Come visit us at the showroom this afternoon!

Treat yourself :)

-Chinae and the DESIRON Team

This year is going to be especially exciting for us here at DESIRON. It'll be a year with lots of growth, fun projects, and new ideas! 

To help us ring in our 15th birthday, come out to our event on the 19th! We've got a beer bar by Cerno, mouth-watering cocktails by Pearl Vodka, chefs preparing food in our very own open kitchen by Electrolux, and treats from Dering Hall, our media sponsor for the night! Also, we are premiering DESIRON Workshop, our super secret new project that evening with designs by Alan Tanksley, Tim Button of Stedila Design, and Laura Bohn. 

Come and join us, RSVP@desiron.com!

See you next Saturday!

Chinae and the DESIRON Team

The Darin Daybed

Starting at $3300

Take a peek!Alex, working her magic

What are you doing on this rainy day?

Best,

Chinae

This month, we shift our gaze to the West Coast, where our friends and co-collaborators, Cerno are based. This Laguna Beach based trio focuses on combining the finest in LED technology with the most beautiful design and materials.Oh, and did we mention everything is made in Southern California?

5 Questions with...Cerno:

Q: What non design-related thing inspires the Cerno brand most?

A: Trust, respect, friendship and family is the core of Cerno and where we draw our strength and creativity. However, I think inspiration is more individual. Daniel attributes his love for engineering and design to his Grandfather Steve Lazoruk. Nick has been creating and building since he was a young boy, frequently assisting his dad who was a contractor in town. Nick greatly expanded  his archive of inspiration when he was travelling and studying in Europe, while finishing up his degree in architecture. My inspiration comes from my parents, who have always encouraged me to pursue the arts. Out of college I went straight into a suit and tie, and although the corporate world taught me a ton about finance and marketing, it was not until we created Cerno that I think we all were doing what we love and wanted to be doing.     

Q: So the word cerno means:  -Verb (Latin) 1. To resolve, distinguish, decide, sift, determine, to perceive. How did you guys come upon this or decide on this as your brand name?

A: (Nick) In architecture school at the end of a project critique the teacher would often say – you have not fully resolved x, y, and z or on rare occasions would say a design was resolved. That stuck with me. In architecture, like all design, it was clear that success is measured on many different levels and only when the design has been fully resolved, all levels addressed, did it have that feel of good design.

(Bret) Nick presented the logo that he had created to me and Daniel and explained what the word meant to him and the literal definition and we liked the look and the feel of it. 

Q: Since you're based in Laguna Beach...do you have any secret spots in Southern California that you'd like to share with us?

A: There are a lot of secret spots in Laguna and the rest of the State, but they would not be too secret if were to share them with you. When we were in High School we would frequently sail to a little cove on the Island of Catalina about 30 miles from Laguna, often we would have the cove all to ourselves for an entire weekend. Whether secret or not it was amazing and where we share a lot of memories. And of course there is our favorite beach in South Laguna (no names, it has already become too crowded). If anyone comes and visits we can show them some good spots.  

Q: So, there are three of you, who are practically like brothers...do you guys ever get into any fights because of that? If so, about what?

A: Honestly we really don't fight, that is not to say we do not have disagreements/debates , but our disagreements don't elevate to fights. We are all very stubborn, which can make for some animated and heated debates, but this stubbornness is  also what makes Cerno so strong. Cerno is the culmination of the best of what the 3 of us bring to the table. No debate is ever left unresolved and there is a lot more laughing that goes on at Cerno than fighting. 

Q:What's next for Cerno?

A: Rest hopefully... No we are still going strong and working long hours in order to grow the business and continue delivering fresh new designs and products to our customers. We are working on a few new sconces and ceiling mounted fixtures. They are just concepts on paper now, but we are planning to prototype them over the next couple weeks and unveil several of them at HD EXPO in May. 

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Check out Cerno's NEW video to learn more about the company and brand as a whole, HERE.

Also, see our collaborative designs with Cerno, on our website or visit the DESIRON showroom to see the full Cerno line.

Frank's favorite Bourbon: Bulleit Bourbon

Bourbon and Branches Cocktail:

• -1 part Bourbon
• -2 parts Fresh Grapefruit Juice
• -Basil (2 leaves)
• -Ice
• -Bourbon Soaked Cherries (fresh and pitted)*

Over ice, combine bourbon, grapefruit juice. Chop up basil leaves and mix into the cocktail. Garnish with a bourbon soaked cherry. Serve.

*Bourbon Soaked Cherries: To make, take fresh, pitted cherries and heat for 2 hours over low heat with bourbon and a little bit of sugar. What a treat.

Happy Friday,

Chinae

Alex has been with us for a while now and we don't know what we'll do without her! She's organized, bright, and VERY creative...and does it all with a smile. Take a minute and meet her:

Q:How'd you find us?

