Author Archives: Jane Prentiss

Collaboration in Design: Going Beyond Design by Committee

Does a great design genius really work alone? There’s this idea in our culture that a genius of any type, think Einstein or Picasso or Hemmingway, created his masterpieces in isolation. While a great idea originates in one person’s mind, the execution of the idea often requires collaboration.

How to Decorate with Art Deco Glass

A great first step toward incorporating Art Deco glass as a design element in your living space is to buy a vase. Art Deco glass vases can be found in a variety of forms, color and decoration. Let’s look at how a graphic, figural, and floral vase could fit into your design vision.

Modern Style & Design: Art Deco Glass in the Home

An interior space decorated with colorful Art Deco glass pieces can shine like a room full of gemstones. I realized the full design potential of Art Deco glass on recent house call to view a collection.

What’s Hot? Clarice Cliff Heats Up the Modern Design Market

An icon of the Art Deco era, Clarice Cliff was a 13-year-old apprentice pottery enameller who grew to become a one-woman tour-de-force in British ceramics. Employed by A.J. Wilkinson and later, Newport Pottery, Cliff seemingly single-handedly brought the industry into the modern age with her bold pottery designs that featured bright colors, free-flow landscapes, abstract and geometric patterns, and oddly modern shapes. These elements made her wares extremely popular during the 1920s and 30s, and collectors still find them appealing now.

A Century of Beauty & Light: The Lasting Appeal of Art Nouveau Glass

First introduced in the latter half of the 19th century, Art Nouveau glass was a completely new kind of art form for its day. Modern, bold, original, innovative and flamboyant, the Art Nouveau style was a complete diversion from the art forms of the Victorian era. Art Nouveau artisans, such as Emile Gallé, drew on the free- flowing motifs of nature to create some of the finest examples of art glass ever made.

Upcycling is Upending a World of Waste
Pottery shards adhered to an upcycled bathtub

Earth day lands on April 22nd this year, and I’ve already started to think about being green, and our responsibility to the world around us. In Americans’ quest for the new, hot, ‘thing’ it’s easy to overlook the treasures of the past, but the mid-century furniture, art glass, and other beautifully designed pieces I work with every day still have a place in our lives.

Spring Cleaning? Watch for Valuables you Shouldn’t Toss Out!

It’s almost April, and I’m sure I’m not the only one getting ready to do some spring cleaning. Now is the time to organize and cut down on possessions, but be careful not to just throw out things that don’t have a place in your life anymore.

Excellence in Form and Function: Hans Wegner Chair Design

I bought this chair because it was apple green and I loved the color. I wasn’t thinking about whether it would be comfortable and functional. Sometimes it seems like the nicest looking chairs are the worst to sit in, and the comfiest ones look terrible. However, that doesn’t have to be the case.

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