Sweet Street

A few days ago, Hunny Bunny went to check the mail and returned to report that our brand new mailbox had been tagged. Although he seemed rather annoyed, I was pretty stoked. A graffiti artist! Chose to tag! Our mailbox! I had swirling visions of Banksy and the old school subway taggers of yesteryear so I sprinted outside to take a look, only to find that HB had overstated the situation. It was total crap. Just a squiggle unworthy of the lowest tagger. Obviously the work of the roving preteen amateur gang of hooligans that live down the street, riding their skateboards and smoking their cigarettes and having their fun. Damn them. Perhaps the recent onslaught of graffiti'd furnishings can fill the gaping hole of bitter disappointment left by my lofty expectations?

London-based graffiti artist KID4EVA reinvents the classics at Burke and Hazelden. If I thought I could paint even half as well I'd give my fusty brown credenza the rainbow treatment seen on that dreamy armoire. Over the top tackaliciousness in all its glory. My favorite piece by far.

But there are tagged armoires a plenty, like this pair seen at Matthew Higham Antiques:

I wish I could give credit to the artists on this one because -- let's face it -- these boring boxes are nothing without their flossy paint jobs. Graffiti'd furnishings carried by upscale retailers create an interesting conundrum since the style is generally meant to be ephemeral -- non commercial, not permanent and not a commodity. (Although there have been many discussions lately about Banksyified walls being removed, so that what was meant to be street art can be sold as murals to private collectors. See this article here for more information.)

If you aren't grooving on those graphics but still pine for the hand painted, how about these refined meet edgy pieces by Jimmie Martin:

I have to say that I probably would have liked these pieces even without their fancy treatments because I've always had a sweet spot for the baroque, most likely because my dear mother never met a curved line or a damask print she didn't like. Still, the contrast colored interiors are flashy and fly.

Holla at these sleek street chairs produced by a collaboration between Deadgood and Mr Jago:

Holy camoffiti! The dreaded barstool attacks! So are these streetwise collaborations a way for graffiti artists to make some cheese off the work they already enjoy doing, or is it just another bourgeois commodification of art, becoming all style and no substance?

Instead of tagging on the surface, the tag becomes the surface in Luis Alcandu's shapely furnishings:

Wouldn't it be fun to tag up the wall behind a frameless mirror? You know, if you have talent (or an opaque projector)?

For those who live large, Ted Nemeth's designs combine an extravagantly tough aesthetic with an insane commitment to craft:

The result: ballers only. (seen here)

Meanwhile, these sweet and light pieces by Anna James have been making rounds on ye olde interweb:

The armoire is charmingly named "Vernona" while the end tables are "Romeo and Juliet." Stodgy Italiante structural flourishes merge with a juvenile spirit in a popular and adaptable style. A veritable DIY maelstrom of scribbles and gouges has been born. (seen here)

First up, the couch (on the left) by Pamela Bell inspired blogger Hidden In France to let her kids go graffiti in the family room:

John Derian sofa vs Ikea Klippan sofa. Hmmm. War of the wallets.

And the trend keeps devolving:

These photos are courtesy of the website DIY Kids. Surely everyone has joked that even a kid could make modern art. Does that mean we should actually let kids write all over our furniture? What happens when you sit on that ink filled fabric? Or spill a drink on that ink covered table?

Why not just give them some disposable furniture to ruin. Like this:

Factum is marketing a recycled cardboard chair kit that even comes with markers so you can make your own DIY disaster. Ok, maybe it's just me, but my chair would not come out looking like that. I may not even be able to top the Hooligan Gang's masterpiece on our mailbox.

Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you with those pictures.

Draga Obradovic makes gorgeous graffiti-inspired furnishings for grownups. (seen on Carolina Eclectic)

What is art, what is commerce, what is a pretty trend, and what is just a messy disguise for messiness? I see a lot of pieces I covet, and I'm a little conflicted. Anyone care to tell me how I should feel?

Dos Campanas

Well, friends, after ranting about things that annoy me (and then get deleted) for the past day or two, I thought I'd put on my happy face and share what may be the cutest website ever with you. Everyone likes stuffed animals, right? Click on the picture to see a larger screen shot.

Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana create some seriously wacky furnishings and accessories, and you can't help but giggle while watching teddy bears get airlifted from vending machines to join their fuzzy wuzzy brothers and sisters in chair land.

I know they're silly, but they just make smile. Ouch. That hurts. I kind of wish I had a kid so I could justify having one of those alligator chairs for little him or her. I'm not sure how I would feel about buying one for myself... Oh, who cares. I want one. The panda and dolphin chairs are available through Moss, also seen at Crooked Brains.

The brothers Campana do make slightly more sophisticated furnishings as well, most of which are material-driven. The table on the left is made from plastic drain covers while the colorful table tops below are strung with lawn furniture rope cord.

A pair of chairs also made from humble materials:

On their awesome website, every project is accompanied by a visual story, and the graphic design is pretty fantastic and extremely intricate. For example, the animation accompanying the "Sushi" pieces below features a whirling pinwheel of tables set on a psychedelic background. Trippy, dude.

I think that couch is not too shabby for something made of carpet padding and styrofoam mats. What do you guys think?

Here are a few subdued pieces, all of which I could picture in a real home:

Rest assured, though, I couldn't leave you with something normal:

On the left is the "Anemone" chair (aka, "The Bird's Nest") made of clear garden hoses and on the right is the "Boa" sofa made of interconnected velvet sausage-like strands. Velvet sausage. Yum.

And finally, the designers themselves:

Humberto started out with a law degree, while Fernando majored in architecture. Whatever you must do to earn a few feathers in your cap, I guess. They're kind of adorable. I want to squeeze little Fernando's cheeks, and feed Humberto a sandwich.

Isn't my good side nice?

Banksy Is a Genius

So I'm a little ticked off because I had to delete my last post about Tom Wolfe's pompousness because The Selby said I couldn't use his pictures. That's funny... I feel like I've seen his pictures elsewhere. I mean, like EVERYWHERE. Mostly, I think The Selby saw a storm brewing between me and a gallery dealer regarding King Tom's espousal of ersatz artist, Frederick Hart. At least I called Hart a faux artist, but his gallery rep vehemently disagreed. Surprise, surprise. To make a long, pissy story short, I came across this quote by actual artist Banksy on Ffffound and it was like a rallying cry for me, an epiphany that something must be done about crappy "art."

Bright young things, I know you need to make a living, that eating tuna from cold tin cans and sleeping in a cardboard box is not appealing, but HELP!!! Please save us from a world where Frederick Hart is listed in the same sentence as Isamu Noguchi and Helen Frankenthaler (again, according to his rep).

I can't live in that world.