Meet the set designers who are the real stars of some of the biggest TV dramas

One of the biggest challenges for Michael Shaw, the production designer of the hit TV show Billions, was how to convey the lives of the ultra-rich: the rarefied world of the 1 per cent of the 1 per cent. Everyone has a sense of what rich looks like, but a TV show called Billions it needed to go beyond that. It had to contain elements which were extreme: landing a helicopter on your front lawn or impulsively purchasing a $70 million beach home.

The result is a voyeuristic romp through the high-powered life of Bobby Axelrod, or Axe, the Manhattan hedge-fund phenomenon played by Damian Lewis. It is a world that exudes the bleached monotone of wealth, visible in the monastic feel of Axes

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Secrets of set design for Succession, Billions and Big Little Lies - The Times

whats-on, music-theatre-arts, The Addams Family, film review

The Addams Family (PG) 3 stars For 80 years, The Addams Family have been a pop culture phenomenon, beginning with cartoonist Charles Addams' single-panel comics in The New Yorker magazine in 1938, inspiring the iconic television series from 1964, and then a number of cartoon and feature film reimaginings. This is both a cartoon and a feature film, a new animated feature that owes more to the original comic panels and with some major talent providing the voices. The Addams Family must have been brilliantly anti-establishment in the middle of the last century, however, it is something of a victim of its own success. The family members from the cartoons are delightfully dark, with the boys in the family playing with dynamite for fun, walking their pet octopus, enjoying a charging in the family electric chair. The family butler may or may not be the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Mother Morticia dead-heads roses for the aesthetic pleasure and in one panel reveals a mane of Medusa-like snakes at the hair salon, while children Pugsley and Wednesday send their dolls to an adorable nursery guillotine. Which is to say this is dark, macabre humour. However, from the 1960s TV series onwards, this family has helped slowly warp much contemporary humour and society in its image. Every wannabe Goth, every teen angst over-application of eyeliner owes a debt to Wednesday Addams, from Winona Ryder's Beetlejuice character, to Aubrey Plaza's April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, to whatever lippy thing your own children said to you last week. Whether they knew it or not, that sneer needs to tip its hat to the Addams Family. I'm getting to a point and it is this - The Addams Family have changed our culture to such a point that being true to its source material, as the new feature by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon is, feels slim and insufficient. They've helped take contemporary comedy to a much darker place, so that this new film version feels adorably twee. Perfectly fine for a pre-teen discovering the material for the first time, not so much for the grown-up driving them to the movies to see it. Something of an origin story, the film meets Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) before they first arrive in the US. Back in "The old country," they are chased from their wedding ceremony by a posse of angry villagers with lit torches. They flee to the safety of suburban New Jersey, to a former insane asylum with walls that drip blood. Some years later, their son Pugsley (Finn Wolfard from Stranger Things) is studying for a macabre family coming-of-age ceremony. Meanwhile, daughter Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) questions their isolation from the surrounding community. The family might be living in secure suburban America, but the neighbours still have their lit torches. Here it is self-serving reality TV star and interior decorator Margaux (Allison Janney) and her campaign against the Addams' resistance to a real estate property values-driven neighbourhood beautification program. Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon made the oddly unfunny gross-out adult animation Sausage Party and they do a fine if uninspired job here crafting a cutesy family film. Everybody feels a little isolated, wondering at their difference from those around them, which makes us all side with the Addams Family against normalcy, against the drivel of everyday life. So every attempt to inject a little Addams in our lives should be rewarded.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc788n4salg8jzxcxwbkd.jpg/r152_0_4347_2370_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

REVIEW

December 7 2019 - 5:00AM

For 80 years, The Addams Family have been a pop culture phenomenon, beginning with cartoonist Charles Addams' single-panel comics in The New Yorker magazine in 1938, inspiring the iconic television series from 1964, and then a number of cartoon and feature film reimaginings.

From left, Charlize Theron voices Morticia Addams, Chlo Grace Moretz voices Wednesday Addams, Oscar Isaac voices Gomez Addams, Finn Wolfhard voices Pugsley, and Nick Kroll voices Uncle Fester. Picture: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.

This is both a cartoon and a feature film, a new animated feature that owes more to the original comic panels and with some major talent providing the voices.

The Addams Family must have been brilliantly anti-establishment in the middle of the last century, however, it is something of a victim of its own success.

