"Holiday House" sitting room designed by Jennifer Duneier

This house was lived in for one year.

Following the completion of its construction in the mid-1920s, William Ziegler, Jr., owner of the unique mansion on the cusp of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, took up residence in his estate for merely an instant. Over the years, the house – a departure from the neighborhood’s brownstones and larger mansions – then cycled through a series of heir-apparents, until 2005 when it landed in the hands of a Russian-born financier. He purchased the home and infused it with a usual caveat: for five weeks of the year, spanning November to December, the mansion is to be, as its history relays, “reverted back to its former grandeur.”

This annual transformation – under the moniker “Holiday House” – turns a stunning piece of New York architecture into a breathtaking designer showhouse organized by Traditional Home, with ticket proceeds benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Last winter, an exclusive group of 32 decorators and designers was chosen to reimagine the mansion’s interior, with each designer appointed two to three rooms. The catch? Each room had to represent a different holiday theme.

Jennifer Duneier of Duneier Design

When Jennifer Duneier, creative tour de force of Duneier Design, asked for Easter, it was a selection made without hesitation.

“Easter is a fun holiday – one of the few happy holidays!” Duneier explained. “It’s about good things: family and kids.”

For a holiday typically associated with sugar-coated marshmallows, plastic eggs and cellophane grass, Duneier discarded any preconceived notions of the occasion, transforming the entire construct of the Easter aesthete into sublime elegance. Tasked with a lady’s sitting room and an ensuite bathroom, Duneier unfurled an elegant lightness into the spaces, flanked by complex explorations of color and pattern.

This focused use of color is no surprise to anyone familiar with Duneier’s work. For the past decade, Jennifer Duneier has seen great success as a highly-recognized member of the international interior design community. A New Yorker by residence, Duneier has lived in the city for more than 20 years, spanning multiple neighborhoods – from Chelsea to the Upper East Side – and always finding new perspectives. Trained at the New York School of Interior Design, and an Allied Member of the ASID, the residential designer works around the world, sporting a true commitment to high quality aesthetics and to fulfilling the visions of her clients.

"Holiday House" ensuite bathroom designed by Jennifer Duneier

As Duneier prepared to pursue her Holiday House commission, she knew one thing for certain. With a myriad of choices for textures and accessories, there was one uncompromising element for Duneier: her choice of fixtures for the ensuite bathroom.

“I knew that the collection had to come from THG,” said Duneier, who ultimately chose its immaculate series Passion. “THG was really the only option for the bathroom refined luxury, with an eye for detail.”

An ardent admirer of THG’s superior craftsmanship and aesthetics, Duneier has long-aspired to incorporate a collection from THG in a design application – a dream finally realized at Holiday House. And as an artist with an adroit sensitivity for the synergy of color and form – in this case, how the soft flower notes of Passion play within Duneier’s spring homage – it’s no surprise that THG was such a seamless match.

"Holiday House" ensuite bathroom designed by Jennifer Duneier

Brimming with hints of flora, THG’s refined Passion, made from Bernardaud porcelain in bright white with silver and bright with charm and grace, was the perfect choice for the Duneier’s Easter interior – so much so that Duneier focused the entirety of the bathroom’s décor on the faucet.

“Passion reminds me of a flower. Elegant, a little different,” Duneier noted. “I love floral patterns and incorporated them throughout the rooms.”

THG Passion faucet

Contrasting the vibrant turquoise and pastel hues of the sitting room, Duneier opted to keep the ensuite bathroom in shades of white and ivory. “I didn’t want to take away from the beauty of the faucet taps or the tub filler,” Duneier explained. “A color would have distracted from their embellishments. They should be the focal point.”

With Passion in place – the streamlined spout exuding motion and modernity, the clover-shaped china handles evoking the seasonal schematic – the detail-oriented Duneier took cues from the faucetry in art-directing the other elements of the bathroom.

