milan

Remote-controlled kitchens and other bad ideas

In case you didn't have enough remote controls in the house, designers are adding them to the kitchen. At Eurocucina, the biennial exhibition held in conjunction with the Milan furniture fair in Italy, several manufacturers showcased remote-controlled doors that slide to hide appliances or kitchen storage. Others such as Miton premiered kitchen islands with shelving units that popped up or down on cue; Gruppo Del Tongo showed a mirrored-finish island whose faucet lowered so part of the countertop could slide over to hide (partially) the sink. Because what you need more than a Transformers-esque island is a mirrored-finish Transformers-esque island.

Here's video of one example from Pedini (and apologies for cappuccino-withdrawal shakiness):

The islands-in-motion seem more novelty than necessity, but who knows: Next time I have a burning desire to hide spices, then maybe I'll consider buying that island. (Or maybe I'll just put them in a cabinet?) And I'm pretty sure that, as arduous as it will be close a door the traditional way, the process will take less time and energy than looking for another lost remote.

-- Craig Nakano, LA Times

earth day turns 40 on thursday

For Earth Day, 7 New Rules to Live By

1. It’s the climate, stupid.
2. You can never not do just one thing.
3. “Let them eat organic” is not a global option.
4. Frankenfood, like Frankenstein, is fiction.
5. “Green” energy hasn’t done much for greenery — or anything else.
6. “New Nukes” is the new “No Nukes.”
7. We are as gods and have to get good at it.

Get the details here in today's NY Times.

aesthetics

Why we care so much about our homes.

via 2 or 3 things

if only

via automatism

postcard from provence

Cherry orchards above les Couguieux
19cm x 11cm (7"x4½"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction -auction starts today and ends on Monday 19th April at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

Starting price: $100
To register or login to the auction visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com

deadline

Deadline by Bang-yao Liu. from Umberto Cigognini on Vimeo.

As a student at Savannah College of Art and Design Bang-yao Liu worked on this great 'pixel-like stop motion' animation, created by using only Post-its. To make this took about 3 months of planning, more than 6,000 Post-its and 4 days to shoot. By using clever interactions between the actor and Post-its, Bang-yao represents the constant struggle between time (deadlines) and the never-ending 'to do' lists in a fun and neat way.

via orange pop design

venice garden tour - may 1

Also coming up .....

Annual Venice Garden and Home Tour 2010

Saturday May 1, 2010 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

This annual event is a self-guided walking tour of Venice homes and gardens. This year's tour will feature 25-30 gardens and homes in the historical heart of Venice, Oakwood and the Palms, Milwood neighborhoods just a short stroll from the bustling activity of Abbot Kinney Boulevard and the beach community. This fundraising event that benefits the Neighborhood Youth Association's Las Doradas Children's Center in Venice, is an annual showcase of creativity that inspires California's homeowners, the one day of the year when dozens of private enclaves are open to the public.

In this foray into old and new, fast-changing Venice, the walking tour will wander through quiet, palm-shaded streets, dappled with sunlight, and peek into homes open to the environment and where indoor-outdoor living is the norm. These are the "secret gardens" of Venice, private oases sequestered behind inviting gates and doors, where homeowners seek peace and beauty in their carefully tended gardens hidden away from hectic Los Angeles.

The Garden Tour inspires landscapers and homeowner gardeners who are intrigued by the use of salvaged materials used in interesting ways, by an abundance of art, by bold splashes of offbeat colors - eggplant, mustard, rust – that add spice to old stucco or creamy white wood, and where solar panels pop up amid rooftop grasses adjacent to elegant Craftsman bungalows. Tour-goers will feel the Venice vibe, the constant activity of homeowners nurturing their vegetable gardens, creating their pockets of privacy, a community where residents actually talk to each other, introduce their dogs, where bikers spin by, clutching surfboards, and artists, interior designers, photographers do their work in home studios.

For more info go here.

should i stay or should i go

My absolute favorite store, SOLO, is having their annual warehouse sale next weekend. The trouble is that it's all the way down in Solana Beach, just north of San Diego.

It's a co-op with several "shops" under one roof. They have one of the best selections of architectural books and really great greeting cards. But the highlight for me is this "store" - Jennifer Price Studio - an eclectic collection of vintage industrial - better than anything I've seen in Los Angeles.

If I go, I'll most definitely stop in at my favorite nursery, Cedros Gardens, across the street.

