On the evening of November 29th, 2016, renowned luxury furniture brand Roche Bobois partnered with Ocean Drive magazine to co-host their Art Basel Miami Beach 2016 kick off celebration, “Art of the Party,” at Roche Bobois’ Wynwood location. Over 350 guests attended, eager to discover Roche Bobois and Ocean Drive magazine’s highly anticipated exhibition of “The Furtif Art Project,” as well as the unveiling of Ocean Drive’s December 2016 issue featuring host and cover star Heidi Klum .For this one-of-a-kind artistic collaboration, Roche Bobois and Ocean Drive called upon six notable talents who reimagined and transformed the iconic FURTIF desks into works of art by Heidi Klum, Venus Williams for V Starr Interiors, Kelly “RISK” Graval, Santiago Rubino, TYPOE, and AHOL, to raise money for one of Miami’s most notable and respected charity 0rganizations, Lotus House; the auction of Heidi Klum’s design will benefit UNICEF. The auction ran until December 5th on Bidding For Good. The event brought together a number of A-listers, designers, media influencers, and important members of the business and philanthropic sectors including Heidi Klum, Venus Williams, lead actors of the film VANDAL, Daniel Zovatto, Otmara Marrero, Manolo Vergara, Frankie Alvarez, and its Executive Producers Jaydee Freixas and Tony Gonzalez , ESPN’s Desmond Howard, artists Typoe, Santiago Rubino, Kelly “RISK” Graval, AHOL SNIFFS GLUE and more.
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The Roche Bobois Wynwood location was completely transformed for this special evening, featuring an outdoor area with two of the six redesigned FURTIF desks. A vibrant vignette of Roche Bobois’ BUBBLE sofas gave guests a relaxing space to watch live graffiti installation on the exterior wall of the building by renowned artist, Kelly “RISK” Graval. Footage from the RISK’s demonstration is planned to be included in the upcoming independent feature film about street art and its culture, VANDAL, produced by Jaydee Freixas and Tony Gonzalez. Two additional lounges were complete with colorful
MAH JONG sofas to provide intimate seating for guests and an exclusive VIP lounge for Heidi Klum. A Caroline Bay Bermuda Ritz Carlton Resort booth lounge was also on display where guests could sit and an enjoy an exclusive hour long performance by the renowned DJ, re-mix producer and MC of Major Lazer, Walshy Fire. Inside, guests discovered the remaining four desks on exhibit before placing their generous bids at the auction kiosk.
The FURTIF desk was the perfect canvas to bring the six artists’ visions to life and support a beautiful cause. Venus Williams noted, “Just like every match, point and opponent is different, the design for this desk required a similar approach. It must be viewed from a myriad of different perspectives to be truly seen and appreciated.”
Roche Bobois is a long term supporter of Lotus House, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth, and children. The charity, founded by Constance Collins, houses over 250 women and children on a daily basis where residents can live for up to a year, allowing these fragile families the time and tools needed to heal.
Photos Courtesy World Red Eye
Desmond Howard, Tony Gonzalez, & Kelly “RISK” Graval
Jared Shapiro, Heidi Klum, Julien Bigan, & Courtland Lantaff
About Roche Bobois:
Roche Bobois, a leader in high-end furniture, has always been known for its creativity, high quality, European know-how, and customization. Those values are brought to life through two distinct collections: Les Contemporains which embodies innovative and modern design, and Les Nouveaux Classiques which boldly reinvents traditional furniture, creating the classics of tomorrow. Much like the Fashion industry the company launches two furniture and accessories collections each year. Each furniture piece is born from a close collaboration between the brand, designers, and European manufacturers to bring the best of French Art de Vivre into one’s home. Founded in 1960 and with a network of over 250 stores in more than 50 countries, Roche Bobois has just celebrated its 40th anniversary in the United States. There are currently 27 locations in the US; the brand has recently introduced 3 new showrooms in Paramus, NJ, Aventura, FL, and Pasadena, CA and
continues to grow with an average of one new showroom opening every month worldwide. Experience French Art de Vivre at http://www.roche-bobois.com, http://www.facebook.com/rocheboboisusa, and on Instagram @rochebobois.
About Ocean Drive Magazine:
Ocean Drive magazine is the quintessential fashion and lifestyle magazine for South Florida, delivering the latest trends in fashion, beauty, art, travel, real estate, and entertainment. With its infectious glimpse into high and hip society, this glossy, oversized coffee-table book has become a staple in the homes of discerning, high-end audiences. Featuring sizzling content that is always ahead of the curve, Ocean Drive magazine delivers firsthand kno wledge of new trends and captures the essence of the American Riviera. Ocean Drive magazine is published by GreenGale Publishing LLC, publisher of
city-specific publications including: Aspen Peak, Austin Way, Boston Common, Capitol File, Gotham, Hamptons, Los Angeles Confidential, Michigan Avenue, Philadelphia Style and Vegas magazines
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Its custom publishing titles include Art Basel, Wynn, Maison & Objet, The Mall at Short Hills and The Mall of San Juan. Through its strategic distribution model and significant investment in verified data from Nielsen Claritas, GreenGale Publishing is the only regional, lifestyle publishing company that is guaranteed to reach the sophisticated and affluent audience in each of our cities. GreenGale Publishing titles exceed 13,000 pages with a combined annual distribution of 4.1 million copies nationally.
About Lotus House:
Lotus House is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women, youth, and children. Today, we house over 250 women and children (130 children) on a daily basis, where they are permitted to live free up to a year to give these fragile families the time and tools needed to heal, improve the quality of their lives on every level, achieve greater self sufficiency, and transition to their new homes. We serve over 450 women and children on an annual basis. Utilizing an innovative, trauma-informed, holistic format, Lotus House provides shelter and multi-faceted, comprehensive supportive services, including access to medical and mental health care, parenting education, counseling and parent/child therapy, life skills and educational advancement, job readiness training, and a host of enrichment activities from art and acupuncture to yoga and meditation offering alternative pathways to healing. In the dreams come true of those we serve, we are all
enriched by the fruit of their potential realized.