Maureen at Modecor Muses
McGuire Furniture, a Stylist, a Photographer, and an Architect …BlogTourNYC
Our final day of Modenus BlogTourNYC was arranged by the lovely Franklin Eighth duo Tina Ramchandani and Sarah Sarna. These two designers had a jam-packed agenda for us, beginning with our visit to Treillage as mentioned in my previous post. In the afternoon we headed over to New York Design Center to visit McGuire showroom and have styling and photography sessions.
McGuire
My arrival at McGuire was delayed due to a mix up with transportation, so I wasn’t able to take as many photos of their showroom as I would have liked, but I was afforded time to have a chit chat with Modenus 2nd in command, Flo Von Pelet and Sarah Sarna, which more than made up for our tardy arrival. Besides, we were greeted with more champers. I must beg your pardon for this fuzzy shot.
Creative Director of McGuire Furniture, Jim Caughman introduced us to the McGuire Story and Legacy. I was not familiar with this furniture line, but I do have a huge appreciation for artisans and craftsman, and I shortly became aware that McGuire prides themselves on their workmanship. I was interested to learn that for the past 6 decades, McGuire has held steadfastly to their original heritage of combining outdoor elements with indoor comfort and elegance. Original owners, John and Elinor McGuire were committed to the highest standards of design and craftsmanship and this commitment is very much adhered to today. Attention to elements of design, including, proportion, scale, balance and form are enhanced with with natural materials and and exquisite textiles. Each McGuire product is handcrafted by trained artisans for maximum comfort and timeless appeal. McGuire has collections from Barbara Barry, Bill Sofield, Jacques Garcia, Thomas Pheasant, Robert Kou, Laura Kirar and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. Comprehensive information on the these designers and their McGuire product lines are available on the McGuire website. Below are examples of the craftsmanship valued by McGuire, designers and consumers …hand tied leather on the arms, beautiful wicker and luxurious fabrics, not to mention wood and concrete and leather.
The Stylist
Source: Raina Kattelson
BlogTourNYC learning expanded into the afternoon at the McGuire showroom as we were introduced to stylist Raina Kattelson. I think in my next life, I would like to be a stylist. Raina, whose work appears in Country Living, and Thom Felicia’s book American Beauty not only styles food, interiors and lifestyle shoots, she also produces, designs sets and art directs photo shoots. We are somewhat kindred spirits as it turns out, I too used to design and sew clothes for my Barbie doll. As a designer, I certainly know something about styling, but I had no idea how much time and effort not to mention energy and brawn are required to successfully complete a styling effort. As you flip through a magazine, it is likely that every photo shown had a stylist who managed, arranged and perhaps brought all the props to the shoot location…. in a BIG truck. The stylist, after conferring with the art director, producer and photographer does her homework and brings every element to the shoot that will complete the look the art director is trying to convey. In the above photo, the table, and all the items seen on it, plus all the books in the background were styled by Raina…in fact, she may have brought every item to the shoot in order to have this space look precisely the way it does. The stylist needs to be prepared and will therefore ensure that many more items are brought to the location, than may ever be used.
Follow Raina on her award winning blog A Stylists Life at http://www.astylistslife.com/ as she dishes about renovating a 150 year old house and other adventures in styling.
The Photographer
Michele Scotto Trani of Sequined Asphalt Studio is an award winning Architectural and Interiors photographer and she was invited by Tina and Sarah to guide us in a photography session on our last day of BlogTourNYC. Michele works with Architects, Interior Designers and other professionals in the creative field and her photography has appeared in several shelter magazines including New England Home Magazine. Takeaways from Michele’s session…
1. always use a tripod
2. consider the light source… natural light, open or closed curtains to filter light
3. lamp light can blow out the shot so should be dimmed or turned off
4. lights turned on can show up as a different colour
5. consider the view….do you want the view in the shot
…and Hellooooo…did you know there are camera lenses for your iPhone? … from Photojojo http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/ I’m not sure I can wait until my birthday to get these.
source: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/
To read more about Michele’s photography, tune into her Tripping on Asphalt blog at http://michelescotto.com/blog/
The Architect
Neal Beckstedt…. young, suave, debonair and a wonderful architect who launched his thriving business in 2010. His philosophy and mine totally jive….interiors are for living rather than for admiring. “The people should be the focus, not what’s around them.” Perhaps this philosophy was evident when BlogTourNYC visited Neal at his office. He was very generous and gave a wonderful talk about his young business, his clientele, his new digs, and his philosophy….he encouraged us to take photos of four of his project boards including plans and finishes, but preferred that we not take photos of the actual office space. Neal’s website is super classy. Moving shots of his completed projects convey the Neal Beckstedt Studio story.
