in the press

 jonathan adler
Invites us to stroke his pots
From Barney’s to Barbie, Jonathan Adler’s
résumé is bursting with household-name
clients. But the New Jersey native (of Bravo’s
Top Design fame) would rather chat about his
terrier than being one of the country’s most
relevant designers. He’s just opened his first
Boston store, showcasing everything you’d
need to furnish several homes … and introducing Newbury Street to the word “nifty.”
What spurred the decision to open a store in
Boston, and why the Newbury Street location?
Ever since I was in college in Providence, I’ve
wanted to have a store in Boston. I would
always go to Boston and shop Newbury
Street, imagining that one day I could afford
something at Alan Bilzerian. So Boston, and
Newbury Street in particular, have always
meant a lot to me.
Is there anything about the Boston store
that will be different than the others?
I think the Boston store is very intimate and
residential. As for new merchandise, I am
proud to say that I had a kind of creative explosion this holiday season, and we have lots and
lots of new goodies, from groovy ornaments to
nifty new furniture and pots, pots, pots!
From Brown University to a national retail
operation—what’s your secret?
My secret is that I never had a business plan
or any goals other than the desire to make
pottery and not have a real job. When I first
started, my idea of success would have been
hawking my wares at a rain-soaked craft fair
if it meant that I was making a living from
pottery. So my career trajectory has been totally unexpected and absolutely delightful!
How do you describe your design philosophy?
I call my design philosophy “happy chic,”
and it’s about creating design that is (I hope)
unimpeachably chic and beautiful, but with
an element of levity and joy that is so often
missing from overly serious design.
There are a lot of animal-themed pieces in
your store, and also some 1970s-feeling furniture/colors. To what extent does your personal
life intersect with your design aesthetic?
My personal life and my design aesthetic are
one and the same. I’m lucky to have a delightful and creative bloke, Simon Doonan, and
we have a truly fun life. We encourage each
other in our creativity and we’re able to take
creative risks because we know that nothing
really matters beyond having each other
and our trusty little companion, Liberace, a
gorgeous Norwich terrier. As for the animalthemed pieces and the ’70s colors, I suppose I
love animals and the ’70s—I’m only human!
Tell me about the adages written on the walls
of the store (e.g., “Stroking our pots is addictive … and there is no known cure” and “Your
home should be like a good dose of Zoloft”).
I’ve never liked design or retail experiences
that felt snooty and off-putting. So, when I
started my business, I came up with a manifesto that defines my company mission.
The first line is “We believe that your home
should make you happy.” So, the adages
written on the wall are a way to communicate my design philosophy and share snippets of my manifesto.
JA picks his
FAVORITE pieces:
Dora Maar vase with
all of the faces going
around it because it
just felt exactly right
from the start. The Aorta vase because
it’s so futuristic
and nifty.
The Templeton sofa
because it fuses comfort
with glamour, no small feat.
The horse tray because
I love the sinuous
lines that go from
mane to tail.
The Nixon rug
because it works
everywhere!
As seen in the
weeklydig
11/4/2009
11/14/2009
Opening party for John Alder store
Nov. 11 in Boston
Opening party for John Alder store on Newbury Street.
From left: Rebecca Masse, executive director of Kids Can Cook, with Jonathan
Adler, founder of the store.
11/13/2009
Jonathan Adler Opening Event
On 11/11 Jonathan Adler opened its new location on Newbury Street with an evening to benefit Kids
Can Cook (KCC). KCC is an educational, after-school experience for children in urban areas to learn
valuable lessons through the art and science of cooking. What began as one cooking class with eight
students has now grown into a program which serves over 100 students a year.
Jonathan Adler and Peter Griglick
Dan Mathieu and Denise Korn
David Fankel and Nikki and John Scaplen
Janet Wu and Debbie Fair
Bill Emery, Peter Portney and Brian Saipe
Eleanor Riley and Jack Yeaton
Monday, November 16, 2009
JONATHAN ADLER’S RADICAL HAPPY CHIC
by Robin Hauck
Stepping into his new boutique on Newbury Street in downtown Boston, you might not
immediately think of Jonathan Adler as a mad rebel. Outrageous perhaps. Bold, wild, optimistic.
