RalphPucci

Award-winning furniture designer and nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award for Decor, Vladimir Kagan, has collaborated with mannequin artist and sculptor Ralph Pucci, on a limited edition fiberglass chair that is both functional and a work of art.

The endeavor initiated during a simple conversation between Kagan and Pucci who were examining sketches of Kagan's 1950's era designs. Though never produced, the sketches were of pieces in a variety of materials, including fiberglass.

Kagan had long wanted to create a plastic chair, as his designs were so ideally suited for the medium. When Pucci saw Kagan's sketches, his realized his sculptor and mannequin workshop was equipped to produce the concept. Pucci also felt the project was very current because of an exhibit of noted Israeli designer Ron Arad's carbon fiber armchairs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Kagan designed a new chair and produced a miniature clay model of it. Shortly thereafter, he and Pucci started to build a full-scale mockup in clay.

For Kagan, working with a pliable material was a totally liberating experience. For Pucci, it made common sense to utilize the facilities of his mannequin workroom and create something new and different, all in keeping with his thoughts of moving forward.

The result is the fiberglass collection in a limited edition of 100 now on view at the Ralph Pucci Showroom in New York, the Los Angeles Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Ca., and the J. Bachelor DCOTA Design Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The chairs have been produced in foundry black, foundry grey and white ($9,000 each) as well as clear ($15,000 each).

The successful collaboration gave birth to a new collection of limited edition sculptures by Kagan which were produced and sculptured by Pucci at the Ralph Pucci workroom. The sculptures will be introduced at the Ralph Pucci showroom in New York in December. The chairs will also be on display following a lecture by Pucci and Kagan at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum at 2 East 91st Street in New York on October 29, 2009.

Vladimir Kagan Designs is a nominee for a Luxist Award for the best in furniture.

Vladimir Kagan is renowned around the globe for his modern furniture designs with a career that has spanned over sixty years. He started designing in 1946 and by the early fifties, his innovative sculptured designs created a new look in American furniture. Today, his sparkling creations are on the cutting edge of the 21st century. His designs are spearheading creative designs for hotels, furniture, textiles and home furnishings. The New York Times described Kagan as "one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century. Furniture designed by him in the forties, fifties and sixties have become icons of Modernity and an obligatory reference to every designer. He is the creative grandfather of a whole new generation of designers."

Connoisseurs and museums are avidly collecting his designs today. Kagan's furniture is in private collections worldwide. His prize-winning designs have been published in books and magazines internationally and are in the permanent collections of the V&A London, the Vitra Design Museum and Die Neue Samlung in Germany as well as in the most prominent museums in the United States. Corporate enterprises from BMW to LVMH, Helena Rubenstein, NBC television and many more, specified Kagan furniture for their corporate headquarters, exhibits and events.

Kagan pieces are handmade in the United States by master craftsmen and meticulously constructed of sculpted wood with hand rubbed finishes, hand-tied springs, horsehair filling and custom formed foam on hardwood frames. This is the furniture collected by those who cherish and appreciate exceptional design and quality.

Vladimir Kagan Classic Collection can be found at Ralph Pucci International showrooms in New York and Los Angeles. The Classic Collection is a limited edition of authentic recreations of Mr. Kagan's original designs custom made in the United States. Other showrooms that feature Kagan designs include Arkitektura in San Francisco, Haute Living in Chicago and J Batchelor Showroom, among others.

In 2008, Vladimir Kagan launched his newest venture, The Vladimir Kagan Couture Collection, a showroom to Designers and Architects at 200 Lexington Avenue, New York. The collection is an amalgamation of his designs from the 50s to the 21st century, custom manufactured in the United States. The showroom will feature exclusive fabrics and leathers, art exhibits and vintage Kagan furniture.

Usually when we hear about designer hotels they are the work of one designer but Ralph Pucci, who is famed for herding together a variety of design collaborations, is launching his own hotel. He has signed up with LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotel to create the first Hotel Ralph Pucci in the Georgetown Inn, a classic Washington D.C. hotel. Pucci created the design concept and then chose architect/designers Pilar Proffitt and Robert Bristow of poesis to bring the vision to life. Five artists will provide furniture for each of the guest room floors and each floor will have a different color palette. The hotel will also feature original photography from Paul Solberg, Antoine Bootz, Gail Leboff, and Christopher Makos, a protégé of the late Andy Warhol. Each photographer will pair with one of the floor designers to create a unique aesthetic experience. Pucci will also collaborate with menswear designer Tomer to create the hotel uniforms. The 96-room Hotel Ralph Pucci will debut in Fall 2007.