The family members from the cartoons are delightfully dark, with the boys in the family playing with dynamite for fun, walking their pet octopus, enjoying a charging in the family electric chair.

The family butler may or may not be the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Mother Morticia dead-heads roses for the aesthetic pleasure and in one panel reveals a mane of Medusa-like snakes at the hair salon, while children Pugsley and Wednesday send their dolls to an adorable nursery guillotine. Which is to say this is dark, macabre humour.

However, from the 1960s TV series onwards, this family has helped slowly warp much contemporary humour and society in its image. Every wannabe Goth, every teen angst over-application of eyeliner owes a debt to Wednesday Addams, from Winona Ryder's Beetlejuice character, to Aubrey Plaza's April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, to whatever lippy thing your own children said to you last week. Whether they knew it or not, that sneer needs to tip its hat to the Addams Family.

I'm getting to a point and it is this - The Addams Family have changed our culture to such a point that being true to its source material, as the new feature by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon is, feels slim and insufficient.

They've helped take contemporary comedy to a much darker place, so that this new film version feels adorably twee. Perfectly fine for a pre-teen discovering the material for the first time, not so much for the grown-up driving them to the movies to see it.

From left, Morticia Addams (voiced by Charlize Theron), Oscar Isaac ( Gomez Addams) and Allison Janney (Margaux Needler) in The Addams Family. Picture: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.

Something of an origin story, the film meets Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) before they first arrive in the US.

Back in "The old country," they are chased from their wedding ceremony by a posse of angry villagers with lit torches.

They flee to the safety of suburban New Jersey, to a former insane asylum with walls that drip blood.

Some years later, their son Pugsley (Finn Wolfard from Stranger Things) is studying for a macabre family coming-of-age ceremony.

Meanwhile, daughter Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) questions their isolation from the surrounding community.

The family might be living in secure suburban America, but the neighbours still have their lit torches.

Here it is self-serving reality TV star and interior decorator Margaux (Allison Janney) and her campaign against the Addams' resistance to a real estate property values-driven neighbourhood beautification program.

Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon made the oddly unfunny gross-out adult animation Sausage Party and they do a fine if uninspired job here crafting a cutesy family film.

Everybody feels a little isolated, wondering at their difference from those around them, which makes us all side with the Addams Family against normalcy, against the drivel of everyday life.

So every attempt to inject a little Addams in our lives should be rewarded.

Read more from the original source:
The Addams Family with Oscar Isaac voicing Gomez is adorably twee, not spooky - The Canberra Times

Carleton Varney was, of all things, a teacher before he became an interior decorator. But his first career didnt last long. After landing a job working for Dorothy Draper (he eventually took over her firm), Varney was off and running, bringing his bright, joyous palette to a client list that includes everyone from Jimmy Carter to Joan Crawford. To say nothing of his 37 books, newspaper columns, TV shows, product lines and a project hes been working on forwait for it53 years: The Greenbrier hotel in West Virginia.

In this episode of the Business of Home podcast (sponsored by Chairish and Google), Varney shares stories of working with some of his most famous clients, his philosophy on color, and why, at 82, hes as busy as hes ever been. (Clint Eastwood is 88, Varney points out with a laugh.)

Listen, and check out a few takeaways below. If you like what you hear, subscribe to the podcast (free of charge!) on Apple Podcasts, and every week a new show will be delivered to your smartphone.

ADVICE FROM JOANThough hes had more than a few iconic clients, one of Varneys most famous was Joan Crawford. She also gave him one of the best pieces of advice he ever received. Joan told me one thing Ill always remember and was the key to a lot of things I did in my career, says Varney. She said: Look at me, Carleton I wanna tell you one thing: I invented me, and you can do the same. I always remembered that. The challenge was to concentrate. Im not a person who ever wasted time. If Im on an airplane, I dont watch movies, I work on my new book or my newspaper column.

BRING BACK THE RAINBOWVarney generally sees the good in everythingbut he draws a line at greige. I look at some of the design magazines, they show so much white and beige and colorless rooms, that Im afraid that the next generation will do even less color, he says. When you walk through a pretty garden that has colorful flowers: yellows, greens, pinks and blues, everybody loves it. Then they turn around and walk back inside and forget that exists, and go back into neutral.

