2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

The Rise of Toys

Lately, there's been a huge increase in designer toys. And I'm not talking about really expensive children's toys. I mean, toys for older teens through to adults; since these figurines aren't exactly meant for play, though you could if you really wanted to. Figurines like these Cactus Friends by Tokidoki or better known Kidrobot have been popping up everywhere. Once exclusively sold off the internet and toy conventions, stores like Tower Records and Hot Topic have noticed the hip appeal of these designer toys.
Most of these toys' designers started out as graffiti artists, looking for a new type of canvas. These vinyl figurines were chosen, and since then, has exploded in to all kinds of different areas. The designers then moved from simply looking for something new to spray paint, to almost caring more about the shape and style of the canvas itself as opposed to its covering artwork; here the designer lets you choose how to decorate the character. As the characters became more popular, they were able to venture into other realms other then simply toys, such as shoes, clothes, and my personal favorite, bags and accessories.
Since the big toy boom, plush toys have become a hit as well, with everyones favorite Gloomy Bear leading the pack. Some stick to the classics, the Kubricks, and while others leave you thinking they just ran out of good ideas. But collectors will gobble all of them up just the same, and because of that, some go for quite a bit of money. Nevertheless, these crazy characters have defiantly left their mark on the design world, inspiring a whole new genre of artists.

Modern Chicago

2Modern Design Talk is going to take you on a little tour across the United States, looking for the best in modern lifestyle resources by major metropolitan city. We are starting with Seattle and zig-zagging our way to New York. If you have any suggestions for our directory, which we will be constantly improving and adding, please let us know by providing comments to the posts.

Today, we take on Chicago. What a wonderful city. When I first visited Chicago, I expected Sears tower. I expected Wrigley Field. I expected good food and music...but I didn't expect an incredibly modern city that is stacked with modern art, furniture, architecture and culture. Plus, the people were absolutely wonderful...a treat not always present in large cities.

Furniture Stores:
Andrew Hollingsworth
Casati Gallery
Jonathan Adler
Ligne Roset
Luminaire
Manifesto
Mig and Tig
Modernica
Modern times
Orange Skin
Svenska Mobler
White on White

Art & Museums:
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Architectural Artifacts
Art Institute of Chicago
Ukranian Institute of Modern Art

Architects & Designers:
Dirk Denison Architects
Urban Lab
Alexander & Associates
Archideas
ASI Interiors
Kuklinski+Rappe Architects
Kathryn Quinn
Searl and Associates
Youngman & Company

Modern Etc.
Chicago Moving Company (modern dance)
Hotel 71
James Hotel

Going Mid-Century In Palm Springs

Forget a white Christmas, I'm dreaming of Mid-Century this Christmas. I have always been a huge fan of anything Mid-Century. The furniture, architecture, colors you name it, I love it. My mom recently gave me a stack of pictures I had drawn as a little girl and most of them were mid-century inspired homes that I must have seen in her magazines. The drawings are very rough around the edges but it is very clear that I was born to design and really all this does is justify my obsession...
For those of you who share this passion and are looking to for some visual stimulation this time of year I have two opportunities to hob nob with other Eichler and Lautner "know it all's". You may or may not know that Palm Springs, California is home to a number of great Mid-Century finds. You could easily plan a whole vacation in this desert city and visit hundreds of historical homes and public buildings built in this uniquely architecture rich city.

The first event is being held at the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs December 1-3 2006. This conference, sponsored by Dwell magazine will feature the architects, such as John Lautner, who brought Mid-Century design to Palm Springs as well as home tours and a cocktail event at the Elrod House. Oh, can't wait! You can register for this event at dwell.com

If that's not enough Mid-Century inspiration to keep you going for a few months, log onto psmodcom.com for tickets to the Annual Home Tour of Mid-Century homes in Palm Springs. This event will be held January 13, 2007.

Still not enough? Log onto amazon.com and search for a book called 'Modernism Reborn: Mid-Century American Houses', by Michael Webb. This book is filled with beautiful pictures and makes a great holiday gift for the modern designer in your life...hint hint... Another good one which I personally recommend is called 'Palm Springs Modern: Houses in the California Desert' by Adele Cygelman. I especially like this book because the subject takes place in a city that I can actually visit within a 2 hours drive so it brings everything home for me.

Not a Mid-Century junkie? Borrow some books from the library on this fascinating subject, you will be addicted soon enough... Come on what are you waiting for? You know you want to...

