ArtStar Tastemaker: Lonny's Executive Editor Irene Edwards

 ArtStar sat down with Irene Edwards to dish on design hacks (gold paint and Home Goods made the list), her playlist, and the classic conundrum- lucite vs lacquer.

ArtStar: What is your favorite design hack right now for the aspirational buyer on a budget?
Irene Edwards: Gold spray paint is so cheap and so genius. Here's a recent Lonny post for inspiration!

AS: Who is on your Spotify playlist?
IE: I can't help it, I'm a child of the '90s. Gang Starr, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest... and I can't stop playing Solange's EP for irresistibly danceable jams.

AS: What are your top 3 favorite shops for design and why?
IE: Such a hard question. Impossible to answer, really. I love them all: dusty antiques stores, luxe showrooms, mass-market retailers with interesting collabs... Since I really can't commit to three all-time favorites, I'm going to name three that instantly come to mind. Nickey Kehoe in Los Angeles; John Rosselli Antiques on New York's Upper East Side; the Marché aux Puces in Paris. Bonus round: One Kings Lane, Muji, and my guilty pleasures, T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods. I love a great find and a really specific point of view.

Nickey Kehoe Shop in Los Angeles

AS: What is your favorite piece of furniture in your house?
IE:The Danish midcentury teak dining table that my husband and I bought from a dealer when we moved back to New York with nothing to our name but clothes.

AS: Any tips on how to use art in a home?
IE: I'm sure there are a lot of great expert tips on how to hang or display properly in a room. I just try to surround myself with what I love, whether it's a piece I've scrimped and saved for—one example is hanging over my fireplace right now—or smaller, inexpensive pieces that still give me a lot of pleasure. I like to create an interesting dynamic with juxtapositions, almost like a conversation in a room. And I try to balance a fuller gallery wall with other spaces that feel more centered on one great piece.

AS: Lucite or Lacquer?
IE: Both! If pressed to choose, I guess I'd say lacquer. It's one of those surfaces that I could never get tired of.

From Lonny Magazine 2011. Photo credit Patrick Cline

IRENE'S PICKS ON ARTSTAR:

• Louise in the Pool, Jeremy & Claire Weiss: Reminds me of the best kind of summer vacation.
• Youth Industry, Alex Farnum: Because who doesn't love camo and an old-school boombox?
• A Girls Bookshelf, Kendyll Hillegas: Once a bookworm, always a bookworm.
• Greenland #58, Zaria Forman: This Brooklyn-based female artist is such a stud.
• Surf Shack, Alex Farnum: Makes me just want to be there.
• Sails IIX, Jonathan Chritchley: Graphic and so compelling in its simplicity.
• Reflection, Jvdas Berra: Painterly and artificial in the best possible way.
• Architectural II, Charles de Vaivre: Almost sculptural in its composition.
• Royal Light II, Georgianna Lane: Because I'm a sucker for a chandelier.
• Until the Surf Calms, Alex Farnum: Again with the surfers, I know. I just find them so beautiful and otherworldly in what they do. 

Youth Industry Alex Farnum	Louise in Pool Jeremy & Claire Weiss	Until the Surf Calms Alex Farnum
Royal Light II Amelia Bauer	Architectural II Charles de Vaivre	Reflection Jvdas Berra