INNER SPACES BOOK: LOOKING BACK AT 2014

Moritz Hammer (KGM Architectural Lighting), James Hunter (TWG design principal), Jessica Barnard (TWG designer), and Mauricio Muñoz (TWG design principal)

This time last year The Wiseman Group was fêted by Therien & Co. at their La Cienega showroom in Los Angeles. The occasion? The publication of TWG's book, 

Inner Spaces: Paul Vincent Wiseman and The Wiseman Group

. It was fitting that the SoCal company played host to the San Francisco-based Wiseman Group: Therien, 

a 

Dessin Fournir

 company, h

ad deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area before opening a Los Angeles showroom in the late 1980s.

JP Hayden (Hayden & Fandetta Rare Books) and

 Patri

cia Sims (Therien)

Chase Roberson (TWG) and Andrew Huge (Deloitte Consulting)

Kirsten Honeyman (TWG blog author) and Michael Danahy (Writer/Producer)

Devin Donner (Rudin Donner Design, Inc.) 

and Bill Dono

hoe (Donohoe Design Works)

with 

Kevin Peters (TWG CEO)

The company is a purveyor of timeless period antiques, but in keeping with shifting design tastes, has also created a division devoted to 20th Century classics. Thus their location on La Cienega Boulevard is known throughout the U.S. and Europe as a one-stop source of premier quality decorative arts.

Mary Kate Spach and Tim Barber (both of Tim Barber Ltd. Architecture), Keith Granet (Granet Associates), and Brenda Mickel (TWG design principal)

Suzanne Shepela, 

Brian Pinkett

, and 

Lauren Fulton (all of 

Landry Design 

Group)

Guests were able to wander among the company's several showrooms and take in their lovely contents. CEO Kevin Peters greeted guests and Paul Wiseman signed books during the event. Wiseman Group Designers, Mauricio Munoz, Brenda Mickel, and James Hunter mingled with guests and sipped celebratory wine.

Phaedra Wilson (Munder Skiles)

Alison

 Chozen and TWG client 

Jill 

Chozen

Tom Stanley, Ron Woodson (Woodson & Rummerfield's), and Rocky La Fleur (Kneedler|Fauchère)

Paul Wiseman (TWG founder and president)

An after-party dinner was hosted by The Wiseman Group at nearby Ago. All in all, a lovely evening!

~

FIELD TRIP: RUSSEL WRIGHT MUSEUM

Russel Wright's modernist home in Manitoga, NY built into an abandoned stone quarry Photos - Matthew Millman

Paul Wiseman recently made a trip to New York with author Brian Coleman and photographer Matthew Millman. The trio is in the early stages of collecting data and photographs of TWG projects for the firm's book of interior design, to be published in 2014. Taking a break from the book project, the team toured Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center in the Hudson River Valley. They were hosted by John Danzer, who serves as a board member with the Center. John is the owner of Munder-Skiles, one of TWG's favorite sources for fine outdoor furniture. Munder-Skiles recently moved their showroom to Garrison, NY just an hour north of Manhattan in the Historic Hudson Highlands.

John Danzer gives Paul a tour of Russel Wright's home

The Manitoga preserve allows visitors to experience Russel Wright's home, studio, and 75-acre woodland garden as a vibrant example of living in creative harmony with nature and the value of good design in daily living. According to John, "Wright was one of the early leaders in land healing that rings so true today. His innovative 'warm modern' house is built into the side of an abandoned industrial quarry. Manitoga was a remarkable remediation project with extensive planned natural gardens. It was truly ahead of it's time. We generously contribute to the Center because so much is to be learned by visitation and understanding Wright's advanced design thinking."

Dinnerware and furniture designed by Wright to achieve his concept of "easier living" -- gracious, yet contemporary and informal

Large windows and natural elements bringing the outside in

Stone stairs, ferns, and tree trunk blurring indoor and outdoor spaces

Stairway to the upper level suggestive of Japanese design

Beautiful woodland garden enveloping the house

The Manitoga home is a National Historic Landmark, a member of the National Trust's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios Program, and a World Monuments Watch Site. It is one of the few 20th century modern homes open to the public in New York State.

~

FAVORITE SOURCES: MUNDER-SKILES

Teak table, chairs, ottomans, and Bali bed by Munder-Skiles Photo by Matt Millman

One of the pleasures of working in a creative field like interior design is having the opportunity to associate with talented, artistic people. The Wiseman Group's need to source high-quality exterior furniture led them to Munder-Skiles and its owner, John Danzer.  

John and Paul on the loggia in Belvedere Photo by Richard Snyder

Munder-Skiles offers a distinctive and customizable collection of 130 wood and metal designs, in styles ranging from historical to ultra-modern. Many of the designs are licensed from historic houses or taken from wonderful old designs and reworked for modern settings.