Austin Artist Ysabel LeMay

Stunning Collision . . . French Canadian photographer Ysabel LeMay—who moved to Austin a year ago—produces dreamy, large-scale works of flora and fauna by combining hundreds of photographs into a single, arresting composition in a process she calls "photo-fusion". Each photo is painstakingly lighted and composed, then assembled one detail at a time into a collage so beautiful it might as well be a painting. If her work has painterly qualities, that's because she was a fine art painter for 12 years before turning to photography. 

She's under the radar in Texas—this is the first publicity she's gotten she says—but not for long. LeMay is a star on the rise—In 2011, she was chosen for the Kipton Art Rising Star program in New York, and has exhibited throughout Europe, Canada, The Netherlands, and in the U.S. in New York, Santa Fe and Palm Beach. Recently, she was picked up by prestigious Chicago art gallery Catherine Edelman and her works were shown in April at AIPAD (Association of International Photography Art Dealers).

Her work has a mysterious, dreamy quality that's utterly transfixing in such a large scale—some of her works are reproduced onto reflective surfaces such as aluminum, which give them luminosity. Her technique is proprietary, but she did reveal to me that to get some of the pure white "water" bubbles and waterfalls, she photographs spilling and splashing milk. Can you imagine how hard that is to capture, let alone make it beautiful? 

Bloomingdales in Los Angeles commissioned her to do an animated work that should be ready this fall—if you're in LA, check it out. Also, she's just completed prototypes for tables bearing her works (at the bottom, below), which she hopes to market soon. 

Her works are sold in Texas only at Smink in Dallas, which if you didn't realize, has begun to represent fine artists along with importing Italian luxury furniture lines. LeMay's works are on the walls at Smink, which is where I first discovered her. They really need to be seen to be appreciated—the level of refinement and detail is extraordinary. I have to hand it to the Smink sisters for bringing LeMay to Dallas first.

Circa 1930 by Ysabel LeMay

Metamorphos, by Ysabel LeMay

Venus, by Ysabel LeMay

Whispers, by Ysabel LeMay

Les Naturalistes, by Ysabel LeMay

The Mystics, by Ysabel LeMay

Tables, created by Ysabel LeMay

Ysabel LeMay photographing snow

Kitchens, Baths, Limited Edition Gio Ponti, a Dixie Chick's Amazing Abode and More!

Spring 2013 edition of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas
Cover Photo by Stephen Karlish

Splish Splash . . .  The spring issue of Modern Luxury Interiors Texas celebrates our one-year anniversary with a wonderful feature on kitchens and baths, written by Executive Editor Connie Dufner. The cover story, photographed by Stephen Karlisch and written by Carla Jordan, just happens to have a gorgeous kitchen, but you'll love the rest of the house, too. It's the work of Dallas architect Jason Smith of SmithArc and Dallas interior designer Ashley Tripplehorn-Hunt. 

To read the terrific story and see more of Stephen's stellar photography, go here and flip through the digital edition. The kitchens and bath story begins on page 102. Here's a peek inside:

Bathroom by Waterworks, turn to page 105

Crystal bath and kitchen containers by Saint Louis, at Hermes; turn to page 103

Don't you just love the idea of storing leftovers in the fridge in these glamorous new containers? The tops come in a graphite gray color, too. What a great housewarming gift! 




Living with Geometry. . . 

Romeo Sozzi's Aziza armchair at Promemoria, turn to page 66

Read about how Promemoria designer Romeo Sozzi took some of the company's best-selling furniture and re-imagined them in a whole new way with optical illusions and geometry and angles. Here's a few pieces from the new collection that are my favorites. Turn to page 66 in the magazine for the story.

Two-toned velvet Bilou-Bilou chair, turn to page 66

Leather Scarlett table on hidden casters, turn to page 66

Signed and limited . . . 