“Passion by THG led to the mother-of-pearl tiles on the floor, and the crown molding band on the ceiling,” Duneier described. “The tub also has a floral pattern on the outside. Passion’s design is so clean and simple, it could have gone with anything.”

Creating an environment in a setting as unrestricted as the Holiday House showhouse was appealing to Duneier. The sitting room and ensuite bathroom were blank canvases. And with no client requirements or carryovers to navigate, Duneier had a rare opportunity to articulate and express her design: her way.

“If I could create a space where I didn’t have to worry about any parameters, this is what I would do,” Duneier said. “This is the type of room I would feel extremely comfortable and would opt to use as an opulent escape.”

"Holiday House" sitting room

The palliative nature of Duneier’s design – inspired by the pastels of Easter and the lush textures of the spring season – overwhelmed those who visited her rooms at Holiday House. “People walked in and I could immediately see their reactions,” said Duneier. “A woman came in and burst into tears – it’s so relaxing, she said. What surprised me most was how men responded to the room. They loved it. They came in, sat down and put their feet on the cushions. I think it was a departure from what people generally see – an inviting, calming space.”

From the soft sea-green fabrics to the stunning Lucite flower prints on the wall – connecting the sitting room and the lavatory with a subtle floral conceit – Duneier outfitted her Easter utopia with luxurious, unique materials. Stunning, textural glass-bead wallpaper outlines the sitting room, in a design reminiscent of 1940’s Hollywood. The custom-upholstered desk chair is among Duneier’s favorite pieces – “exquisitely perfect,” she describes.

"Holiday House" sitting room

Rounding out her selections is THG – a brand thoroughly at home in such a divine setting. “The faucets are unmatched. The level of quality, the materials, the applied finish – just the weight of the faucets alone shows you how well-crafted they are,” says Duneier. Duneier also benefited from Passion’s charming china accessories, soap dishes and trays, which were also incorporated into the room.

For a house that has rarely been a home, the mansion on East 63rd Street is now the recipient of a new “tenant.” While most rooms are returned to their pre-styled form after the end of the showhouse run, Holiday House asked Duneier to leave the ensuite bathroom as she designed it – a tremendous compliment to the designer and THG. And with what she left behind, Duneier created perhaps the truest expression of her chosen holiday, in a building worthy of much invigoration: a celebration of rebirth.

Photos courtesy of photographer Peter Dressel.

The recent announcement of this year’s “AD100” – an impeccable compilation of trailblazing artists, designers, decorators and design firms – Architectural Digest set out to capture the most influential stylemakers: tomorrow’s eyes of the world. It is an undertaking of substantial proportion and represents the industry’s most discerning opinion. It is with much pride and enthusiasm that two THG auteurs – Alberto Pinto and Jamie Drake – are among this coveted, prestigious group.

For Scott Triethart, National Sales Director, THG-USA, the inclusion of two THG visionaries is a testament to our brand and our cadre of designers – and only serves to uphold the standards for which THG prides itself.

“As the world’s leading luxury faucet brand, THG is committed to collaborating with the most talented, highly-regarded, and innovative designers,” Triehart explains. “This quality of artistry is synonymous with THG. It’s what puts us in the most immaculate settings around the world – from the finest hotels to residences to palaces and yachts. Our dedication to talent is our signature, and our designers’ presence in the AD100 is proof.”

Jamie Drake, designer of THG's Profil collection

Jamie Drake Profil mixer with Lalique crystal

THG Profil faucet handles

The creative force behind the New York-based Drake Design Associates, Jamie Drake, is no stranger to navigating the aesthetic waters of post-modernism – moving seamlessly between traditional and contemporary and highly revered for his explosive and innovative use of color. And while Drake has long devoted his passion to interior work on a larger scale, it is in fact his most compact executions that truly illustrate his vision. The THG Jamie Drake Bath Collection highlights Drake’s singular eye for design-in-design. With Profil, his sculptural line for THG, Drake makes sharp use of both space and textures, incorporating stunning materials – onyx, Lalique crystal – in a most elegant setting. Faucets, levers, and other bath accessories crafted to resemble the most beautiful forms of flora are contrasted with inlays carved with the most intricate transparent patterns.