LIFE GOES ONVarney is a huge admirer of legendary Architectural Digest editor in chief Paige Rense, and was an early supporter when she took over the magazine in the 1970s. The fact that he published a project in House Beautiful, leading to his banishment from AD (Rense famously wanted designers to stay exclusive to her publication), didnt cause any hard feelings. Nothing in this world is dependent on only one person, says Varney. Sure, it was a blow, but, it wasnt the only magazine.

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Carleton Varney reflects on a colorful career - Business of Home

TRAVEL

An article on Nov. 10 about ancient Puebloan civilization in the American Southwest misspelled part of the name of a mission church in New Mexico. It is San Estevan del Rey Mission Church, not San Estaban del Rey Mission Church.

The cover story last Sunday, about recreating a home interior for the TV show Almost Family, incorrectly described Susan Ogus role on the set. She is the set decorator, not the set director.

The Whats Selling Now article last Sunday, using incorrect information provided by a real estate broker, misidentified the listing broker for 68 Mountain Road, in Irvington, N.Y. The listing broker is Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, not Houlihan Lawrence.

An essay on Nov. 3 about Edith Whartons novel The Age of Innocence misstated the given name of one character. He is Julius Beaufort, not Julian.

The War Stories column on Nov. 10 misstated Ash Carters place among President Barack Obamas defense secretaries. He was the fourth defense secretary to serve under Obama, not the third.

A review on Nov. 10 about the picture book The Perfect Seat misspelled the authors surname. He is Minh Le, not Li.

A review on Nov. 10 about the graphic novel White Bird, by R.J. Palacio, misidentified a character who has polio. He is Julien, not Vincent (Juliens antagonist).

Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.

To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, complaints or other comments about our coverage, please email nytnews@nytimes.com or call 1-844-NYT-NEWS (1-844-698-6397).

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Corrections: Nov. 24, 2019 - The New York Times

Katherine Bernhardt Designs Limited Edition Plates

Want to set an above average holiday table for an art-loving client this year? Look no further than artist Katherine Bernhardt's new limited edition plates. The works are the result of the painter's recent Artwalk NY gala dinner honor. The organization raises funds for the Coalition for the Homelessas will Bernhardt's plateswhich are available now through Artsy and Prospect.

Lawson-Fenning Debuts a New California-Centric Collection

For those who think that winter collections mean faux-fur throws and cinnamon-scented candles, think again. Lawson-Fenning is now out with its new Ojai Collection, the contents of which are sure to transport any designer or client to the warmest areas of Southern California. The items includeda coffee table, credenza, dining table, and morespring from an earlier Ojai table and sofa, which first launched in 2016.

Richard Sappers Static Clock Gets More Time

Ticktock, ticktock...the time has come for Richard Sappers Static Clock to be released. The iconic design launched Sapper's careerand won him the prestigious Compasso dOro award at age 28. While Sapper is known in part for the works he went on to create for Alessi, this reissue has Milan's Lorenz to thank.

A new blue colorway of a preexisting Alice Sergeant print.

Alice Sergeant Releases New Fabric Colorways

What's white and blue and pink (almost) all over? Alice Sergeant's two new colorways for her Najwa fabrics. The colors, dubbed spring and antique pink, will be in Well Made Home, Travis & Company, Wells Abbott, The Fabric Collective, and Evans & Sheldon showrooms next week. So, designers looking to create an effortless 2020 revamp, keep your eyes peeled.

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La Mamounia to Get a Revamp

La Mamounia, the legendary Moroccan retreat once described by Winston Churchill as "the most lovely spot in the whole world," is about to get a revamp. The hotel, built in 1923 and restored in 2009, will receive a thoughtful facelift in 2020 courtesy of Parisian duo Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku. The changes, set to take place in both public areas and private rooms of the premises, will be made over the summer, with La Mamounia set to reopen September 1.

The Palace Hotel Draws Attention to a $200,000 Bed

When you go to The Palace, one of New York's most storied hotels, it makes sense that you might expect to sleep like a member of a European royal family. Now, the institution just got a lot closer to making that dream a reality, thanks to the unveiling of its Hstens Ultimate Sleep Suite. The room features the high-end Swedish company's pice de rsistance: its Vividus bed. The signature design takes the company 350 hours to complete and costs a whopping $200,000. So in some sense, renting it for one night is bound to be a bargain.

