Lately I've been really enamored with facets and geometry. With that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and declare that this Large Block Clock by Such + Such is amazing. Each clock is made from North American hard maple and is individually numbered.
I am loving these "wild head" prints that Bongo Design did a while ago. Actually I love pretty much everything that Bongo has been doing lately. If you're not familiar with them, check them out.
I've been eyeing these fantastic lamp shades from Mod Pieces for a few weeks now, and I'm officially ready to give them two thumbs up. Fiz & Foster have a fantastic collection of bright geometric shades that are just the thing to brighten up your room. Which is your favorite, Houndstooth, Navaho Print or Lattice?
Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM is SL Modern's fall tour. It will be held at Snowbird ski resort, and will include a tour of Utah's only modernist resorts with one of the original architect/planner Ray Kingston. For those of you in Salt Lake this is a once in a lifetime chance to get all the details about what went into this amazing resort.
Not in Utah? No problem. Check out the docomomo website to find a modern tour near you.
Buy tickets and get more information about the Snowbird event on SLModern.org
You can also get more great information about Snowbird's modern architecture here.
Photo's via SLModern.org
Best Made threw the whole internet into a tizzy when they first released their equally beautiful and functional axes. At least I assume they are functional. Chances are if you are going to take one into the woods to let your inner Paul Bunyan out, you might want to keep that pretty thing protected while in transit. Enter the new Best Made Canvas Axe Case.
Coincidently, if you'r not looking to drop a bunch of money on a Best Made Axe, check out my friend Chris's tutorial on how to make your own DIY painted axes.
Best Made Canvas Axe Case $110
I know I'm getting lazy posting lately. I'm super busy working on some new things including some updates to the site, and getting licensed to sell (modern) homes in Utah. Hopefully my posting frequency will pick back up soon, in the meantime enjoy this video of Arne Jacobsen.
Just a quick shout out today for micklish. I posted about them a few months ago, and I'm totally stoked to see them on Fab today. This is really the heart of indie manufacturing in the US today. One guy designing and making beautiful products. Support your local designer and go buy some stuff on Fab.
While you're at it, like them on FB too.
It's been a little while since I posted about Toast's iPhone covers. Since then it seems like there has been plenty of competition in the area. Well it looks like they are stepping up the game once again, this time with the iPad. I really love this look. Huge props for the subtle relief on the sides so that they form to the case better. Part of me almost feels like this is the way the iPad should have come from Apple. Of course this is one of those things where real life experience can make it or break it, so if you get a chance to see one of these in the wild, let us know. Available in walnut or white washed ash.
Toast iPad cover $45
I've always been a fan of quilts ever since I was a kid. For one Christmas I remember the only thing I wanted was to have my mom make me a nice heavy quilt. Lucky for me she delivered, unlucky for me I picked out a black and forest green flannel. Flash forward 20 years and my mom and I are still talking about quilts. Luckily our taste has evolved and there are some amazing modern quilts out there. If you haven't seen the work of Barbara Perrino you are seriously missing out. She was nice enough to recently send some pictures of her latest work my way. Check them out below.
I'm always interested to see what takes off on Kickstarter, and what doesn't. The Jack planter above seems like something that should be super successful. It's playing to the MCM vibe, filling a market that is relatively untapped (outdoor modern planters) and is reasonably priced. What's more, the campaign seems very transparent in that the majority of the money is going straight to the people actually building the things. Last and not least, they only need $6,200 to be funded. That's not much for a kickstarter campaign. Sadly so far it has only received $1,400 of funding and it only has 7 days left.
Love it? Support it.
If you don't think it should be funded, let us know why in the comments.
Everyone loves Best Made. Sure at first it was all pretty axes, but now they have branched out quite a bit. Their latest release is this Duck Canvas Utility Tray. So what say you? Another home run?
Available in a small 6.5" (d) or large 10" (d).
Best Made Duck Canvas Utility Tray $26 - $32
There are a few constants in my life lately, namely I'm in love with brass, and I'm a sucker for bottle openers. Obviously I fell in love with this one.
Hand carved from wax, these brass bottle openers are left unfinished to allow a unique patina to develop over the facets and textures in each handle. The wide opening allows the head to land firmly on the top of any bottle.
I own a few brass bottle openers (told you I'm a sucker) and one of my favorite things about them is the weight. I have a feeling this one wouldn't disappoint either.
Bottle Opener from Fort Standard $73
A few weeks ago I went to the Park City Arts Festival. For some reason arts festivals always sound exciting and interesting but inevitably end up having the exact same things I saw the year before. Really, how many different booths do we need for wooden cutting boards made out of different types of wood?
The one shinning star that did stand out was Robert Siegel's ceramics. Sure they weren't totally original, we've seen similar designs from Pigeon Toe ceramics and others, but amongst all the other booths it was a beautiful thing to see. Make sure you check out his Kauai collection shown above as well as his standard line.
All of his prices are very reasonable for a hand made product.