Alberto Pinto, designer of THG's Le 11 collection

THG Le 11 faucet

For Alberto Pinto, purveyor of THG’s stunningly sublime Le 11 Collection, when style, craft, and history are expressed implicitly and exquisitely, nothing is too big to be imagined. And from the mind behind some of the world’s most regaled interiors, Le 11 was born. The modern fixtures – so simple to the eye, yet devastatingly complex in every detail – are named for a mythical address located near Pinto’s Paris design studio. And mythical, it is. Water flows from the spout’s waterblade crevice, forming a perfect 90 degree angle. Every union of metal is deliberate and designed; no detail was left untreated. As Pinto strives to infuse life into his art, he breathes spirit into Le 11, a most impeccable accomplishment for THG.

THG Le 11 by Alberto Pinto

“Style,” Gore Vidal once wrote, “is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” This unfettered commitment to artistry of the highest level – that which satisfies the high standards of two of the design world’s most accomplished names – is what brings Jamie Drake and Alberto Pinto into the THG catalogue, and the pages of AD100. To provide a space where beauty can thrive, unchallenged by norms or judged by conventions, is what THG fosters, and Architectural Digest commends. Great design does not exist in a vacuum; it is nurtured and developed by artist and critic, and it always rises to the top.

It all started with ivory Chanel and a pale blue blouse. That’s what Ernesto Garcia’s client wore the day they met to discuss plans to reimagine her 9,250-square-foot Arizona abode. Garcia, one of the Southwest’s most acclaimed designer-architects, listened thoughtfully to his client: she and her husband were recent Park Avenue transplants who shared a love of the art and romance of southern Europe, and had recently relocated west to be with family and start their own.

Garcia listened. And when he left, what he remembered was not only these, but also a gold-and-lapis brush the client revealed from her purse as the afternoon went on. For all the notes taken about her love of Florence and Rome, one look at the finished product says everything about the way Garcia works. The master bath: gold fixtures, an Italian mosaic in ivory, pale blue and lapis. Talk about reading your environment.

“Environment” is a big word for Ernesto. In fact, for him, that’s what it’s all about.

“Creating the environment, understanding the client, using fabulous products” is his mantra, Garcia says. This notion of “environment” goes far beyond fabric swatches and paint chips. Environment is, as in the case above, fashion. Environment is climate and geography. Environment is the emotional experience one has in his space – elation, drama, peace.

To create this project, Garcia understood the importance of using, as he says, “fabulous products.” For the master bath at hand, Garcia didn’t think twice about using THG – Art Déco Cristal fittings and accessories.

“I’m in love with THG,” Garcia said. “Wherever I can use it, I do. Regardless of the scale of the house.”

In this case, “scale” proved no object. As beautifully illustrated by Garcia, THG’s immaculate fittings stood up to the most luxurious of master baths, looking perfectly at home among 120,000 Italian mosaic tiles. And speaking of the mosaic, one glance at the shower points to the remarkable artistry that went into the project. With THG selected for all faucetry and fixtures, Garcia undertook the daunting task of designing a mosaic to encompass the THG showerheads and knobs. In what looks like a scene pulled from a Florentine villa, the shower mosaic actually came to life in a most postmodern way: a highly technological application of printed mesh created a tessellation inspired by patterns and frescoes innovated over 2,500 years ago, then laid amongst some of the most renowned pieces in faucetry.

At the sink, a similarly striking representation came to fruition with a different aesthetic approach. Limiting the mosaic to the shower, the tub, and a mosaic “rug” in the center of the bathroom, Garcia complemented the gold plated THGArt Déco Cristal washbasin faucet with a custom-designed Italian lapis marble mirror. The hand-cut mirror balances perfectly with Art Déco Cristal’s half-rounded edges, creating an effect both soft and delicate, yet strong and definitive in design.

