I mentioned one auction of some of the furniture from the Yellowstone Club before but now more of the furniture that Edra Blixseth bought to furnish the luxury enclave is set to go up for auction. Kamelot Auction House in Philadelphia will host the sale of the former furnishings and art from the Yellowstone Club on November 21 at 10 a.m. The Blixseths had properties around the globe and travelled extensively finding art and furnishings wherever they roamed. Now as a result of their divorce and Edra Blixseth's bankruptcy these pieces must be sold. The Yellowstone Club collection will be offered without any minimum bids or reserves.

The auction includes nearly 50 rugs. The Blixseths bought from across a wide range of periods and styles but seemed to have a particular fondness for dark carved wood and chairs ulpholstered in velvet. The rosewood and bronze sideboard from a French chateau circa 1875 shown above is just one of their many European purchases. Other items include wooden telephone booths, antique display cases, industrial tables and shelving, taxidermy and vintage sporting equipment. A rare pair of carved and mirrored Victorian billiard cue racks and scoreboard will be offered along with two full-sized bronze horses and Colonial riders and a pair of life-size cast bronze elk which stand nearly ten feet high. A complete catalogue for this auction including photo galleries and detailed descriptions of every lot to be sold is currently available at www.kamelotauctions.com. Bidding by phone will be available for out-of-town customers.

Art Work Partners revives the centuries-old technique of pietre dure (inlaying stones in beautifully intricate partners) for modern times. This artistic medium descended from Byzantine mosaics but found its greatest expression during the Italian Renaissance. The pieces combine a jeweler's precision with an artists sensibility and a stonecutters expertise. Art Work Partners has two main lines, one of stone art made to hang on a wall like a painting, and another of furniture pieces with stone tops. The picture above highlights both showing a stone version of Marilyn Monroe by Marcos Marin made of black granite and marble as well as a table set with a stone version of Lots of Love by Romero Britto. Pieces generally cost between $5,000 to $12,000. Check out the gallery below for more pieces.

I don't generally think of furniture as something to get you in the holiday spirit but this new antler armchair by Nendo for Cappellini has a Christmasy feel. Not only is the backrest formed by ash olive tree-stained wood in the form of a pair of antlers but the seat itself is a holiday friendly dark green. This designer chair measures 25.3"w x 15"-28.5"h x 25.5"d and it sells for $3,329 at UnicaHome which says that the new chair has a delivery time of 12-16 weeks. Guess this one's not making home for Christmas this year.

Roche-Bobois is the winner of a Readers' Choice Award for best in furniture.

The company's roots is a tale of two families. In 1950 Jacques Roche bought the old Alexandre Dumas theater on rue de Lyon and built two stores. His sons, Philippe and Francois, joined him and together established the company's developmental strategy. They began to distribute the very best contemporary furniture, which was heavily inspired by Bauhaus designers such as Pierre Paulin and Marc Berthier. At the same time, the Chouchan family were selling furniture in Paris on Boulevard Sebastopol at "Au Beau Bois" (which later became Bobois).

In 1960, Philippe Roche and Patrick and Jean-Claude Chouchan met at a Scandinavian furniture expo in Copenhagen. They soon designed their first catalog which launches the national franchise. They combine their resources and names and Roche-Bobois is launched.

Today, Roche-Bobois is a global leader in design and distribution of home furnishings, while retaining the unique position of molding its furniture designs. Each piece created is the result of close collaboration between designers, manufacturers and Roche-Bobois. It has three categories of furniture: Les Contemporians (avant-garde pieces), Les Voyages (a fusion of ethnic influences), and Les Provinciales (which rethinks traditional French furniture). Roche-Bobois is prolific as it introduces a new exclusive collection every six months.

Roche-Bobois is among the most internationally renowned and exclusive brands in home furnishings. Its products are sold in nearly 30 different countries. The company is expanding its reach rapidly, too. In fact, a new Roche-Bobois store opens every month somewhere in the world.

An incredible property in the Hudson River Valley has come on the market at an extremely recession-friendly price. New York-based handmade furniture company BDDW is relocating to Philadelphia and putting their bucolic headquarters up for sale. The 147-acre property is located just north of New Paltz in Ulster County, and features two incredible stone barns totaling 30,000-sq.-ft., a 1,500 sq. ft. farmhouse and a creek, all for just $1.9 million. The stone barns were built at the turn of the century by architect Julian Burroughs for Colonel Oliver Hazard Payne, Civil War sharpshooter, democrat, wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, to house his thoroughbreds. They were subsequently used as a school for boys and passed back into private hands before BDDW acquired them.

[via A Continuous Lean]

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.

William Switzer & Associates, the Vancouver-based furniture house, has been nominated for a Luxist Award for best furniture.

In business for nearly 60 years, William Switzer Collection offers a selection of over 900 products in styles ranging from Louis XV, to Venetian Rococo, Art Deco and 20th century French Moderne designs. The company also offers the Lucien Rollin Collection, which features designs from the internationally acclaimed designer in the French Moderne style.

Quality reproductions are produced from the originals in the William Switzer collection, maintaining the integrity of the original design while adapting to today's contemporary lifestyle. Much of the woodwork, including hand carving elaborate details and marquetry, is done at the family's European workshops. Finishing, including staining, gilding, chinoiserie painting and upholstery, is completed by hand on an individual basis in the company's Vancouver workshop.