As you can see from these boards, his residential spaces are elegant, and modest, yet work in tandem with luxury finishes. Neal’s floor plan program of choice is SketchUp , and they were very detailed, which surprised me a little as I thought Architects were more likely to use a program like AutoCad. I’m going to investigate SketchUp a little further for my own floorplans. I was thrilled to find out that Neal hires, Interior Designers and Decorators to compliment his architectural skills….they are a full service design studio. No wonder clients such as David Lam seek and hire Neal Beckstedt Studio to design and complete there elegant spaces.
Thank You, again to Tina Ramchandani and Sarah Sarna of Franklin Eighth. It was a huge pleasure to meet you both and have you escort BlogTourNYC on the wonderful tour you organized for our final day. Thank you also to McGuire and Jim Caughman for welcoming us into your showroom and introducing us to your iconic brand. Raina Kattelson and Michele Scotto Trani for taking time out of your busy schedules to enlighten us about styling and photography…they both go hand in hand in designer’s lives. A delightful late afternoon spent at Neal Beckstedt Studio was a wonderful way to cap off our day, before our farewell BlogTourNYC dinner. Finally, words cannot adequately express my thanks to Veronika Miller / Modenus, her lovely daughter and right hand woman, Flo Von Pelet and all of the BlogtourNYC attendees who made this final day utterly joyful.
Treillage, Bunny Williams and BlogTourNYC in Vignettes
Our final day with Modenus #BlogTourNYC was organized by Tina Ramchandani and Sarah Sarna of Franklin Eighth. More about Tina and Sarah and our final day of BlogTourNYC in my next post. After having the morning ‘OFF’ and spending it shopping with some of my new blogger buddies, we headed to Treillage, the store co owned by Bunny Williams and her husband John Rosselli. This is what greeted us at the door… 
…and this is what greeted us just beyond the door. Have I mentioned that we were treated like Royalty? 
Bunny and her husband John have owned Treillage, a garden, interiors and antique store since 1991. I truly believe they have THE best job on the planet….sourcing, travelling and shopping the world to fill their store with antiques, artisan wares, unique pieces and whatever pleases their eye and design aesthetic. Are they not just the cutest couple? 
We were all eager to hear Bunny talk about Treillage, traveling, her design business and the four books she has written, but we were encouraged to peruse the store first. What a delight. 
The potting sink at the back of the store caught my eye. I’m not sure we were intended to be back there, but I’m certainly glad I took the chance and snapped this photo.
Later on when Bunny was discussing antiquing and how to find that special something, I mentioned that I have trained myself to always look up and she readily agreed. Hence this photo of a wrought iron chandelier hanging from a skylight in the middle of the shop. You never know what you will find when scrutinizing in every direction…up, down, over and under. 
We were served a wonderful lunch as well. Beautifully displayed … I love this entirely unique table scape. 
Bunny sharing her thoughts on travel, antiquing and her design business. One of my biggest take aways from Bunny’s thoughtful discourse was her advice that all designers should take drawing classes. Drawing or sketching helps train the brain to really see objects in their true form and in their surroundings. This translates into aiding the actual design process as you develope a sense of scale and proportion, shape and size etc. Great advice if you ask me….I’m a bit of sketcher now, but I might invest more time in this relaxing activity. 
As mentioned before, I’m a huge vignette enthusiast. When done well and with purpose, a vignette can convey the love of a certain colour, or a theme, present a beloved collection, beckon you sit down and let a moment of time pass unhurried. Treillage vignettes not only exhibited the wares for sale, but also encourages the shopper to replicate the importance of vignettes in their own homes. 
Bunny Williams Home collection… Button Down Chest in Cerused Oak…..LOVE!!! The mix of furniture, colour, texture and pattern compels the customer to sit for a spell. An example of Bunny Williams for Dash and Albert rugs completes this inviting ensemble. 
A trio of glass vases adorned with palm leaves is complemented with colourful tea light holders lamps and frogs. 
BlogTourNYC reflected in a mirror in Treillage. There are a variety of mirrors sprinkled throughout the shop and each one echos the image of another wonderful Treillage find. 
I did some shopping. I couldn’t help myself. I asked Bunny if she would sign my new purchases and she willingly obliged. I’m so excited to have these two books, displayed in a vignette in my living room. 
….and now Bunny Williams and I are like X THIS X. 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU , Bunny Williams, John Rosselli , Tina Ramchandani, Sarah Sarna of Franklin Eighth and of course Modenus for this most wonderful shop tour, lunch and chat at Treillage.
More information on Bunny Williams Home website . More information on John Rosselli Antiques.
Tess Casey and BlogTourNYC Classes
Be prepared to be wowed by colour in this post. I actually had to hold myself back and be super diligent in editing the photos selected to use here …. it could have easily become colour and flower power overload (if that’s even possible).
