Skip to Content

ArtDeco

Claridge's Debuts Exclusive Dior Dressing Table

Filed under: Journeys, Services, Spirits, Cosmetics and Fragrance

Famed French fashion house Dior has created a bespoke, Art Deco-inspired dressing table service for guests of Claridge's, the landmark London hotel (above) whose devotees include Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Victoria Beckham. Designed as the ultimate luxury amenity for glamorous occupants of the hotel's Viscount David Linley-designed suites, the service offers all the essentials necessary for a glamorous night out on the town. The Dior Dressing Table includes a carefully curated range of timeless accessories, including an elegant silk Claridge's dressing gown and slippers; a cashmere eye mask; a selection of classic Dior fragrances and beauty products; cocktails from a special 1930s menu; and era-appropriate books and music for entertainment.

[via JustLuxe]

The Empire State Building's Chic New Bar / Lounge

Filed under: Decor, Spirits


Last week my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported on the Empire State Building's swanky new lobby, part of a $550 million building-wide renovation project. Now comes word that the New York architectural icon is also getting a great new cocktail lounge from nightlife entrepreneur Mark Grossich, known for elegant boîtes like the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station. He's turning a 3,500-sq.-ft. former post office on the skyscraper's ground floor into the Art Deco-style Empire Room, slated to open at the end of November. Design firm Goodman Charlton has cooked up an elegant scheme employing plush mohair, intricate cut velvets, macassar ebony, silver leaf, embossed leather, marble and polished stainless steel in tones of rich brandy, deep cognac, icy silver, and golden cream for the interior (rendering above), meant to evoke a more glamorous era of supper clubs and gentlemanly drinking establishments.

[via Duncan Quinn]

The Empire State Building's Swanky New Lobby

Filed under: Decor

Even the most stately of grand buildings can use a little pepping up. Our sister blog ShelterPop recently took a tour of the Empire State Building to check out its newly renovated lobby, part of a $550 million dollar building-wide renovation project. The old lobby projected a certain shabby grace but the building's common spaces had had lost their Art Deco grandeur. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners took on the project which included a couple of years of hardcore research. They were able to uncover and recreate a beautiful celestial mural on the lobby ceiling. The new mural shows a 1920s spin on a celestial sky with sunbursts and stars that resemble the industrial gears, cogs and wheels of the Machine Age. The original mural is still tucked away beneath the new ceiling in case it can be restored with some future technology someday. ShelterPop has pictures of the creation of the new mural and of the final results.

Tissot Classic Prince Diamonds Watch

Filed under: Timepieces


Tissot actually refers to this watch as being "banana-shaped" which I think it funny. It is true though, look at the side of this Tissot Prince watch and you will see the long and thin curved rectangular case with a small ETA 2660 manually wound mechanical movement inside - shaped like a banana. The Tissot Classic Prince is sort of a redo of classic art deco models which share the look. the most notable of which is the Rolex Prince. It is actually a quite flattering piece and looks great on the distinguished wrist.

The solid 18k rose gold case arrives with either a black or silver watch dial with art deco style Arabic numerals and optional diamond settings. Go for the diamonds and you get 165 diamonds all over the case, or another option of less diamonds with 61 stones on the case. The extreme curvature of the case makes it expensive to offer a sapphire crystal, so a Hesalite crystal is used instead. Tissot has been doing a nice job with the retro themed watches, and I certainly hope that this Classic Prince finds a nice fan base. The watch comes with a brown crocodile strap. All this is quite ritzy for the Tissot brand that generally offers much more entry level models, but they can get away with it. Look for it soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Ltd. Ed. Patek Philippe for Tiffany Anniversary Watch

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces

Next month marks the first anniversary of the Patek Philippe Salon at Tiffany's famed NYC flagship, and to celebrate the two storied brands are producing a new limited edition diamond and gold ladies' wristwatch. Only 100 of the $21,800 timepieces are being made, half with a white lacquered dial with black external minute railroad, and half with a black lacquered dial with white external minute railroad (right).

The Art Deco-esque "Gondolo" design was inspired by Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. watches from the 1930s and features a curved, tonneau-shaped case in 18 karat white gold accented with 164 round brilliant-cut diamonds, a lacquer dial with classic guilloche pattern, Arabic numerals and a black, hand-stitched alligator strap.

The timepiece is double-signed Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. and will be sold exclusively through Tiffany's Patek Philippe Salon in NYC. The Salon showcases current collections as well as timepieces on loan from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva that "embody the tradition and innovation for which Patek Philippe is renowned."

