New & Noteworthy

December 4, 2007 Taking Care of Business Akilah E. Kamaria provides a broad range of personalized services for men in transition who require a little pampering or organizing. Her Los Angeles-based Hemancipation, which she calls a lifestyle management company, provides everything from concierge services to interior design, and she’ll even stock a client’s refrigerator with his favorite foods and wine bar with his preferred selection. “My clients are very busy men who want to get on with life, work, and golf,” says Kamaria, who often works with men who are recently divorced or relocating for business. “They want me take care of the rest—from ordering furniture to stocking the kitchen—and they want it done as invisibly as possible, without a lot of face time.” She gets to know her clients through an in-depth profile that includes information about their favorite sports, cigars, and vacation spot, and even relatives’ birthdays to be sure he never misses them. In alliance with some of the luxury industry’s top retailers, Hemancipation’s other services include image consultation, personal shopping, and retaining a personal chef, nutritionist, or trainer. “Busy men don’t want to make 25 phone calls to get something done,” explains Kamaria. “They want to contact one person and move on.” With that in mind, Hemancipation clients work with only one person from the organization, but behind the scenes there may be as many as 15 people servicing requests, booking appointments, and making sure that the client’s life is as close to stress-free as it can be under the circumstances. (888.473.0876, www.hemancipation.net) —Jessica Taylor
January 15, 2009 Good Vibrations Sound is typically heard, not felt. Tactile sound, however, is felt, especially by way of the Sonic Lounger from Tucson, Ariz.-based Taiz Design. Also known as “vibroacoustics,” tactile sound is a concept that entails the transmission of sound to the body through direct contact rather than to the ears through sound waves. This form of sound therapy is the premise upon which Kephart Taiz, founder of Taiz Design, created the Sonic Lounger—a $33,000 massage chair that utilizes tactile sound in order to induce an extremely relaxed and meditative state. The Sonic Lounger transmits music through numerous body contact points. While Beatles’ music creates a mild uplifting sensation, music with heavier bass, such as ambient or trance, will cause much deeper sensations of relaxation—even euphoria. (818.524.8676, www.taizdesign.com) —Bailey S. Barnard
December 25, 2008 Illuminating Art The latest collection of one-of-a-kind light fixtures from San Francisco-based Das Art is made from honeycomb onyx, a translucent stone known to exist in only one mine in Park City, Utah. Artist Drew A. Schnierow uses the onyx to create table lamps―or what he calls glowing orbs where the light appears “bright enough to read by, but softer, more romantic than candles.” Schnierow creates the pieces in his Bay Area studio and sells them in select galleries throughout the country. The material is unique because of the onyx’s veining, which turns from white to black when the fixture is illuminated. For the past five years, Schnierow has created special commissioned lighting for interior designers, architects, and private collectors, experimenting with different materials until he discovered the onyx at a stone supplier near his studio. Although each piece is custom-designed, Schnierow’s latest collection will focus on the theme of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The collection will culminate in about 100 pieces, each of which takes from two to four weeks to create, depending on the size of the piece. Fixtures range from about $2,500 to $5,000. (www.dasart.com) —Alexandra Foster
December 8, 2008 Minds for Design The Paul Kohn Design boutique in New York is the culmination of 20 years of design collaboration between the store’s owners, Elaine Paul and Barbara Shaltuck Kohn. The two friends, who enjoyed success in their respective careers as a trial attorney and investment banker before following their passions for home design, have worked as interior designers for the past two decades, and amassed personal collections of handcrafted artisan pieces, antiques, and collectibles from around the world. The partners created the retail environment to evoke the rich, layered aesthetic of a “life well lived,” Elaine Paul says. “We wanted people to feel like they were visiting a friend who just happens to have really great things.” The Tribeca-area boutique is divided into rooms, each curated with a mix of modern and vintage pieces. Many of the pieces and home accessories are exclusive to the boutique, including a collection of ceramic artist Matthew Solomon’s original, signed bowls (shown). The boutique also specializes in a limited collection of furniture in mesquite, a dense wood native to the American southwest known for its rich, warm color. Designers Kohn and Paul are available for custom home design consultations by appointment. (212.977.5050, www.paulkohndesign.com) —Alexandra Foster
November 24, 2008 Tiffany’s Personalized Porcelain Tiffany & Co. is offering a new level of personalization for its clients: customized hand-painted fine porcelain table settings made by its Parisian atelier. Clients are invited to meet with a Tiffany’s artist to develop a personalized pattern, which is then sent to Atelier Le Tallec, where artists further enhance the design and hand paint it on porcelain plates. “We saw an increased interest in personalized products, things that clients can put their signature on and make their own,” says Allen Nissim, director of silver jewelry and gifts at Tiffany. Only 12 artists work at Le Tallec, each trained in the 375 signature patterns of flowers, scrolls, and birds inspired by patterns found in museums and porcelains owned by French royalty. Clients can choose from these 375 designs with personalized additions, or they can work with designers at Tiffany to create a completely new pattern. When real estate mogul Andrew Borrok, who moonlights as a chef for friends and family, requested a set of dishes to suit his every gastronomic creation, Tiffany’s and Le Tallec worked together to create a black-and-white monogrammed crest design with platinum metal detailing that has been imprinted on the more than 400 pieces requested by Borrok. The process usually takes anywhere from six months to a year, depending on the design and order size, although Borrok’s settings, started 14 months ago, will not be completed until late 2009. Each piece is hand painted by one artisan, taking up to eight days to complete from start to kiln firing. So far the atelier has worked to design settings for special occasions from weddings to anniversaries, but urns decorated with images of the beloved family pet are also a popular request. A minimum order starts at $20,000, with a five-piece set averaging around $5,000. (www.tiffanys.com) —Alexandra Foster
November 14, 2008 Sitting on the Edge Israeli artist Ron Arad is known for creating furniture that is as artistic as it is utilitarian. A comprehensive show of Arad’s newest work, “Guarded Thoughts,” will be shown at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery from November 6 through December 20. His latest work explores altered perception of light and movement and includes Southern Hemisphere, a massive, upright arc of steel chair that may twist or rock when a person is seated. Arad’s 30-year career combining art, architecture, and design has focused on interpreting sculpture and seating, tempting balance, and posing visual challenges through hands-on craftsmanship. Solo shows throughout Europe have included a major exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, while museums that have acquired his work include New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum. A retrospective of Arad’s work opens at Paris’ Centre Georges Pompidou in mid-November then travels to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in August 2009. (212.239.8700, www.friedmanbenda.com) —Alexandra Foster

