factory 20

In their own words:

At Factory 20, we offer exceptional and exquisite design without boundaries. We do not limit ourselves to a specific era in time or medium of art. We explore, we discover, and we exhibit our treasures. Let us help you redefine the use of antiques and vintage Modern furnishings to decorate your home or commercial space. Re-using existing furnishings, and re-purposing architectural artifacts is a great way to add warmth and character to your home.

 We offer design that is a melange of fantasy, thought and often a sensual outburst of our moods -- Moderne, Mid-Century Modern, Contemporary, Industrial, Deco, Streamline, Primitive, Turn-of-the-Century, Bauhaus, and Outsider Art. No run-of-the-mill designs. Only unique pieces, thanks to their intrinsic quality, originality and their history.
 
Beautiful, authentic pieces. Check out Factory 20.
 
Photos from Factory 20's webpage.  Discovered over on Frolic.

a read : the rise and fall of design within reach

Apartment Therapy just posted an exert of Jeff Chu’s Fast Company article titled ‘The Rise and Fall of Design Within Reach’. I drool over DWR unknowing of their shady reproductions. 

This opens up volumes on consumerism, buying power, artistic expression, protecting artistic vision, authenticity, inspiration vs. plegarism and so on.

N.S. I will probably still drool over DWR inventory, but will definitely do my homework should the day come that I could afford something there.

(Photo by Jonny Valiant)

toto : africa

vernacular : mapungubwe interpretation centre

Designed by Peter Rich, recipient of the second World Building Award at the World Architecture Festival, the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in South Africa is such a breath of fresh air.  Not only is it new, modern and organic, but its honest in its vernacular.  It is built to be a part of the natural environment as well as from local natural materials while at the same time representing the local culture.

Vist the World Buildings Directory for more information on the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre.

Peter Rich was overwhelmed to receive the World Building Award.  Quoted on ArchitectAfrica.com he said, "Architects need to be of service to a broader audience and to make changes so that it is not just one per cent of people who can afford to use an architect, and that is what excites me."  Rich and his work is new to me, but I do think I'll be watching him.

Peter Rich Architects is based in Johannesberg, South Africa.

one week

It may seen a little obnoxious (or tacky?) that's I've already posted a holiday wish list, but there's a reason for that.  You see, right after Thanksgiving I'll be leaving town and I won't return until right before Christmas.  That's right, I'll be missing out on all the holiday festivities and shopping expeditions.  Instead I'll be in Tanzania experiencing safari in the Serengeti and lounging in Zanzibar.  Only one week left. (insert excitement here!)

(Photography from Sterling Riber)

sticks

After The Blair Witch Project came out, a lot of my friends questioned 'my thing' for sticks.  I don't know where 'my thing' for sticks came from or when it quite started, but I've always loved the form and lines of wood.  In high school I started collecting sticks.  I would arrange them into collages and hang them on my bedroom walls or make butterfly wings out of bent willow branches with dream catcher centers.  I would leave them about my room in still lifes with stones and paint brushes. 
Today, I still collect and create art with sticks (although most people have forgotten the creepy similarity to the Blair Witch Project).  When I see pictures of natural wood on design blogs or in shelter magazines, I feel a little akin to whoever put that stick there. 

(Fernanda Bourlot from decor8)

(Frank Roop)

(Always one of my favorites: James Merrell)

(Kelly Ishikawa photo via Remodelista)

(unknown)

(Lincoln Barbour)

Lili Diallo's NYC loft via Apartment Therapy

(From Remodelisa)

(Napanee Design's Highcliff Capilano Home)

(Patric Johansson)

wish list : this holiday season

Bern Bike Helmet from REI

I don't wear spandex while I ride my bike so I think a helmet like this would be perfect.

Nikki McClure's webpage and products for sale.

Nikki McClure is an amazing artist out of Olympia Washington who creates images with incredible precision and clarity by cutting sheets of paper with an x-acto knife. She really captures the human spirit and inspires me to be a positive force in my community. 

