Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 15-12

123456 12 CHICAGO By Mitchell Owens New York Times News Service PARIS Back in the 1930s and the French design world thrilled to artists who made modern objects that combined up-to-the-minute allure with the authenticity of traditional crafts: hand-wrought bronze, layers of painstakingly applied lacquer, meticulously matched and polished wood. Skills like that may be dying out, but the designer Herve Van der Straeten is doing his best to keep them alive in France by producing furnishings and accessories whose originality rivals the kind of vintage rarities that tend to show up only at auction. single piece of furniture usually is the product of three or four said Van der Straeten, 39. Like old-time operations, Van der Straeten oversees a team of precision craftsmen who toil only on his creations. Centralization is an uncommon luxury these days; many designers often lug furni- ture around to a series of independent artisans.

have to have everything together like that, all the craftsmen under one roof, otherwise you will go Van der Straeten said recentlyat his showroom in the Marais. control the quality unless you have your own Material first, not design David Kleinberg, a New York designer who recently commissioned Van der Straeten to design a lantern-style chandelier for a house in Connecticut, compared his work to that of Line Vautrin, a cult figure of the 1950s who was fabled for her hand- wrought jewelry, cigarette cases and mirrors. has that same sense of working from the material first, not the Kleinberg said. knows he has a man who can produce amazing lacquer work, so Herve thinks, can I create that will show off that Van der Straeten has begun to make his presence known in New York. His signature stool a podlike seat that can be left gleamingly metallic or encased in lacquers that give it the look of a giant candy is part of the furnishings of the Roger Vivier boutique at Saks Fifth Avenue, which opened last month.

Some of his furniture and accessories, including patinated bronze pots for orchids, are now stocked at two high-end shops in Manhattan Homer and Maison Gerard. On Thursday, one of Van der latest inventions will be unveiled in Manhattan: a sculptured gold case for forthcoming line of lipsticks. Expected to cost around $30, the lipstick will be easier on the wallet than the $36,000 cabinet made of plum-black lacquer lashed with gilt bronze that is standing in Van der Paris showroom. Olivier Echaudemaison, the artistic director of cosmetics division, insisted that the lipstick, which will appear in stores around Aug. 15, was a perfect Van der Straeten commission.

It will herald return to its 1930s glory days, he said, when the company was noted for its patronage of designers and artists like Jean-Michel Frank and Diego Giacometti. Breaking the pattern Designing lipstick cases, let alone chandeliers, was not how Van der Straeten originally envisioned his life. His father and brother were engineers, so it was presumed that Van der Straeten, who grew up in a suburb of Paris, would follow in their footsteps. A few months into his first year at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, however, realized engineering for he said. At the age of 19, he dropped out of school and went into business as a jewelry designer.

Today he is one of the leaders of a Neo-Baroque design movement, a school of often extravagant decorative arts that came to prominence in the 1980s through the furniture and lighting of Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti in France and Oriel Harwood in England. Van der showroom on Rue Ferdinand Duval exhibits a single collection of 25 to 30 objects each year, most produced as limited editions. He also is producing a table lamp that will be part of a retail line of contemporary designer objects commissioned by Alexandre Biaggi, the influential Paris vintage furnishings dealer. Part of Van der ap- peal is his use of aging craftsmen whose skills are dying out. One of his designs, a large convex mirror with surfaces that curve like a silver bubble, demanded the special skills of a retiree.

always thinking of the said Van der Straeten, whose thematic collections typically result from doodles he makes while talking on the telephone. And when he cannot coax artisans like the mirror blower out of retirement, he scours the Ecole Boulle, a prestigious design school, for young artisans who understand his desire for mixing up materials to the very smooth with something a bit like glassy lacquer trimmed with artfully pitted metal. Not everything off his drawing board, however, has resulted in instant swooning. In his office stands a Parsons-style console table made of bronze and surfaced with a panel of pony hide; its legs are braced with a stretcher made of a stout length of chain. Tough but elegant, the striking design failed to impress a visiting American.

As Van der Straeten recalled her saying: off the chain. It looks too He and it but, he admitted, the table still sold. she was Van der Straeten said ruefully, know. But I like New York Times photos Paris designer Herve Van der Straeten sits on his signature stool a podlike seat that can be left gleamingly metallic or lacquered. French designer revives craftsmanship of past These wood and bronze Silvestre tables were designed by Herve Van der Straeten.

