We Covet: Josef Frank for Svenkst Tenn

[David Netto's Long Island Cottage bedroom from House Beautiful's October 2011 issue]

We're head over heels for Svenskt Tenn's archive of textile and wallpaper patterns by Austrian designer Josef Frank. While architect first collaborations with the venerable Swedish furniture company were in 1935, his archive of swirling and almost psychedelic botanical prints has only recently been rediscovered in North America. 

[Lisa Grue's home from Design Sponge]

There is much to admire about Austrian designer Josef Frank. A founding father of Viennese Modernism, in the 1920s he came to think that the movements ideals had become standardized and  interior design was becoming too cold. So he developed a freer asthetic that embraced on comfort, nature and colour. Which is why his vibrant designs work just as well with a minimalist, Scandinavian-style interiors as well as more maximalist spaces.

[Windows Linen Fabric]

[Gröna Fåglar Linen Fabric]

An architect in Vienna, he emigrated to Sweden to escape Nazi Germany. Svenkst Tenn's Estrid Ericson hired him to create furniture and household objects as well as fabrics. At the height of all the WWII, he fled to New York. And despite the horrors of war, it was here that he developed his most famous patterns — figurative works that depicted flowers, trees and animals all bursting with life.

After the war, he returned to Sweden where Ericson and Frank continued their creative partnership until his death in 1967. But his legacy lives on, not only in the way he influenced generations of Scandinavian designers, but also because his playful take on textile design has been reinvented as wallpaper, placemats and many other household objects.

Pet Portraits

 

[Queen of the Cats]

We here at Covet Garden, love our animal companions and we love art. Both Lynda and Rhonda have already had their furry friends, Lily the dog and Ronnie James Dio the cat, immortalized in watercolours. But that doesn't mean that we have to stop with just one pet portrait. So we were estatic to discover that  Covet Garden fave Queen of the Cats (aka Greasy Chicken Face aka Kristina Møller) is now doing custom pet portraits!

[Manda's Art Studio]

Up until the the dawn of the 20th century, paintings and sculptures of favoured animals were common, but photography made this art form less popular. Which is a shame because paintings can capture the complexity of a pet's personality in a way that photography can't (at least in the case of Ronnie James Dio who rarely sits still long enough for snapshots).

So we started perusing the internets looking for different mediums in which we could immortalize the critters we share our spaces with. On Etsy, we discovered the gouache representations from Manda's Art Studio] as well as Peter Clark's collages. It's all a great way to be a patron of the arts and honour your four-legged friend at the same time.

[Peter Clark]

Holly Wheatcroft on Sculpture

[World Tree Wood, Linen, oil, aluminum 58x13x19.5 in]

One of the things we love most about artist Holly Wheatcroft's home in the current issue of Covet Garden is how she embraces three dimensional art in her rooms. It makes sense because she is a sculptor. So we wanted to ask her a little more about her art, her influences and how we can incorporate more sculpyure into our own spaces.

[Mr. Potato Head walnut, oil, linen, steel 12x8x5 in]

Covet Garden: What are your influences?

Holly: A lot of my pieces are informed by art history. The piece above, Mr. Potato Head, is informed by a collage by George Grosz.  The piece below [Bonjour] was inspired by Dadaist drawing by Max Ernst.

CG: You did a lot of collage in your early work. What inspired you to move into sculpture?

HW: Peak Gallery in Toronto had a call for submissions for a show called You-Tube-It. All of the work submitted had to be able to fit into a FedEx shipping tube. I had started doing my ladder pieces but I thought "how am I going to fit one in a FedEx tube?" I also wanted to do a piece that spoke about breaking international boundaries. Then I got the idea to put the support rod down the middle. The piece then became kinetic — like a multi-directional signpost. It was a metaphor for communication, which is what shipping by courier is all about."

[Bonjour wood oil 17x5 in]

CG: How can we bring more art into our lives?

HW: Don't be afraid of something that you think is not you. That's what I love about Art Bomb [a daily online auction site featuring rising Canadian art stars]. You can look at art but it's not as intimidating as buying in a gallery. You get to take a chance on something new.

CG: You have a lot of amazing three dimensional art in your own home. We love how you take sculptural pieces off of the pedestal. How can we incorporate more sculpture into our lives?

My work isn't quiet. It's about exploring. But at the same time it gives you a sense of peace and soothing.

When you talk about art, especially sculpture, you also have to talk about the space around the object. Postive space is an image or an object. Negative space is the area that surrounds the object.  For me, a big part of sculpture is shadow. In my work, I use shadow and the kinetic component to activate the negative space. It makes a room more dynamic.

Sponsor Love: Flock of Tea Cosy

We love our sponsors, and not just because they help us bring you Covet Garden for free, but also because they are also up to some cool and creative projects. 

Flock of Tea Cosy is a Toronto-based company that makes colourful tea cosies that complement contemprary interiors, each cosy is fashioned from fine wool or wool felt blends that help your tea or coffee pot really hold in heat.

Michelle McLean, the Flock's owner, is a certified tea sommelier, so brewing the perfect cuppa is her number one goal. She was inspired to create these simple covers after searching for cosies that weren't so flowery. She took a page from the simple lines of Shaker design and started by making cosies for friends. Now she is making available to the general public.

The clever cosies have also drawn the attention of blogs such as The Tea Stylist, Remodelista and Apartment Therapy’s “ReNest” feature. Because the are handmade, each cosy is unique. For fiurther customization, bespoke orders are also accepted. 

Visit Flock of Tea Cosy's online shop to check out the array of cute cosies today!

Jeff Goodman: An Appreciation

Canadian glass artist Jeff Goodman, who died on March 22, 2012, was no stranger to the pages of Covet Garden. One of the country’s most recognized and revered artisans, his work has appeared in the home of illustrator Sandra Dionisi from Issue 11 (the two had been collaborating on a project at that time) and in artist Holly Wheatcroft’s house in our current issue.

[image: via the star blogs]

These two examples — Sandra’s etched table and Holly’s luminous egg vessel illustrate the diversity of Goodman’s talents. He created large architectural installations for clients such as Toronto's Ritz-Carlton and the Baha’i Temple of Light, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, in Santiago, Chile, as well as sinuous but simple vessels. Inspired by action painter Jackson Pollock, he was endlessly excited by the process of blowing, casting or shaping molten glass. In the days after his death, many described him as a performance artist as much as a craftsman. In fact, our introduction to Goodman was watching him during the three years he spent as resident glass blower at Toronto’s Harbourfront Studio.

[image: Rtiz Carlton Toronto Spa installation via Toronto Life Magazine]

His work is a reflection of his athleticism and his love of subtle form and line. Goodman came to glass blowing accidentally: a native of Vancouver, he loved the sea and originally aspired to be a boat builder. His ambitions lead him to Sheridan College in Oakville where he studied fine woodworking. It was there he took an elective in glass making. 

Goodman was also a keen collaborator and a vocal proponent of the Canadian art and craft scene. He mentored fellow artists as a technical advisor at Harbourfront, as a teacher at Sheridan College and a board member at the Ontario Craft Council.