The room’s color palette was an important consideration for Garcia, as he opted for THG’s gold finish, accented beautifully with bursts of cream, ochre, and lapis throughout – the latter which brings out the faucet’s sparkling plating. Despite the bath’s southern European overtones, Garcia remained acutely aware of the practical application of his design and color scheme: the American Southwest.

“The sky [in Arizona] is an incredible blue,” Garcia mused. “I know the colors of the desert to a tee and this is the desert.”

An Italian desert. That is Garcia’s masterpiece. A place where the history and technique of Palladian architecture meets the splendor and expanse of Arizona’s topography. Where gold is the Italian sol and the desert sun. Where blue is the most revered of marble hues and the rich saturation of the sky. A meeting of the minds of art and practicality: Garcia’s vision, as executed with the most meticulous materials.

This consideration for style, craft, and design earned Garcia not only adoration from clients but also from industry peers. In 2011, Garcia received ASID’s (American Society of Interior Designers) Award of Excellence for work on this desert home and casita. Without a doubt, the master bath played a major role in the jury’s consideration.

As with all the elements featured in his artistry, Garcia is quite taken by THG’s approach to craftsmanship and design, as he derives his eclectic inspiration from the brand’s classicism.

“There is a reminiscence, a nostalgic quality about THG,” Garcia says. “It reminds one of wonderful French hotels and chateaus. I’ve seen the ancestors of these models and THG has done a fantastic job recreating them as flawless modern versions. And then, to get the gold finish as impeccable as it is, and the crystal as lovely without being over-the-top…This type of quality is typically unheard of in faucetry and plumbing.”

This strength in design – and in construction – gives Garcia the artistic freedom to incorporate THG in even the most unexpected circumstances. “I’m not afraid to choose a very modern looking vanity and still use THG, because there is a classic quality,” he explains.

And in a master bath pulled from the pages of different eras, different regions, cultures, the classic quality persists. Like the timeless elegance of the ivory Chanel, THG remains a constant for Garcia – a standard. For Ernesto, a faucet isn’t just a faucet. It’s an object we have intimate contact with every day, one that makes a decisive mark on our environment, and must be able to live on its own – mosaic, or not.

Or, as Garcia puts it, with the greatest of word economy: “Let the faucet do the talking.”

All photos courtesy of photographer Kim Perina.

Ernesto Garcia Interior Design, LLC, provides high-end interior design services for residential, commercial and hospitality projects in a range of traditional to contemporary styles. As an award-winning professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers, his work has been extensively published. Located in Arizona, between Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ernesto provides interior design services to many customers in Paradise Valley, and also has projects nationally and internationally.

For more information, about Ernesto Garcia Interior Design, LLC, visit www.ernestogarciadesign.com

Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris

In Paris, if you’re looking for a hotel that radiates undisputed comfort and opulence along with old-world elegance, look no further than Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Having won over international clientele with decades of unmatched luxury and service, this is one grand dame hotel that will not disappoint. Notably, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée’s interior features THG luxury bath fittings: the refined Spirit collection. As artisans of ultra-luxury, custom-crafted faucetry and bath fixtures, THG is well suited as the fitting of choice for the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, given that the brand is found in the world’s finest hotels, residences, yachts and other high-end properties.