[via JustLuxe]

Patek Philippe And Art Deco Clocks And Watches At Patrizzi & Co Auction

Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions


Now that the season's big Antiquorum auction is over, Patrizzi & Co. are ready to offer a few more interesting lots in their auction on April 17 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva Switzerland. The auction event titled "Watchmaking Masterpieces" will offer a modest volume of not so modest timepieces. Items include clocks, pocket watches, and wrist watches. Most of the offerings are rare Patek Philippe watches, while the entire collection seems to have an art deco theme.

Pictured above is a Boucheron art deco table clock from about 1921. The clock is in gold and black enamel on mostly rock crystal (very hard to cut). This piece is estimated to go for 80,000 - 100,000 Swiss Francs at auction. Other notable lots include a yellow gold Patek Philippe Ref. 5024 minute repeater from 1997 (estimated to go for 250,000 - 300,000 Swiss Francs), and a yellow gold Patek Philippe Ref. 2438-1 from 1953 (also estimated to go for 250,000 - 300,000 Swiss Francs). The auction results will be testament to the current strength of the watch collector market.

See the Patrizzi & Co Auction Press Release here.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Charles Schneider Art Glass At Valerio Antiques

Filed under: Decor

charles schneider poisson vase
The Art Deco period produced some of the most beautiful works of art in glass, pieces that have a deft mix of playfulness and craftsmanship. Valerio Antiques in Coral Gables, Florida has a selection of many fine glass artists but their Charles Schneider Gallery is a treasure trove of delicate beauty displaying the glassmaker's work from when he first began in 1913 through to the height of his career in late 1920s. Schneider's works feature bright colors and intriguing shapes in forms both natural and abstract. The piece shown above is the 1927 Poissons Grand Vase. The clear bubbled glass vase with an acid-etched pattern of fish swimming among reeds has powder inclusions in blue overlaid in orange tango to green for a unique multi-dimensional effect. It is from the Le Verre Francais line and is the largest piece Valerio Antiques has seen in the 25+ years they've been in business and it has yet to be illustrated in any of the Charles Schneider books. These highly collectible antiques can be expensive, prices at Valerio start around $2,900 and the Poissons vase is $79,000.

Last of the $10,000 Ert Courvoisier Cognac Collection

Filed under: Spirits


Courvoisier is selling off the very last sets of its rare bottles designed by famed Art Deco artist and fashion illustrator Erté 20 years ago. The legendary cognac house commissioned the seven bottle set from the Russian-born artist for its extraordinary blend of precious Grande Champagne cognacs, some dating back to 1892. The last remaining sets which had been held in reserve will now be sold for $10,000 apiece; only eight of them are making their way to the U.S. market in November and can be pre-ordered here . Each of the seven bottles' designs represents a different facet of the cognac making process:

Vigne (Vine) shows the importance of the soil and environment to the grapes produced to make cognac.
Vendanges (Harvest) celebrates the passion of perfection for which Courvoisier is best known.
Distillation illustrates the process of distillation as a woman riding a volatile giant peacock.
Vieillissement (Aging) symbolizes the aging process as a robed female emerging from darkness.
Degustation (Tasting) shows the blending process of the cognacs.
L'Esprit du Cognac (The Spirit of Cognac) interprets the cognac spirit as a woman standing majestically surrounded by grapes.
La Part Des Anges (Angel's Share) symbolizes part of the aging process where some of the spirits' volume is lost through evaporation.

Riviera's Famed Provenal Hotel to Re-Open as Apts.

Filed under: Journeys, Real Estate Developments


A famed Art Deco hotel on the Côte d'Azur that's been derelict since 1973 is being turned into a luxury apartment building catering to the bon ton. Developer Cyril Dennis is relaunching Le Provençal, on the border between Juan-les-Pins and Cap d'Antibes, where the likes of Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald once frolicked.

The London Telegraph reports that Dennis is transforming the 45,000-sq.ft. beachside property, built in 1925, into 56 luxury units with 360-degree views, indoor / outdoor pools, private gardens, Porsche kitchens, marble floors, Turkish baths and aquariums. He describes the Provençal as "the last jewel in the Cap d'Antibes," an area where top-drawer villas now go for over $200 million thanks to an influx of superrich oligarchs such as Roman Abramovich.

Gallery: Le Provençal

Marilyn Monroe on the beach.The dilapidated entrance.Renderings of the new Le Provençal.The Provençal today.The beach at Juan-les-Pins.


Join Luxist on Facebook!

Featured Galleries

Langham Yangtze Shanghai
Robb Report Limited Edition Series
Alberto Gonzales In McLean
House of Dog Cruelty-Free Pet Products
K-Swiss Classic High P in Limited Edition Colors
Bill Wrigley Jr. In Chicago
Bulgari Save The Children Auction
Felix Rey
Celebrity Pilots