Objects of Desire

Sometimes when I have trouble sleeping I furnish an Imaginary house with some of my favorite pieces of furniture, decorative items and art. Ever since I first saw it years ago in a magazine, I have coveted a Carlo Mollino Tavolo a Vertebra. The chances for me getting one are pretty slim as the last one sold for in excess of $1 million and a less, to my eye, beautiful Reale table by Mollino sold last year for $3.8 million. Still, it's in the dining room of my fantasy house. I've always loved Klismos chairs but I'm not sure if they would just be a little be de trop and detract from the pure simplicity of the table. I'd have to see them side by side to make the call.

I recently saw another dining room table that is a close second to Mollino's. It was designed by Noguchi for Mr. and Mrs. William A. M. Burden for their stunning Wallace Harrison-designed house in Northeast Harbor, Maine. I'm one of those people who has never really liked round tables--I know they're supposed to be more conducive to conversation, but I guess because I grew up sitting at a rectangular one, I feel more comfortable at that kind of table. What's so brilliant about the Noguchi table is its amorphous shape is both circular and rectangular so you get the best of both worlds. The one thing that needles me is the extra spindly support at one end--I wish the table was able to stand on the wasp nest like central pedestal without it, or at least have a support that was less obtrusive.

Though very different the Mollino and Noguchi tables have a wonderful organic quality, evoking bone and shell that really appeals to me. I also covet a Curtis Jere's Raindrops mirror. I love mirrors for how they play with space and add light and interest to a room. This 1970s Jere one is gorgeous.

A new addition to my fantasy house would definitely be the felt Cappellini Peacock Chair, which I came across flipping through an old Vanity Fair. I love it; it's fun referencing the creature that inspired it without being cutsey. It also looks comfortable.