The AD Aesthete

Some of the most beautiful and affecting objects—a salt shaker, a stained glass panel—can carry an ugly thought, politically or socially. Mitchell "Micky" Wolfson Jr, a self-described preservationist whose collection of more than 70,000 treasures fill The Wolfsonian-FIU museum, always seeks a prismatic, human view to complete the portrait of these seemingly innocent items. Join us as we explore the stories behind a few of the rarest and fascinating pieces in his collection.

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With a passion for cross-collecting—that is, appreciating items from different time periods and genres—Philip Hewat-Jaboor, the founder of the glamorous British collector's fair Masterpiece London, has a lot to say about how observing the beauty in objects is as much about living with them as it is about looking at them. Listen in.

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Design historian and dealer Emily Evans Eerdmans is coordinating "Mario Buatta: Prince of Interiors," a much-anticipated auction of the late AD100 designer's belongings at Sotheby’s in January—nearly 1,000 lots’ worth. "Collecting is a very personal thing," Buatta, who died in 2018 at 82, once explained. "It relates to your childhood, it's about insecurity, and it's about wanting more." Join me and Emily in the studio as we explore the style of this timeless tastemaker.

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The Shingle Style of architecture, born in the late 1870s in the United States, has since been revived and recalibrated by successive generations of architects, from the Hamptons to France, even China. It was especially popular at seaside resorts, leading it to be called the architecture of the American summer. Discussing its invention and evolution with me are Tom Kligerman, a principal of the AD100 firm Ike Kligerman Barkley, architectural historian Willie Granston, and AD100 architect Robert A.M. Stern, who has been a leading proponent and inspiring reinventor of the Shingle Style since the 1970s. Join us!

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Since the 1970s, British photographer Derry Moore, who is also the 12th Earl of Drogheda, has been one of the world's most celebrated chroniclers of interiors and gardens. Some of his most iconic work has been produced for Architectural Digest over the last 30 years, as well as for The World of Interiors and other publications; and a selection of his legendary images for AD appear in the new book "AD at 100: A Century of Style." Derry and I worked together at the magazine Nest, and I was privileged to write the text for one of his books, "In House." Join us as we catch up on photography, publishing, and the pleasure of a well-lit room.

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Elsie de Wolfe, an American actress of the Gilded Age, became the most famous decorator in the world when she changed professions in 1904—and she's still a force in the field today, Her work and her work ethic has inspired many of today's leading interior decorators. Join interior designer Charlotte Moss, a longtime de Wolfe aficionado; cultural historian Charlie Scheips, the author of "Elsie de Wolfe's Paris: Frivolity Before the Storm"; and Gillian Davies, author of "Gender, Modernism, and Interior Design: Sex, Class, Home." Listen in! 

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Listen in as the superlatively knowledgeable Mitchell Owens, Decorative Arts editor at AD (@ADaesthete), talks with the greatest design-world talents of our time about all things aesthetic. From the legacy of iconic decorators to the promise of design’s future, his lively, bold, and engaging conversations truly appeal to a mixed audience of industry pros and design enthusiasts.

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