Here is a Kickstarter project that was destined for success from day one. First off it's designed by one of my favorite designers Eric Pfeiffer. Second, it holds wine, which everyone loves. Third, it looks great. The fantastic photos that accompany it don't hurt at all either. The STACT modular wine rack is made of aluminum and your choice of wood, and is a modular system that can grow and move with you. It puts your bottles on display, and equally important, close at hand.
The Kickstarter project still has 28 days to go and has already doubled the funding it needs to get off the ground. Mark my words folks, this is your chance to get it for a great deal. After this I bet it will still be produced but prices will go up.
STACT modular wine rack, starting at $95.
It's been over a years since I first wrote about the potential demolition of the Prudential Federal Savings and Loan building in Salt Lake City. Since then the issue has mostly been out of the public light, but thankfully in the last few weeks there has been some discussion around the issue. Today the Salt Lake Tribune ran an article discussing the potential loss of the this great piece of Mid Century Modern architecture. It's interesting to see that almost all of the comments are in favor of saving the building.
If you would like to know more about the building, I'd urge you to read the short article about it on SaltLakeArchitecture.blogspot.com
Want to get involved. It's easy, start by sending Mayor Ralph Becker a message to let him know what you think.
*Top 3 images via saltlakearchitecture.blogspot.com
Photo by Julius Shulman from Art in Architecture - by Louis G. Redstone, FAIA
Artist: Tom Van Sant, "Birds in Flight," 100 birds with wingspread of 4 feet, attached to three bronze-encased stainless-steel rods, each 120 feet high (electrode posited - bronze process developed from the aircraft industry); theme symbolic of seagulls which saved Morman crops by eating locusts, 1964
I stumbled across these three affordable modern side tables on Overstock.com today and figured they were worth sharing. As is always the case, you get what you pay for, but at least your not paying much. The Dyer End Table (above) has a great simple wire base and a "engineered wood" top with a basswood veneer. The consensus in the reviews seem to back up the fact that it's solid. If the top doesn't age well, hit up your local stone yard for a marble remnant.
The Triplet Round Glass Top with Tripod Base end table (talk getting literal with the names) is also a looker. The chrome and glass give it a much more contemporary look than the Dyer above. Again the reviews are almost all positive with most of them making comments on how sturdy it was. Again at $60 the price is right.
Sometimes I like it a little rough. I suspect in fact that many of you do. The latest trend in modern furniture is using reclaimed and less polished materials in contrast to clean modern forms to create an interesting visual tension. Feeling the olympic spirit, UK based James Henry Austin designed a range of furniture built from salvaged sports hall flooring (that a gym floor in case you wondered). The lines are simple and often even traditional but the execution and presentation are just right to make it modern and interesting.
I'm not sure whether it's better to describe Vanessa Gade's work as wearable sculpture or jewelry, but either way I'm in love. She combines simple materials and simple shapes to make breathtakingly beautiful pieces of art. This year at Dwell On Design she introduced her new FORME line which explores more organic geometric shapes. She draws inspiration from her surroundings, everything from flagstone pathways to the overlapping power lines of the MUNI train in San Francisco.
A special thanks to Vanessa for sending me a beautiful necklace (above) for my girlfriend*.
It's been a while since I have found some life changing technology. I recently upgraded to OSX Mountain Lion and ended up migrating back to a few core Apple applications (Mail, Safari). In the process I've been on the hunt for an elegant looking RSS reader so I can keep track of the few blogs I follow on a regular basis. I wanted something web based that would sync across multiple devices, and did I mention I wanted it to look good? Luckily I stumbled upon Feedly. The web based app is available on Chrome, Safari and Firefox (as well as most smartphones), and looks amazing on all of them. It works by syncing up with your Google reader account and presenting all the blogs you follow in a beautiful layout. I'm only a few days into using it but so far I'm absolutely in love. It has a robust set of shortcuts and different configurations to make it fit your needs.
Get your reading list jumpstarted by importing my list of sites below to google reader by downloading this file (right click save). Update your google reader account then sync with Feedly. Instructions here for google, and here for Feedly.
So what blogs do I follow?
Here is where I have to make a confession. For being a modern interior design blogger I'm absolutely horrible at following fellow bloggers. Part of it is that I don't want to be that guy that just re-blogs awesome things that I find on other sites, and part of it is that I'm just lazy. That being said, I would encourage everyone to check out the following blogs if you don't already.
I feel like that little group has been and will continue to be the core of good design blogs out there. I may have missed one or two (did I mention I'm lazy?), if I did, let me know in the comments.
Now on to what I follow daily. It's a good mix (for me anyway) of design, fashion, and other visually interesting sites. In no particular order…
Build is a Seattle based architectural firm that specializes in Modern and Mid Century modern design. What I really like about the Build Blog is that it reminds me of the good old days of "modernism" online. When I first started blogging 7 years ago Dwell had some amazing forums full of architects and designers that were willing to share all of their trade secrets to further the cause of modernism. Unfortunately the forums were axed, and that helping community disappeared. Build is the last breath of those old days. On their blog the share their philosophy of "everything it needs to be and nothing more" and how that translates to everything from cabinetry to gutter details. Their posts on baseboard details and modern door jambs are a must read for anyone interested in modern interiors.
