2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

New from Mebel Furniture

New from Mebel Furniture! The Lubin Lounge Chair and cool coordinating Side Table. As usual, Mebel combines strong lines in solid wood pieces to make a bold statement in any room.

NEW STUFF from from NY International Gift Fair

Greetings straight from the NY International Gift Fair! There is so much to see, but wanted to take a break and update everyone some new things I have seen so far:

Angela Adams super soft and shaggy rugs are fabulous in new patterns and colors. A sneak peek:

Fold Bedding: Wallter has a new Hex pattern with pic of Linda & Max from Fold.

New lighting from Pablo with pic of Pablo himself.

Twenty2 New Pillows with pic of Kyra & Robertson Hartnett.

New Fold Bedding Premium Collection

New from a favorite, FOLD Bedding. Their Premium Bedspread Collection is created in a square which allows for the stripes to be placed either way across the bed, vertical or horizontal, depending on what works best in the bedroom. In the standard FOLD Bedding bold and geometric patterns in fabulous fine wool flannel. So cozy for sleeping in this winter.

Modern Kids Bedding

Bright and modern with hand applique and embroidery. Every kid would love a zoo inspired room. The Paradise-Zoo Collection from Koko is has influence from other cultures and uses all natural fibers.

 

The Standard : L.A.

The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles...another must stay, or at least drink, hotspot in Los Angeles.

The one time corporate headquarters for the Superior Oil Company, this 12 story 1952 building was sitting vacant for 10 years, before Hotelier Andre Balazs tranformed it to the uber-chic hot spot that it is today.

Andre Balazs : Hotelier + Hottie!

Elements of the old corporate structure still exist to add to its flare. It has very cool, modern rooms and the SKY BAR is a lot of fun...always.

The Sky Bar

The Standard Downtown LA

Kumi Kookoon Luxury Bedding

Check out these amazing silk luxury sheets, duvets & throws by Kumi Kookoon. Recently featured in all sorts of style magazines, this bedding is amazing. Pure "Heaven's Silk" is the highest quality silk available. Great for people with skin allergies or sensitive skin.

Alea Modern Office

Here is another modern office design company that I really like: ALEA OFFICE

Alea was formed in 1972 and are located in Venice with a network of resellers/implementers worldwide.

Many times, companies have tons of lines and never get rid of old ones, making it confusing and cluttered with crummy design. Alea has 6 lines currently:

Zefiro.exe
Zefiro.sys
Galileo
Marcopolo
Teatro
Allbox

Honestly, you could go with any of them and come out looking like a star. I like their craftsmanship, choice of materials, design style and innovative use of color.

Global Contract

I stopped by a friend's new modern office space yesterday in downtown San Francisco. They space and layout had changed so much since I was there only a few months ago. They are growing rapidly, so they are constantly rearranging their configuration. It looked good though! Clean and contemporary. He planned it all with Global Contract.

Global Contract makes office systems, seating, tables and accessories. Many of their lines use eco-friendly policies and 100% recycled material.

Viceversa

Evolve System

1413 Mid Back Stacking Chair

John Entenza

I have been somewhat of a Modern Architecture book fiend of late, so I thought I would share another little gem with you...

Arts & Architecture: The Entenza Years. (1998) An anthology of articles published from 1938 to 1962. Works by Craig Ellwood, Charles Eames, George Nakashima, Konrad Wachsmann, etc. Originally published in 1990 by MIT.

This anthology consists of various articles from one of America's most famed architecture magazines. Published and edited by John Entenza from 1938 until 1962, Arts & Architecture played a significant role both in Los Angeles's cultural history and in the development of American modernism in general.

  John Entenza with Charles Eames

Arts & Architecture was the first American magazine to popularize the work of Hans Hofmann, Craig Ellwood, Margaret DePatta, George Nakashima, Bernard Rosenthal, Charles Eames, Konrad Wachsmann, and many others.

It also embodied the highest standard of graphic design attained by an American art magazine of its time, employing the talents of such designers as Alvin Lustig, Herbert Matter, and John Follis.

The articles cover modern design, architecture, photography, music, and visual arts. They explore the culture that led to the famous Case Study House program, and feature industrialized and postwar tract housing, as well as houses designed by the Case Study House architects during the same era as the program.