December 4, 2007

Taking Care of Business

Akilah E. Kamaria provides a broad range of personalized services for men in transition who require a little pampering or organizing. Her Los Angeles-based Hemancipation, which she calls a lifestyle management company, provides everything from concierge services to interior design, and she’ll even stock a client’s refrigerator with his favorite foods and wine bar with his preferred selection.

“My clients are very busy men who want to get on with life, work, and golf,” says Kamaria, who often works with men who are recently divorced or relocating for business. “They want me take care of the rest—from ordering furniture to stocking the kitchen—and they want it done as invisibly as possible, without a lot of face time.” She gets to know her clients through an in-depth profile that includes information about their favorite sports, cigars, and vacation spot, and even relatives’ birthdays to be sure he never misses them.

In alliance with some of the luxury industry’s top retailers, Hemancipation’s other services include image consultation, personal shopping, and retaining a personal chef, nutritionist, or trainer. “Busy men don’t want to make 25 phone calls to get something done,” explains Kamaria. “They want to contact one person and move on.” With that in mind, Hemancipation clients work with only one person from the organization, but behind the scenes there may be as many as 15 people servicing requests, booking appointments, and making sure that the client’s life is as close to stress-free as it can be under the circumstances. (888.473.0876, www.hemancipation.net)

—Jessica Taylor

January 15, 2009

Good Vibrations

Sound is typically heard, not felt. Tactile sound, however, is felt, especially by way of the Sonic Lounger from Tucson, Ariz.-based Taiz Design. Also known as “vibroacoustics,” tactile sound is a concept that entails the transmission of sound to the body through direct contact rather than to the ears through sound waves. This form of sound therapy is the premise upon which Kephart Taiz, founder of Taiz Design, created the Sonic Lounger—a $33,000 massage chair that utilizes tactile sound in order to induce an extremely relaxed and meditative state. The Sonic Lounger transmits music through numerous body contact points. While Beatles’ music creates a mild uplifting sensation, music with heavier bass, such as ambient or trance, will cause much deeper sensations of relaxation—even euphoria. (818.524.8676, www.taizdesign.com)

—Bailey S. Barnard

December 25, 2008

Illuminating Art

The latest collection of one-of-a-kind light fixtures from San Francisco-based Das Art is made from honeycomb onyx, a translucent stone known to exist in only one mine in Park City, Utah. Artist Drew A. Schnierow uses the onyx to create table lamps―or what he calls glowing orbs where the light appears “bright enough to read by, but softer, more romantic than candles.”