Modsy Reports Color Insights

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WeWork Lays Off Thousands, Paddle8 Gets a New CEO, and More News This Week - Architectural Digest

Lizzie McGuire is all grown up, and with a more sophisticated style to match.

Two months after Disney announced its upcoming reboot of the hit Hilary Duff-led sitcom, which will stream on the new Disney+ platform and see its heroine reuniting with her onscreen BFF Gordo (Adam Lambert), Duff has been teasing her Instagram followers with glimpses at her characters updated wardrobe.

In the follow-up of the 2001 Disney Channel favorite, Lizzie is a 30-year-old New Yorker working as an interior decorators assistant and still wearing many of the trends she loved back in junior high, as evident by the green Marques Almeida mesh top ($197) shes got on in her most recent sneak peek.

She also still loves a classic check, though shes traded the low-slung flares she rocked in 2003s The Lizzie McGuire Movie for this sharp blazer ($838) and miniskirt ($328) by Racil.

Statement bags? Bring em on although Lizzies new Parisa Wang Enchanted purse ($355) is quite a step up from graffitied clutch she carried 16 years ago.

And while Lizzie used to live in her Tiffany & Co. heart tag necklace an early-aughts classic her new go-to bauble is a more simple silver L pendant on a chain.

Read more here:
Here's what Lizzie McGuire is wearing in 2019 - Page Six

Jaipur Living expanded its custom rug services in an effort to boost designer business.

When Kathy Ireland launched the home division of her Kathy Ireland Worldwide design and marketing company 21 years ago, the model-turned-entrepreneur chose area rugs as her first product line.

In the home, its important to start with a rug that you love, something that speaks to you the color palettes, the textures, she told HAT during a special appearance at Nourisons IHFC lobby-level showroom during High Point Market. Have that be your anchor.

Irelands philosophy is increasingly being adopted across the home furnishings industry, as evidenced at the fall market. The area rug categorys role and relevance are gaining traction today more than ever, spurred by suppliers efforts to polish their fashion offerings, ramp up brand partnerships, invest in innovation and boost customization services for decorators to name a few initiatives sweeping the business.

Adding area rugs for the first time, also by way of a partnership, is fabric house Fabricut. Product development is currently underway, and the line will include practical fashion looks, including performance-focused qualities, that speak to the companys upstairs designer-centric aesthetic, said Danica Jones, senior director of marketing.

The introduction of rugs as a new category speaks to the companys broader effort to expand its Fabricut Finished Product division, which currently offers customizable window drapery and will grow by year-end to include a new category decorative pillows in a range of sizes and styles.

Our finished product division is really taking off, and our designer business is a big part of that growth, she explained.

Designer Thom Filicia of Bravo TVs Queer Eye fame was at market celebrating the 20th anniversary of his eponymous interior decorating firm in New York, a decade-long partnership with Vanguard Furniture and five years with Eastern Accents for luxury bedding. With area rugs as a longtime core piece of his branded assortment, he told HAT exclusively of his upcoming launch of a new rug licensee and all-new collection sometime later this year or early next.

Less than two years after entering the rug category, Lili Alessandra launched a customizable area rug collection.

Luxe bedding and accessories house Lili Alessandrahas come out with its first customizable area rug collection the companys third rug collection to join the mix less than two years since it became a category player.

Edge to Edge is a grouping of wool-viscose-linen blended pieces hand-woven in an Indo-Tibetan construction. The collection comes in 10 patterns all of them influenced from my best-selling bedding designs, noted President and Creative Director Sandra Hernandez Yedor.

She continued: My designer customer is a segment that is really growing for me. This collection caters to them and their clients needs.

Also expanding its custom rug services is Jaipur Living, a move the company made to reach a new goal.

We plan to double our designer business in the next two years, CEO Asha Chaudhary told HAT. And custom rugs are part of that strategy.

She said todays discerning shoppers are seeking more handmade, artisan-crafted products, different from the inexpensive products sold online. They want rugs that are unique, special, artisanal.

Surya introduced a collection of one-of-a-kind rugs at High Point Market.

With custom rugs as part of its offering for years, Suryahas deepened its bespoke investments via the launch of its first curated line of one-of-a-kind vintage rugs. The first batch hails from Turkey and spans 50- to 100+ year-old antique pieces. The company started with about 300 such items in stock and plans to quickly boost that total with more varieties from sources in other countries.

