Home decor gets edgy: Watch out for the spiked mirror
A furnishing line inspired by the late visionary fashion designer Alexander McQueen and his extravagantly dramatic creations may seem to be too wild for the usual home.
But interior designer Barry Dixon begs to differ.
“It’s a little bit out there, but at the same time because it’s grounded in the natural world, I think we all on some level understand it,” Dixon said. The Virginia-based designer’s fourth collection for Arteriors sparked by McQueen’s “Savage Beauty” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, is now available at the Arteriors showroom on Melrose Avenue.
In the same way McQueen managed to tame such raw materials as ostrich feathers or horsehair into elegant creations by virtue of his exquisite tailoring, Dixon has found a way to translate the wild beauty of nature into furnishings that we can all take home, with a collection that is both edgy and flexible.
The best way to incorporate more daring furnishings like this into your existing home décor is to treat them as you would accessories on an outfit.
“Think of [this line] as jewelry for your home, to dress up a room you already have,” Dixon said.
A few highlights from the collection:
ENTER, HERE
These sconces make remarkable statement pieces at an entrance hall. The Aramis Sconce channels McQueen’s fascination with horsehair, fusing the primitive with the mythical with handblown glass, antique brass and bunched matte copper wire, $1,350. The fencing mask-shaped Touche sconce trades leather detailing for hammered metal, $600. (The sconces could also flank a contemporary painting, with their Old World flavor providing a contrast to the artwork’s modern sensibility.) With the Chrysalis sconce, it’s as if a butterfly had just emerged from the cocoon, leaving this delicate casing -- cast in solid brass -- behind. $1,680
MIRROR, MIRROR
Add a little more interest to a blank wall with the Spiked mirror, which features discrete “thorns” on its rim, some sticking out in protection, others folded back into the mirror, as if holding it in place. Dixon says the mirror channels the thorns on the blackberry vines and brambles at his farm, and also reminds him of spikes providing protection around a storybook castle. $2,250
DISCRETE ELEGANCE
The irregularly shaped surface of the Brutalist cocktail table adds a discrete touch of elegance to a home with its arts and crafts-inspired sensibility. Its tapered legs are reminiscent of the modern spiked heel, $2,550.
LIVEN UP YOUR DINING AREA
The Somali pendant light’s wavy texture echoes the many rings worn around the neck by some Somali women, as a sign of status. Dixon says the light’s gold-leafed iron adds fiery warmth that affects the intimacy of a space. $2,400.
