Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/293661
W est Alabama's Hollywood Square welcomes yet another design doyenne: Lynn Goode has opened a permanent showroom for her modern furnishing treasures. To heighten the impact of her well-edited inventory, the store's embellishments are restrained, from simple glazed-concrete floors to bright-white paint on the walls, ceiling and ductwork — all the better to keep one's attention on the mid-century marvels on display. And marvel one does at pieces that range from a museum-quality T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings Klismos chair and chaise (favorites of President Obama's decorator, Michael S. Smith) to a charming array of milkware that hearkens back to simpler times. Six distinct environments illustrate how the pieces might assimilate into one's own domestic environ. Anchoring it all is Goode herself, who makes the exacting world of mid-century design approachable by explaining the significance of pieces such as the brass bar cart she picked up in Palm Springs or a set of Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs. Of course, with a name like Goode, we'd expect nothing less. Lynn Goode Vintage Furniture + Decorative Arts, 3637 W. Alabama, 713 522 5252, lynngoodevintage.com. Seth Vaughan "What appeals to me most," Hunt Slonem says of his new favorite subject — buoyant bunnies and handsome hares, which have almost supplanted avians in his canvases — "is their mystical quality." The internationally exhibited, museum-collected painter, dapper dandy, creator of extraordinary interiors, historical preservationist and collector of fantastical 19th-century homes recalls, "In my childhood, I was enchanted by the White Rabbit, who leads Alice down the rabbit hole into Wonderland and an altered state … John Tenniel's illustrations for Alice in Wonderland were formative for me, especially the White Rabbit and the March Hare. It helps, of course, that both of them were completely mad." And we're mad for Slonem, who has a return engagement with Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc., this month starring his latest lapins. (The artist famously begins his day warming up his brushes by painting bunny portraits, based upon memory; he grew up with pet rabbits in his childhood yard in Kittery, Maine.) Best of all, it's back-to-back bunnies and two days of Slonem PAs. The day before his Gremillion opening, he pens bons mots at Sloan/Hall in his just-released tome from Gliteratti (Bunnies, 256 pages, 250 color illustrations, $85). Sloan/Hall book signing for Slonem's Bunnies Wednesday, April 16, 6 to 8 pm; Slonem "Bunnies" opening, Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc., Thursday, April 17, 6 to 8 pm (through May 3). Catherine D. Anspon D allas isn't the only Fair destination this month. Lawndale Design Fair unfurls in the Museum District. Design disciples always attend the PaperCity- sponsored Preview Party Friday, April 25 — this year chaired by decorator Anne Breux — then shop the Fair weekend Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, where a curated convergence from statewide and beyond set up booths, stocking covetable wares from furnishings to lighting, ceramics, glass, metalwork, books and fashion finds. Poggenpohl's Tatiana Bacci and Cecilia Márquez of Saint Cloud do curatorial honors, while the weekend benefits the progressive programming of Lawndale Art Center. And don't forget The Texas Co-Op, an edited selection of rising Texas designers. Here are our must acquires from near and wide: the polished Building Block Business Bag from Myth & Symbol; Houston jeweler Yvette Cortez's hand- crafted Sal Miel collection of mixed-metal baubles with beautifully burnished finishes; L.A. ceramics lady Bari Ziperstein's BZippy & Company's totemic sculpture, always a highlight; Josef Albers-esque geometric silk scarves from Pro Libertate Arts; and the pure artistry of award-winning Houston-based RISD grad Michael Garman's Garman Furniture. New: a Talks Series, sprouting up informally during Fair days, on topics from local urbanism to fresh directions in Houston architecture and design. The Fair officially launches Wednesday, April 23 with its free lecture series: Architecture critic, author and founding editor-in-chief of Dwell, Karrie Jacobs, dishes at the MFAH upon the pertinent topic— "In Praise of Man- Made Nature." Get in on the early action with Preview Party tickets: $75 / $60 for Lawndale members, including Fair admission; Fair days $5; contact Kelly Montana, 713.528.5858, kmontanta@lawndaleartcenter.org, lawndaleartcenter.org. Catherine D. Anspon Weaving international economic aid and a desire to see the continued production of remarkable floor coverings, Matt Esfahani of Matt Camron, along with the Unites States government, has gone into Afghanistan to assist in the revitalization of its weaving community. Following a year's worth of planning, factories have been organized and are taking orders for a number of traditional designs that Esfahani has slightly modified to reflect current aesthetic inclinations. Predominately employing women, the weaving trade in Afghanistan is one of the most storied in existence, but an escalated geopolitical environment in recent decades has lessened its foothold in western markets. Esfhani offers not only custom-made pieces but also the five-design collection, with which he launched the initiative in his five showrooms (Houston, Dallas, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C.). Never before has a rollout meant so much. Prices upon request, mattcamron.com. Seth Vaughan I t's always exciting to hear whom Decorative Center Houston has lined up for Spring Market Thursday, May 1. The fresh crop of speakers and authors includes Michael Wollaeger, editorial director of Interiors magazine, who will moderate a panel at 10:30 am with rug designer Kyle Bunting and designer Timothy Corrigan. Corrigan will sign his book An Invitation to Château du Grand-Lucé: Decorating a Great French Country House and launch his debut collection of fabrics, furnishings and rugs for Schumacher and Patterson, Flynn & Martin in the Schumacher showroom. Designer Gary McBournie signs his new book Living Color: A Designer Works Magic with Traditional Interiors in the Stark showroom (2 – 3 pm). The Stars of Design and Stars on the Rise Awards ceremony is at 5:30 pm, followed by the 6:30 opening of L.A. photojournalist Nancy Ellison's "Altered Egos," a retrospective of her photographs of such notables as Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson and Mick Jagger. For full schedule and to RSVP, go to 713.961.9292, ext. 1320, decorativecenter.com. FOR THE Design Hunt Slonem's Untitled (Rabbit), 2013, at Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc. PHOTO CLAIRE COTTRELL, STYLING LAUREN SPENCER KING Garman Furniture's Annie floor lamp Building Block's The Business Bag, at Myth & Symbol Pro Libertate Arts silk scarves Sal Miel bijoux BZippy & Company's Lady Finger Vase Harrison Ford MARKET REPORT [ ] Through the Rabbit Hole Lynn Goode Let the GOODE Times Roll Minded Dhurries DIPLOMATIC Michael Wollaeger Timothy Corrigan Gary McBournie JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL BÄRBEL MIEBACH Hunt Slonem Many hands make light work on the looms. An Afghan-made Gabbeh carpet Wool drying in the Afghan sun Mid-century mise en scène