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DECORATION VLADIMIR KAGAN IS SO KOOL … AND HE'S COMING TO DALLAS LEGENDARY FURNITURE DESIGNER VLADIMIR KAGAN REINTRODUCES HIS SWOOPING, SENSUOUS COLLECTION AND SIGNS HIS NEW BOOK AT DAVID SUTHERLAND SHOWROOM. REBECCA SHERMAN. READ HIS FULL INTERVIEW AT PAPERCITYMAG.COM. D esigners Brendan Young and Vanessa Battaglia are known for their clever and surrealist wallpapers for UK-based Mineheart, such as white books on white shelving and stone Renaissance angels that appear to be carved onto a palazzo wall. Now they've beguiled us again — this time with furniture. Their lacquer tall cabinet and side table are cheeky interpretations of famous English royals; picture Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century portrait of duchess Beatrice d'Este and a portrait of Henry VIII's last wife, Catherine Parr. The collection also includes Long Stretch, a rubber rug designed to look like cowhide. $1,500 to $5,400, at Nest, 4524 McKinney Ave., 214.373.4444, nestdallas.com. Rebecca Sherman BRITISH HUMOR Vladimir Kagan is 88 years old — and Hollywood, it seems, would not have been as glamorous without him. Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, David Lynch and Tom Cruise have all bought his sculptural concepts: chairs and tables with swooping walnut and aluminum bases, sensuously curved sofas and sleek Lucite. In 1997, Tom Ford filled 360 Gucci boutiques worldwide with Kagan's achingly chic modular Omnibus sofas, and the rest is history. A design star was reborn. But good luck trying to find his furniture to buy … Except for a handful of select showrooms in New York, Chicago and Miami, Kagan's classic collection has remained elusive in Texas. Until now. Showroom owner David Sutherland has chosen nine styles from Kagan's since-reopened New Jersey factory and brought them to Dallas and Houston. The legend himself will make a personal appearance at David Sutherland showroom Wednesday, May 27, to sign copies of his newly reissued and updated book, Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant- Garde Design (Pointed Leaf Press), with a preface by Tom Ford. C hristopher Marley's natural specimens evoke strong reactions. Think about how you're feeling now, just reading this story. If you're squeamish, you'll quickly flip the page or cover the images with a coaster. But, others of you will spend hundreds, if not thousands, to acquire the artistic curves of Marley's serpents, the brilliant colors of his beetles or the shiver-inducing excitement of his scorpions and arachnids. Even Marley was, at one time, terrified of bugs. A former model and missionary (you don't SPIDERMAN often see those two words in the same sentence), Marley found himself in exotic locales where he had to confront his fears. What was once a phobia turned to fascination. Now an artist who uses the natural specimens he collects and preserves as a design medium, Marley creates three-dimensional images and mosaics from reptiles, birds, plants, minerals and aquatic life. (Not to worry, all of his specimens are reclaimed in an environmentally responsible manner.) His second book, Biophilia (Abrams, $50), was published in April and includes a dazzling section called "Unity," where he reveals deep relationships between vastly different natural objects, from feathers to orchids to rubies. Meet the California-based artist at Laura Lee Clark showroom Friday, May 15, 5 to 7:30 pm, for a book signing. Laura Lee Clark, 1515 Slocum St., 214.265.7272, lauraleeclark.com. Rebecca Sherman I talian furniture manufacturer Emmemobili likes to blur the lines. With its new collection, the boundaries between cutting edge and ancient, architecture and interior design, and furniture and decorative art merge. The term recherché couldn't be a better fit. Founded in the 1980s by the legendary Italian furniture- making dynasty Tagliabue, Emmemobili has 136 years of tradition behind it and is still run by fourth-generation Tagliabue family members. Working almost exclusively in wood, the Tagliabue artisans became known in the 1870s for meticulous hand-carving and cabinetmaking. In the early 20th century, the Tagliabues teamed with architects to produce for the aeronautics industry, mastering modern-day techniques for manipulating wood into sculptural shapes. In the 1930s, the Tagliabues won the prestigious Lisbon Architecture Triennale award for their designs. The collaborations have continued, specifically with Italian architect Ferruccio Laviani, who has also designed for such greats as Kartell, Cassina, Flos, Foscarini and Moroso, and created interior spaces for Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni and Swarovski. Laviani's most recent furniture collection for Emmemobili has just landed at Scott + Cooner, and includes a sideboard carved into a matelassé effect; an undulating low cabinet in multilayered curved wood; a bedside table and cabinet of drawers shaped into alternating waves; and a sculptural cabinet that seems to dance along the wall, playing off its triangular forms. $2,000 to $60,000, at Scott + Cooner, scottcooner.com. Rebecca Sherman FORM, FUNCTION AND FAMILY Vladimir Kagan Crescent sofa at David Sutherland Kagan's newly reissued book, Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design Emmemobili's Arlequin cabinet, $16,000 and up Elizabeth cabinet BAUHAUS PRECEPTS TO LIVE BY. "THERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS FROM BAUHAUS THAT STILL DRIVE MY DESIGN. THE FIRST IS 'FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.' THE OTHER IS 'LESS IS MORE.'" Christopher Marley at Laura Lee Clark Christopher Marley's one- of-a-kind Pied Red Rump bird specimen, price upon request, at Laura Lee Clark STEPHEN DUX