This desk and stool, designed by Rena Dumas with Peter Coles for the Paris-based luxury brand Hermès, are made of pearwood, leather and polished brass, all lavish and sensuous materials. They are part of the firm’s Pippa furniture collection, along with eight other pieces. Space-saving collapsibility is a convenience not usually associated with luxury furniture....

  This past weekend was a terrific Cynthia Rowley/Johnson & Johnson extravaganza at Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Cynthia’s show at Lincoln Center was downright gorgeous, with stunning skirts perforated with geometric shapes and cabochon-covered fabrics with transparent cardigans and gauzy stockings. I sat behind Rebecca Romjin and Alan Cumming, which was fun, despite being...