We were getting more and more requests for one-of-a-kinds from our designer customers, so we made sure to bring a strong assortment (to market), President Satya Tiwari said. We already have longtime, established relationships with many sources, so these rugs are an easy add-on for us.

Industry giants Karastanand Oriental Weavers(OW), known for their program rug lines, are scouting new niches to compete in the interior designer customer arena, too.

The designer business is definitely of interest to us, and were finding better opportunities for us to move into that segment of the market, OW President Jonathan Witt told HAT. We have started introducing some higher-end products on both the handmade and machine-made sides to become more attractive to designers.

The marketplace is experiencing a growing shortage of handmade product, Witt noted, as the artisan industry is challenged to replace experienced workers when younger generations opt for different trades or careers.

That shift is an advantage to OW, Witt said. The company is seeing more and more customer requests for better quality, natural fiber machine-made rugs, now that the company can provide them.

The Lilihan Collection pushed the limits of Oriental Weavers Axminster loom to allow cross-weaving for the first time.

One example is the Lilihan Collection that launched this summer.

We are constantly hearing from those retailers that the supply of quality handcrafted rugs is dwindling each year, he continued. We see that is a real opportunity for the machine-made business in general and more specifically this collection We have taken the limits of the Axminster loom and stretched them beyond the engineers imagination. While Lilihans roots are that of a classic Axminster woven rug, we were actually able to cross-weave on an Axminster loom for the very first time.

With innovations like this, OW is equipped to pursue new business with smaller-scale, mom-and-pop specialty stores, where so much designer business is getting done, Witt said.

Karastan is also looking to get into that action. Mike Riley, who joined Karastan in mid-October under the newly created title of general manager, has already hit the ground running, noted company President Rocky Casteel, and is looking for ways to elevate and diversify the 90+ year-old upstairs brand.

Mike Riley (left) and Rocky Casteel of Karastan

We are looking at adding various handmade constructions, expanding Karastans offering at the upper level price points with new kinds of products, Riley explained. And designers and decorators are part of that effort.

Under his leadership and new strategy, Karastan will be seeking placements with untapped retail customers, like higher-end furniture and area rug stores that offer design services as well as designer/decorator showrooms and other to-the-trade businesses.

At that level, youre talking about a totally different inventory model, he said. Were working on a lot of things to prepare for that customer.

Cecile B. Corral is a senior editor with Home Textiles Today and is editor of luxury textiles supplement POSH. She also covers the area rug category for Furniture Today and Home Accents Today.

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Rug Report: Home dcor starts on the floor - Home Accents Today

In 1987, Victor Salas fathers business, ARTchitectural Interiors, was tapped to build hand-carved chairs, a table and throne for the record-setting mass Pope John Paul II delivered to a crowd of 350,000 in San Antonio.

When it came time to deliver the custom-crafted throne, the Salas family opted for a slightly eccentric, labor-intensive option. After building a custom trailer outfitted with ropes, they secured the elaborate chair on top and pulled it roughly 16 miles to Westover Hills by hand.

We pulled it all the way up Culebra, all the way to the site, recalls Salas, who was 10 at the time. It was a whole-day event. It was crazy.

As for the reasoning behind this unusual delivery method, Salas explained that it was the most authentic, old-world strategy the family could devise for the task at hand.

Even today, authenticity and old-world sensibility are hallmarks of the work Salas designs and builds at his own business, Forged Oaks. With a name that marries his two main materials of choice iron and wood the company is a go-to for interior designers, builders and homeowners looking for one-of-a-kind furnishings, from hand-carved doors and fireplace mantles to wrought-iron gates and staircase railings. The statement-making pieces are built to last traits that distinguish them from off-the-shelf items and hold a status Salas likens to an heirloom.

After graduating Central Catholic High School in 1995, Salas relocated to Austin to study design, photography and drawing at the University of Texas. While pursuing his BFA in art history, he kept a hand in the family business, often spending weekends at job sites, spreading the word about ARTchitectural Interiors and making sales.

Later, after landing an architecture degree, he interned for a firm in St. Louis but found his duties chiefly generating AutoCAD drawings from a desk unfulfilling compared to the family business hands-on work. So, he returned to San Antonio in 2003 and started full-time with his father.

