Design Odyssey: 2Michaels Design
Posted on Oct 7, 2008 by Donna SapolinWritten by Donna Sapolin.
Like most designers, Jayne and Joan Michaels, the identical twin principals of New York-based design firm 2Michaels, probe their prospective clients’ lifestyles and tastes before developing interior schemes for their rooms. But the project they recently took on in a Hamptons show home‑two eco-conscious bedrooms for twins—had no residents whose penchants could be plumbed. So, digging deeply into the repositories of their own childhood memories, the Michaels conjured imaginary versions of the prospective occupants and unearthed qualities they recalled having loved in the past—some that they actually had and others they wished they’d had. “My brother, whose passions served as the inspiration for one of the rooms, labeled our design approach ‘recycled memory’,” says Jayne.
They supplemented their reminiscences with classic notions about what grips children (hanging out on a bed, for example) and sensitivities uniquely their own—deeply felt ideas about things that can help twins differentiate themselves from one another and establish a sense of personal identity in the face of the powerful forces that conspire to rob of them of individuality.
“The first thing we decided to do,” says Jayne, “was take these spaces, which were identical, in an unexpected direction by turning one into a boy’s room and the other into a girl’s room. So they became spaces for fraternal twins, with each underscoring and celebrating its occupant’s uniqueness.”
Applying an aesthetic that blurs the boundaries between art and design, the Michaels treated the spaces more as art installations than as environments for conventional furniture groupings and toys. “We injected an air of mystery, irony and fun without compromising comfort, functionality, or sustainability,” Jayne says. They enlisted the talents of a team that comprised a dealer of 20th-century antiques and several artisans and artists (some of whom had been their friends for years). The result is two eco-conscious settings that veer sharply yet intriguingly from entrenched ideas about what should be hands-off to children, what engages them and makes them feel comfortable, and what defines gender. A far cry from the commonplace bunk bed-, computer station-, baby blue and pink-filled rooms children outgrow in a heartbeat, children and adults alike have embraced their beautiful and intelligent distinctiveness.
The designers based the boys’ room on memories of their brother’s childhood passion. “We asked ourselves what a boy really likes,” says Jayne. “The answer came easily because we had grown up with a brother who probably saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey five times and had a keen interest in astronomy and science fiction.” To capture the theme, the designers created a nighttime feeling in the room. Finding inspiration in the work of painter Yves Klein, Joan determined that the walls should offer up a “pop” while evoking the dark, other-worldly character of outer space: “We painted the walls not just any blue,” says Jayne, “but a very alive and warm blue, the vibrating hue that seems to surround planet Earth when viewed from a spaceship.” The two projected video artist Eva Lee’s video of celestial patterns onto the wall and commissioned Christianson Lee to paint space murals that enhance the cosmic aura. A pair of sculptural ‘70s lamps from Rose Hill Auctions recall the atomic models used in organic chemistry classes. “We found these early in the process and they helped solidify our design direction,” says Jayne.
Curator and antiques dealer Larry Weinberg, who works with the firm on many of their projects, worked with green furniture designer Carlos Salgado of Scrapile to devise a spare desk and separate file cabinet made with scraps of various wood species. “Carlos understood our desire for simplicity and created something quite striking—the striations of the wood stand out boldly against the blue, yet they don’t overtake the space.” The accompanying chair is a ‘40s organic string chair from Weinberg’s own collection of 20th century classics.
The designers had to choose between emphasizing the window, as typical drapes do, or turning the window wall into a simple plane and diminishing the window’s impact. They opted for the later and asked Nancy Angel of Angel Threads to create a shade made of natural linen that would cover the entire wall. “We didn’t want to obliterate the window—one does see it—but it’s no longer a focal point,” Jayne explains. They did, however, draw attention to the floor. After testing many different rugs in the space, the sisters selected a ‘40s wool Berber from Kea Rugs for the hot-hued counterpoint it provided to the cool blue shell. To its right, a woven perch made by Thai artist Bannavis Sribyatta out of aluminum strips has all the presence of a sculpture but magnetically attracts children to climb on it. “Kids run to that piece and plop right down,” says Jayne.
