This month House Beautiful travels to the homes of Americans living abroad, one of whom is our very own John Houshmand! In this “Ideas from Around the World” issue, House Beautiful finds inspiration in France, India, Italy, Morocco, Belgium, England, the Bahamas, Kenya, and even Mexico – at Tierra Adentro, John’s breathtaking getaway near San Miguel de Allende. Mexico is a dream destination for many with its temperate climate and breathtaking sights. John knows this especially well and so he decided to build a gorgeous villa getaway. The house, known as Tierra Adentro or Inner Land, is the perfect retreat for weary city dwellers.
Tierra Adentro turned out to be the perfect resting place for JOHNHOUSHMANDfurniture – the house was born of nature, as was the furniture. John says building a retreat near San Miguel de Allende was serendipity, “I remember very distinctly the first time I went to San Miguel and walked into the plaza. Doves are flying around and the sun is going down in great golden swaths and kids are laughing and church bells are ringing and a mariachi band is playing and people are dancing and I’m thinking, ‘There’s more to life besides working your tail off,’ I burst into tears, it was so beautiful”.
From the 1,000 square foot master bathroom to the bright yellow tiles covering the kitchen, this minimalist hacienda definitely has a friendly touch.
“The whimsy, the play, the lighter moves that I make come from Mexico. A lot of my furniture pieces have an ironic twist to them, almost an inside joke.”
Want to hear more about the beauty of Mexico that inspired John? House Beautiful also provides audio clips of all of the designers speaking about their journeys and inspirations HERE.
In April we announced a new custom finish: Tattooed Acrylic and Wood. Now after months of experimentation and anticipation we are excited to present our first tattooed table: the No. 0238 acrylic side table with black legs and a cicada “graphic tattoo”.
We first unveiled this piece in May at our booth at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair(see below). With a treatment like this tattoo the possibilities really are endless! The fill color, width of line, graphic, and material are all up to the imagination. As you can see here, we decided to emblazon our very first tattooed product with one of John’s favorite creatures: the cicada. You may know this mysterious insect from the cicada song that can be heard in the summertime in heavily wooded areas. We’ve learned to embrace cicadas even though they can damage and cause scarring to tree branches. Just like a beauty mark, we see this natural marking as something to be proud of.
One of the most rewarding things in creating custom pieces is seeing where in the world they end up. It’s always interesting, and this time it’s also such an honor. Go and pick up the September issue of Garden Design Magazine and you’ll notice a familiar bench, and a familiar face! Here is renowned textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen sitting on JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s classic No. 0041 bench, which we are very proud to say is a part of Mr. Larsen’s permanent outdoor display at the LongHouse sculpture garden in the Hamptons. Pick up your own copy and check out the beautiful feature on Mr. Larsen’s public garden!
With open plan architecture gaining in popularity we decided to design something with it in mind. A console designed for open plan living – the No. 0087.9 Console Cabinet with ebonized and gray wash on Black Walnut microslab doors!
Functional, yet unobtrusive, this console’s cabinet doors open from both sides to allow easy access to things like dishware in a modern dining room setting. At only 32 inches high, this console is perfect for entertaining guests without obstructing view – especially in this spectacular Hamptons summer house. We’re thrilled that this console has added a special touch to such a beautiful space.
In July we introduced you to JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s first dresser, the No. 0237. But since one is the loneliest number we decided to create a beautiful companion piece, the No. 0237.1, a darkened Black Walnut dresser with six drawers and a light Black Walnut microslab.
We believe that balance is important in design as with anything. The fluid shape of the microslab brings a nice tenderness to the rigidity in the grid of drawers. Both polished and practical, No. 0237.1 will keep your clothes tidy and out of the way.
The world at JOHNHOUSHMAND was just made even better by the wonderful addition to our team of Shari Lebowitz. Shari has come aboard as our General Manager and the changes are already happening in terms of new systems, better organization, a pleasant facelift to the showroom, and smoother operations in our production process.
Shari has had her own interior design business for 15 years, as well as a serious stint in the world of business management. On top of that she has a great spirit and amazing demeanor. She is a true team builder, a design expert, and a savvy businesswoman.
At the top of Shari’s priorities are streamlining our processes and opening up the showroom to more visits and interaction with architects, designers, and clients. With Shari’s vision we will make the JOHNHOUSHMAND team more dynamic and capable of handling our increasing amount of work and commissions from all over the globe, both art-as-furniture as well as architectural commissions
Expect to see more great changes in the future, watch our website, and look forward to emails with exciting new visions.
Introducing a seamless fusion of form and function, the No. 0237, JOHNHOUSHMAND‘s first dresser, with ebonized oak and a bleached spalted maple microslab.
Organization is key in any home, be it a tiny New York apartment or a beautiful home in Colorado (which, coincidentally, is where this creation is headed), and so we thought we could help with an elegant storage solution. At 54 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 32 inches high and with six drawers this dresser keeps clothes organized and within easy reach. Along with these spacious drawers we fabricated custom made hardware for this stunning dresser. Cut to precision out of blackened steel, these specifically designed pull handles add elegant detail and ensure smooth gliding when drawers are in use.
With two distinct finishes and six drawers, this dresser is sure to be a welcome addition to any bedroom.
You know what they say: all work and no play makes Jack… or John a dull boy. That’s why we’ve started to blur the line between work and play with some of our specialty tables!
Like the Bowling Alley table that came before it, No. 1037, the Cast Aluminum Playing Card Table adds a personal touch to any room it’s placed in. From Go Fish to Rummy, this miniature Cast Aluminum table is perfect for any card game so get ready to lay your cards on the table.
We’re always searching for the perfect balance between the organic and the constructed, so this time we’ve adapted a beautifully detailed ficus trunk. This intricate trunk was brought straight from the Costa Rican tropics to be used in a project for a hospitality client of ours. We love the dimensionality in the curves and negative space of this braided bench.
One of our fellow eco-enthusiasts alerted us about a great idea in eco-friendly building materials: glass bottles! We came across this breathtaking million glass bottle temple in Surin province, Thailand called Wat Lan Khuat which has been built entirely out of empty Heineken and Chang beer bottles (Heineken giving the green color, Chang the brown) and concrete. Mr. Heineken himself wanted to develop bottles shaped like bricks to aid in this usage (pictured above right) back in the day but gave up on the venture. Others though have taken this inspiration and created beautiful, bright and eco-friendly bottle walls all over the world.