But a rebel? On first glance the store appears full of gleaming nods to preppy kitsch and pretty
domesticities. What’s radical about bone white and bright colored pottery? What’s badass about
needlepoint pillows?
One only need wander into neighboring stores to see that some sort of a rebellion is in full swing
at 129 Newbury Street. While somber colors dominate other windows and desperate discounts
beckon passersby, a bright sunny tomorrow seems to be for sale at Jonathan Adler. Adler denies
the restraint and humbleness following the economic collapse and buries it with an irrepressible
high contrast gloss, signature to his furniture, pottery, rugs and pillows.
You might get drunk on all the color. It hits you like the fragrance from a lilac bush in bloom,
flowing from shelves of pottery, piles of pillows, books of wallpaper. With all this optimism, all
this joi de vivre, it’s harder to buy into the doomsday sentiments of the times, the bleak
determinations of the daily news. No, the longer one nestles into the cocoon of happy chic
merchandise, the more obvious it becomes that Adler is rebelling, just in his own upbeat,
accessible way.
“Happy chic” Adler’s lifestyle ideology as described in his book “My Prescription for AntiDepressive Living” and experienced in his stores, subverts the status quo as boldly as any punk
rock or nihilistic philosophy. There is more optimism in a small corner of his shop than in all of
the Boston Globe this past season. What could possibly be more radical than confronting the
gloomy outlook dominating the current culture than a full room of happy? Take that Brian
Williams, take that Lou Dobbs, take that Ariana Huffington and Rupert Murdoch! Adler is
choosing a different outlook on life and damned if it isn’t a festive one.
This is a man for whom brights are a starting point: “used throughout a room, orange can become
surprisingly neutral, and yet it can be bright and mood-enhancing” and who forged a recent
collaboration with Barbie. His dog is named Liberace. In 1968 rock critic Richard Goldstein
wrote “exhibitionism is the quiet side of violence… it aims to provoke.“ and this is what is so
contagious about Adler’s milieu… It provokes by asking why not be completely unabashedly
happy?
Adler has a knack for stealing ideas from grandma’s Palm Beach house. His wallpaper calls to
mind country clubs of the 1960’s and his pillows and rugs twist classics in his signature bold
way. He loves contrast, never afraid to use stark white to highlight design elements, the way he
does with a huge anchor on a navy blue rug.
“If anyone is trying to be modern, it’s a cliche” Vivienne Westwood told the New York Times in
1994. At his best Adler avoids cliche - the needlepoint backgammon board and pillows sporting
a Q and a T arranged on a silver couch are anything but expected. However with his pottery
becoming more and more available and his books in Barnes and Nobles, the threat of cliche
becomes more real.
Adler was in town last week for the opening party at the store. He is witty, charming, irreverent
and stylishly in keeping with his products. Simon Doonan was not with him, but the president of
his company and head of stores were, as were Boston’s most stylish trendsetters.
Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan have made a living merchandising personal style and the
“pointlessness of a life lived without a dab of daring panache.“ If their is any possibility of
consumerism inciting revolution, it just might start on Newbury Street in Jonathan Adler’s store.
Exclusive to Misstropolis readers, Jonathan Adler is offering 10% off all purchases during the
weekend before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21/22. Just mention Misstropolis and join the rebellion at a
discount.
| style carrot |
NOVEMBER 13, 2009
Jonathan Adler Comes To Boston
Newbury Street is now officially (and sufficiently) hip. Jonathan Adler is here, all tangy oranges and sparkling blues, velvet and chrome,
bamboo and banana. The store is a fantastic colorful treat, much like Adler himself. Many of you know I don’t do the nighttime event circuit.
But pass up a chance to meet Jonathan Adler. I think not. (Besides, I’m running an interview with him for “The Inside Source” next week.)
He is adorable and really nice. We bowed down to his willingness to open in Boston – he said he’s always like Newbury Street, and used to
visit back in his Brown days. We exchanged eBay, 1st Dibs, and Craig’s List experiences – he tries to abstain, given his obsessive nature and
discussed the phenomenon that is Gilt Group. We chatted about his bestie Liz Lang (I had helped her out with web stuff over a decade ago),
and jabbered about being Jewish. Bless him for crafting mod menorahs. I took lots of pictures of the store. I’m sure you, like me, would love
to move right in.
What a cutie!