Does anyone want to join me?

something to do - a reminder

little people street art

spilt milk

glory

the high life

the lair

See more here.

backyard love

Dreaming of a small private studio tucked behind your home, or a guest room, or a child's play space? Flexa Studio, an architect-designed 10-by-12-foot prefab structure, is an easy way to add extra space without the expense, disruption, or building constraints of an addition. All that's required is a foundation on which to bolt the structure (which comes preassembled or as a panelized kit). Designed by San Francisco architect Casper Mork-Ulnes (see Architect Visit: Mork-Ulnes in San Francisco) in collaboration with Houseplans.com, the eco-friendly structure uses FCS-certified lumber, recycled denim insulation, and prefabricated elements for minimal waste. Another great selling point: no permits. According to Houseplans, "in most jurisdictions, permits are not required for structures that are 120 square feet or less."Flexa Studio starts at $8,950 plus shipping.


via remodelista

lonny no. 4

Here

I especially liked Laurann Claridge's "Five House Rules" below. Go to page 173 to read them if you can't here.

family series from k studio

This is too cute!
It's not surprising that mother-daughter design team Shelly and Mary Klein would add the Family Series to their wonderful K Studio line.

You can immortalize your brood by logging on to www.Kstudiohome.com and selecting quirky characters that best resemble your family. The illustrations have a sweetness to them that will make you smile -- a good thing when it comes to kin.

Next, choose the item, fabric and stitch color you want. KStudio will then embroider your family to those specifications on a pillow, bag, tote or artwork. Even your dog, bunny or cat can be in the mix. In-laws are optional.

The Kleins' products are hand-made in their Grand Rapids, Mich., studio using 100% organically grown hemp and cotton.

Sample prices: The 14-inch pillow shown above starts at $134; 18-inch pillows are $152. Wall art begins at $134. Cotton totes begin at $48. Organic cotton totes -- another great gift idea -- begin at $48. A couple series is available -- perhaps as a wedding gift?

(616) 363-4993, kstudio@comcast.net

-- Lisa Boone, LA Times

goodbye to an american beauty

After four seasons of bright and noisy comic melodrama, Betty Suarez is leaving us to our own devices, as "Ugly Betty," which bowed in an explosion of color and fairy-tale tropes in the fall of 2006, rushes toward its end Wednesday night on ABC.

A multicultural fantasia that celebrated difference and the acceptance of difference, whether of race, class, sexual orientation or fashion sense, "Ugly Betty" was also unique in its tone, a mix of comedy and melodrama, the funky and the refined, the fanciful and the actual.

The show ends, as it began: a story of renewal, of identity claimed and proclaimed, of lighting out for the territories.

Read the entire story here.

they draw and cook

They Draw and Cook is a blog devoted to those that do both. Illustrators, artists & designers submit illustrated recipes to be posted on the site. A great idea in my opinion. You can go to the blog itself to see these in a larger size and maybe follow the recipes. Seems like there should be a book deal in there somewhere.

via where the lovely things are

team coco has landed

Conan O’Brien Will Do a Late-Night Show on TBS

The news comes as a stunner because Mr. O’Brien was known to be in talks with the Fox network, and most predictions had him moving there in September or January. Thank goodness that didn't pan out.

In a release accompanying the announcement Mr. O’Brien said: “In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.”

I hope he beats Jay Leno in the ratings - that would be justice!

Read the entire story here.

it's a small world

A recent article in the New York Times profiled two women, Christine Ferrara and Annina Gunther, making small modernist worlds, down to the most minute detail.

Check out the story here. And check out their two blogs, Call of the Small and Minutures by Annina.

night moves, 2:19 am

For the sleep deprived, the early hours of morning can seem like an endless expanse of boredom, blankness and unchartable territory. In his series of illustrations, “Insomniflows,” the artist Paul Davis maps the dark and desperate movements of an insomniac night.

From the NY Times.

hotel azucar in vera cruz, mexico

Named for the sugar cane grown in Veracruz, the sugary white Hotel Azucar is a Carlos Couturier project (the impresario beind some of Mexico's most stylish resorts). The hotel's 20 bungalows feature thatched roofs, locally made hammocks, and simple but chic furnishings. Especially unexpected are these touches: green glasses as key holders, galvanized metal buckets hung in the showers as shampoo holders and used on the patios as ice buckets, the Acapulco chairs strung with translucent vinyl cording.

Check out their fabulous web site, complete with roving ants, here.
Photos via Hotel Azucar, Remodelista and Jill Dupre Design.

life in topanga

A complete rainbow after a night of heavy rain.