The adage says imitation is the highest form of flattery. In the art and design world, though, the struggle between originality and imitation isn’t quite so simple.

This week we're shining the spotlight on Art Deco.This eclectic style, symbolic of the Machine age, can still be widely seen today. Here are some of our favorite finds: Lisa's Arch-Deco Favorites: I  lived somewhere besides New York for a few years, and it didn't go well. It was a beautiful old city, but it lacked (among other things) that architectural thing Manhattan has- the decorative and structural elements that take your breath away as you round the corner. Many of these favorite (and most sorely-missed) moments of mine feature Art Deco flourishes-  some well known, and others mysteries waiting...

A roundup of this month’s interesting news reads and notes under the umbrella of design and experiences for our collective radar screen… MUST TRACK  – Banksy We have always been fascinated by the elusive artist Banksy. We are  now wild about his NY residency this month and all the engagement and emotion his works are prompting. Exhibit A – Exclusive music festivals for super rich The latest trend in lavish home entertaining. Exhibit B – Super interesting fundraiser concept treasure hunt Exhibit C – The Architecture of Autism Emerging group homes of architecctural note for adults living with autism. Exhibit…

Lisa’s No Wallflower. No Fifty Shades jokes here, my friends.  There’s only one gray for me, and that’s charcoal: a versatile, warm, tough-but-chic choice that figures prominently in all of my favorite fall decorating schemes. (Since we live on an editorial calendar here at VP+C, we’re well into the autumn months, mentally). I’ve just moved and, rental-rules-be-damned, am very tempted to give in to my well-documented wallpaper obsession in our new place. This design, from Brooklyn-based Flavor Paper, is a frontrunner that would provide a pretty foil for pretty much any accent color. A few other things that caught our…

We’re just a few hours away from the start of our PR RV journey, and as we unpack our snacks and organize our supplies, we can’t help but be amazed by how beautiful this vehicle is. It’s become apparent to our team that the PR RV isn’t just a celebration of our clients- it’s also an ode to the craftsmen who apply the finishing touches to every project. Without Jimmy DiResta, fabricator extraordinaire, the buildout would have been homespun and scary– nothing more than a temporary display– instead of the roaming home we’re all already feeling it will be. He’s given…

The first gestural remote device we saw go mainstream was Wii, Nintendo’s revolutionary gaming system that broke the 4th wall of at-home entertainment. Of course there are other devices that paved the way (cut to passionate gamer forum) and lots of competitors vying for the top spot. Kinect, Xbox’s magical 3 camera, motion-sensing gaming system, soon followed and ditched the hand-held controller. Now Leap Motion is creating a system that works with your computer to fill the needs of 3-d modellers and designers everywhere. The upward facing unit uses 2 cameras to create a hemisphere of vision that reads small movements in all directions. However, there is a…

A design post about facets would not be complete without mention of Buckminster Fuller, the godfather of the Geodesic Dome. He first erected his famous structure in the late 1940s, paving the way for Epcot Centers and Biospheres everywhere. However, our post-modern take on crystalline structure is not so perfect or symmetrical. Here are some of the key factors that make these chiseled forms interesting to architects and product designers today: 1. Soul: There is something strangely raw and beautiful about these forms that reminds us of ancient sculptural craft or revealed natural beauty. 2. Futurism: Creating an exterior, interior, campervan, chair, or necklace with faceted…

Air pollutants – equivalent to the emissions of 260 cars – are now gone with the wind thanks to the latest rising star in town. Her name is Wendy, and she’s garbed in PURETi titania nano mineral-treated fabric skin capable of cleaning NYC’s air. This lovely lady was conceived by our friends at design firm HWKN as part of MoMA PS1‘s Young Architects Program – a competition to design a structure that inhabits  MoMA PS1’s courtyard for the duration of each summer. At a soft opening on Thursday, June 28th, guests were given to opportunity to experience Wendy’s many talents…

Dear Diary, I have a new crush. And this time, I think it/we could go all the way. I’m talking about real deal commitment jazz. I’m talking about L-O-V-E. I’m talking about…felt! It wasn’t but a week or so ago that I fell for this come-hither cloth. In fact, until my eyes locked with pictures of products made from the soft non-woven wonder—Google images is my Match.com—it never ever crossed my mind, in all of my almost 30 years. But now, I’m a smitten kitten and I want, nay, must have helpings of furnishings and fashions in this fab fiber….

  Confession – I have a thing about animal heads. And they are having a moment! I think it started with the pink paper-mache moose head I did in grade school (late 80’s of course). I had a momentary foray into real taxidermy, until I realized that ordering such online might actually result in the killing of an animal for me to have such décor. We wanted a rhino head over the bed…but not under THOSE circumstances… HELL NO! Contrary to the recent New York Times story on the over-styled house – http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/05/17/garden/20120517TOTEMS.html – if you have an animal head…