HABITUALLY CHIC DESIGN®

It's cold again in New York and what better way to escape the weather than by visiting a museum. I can't wait to visit the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum for Color Moves: The Art and Fashion of Sonia Delauney which runs through June 5, 2011. This show epitomizes one of my favorite blog topics which is how art, design and fashion are all related. Sonia Delauney (1885-1979) worked in Paris and was "known primarily as an abstract painter and colorist" but "applied her talents and theories to all areas of visual expression, including graphics, interiors, theatre and film, fashion and textiles," and even a few cars. She was very well known for her use of color and it seems perfect that this exhibition coincides with a very colorful season for fashion. And who knows, it may even make you forget that it's freezing outside! Bon Weekend!

"He who knows how to appreciate colour relationships, the influence of one colour on another, their contrasts and dissonances, is promised an infinitely diverse imagery." - Sonia Delaunay

I finally had a chance to see House Proud: Nineteenth-century Watercolor Interiors from the Thaw Collection at the Cooper Hewitt this past weekend and was so glad that I made it before it closed Sunday. The watercolors were amazing and so were the stories of surrounding each of them and the rooms they depicted. It was such a wonderful insight not only into interior design of the times but the history and purpose of the different rooms in a home. I was also struck by the intricate detail of the watercolors and beautiful furnishings and patterns in so many of them. I purchased the accompanying book House Proud and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about these stunning interiors.