He is doing his best to keep alive the skills of producing furnishings and accessories that rival vintage rarities. ESTMONT St. James Crossing 814 Ogden Ave. (630) 887-7140 M-F 10-6 SAT 10-5 SUN 12-4 Ample FREE Parking 20 OFF Bring in Your Lamp Base for Fitting 100s OF SHADES Sale ends Regular Priced In Stock Lamp Rewiring Starts at $14.99 TOWER LIGHTING WESTERN SPRINGS 1100 HILLGROVE AVE. 708-246-9429 MON-FRI 10-5 SATURDAY 12-3 arnival of rafts Spring has 734 Ogden Downers Grove 630-241-1440 Super Selection of Concrete Planters! Concrete Lawn Ornaments Fountains Bird Baths Benches Oriental Lanterns Stepping Stones Statues Gnomes Dog Cat Statues Pedestals Numerous Animals Cement Geese assortment of clothing Additional Parking in Rear Hours: M-F 9:30 6 Sat.

9:30 5 Sun. 10:30 4 Antiques Guide OAKTON STREET Antique Centre 2430 E. Oakton Elk Grove 847-437-2514 Mon Sat 10 6 Sun 10- 5:30 Taxidermy 2430 E. Oakton Elk Grove 847-437-2514 ATHER AY IFTS Mon-Sat 10 6 Sun 10 5:30 THE COURTYARD 63 Village Place Hinsdale, IL 60521 (630) 323-1135 Tuesday Saturday 10 am 4:30 pm donation consignments by appointment only Gift Certificates Available Antiques Guide 0 1 2 3 1800 old stained glasswin- dows from $58. Funderburg Antiques 815-547-8186.

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words! Increase your advertising effectiveness by using a photo in your liteface ad! For rates and deadlines, call (312) 222-2222 Volo Antique Malls 5 Malls 350 Dealers Antiques, Collectibles, Crafts and Gifts All in One Location! Open 7 Days 10am-5pm Refresh in Our Food Court Outdoor Spring Fest June 12th 100 Additional Booths, At The Famous Volo Auto Museum Near Rts. 12 120 Volo IL 815-344-6062 Or Voloantiques.com Trio Full Full Sale Sat. June 4 99 Wagner Northfield Edens to Lake, W. to Wagner, to Hse cor Winnetka Ave. Park ONLY off Rd.

East Sd Wagn all sd sts. Do not blk drvs. BAKER musm coll din TBL, Kerman 15 12 8 orntl Rug. ANTQ 12 arm crystal Wedding Cake Chandelier. Sofa, chrs, loveseat, tbls, Lamps.

50 Wal-Streel 3 Sect Wall Unit 16 8 Floral Rug, Bar cab, 3 sect cab Seahatch oak Tbl. Complt office set up. Mhg twn bed Set, Yell Thomasville twn Bed set, chests, desk, PlayRm, Red Yel Cabs, rugs, upol tw bx sp mat, P-Matt. Baldwin Spinet PIANO, Tredmill, Incumbent bike, Balc. Beam mat.

6 maple MDD kit 6 stack Chrs. ART, oils, drawings, lithos, OLENDORF, Peter MAX, WIEGHARDT, T.E. BUTLER. MORE. China, silv.

crystal.Accs Baccarat, Waterford, Lialique, Limoges, ect. Bsmt Tools, Shelvs, HolidayDecor, Much More Grt Sale Phyllis Reifman Trio House Sales 847-432-3770 DR ROBERT FRIEDMAN SONS HICAGOLAND ARGEST TAMP OIN TORE Free Appraisals We Travel to You Highest Prices Paid www.drbobstamps.com 800-588-8100 2029 75th St. Woodridge, IL Coins Stamps Coins ONE STOP SHOPPING! Chicago Tribune Classified For home delivery, call 1-800-TRIBUNE Cicero-Berwyn Stamp Bourse Stamps-Coins bought sold Sokol Hall 6630 W. 16th St. Berwyn, IL 262-654-3941 630-896-8938 Bourse astonishingly affordable Dare to Compare! If you seek the ultimate in Quality, Expertise Selection call us right but prepare to be floored.

630-852-7777 Call for details 938 W. Ogden Ave. Downers Grove 3 Generations of experience www.simplysuperbfloors.com 1 60 Per Sq. Foot MON 10-8 TUE-FRI 9-5 SAT 10-2 CLOSED SUN Classic Beauty Classic Beauty Call for Details www.carrier.com $1 000 Factory Rebate Up to Berwyn Eck Inc Since 1897 708-795-8500 Chicago Wantuck Heating Inc 708-788-8890 Downers Grove Fire 'N' Ice Htg Clg 630-321-0800 Downers Grove Hearthstone Heating 630-435-9800 Downers Grove Hoekstra Heating Air 630-968-0896 Elmhurst Energy Services Htg 630-832-1600 LaGrange Eck Inc Since 1897 708-354-5444 Oak Park Eck Inc Since 1897 708-386-5442 Westchester Eck Inc Since 1897 708-562-3430 Wooddale Indoor Comfort Htg 630-694-1900 Turn to the Experts SM MONTHS FINANCING 6 FREE For buyers..