CHAIRacter: Serena van der Woodsen & the Barcelona Chair

Beautiful. Dangerous. Fallen.

Serena van der Woodsen is no wallflower. A kind of person whose physical presence cannot be ignored. She has a that certain "je ne sais quoi". Take this characteristic... throw in wealth, status and reputation among the Upper East Side (UES) - it is easy to sea how she has carved out a niche for herself within the exclusive life of the superrich. What makes her an interesting character is that despite leading a very privileged life - she is flawed and is prone to making bad decisions. It makes her more human. Our first encounter with her is through a text message via the anonymous gossip girl, the eyes and ears to the ins and outs of everyones  favorite love-to-hate UEsiders. Her reception is neither warm nor friendly. Her return motivated by a brother in need and not caring for whatever is being said about her. 

What is most curious about this is that aside from BFF Blair - everyone is seemingly ok with her return to the nest. Despite being away from the scrutinizing view of the UESiders, she proves to still being a hot topic of discussion - her daily life does not fail to fascinate and engage everyone around her. Throughout the first season she proves to be a forgiving person - perhaps giving others a chance so that in return... they can give HER a chance. Serena's character is the one whose journey entails overcoming who she was and becoming more than what she already is.

The Barcelona Chair was designed by Mies van der Rohe to be displayed at the German Pavilion at the 1929 International Exhibition Barcelona and became an instant hit among designers and critics alike. It's unique (and instantly recognizable) design is the perfect marriage between modern and classic forms. In keeping with the ideas of the Bauhaus movement, van der Rohe believed in well-designed homes and impeccably manufactured  furnishings for the "common man". This however, could not be the case with the Barcelona Chair. Even with it's minimal form, the tufted, buttoned and supple leather cushions were hand sewn and individually stitched resulting in a high quality product that was enhanced after van der  Rohe's redesign in the 1950's with the advancement of stainless steel. The chair you see today is the result of a symphony of contemporary ideas, antiquity, form, function, and quality all intended for the everyday, but somehow elevated above the rest.

One look at this iconic chair and we knew it was the one that best suited Serena's character. Physically, it is without a doubt a - beautiful chair... recognizable and definitely memorable. Its form is sleek, elegant and one-of-a-kind. Its details are simple and timeless. Its price tag - infinitely more than any chair you can purchase at iKea. It spurs intrigue, interest and is a constant topic of conversation. It can be safely stated that it remains be one of the world's most coveted chairs. Does that sound like someone we know?

Interesting factoid - poly-b's research on the Barcelona Chair reveals that its birth follows the devastation of the first World War. A time when everybody was waiting for something new - it became the period when design and innovation would matter again. This became an introduction to change and continued to be the catalyst that launched an era of great design. Serena can be seen as a similar match that lit candle that set fire to the change that occurred in the UES. Her return and new outlook in life opened up the gateway between Brooklyn and UES. We (silk and poly-b) concur that she is the reason as to why Dan, Vanessa, and Jenny (non - UESiders)  are now recognized fixtures among their social circles - why Dan and Blair (they don't particularly like each other) have moments of heart to heart or why Nate is discovering a different view of life with Vanessa. Her relationship with them - changed the group dynamics that existed... group dynamics that were never questioned nor allowed to change. Previously unaccessible - now more seemingly approachable. 

The Barcelona Chair and Serena van der Woodsen are parallels of each other. Beautiful icons, effortless elegance and catalysts of change. 

silk & polyester-blend present....*CHAIRacters*

silk and poly-b would like to welcome you all to our joint project we would like to call.... CHAIRacters.

Most days - " we" silk and poly-b can be found talking about the ins and outs of everything and anything around us. Our topics can range from culture, society at large, the GAP store displays, next seasons shoe and fashion lines, the latest design magazine spread, a font type we really like, or even the contents of our mystery lunch boxes - (poly-b's is a wasabi green color and silk's is a doubtful looking blue box that passes for a small cooler).

So it was not a surprise when we stumbled upon a topic of conversation that has swept forum chatter and break-room rendezvous' all over. We found ourselves heavily discussing the ins and outs of the hit show... gossip girl.

