Posted February 12th, 2010 by rachelh
I usually don’t try to theme the Friday Wrap-up, because on most weeks I would have to pass up more interesting items in order to do so. This week though, the theme seems to have written itself – “Is It or Isn’t It?”
So please ponder the following posts I ran across this week, and leave a comment (or two or three) with your thoughts on what you’ve read.
Image by Robert Wright for the New York Times
First up, Treehugger writes about a designed to the teeth 178 sf apartment. Is it good sustainable design because it is small, or bad design because it is cluttered with objects only there for appearances?
Next up… Is it a table? Is a child’s playroom filled with electronics really for play? Is wood made to look like reclaimed wood still green? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted February 11th, 2010 by rachelh
I think someone dreamed up these lovely lamps after sipping a few too many Pina Coladas on the beach…
“I know”, they must have thought, “What if we use all this seaweed lying around on the sand, stick it on top of a coconut tree and call it a lamp?”*
Thankfully, the designers at Chista obviously waited till after vacation to put pen to paper, because the resulting lamps are quite elegant. The bases are made of sustainable coconut wood, which gives them a wonderful grain pattern, as well as a pleasant warmth and character. The shades are woven of seaweed and linen. Yes, seaweed. I admit to never having seen seaweed used in this way, but considering the results, I hope to see a lot more of it soon. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted February 2nd, 2010 by rachelh
One of my fondest memories from childhood was visiting my Grandmother Jean’s home in Alabama. A talented architect, she had designed her house with plenty of character, including a living room where a large pine tree grew up from the floor, and right through a hole in the roof. It was pure magic to a girl of nine. Every once in a while a squirrel would squeeze through the weatherizing that circled the tree, climbing down for a looksie. Next to this tree was a window seat, where I would spend hours curled up, reading stories like “A Secret Garden”, imagining how I would one day have my own home where the outside was invited in.
If I ever do build that home of my imagining, I will ask artist Laura Spector to make me a stairway as enchanting as this one she created for the Singer Home in Pound Ridge, New York. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted January 18th, 2010 by rachelh
Cabbage Chair, prototype. Oki Sato, Photo: Masayuki Hayash
If you’re going to be in New York between May 14th, 2010 and January 9th, 2011, you must go to see “National Design Triennial – Why Design Now?” , at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
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Posted December 11th, 2009 by rachelh
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Ben Franklin
Peppered throughout with quotes like that above, “Downtown Chic”, from Sixx Design, is equal parts inspiration, design philosophy treatise, and how-to book.
Robert and Cortney Novogratz began their path into the design world as passionate amateurs, seeking to convert a dilapidated brownstone in Chelsea into a warm and eclectic home in time to welcome their first child into the world. Now, many projects (and six kids) later they have developed a thriving design business in New York City and environs.
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Posted November 13th, 2009 by rachelh
Photo via Branch Home
The season of giving is approaching quickly, and Treehugger has put together a fun slideshow of sustainable furniture and other gifts to warm a green designer junkie’s heart.
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