embodiment of Audi’s dual goals of technical excellence and unparalleled style. Here is what the curators had to say:

John Houshmand found his muse in Mother Nature; he approaches all of his work allowing the naturally harvested materials he uses to guide the creative process. Before being mounted on black walnut legs, his iconic cast aluminum table was poured with pure aluminum — the same astonishingly strong yet amazingly light ingredient in the frame of the new Audi A8. Like Houshmand’s masterpiece, the Audi ASF® is liberated by a balance of sleek style and lightweight engineering that results in a breathtakingly beautiful yet efficiently sound design.

It was a beautiful evening of hors d’oeuvres and champagne, surrounded by inspiring design items in a gallery setting. Take a look at the slideshow we put together!

Photographs were taken by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for New York.

JOHNHOUSHMAND launches JH2 OneTreeHome at ICFF 2011

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JH2 OneTreeHome, the new sustainable furniture line by luxury designer JOHNHOUSHMAND, will launch at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) 2011, Javits Center, NYC. The new line makes JOHNHOUSHMAND’s handcrafted, urban organic designs available to a larger audience while maintaining the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. Teaming with Jack Donenfeld of Nicaragua’s Simplemente Madera Group®, JH2 OneTreeHome uses only Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified wood. The new collection is named after the One Tree Project, where a single tree was used to teach a Nicaraguan community how to become economically self-sufficient through sustainable woodworking practices, showcasing how global deforestation can be addressed one tree at a time. Likewise, JH2 OneTreeHome makes sustainability a priority in all phases of the furniture making process.

In 2009, John Houshmand was invited to Nicaragua to see first-hand the devastation wrought by Hurricane Felix, a disaster that affected over 3 million acres of rainforest and unsettled the lives of the people living there. Deeply moved, John Houshmand banded together with Jack Donenfeld, a partner in Simplemente Madera Group®, to improve conditions in the area by productively utilizing the trees felled by the hurricane in a way that maintains the integrity of the local ecosystem. JH2 OneTree Home is the culmination of this effort.

Along with offering the unparalleled design for which JOHNHOUSHMAND is well known, JH2 OneTreeHome’s furniture is crafted from exceptional material, including two unique species of Nicaraguan rainforest hardwood: nancitón and cedro macho. Each of these species has a timeless look, an incredible range of coloration, and a vibrant visual character. In addition, their hardness and durability, which surpass even that of traditional American hardwoods, make them ideal choices for this collection.

Because wood used by JH2 OneTreeHome carries FSC’s Controlled Wood Forest Management Certification or FSC’s pure certification, hospitality and commercial projects that include JH2 OneTreeHome furniture may obtain points toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Certification.

This groundbreaking new line will debut at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) Saturday, May 14 – Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at the Javits Center, NYC: 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY10013 between 11th & 12th Avenue.

Debuting at the ICFF: Black Walnut and Hammered Bronze Dining Table

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There is a flurry of activity happening at our upstate workshop this spring, and many new works will be debuting at the 23rd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair. (ICFF, Javits Center, NYC: Sunday May 14-Tuesday May 17th)

Here is a sneak peek at one of our brand new works:

The bright No. 0050.4 Hammered Bronze and Roundback Dining Table/Console is the first ever to feature a light polished bronze leg with an undulating curve. The beautifully rich black walnut roundback is set on hand-hammered bronze legs. The deep color of the wood is offset by the luminous curved bronze base, capturing light and shadow effortlessly. Custom designed for a Central Park West apartment with a classic Upper East Side aesthetic, this dining table will be the centerpiece among a contrasting set of plush wing-back chairs after the ICFF is over.

In addition to No. 0050.4, our booth at the ICFF will feature the new (and never before seen) Moon Rise Low Table, related to the No. 0101 Sandblasted Doily Starfire Glass Side Table (above). We will also be bringing back old favorites from our New York City showroom and several pieces on loan from our Los Angeles Showroom at the Pacific Design Center, including No. 0028 Gnawed Beaver Branches Low Table as well as the No. 0176 Topographic Table.

Come see your favorites in person and prepare to be wowed by even more unexpected unveilings!

JOHNHOUSHMAND featured on WOOD Design

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Black Walnut Low Table Bench with Bronze Legs

WOOD Design is a blog highlighting designers from 5 continents making tables, seating, storage, and objects from natural wood.

“At WOOD we aim to define & inform upon a new marketplace in which we bring together wood artists who demonstrate core values in design, sourcing of material, quality & diversity in the objects they produce and people looking to explore beautiful, contemporary, made to last furnishings.”

We are pleased to say that JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s No. 0015.4 Black Walnut Low Table/Bench with 3/4″ Bronze Legs was featured on their blog which is filled with fellow designers who embody a conscientious philosophy and an attentive use of wood. No. 0015.4 promotes the inherent beauty of wood in its natural state, lending a bold statement to any interior space.

“I have spent my entire life making things. When I was a kid growing up in the Philippines, toys from the US were scarce. If you wanted a boat or a toy gun, you made it. And although we westerners are additive in our assemblies, indigenous peoples are subtractive. A machete and a chunk of wood became that boat. Elemental and sincere … Now we make furniture. sculpture. architectural work…we design environments, installations, residential, spa, and even retail spaces. At one end of the spectrum it is functional, at the other end it is dreaming. Bringing the future into the present and insisting that it be beautiful, inspiring, and elemental.”  Read more here.

Tierra Adentro House Published by TASCHEN

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JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s hilltop Mexico retreat, Tierra Adentro, is featured in TASCHEN‘s new book release Interiors Now! Vol.2, to be published in June 2011. This minimalist hacienda style courtyard home, designed in collaboration with New Zealand architect David Howell, is a tranquil and expansive respite from the abrasion of modern life.

TASCHEN’s new book release Interiors Now! Vol.2 shows the world John Houshmand’s peaceful Mexican retreat. Situated on 9 acres of land, the Tierra Adentro house forges a living space from the luminous interiors, elemental architecture, and breathtakingly expansive landscape. Features of the house include cast concrete fixtures, volcanic stone, brick “boveda” ceilings, terracotta floors, local artwork, and JOHNHOUSHMAND original furniture pieces.

“The Interiors Now! series features the world’s most amazing, exquisite, and interesting contemporary apartments and houses. With an inspirational richness and diversity of styles, here are homes, residences, hideaways, and studios to astound and astonish, no matter what your taste.”  -TASCHEN

The property is located seven miles from San Miguel de Allende, near the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco, renowned for its Baroque art and architecture. San Miguel de Allende is an artists’ mecca and vacation destination, and has been attracting foreign artists and students since the 1950s, when Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros worked there.

This house has also been featured in Interior Design Magazine and Russian Architectural Digest. It is available for short-term and long-term time-share vacation rentals. For rental inquiries, visit Retreat Mexico.

Architect: David Howell Design | Construction Liaison: Patsy Dubois | Interior Designer: Steffani Aarons | Landscape Designer: Luis Franke | Photographer: William Abranowicz

Interiors Now! Vol. 2 is available for preorder at TASCHEN.