If you know us personally, you know that we are always talking about how cool our Canvas Custies are. Our folks have become friends, are interesting, inspiring, supportive, do interesting creative things,  live life to the fullest and keep us moving forward as a shop and as people. I have decided to stop talking about them and let you hear from them in their own words. Nick Berman (Nick B as he has been previously referenced on the blog) is one of these individuals. Good times are always at hand when Nick B is in the building – we discuss fashion, design, music, books, magazines etc…  Nick Berman is a designer of furniture and the owner of Berman Rosetti.  We had a few questions for Nick B and he was nice enough to answer.

How has being a designer impacted your life … beyond finances? On a pragmatic level I find that the same patience required to solve a design problem is inherent in our everyday problems and as well the same trust I have for my design instincts has blossomed into my personal life. Exposure seems to be the word that comes to mind when I think of impact from my profession. Not only the travel and research required but also moreover the collaboration with my partner, clients and whomever else is involved in the project at hand. Most importantly I have found that you can really have fun and still make a living!

What is Berman Rosetti and what do you do? We design and manufacture a continuing evolving collection of very high quality furniture in our own factory, which includes full upholstery, finish and cabinet shops.

What attracted you to designing furniture? I had my own design firm where we not only did the architecture but the interiors as well. I discovered in doing the interiors that I had a gift for integrating the architecture with the furniture and from this developed an idiosyncratic vision. I was asked by a major showroom to do a collection for them in 1987 and what was then an avocation has become my main emphasis.

How do you translate inspiration into finished products? Creation is a mysterious thing. When you least expect it, you discover the magic elixir and BAM… Inspiration hits you. The collection is coming on 25 years and though each piece possesses a unique quality of its own, they are all part of the evolution of the BermanRosetti sensibility. Each piece is part of a natural progression and all share the same DNA. Ideas are always percolating but generally manifest in the following ways: A need for a particular piece arises on one of my design projects and creates the opportunity to do a prototype. I am constantly doodling and sketching and if an idea sticks in my mind we will do a working drawing and then either a full scale prototype or, in what has become, a integral process we do scale models and these studies will then be photographed where they then appear to be full size. Of course then there are those times we realize we’ve been pissing in the wind. My partner Gennaro Rosetti sends me a drawing and we go back and forth with dueling ideas.

What do your pieces say about you as an individual? This is like a Rorschach! Spiritual rebel, Grounded scoundrel, Sardonic ass… Seriously I guess the pieces reflect a certain refinement and elegance yet the textural, tactile quality we have creates what I hope is a pleasing humanizing element. I like to think I am always evolving and hopefully people who support our furniture see the collection as taking risks but still retaining its core values. I love Einstein’s quote “things should be simple not simpler”. So should people.

What do you hope to achieve through each of the pieces that you create? Oy, another existential question! Achievement is not really what I hope for. I have a sense as my path unfolds when I am being authentic not only to myself but to the entity “BERMAN ROSETTI”. This is the key. The rest follows. I trust my instincts now and thru that have become a better editor. And, ok, it doesn’t hurt when other people enjoy your vision.

Does furniture need to do more now than just take up space in a given area – does it need to be efficient? This is the old form versus function question. First and foremost a piece should never just take up space. That would imply thoughtlessness. A thoughtfully selected piece adds a dimension to a space that did not exist before. Of course it has to be efficient but efficiency can manifest itself in many guises. I believe comfort and function can always coexist with great style.

How is furniture becoming more eco friendly? We are very committed to environmental responsibility in our business. A few years ago when we tried to gather information about this from our suppliers and industry sources we thought it would be an easy thing. It wasn’t. Furniture quality wood, as you may know, comes from all over the world.  We quickly realized that it would be an ongoing process. For the most part we limit our wood selection to only those species that our suppliers could verify were FSC certified. We had to specify the type of core materials we used, where they came from and how they were used. All of the paper used in our promotional materials comes from recycled sources and when possible, soy-based ink.

Favorite era of design and or designer and why. As a young man I went to a hotel in Sonoma Ca. and saw the work of John Dickenson a San Franciscan designer. He combined primitive elements with contemporary and this has had the strongest impact on me. The feeling in the hotel was like nothing I had ever experienced and I knew that I wanted to have the power/ability to transport people’s lives. As a result I am strongly influenced by Japanese and African elements.

What makes good design good? Truth, purity and attention to details & persistence! Design, for me, is a synthesis of the chaos and clutter of the real world with the absolute perfection of the artist’s. A successful piece is always functional, but is born of a freedom from rules that reinforces my aspiration towards truly guileless furniture.

Why is Porsche your favorite car? I love the idea that Porsche has stuck to one primary concept and continued to refine it exponentially. People are drawn of course to tradition, which the look of the car satisfies and yet they are getting at the same time a technological gem. Best of both worlds. Like comfort food created by a world-class chef!

Choose one and explain sneakers, boots or shoes? They all represent basically the same thing to me. Comfort of course comes first but I find that whichever I do wear they basically act as a textural & mood counterpoint. Too dressy, throw on the yellow sneaks. A little to funky try those Military boots. You get the idea.

