Ok, first, I have absolutely no idea what a "Paper Boat Lighthouse Schnapps set" is. Paper boat? Really? Second, I really really wish that I hadn't read the whole lighthouse part. I liked it a lot better when I just thought of it as a white scandinavian looking carafe with a bold stripe of red. Faults aside, it really does look nice, especially if you pretend I never mentioned anything nautical, and for $29 you really can't go wrong.
A spot of beech, a pop of color, and everything is right with the world. At least, everything is right in the world of modern wall clocks, which I guess you can't really complain about. Right? Right.
Modern and Terracotta aren't two words that usually go together in my mind, but Swiss designer Tomas Kral is out to prove me wrong with these terracotta lamps.
Salt Lake has its fair share of hidden modern architectural gems, but perhaps one of the best is virtually unknown to locals, let alone the rest the world. The recently completed Saint Joseph The Worker Catholic Church is in my opinion, one of the best examples of modern architecture in the entire state. In fact, it's one of the better projects built anywhere in the last couple years. The background story to the project is just as interesting to me as the building itself. The original parish was a relatively conservative group, in a conservative state. The found an unlikely partnership with Sparano + Mooney a local architectural firm known for its modern aesthetic. Sparano + Mooney was able to connect with the client by infusing the design with symbolism until the parish felt a sense of ownership and pride in the design.
From specific details like the 12 amazing color windows that infuse the chapel with light, representing the 12 apostles, to broad but perhaps more subtle things like a material pallet of board formed concrete and cedar appropriate for Saint Joseph The Worker.
My favorite space is a small intimate chapel separate from the rest of the buildings. The interior is lined with cedar and light is funneled down into the space by a skylight positioned over the altar.
LOTS more photo's after the jump.
View from the parking lot looking into the main courtyard. Small chapel to the left, administrative area straight ahead and the main chapel to the right.
The small chapel with the cedar interior.
Inside small chapel.
Looking towards the back.
Main Chapel.
Projected color windows.
The two large concrete panels are from the original church that was built in the 60's.
1st photo courtesy of Sparano + Mooney. Additional photo's by Grassrootsmodern. See the entire photo set in HD here.
Dear Mr. McGowan,
I'm an avid "iPhone as an alarm clock" kind of guy, so it's nice to see that there are some options out there besides the standard issue. One of the newest on the block is the Hip Clock. It does all the things a good alarm app should do, plus it looks pretty. There is a classic analogue interface (shown above) or a flip clock or digital clock version. My favorite feature? Shake it to turn on the flashlight. Brilliant. All it is missing is a nice wooden stand to go on. I'm thinking something like this one I saw at ICFF.
In case you didn't already hear, Bludot absolutely killed it at ICFF this year, taking home the editors award for best body of work. They had a lot of new stuff that was all good, but my two personal favorites were the Dang Media Cabinet, and the Branch table shown above. They both touch on two different trends that I continue to see emerging in the modern world, a throwback to the mid century days, and a move towards more raw or "rustic" modern forms. Which do you like the best?
Big, colorful, felt appliqué pillows?? Don't mind if I do! My fave is the colored bars pillow followed closely by the mustard and cream asperand. The Catherine Holm-inspired version is pretty swell, too. Check 'em all out and let me know which one is your favorite!
I saw this picture circulating around recently from an article Martha Stewart did last year on kitchens. She called this the "bird's beak" style supports and said it was and old carpentry method. I have to admit, I'm quite smitten by it, although I do worry that it would be a huge dust collector. A quick search online only brings up references to the Martha Stewart article. Has anyone else seen this detail used elseware? Does it have another name? Love it or hate it?
I received an email from yet another fantastic Australian designer a few weeks ago. Kristian Aus recently designed a number of coat racks and pendant lights for a new Australian brand called UNDER. With the exception of wooden Dottie Coat Rack all of the items are made of cleverly bent powder coated steel and are available in several colors.