2006 Wall Color Trends

Kitridge Opal ("Kit"), San Francisco and Marin's "Master Colorist" has shared with me some of the hottest color trends and tips on selecting color for your walls this year.

Trends are toward strong and deep colors. A hot combo is Rich Browns teamed with Aqua - a flashback from the 50's. He recommends rich Kaffe SW6104 (Sherman Williams) and blue Interesting Aqua SW6220 or Meditative SW6227.

Plum is also a great. Rich plums that lean on the "bluer" are his favorites. Try Plum Brown SW6272, Deepest Mauve SW0005, or Damson Plum SW2701. These great neutrals look good with many different colors that may be in your home.

Olives have also made a comeback. Try Olive Branch BM2143-30 (Benjamin Moore).

Coppers are one of his favorites as well. You can go for an orangey brown copper like TruePenny SW6355 or go for an oxidized copper look (more yellowy) Terra Mauve BM105.

A great tip from Kit: Select a color that is darker and duller than you want. It will always look lighter and brighter on the wall.

Kit is an amazing colorist and saved me tons of time in picking the right colors for my home. He has 30 years experience and select colors for you that would have never thought of choosing. Kit works out of Marin County, CA and can be reached at kit.opal.color@netzero.com.

Ron Arad

Another day, another wildly famous designer. Today, I wanted to bring attention to Ron Arad:

Ron Arad

Born in Tel Aviv, he studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Art. In '73, he moved to London and studied at the School of Architecture under Peter Cook and Tschumi. He founded a design and architecture studio with Caroline Thorman in London.

Currently, he has the Ron Arad Studio, based in London, that practices architecture, sculpture and furniture design. He is a professor of industrial and furniture design at the RCA in London. His work has been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Vitra Design Museum (Germany) and others. His architectural projects include restaurants, hotels and concepts for corporations (like Adidas). His furniture is produced by:

www.alessi.it
www.artemide.com
www.dadriade.it
www.fiamitalia.it
www.fratelliguzzini.com
www.kartell.com
www.moroso.it
www.vitra.com

Three Skin Chair for Moroso

Lo-rez-dolores-tabula-rasa

Modern Sculpture

Modern Architecture L.A.

I am based in L.A., so please don't think I am biased when I review the Southern California modern lifestyle. It is what I know. I love NY, SF, Seattle, Chicago and smaller urban areas...but frankly, I don't know much. I do know L.A., and like to share my little gems, so bare with me.

Many seem to overlook a lot of modern architecture in Los Angeles. The next time you plan a visit, pick up a copy of:

Case Study Houses : Elizabeth Smith

or

Los Angeles: An Architectural Guide by David Gebhard and Robert Winter

There are so many wonderful (albeit spread-out) commercial and residential beauties. Rent a car and explore the masterpieces of Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler, Charles + Ray Eames and more...

Legare Entertainment & Media Furniture

I love the Legare Desks and Office pieces and am equally impressed with their new Entertainment & Media Units. Create a whole wall of media customized to your own dimensions easily. It is so easy to assemble too. No tools required.

Modern Commercial Lighting

An area that can get overlooked, but is very important, is modern accessory lighting, floor lighting and/or walkway lighting. This form of lighting is crucial for modern commercial spaces (many times required by law), and can be very complimentary to residential applications.

It is an obvious need for Theaters, Boats, Commercial Buildings, etc.

 

...but who is going to go all crazy with these lights in their house? No one...

But the manufacturer of these same lights have systems for the home that can create all kinds of various lighting for rooms, closets, garages, etc.

Permlight is a leading manufacturer of LED Modules, LED Fixtures, Power Supplies and miscellaneous controllers for lighting applications ranging from signage, theaters, schools, boating, and residential lighting systems.

Take a look at this page with an image of a dining room: http://www.permlight.com/applications/diningroom/index.asp and you can get a sense of what various lighting arrangements can do for a residence (click on the buttons to the left of the image: ALL ON, DOWN, COVE, PENDANT)...nice to have all the settings for various moods.

Avalon Beverly Hills

Do you want swank baby? How about a mid-century, star-studded love shack?

Its's all here waiting for you at the Avalon Beverly Hills.

Poolside cabanas! "Oh Cabana Boy!"

Modern Bar and Dining. "Was that Ben and Jen or Jess and Nick"?

Mid Century Modern Rooms.

Voted one of the best new hotels in the world by Conde Naste Traveler.

