$2,516,063.00

That was Phillip de Pury's

haul from today's

"Design"

sale.

They held the preview and the sale at their new 

Midtown digs.

I have to say I was impressed with the space.

I'm a closet Uptown Guy,

so I kinda get off on clean and new sometimes.

Lose the suits, the strollers and the attitude

 and

I could live on the Upper East Side,

fo' realz y'all.

The Crew

Mathieu Matégot

Ceiling Light

1950s

$20-25,000 est

WITHDRAWN

This was one of my favs in the sale, and just as the

auction was about to start,

the auctioneer said it had been withdrawn.

My source said it was because the consigner changed

their mind.... 

Maybe,

but it was a little weird.

Jean Prouvé

Swiveling Office Chair

1951

$40-50,000

SOLD: $86,500

Love the base....

Charlotte Perriand & Jean Prouvé

Free Form Coffee Table

1956

$45-50,000

SOLD: $50,000

Great patina on this one.

Just what you want to see....

Jean Proué

Compass Table

1953

$12-18,000

SOLD: $15,000

I really like the space up there at 450 Park Ave.

(@ 57th Street)

Weird the downtown address is 450 too....

Just noticed that.

(The Aalto chairs passed.)

Bid it up!

This way to the bathroom....

(This Jean Royere chair would have cost you $34,250,

it and it's mate brought $68,500.)

That Mathieu Matégot mirror was pulled too....

Look at those Donald Judd sculptures,

I mean Le Corbusier shelves.

Mathieu Matégot

"Satellite" Ceiling Light

1953

$20-25,000 est

SOLD: $32,500

Jean Royere

"Quilles" Side Tables

1956

$10-15,000 est

SOLD: $35,000

There was some grumbling mumbling

about how old these were....

The vanity set brought $40,000.

It's a look....

(See how I didn't use one bad

baseball joke or metaphor??

Are you proud of me?)

The downstairs viewing area was MOODY,

in a good way.

Richard Tuttle

Dining Table

1992

One last funny story....

I met a gentleman in my store yesterday

and while I was printing a memo for him,

he started looking through

the Phillips catalog that I had out on a table.

He saw the above table and decided he had to have it.

I saw him before the sale and we had a 

nice chat about it.

Afterwards I asked him if he had gotten it,

and he laughed and said 

he wasn't even close,

that it soared from a 15-20,000 estimate

to sell for $62,500.

We exchanged cards, 

and I don't know why I find this so funny,

but he was Carl Bernstein,

yes, that 

Carl Berstein.

Only in NYC....