Dwindling Wallspace
—
Kelly Wearstler x Rotganzen, Tiny Dancer
2021 | hand-sculpted glass mirror objet d’art
Edition of 150
NFS
—
If you've read my first blog post, you know how I began collecting art — in short, I needed to fill wall space. But as wall space got filled and new acquisitions slowed, I still felt the urge to collect pretty things, so I turned to vintage furniture.
It seems like the gateway drug to furniture addiction often starts with Mid-Century Modern design. I was no exception. I started by acquiring a few MCM pieces: a cocktail table, green velvet swivel chairs, a small loveseat, but they always seemed to be lacking something.
While MCM furniture is beautiful, it felt too minimalist: simple, clean lines, a lot of wood, too smooth, a lack of texture... it felt safe. Now, when compared to my art collection, which features strong imagery, nudes, tongue-in-cheek (literally) commentary, and statement pieces, MCM furniture just felt a bit dull; the two collections seemed at odds with each other.
As I continued to learn more about designers and interior design, I discovered that my taste in furniture mirrored my taste in art: oversized, unique shapes, bold curves, rich in textures and folds, and somewhat unconventional. I even appreciated that some pieces weren't particularly comfortable to sit in, some were peculiar to look at, and some resembled body parts... essentially, they were statement pieces.
One thing became evident as I honed in on the furniture I liked — many were funky and groovy, with one chair literally named the F598 Groovy Chair designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort. I realized that a lot of the pieces I gravitated towards were created and/or gained popularity in the late 1960s through mid-1970s — which further solidified my love for the disco era.
I wanted my living room to feel like a conversation pit. I had visions of disco balls hanging throughout my apartment, but, of course, they couldn’t be regular disco balls, so I opted for melted disco balls by Rotganzen (an artist collective based in the Netherlands). They’re playful, melted, sunken, slumped over — they evoke the sense of a debaucherous night out.
I want my furniture and art to complement each other. I want them to be equally weird and beautiful. I want you to enter my apartment and not be sure which piece to look at first because everything is interesting but it all seems to work and flow together. I want it all to be a form of self expression.
