What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most-shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists to actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
After years of ephemeral New York City freelance gigs, Jess Marak landed a long-term graphic design contract at Google. The opportunity was a culmination of art direction and branding roles at Refinery29, SoulCycle, and S’well, but it arose right when the pandemic hit, so commuting to the tech giant’s block-long Chelsea building was out of the question. Instead, the multi-hyphenate and her husband Garrett were stuck working remotely in their small East Village apartment.
When?
The couple’s cramped lockdown situation was less than ideal, so they took a leap and moved to Los Angeles last fall. In a Spanish-style Beverly Grove bungalow, Jess finally has the square footage she needs for a private artistic haven. “This office realizes my dream to have my own creative space,” she gushes. “It is also the spare bedroom, so it’s annoying when visitors come, but obviously I’ll share.”
While living in a house has done wonders for Jess’s professional productivity, it has also allowed her to take up personal projects and fun hobbies. Now she paints, gardens in the backyard, and makes wine. Most importantly, though, Jess has become passionate about decorating every inch of the new home with curated furniture and collected pieces.
What?
Through deep soul-searching and numerous Photoshop collages, Jess identified her ideal aesthetic as the playful postmodern. She researched the materials and shapes associated with the late-20th-century movement, so she could meticulously accumulate era-appropriate vintage treasures.
Her favorite find is a 1970s Bernhardt Flair bookcase crafted with burled maple and black lucite, which she stumbled upon in November of last year. “It’s like me personified in an object,” Jess effuses. “If I was a bookshelf, that’s what I would want to look like. When I first saw it, I thought it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. I needed it.”
Where?
Jess quickly realized big retailers like West Elm and CB2 don’t carry the type of retro gems she was seeking, so she familiarized herself with the world of Etsy. She then discovered her beloved bookshelf on the site through Texas-based seller Urban Reliq and paid to ship it to California.
Why?
Using the bookcase as the focal point of the office was actually a result of trial and error. “I originally had a vision of a big magnetic wall where I could post imagery and inspiration, but it just looked really stupid,” Jess admits. “Instead of having an actual mood board, I put things on the shelves that inspire me, like books, cool art, and little tchotchkes.”
Jess displays a Memphis-style terrazzo plate, a tubular Bi-Rite bookend, a sleek printer, and Josef Albers sun-motif prints she and Garrett bought at an antique mall in Kansas City, Missouri, when they were first dating. These are the items that currently energize Jess the most, but the shelf’s contents can evolve along with her.
"freedom" - Google News
October 25, 2021 at 08:33PM
https://ift.tt/3npQ0AW
For This Graphic Designer, a Vintage Bookshelf Represents Creative Freedom - Architectural Digest
"freedom" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2VUAlgg
https://ift.tt/2VYSiKW
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "For This Graphic Designer, a Vintage Bookshelf Represents Creative Freedom - Architectural Digest"
Post a Comment