A:One day, over a year ago, I was perusing the "art/media/design" jobs section on Craigslist. I wasn't really looking for a job, but sometimes it makes me feel better to see that jobs do in fact exist (even if the legitimacy of half the jobs posted is questionable). It's also interesting to see what people in the industry are looking for, so I can gage where I stand. (Side note: I consider this productive procrastination. Cleaning your room, going to the gym, making color-coded to-do lists -- these are all great ways to avoid doing work, but not feel like you're completely wasting time.)  One of the listings called for an intern at a furniture showroom in SoHo. I hadn't really heard of students in my program interning at showrooms, but I thought, why not? Interior designers spec furniture for their clients, so wouldn't it be helpful to learn more about the world of side tables and consoles?

Q: So then what?

A: Thanks to productive procrastination, Craigslist and an impulsive decision to send in my resume, I wound up committing to a three-month internship at Desiron. It evolved into a pretty serious relationship that's still going strong, even though we "took a break" over the summer when I was studying abroad in Copenhagen.

Q:What's your experience been like at DESIRON?

A:Coming from a design program that is heavily architectural, it's been so refreshing to approach design on a smaller scale. Should we use black oxide or burnished copper for the base of this piece? Should we upholster the headboard or expose the wood finish? How should we style the showroom to feature the new collection? Over the past year, I've become familiar with the design process, the manufacturing process and even the sales process. Since our factory is local, we can work together as a team and approach design in the most holistic way possible.

Q: Anything that surprised you?

One of the most special things about Desiron is the company's ability to customize anything. In the design world, customization is the ultimate superpower. Oh, you need a dining table that is 43 1/4" long and 27 3/4" deep? No problem! Oh, you want to wrap those drawers in hot pink faux leather? Sure! (I mean, if that's really what you want.)

 When I applied for this internship, I didn't really know what it would entail and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. In a couple of months, I will graduate and enter the "real world." I have a feeling Desiron will be high on my list of "go-to" sources for furniture and general design inspiration. Clean aesthetic, warm showroom and customization superpowers -- what more could a designer want from a furniture company?

Thanks Alex, you will be missed!!!! (Never leave us!)

Image by Kelsey Foster

HOW WE MET DANA:

Our PR/Marketing Director Chinae was at a house party and spotted the coolest chalk drawing/lettering and knew she had to find out who's handiwork it was...surprised that the artist was in fact her friend Dana, she immediately invited Dana to come to the showroom one evening and design a wall for our Cooper Collection Launch Event.

Over pizza and laughter, Dana created an amazing display for us and we even made a stop motion video to show the progress.

Dana's Cooper Collection Chalk Art (link to video)

Long after that chalk drawing came down, after countless projects with West Elm, The Ace Hotel, Ralph Lauren Rugby, and many others...Dana had an Oprah experience. Not just any Oprah experience, but was commissioned to do the COVER OF O MAGAZINE. 

Here are some photos of her work in O and we are so thankful to have been able to watch her talent grow with each project! Check out our little shoutout in the magazine too...yep, we are the furniture store mentioned :)

Image by George Burns O Magazine Check out more of Dana's work HERE.

Cheers,

Chinae and the DESIRON Team!

This week has officially been a whirlwind. Last Thursday, the year-long labor of love, my Greenwich village apartment was featured in the NY Times Home section. Boy has the response been overwhelming. Good, but overwhelming.

Joyce Wadler wrote an amazing article paired with splendid photography by Trevor Tondro. I was so thankful to get to know two people that do their work so well and really spend time with the subjects they capture. Lots of respect for them.

Since the article, I’ve been asked so many questions about my space, my personal belongings, and how all of it came about. A question that keeps being asked is, “What are your favorite items in your apt?”

So I thought I’d answer that here. I love that my furniture is made by my DESIRON team for the most part, and that I got to collaborate with my employees on making things for my living space. Other than that, some of my favorite things are my longhorn skull, my vintage barstools (recovered from an old ship), and my steam shower (the ultimate luxury for my sore days after a hard workout!)

Here are some photos from the shoot and I hope you all head over to the NY Times site to read the full story!

Have any questions about my design, the stuff I like or want to schedule a design consult? Email me at soho@desiron.com

Cheers,

Frank

We've started an exciting new discussion series called Sub D this winter at DESIRON. Sub D is a quarterly gathering of folks in the design industry, getting together and hearing from industry experts, design aficionados, and people who are doing things differently in the interiors, art, and design space. 

Our first incubator gathering of Sub D was the concept of New American. Three designers: Laura Kirar, Francois Chambard, and our very own Frank Carfaro spoke on the subject of making product in America and the process behind it. Dan Golden led the discussion and produced the topic. We'll have a video wrap up of the discussion up on the media section of our site ASAP.

Here was the invite and some photos from the event.

Before the event...

 Our Audience...Our Speakers...

Hope you can make it to our next Sub D Event!

Cheers,

Chinae and the DESIRON Team