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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.

Nominations have been received and vetted for the best-of-breed in lighting, furniture, antiques resource, dishware and glassware. The Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards will be awarded based on your voting.

Each of finalists for the Readers' Choice for the Best in Lighting is a leader in the industry. One is credited with founding modern interior lighting designs, while another creates sculptural masterpieces. A third produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle while the crystal chandeliers of another have been sought out by royalty. Last, but not least, there's one which melds exquisitely cut crystal with its masterful designs.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Furniture nominees offer a range of original artistry from simple and pure to the exotic; from traditional to the ultra-modern. Their creations are collected by connoisseurs and museums alike.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Glassware for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from France, Sweden and the United States. Each represents the finest of quality and artistry while offering the most exquisite of designs.

Nominees for Readers' Choice for Best in Dishware include companies that have been producing china for centuries. Two have roots in the Limoges region of France, the cradle of the French porcelain industry. One nominee is quintessentially English while two produce American classics. Dishware created by each of these nominees are owned by the who's who of world leaders from the King of Saudi Arabia and the Queen of England to the President of the United States.

Readers' Choice nominees for Best Antiques Resource include the most prestigious art and antiques fairs in the world. These fairs, which are international in scope, are annual destinations for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best. Each of these fairs have rigorous vetting processes in which the quality, condition and authenticity of each piece is carefully investigated.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of these categories. Readers' Choice Awards for Decor will be announced on October 31st.

Niermann Weeks, headquartered in Millersville, Md., is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the best of lighting category.

This family-owned and operated company was founded in 1978 by Joe Niermann and his wife, Eleanor McKay, both with extensive backgrounds in historic preservation. Niermann is the company's principal designer, while McKay is the company's chief executive officer. Their daughters are both involved with the business with Claire serving as vice president of operations and Eleanor in the role of vice president of merchandising.

Joe Niermann's design style is to extrapolate the traditional form within its historic constraints. The result is spectacular lighting that is a pure exercise in geometry.

Niermann Weeks' lighting is jewelry for the interior. Each piece radiates beauty from every angle and in every light.

More than 40% of the company's business is custom-designed to meet the special needs of professional architect and designer clients. Niermann Weeks features more than 600 standard designs with 500 finishes, available through to-the-trade designer showrooms in the United States and Canada.

Chandeliers range in size from a stately 20 feet tall chandelier suitable for display in the lobby of a hotel down to a more intimate 11 inch tall piece for a small boudoir or powder room. Prices vary from $1,500 for a standard design for a simple sconce to $36,000 for a larger piece. Customization increases the price. Each of its products are hand-crafted at the Niermann Weeks factory outside Annapolis, Md.

Niermann Weeks' chandeliers, sconces, lantern, lamps, and ceiling fixtures can be viewed on www.niermannweeks.com (including retail prices). Its products are available at major design centers in the United States, Canada, and London; on internet portals such as www.shopAD.net, and at many retail locations.

Pickard China, an American classic, has been nominated for a Luxist Award in the category of best dishware.

The story of the Pickard China company began in 1893 when Wilder Pickard established the company in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Later the company moved to Chicago. It specialized in hand-painted art pieces and tea sets. Artists from the Art Institute of Chicago and all over Europe came to Chicago to decorate unique ceramic pieces which are now prized among collectors.

Wilder's son, Austin Pickard, moved the company to its present Antioch, Illinois location in 1930 and introduced the white china with the lion trademark that the company is known for today. Pieces are still made in the Pickard factory in Antioch. Each piece passes through a minimum of 21 stages and three inspections. Patterns are decorated with 24K gold, pure platinum and brilliant cobalt. In 1977, Pickard, Incorporated was selected by the U.S. State Department to manufacture the official china service used by our embassies and other diplomatic missions around the world. Pickard has also been commissioned to produce custom china for Air Force One, Blair House and Camp David and has produced china services for the King of Saudi Arabia, Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriott hotels, General Motors, the U.S. Air Force and the Queen of England.

Continuing to evolve with today's tastes, Pickard makes four modern designs created by star decorator Kelly Wearstler. The Kelly Wearstler for Pickard collection boasts a mélange of styles and patterns ranging from organic to graphic, traditional to modern and delicate to bold. Pickard also produces for patterns for designer and home decor author Charlotte Moss. The company also offers custom china and monogrammed pieces, carrying on a proud American tradition of fine dishware.

Nominated for a Luxist Award in the glassware and lighting categories is Baccarat, which has sold its creations to the royal families of France, Japan, Russia, Arabia, Morocco and even the White House, since it was established in France in 1764.

Since its founding, Baccarat has continued expanding its influence, inspired in roots stemming from an ingenious handcrafted work of the highest quality, throughout the world.