The whole concept of a mattress made specifically for a platform bed is something new to me, but it seems like there are several on the market claiming to be the best. A few months ago I was contacted by De Courcy and Company about their Hevea Grove and Invigo mattresses that were designed specifically for platform beds. The Hevea is a latex and foam mattress made in the USA that comes in 8", 10", and 12" sizes and wrapped in ecru cotton. They are sent me a vacuum packed Invigo to test out. So far I've been very impressed.
Today I received an email from Modernica touting the worlds best platfrom mattress. Made by Lief this one differs in that it is a coil spring mattress. It features 10 layers of foam, latex, wire coils all put together to make a complete package. I haven't had a chance to test one out yet.
So which is best? Ultimately I don't think you could know unless you had them side by side, but to me it seems like it comes down to spring coil or foam. Personally I'm a huge fan of latex/foam mattresses. Besides being more comfortable for me, they also pack down much smaller making transport more economical. Also, there is price to consider. A full/double Lief is $1,175, and includes free shipping. I'm not sure on pricing for the Hevea, but a full/double Invigo like I have is $565 plus free shipping on Amazon.
I think I ran across the build blog a few years ago, but I forgot all about it until this weekend. I was researching some details for an upcoming project I am starting on, and Build LLC's blog was a virtual goldmine of useful information. Build LLC is a Seattle based company that has been building wonderful modern environments for decades. My favorite thing about them is that they are more than happy to share all of their secrets, right down to the architectural details for different construction solutions. I bookmarked their baseboard detail and door jamb details to look at later. While I don't know that they are the ultimate solution, they are a good jump off point.
If you have a moment between hot dogs, may I suggest enjoying the visual stylings of Mr. Doug Hucker on this fine Memorial Day Monday? You won't regret it.
I absolutely LOVE these Alexander Girard Blocks from available from our new sponsor Module-r. As I mentioned yesterday, House Industries almost can't do wrong, and this is a great example of that. These were created in 2006 to coordinate with MoMA's exhibit on Girard.
I love the design of this beautiful chair, coffee table and screen from ITOKI Design. But what I love almost even more, is the story behind the material used.
In the 50's and 60's, Japan embarked on a nationwide effort to plant cedar trees for use in the domestic building industry. With new technologies and alternate materials, the need for cedar has declined precipitously, leaving these artificial cedar forests abandoned and decaying. Rather than clear and waste this once precious resource, the Japanese government has issued a mandate to make use of cedar in innovative ways. In Hida, a special process has been developed to compress by one third, the otherwise soft and weak cedar into sustainable strong boards. Itoki Design has partnered with Hida to imagine new and thoughtful products from this ancient yet reinvigorated material.
Pictures and story via Industrial Design Served
Nothin' wrong with a wood veneer prism / glass orb combo! Not in my book, anyway. What do you say, GRMers? Is there a slot in your book for this geo floor light?
House Industries is one of those companies that just can't go wrong. They continue to pump out fantastic art, objects and typography. The latest contribution is 15 new prints that are chock full of MCM goodness from Eames arrows to Neuhart hands. Each hand-pulled air-dried serigraph is printed and numbered in an edition of 33, so grab one before they’re gone!
Which one is your favorite?
What is it with Australians that makes them have such a good design sense? Do they send all their kids on a design walkabout or something?
Jardan, an Australian based wholesale manufacturing business, makes all sorts of wonderful goodies, from sofas and chairs to tables like the new Quincy table shown above. While they are principally only available down under through select retailers, they are happy to work with international customers looking to bring some of that design magic to the rest of the world.
I'm not quite sure why bamboo hasn't caught on more for kitchenware. It seems like a great idea, affordable, good for the environment, and able to be made in any color. Take this set of 5 bowls for example. Made from a bamboo composite. they come in natural shades of gray, blue, green, yellow, and burnt sienna. All that for $28.
In case you haven't noticed I'm really on a "craftsmanship" kick lately. While I am still passionate about affordable design, I find so much value in furniture that is well made. YLiving did a nice little interview recently on Chicago based Ali Sandifer Studio. While the article does focus a lot on the actual wood used to make their furniture, I think it's a good snapshot into the thought, time, and effort that goes into one piece of furniture. It sort of puts the $2,800 price tag into perspective a bit more.