Salas rose to a senior-level position at ARTchitectural Interiors but ultimately found himself at a crossroads. While his father pursued commercial work, Salas was more interested in the high-end residential market. These divergent paths led to a falling out, and Salas struck out on his own in 2014.

Hurdles marked his first year on his own. Not only was he suddenly without tools and equipment, he was without a workspace.

The following year, Salas secured his own shop and upgraded to the 12,000-square-foot space he now occupies in North Shearer Hills.

During a tour, Salas explained his creative process, which typically begins with a conversation or sketch that informs an AutoCAD drawing, then a to-scale mockup. Such mockups abound in his shop slices of elaborate banisters, decorative window casings and wooden railings expertly finished to mimic marble.

When asked what sets his shop apart, Salas explained that hes driven by both design and detail. As an example of this attention to the latter, he showed off a forged iron banister. Appearing deceptively light with its swirly, filigree pattern, the piece looked surprisingly seamless and organic every intersection had been smoothed over with a coat of Bondo then painted with costly automotive paint to weather the elements.

We use all solid wood, Salas added. Were not using particle board or MDF. So, the way we construct things is more old-world.

Thanks to his team which comprises iron workers, woodworkers and finishers Forged Oaks is also a one-stop shop.

Were able to work with the client, work with the designer, work with the architect, Salas said. We do drawings, make the samples, build it, do the finish and do the installation all in-house.

Two of Salas most recent projects involved solid wooden doors created in the signature style of architect ONeil Fords brother Lynn Ford, the craftsman behind the woodwork at Trinity University. While one job involved the restoration of an original door burned in a fire, the other entailed a new build created in collaboration with local designer Hillary Walker Conrey.

Victor is a true joy to work with, Conrey said. Not only is he a gifted artist in multiple mediums, but hes professional and collaborative as well. Hes got a can-do spirit and is able to make my most outlandish decorator ideas a reality.

Victor inherently understands the nuances of a beautifully designed object, added Clare Watters, lead project manager for the specialty hardware company Alexander Marchant. Everything he builds reflects this sensibility.

For more about Victor Salas and Forged Oaks, visit forgedoaks.com.

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Master Craftsman: Getting to Know Victor Salas, the San Antonio Artisan Behind Forged Oaks - San Antonio Current

In South Tel Aviv, the studio of Israeli painter Tsibi Geva stretches far beyond expectation. Several floors up, in an industrial block now occupied by galleries and fellow artists, it includes sprawling rooms, neatly arranged nooks and thousands of supplies. Gevawho represented Israel during the 2015 Venice Biennalewarmly greets us along with members of the global arts-oriented membership club The Cultivist, who we joined for their exploration of the Mediterranean city. From birds formed from scribbles to oversized canvases with textures that imitate terrazzo, Gevas diverse works are best seen in contrast with one another, and The Cultivist offers the luxury of such an experience.

In advance of the trip, a quick Google search directed us to art itineraries in Tel Aviv, and architectural tours of the plentiful Bauhaus buildings, but as we traversed the city with The Cultivist, it became evident that in an emerging scene, greater access is advisable to truly understand all thats afoot. Tel Avivs artistic communities encompass all manner of makers: from the roughly 400 art students graduating in Israel each year to the professionals representing the country on an international level. With The Cultivist, we touched the pulse of this ever-expanding body.

Our adventure begins at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. An after-hours, curator-led walkthrough exposes each of us to one of the finest representations of high-level contemporary and modern art curation in the nation. Three buildings comprise the institutionand its collection continues to grow. With a cocktail in hand, and the gallery halls clear, a more personaland meditativetour occurs.

At The Center for Contemporary Art (CCA), three floors of gallery space present experimental and time-based contemporary art that aims to provoke. From sculptural commissions to art films and an immersive installation of local craft objects, the non-profits commissions reflect national and international ideological collisions.

Within Artport, artist residencies are of equal value to the exhibitions. In fact, Artport offers the only contemporary art residency in Israel and, in addition to studio space, it provides artists with a stipend. With The Cultivist, we meet several of the talented artists: Dor Zlekha Levy, Yael Frank, Merav Kamel and Halil Balabin and Gil Yefman. Each introduction helps us visitors develop a sense of Tel Avivs artistic settingseemingly from the inside out.

