{"id":348717,"date":"2020-11-12T11:33:18","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T16:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=348717"},"modified":"2021-12-15T05:43:01","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T10:43:01","slug":"madeline-stuart-tefaf-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/madeline-stuart-tefaf-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"California Mix-Master Designer Madeline Stuart Shops TEFAF New York"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For a revamp of the downstairs living room of the historic Cedric Gibbons house in Santa Monica, California, Madeline Stuart complemented the original 1930s architecture and built-in banquettes with a variety of vintage finds, including 1920s Danish club chairs<\/a>, 1930s Italian ottomans<\/a>, a 1950s Swedish Rya<\/a> rug and a 1960s Arturo Pani<\/a> coffee table. Photo by Trevor Tondro<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the great thrills of visiting the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF)<\/a> \u2014 held every March in Maastricht, the Netherlands, with fall and spring iterations in New York City \u2014 is that you can ogle the Old Master paintings<\/a> of the world\u2019s top dealers, round the corner and find antiquaires focused on 18th-century treasures<\/a> and then turn left to discover specialists in museum-caliber 20th-century design or right to see sparkling, historic jewels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Portrait by Trevor Tondro<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A corollary can be found in the rooms of Madeline Stuart<\/a>, a Los Angeles\u2013based interior designer known for her unerring eye, attention to detail and inimitable curation of a wide range of design objects in every project. \u201cIf the contents of a house all emanate from the same source or a single era, it has a soul-deadening quality,\u201d she once told Introspective<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt has no heartbeat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart\u2019s recent book No Place Like Home<\/em><\/a> (Rizzoli) contains a variety of her best residential interiors and proves that if anyone has mastered the art of the mix, it\u2019s she.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year’s TEFAF New York was different from any other \u2014 and not just because it was held online instead of in the soaring Park Avenue Armory. Each exhibitor showcased just a single object, putting every treasure in sharp relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of an Instagram Live<\/a> event pegged to the fall fair, 1stDibs\u2019 editorial director Anthony Barzilay Freund asked Stuart to \u201cshop\u201d TEFAF and share the finds she\u2019d be especially excited to mix into any design scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a fetching quartet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sam Maloof Demo Half-Chair, 1993, offered by R & Company<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI find this Sam Maloof<\/a> piece incredibly compelling. Part carpenter\u2019s model, part instructive example of the woodworker\u2019s art, to me it feels like a Dadaist<\/a>\u2019s approach to a chair. There\u2019s an element of Surrealism<\/a> to this piece that I absolutely love. And it’s also extremely beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ettore Sottsass Commode Column, ca. 1960, offered by Friedman Benda <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI recognize Ettore Sottsass<\/a> as a legendary figure in the world of design, but I find some of his work for Memphis Milano<\/a> to be a bit too cheeky and ironic. This piece, however, is absolutely marvelous. It has elements that remind me of Carlo Scarpa\u2019s work<\/a>, and even that of Charles and Ray Eames<\/a>. It\u2019s clever, powerful and simple, all at the same time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jean Prouv\u00e9 Pair of Direction no. 352 Office chairs, 1951, offered by Galerie Patrick Seguin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cFor everyone who thinks the only Prouv\u00e9 chairs<\/a> are the ubiquitous reproductions, these are an exceptional example of how the basic form of his classic chair can be tweaked, reimagined and reworked. I love the red leather and the wood armrests juxtaposed against the black steel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Anglesey Tiara, 1890, offered by Hancocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWhat can I say? Who doesn\u2019t want\/need a tiara<\/a>? What a marvelous thing to own and to wear on both casual and dressy occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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