Limited edition Gio Ponti collaboration with Molteni & C, at Smink

Gio Ponti is one of the most celebrated designers of modern time, so I loved working on this story about Molteni & C's collaboration with the Ponti family to produce a collection of signed and limited edition pieces—including those once in Ponti's own home. Smink in Dallas is one of only a handful of showrooms in the world to carry it, and one of three in the U.S. where you can buy it. Click here and turn to page 40 to read the story.

Gio Ponti limited edition table

Gio Ponti limited edition rug

Pitch Perfect . . . 

Dixie Chicks' Martie Mcguire at home
Photo by Colleen Duffley

This story is hands-down my very favorite this month. Photographer Colleen Duffley and I have worked together off and on for 15 years and when she brought me the idea of photographing her longtime friend and Dixie Chicks member, Martie Mcguire, at her cool Austin abode, I was thrilled. The photos are jaw-droppingly beautiful, as are the rooms. Senior contributing editor Helen Thompson, who wrote about Martie's sister Emily Robison years ago for Metropolitan Home, wrote a fabulous story to go with the stunning images. Mcguire loves interior design and she not only talks about how her house came together, but where she loves to shop. You'll hang on every word, I promise. Click here and turn to page 50 to read the story.

The breakfast room inside Martie Mcguire's Austin home is a contrast of shadow and light, with great views.
Photo by Coleen Duffley.

A peek inside Martie Mcguire's recording studio at home, which she designed herself
Photo by Colleen Duffley

8 Things

  1)

Eight things I Like Right Now . . . include Roche Bobois' new 2013 spring-summer collection of tables and chests that are innovative and beautiful and fresh, such as the Precious cocktail table, above, designed by Cederic Ragot. and the Iron Tree cocktail tables, made from handwoven wire on stainless steel, and the Colors Column chest of drawers by Fabrice Berrux, both below.


2)

Colors Column 

 3)

Iron Tree cocktail table 

4) Saint Louis' new crystal lighting pendants at Hermes 

Saint Louis crystal pendant, at Hermes

5) Real art at Smink

Timothy Hearsom painting at Smink

Not just sofa art, if you please.

6) Claus Pummer's new Design District showroom

Pummer in the Dallas Design District

German and European furniture design, with a heart. Open since early February, owner Claus Pummer is also a holistic sleep specialist, who consults.

6) Vessels for Octopuses, at Carl Moore Antiques

Each naturally figured terra cotta pot was submerged under the Mediterranean sea
and used as habitats for individual octopuses, at Carl Moore Antiques. Under $400

8) The return of Limousine Cloth

Gleam Weaver by Gretchen Bellinger

Gretchen Bellinger, who made Limousine Cloth famous in the '70s, is back in Dallas at E.C. Dicken

Steeling Beauty by Gretchen Bellinger

Those Sensational Smink Sisters

Styles of the Times: The Sminks at Knoll Farm, their home in

Oxfordshire, England, circa 1967.

From left to right: Dawn, Autumn, Jennifer,

Brad (holding puppy Tad), Bob, and Ann Smink.

Born to be chic . . . "Our parents were fabulous. In 1962, we were one of the first to get a Saarinen table. All the neighbors were agog," relates Autumn Smink, who with sisters Dawn and Jennifer, co-owns the contemporary Italian furniture store on Dragon Street that bears the Smink family name. Their father was in the military, and at the time they were stationed in Lubbock. Their mother Ann bought the now classic modern table from a store in town run by two older women called Design Today, she says. "Our mother used to drag us through there on a regular basis," says Autumn, who has a degree in interior design from the University of Cincinnati. "In some ways, we've become like those two old ladies, selling furniture on the prairie."

Their mother was the family's arbiter of taste and culture. "I remember wearing white gloves with white patent shoes and a dress to the zoo," says Autumn. "We had to read the paper every day so we'd have something to talk about at dinner." Ann, who hails from Newton New Jersey, had been a Drake, and as the family history goes, a descendent of the legendary Elizabethan naval commander Sir Francis Drake. "You know those paintings of Sir Francis Drake wearing pantaloons? He looked like Uncle Bill, right down to the stubby hands," says Autumn.