The William Switzer Collection and The Lucien Rollin Collection are represented in William Switzer's own showrooms in Dania (Florida), Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Vancouver, and in trade showrooms in 13 other cities throughout the US and around the globe.

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.

Roche-Bobois is a nominee for a Luxist Award for best in furniture.

The company's roots is a tale of two families. In 1950 Jacques Roche bought the old Alexandre Dumas theater on rue de Lyon and built two stores. His sons, Philippe and Francois, joined him and together established the company's developmental strategy. They began to distribute the very best contemporary furniture, which was heavily inspired by Bauhaus designers such as Pierre Paulin and Marc Berthier. At the same time, the Chouchan family were selling furniture in Paris on Boulevard Sebastopol at "Au Beau Bois" (which later became Bobois).

In 1960, Philippe Roche and Patrick and Jean-Claude Chouchan met at a Scandinavian furniture expo in Copenhagen. They soon designed their first catalog which launches the national franchise. They combine their resources and names and Roche-Bobois is launched.

Today, Roche-Bobois is a global leader in design and distribution of home furnishings, while retaining the unique position of molding its furniture designs. Each piece created is the result of close collaboration between designers, manufacturers and Roche-Bobois. It has three categories of furniture: Les Contemporians (avant-garde pieces), Les Voyages (a fusion of ethnic influences), and Les Provinciales (which rethinks traditional French furniture). Roche-Bobois is prolific as it introduces a new exclusive collection every six months.

Roche-Bobois is among the most internationally renowned and exclusive brands in home furnishings. Its products are sold in nearly 30 different countries. The company is expanding its reach rapidly, too. In fact, a new Roche-Bobois store opens every month somewhere in the world.

Stickley Furniture is a nominee for a Luxist Award for the best in furniture.

The company's roots are humble. In 1900 Leopold Stickley and his younger brother John George Stickley began manufacturing furniture in Fayetteville, NY. Four years later their company was incorporated as L. & J.G. Stickley. Their major retailer in the New York metropolitan area was E.J. Audi who launched his furniture business in 1928. Of all the fine lines he carried, E.J. Audi had an affinity for what Stickley furniture represented in quality construction, finish, and enduring value. In 1974, Audi's son, Alfred, bought the then-struggling L. & J.G. Stickley.

Stickley furniture is simple and pure. Its sofa sectionals range from small fabric-covered sectionals with chaise lounges to large, custom-made leather sectional sofas. Of course, Stickley is best known for its timeless Mission Collection, and that is well represented with everything from solid oak bedroom furniture to Mission cherry dining rooms. Among Gustav and Leopold Stickley's earliest mission oak furniture designs were comfortable chairs with adjustable backs---the forerunners of the ever-popular leather recliner chairs of today. Stickley is also a destination for those seeking oak office furniture.

Stickley Furniture is distributed out of fourteen showrooms located in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Western Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado. The names of its showrooms may vary slightly, depending on their location and are either called Stickley, Audi & Co., Stickley Furniture, or Stickley Furniture. Stickley designers will visit a customer's home and provide design assistance at no charge.

Kreiss is a nominee the Luxist Award category of best in furniture.

Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Kreiss has been family-owned and operated. The company is credited with pioneering the "California Look" with its stylish use of natural materials and casual yet elegant and comfortable designs.

Each Kreiss piece is an impressive combination of originality and master craftsmanship. They are made with all natural materials including pure, artfully woven fabrics. Every design is an original, inspired by the lives and travels of the Kreiss family while created by craftspeople whose skills in hand-detailing and hand-finishing is unrivaled. Indeed, everything made by Kreiss is "done by hand", from being handmade, hand-carved, hand-finished and hand-stuffed to hand-packed and hand-delivered.

The Kreiss Collection of furniture, offers hundreds of combinations, encompasses California Casual as well as European Formal, Spanish Mediterranean and other classic styles. This diverse selection allows a versatility to create living spaces that suites homeowners' unique personalities and lifestyles. From a coffee table with a polished travertine top, to an armoire finished with French wax, a bed of hand welded iron or the look of hand distressed wood, the Kreiss Collection offers fine furnishings and accessories for a life of casual elegance.

First available only to the trade, the Kreiss Collection has now grown to 20 retail/trade Kreiss showrooms across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company has a loyal following of clients, ranging from international celebrities, to captains of industry, to a cross section of discerning homeowners.

The entire Kreiss Collection is designed and manufactured at the company's San Diego headquarters.

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.

The Nairobi Drum Table by Kreiss has been one of the trademarks of Kreiss' "exotic" look since it was introduced more than 15 years ago. An exotic colonial English-style piece, the table works just as well in a traditional as it does in a contemporary setting. The shell of the 140 pound table is tiled with treated coconut shells that were hand-applied into a mosaic pattern giving the piece a unique look. The table has cast bronze animal feet while the surface of the table has a medallion insert that has been etched to obtain an antique texture. The table, which measures 38 1/2 inches in diameter and 20 inches in height, retails for $4,650. It can be ordered directly from Kreiss at (800) KREISS1 or (800) 573-4771.

Earlier this week we saw Vivienne Tam's latest digital clutch for HP but the busy designer also has a new line of custom upholstered furniture with Rowe Furniture that debuted this week in Las Vegas. The pieces in simple and spare styles. use fabrics designed by Tam that include botanical, geometric and herringbone patterns with Asian influences and will incorporate her famous Mao print. More looks at the new pieces over at Shelterpop.