Objects of Desire

The Wick - Vera Siemund, untitled, 2018, enamelled, copper, silver, glass

Objects Vera Siemund necklace, Marzee

The themes for Vera Siemund’s work are taken from architecture, historic ornament and classical art and literature. Her hand-pierced enamelled jewels, however, are anything but traditional. Strong yet delicate, they cast a fresh light on classical forms, transforming their wearer into a contemporary walking artwork.

Conceived in 2018, and produced in enamelled copper, silver and glass, this statement necklace is a magnificently crafted masterpiece. Not surprisingly, Siemund’s works are exhibited widely and highly sought after by collectors, from London to New York. Hop to it for a chance to make this exquisite example your own.

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The Wick - Niki de Saint Phalle, Snake Cufflinks, Louise Guiness Gallery

Objects Niki de Saint Phalle, Snake Cufflinks, Louisa Guinness Gallery

The French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle is perhaps best known for her performative modes of production and monumental sculptures of animals, monsters and female figures like her Nanas. She was, however, also an accomplished filmmaker, printmaker and theatre-set and jewellery designer.

Saint Phalle designed her first jewels in 1971 in collaboration with the Italian designer GianCarlo Montebello in Milan. Her enamelled jewelled works from this period often feature the artist’s signature motifs, among them her smiling serpents, found objects and plump, gleeful women.

With its cartoon-like design, this pair of snake cufflinks is a brilliant example of Saint Phalle’s colourful Pop style. Offered by Louisa Guinness Gallery, they are a continuation of the edition started in 1971, completed in 2015. Snap them up while you still can.

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Objects Jean Prouvé Standard Chair

While an original piece of Jean Prouvé might be on the dream list, there’s a neat way of enjoying the designers elegant lines and focus on engineering in the shape of a Standard SP office chair made in robust plastic by Vitra.

It’s a smart design with steel tubing making up the front legs while the voluminous back legs feature hollow sections which effectively support the body and disperse pressure onto the floor. What’s makes this ergonomic design even more inviting is the opportunity to choose the colourways including mint green, Japanese red, ecru and citrine yellow. During the war, due to plastic shortages, Prouve manufactured the model in wood and that model is available too.

Standard in this case, does not have to mean dull. From £479.

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Objects Pentreach & Hall Pen Pot

While children love pencil cases, adults deserve pen pots and top of the range is Bridie Hall’s monogrammed glass tumbler that boasts a glossy finish, a gold tone letter and a bright lacquer interior. Hall’s choice of colourways is inviting and the bold type, charming and rather than any old tumbler, these are handmade.

What you designate your pot for is up to you – pencils and pens? Chopsticks and straws? Brushes? – all look good. In this era of hot desking, this is one easy way of stamping out your territory with a smile. New Zealand born Hall, has always had an eye for decorative crafts and she is also co – owner of Pentreath & Hall on Lambs Conduit Street where you’ll find decoupage trays and much more to delight the eye.

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Objects Back-to-School Blazer

That back to school and back to work moment (yes, the office) is beckoning and there’s nothing like a new piece of clothing to mark the shift in time. White shirts and T’s are always a good bet but go a step further and investment in tailoring in the shape of a streamlined blazer shows commitment.

Since setting up the brand Wardrobe NYC in 2017, Australian designer Josh Goot and stylist, Christine Centenera, have been nailing those seasonal classics offering limited edition mono products that over a period of ‘collecting’ build into a multifunctional wardrobe that has timelessness in mind.

What the pair excel at are high quality pieces that are designed with tiny satisfying details and exacting proportions. The black blazer is one of those jackets to wear over a slip dress, with jeans, tailored pants and for a date, over a cropped top. This version has a relaxed double-breasted cut and is tailored in 100% virgin wool and lined in cupro.

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Objects La Doublej Glasses

Former style journalist, the exuberant JJ Martin, is also known for being an excellent host and she has channelled her knowledge into creating some fine tableware, handmade in her adopted country of Italy. The American born entrepreneur, turned to Salviati, the Murano based glassmaker (founded in 1859) to make brilliant vessels for her lifestyle brand, La Double J. For the first edition, she looked to Salviati’s archive and resurrected the ornate and intricate ‘tipetti’ glasses which became fashionable in the 19th century for ceremonies. The collaboration continues with JJ and Salviati finding a happy balance between functionality (the glasses are dishwasher friendly) and exquisite style. The Rainbow Set features four glasses in yellow, red, pink, and cobalt blue with rippling rigadin surfaces. Each is handblown thus unique and finished with a contrasting colour rim: perfect for a celebratory bellini as the sun sets.

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Objects Bottega Veneta Roller Skates

With roller skating undergoing a renaissance not witnessed since the 1970s, London parks and Bristol’s new Bump Roller Disco are seeing a peak in wheel traffic, as a new generation of skaters show off their sassy rexing, dipping and spread-eagling moves. Check Australian, @peachyskaterr for her retro outfits and grooves. Devotees swear it is the best exercise for inner thighs while signalling good vibes all round. But what about taking this recreation to the next level? Daniel Lee, creative director at Bottega Veneta, has launched BV roller-skates with a retro silhouette and crafted in soft lambskin with sleek detailing including a padded ankle cuff. In pea green leather, with 6cm diameter matching wheels, these skates are the cat’s whiskers. Interested? Watch Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu in preparation for your skate debut.

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Objects ‘Objects of Desire’ by Clare Sestanovich

Author, Clare Sestanovich is being heralded as a brilliant new writer and compared to Joan Didion, Zadie Smith for her sparse, nuanced, and sensorial prose. Her first collection of eleven short stories entitled Objects of Desire (Pan MacMillan) unveils themes of womanhood, self-identity and lust in meticulously crafted narratives that are rich with mesmerising detail that highlights the chasm between who we really are and how we might want to appear. Brooklyn based Sestanovich, who works as an editor at The New Yorker is immersed in wordsmithing. “When I write about sex, I think what I’m trying hardest to capture is that murkiness. What keeps us from getting what we want? What keeps us from knowing what we want?” she told the Paris Review. Her depiction of social encounters and description of the invisible fabric of our lives, is resonant as we all tackle the re-entry into post pandemic reality.

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Art Large Pink Elephant Ear Plant, Brazen Botany

The art of nature. Brazen Botany was launched in 2020 by set designer Caroline Byrne as an antidote to lockdown isolation – and to remedy her unfortunate knack for killing plants. These statement artworks in the shape of domestic houseplants are a way of bringing vibrance into a space, introducing what Byrne describes as ‘the magic of a tropical jungle inside [the] home’. In these high-quality designs, handmade from her studio in North London, Byrne channels her experience of creating ad campaigns and window displays for luxury brands – creating colourful and atmospheric set pieces that need no watering or maintenance.

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