Bitta outdoor sofa and chaise by Kettal. Designed by Rudolfo Dordoni.

Rena Menardi ceramics with Arcade glass. Living Divani pillow.

The Drakes were bakers, and one of the first to have automated machines to make cakes and breads. As it turns out, the baking Drakes also made history. After inventing recipes for the original Oreo and Fig Newton cookies sometime in the early 20th century, Drakes Cakes merged with the National Biscuit Company, now Nabisco. The origins of the Oreo cookie name seemed to have been lost to time, even to the Nabisco company's own records. But let's clear the mystery up right here and now. "The Oreo cookie was named after our great, great aunt Glendora. Everyone called her Orey," says Autumn. And the Fig Newton? "It was named after Newton, New Jersey," where the Drakes lived, she adds.

Their father Bob Smink hailed from Dutch textile merchants who had owned a store in New York during the 1800s. A geologist by training who was in the Air Force during Viet Nam, he moved the family across the country and across the pond to England to different bases. "That Saarinen table moved all over the world with us," says Autumn. "Sometimes it fit in, sometimes it didn't."

Moleteni & C bed and night table designed

by Rodolfo Dordoni. Hyunmee Lee painting.

Frighetto sofa, Zoe Luyendijk carpet, chair by Moleteni & C

The family rented a 16th century stone manor in Oxfordshire, where they were stationed during the mid-to-late 60s. On the weekends, the family would pile into their father's 1936 Rolls Royce and drive through the countryside looking for flea markets and book stores. They spent every Christmas break in London going to museums. "Mother loved anything that was modern and cutting edge," says Autumn. "She would give us a primer about what we were going to see while we were putting on our shoes at the hotel. It was that kind of upbringing."

Porro wall hung TV shelf and cabinet by Piero Lissoni.

Minotti coffee tables by Rodolfo Dordoni.

Arcade glass by Ivan Baj and Laura de Santillana. Painting by Dara Mark.

Moleteni & C side chair. Hyunmee Lee painting.

In 1988, the sisters borrowed money from their parents to open their first store, a tiny place on Mockingbird Lane across from SMU, which sold Italian furniture, gifts and greeting cards. "We chose Italian furniture because it's the very best you can get in design and quality," says Autumn. At the time, modern furniture was heavily lacquered with lots of chrome, she says. "It was garish contemporary. We knew it could be warm woods, simple fabrics, streamlined, and blended with tapestries and textiles." And, while most fine furniture in Dallas was available through trade-only showrooms, the Sminks had other ideas. "We wanted the store to be mainstream, and everyone was welcome," says Jennifer, who has a degree in architecture from UT Austin. "Design should not be exclusive. The original Frank Lloyd Wright plans were published in magazines."

Living Divani sofa and coffee tables. Minotti Portafino chairs.

Kettal outdoor furniture (Maia chair and Landscape sofa).

Frighetto table. Menardi pottery and Arcade glass.

The Sminks eventually moved into a larger space in Inwood Village, eschewing greeting cards for Arcade hand-blown glass and tabletop accessories by Armani Casa (they've since dropped the line). The sisters might have been selling high-end design, but their aesthetic principles remained populist.

"One thing you don't see in Europe are closed design centers like you do here. It's very democratic. Why should it be that only certain people can purchase from your store?" asks Jennifer, referencing the longstanding policy of American design centers to sell exclusively to the design trade. That question is a rhetorical one that the Smink sisters settled years ago. When the Dallas Design District began to warm to retail stores mixing it up with wholesale furniture and fabric showrooms several years ago, they relocated in 2009 to an airy space on Dragon, a street that has recently attracted a number modern art galleries, including Craighead Green next door.

Minotti Breton sofa. Dara Mark paintings.

