James Duncan | Decorati Access

Dec 11, 2009

Jean-Michel Frank

Posted in Guest Blogger • 1 comment

James Duncan is a Decorati Manufacturer and author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.” Jean-Michel Frank was a poster boy for the adage that great art is more often borne of angst than contentment. Although celebrated as a designer at a relatively young age, Frank had good reasons to be unhappy. He was a life-long depressive, [...] (more...)

Nov 20, 2009

The Bathroom

James Duncan is a Decorati Manufacturer and author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.” My grandfather, who was a boy in the early 20th century, told the story of how his family rented a farmhouse in the French countryside. As they planned to stay for a few years, his father asked if he could install indoor plumbing at his [...] (more...)

Sep 21, 2009

Mosaics: Resurgence of an Ancient Art Form

Posted in Guest Blogger • 6 comments

James Duncan is a Decorati Partner and author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.” Mosaics were one of the first forms of decorative art. As early as the second millennium B.C., geometric patterns in colored stones and shells decorated temples in Mesopotamia. It was in 4th century B.C. Greece where pictorial mosaics were first created. Thereafter, the [...] (more...)

Aug 16, 2009

White: More than Just the Absence of Color

Posted in Guest Blogger • 5 comments

By James Duncan James Duncan is a Decorati Partner and author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.” Some people think that white is the absence of color. But that is exactly what it is not! White is produced by combining all of the visible colors of light in equal proportions. While blue is the most popular, since [...] (more...)

Jun 29, 2009

On Reflection: Thoughts on the Mirror

Posted in Guest Blogger • 2 comments

Today Decorati Partner and guest blogger James Duncan, author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic” maps the historical peaks and troughs of an essential design element- the mirror. Representations of the Greek god Narcissus conventionally show him gazing at himself in a reflecting pool, the first mirror (above). The history of the mirror is a fascinating story of [...] (more...)

Jun 10, 2009

What Coffee Table Books Say About Us

Posted in Guest Blogger • 3 comments

Decorati is excited to introduce our newest guest blogger, Decorati Partner James Duncan, author of “A Well Traveled Aesthetic.” Today James discusses the unique nuances of the essential coffee table book and the role they play in today’s design. “Oh, my God, real books!” a friend who is an interior designer observed ironically as he [...] (more...)