THG Spirit collection

THG Spirit Collection

Impressively situated between the Avenue des Champs Elysées and the Eiffel Tower, in the heart of Paris’ fashion, entertainment and business center, Hôtel Plaza Athénée serves as urban oasis of luxury. Owned by the Dorchester Collection, built in 1911 and renovated in 2009, the 191-room hotel entices guests upon entrance with its warm terra cotta, gold and bronze lobby. The hotel’s sumptuous decor is destined to satisfy discerning guests; recently renovated and fragrantly infused with amber scents, the 146 spacious rooms and 45 suites showcase traditional-contemporary French style. Décor is either in Louis XVI style with decorative materials such as taffetas, and velvet and golden embroideries, offering the touch of a real Parisian home, or Art Déco style with prevailing macassar, ebony and mahogany woods. Bath environments are done in opulent marble or “faïence” – a fine tin-glaze on a delicate pale buff earthenware body. The baths benefit from THG’s Spirit collection designed by Pierre–Yves Rochon. THG has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with the world-renowned contemporary interior designer; he is responsible for numerous THG collections including Faubourg, Frivole, and Froufrou. Rochon has also created numerous, award–winning luxury interiors, among them, the Four Seasons, Ritz–Carlton and Sofitel. In the case of the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, it is the inherently streamlined 19th century classic design of Rocha’s Spirit fixtures that allow the interiors to shine.

Guest suite in Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Ultimately, THG’s Spirit luxury faucetry collection is an ideal choice for the Hôtel Plaza Athénée – a grand dame property that goes out of its way to lavish its guests with the finest in accommodations, services and amenities.

2011 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is affectionately known as the “Yachting Capital of the World”; this week the city is hosting the 52nd International Boat Show – the largest in-water boat show in the world – running October 27-31. THG, the French luxury bath atelier of custom-crafted faucetry and bath fixtures, has long been known as the premier brand for luxury yacht manufacturers and owners. This year, THG is set to dazzle the yachting crowd at the show with collections including the recently launched DAUM and Le 11, which serve as exquisite additions to high-end yacht and boat interiors.

THG Daum Collection

Covering more than 70,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibition space, this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show boasts more than $3 billion worth of yachts and super-yachts, boats and boating accessories, from virtually every major marine manufacturer and sea vessel builder in the world. The show also features a wealth of exotic automobiles, private jets, designer clothing, fine jewelry and timepieces from prestigious brands including: Bugatti, Pilatus, and Dewitt, serving as the ultimate venue for the world’s most coveted luxury items. At a critical time for luxury brands given the current state of world financial markets, the International Boat Show benefits from a high level of interest from those seeking to invest in upscale, lifestyle products like yachts. Designers and connoisseurs alike are looking for the fine details that make the difference, like THG custom-crafted faucetry and accessories to complete their yacht’s bath environment. THG has a well-earned reputation for enhancing the décor of some of the world’s most impressive yachts. Case in point: THG faucetry and fixtures are featured on billionaire Paul Allen’s mega yacht, Octopus.

The crowd at this year’s show will get to experience THG’s DAUM Collection, produced by the legendary, historic French art crystal atelier of the same name, who is celebrated for its mastery of the pâte-de-verre technique. Using old-world techniques, crystal handles are hand made by artisans, to display intricate detail, with no two alike and each piece signed. Six collections, all made from fine crystal, are available in several luminous shades. The pieces are inspired by classic hand carvings made from jade with popular Asian motifs such as dragons and exotic florals, all of which radiate with light and color. Also on display will be THG’s Le 11 Collection by Alberto Pinto, one of France’s pre-eminent tastemakers and legendary designers. The collection’s enigmatic name refers to a mythical address located near Pinto’s practice and studio in central Paris, just near the Place des Victoires. Le 11 boasts impeccable form and simplicity, and can be specified in either cross or lever handles as well as in any one of the brand’s hand-polished finishes. As water flows from the spout, the fitting’s waterblade forms a perfect and harmonious 90-degree angle. It’s Pinto’s dedication to infusing life into his art, and his relentless search for new challenges that push his artistic limits, which make everything he touches so incredibly poignant and unique.

THG Le 11 Collection by Alberto Pinto

As one of the premier, luxury lifestyle exhibitions, the 52nd Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show exemplifies the tradition of enjoying the best of what the world has to offer. As an opulent atelier that creates the finest bath products, visit THG at Booth # 683A, located at the French Pavilion, Architects & Designers Tent, at the Bahia Mar Marina.