Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1020281
COMPLETELY FLOORED ART + DECORATION LA DOUBLE IMPACT WITH LA DOUBLE J AND KARTELL M ilan-based journalist turned style icon J.J. Martin's La Double J sells both vintage and new clothing that channels bygone decades with retro prints pulled from Italian archives. Global style-setters Rebecca de Ravenel and Martina Mondadori quickly embraced La Double J's peasant skirts in vibrant patterns, exploding the brand's recognition in a few short years. Martin is now foraying into furniture with a new collaboration with Kartell, in keeping with her mission of partnering with the finest made-in-Italy brands. Kartell's Lorenza Luti calls the partnership a natural fit, pointing to both brands' ironic and positive view of reality. Three chairs chosen by Martin from Kartell's archives — the Patricia Urquiola-designed Clap chair, Philippe Starck's Madame chair, and Joe Colombo's 4801 chair — are all given a maximalist update swathed in La Double J vintage prints. At Cantoni, kartell.com. Anne Lee Phillips L iliana Bloch G a l l e r y 's conceptually c o m p l e x s e a s o n o p e n e r, S i m ó n Vega's "Hot Capsules f r o m t h e C o l d War," interweaves drawing, sculpture, installation work, and photography to take up a surprising topic: the U.S. Space Program, from the viewpoint of an El Salvadoran artist. Conflating favelas and shantytowns of Latin America and the developing world with NASA during the nascent Mercury program (1958 – 1963), the Venice Biennale-exhibited talent conjures the halcyon age of exploration that ushered in the Gemini, then Apollo programs. But she adds humor into the mix too, equating space vessels — about the same scale as vendor carts ubiquitous in Central America — with dystopia and the desire to escape our lives and planet. Also at the gallery, Miami-based Odabashian, the rug manufacturer famed for collaborations with artists and its bespoke hand- woven collections, offers a limited-edition Vega carpet, the Tropical Mercury Capsule Rug. Hand-woven from New Zealand merino wool, employing traditional Tibetan high-density knots, this piece of functional art is inspired by the artist's blueprint drawing for his Mercury capsule sculpture in the collection of Miami's Pérez Art Museum. Tropical Mercury Capsule Rug, 8 x 10 feet, edition of three, $13,000, in Simón Vega's "Hot Capsules from the Cold War" at Liliana Bloch Gallery, opening Saturday, September 8, 6 to 9 pm (through October 13); lilianablochgallery.com. Catherine D. Anspon INTO ORBIT Simón Vega's Tropical Mercury Capsule Rug, 2017, at Liliana Bloch Gallery T he Dallas Market Center adds more excitement to its revamped building with exhibitions and new shared spaces for Assouline, Peacock Alley, Beyond Borders Imports, Lantern & Scroll, and 909 Home. Longtime showroom Global Views has also relocated to the first floor … Erdos + Ko has signed a licensing agreement with designer Clodagh to create a 12-piece collection of accent tables debuting in January 2019 … Dallas-based Perennials has debuted a collection of 12 flat-weave rugs with The Rug Company, inspired by Palm Springs deserts. Rebecca Sherman BUZZ DESIGN T his month Romo, one of the world's oldest and most revered textiles houses, launches its first rug collec- tion. The fifth-generation, family-owned company has translated four of its recent fabric designs into painterly flat-weave and hand-tufted rugs, woven from wool and cotton chenille. The rugs are produced in Belgium by the 159-year-old rug company Louis de Poortere and kept in stock in three sizes for quick delivery. To the trade through Culp Associates, Dallas Design Center, 1025 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 500, culpassociates. com. Rebecca Sherman Lalzo rug, Romo by Louis de Poortere Flatweave and tufted rugs, Romo by Louis de Poortere Philippe Starck Madame chair for Kartell in La Double J fabric, $1,005 COURTESY THE ARTIST AND LILIANA BLOCH GALLERY 112