Rooms are about $299 and up...but have you ever been cooler?

Berloni

Nice Post on Berloni Xander!

I also wanted to mention some of the other living spaces they design. Their sense of clean, simple, modern design style is excellent. If money was no object, I would trust them with my entire house.

Modern Living Room Designs:

Rovere Naturale

Modern Children's Room:

Letto Sciolto

Modern Bedroom:

Zen

Modern Sofas and Chairs:

Big Mac

Wonderful design!

Sharon Spain Silk Pillows

Quality construction, natural materials and organic designs are at the foundation of Sharon Spain products. Each item is screen-printed by hand, and the results are one-of-a-kind objects in an artisan tradition. The current line uses neutral silk dupioni and hemp linen fabrics as bases for a series of original designs in a range of colors.

Modern Kitchen XII

Stay focused! We are nearing the end of the modern kitchen search for your friend Xander!

As a recap, we have:
Arclinea
bulthaup
MAISTRI La Cucina
Boffi
Poliform
Poggenpohl
Snaidero

Today we take a look at Berloni.

Berloni has been around for 50 years or so and has grown from little shop in Italy to major international player in Kitchens & Home Furnishings.

Some of my favorite designs include:

Planet

Class

Metropolis

Madison

Also liked MASTER, but couldn't get a photo. The "New" designs were my favorite.

Interactive Modern Art

Do you want a very large modern interactive art experience? Check out the touring:

ECSTASY

IN AND ABOUT ALTERED STATES

Currently at the Geffen Museum

10.09.05 - 02.20.06

This is a seriously funkadelic show that expands your mind and puts you in the art.

Upside Down Mushroom Room  (2000)
Mushrooms: polystyrol, polyester, wood, paint, metal construction, electrical motors; ca. 4 revolutions per minute. Crazy rotating mushrooms...now where did they get that idea?

Related Legs (Yokohama Dandelions) 2001
One mirror scanner and computerized control box, two dvd players, one audio system, steel cables, lace curtains, children's chairs. HELP ME! I'M STUCK IN THE ART EXHIBIT!

Modern Kitchen XI

Hello Everyone! Sorry for my lapse. The holidays threw me for a loop! But I am back on track!

Okay, it is time for me to make some decisions for my Modern Kitchen. The problem is that the final conteder below represenented the parent company to quite a few other brands, all with some very wonderful designs. I would be cheating you (and me) by ignoring them. So bear with me, I will have a couple others. But should wrap this up soon!

As a recap, we have:
Arclinea
bulthaup
MAISTRI La Cucina
Boffi
Poliform
Poggenpohl

Today we see the another contendor: Snaidero

Snaidero R. S.p.A. was started in 1946 by its founder, Cavaliere Rino Snaidero, who opened his first furniture workshop confident in the knowledge that the demand for furniture would rise with post world war II reconstruction. It has evolved into one of the largest kitchen manufacturers/designers with several different brands (some of which will be profiled soon enough).

Let's look at Snaidero designs (note: Imagery was difficult to come by, so the photos below are just examples of some designs, not my favorites, please visit the www.snaidero.it site for better examples:

My favorites on the site were in Contemporary Design : Viva & Idea.

Nice site, but it is a little cumbersome to navigate.

Jellio

Mario sent us a note about his cool little design studio: JELLIO

They produce these eclectic, one of a kind pieces for all of you retro junkies. They combine nostalgic icons from media past. Some of my favorites include:

Fightclub : Vintage painted Rockem Sockem robots placed in an acrylic cube over the broken bodies of their ex-boxer brethren.

Caesar's Palace : An acrylic coffee table features vintage Evil Knievel action figure and bike riding over a collection of vintage SSP Smash Up Derby cars.

Other items feature rubiks cubes, star trek figures, Jaws and the Fonz and an art gallery showing with original Star Trek figures.

70's and 80's baby...you got to love it!

Campana Brothers

Well, I guess that what blogging is about...sharing opinions. I think that the Jenette Chair is kind of cool. But that is just me.

I did want to highlight the Campana Brothers in particular, because I respect their influence on the world of modern design.

Take a look at their site: http://www.campanabrothers.com/

Just play around on it, honestly, it is a very interesting and entertaining experience. Click into PROJECTS and explore the various areas (all different).

