Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1462583
ON A BENDER POP GOES YOUR WALL T he 1980s promoted big hair, big shoulders, and big ideas that didn't always pan out. It was a time of excess, to be sure. But a handful of '80s-era Post Modernist creations have stood the test of time, including Norwegian furniture designer Terje Ekstrøm's lounge chair that's now available through Design Within Reach. Made from bent steel covered in wool-blended knitted fabric, the Ekstrem's ageless, unconventional design allows for multiple ergonomic configurations, including a 180-degree position. Available in six colors. Ekstrem chair $2,999, at Design Within Reach, NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway, dwr.com. Rebecca Sherman P op culture meets wallpaper via Parete. The company's founders — Daniela G u a r i n , M i c h a e l Freedman, and Matthew Wagman — unabashedly share on their website: "We like walls and we like Italy. Parete is Italian for interior walls." Guarin and Freedman worked together for a large wallcovering company, and despite cultural and age differences, they found themselves to be kindred spirits. You might say that Parete has given them the opportunity to color outside the lines. "We didn't fit into this industry because it can be a little precious sometimes. We wanted to bring a little levity to our work," Guarin says. "We gave our products names like Ombre is My Nombre, Make My Daisy, and Riunite on Ice because we don't take ourselves too seriously, but we are serious about design, quality, and the customer experience." Parete also prides itself in manufacturing on a small footprint, with less waste and a lower, gentler impact on our planet. "We take our cues more from art and fashion than interiors," Guarin says. Call them new school, old school, art school — it all seems to fit. Freedman says his love of music and nightlife was the inspiration for the Discoteca Collection, a group of wallcoverings made with hand-applied materials that have been heavily influenced by Art Deco. The Parete website is like few we've seen in the field. When we clicked on Grooves, we found ourselves taken to Spotify and playlists created by the team. It was a welcome half-hour break from our day with tracks from Daft Punk and Karen O. Their plan is to have regular drops, so watch for something that might be dubbed The Robot (one of our favorite dance moves). "I mean, how many wallcoverings named after cities in Europe do we really need," says Freedman. Parete wallcoverings, to the trade at Pholio Co., 5646 Milton St., pholioco.com. Billy Fong ART & DECORATION Ekstrem chair at Design Within Reach Ekstrem chair Parete's Ombre is My Nombre wallcovering Parete's Swinger From The '60s 98