SCENE WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE DEORIO
DEBUT IN DENVER L.ERCOLANI
Last year marked the 100th anniversary of British furniture brand Ercol—long known for marrying timeless modern designs with old-fashioned woodworking traditions—and the introduction of the luxury subbrand L.Ercolani, which selected Denver for its North American headquarters. Located in RiNo’s Studio Como building, the new home base includes showroom space for beloved Ercol classics, including company founder Lucian Ercolani’s iconic 1958 Butterfly chair, displayed alongside recently launched L.Ercolani collections designed in collaboration with contemporary visionaries such as Norm Architects, Atlason Studio, Jonas Wagell and Lars Beller Fjetland. The heirloomquality furnishings, which were built in Buckinghamshire, a region of England
synonymous with furniture-making, are a natural fit for Studio Como’s portfolio of European furniture brands that prioritize craftsmanship and comfort. If you find it difficult to distinguish between L.Ercolani’s new releases and Ercol originals—including the modernist take on the classic Windsor chair with which Lucian Ercolani made his name—that’s by design. “Our common thread is heritage quality and craftsmanship,” says Ben Gaffney, L.Ercolani’s vice president of the Americas and international design development. “We love the visual discoveries in our classics designed by Lucian Ercolani, like our wedge-andtenon and dovetail joints. You can see some of those techniques in our current lineup. And, just like Lucian, we continue to evolve and improve.” lercolani.com
BLUEPRINT The lobby and living room at Aspen resort The Little Nell have always been among the chicest meeting spots in town, but a new redesign by Luis Bustamante Studio of Spain quite literally casts the spaces in a new light. The lobby sports lightened-up wood finishes and introduces a motif of striking geometries, seen first in round brass tables that rest atop a geometric-patterned rug (right). The split-level living room beyond features new furnishings along with bold paintings by Bustamante, formerly a professional painter and sculptor. “Because Luis Bustamante’s background is in sculpture,” says the design firm’s Julian Castillo, “he conceives space as a whole piece of art, where there is a strong interplay between the materials, lighting, furniture and artwork. Then there’s the place: In response to the climate in Aspen, especially in winter, the first thing you'll feel here is coziness—the feeling of being embraced, warm and protected.” In other words, all the vibes a storied ski resort should deliver. thelittlenell.com
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debut in denver photo: christian møller andersen, courtesy l.ercolani. blueprint photo: courtesy the little nell.
THE LITTLE NELL
DISPATCH
WITHOUT A DOUBT, 2020 WAS THE YEAR OF THE HOME OFFICE. THREE INTERIORS EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON THE DESIGN STORIES THAT WILL DEFINE 2021.
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DESIGN
NEW & NEXT
COURTNEY ST. JOHN Courtney St. John Studio, Avon
courtney st. john photo: gibeon photography. stephanie waddell photo: michael deleon. jennifer desjardin photo: david patterson photography.
“We’re spending much more time inside our homes now, and the bright spot is the opportunity we have to reimagine the stories these spaces tell about who we are. Perhaps the new normal is a more inviting sitting area with a renewed sense of formality. Before, we tended to dress up to have a nice meal out on the town. We could certainly learn to dress up our rooms to fill that void. I think the time is also right to make the media room more family-friendly, fun, vibrant and welcoming—more of a rec room, complete with games and a pool table.”
JENNIFER DESJARDIN Motif Design Solutions, Denver
“Because 2021 will be a transitionary year, we expect to see a huge demand for switching up interiors—in particular, a return to the familiarity of more traditional styles—and addressing pain points that have grown old during the quarantine period. The amenities homeowners once outsourced (fitness studios, restaurants) will live larger at home than ever before, and residential spaces will evolve to include home gyms, meditation rooms and multifunctional spaces; home offices with elevated functionality, styling and brandrepresentation; and private entertainment areas—from wine or whiskey rooms to enhanced outdoor living spaces—that provide safe retreats for family and friends.”
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STEPHANIE WADDELL Istoria Interior Design, Boulder
“While home offices and outdoor spaces will continue to be important topics in the year to come, I’d like to see the conversation move to bedrooms as the ultimate sanctuaries. How do we create a bedroom space that recharges the mind and body after all they have been through and will need to navigate in the new and exciting post-pandemic world? Creating low-tech spaces where we can naturally recharge after once again engaging with the world will be key. Lighting, color palettes, mattresses, bed linens, comfortable reading nooks and soft flooring materials will all be considered.”
DISPATCH
ON VIEW
“TRUTH, BEAUTY AND POWER: CHRISTOPHER DRESSER AND THE AESTHETIC MOVEMENT”
STATE OF THE ARTIST MEREDITH FENIAK
“The practice of research, experimentation and repetition sometimes makes me feel like more of a scientist than an artist,” says Denver creative Meredith Feniak, whose “process-first” philosophy yields fine art, botanical illustrations, gilded embellishments, murals, installations and somatic art for residential, commercial and public spaces in Denver and around the world. Here, she tells us more about that practice— and where it leads. meredithfeniak.com What does it mean to you to be a process-based artist? I often start without the end in sight, knowing the meaning behind the work and what I want the viewer to feel, but rarely knowing what it will actually look like. After determining what I want to portray, I obsessively strive to understand and explore the materials and process until they guide the way.
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What materials do you favor? Pure mediums are constants in my work. Gold leaf and charcoal are a common thread, as are the unusual organic substrates I prefer, including papers, wood panels, raw linen canvas and sheer silk. I am rarely happy with store-bought materials, usually because their production process is mysterious and I like to know how things are made. Does that curiosity inform your work in other ways? All of my work has a scientific foundation, with botany at the forefront, but because our world is delicately interconnected, animals, insects, fungi, the celestial universe and humankind often find their way into my work. Current research on interspecies cooperation, which is simply restoring ancient knowledge, guides my current practice.
on view photo: courtesy kirkland museum of fine & decorative art. state of the artist photos: top left, heather mourer; top right and bottom, courtesy meredith feniak.
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DESIGN
A new exhibition at the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, in Denver’s Golden Triangle Creative District, illuminates the Aesthetic Movement, a socially progressive British art and design movement of the late 19 th century that revolutionized design with its emphasis on pure beauty—or art for art’s sake. On view April 2–May 23, the show draws from the museum’s permanent collections—including many never-before-seen works—to explore common motifs used in designs from the Aesthetic Movement, with a special focus on the influential works of British designer Christopher Dresser, from ceramics to an elaborate and richly upholstered five-legged chair. “We’re taking an in-depth look into this important, but possibly overlooked, part of our permanent collection,” says deputy curator Christopher Herron. “Dresser and his role in the Aesthetic Movement are an important early foundation of our decorative art collection”—not to mention enduring ideas about the necessity of beauty in everyday domestic life. kirklandmuseum.org