Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1508058
and abroad in search of things he's never seen before, like a 19th-century ceremonial paddle from the Austral Islands in French Polynesia and rustic cabinets fashioned from tree-trunk slabs retrieved from a château in the French Alps. Once, when Blackman returned with a commercial clock face rescued from the 1905 Stewart-Warner factory in Chicago, a hole had to be cut in the ceiling to accommodate its 14-foot circumference. David Cruz's affection for travel, history, and refined design helped build the showroom's sophistication. Over the years, he has acquired pieces by Paul T. Frankl, Billy Haines, Josef Hoffmann, and Walter Gropius, along with a rare collection of Carlo Bugatti furniture from an estate in Mexico City. Along with creative director Lika Moore, Blackman Cruz has designed and manufactured its own pieces since 1998, including the plaster Primal Lighting collection, which pays homage to French designers and artists from the '20s and '30s, and is available to the trade in Dallas at David Sutherland. Over the years, the gallery has represented a raft of talented furniture and lighting artists such as Thierry Jeannot, who makes chandeliers from plastic bottles that look like Venetian glass, and Mike Diaz, whose hand-carved theatrical furniture is inspired by Mexican and Sicilian Baroque design. Beauty & Mischief: The Design Alchemy of Blackman Cruz (Cameron Books), the gallery's first book, showcases the daring style that has made it one of the most influential design showrooms in America. The book also shows their private homes. Join Blackman and Cruz Wednesday, November 1, at David Sutherland Showroom, 3:30 - 5:30 pm, for an illustrated talk, cocktails, and book signing. Information and tickets, texasdesignweek.com. Adam Blackman, David Cruz Primal table lamps Eighteenth-century Sicilian Baroque mirror Eighteenth-century sofa and Mike Diaz Patria candlesticks Framed pre- Columbian Peruvian textile; Jane Hallworth's Pequod floor lamp; BCW Peyote chair and Leary side table. DAVID ROSS DAVID ROSS COURTESY WRIGHT LENDON FLANAGAN A Blackman Cruz environment with rare Carlo Bugatti carved furniture, including a settee from the estate of Marchesa Luisa Casat DAVID ROSS 66