Hopefully you know about the Sartorialist already. It's a fashion website. More accurately it's a blog by photographer Scott Schuman who has an amazing eye for street fashion. I think his photography is beautiful, and I love seeing the world through his eyes. He goes to lots of great places and always manages to catch great shot's of beautiful people dressed interestingly. One caveat. Don't bother reading the comments.
Another fashion blog. Technically mens fashion and lifestyle blog. Jamison Aweau does a great job curating the site, and he has great access to all sorts of interesting people and places.
More Scandinavian design than you can shake a stick at. I've been fairly obsessed with minimalist yet natural Scandinavian design for a while now, and Emmas blog fulfills all my cravings.
OK, I'm going to be absolutely honest here. I have absolutely no idea what the Shiny Squirrel is all about. All I know is that it is chock full of pretty pictures I like looking at. Nothing wrong with that right?
New City Movement is a local blog by my dear friend Jesse Walker. He is an accomplished graphic designer and DJ and has been a stalwart member of SLC's in crowd for years. It's great to see my little city through his eyes, and stay up to date with what is cool.
Speaking of locals, there are some new kids in town in SLC and they have been ripping it up. City Home Collective is a Realtor/Creative design group based in Salt Lake City. They do a lot more than just sell homes though, the sell lifestyles. They are constantly seeking out what's cool in Salt Lake and actually make me pretty damn proud to be living in this town.
This is a top secret blog for locals only. Dallas is semi local (Ogden technically) and has an incredible eye for finding "stuff". He sells it all locally for crazy cheap prices, and if you see it on his blog first, you get half off. Seriously. I'm greedy. Don't tell anyone about this site.
My buddy Gale turned me on to this site about a year ago. It's what he calls "soul modern" which I think is an amazing way of describing the aesthetic. It's full of wonderfully minimalistic interiors that actually feel warm and inviting. Almost an american version of scandinavian design.
Yet another mens lifestyle/fashion blog. I particularly like the way editor Michael Williams dissects fashion and what he likes about the things he shares. For someone like me just dipping his toe in fashion it's nice to get a full breakdown on things. It helps me bridge the gap between "I really like that look" and "I really like that look because of X and Y".
I've been following Jason Gregory since he first started his leather goods company Makr. Since then he has grown into a thriving business of "carry goods" and he is even cracking into product design and interior design. What the secret to his success? He has an amazing eye, and he's able to convert that vision into real world goods. His blog is a combination of updates from the shop, sneak peaks of up coming products, and loads of amazing photography. I would be lying if I said I didn't absolutely love his ongoing collection of tasteful female nudes. (speaking of which have I ever mentioned I have a tumblr page?) Let that stand as your NSFW warning.
The Brick House has been around for 4 years, which is a long time in blog years. Morgan doesn't post often, but when she does it's really quality stuff. Her house is fantastica and full of money saving DIY projects. Her writing style is matter of fact and unapologetic. Oh, and she has a soft spot for brutalism. Is that an oxymoron somehow?
Like her style and need a fix more often? Follow her on Tumblr.
Personal blog of Jessica Define, Hello Define covers a wide swath from Americana to Type Fonts. Like all of the above blogs she has an amazing eye, and makes me feel like a cooler person for having read her blog.
Guys like stuff. At least I like stuff. Uncrate has rad stuff. According to their banner it's a "Digital magazine for guys who love stuff, five awesome new things are posted every day". I'd say I sincerely want about 30% of what they post, which is pretty good in my eyes.
So, that's my short list. Now tell me what I'm missing. SHARE IN THE COMMENTS PEOPLE!
I've mentioned before my infatuation with bags, but did I admit I love shoes too? A year ago I bought these great Allen Edmonds that I absolutely adore. The natural coloring on them is what won me over. Well last week I decided it was time to retire my Nau messenger bag and get something a little smaller to carry to work everyday. I've been wanting a good quality leather satchel for years, so I took it as a sign from the gods that I had just gotten a 30% off code at Bonobos and they had the BillyKirk School boy satchel in stock. The hefty price tag and a bad review almost discouraged me from pulling the trigger, but ultimately I decided it was just too irresistible. I've only had the bag for about a week now, but I'm absolutely ecstatic about it. The quality seems superb, the leather is beautiful and soft, and it happens to match my shoes almost perfectly. I snapped the above instagram picture in the elevator the other day when I first noticed it.
Billy Kirk School Boy Satchel $365
On the other end of the financial spectrum, right before I went to New York last week I picked up this little duffel made by a local company Springbar. They usually make heavy duty waterproof canvas tents, and this Basic Duffel is made out of the same waterproof canvas. Basic is a great word to describe it too. It's pretty much a no frills duffel, it doesn't even have a shoulder strap. The canvas is amazing though. It's a great blue/green/gray color, totally waterproof, and strong as hell. Oh, and the $17 price tag is pretty sweet too.
