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July 24th, 2008
I have long held a fascination with objects designed for ”special needs” populations. Collectively, the range of our special needs is unspeakably large, but several companies are determined to satisfy them, with designs and objects that I find heartening; someone has considered our daily challenges and came up with a 4-foot shoehorn for those who can’t bend down, an automatic card shuffler for those whose fingers aren’t deft, a hug machine for those who crave deep pressure but also face social phobias and need to control that pressure. This particular design field continues to grow: what are your favorite objects? What are your pressing needs?
Temple Grandin’s Hug Machine, made by the Therafin Corporation.
A sock aid
LoVision Playing Cards
Add Comment » Tags: , hug machine, special needs, temple grandin
July 22nd, 2008
Reminder: MOMA’s show on prefab architecture opens July 20
Larry Sass’ housing for New Orleans design
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July 22nd, 2008
Interiors in Film
What is your favorite cinematic interior? We can’t help but think of the obvious: Woody Allen’s “Interiors.” Apartment Therapy wrote a great post on the same.
Add Comment » Tags: , apartment therapy, film, interiors, movies, woody allen
July 22nd, 2008
Posters
If you’ve given up on what to give your favorite design-obsessive friend, family member, or lover, may we suggest a poster from Blue Ant Studio?
For the chair-minded:
Add Comment » Tags: , chairs, eye exam, posters
July 22nd, 2008
Design Field Trips
If you are starting to melt in the city or the confines of your perch in the country, here are a few fieldtrips worth taking:
Taliesin West
Founded in 1937 by Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona was FLW’s winter home and also a school, up until FLW’s death in 1959. Today, the site is used as a school for architects. Tours have expanded to include not only the original site, but also the small shelters designed by the program’s apprentices. (http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw_rt/Arizona/taliesin_west/taliesin_west.htm).
Glass House
These tours of the late Philip Johnson’s New Canaan home have been sold out since the house opened to the public in April 2007, but book now for 2009! The house was complete in 1949 and became a National Landmark in 1997.
Levittown
The first mass-produced suburb, built between 1947-1951 on land formerly used as potato farms. Though there were four Levittowns, in total (New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and New Jersey), the New York community was the largest and most famous. The houses were identical. The first 1,000 houses on the New York site were rented two days after an announcement of the project in the New York Times.
Storm King
[photo: tripcart]
Open-air sculpture park in Mountainville, New York with large-scale sculptures by contemporary sculptors including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alice Aycock, Mark di Suvero, Andy Goldsworthy, Alexander Liberman, Roy Lichtenstein, and Richard Serra [credit: Wikipedia]
Add Comment » Tags: , Frank Lloyd Wright, glass house, levittown, philip johnson, storm king
June 10th, 2008
Eileen Gray entered the design world with lacquer—literally. Born in 1878 in southeastern Ireland, Gray wandered into a lacquer repair shop in London, in 1905. By 1921, she had opened her own store in France. She became known for her lacquer work, and was popularly linked to the De Stijl movement as well.Her portrait [above] was taken by Bernice Abbott, in 1926, which was, itself, an accomplishment.
Furniture:
 
 
More information can be found on various sites, including this one.
Architecture:
 
[top: Gray’s own house, in southern France ; bottom: storage cupboards are built into ceiling recess]
photos courtesy of www.tangle.com and bonluxat.com
1 Comment » Tags: , bernice abbott, eileen gray, FURNITURE, lacquer
June 10th, 2008
Please come visit us at Neocon. We are at the Mart for one more day.
Add Comment » Tags: , CHICAGO, FURNITURE, NEOCON, NEW FURNITURE
June 10th, 2008
Love it or hate it, it’s coming. And it’s still causing controversy. As much as we love good design, we also love vital (and viable) waterfront areas, especially in the city. We will report back with a dispatch from the front line of the big box store in the city.
 
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May 27th, 2008
What is it about a very sharp pencil that makes for a feeling of possibility? If it only costs 59 cents to feel on top of the world, spend the 59 cents! We’ve found some kindred spirits at Pencil Revolution. They understand the “finer points.” In fact, they offer several reviews of the pencils featured below.
I’m a big fan of the “black warrior” pencils, by Mirado (featured above). 
You can write your name on this pencil!
[photos courtesy of The Pencil Revolution]
1 Comment » Tags: , Inspiration, MATTER, pencil revolution, pencils, writing
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