Minotti's Kline daybed, George sofa, and Berma chairs.

Diane McGregor painting.

The 11,000 square foot Smink showroom has museum-white walls, lofty ceilings, and plenty of room to showcase lines such as Living Divani, Kettal, Minotti, and Moleteni & C, for which they have an exclusive in Texas and surrounding states. The sisters hit Milan at least once a year looking for what's new, and "more if we're invited," says Autumn. "Italian furniture is the best you can buy, and it's all made in a tiny region outside of Milan," says Jennifer. "Most of the factory workers grew up together, some of them married each other. It's a family business."

Zoe Luyendijk carpet. Gary Faye photographs.

Minotti Huber coffee table and Zoe Luyendijk carpet.

After 23 years, the Sminks are selling furniture to a second generation of customers. Says Autumn: "I sold some furniture to a man the other day who used to come in with his parents when he was nine years old. I remembered him because he had a pet porcupine." Other clients, like the ones who are redoing a 50s modern in Dallas with architect Mark Domiteaux, have been buying furniture from the Sminks for 10 years. "Our customers know what they want," says Jennifer, who has shipped orders all over the world including Dubai, Russia, and Kenya. "They understand the idea of custom ordering a piece. They don't want to shop again for furniture in 20 years. They believe in investments, even if sometimes all they're buying is one really good piece at a time."

Minotti Anderson sofa and chairs. Gary Faye photograph.

Kettal Maia arm chair. Kettal rocker designed by Rodolfo Dordoni.

The Sminks have forged collaborative relationships with manufacturers, too. With Minotti, they're helping redesign upholstered furniture to better fit taller customers, without compromising the low profile that makes the pieces modern. This season's collection includes sofas and chairs with higher backs. "It's the best collection we've ever seen in 23 years," says Jennifer. "In a time of huge economic crunch, they've come out with new fabrics, new technology, and new designs."

All-new Minotti stock will be on the floor by September 13, says Jennifer, along with several new pieces by Living Diviani. Look for a redesigned Smink website and new blog by December, and some exciting big news this fall -- hush-hush for now -- or as long as the sisters can keep a secret.

As for the original Saarinen table that helped ignite the Sminks' passion for modern furniture when they were children? It's still in the family, at home in Jennifer and Autumn's Preston Hollow house. "We use it every day," Jennifer says.

Ann and Bob Smink at home in Oxfordshire during the 1960s

Dallas Design News: Sales and a Pop Up Showhouse

Living Divani Bubble Rock Sofas at Smink

June 11 Smink is having a blowout sale before a new shipment of goodies from Milan start to arrive, Jennifer Smink tells me. "We love selling the older models and bringing new designs," she says. Look for sofas, chairs, tables, and accessories from Living Divani, Minotti, Molteni, and others. The sale starts Saturday, June 11 at 10 am.

Sale items pictured (from top left): Harrison Side Table, Syrie Chair, Sabrina Slipper Chair, Pair of ivory lacquered chairs in green sateen fabric, c. 1950, Pair of peach crackle finish ginger jar lamps, c.1960,

French mirrored table with merisier legs, c.1940

June 13-15 Jan Showers is marking inventory 30-75% off at her first-ever warehouse sample sale, which includes sofas, chairs, beds, tables, and Murano lamps, and other vintage pieces. The warehouse is located at 135 Parkhouse Street.

High Camp Home's Pop Up Showhouse

June 18-30 Interior designer Diana Vincent, owner of Lake Tahoe's High Camp Home is putting together a pop up showhouse of designer furniture, fabrics, and accessories in the Dallas Design District at 1525 Dragon Street. It's open to the public, and proceeds from a preview party on June 17 will benefit DIFFA/Dallas.

The haul promises to be sweet, with pieces by Arteriors, Sunbrella, Oly, Arte Italica, Kravet, Schumacher, Vietri, and Ralph Lauren among other designer labels.