Schnierow creates the pieces in his Bay Area studio and sells them in select galleries throughout the country. The material is unique because of the onyx’s veining, which turns from white to black when the fixture is illuminated. For the past five years, Schnierow has created special commissioned lighting for interior designers, architects, and private collectors, experimenting with different materials until he discovered the onyx at a stone supplier near his studio.

Although each piece is custom-designed, Schnierow’s latest collection will focus on the theme of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The collection will culminate in about 100 pieces, each of which takes from two to four weeks to create, depending on the size of the piece. Fixtures range from about $2,500 to $5,000. (www.dasart.com)

—Alexandra Foster

December 8, 2008

Minds for Design

The Paul Kohn Design boutique in New York is the culmination of 20 years of design collaboration between the store’s owners, Elaine Paul and Barbara Shaltuck Kohn. The two friends, who enjoyed success in their respective careers as a trial attorney and investment banker before following their passions for home design, have worked as interior designers for the past two decades, and amassed personal collections of handcrafted artisan pieces, antiques, and collectibles from around the world. The partners created the retail environment to evoke the rich, layered aesthetic of a “life well lived,” Elaine Paul says. “We wanted people to feel like they were visiting a friend who just happens to have really great things.”

The Tribeca-area boutique is divided into rooms, each curated with a mix of modern and vintage pieces. Many of the pieces and home accessories are exclusive to the boutique, including a collection of ceramic artist Matthew Solomon’s original, signed bowls (shown). The boutique also specializes in a limited collection of furniture in mesquite, a dense wood native to the American southwest known for its rich, warm color. Designers Kohn and Paul are available for custom home design consultations by appointment. (212.977.5050, www.paulkohndesign.com)

—Alexandra Foster

November 24, 2008

Tiffany’s Personalized Porcelain

Tiffany & Co. is offering a new level of personalization for its clients: customized hand-painted fine porcelain table settings made by its Parisian atelier. Clients are invited to meet with a Tiffany’s artist to develop a personalized pattern, which is then sent to Atelier Le Tallec, where artists further enhance the design and hand paint it on porcelain plates.

“We saw an increased interest in personalized products, things that clients can put their signature on and make their own,” says Allen Nissim, director of silver jewelry and gifts at Tiffany. Only 12 artists work at Le Tallec, each trained in the 375 signature patterns of flowers, scrolls, and birds inspired by patterns found in museums and porcelains owned by French royalty. Clients can choose from these 375 designs with personalized additions, or they can work with designers at Tiffany to create a completely new pattern. When real estate mogul Andrew Borrok, who moonlights as a chef for friends and family, requested a set of dishes to suit his every gastronomic creation, Tiffany’s and Le Tallec worked together to create a black-and-white monogrammed crest design with platinum metal detailing that has been imprinted on the more than 400 pieces requested by Borrok. The process usually takes anywhere from six months to a year, depending on the design and order size, although Borrok’s settings, started 14 months ago, will not be completed until late 2009. Each piece is hand painted by one artisan, taking up to eight days to complete from start to kiln firing.

So far the atelier has worked to design settings for special occasions from weddings to anniversaries, but urns decorated with images of the beloved family pet are also a popular request. A minimum order starts at $20,000, with a five-piece set averaging around $5,000. (www.tiffanys.com)

—Alexandra Foster

November 14, 2008

Sitting on the Edge

Israeli artist Ron Arad is known for creating furniture that is as artistic as it is utilitarian. A comprehensive show of Arad’s newest work, “Guarded Thoughts,” will be shown at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery from November 6 through December 20. His latest work explores altered perception of light and movement and includes Southern Hemisphere, a massive, upright arc of steel chair that may twist or rock when a person is seated. Arad’s 30-year career combining art, architecture, and design has focused on interpreting sculpture and seating, tempting balance, and posing visual challenges through hands-on craftsmanship. Solo shows throughout Europe have included a major exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, while museums that have acquired his work include New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.

A retrospective of Arad’s work opens at Paris’ Centre Georges Pompidou in mid-November then travels to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in August 2009. (212.239.8700, www.friedmanbenda.com)

—Alexandra Foster