Time Moves On

So, the Architectural Digest Design Show Addesignshow.com has come and gone. It’s hard to believe that I spent so many months preparing and now it’s just a memory. A nice one though.

To back track a little, it almost didn’t happen for me. When I began the application process in November, thinking I was well ahead of schedule, I didn’t realize that every space was already taken. Applications for the 2018 show began rolling in as soon as the previous show wrapped up in March 2017. Yet, it was through a bit of persistence on my part and the diligence of the AD Design co-ordinator, that I eventually found out in early December that my work would be shown for the very first time at the 2018 Architectural Digest Design Show. Not only was I in, but was blessed with receiving a prime location where hundreds would pass by my space each day.

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Well, now I’ve gone and done it. At the end of March, I’ll be participating in the Architectural Digest Design Show Addesignshow.com in New York City. I’ll be joining a slew of other producing artists at Pier 94, along with a lot of big manufacturers. Sounds exciting, eh? I have to say, it’s been very revealing.

Preparing for the Show

I liken the process to my daughter June’s insistence last summer that I try out Cowabunga Falls at Splashdown Beach. All my efforts to prepare are like the slow climb to the top of this monster four story waterslide. And of course, I am responsible for carrying my own “vehicle of death,” a slippery, well used mat. As I marched up the hundred or so steps, I recall that this little voice in my head began chirping, “Why are you doing this? You know you don’t have to.”

Challenging this monster was one of those things I kinda did for June. It gave her something to brag about. And doing the show is something for me.

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A Splash of Color

Sometimes I just get bored and want to bust things up. Nothing like a splash of color to catch people off guard and rock the house. The idea for this piece just popped into my head. I call it my buffed-up school bus!

Combining bright colors and beautiful woods has always been attractive to me. The design was simple enough, but the piece actually took quite a bit of time to make. The base and the drawer interiors are black walnut and the exterior is almost a dozen layers of clear and yellow lacquer. The fun part was bringing this baby up to a glossy finish with the car buffer.

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Two years ago I had the pleasure of working with a new homeowner through my colleague, Penny Drue Baird http://PennyDrueBaird.com. This gentleman was setting up his modern living in West Chelsea just off of Seventh Avenue, and being that he is in real estate, he knew what he was doing when he picked this sun drenched location. The entire south side is all windows!

I was asked to build three pieces: An entertainment piece, a desk and a built-in credenza for the bedroom.

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As I thought about what to write for this piece, I came to the conclusion that in this day and age, we have established all the different types of furniture pieces that we will probably ever need: Dressers for clothes, chairs for sitting and tables for dining. Sure there are other common items that I haven’t mentioned, but my black walnut and koto credenza fits in with all the other credenzas of the world. It’s a pretty standard piece.

What sets it apart, however, is the decorative work on the face. The black walnut body simply “frames” the lighter dyed koto doors and focuses the eye on the fun stuff; The cherry, the grape, the bling. I wanted to do something different and thought, “how many furniture people play with round shapes and two different grain directions? Not to mention installing metal strips. Maybe some consider it, but not too many do it.”

In terms of the dyed koto veneer, it’s pretty cool stuff. This is the second batch I’ve played with. The first batch was a beautiful nickel/oatmeal color with a lot of intricate grain patterns. When finished, it shimmered and “moved” like mahogany when viewed from different angles. Please see the Silver Leaf Commissioned Armoire https://markluedeman.com/commissioned-silver-leaf-armoire/.

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Re-Creating the Past

About a year ago, a designer friend of mine, sent me some photos of a pair of antique shagreen and walnut side tables. They were for sale by a reputable dealer, but the shagreen was stained and the wood was worn. The question was, “Could they be rehabilitated, and would it be cost effective?” Based on the asking price, apparently, not. So I was asked to create a duplicate pair of art deco tables.

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A New Direction, Silver and Palladium Leaf Lamps

In the spring of 2016, I was flipping through an interior design book and came across a silver table lamp crowned with a red silk shade. It’s beauty captivated me, and I began to think about the possibilities which soon led me astray. So, for the next few weeks, I satisfied my creative needs by producing lamps like the silver and palladium leaf ones shown above.

Though deeply inspired, I wanted to transcend the simplicity of what I had seen. Both my lamp and theirs conveyed a sense of “stability” with flared bases, only mine was to be a bit more elaborate. I also felt the need to embellish the top with a “cap” to properly “finish it off.” So I put my rough ideas down on paper and then quickly jumped to creating scale drawings, which confirmed I was right on track.

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It wasn’t long after I turned 50 that I realized 70 was coming up fast. “It’s time to get busy, and express your creativity,” I thought. This small harlequin cabinet is the result of my efforts.

It all started with a desire to play with bold patterns of veneer, otherwise known as parquetry. So I picked up my pen and drew a few shapes. I love playing with curves and thought it would be stunning if I married the pale blond veneer of english sycamore to the dark richness of black walnut in matching squares or rectangles….. And then doing it over and over again.

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I have to admit, I have a lot of fortune in my life. In the spring of 2016, I was asked by a designer to create a Macassar Ebony Dining Table for her Park Avenue client in New York City. In reality, it was really two tables that could be joined by adding a couple of center leaves to make one large table for family and friends.

At the beginning, the client requested a starburst pattern, but after presenting several options, I encouraged her to go with a more traditional “frame within a frame” pattern using Macassar ebony. I thought this would be the best solution and maintain its appeal for the years to come.

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