We always knew Vivienne Westwood was a badass. Yes, we always knew, we always liked her, and we always secretly wanted to be her. We were doing a bit of research and found more irresistibly fascinating facts about this 69-year-old fashion rebel turned design world icon. For example, did you know that she married her former student, a handsome young 25-year-old Austrian man when she was 50? Yes 50, that’s twice his senior. And did we mention handsome?

A woman of many titles, the Queen of Punk, three times the British Designer of the Year, and in 2006 Dame by the Prince of Wales, Westwood broke out onto the fashion scene during the birth of punk in early seventies London. Westwood was a critical influence on the punk movement in England as her second husband Malcom McLaren was the Sex Pistols’ first manager. The Sex Pistols wore her edgy designs on stage and shopped in her and her husband’s legendary boutique SEX in London’s Chelsea district (which is to this day still owned by Westwood and now known as World’s End).

In Dame Westwood’s early years as a clothing designer, she took a great deal of inspiration from bikers, fetishists, and prostitutes, creating raw, very punk rock appropriate garments. She and McLaren worked together to cultivate a look that would have a lasting impact on the punk scene. Bondage gear, Scottish tartan fabric, and safety pins are just a few of the elements incorporated into Westwood’s designs that have been embedded into our culture as iconic punk styles.

Pirates was Westwood’s first runway show, as a collaboration with McLaren in 1981. It was at this time you started to see Vivienne’s signature style start to take form. Vivienne looked to the past for inspiration and incorporated 18th century draping and pattern making in the garments. Historical romanticism then became a prominent theme in all of her future collections.

After a few years of  selling her collections in hers and McLaren’s London shop, Westwood got picked up by Armani to launch her own label. Shortly after, she and McLaren broke up. Then on her own, she allowed herself to experiment with new techniques and styles, digging deeper into historical costume for influence. Undergarments and structure become a focus of hers as well, as she pioneered the Underwear As Outerwear movement with corsets and crinolines.

Through the last four decades, Vivienne Westwood has continued to shock and inspire awe in the fashion world with her boundary pushing designs and bold personality. She is not afraid to take risks professionally and doesn’t think twice about speaking her mind. Some of her runway shows have had very clear, and at times, quite controversial political messages, including the debut of her Red Label collection in 2008, where the models held signs with slogans like “Justice for the Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.”

Vivienne was asked to be a part of the first Sex And The City movie– she designed Carrie’s wedding dress. At the premier,  she left after only ten minutes, claiming “I thought Sex And The City was supposed to be about cutting-edge fashion and there was nothing remotely memorable or interesting about what I saw.” Ouch! We wouldn’t have wanted to be on the receiving end of that comment, however we find her brutal honesty rather refreshing.

Vivienne Westwood is operating four fashion lines under her command: Gold Label (semi-couture), Red Label (ready-to-wear), Westwood Man, and Anglomania (diffusion line). Over the course of her career, she has created an empire of VW branded products, consisting of collaborations with many companies in countless fields. In 2001, she worked with Wedgwood and designed a collection of tea sets. Most recently, she designed limited edition tablecloths for the eco-charity Cool Earth. Other collaborations include rugs and pillows for The Rug Company, wallpaper for Cole and Son, eco friendly shoes for Melissa Shoes, a shoe collection for Nine West, a denim collection for Lee Jeans, and a sofa collection for Molteni & C.

With all of those business partnerships to keep up, designing boundary pushing, trendsetting fashion collections multiple times a year, and keeping up that trademark tangerine hair color, we don’t know how she has the energy to get up and make herself a cup of tea in the morning. To do all of this at 69, we guess it’s true, staying active keeps you young. We just can’t get enough of this chick.

One more irresistibly fascinating fact about the Queen of Punk: When she was titled Dame in 1992 and was awarded her Order from the British Empire at Buckingham Palace, she spun around in her dress for a photographer and flashed him, and she was as they say in England, knickerless.

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We are just loving what this guy is doing. Designer and sculptor Ryan McElhinney constructed his Toy Lamp of old unwanted toys, bonding them together with adhesive, and finishing them in a high gloss polyurethane lacquer.

He’s also created other products in the recycled toy theme. Toy mirrors and large lighting sculptures as well as his other design endeavors can be seen on his website. ryanmcelhinney.co.uk We always appreciate a little lightness or fun with our high design.

Pablo Pardo, graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s industrial design program, is at the forefront of American lighting design.  In his studio in San Francisco, this Venezuelan born designer, along with his fellow creative collaboratives, fuses the highest technical sensibilities with the most appropriate materials to create precious designs that seem to transform any environment.  With each novel addition they continue to dazzle us with their brilliance.