Only a dozen or so galleries define the Tel Aviv landscape. Of course, theres an outpost for the international institution Magasin III, but destinations including the bunker-like Dvir Gallery and exploratory Rosenfeld Gallery help to shape Israel from within. To meet Elad Rosen, founder of the latter, helps paint the fullest picture of what gallerists in Israel seek out, whichas he makes clearis work that speaks with greater confidence than all others. We dont stop there; continuing on to Raw Art Gallery, Maya Gallery and Inga Gallery.

Near to these galleries is the aforementioned painter Tsibi Gevas studio. And after our time with him, we visit Sharon Yaari and Moran Kliger. There is a lush ecosystem of art studios in South Tel Aviv and no art adventure in the city would be complete without attempting to visit as many as possible. Perhaps the most breathtaking of them all is that of sculptor Martha Rieger. Both indoor and out, Riegers work tantalizes guests with their shape, material and colors. Rieger walks us through her work, and that of painter Tal Golaniand speaks to the international nature of the burgeoning scene.

For all of these visits, our access feels entirely unbridled. Our walks are led by curators, directors or local experts (including the artist Shirel Horovitz and art platform Oh So Artyfounder Sarah Peguine). And yet, two moments stand out more than the rest. While we share many meals together at Tel Aviv hotspots, two unique occasions, arranged by The Cultivist, are hosted inside private homes. First, an illustrious art collector and his wife open their doors for breakfast at their house. We see many of the works that moved them most. For shabbat dinner, interior decorator Shlomit Slavin and her husband, artist and filmmaker Ran Slavin, cook for us. During both meals, we find ourselves dining on a patio under the sun or the stars, listening to stories from members of the local art community. Yes, its insightful, but its also an absolute delight.

The Cultivist accepts applications for membership worldwide.

Images by David Graver

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Exploring Tel Avivs Vibrant Art Scene with The Cultivist - Cool Hunting

When Lauren Nolan-Sellers left her teaching job in Philadelphia in 2012 to pursue her passion for interior decorating with no training and no plan she experienced a bit of a moral crisis.

Honestly, sometimes Id be like, Theres starving children and Im worried about a throw pillow! she said.

But what Nolan-Sellers learned is that changing the space where people live can sometimes change their lives. And understanding that changed her own life.

Nolan-Sellers, 41, grew up with two biological brothers, six adopted sisters and, at any given time, three or four foster siblings.

Nolan-Sellers attended Villanova University on a soccer scholarship and became captain of the womens soccer team, but she struggled to figure out what she wanted to do after graduation.

Unsure, she decided to get her masters degree in education and taught grade school in Philadelphia for about seven years. She didnt love it.

What she did love was her wife, Wendy, and the renovation process they went through together as novices on their first house,.

No matter that most of their knowledge came from HGTV or that they had to borrow tools from neighbors to get the job done. The project was the most fun Nolan-Sellers had ever had in her life.

I could not shake the feeling of I love this, she said. But I was still scared. I had a steady paycheck.

So Nolan-Sellers stayed the course, continuing to teach and taking small decorating projects on the side. Then, she and Wendy decided to start a family. During delivery, she went into kidney failure.

They didnt know if I was going to make it or if she (the baby) would make it, Nolan-Sellers said.

After mother and child Kamryn, now 7 made it through healthy, Nolan-Sellers wasnt so worried anymore about that steady paycheck. With the support of her wife, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an interior decorator.

I had this life-changing epiphany. It was like, You almost died! she said. So I called the principal and was like, Im not coming back, and I hung up the phone and said, What did I just do?

Nolan-Sellers took several online decorating courses to give her the foundation she needed to back up her design instincts. Wendy took over behind the scenes.

Nolan-Sellers knew shed have to compete against candidates with more formal educations if she tried to join an existing firm, so she instead decided to start her own, which she named Trust the Vision Decor.

From getting her first few clients off Craigslist to decorating for such local notables as former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, Nolan-Sellers has designed the career of her dreams and shes seen it make a difference in the lives of others.

I didnt expect the way that we could change our clients lives, she said. I didnt expect that because someone is now proud of their dining room they decide to host their family they havent seen in 15 years.

In addition to her business, based in her South Jersey home, Nolan-Sellers also runs an online Aspiring Designers Academy and a Facebook page where she shares decorating tips and answers questions.

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Making leap of faith from steady paycheck to new career - Boston Herald