Imagine being invited to go to New York City in March. Now imagine that invitation includes starting your day in the Chelsea Flower District at 9 am. For this ‘north of the 49th parallel’ designer, it was like Christmas, the births of my three daughters, and my favourite vacation rolled into one euphoric event. On our first full day of Modenus #BlogTourNYC we had flower arranging classes with Tess Casey from Aisling Flowers. Providing classes for the bloggers was a first for any BlogTour and we blogger guinea pigs were excited and up for the task. We left our hotel at 8:30 am and proceeded to the Flower District, where we met up with Tess and her assistant Miles. Our education began immediately with a walking tour of some of the Flower District wholesalers. I could not get over the assorted bunches of flowers lined up OUTSIDE along the street. Thankfully there are no pictures of me …they would have certainly shown me with my mouth agape, catching flies or picking my jaw up of the pavement. WOWWW!!!
PART ONE:
THE EDUCATION BEGINS
We went from flower shop to flower shop. You can imagine this colour lover in a frenzy to take it all in after being starved of these glorious hues since October. I had left Ottawa with 3ft of snow on my front lawn and now I was walking in shoes, in a flower market that was drenched in every variety of flower and colour combination imaginable.
We ventured inside several flower wholesale outlets and were again greeted with the most heavenly flower scents and sights. Every conceivable flower, florist wire, ribbon, container and accessory were displayed row upon row, shelf upon shelf.
We were introduced to wrapped bunches of beautiful flowers. Florists and Floral Designers had likely been through the wholesale market earlier in the day….I mean, much earlier as in 5 -7 am. You need to get get to the Flower Market in the wee hours after the imported flowers have been delivered in order to secure the best flowers available
We were told that while the customer continues to peruse the never ending stalls and shelves of flowers, their previously selected flowers are put aside on check out shelves, just like the ones below.
PART TWO:
THE HANDS ON EDUCATION CONTINUES
We bid farewell to the Chelsea Flower District and walked to Tess’s business, Aisling Flowers. I just knew from the sign on the door we were entering a very special space.
Oh…look at that, Miles is behind the ‘bar’ preparing Mimosas just for us. I must say, we were treated like royalty on #Blogtour NYC
THE STUDIO
Our ‘classroom’ greeted us upon entry. HELLOOOO! Isn’t it lovely and bright? Tess’s wedding dress is hanging between two windows….and why not? And the ginormous pendants in the back corner drew resounding oouuu’s and aahhh’s from all of us. In reality, we were mostly speechless, drinking mimosas and snapping photos of this utterly fabulous studio.
These pendants caught the attention of us all and rightly so, They were hand made by Tess and Miles. I can’t remember the number of man hours it took to complete, but it was a ridiculous number. They were constructed from hanging pot racks and adorned with regular ball chains found at any hardware store. Aren’t they magnificent? Now this is thinking outside the box that all designers appreciate.
More of the studio shown below. I love vignettes, and this studio was chock a block full of them.
Did I mention that Tess Casey is a floral designer for movies such as”The Devil Wears Prada” and “Sex in the City” ? Above is the famous wedding scene where Carrie Bradshaw and Mr.Big have an altercation with the wedding bouquet. I believe there were 50 bouquets assembled for this scene.
FLORAL ARRANGING LESSONS BY TESS
In the photo above Tess is explaining some of the ways in which flowers can be arranged with chicken wire, frogs, floral foam etc. Also shown in this photo, behind and to the left of Tess are the very generous Troy Hanson and Megan Reilly of WestEdge Design Fair. They sponsored this unbelievably informative day and wrote a lovely post about #BlogTourNYC and Tess Casey here.
Tess discussed everything floral including buying decorative garbage cans and using them as large receptacles, prepping flowers by removing all leaves below the water line, positioning flowers in a vase using scrunched up chicken wire, hiding stems in glass vases with coloured elastic bands and much more. Below is a selection of succulents, orchids and greenery, which will be displayed on a mirror. SHARP scissors, and knife and floral tape are the tools required and are as necessary to a floral designer as the scalpel is to a surgeon.
LESSONS LEARNED AND PUT INTO ACTION
The props for OUR floral designs are beautifully displayed
NO ONE exhibits group concentration quite like #BlogTourNYC. Tess Casey’s valuable floral lessons were put into practice. The result was an array of at least 16 bouquets….each one slightly different than the next, depending on interpretation, floral additions and imagination.
My bouquet above. I would create something entirely different given the opportunity again. Floral design is infinite!
Tess was proud of each and every one of her #BlogTourNYC students.
A day in NYC and floral lessons I will never forget!
Thank You WestEdge Design Fair, Tess Casey and Aisling Flowers including Miles and Maria, Modenus and #BlogTourNYC….