Where you can pick one up:  shophighstreet.com

Baroudi, specializing in ancient textiles and Hibr having a passion for antique furniture create their unique pieces in their Beirut studio with a team of highly skilled artisans. Sustainability is an important aspect of their vision, as all of the fabrics used are recycled vintage textiles from countries along the Silk Road. Each piece of furniture is uniquely designed based on the tapestry, tartan, lace, or handkerchiefs meticulously hand selected for the piece.

Bokja designs are highly coveted by collectors, artists, and designers. The influential Bokja studio has been appointed to produce furniture for high-end fashion boutiques such as Matthew Williamson and Christian Louboutin. We think they make great conversation pieces. A little bit of history, a little bit of culture, a little bit of color, and a little bit of texture. Every room could use a combination like that.

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Refreshing. Stimulating. Uplifting. Witty.  Native New Yorker Hester Diamond had a serious art collection, but was afraid of it being taken too seriously. She was determined to create a design for her Upper West Side apartment that accomplished showcasing her impressive art collection in an approachable way.

Hester Diamond is the mother of Michael Diamond, otherwise known as Mike D of the “Beastie Boys”. Little did we know, she is also an original, a talented interior designer and quite the visionary. Seeing the fresh approach to this interior, you can see now where Mike D got his ground breaking style.

Hester and her late husband Harold began collecting art in the 50s and became addicts. She continued her art habit after becoming a widow and then remarrying the former Dean of New York University in 1982. Their collection grew to consist of Mondrians, Kandinskys, Picassos, Veroneses, Brancusis, Pontormos, and Legers. She and her now-late husband got to the point where they started trading some of their other possessions for iconic works of art they fell in love with. They were in fact, serious about collecting their art.

After years in a career of social work, Hester decided to take a shot at interior decorating. Not surprisingly, with her innovative taste, she was a natural. After retiring from the industry in the late eighties, she came to a place in her own home where she wanted a change. She then evolved through phases of Mid-Century Modern and Neo-Classical/Renaissance styles in the home. She felt compelled to be, at regular intervals, refreshed and inspired. A few years ago she decided to again take on the redesign of her home and called on the assistance of her son’s friend Jim Walrod, a New York based interior designer and art consultant. Mike D referred to Jim as his ‘furniture pimp’ in a Rolling Stone article in the 90s and the nickname stuck.

Walrod co-owned the modern lifestyle store Form and Function in the 90s, specializing in Mid-Century Modern furniture with Fred Schneider of the B-52’s and song writer Jack Feldman. Jim has collaborated with designers and hoteliers on innovative interior concepts for hotels and restaurants such as The Standard in Los Angeles and The Park and The Thompson LES in New York. Hester hired him to help her bring her growing Renaissance art collection to life in a vibrant, modern setting.

The two collaborated and came up with a fresh, colorful concept. The look is totally original. Hester’s big drive was to find a color palette that was inspiring and happy, and brought her artwork to the forefront. Walrod and Diamond chose modern furniture pieces from Marcel Wanders, Tord Boontje, and Dune, setting them against citron painted walls and a candy colored patchwork carpet. The result is lively and cheerful, yet refined. In Hestor’s words, “It’s the most joyous place to live. It’s impossible to be depressed in this room.”

We’ve never seen anything like it, and that’s a quality we love. Pushing boundaries always results in something extraordinary, and kudos to Hester for being fearless. We have to say, she’s crafty. Enjoy these sumptuous photos filled with light, color and culture.

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contemporary butterflies under glass by Image Surgery via thestateofthings.com

Are you a collector of pretty little things? We love pretty little things, collecting charming vintage animal figurines, pillows made with luscious designer fabrics, and piles upon piles of books on subjects ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to antique Turkish textiles. Collecting is a wonderful pastime, but some of us minimalists might find the collections of “stuff” a bit overwhelming. How on earth can your offbeat sentimental stuff look smart, purposeful and modern?

A simple answer? Place it on a white backdrop.

You can make a bold statement by cleverly hanging collections of colorful artwork, photographs, or accessories on a simple white wall. Your beloved treasures become the focal point of your room, like pieces of art in a modern museum. For this reason, white is a great color to use in children’s rooms. Their toys become edgy little sculptures by a some contemporary Japanese artist. White is exceptionally grounding for those who love color but require the dicipline of good design. It create a climate of balance in a room,  offering  your objects an air of sophistication.

We’ve laid out a few different takes on displaying colorful collections.

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