Crate and Barrel- good, bad or the anti-christ ? I don’t really think about Crate and Barrel. They have their niche I have mine. Companies like ours provide them with the ideas and they do their versions overseas. We have been repeatedly knocked off and copied and if I took the time to litigate all of them I would be in court and not designing. I realized a long time ago that my best revenge (or most constructive, depending on mood) was to just keep creating new pieces and never to have that focus broken.

Why Canvas – what do you like about it? Ok, I’ll answer. You and Jac have a vision that is a store that’s not really a store, a gallery that’s really not a gallery, a gathering place that’s not really a gathering place.  I look forward to sharing a new book or piece of music I have heard with you and I love to hear of your plans for the store or the blog. I feel like I have a reciprocal trade agreement with Canvas and that’s an enriching relationship to be in. A lot like playing in the sandbox!

Highlighting the work of iconic American architect Philip Johnson, The National Trust for Historic Preservation unveils its latest short film, “Architecture + Influence: A Short Film on the Work of Philip Johnson.” The film boasts an impressive and concise oral history of Johnson’s extensive body of work throughout the years. One of the few whose legacy is as vast as it is impactful, Johnson is respected for his Glass House masterpiece and his wide range of work that drastically changed the architecture landscape indefinitely.

Martin Greenfield is a suit maker of legend. Jac and I had the opportunity to meet and speak with him a few years ago and he was very inspiring, bursting with energy and experience to share. The Facts – Many often complain about the migration of American manufacturing jobs to cheap overseas markets, especially within the garment industry, which has nearly vanished since the 1960s. Yet America is still home to many longstanding companies, who are still very much in place today, providing the world with quality goods at affordable pricing. A must watch for any aspiring designer or creative manufacturer, Greenfield discusses both the past, present and future of the garment producing industry, as well as providing a look into his daily operations and what is required to make the best clothing possible. With plenty of helpful tips present in this short five-minute piece, the most profound, “Quality with intrinsic value will always keep you in business”, will echo in our minds for years to come.

Daphne Guinness is someone that I recently became aware of thanks to British Vogue (don’t quote me on that) who listed her among the best dressed couture families on the planet. She is definitely a unique woman and her take on production is interesting to me – I love her efforts here for Barneys.  The facts: Documentary filmmaker Brennan Stasiewicz infiltrates the cosseted world of Daphne Guinness in Daphne’s Window. Featuring intimate footage of the icon at her Fifth Avenue apartment, the short follows the eccentric fashion patron and socialite as she prepares for her recent installation in the windows of Barneys New York. The storefront showcased her collection of pieces by designer Lee Alexander McQueen and a selection from the archive of fashion editor Isabella Blow, which Guinness purchased in its entirety last year. The display culminated in a performance art piece in which Guinness dressed for the Met ball in one of the flagship’s windows, modeling a lilac feathered gown designed by McQueen’s Sarah Burton. “She appears to me as someone always in a window,” says Stasiewicz. “Someone you can approach and see, but you remain on the other side.”  “Daphne is someone to take pleasure in, and in many ways, someone who incites moments of wonder,” says Stasiewicz.

Reed Pages is a mag that we stock at the shop and people are always asking me who is Jeff Staples when I mention that he is the creator of the mag (which is in need of a second installment), Reed Space and the infamous Nike Pigeon Dunks – well ta da – here he is discussing what he is all about. Jeff has shown an appreciation for our little shop and we return the compliment. Enjoy

Beautiful ful is a brand that Canvas has embraced from sketch page thru to finished product. We have been able to create several one of a kind pieces for our shop with the brand over the seasons and always look forward to seeing what they are going to bring to the table next. This time they are bringing a trailer (film to follow) where designer Alejandro Rodriguez shares his thoughts on what Beautiful ful is all about. Enjoy

Oliver Spencer is a brand we love at Canvas and have increasingly represented on our floor since being introduced three years ago. I love when brands make these videos and we can share the designer with everyone so you can get a slice of their personality and vision. The brands we carry like Oliver Spencer are more than the clothing, they are…. Enjoy

As a teen I never would have thought that the art of graffiti and the culture of hip-hop would become this global movement that would be interpreted and associated with youth around the world. Today I visited the “Art in the streets” exhibition with Jac and was amazed and awed by the scope of  all it has become. Below are some of highlights of the exhibit that runs through August 8th. Enjoy

Art in the Streets will showcase installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists from the graffiti and street art community, including Banksy (London), Fab 5 Freddy (New York), Lee Quiñones (New York), Futura (New York), Margaret Kilgallen (San Francisco), Swoon (New York), Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles), Os Gemeos (São Paulo), and JR (Paris). MOCA’s exhibition will emphasize Los Angeles’s role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. The exhibition will feature works by influential local artists such as Craig R. Stecyk III, Chaz Bojórquez, Mister Cartoon, Robbie Conal, RETNA, SABER, REVOK, and RISK.