I used to create a lot of art projects with wood: paintings on sticks, embelished walking sticks, mobiles and so on. Years ago I inherited an ancient drill from my Dad so that I could hang pieces on the wall or hand things on the sticks.  Since then I've collected quite a catalog of natural materials such as stone, bone and shell that I really need to manipulate for future projects. So for this holiday season I will be requesting a Dremel Rotary Tool and their Workstation that mounts the tool into a drill press setup.  I'm totally convinced that this will revamp my creative juices.

NineWest

The quest for the perfect black boot will continue this holiday season.

principle : emphasis

(floto+warner via Coco Kelley)

(James Merrell)

(Jenny Francis)

(Jeremy Levine)

(Malcolm Davis' Stable Cafe)

I love good bones and wonder why they all so often are hidden behind gyp-board or who-knows-what.  I think some of the best design goes easy on the 'design elements' and simply emphasizes the bones.

principle : vernacular

Shibam is an ancient city in the Hadramaut region of Yemen.  It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and often referred to as "the Manhattan of the Desert".  This amazing display of vernacular architecture is almost exclusively built of mud bricks.  Each tower ranges from 5 to 11 floors and some are as high as 100 feet.

In October of last year (2008), a devastating storm hit the Yemeni coast distroying many of the these towers as well as dwellings in surrounding villages.  As a result, many inhabitants were buried.

I only hope that the loses in this region were minimal enough that the communities can rebuild, both within themselves dealing the lose of family and friends and in the physical realm of their homes and cities. 

(Information and photos from Boston.com and Wikipedia.com)

element : textiles

Which element do textiles fall into: texture, pattern, color?  And what about principle: scale or emphasis?

Ethnic textiles have been popping up on the web lately in new and exciting designs.  No longer do they stand out as cliche or cheap decorations (am I the only one who hung bohemian tapestries in their dorm room?). 

Today, designers are mixing ethnic with modern and glam; emphasizing texture, pattern and color to create scale in otherwise minimal spaces.  People are creating contrast in their space as a reflection of who they are or what they've experienced.  And isn't that the truth: there's just so much out there that represents who we are, why just settle for one style to express ourselves?
I myself love to travel and have collected enough textiles to open my own flea market.  Through restraint, though, I think I've been able to achieve something of this Ethnic Modern seen below. 

(alissahunsker via style-files)

(Elle Decor)

(Elle Decor)

(Unknown via the style-files)

(Kim's kitchen remodel on desire to inspire)

(Antony Todd)

(from bobointriguingobjects.com)

element : color

Seen on Stephmodo yesterday, the Peintures Ressource 1950's paint collection is perfectly edited. 

I generally use standard U.S. brand paints (low VOC, of course), but this French brand's palette based on the British Standard Institute's color chart is spot on. 

The colors chosen for the exterior of my house have comparable counterparts here in the upper right hand box (body) and the center lower box (trim). 

For the past couple years I've felt my interior color was 'off'.  It's close, but not quite right.  It has a little bit too much orange in it, but I get so bogged down in the fan-deck that I haven't been able to choose another hue.  The above spectrum simplifies the color wheel enough for me so that I can now see what direction I should be going: from the upper center to the upper right.  I'll try to post some color swatches soon.

beyond the floor : concrete

Working for a commercial concrete company, a girl ends up with more knowledge of the product than most.  Needless to say, I'm more than a little excited to see concrete move from structural floors, to decorative floors, onto the countertop and beyond. 


Yesterday's post shows an amazing application in the kitchen surrounding the fridge.  Below are more ways in which concrete is expanding its potential in the residential and decorative fields.

(Fernau & Hartman Architects)

(An 18th century house in the French Basque countryside.)

(Steps in a bathroom.  Source unknown.)

(Sunken tub.  Source unknown.)

(Christopher Gaona.  Probably a terrazzo floor although polished concrete floors are becoming really popular.)

(Gaelle Le Boulicaut. Cast in place and stunningly minimal.)

Concrete is so versatile.  I love how the white and grey tones really let the architectural detailing stand out.  The possibilities are limitless though: stains and pigments, vertical or horizontal, structual or decorative.