Low-to-the-ground, slimly proportioned, and topped by a mattress and bolster tautly wrapped in a Kate Korten-designed fabric, the boy’s bed is both eye-catching and practical. “This is a ‘40s French daybed designed by Pierre Chapo that functions as a sofa during the day and, at night, when the sheets come out, as a bed,” says Jayne. “The fabric used in the cover is made out of water bottles and can handle any spill; the pattern has an Outer Limits quality to it.” Two plastic screens from a ‘60s bank that Jayne purchased on eBay act as head and foot boards and lend the seating-cum-sleeping area a sense of enclosure without hemming it in.“They’re hung from the ceiling and they create a fort-like feeling; every child wants a cozy, protected place of their own,” Jayne explains.
The designers based the girl’s room on two key qualities they sought while growing up—serenity and fun. A custom canopy bed composed of a thin metal frame crafted by Majestic Reproductions rises to ceiling height and provides the same sort of airy enclosure that the boy’s bed embodies. Recycled birch panels painted by Christianson Lee using eco paints from Mythic Paints form the headboard and project an upbeat, modern geometry that repeats in the adjacent chest. The bright citrus tones lend the Modrian-like grid fresh appeal and show that green furnishings can be both exciting and arty.
“Often when you hear the term ‘green’, you think of being preached to and having to compromise, but we really embraced the concept and had a lot of fun with it,” says Jayne.
Another playful but meaningful twist in the room: the doll by artist Keith Edmier, which he created especially for the project. “The hands and feet are larger than the norm and so it makes fun of physical perfection that typical dolls reflect back to little girls,” explains Jayne. “We’re reminding young girls that they should question the notion of perfection wherever and in whatever form it occurs.”
In the girl’s room, the window is intentionally emphasized by means of sheer petal-trimmed natural linen curtains made by Nancy Angel. “We wanted them to be soft and floaty to offset all the hard-edged planes in the room and, with that contrast, offer up a bit of irony,” says Jayne. Other softening touches: the ‘50s biomorphic Jens Risom table from Lin-Weinberg, pillows wrapped in vintage fabrics from 4PM (the antiques business that the sisters run with Larry Weinberg), and an organic wool rug from Sacco Carpet. A vintage glass fixture from 4PM hangs above the table.
Referencing a hotel designed by Italian designer Gio Ponti in the ‘60s in which diamond shapes figured prominently, the Michael sisters worked with Thai artist Bannavis Sribyatta to create a riveting wall piece comprising multiple kite forms made out of recycled hangers—potent reminders of the wind’s energy and carefree fun. “Their triangular forms counterbalance all the rectangles in the room,” says Jayne. A Goth Barbie in a photo by David Levinthal stands sentinel over the scene. “She’s emphatically not sweet,” says Jayne. “We hung an image that questions the nature of womanhood and young girls’ concepts of feminine identity.”
Resource List
BOY’S ROOM: Vintage Canopy French Bed from Magen H. Gallery, Vintage Screen by 4PM, Sustainable Bed Cover by Kate Korten for Synchonicity by SilverState Fabrics. Sustainable Bolster Pillow by Angel Threads, Vintage Side Table by Dan Cooper from 4PM, Recycled Wood Desk by Scrapile, Vintage Lamps from 4PM, Space Photo by David Levinthal from Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Vintage Moon from 4PM, Recycled Aluminum Chair by artist Bannavis Sribyatte from PIE at Bridge Gallery, Vintage Coat Hanger from 4PM, Vintage Science-Fiction Books from 4PM, Space Mural by Christianson Lee Studios, Projected Image by Eva Lee from Christianson Lee Studios, Curtain Fabric by Gray Line Linen. Curtain Treatments by Angel Threads, Space Toys from 4PM, Vintage Bric a Brac from 4pm, Vintage Rug by Kea Carpets and Kilims.
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GIRL’S ROOM: Bed Frame by 2Michael’s Design, Mythic Paint Colored Panels by Christianson Lee Studios, Bed Coverlet by Indika Organics, Vintage Pillow Fabric from 4PM, Recycled Coat Hanger Panels by artist Bannavis Sribyatte from PIE at Bridge Gallery, Organic Wool Rug by Sacco Carpet, Vintage Freeform Coffee Table from Lin-Weinberg, Vintage Hanging Fixture from 4PM, Barbie Photo by David Levinthal from Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Vintage Steel Frame Chest by Miguel Saco Gallery, Curtain Fabric by Gray Line Linen, Curtain Treatments by Angel Threads, Artwork by Frank Veteran, Little Black Dress Artwork by Keith Edmier fom Friedrich Petzel Gallery.
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2Michaels portrait by Francois Dischinger. Renderings by Sara Brasseur. All other photographs Larry Weinberg. Idea House sponsored by Hamptons Cottages & Garden Magazine.
Who new going green could be so stylish!