To this day, Baccarat crystal is still handcrafted in the village of Baccarat located in Lorraine in eastern France. The crystal pieces it creates are described as both divine and exhilarating. Yes, they are extravagant but always elegant.

Since 1824, Baccarat has been presenting magnificent crystal chandeliers. The Maharajah of Gwalior ordered a large chandelier, weighing about a ton to decorate his new Palace. A series of candelabras were created for the Czar Nicolas II's St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Baccarat's magnificent lighting includes crystal chandeliers, sconces, lamps, floor lamps, candleholders and candelabras. Each piece has ethereal qualities as it glistens with the incomparable luster of crystal.

There's nothing like the light that emits from Baccarat crystal, and perhaps nothing tastes better than when drunk from a Baccarat crystal glass.

Nominated for a Luxist Award in the furniture category, is Lamu Industries, a Catskill, N.Y.-based firm known for its hand-crafted solid wood armories, beds, chairs and consoles, in addition to a wide variety of tables, including coffee, conference, library and dining tables.

Each of Lamu Industries' pieces are hand-carved by local craftsmen who live on the East African island of Lamu, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya. Every piece is carved from indigenous "mbambakofi", a hardwood that is a member of the mahogany family of woods. The cutting down of mbambakofi trees is regulated by the Kenyan Government and for every tree cut, two new ones must be planted on the island. "Our tables have a feel of masculine majesty and a seeming provenance of European Renaissance," says Lamu Industries owner, Bo van den Assum.

Unlike most other furniture pieces which are made with a lesser quality soft wood covered by a thin veneer of a fine wood, each piece in Lamu Industries' collection is made of solid mbambakofi. No veneers here. van den Assum explains that a disadvantage to a piece made with a veneer is that over time it may begin to warp, buckle or even bubble up due to humidity or wet conditions. A solid wood piece will continue to absorb the elements of its environment and the fibers of the wood are receptors of the air surrounding it, he says. In a dry environment, the wood will likely shrink, while in a humid environment, it will expand. Over time, cracks may appear in the wood, however the crack may give the piece an antique look, perhaps even more character, van den Assum adds. Lamu Industries tables are constructed to minimize damage caused by humidity fluctuations.

The legs of each table are typically massive, and can be up to eight inches in diameter. Like the rest of the table, they, too, are made of sold wood. Each leg is carved from tree trunks that have been turned on a lathe and carved by hand by one of Lamu Industries' talented carvers.

Each Lamu Industries table is dated, numbered and signed. Made to order pieces are also available, and the company will even have your family crest or initials carved into a special order without additional charge.

Retail prices range from $3,000 for a small coffee table to $11,000 for a ten foot magnificent solid dining table. Specific orders require about four months delivery inclusive of the ocean voyage from East Africa. Pieces can be delivered immediately from Lamu Industries' current stock.

Glowing ambiance and sparkling colors combine in Masiero's crystal lighting fixtures from Italy. Mount their creative and seductive designs on your wall, ceiling or tabletop to enhance any room's essence. You can choose from warm and spicy tones of crimson and gold or cool and calming hues of azure and eggplant. Not only will these fixtures illuminate a space but they will bring a splash of color in artful form as well. Elegant, sophisticated and unique, these creative gems will sparkle in any home.

[via Trendir]

It's the most iconic image in rock 'n' roll: that sleekly contoured and lustily potent electric guitar commonly known as the Strat. With that in mind, two entrepreneurs in Portland, Oregon, have designed a boutique line of furniture based on the Fender Stratocaster and the company's almost-as-recognizable amps.

The outfit is called Fender Custom Furniture. It is independent from the instrument manufacturing company founded by Leo Fender in Fullerton, Calif., in 1946, but licenses its products through them. Hence the unmistakable detailing on the Deluxe Stratocaster Coffee Table ($750), a 4-foot-long version of the Strat's solid maple, vintage-finished headstock. The piece, which sits on three chrome-plated legs and is 15 inches high, has six tuning peg caps (made of inlaid steel disks) and silk-screened Fender lettering. For a third the price, there's the Standard Stratocaster Table, with the same dimensions only composite wood and silk-screened pegs.

The line also includes "hot seats" ($180) in the shape of Fender's Blackface and Tweed amps. They're essentially hollow cubes with a cushioned seat that pops up to reveal storage space when you turn a volume knob that's straight out of the Fender inventory. You can practically hear the reverb.

Cittadini, founded 18 years ago, specializes in high-end, luxury linens. Made in the region of Florence, Italy, the styles are detailed and feature much embroidery. You can order custom bed or table linens, as well as towels. Select from 10 flange styles, 50 towel colors, 100 sateen colors, and 200 embroideries (0 up charges). If you're in the NYC or Long Island area, there's a showroom on Fifth Avenue (by appointment) and a boutique in Manhasset. For more info and prices, contact the company.