Incollect Magazine - Issue 11

54 www.incollect.com Marshall Watson: Defining Elegance by Marshall Watson with Marc Kristal © 2025 Marshall Watson, published by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. Available through rizzoli.com and Amazon facing page: For a Florida oceanfront home on the Gulf of Mexico, Marshall Watson and team interpreted the beach narrative in an abstract, contemporary and lighthearted way, through texture, pattern and especially, reflected light. Nothing could improve on the extraordinary view of the ocean, except more of it. Translucent curtains with an ombré e ect shifting from white to blue at the point where the sky meets the sea deliver that visual e ect — when open, they expand the view, and when closed, they suggest what lies outside. In the dining area, a sandy-toned bleached ash dining table takes the shape of a sur oard, paired with a set of polished chrome Brno chairs. An icon of Bauhaus style, the Brno chair was designed in 1930 by Mies van der Rohe for his groundbreaking modernist Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, now fully restored and a UNESCOWorld Cultural Heritage site open to visitors. Above the dining table, the light sculpture suggests droplets of water, reflecting light and capturing views of the ocean in miniature. In the sitting area, clean-lined furniture forms are covered in subtly-textured white sand tones to balance the kinetic energy of the rug’s pattern, which suggests eddies of water left behind by a receding tide. The luminous plexiglas ‘Quark’ co ee table is a significant work of limited edition collectible design by French artist Emmanuel Babled. Chosen for its sculptural presence and the mesmerizing way it captures and bounces light, abstracting reflections and bringing dynamic energy to the center of the room, it is a stunning piece of functional contemporary art. Photo by Lisa Romerein right: Another view of the oceanside living/dining room, with sparkling glass, beachy tones and patterns reminiscent of the rhythms of the tide. Positive and negative space are contrasted to an intriguing e ect in the sculpted base of an oak center table. Floating above, a hand-blown, artisan-crafted pendant light of undulating stacked glass disks; on the table is a vase by Lalique. A pair of hand blown, hot-sculpted ‘Triple Obscura’ glass wall sconces by Brooklyn studio Eidos Glass flank the doorway, the “bubbles” of glass are another reference to the ocean nearby. Is it a beachball, a bubble or just a playful pouf? Contrasting textures and colors in a blue and white ottoman tie in to similar elements in the room, helping to create a sense of cohesion. The prismatic-e ect crystal cube sculpture is by contemporary glass artist Jon Kuhn, from his Matrix series. Photo by Lisa Romerein ‘Quark’ co ee table by Emmanuel Babled o ered by Twenty First Gallery, and ‘Triple Obscura’ wall sconce o ered by Eidos Glass can be found on Incollect.com