Perhaps - we may have stumbled upon a topic that cannot possibly interest all you divas - but with this subject at hand - we would like to prove that there is good design... if not great design within a show whose characters (all ridiculously good-looking) lives are followed and reported on in a Page Six kind of manner. 

In between bites of hummus and pita bread - we (silk and poly-b )debated about the characters - their plot lines - their choices - and the outcome of their choices. Call us unnaturally obsessed but one cannot fault not raising an eyebrow to the sheer genius of a show that has not only revived the preppy/chic look (brought back the headband didn't it?) but continuously influences the masses of people that watch it. (mostly - according to demographics - under 25-ish). 

we were exhausted in trying to find the right words to express our views on the character's developments. And then it clicked.... we remembered that we are visual people. What we cannot express in words - we seek other means to express it. we doodle... we sketch... we draw... we look for inspiration... we look for anything that helps make our point clearer.  

so what solution did we come to? how could we sum up a character's strengths, weaknesses, attributes and flaws all in one.... we assigned it a CHAIR!

a chair you say? i hear skeptics... but allow us to enlighten you on this matter. we have placed much thought, research and some hope that this series - will be to your liking.. if not to your amusement.... 

are you game? 

if you are - we (ahem... silk and polyester-blend) invite you to our first posting on the series we have nicknamed....

*CHAIRacters* - gossip girl

introducing.... *polyester blend*

From silk & poly-b
divas... divas... divas... Silk here!

it is not often that we get to introduce a fellow DIVA guest blogger... to our world stage but allow me to indulge for a moment, our newest diva is a hard one to define. 

POLYESTER blend is an enigma of a designer. Just when you think you've got her pinned down - she wiggles her pink-y toes and a whole new designer appears before you. The talents she has lie all across the board but her focus is to create something extraordinary out of the seemingly ordinary. Not an easy feat, mind you. She has a thirst for knowledge that rivals us resident divas and a passion for design that is inspiring to all. 

Our hope is that you meet someone like Poly-B. An excellent listener and a great sounding board all in one creative package! I was fortunate enough to become her colleague and soon after-friend.

In the short time that we have known each other - the ideas, brainstorms, brain farts and eureka moments have never ended. 

So divas... until you find the Polyester Blend in your life - silk, chintz & moire would happily like to share with you another reason to be inspired. 

silk back from the abyss.....

hello! hello!!!!! 

silk here back from the crazy-busy life that keeps me from being one of your guides to a design filled life!

it has been quite some time since we have last posted and we vow to make sure that we do not go under the radar for long periods of time.

but in our absence... we've got some exciting new posts for you in the next couple of weeks. 

some of the major things to look forward to:

* two NEW design divas have joined the ranks of silk, chintz & moire! we will introduce you to the multi-dimensional "polyester blend" and the ever-so-practical "linen". both divas will be blogging with us and blogging for us. look out for their posts in the next couple of weeks. 

some updates on silk, chintz & moire:

*silk and chintz along with NEW and oh-so fabulous guest blogger " polyester blend " went to experience the sights, sounds and most definitely the TASTE of Mexico City - so many stories to tell.. from tacos on the street corners to hiking up a pyramid - it was a weekend full of adventure! so if your interested in a weekend in Mexico City - we just have the itinerary for you! watch out for it....

* party favorite chintz is on the move this month! watch out for chintz and moire are meeting up for a much anticipated reunion. unfortunately, yours truly could not make the trip hop... so i along with you (our beloved readers) shall await for news from the other side of the pond... i wonder what we shall hear from them about... 

and finally 

*as design divas our interests have no borders  - this particular trait has inspired silk and polyester blend (poly-b for short) to do a column series on the much talked about series here in the US called "gossip girl". see the series characters represented through famous chairs - what do you think? do you think they will make the right selection? ... look for our first column to appear on July 17th - Thursday (for fans - this is the DVD release date...we figured we would make it  a significant day to start posting this special blog series. 

until next time...

XOXO

silk