Harry Allen Design Diary

Birthday Thanks

Design Week always ends with my birthday.

It started out rough, in traffic for 2.5 hours, but it turned around at a late lunch in the garden of the Hotel Americano with my friend Gaye Cevikel. It went magical in Nevine Michaan’s pranayama and yoga classes at Katonah Yoga. Dinner at Rye in Brooklyn was the perfect spontaneous choice by Rune Stokmo. 

John and I closed the deal at Crazy Legs, a skate party in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn. It was my birthday request. Its held in the gym of a Salvation Army so we took our chances, it could have swung either way, but it was so much fun - the floor is good, music excellent, skaters incredible. We both got back into the groove.

Best day anyone could wish for.

I always grumble about facebook, and when I saw that 78 friends sent me wishes I rolled my eyes, but then I looked at them and realized there were people in there from all stages of my life, and that doesn’t include all of the calls and texts, skypes, and just plain spoken”happy birthdays” I got. What a beautiful web I’ve woven in my 49 years. Thanks everyone.

Chicagoland rules

The best thing I have seen so far during design week is at the WANTED show called Chicagoland. It is a group of Chicago (and environs) based designers brought together by the very clever curator, Michael Graham. The work is fresh and distinctly American. It’s a melting pot of styles that ranges from the very conceptual to the very pretty.

I loved these tables made out of hardware store finds. As my friend Patty Johnson said, “…its the Carrara that makes it.”

My friend Casey Lurie (who I showed with last year) is showing one of his friction fit Primo shelving units - so beautiful and pragmatic.

The cast glass Float Trays by Steven Haulenbeek caught my eye…

… as did this cast bronze Unfolding Chair by Chilab…

… the Slight Rocker stool by Charlie McArthur …

… and these phallic little beauties simply called Table Lamp by Aaron Jones.

Its so nice to see a group of mature work like this coming out of the midwest.

LIFE in Corning

On the cusp of the ICFF, it was strange to head out of town, but there I was on Thursday morning on my way up to Corning, NY for the opening of Life on a String: 35 Centuries of the Glass bead.

We designed the exhibition.

Stefan Hengst developed all the graphic elements, and the entrance features his amazing “Life” logo and a Jean-Michel Othoniel sculpture - a huge set of white glass beads. Inside, the colorful beads are displayed on fully-saturated backdrops. 

Stefan developed this bead-patterned wallpaper for the entryway.

The opening event with the Museum trustees was fun. Karol Wright, one of the shows curators, spoke about the show.

 I’ll have some more professional images soon, these above were taken with an iphone in the dark.

Thanks to the Corning Museum of Glass team that made the project possible. Their professionalism was inspiring. It is a great Museum set in a beautiful part of the world, and well worth a road trip to experience. And thanks to the Harry Allen Design staff - Vince DeLuca, Stefan Hengst, and Shirley Hong who proved once again that they are an amazing design team.

Here Lies Love

Must See!

I had my eye on this one as I have owned the album for a couple of years. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s story of Imelda Marcos is fantastic. The disco score pumps, the cast is amazingly talented, the production design is mind blowing, and it is in on small stage at the Public Theater that will never be replicated. Get tickets if you can, and wear comfortable shoes.

A quote for a beautiful day in NYC

A quote by one of my favorite architects at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Angellica’s on 13th and 2nd.

ALBA

My niece, Alba, definitely got the genes.

Feast your eyes on her 4.5 y/o napkin sketch of our dog, Benny.

Hello! She totally nailed it.

I forgive her for forgetting his ears because she wrote his name!

And This Little Fishy ain’t takin’ no sh_t.

I told her to thicken up the lines a bit, but she took it to the next level. 

Dare I say “artistic genius?” 

Indulge this proud uncle.