PaperCity Magazine

March 2018- Dallas

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sleeve by Louis Vuitton and goes for $2,500. Art is also a focus, and Brightwell is a master at locating limited- edition collectables by well-known designers and artists — pieces that often fetch a fraction of the cost of an original work. Spotting affordable works by museum-collected artists began during his London days. British painter Patrick Caulfield's works on paper are a favorite of his. Currently hanging in the loft is Caulfield's Along a Twilighted Sky, 1973. Australian product designer Marc Newson's Lockheed lounge broke records when it sold for more than $3 million at auction in 2015 — but his futuristic Sci-Fi vase is a more cost-effective object, and Brightwell has one for $1,800. Works by Pop artist KAWS typically sell for six figures, but the artist's toys for MoMA make owning a KAWS within reach. Brightwell bought three before they sold out and encased them in Lucite boxes. A collection of 10 Swid Powell plates, custom- designed by Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Robert Mapplethorpe, hang as an installation. And Brightwell is in the early stages of collaborating with regional artists to design original plates, including Houston's Randy Twaddle. While his collection is certainly personal, Brightwell keeps it all professional. "Someone once asked how I felt about selling all these things — if I was attached to them," he says. "I value them and the story behind them, but it makes me happy to let them go." Still, it's less about making a sale and more about the object, the story, and the pursuit. "People can come and immerse themselves in the space," he says. "They don't have to buy anything. I'm more interested in helping people learn." The result is a hybrid museum/ shopping experience, where items on display are accompanied by a photograph and historic-information sheet; when purchased, they come charmingly wrapped in recycled newsprint and presented in a vintage box or bag — because, naturally, Brightwell collects those, too. Estiluz floor lamp. Nils Thorsson and Ellen Malmer vases for Royal Copenhagen. At right, Stanley Tigerman porcelain candlesticks for Swid Powell. Alice Cottrell-designed sectional and ottomans made by Kisabeth. Artwork by Thurston Hopkins, Robert Mapplethorpe, Kurt Hutton, Ben Eine, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Richard Woods. Vintage nightstands from Circa20c. Alice Cottrell-designed bed by Kisabeth. Artwork by English painter Bernard Farmer, Patrick Caulfield, Tony Latham, Doug Brightwell. Saarinen dining table from Centro Modern Furnishings, St. Louis. Richard Schultz Cafe Collection chair for Knoll, 1998, from Dulce. Vintage Swid Powell candlesticks, circa 1980s. Pair of Wedgwood urns. David Linley Sycamore fruit bowl, circa 1990s. Aluminum torchière, circa 1930s.

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