Campana Brothers

Corallo

Alligator Chair (made with stuffed animals)

Likely way to much for some people, but they are in the genius realm in my book.

BLine Superleggera Chair

Superior craftsmanship with all seams sewn by hand. The Superleggera Chair is amazing. Designed by Joe Colombo and manufactured by BLine.

Museum & Library Furniture

Not only for museums, libraries and retail spaces, these high quality pieces from Museum & Library Furniture will be used by generations to come. Made from the highest grades of wood, sleek benches, stools and storage units fit in perfectly with a contemporary home.

Gallery Bench Slat

The Museum Stool

Stack-able Hotdip Stool

The Hud Chair

Things I Like or Don't

Please beware that these are my comments alone, not necessarily those of the rest of the contributors to this Modern Design Blog.

Back to the things I see that I like and things that I don't.

Let's start with something I really like!

The entire WISHBONE series by Jacob Marks of Skram Furniture.

Wishbone Bench

Wishbone Low Table

Okay...now something I saw that...was...er...less than great.

Luminaire Jenette Chair (by Edra)

Let me first say that I really admire Edra and the Campana Brothers. They are about as innovative as you can get. Many of their designs, I LOVE!

It is just that this chair has gotten so much acclaim and really...The chair is made of stainless steel and covered with thousands of long thin branches of PVC.

Innovative? YES! But would I have a dinner party with these? Long hair tangling in the branches of PVC and after dinner saying "Yes, now if everyone would just flip their chairs over to sweep up their zone....I'm kind of a neat freak...dustpans are taped to the bottom of the chairs"...

Uh...no.

A for innovation, but a little eighties for my taste.

Neo-Metro

Bathrooms can be an overlooked area for cool fixtures, accessories and "furniture". Though it is one area that garners quite a bit of attention, since you might be in there a couple of times at a party and (typically) by yourself with nothing else to focus on but the decor.

It is overlooked sometimes, because designing a modern bathroom can be difficult and fixtures and accessories can be surprisingly expensive.

This is a large topic, so I will start with the obvious: Modern Wash Basins

Neo Metro has some very nice designs:

Ebb : Recyclable Metals are used : Hidden Drain Basin

Ebb 2 : Recyclable Metals are used : Hidden Drain Basin

Neobasin : One-Piece 'D' Shaped wall-hung basin

Those are all nice, but wait a minute...what was this?

The Ne-Comby is a toilet/wash basin all in one...I don't know about you, but I like to have those separate for at least psychological reasons.

I will be covering some other bathroom fixtures and accessories. If there are any comments or suggestions, please let me know.

Modern Fireplace

A while back, Greg had posted a blog regarding Ecosmart Fireplaces > those are very cool. I started looking around and I found some other new designs as well.

Check our Max Blank

Niagra

Memphis II

Mega Basic

Cozy and warm for the winter...yippee!

Tom Dixon

Many of you know Tom Dixon, though I am sure some don't. If not, please let me introduce him...

Born in Tunisia in 1959, to a French/Latvian mother and an English father, Dixon moved to England aged four and spent his school years in London. Attending Chelsea Art School for a brief six-month period, a motorbike accident curtailed any artistic ambition and left him in hospital for three months.

Having dropped out of Art school, Dixon spent two years as a musician, playing bass guitar in a disco band until another motorcycle accident left him unable to play for a period.

He spent two more years in the burgeoning London night club and warehouse party scene. This nocturnal lifestyle left plenty of time in the day to start experimenting with welded structures. Necessary bike maintenance had required welding skills, which a friend supplied in one quick lesson.

He is a self-educated maverick whose only qualification is a one-day course in plastic bumper repair.

Jack

Galvanized

Towers

Wallter Photo Frames

My New Year's Resolution is to put my boxes of photos from over the years into albums and frames on the wall so that I can enjoy them. Wallter Photo Frames are an easy and attractive way to display photos. Group them together in an interesting pattern. They can be painted any color to match your space. And, they stick easily to a wall.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our readers and modern design fans! We wish you all of the best in 2006! May the new year bring happiness, health, inspiration and success!

Thank you for your readership, comments and support in 2005. And thank you to all of the contemporary modern designers in the world for your beautiful design and innovation.

We will be there to cover the events, trends and designs of 2006.

Also,the  2Modern Design Talk blog has some very cool ideas for 2006 and we look forward to sharing them with you.

Cheers!