The Art of the Possible

I love spotting a piece of furniture that most people would pass by, restyling it to make it look beautiful, and then finding the right spot to set it off perfectly.

Case in point: Last time I was in Florida, I stopped by my friend Carlos Castellar’s shop Art & Antiques at 8650 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. For more than 15 years, he has been a purveyor of first-rate mid-century modern and vintage items to dealers all over the world. The shop offers a very eclectic range of styles from Hollywood Regency to Memphis Group, always presented with a touch of fun and a sense of humor. On this visit, one piece really caught my eye:

BEFORE: 1960s lounge chair by Adrian Pearsall for Plycraft, found at Art & Antiques, Miami.

It’s a 1960s Plycraft lounge chair by Adrian Pearsall–an interesting if little-known American designer whose “Atomic Age” furniture is often misattributed to Vladimir Kagan. The lines were great but the fabric couldn’t have been uglier. Carlos parted with it for $500, and his guys restyled and reupholstered it to my specifications:

AFTER: Pearsall chair reupholstered in a Stark Fabric velvet and a Designtex printed velvet.

I replaced the cushioning with something sleeker and less bulky covered in a jazzy Designtex printed velvet and had the body of the chair reupholstered in a rich solid velvet from Stark Fabric. It arrived from Miami last week and I think it looks pretty great in my living room, sitting on a Tibetan rug I designed for Stark Carpet. I can’t wait to go back to Florida in the spring and see what else Carlos has in store.

SITTING PRETTY: The revamped Pearsall lounge chair in my living room on a Tibetan rug I designed for Stark.