You Give Me Fiva

By Holly Becker, decor8

Have you heard of the lovely atelier of Fiva in the Netherlands? I recently spent time in Holland and discovered their eye-catching jewelry created by artisans who scour the globe for innovative materials to use in their hand-crafted treasures. Paying extra attention to detail, they use only the best as they design extraordinary accessories to adorn the modern woman. As I inspected their wares in person, I noticed the delicate balance of color and form, the palette they work with is so completely organic, using hues found in nature - beige and cream with a touch of lavender for instance, mimicking their workspace shown in the images above. Is easy to get a sense of their design aesthetic before even glancing at their jewelry, isn't it?

Enjoy.

(images from fiva)

Modern Minneapolis & St. Paul

2Modern Design Talk is going to take you on a little tour across the United States, looking for the best in modern lifestyle resources by major metropolitan city. We are starting with Seattle and zig-zagging our way to New York. If you have any suggestions for our directory, which we will be constantly improving and adding, please let us know by providing comments to the posts.

Modern Minneapolis and St. Paul

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Photo courtesy Walker Art Center

Think "Minnesota" this time of year and you may picture a wintery landscape of snow-covered log cabins, frozen lakes and ice fishing shanties. Okay, granted, there are a lot of those. But the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul also offer modern living enthusiasts four-season access to an abundance of cultural, recreational and retail pursuits.

Bigelow Chapel, United Theological Seminary, © Paul Warchol Photography.

The infamous "creative class" abounds in the Twin Cities, widely recognized as one of the nation's creative industry epicenters. Ponder the following statistics, as reported by Ann Markusen, economist at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute:

In the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, [Markusen] says, "the design occupations [architects, designers and artists, from blue-collar to white-collar] are really overrepresented compared with other cities nationally. We have 36 percent more designers in our workforce than the nation does as a whole." The concentrations of architects and graphic designers stand out at, respectively, 54 and 42 percent higher than the national average. There is also, Markusen adds, tremendous cross-fertilization between architecture and design, and the area's deep-rooted theater, dance, visual arts, literature, music, and film communities.
   - Metropolis, April 2005

Medtronic Patent Garden, © George Heinrich Photography, courtesy oslund.and.assoc.

This culture of creativity and innovation has given rise to a bustling arts scene, from world-class museums and galleries to independent studios and workshops. The Walker Art Center dazzles visitors with a priceless collection of modern and contemporary art second only in the U.S. to MoMA NYC. A number of successful contemporary furniture manufacturers have also incubated here, including local style gurus Blu Dot, whose furnishings are as "at home" on display in museums as they are on the shelves at Target (another Minneapolis-native style driver). National furniture retailer Room & Board is also headquartered in the Cities.

Twin Cities native Blu Dot. Pictured are "Couchoid" sofa and "Strut" tables.

Like any set of twins, Minneapolis and St. Paul are bound to have some differing tastes. Whereas Minneapolis never hesitates to tear something down and build something newer, taller, hipper in its place, the architectural sensibility of St. Paul is generally more guarded than avant-garde; traditional and revivalist themes dominate. One common trend, however, is the recent near-frenzied boom of historical warehouse renovation and redevelopment, sparking dozens of condominium developments and pushing the envelope of contemporary architecture on and around the Mississippi Riverfront areas.

FlatPak, a revolutionary take on prefabricated housing. Prototype as featured in international design exhibition "Some Assembly Required." Photo courtesy Lazor Office.

Modern Furniture & Furnishings:

International Market Square

Red Lure Red

Robot Love

Elements

Inside Design

Dwelling Designs

Finnstyle

Ligne Roset

Montaggio Kitchen & Bath

Room & Board home furnishings and accessories, many manufactured locally in the Twin Cities

Modern Art & Museums:

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis

Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul

Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis

Flanders Contemporary Art, Minneapolis

Walker Art Center. Photo courtesy WAC.

Modern Architecture:

Minneapolis Public Library, Central Library

Guthrie Theater

University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center

University of Minnesota Regis Center for Art

University of Minnesota Barbara Barker Center for Dance

Target Corporation headquarters

Ninth Circuit Federal Reserve Building

Bigelow Chapel, United Theological Seminary, New Brighton

Minneapolis InterDistrict Downtown School

Dowling Studio lobby at the Guthrie Theater, © Gallop Studios, courtesy Guthrie Theater.

Modern Architects & Designers:

Hammel, Green & Abrahamson

RSP Architects

Ellerbe Becket

STEIN Trending Branding Design

tanek

oslund.and.assoc. landscape architects

Perkins + Will

University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center, from the outside and from the inside.

Modern Etc. of the Twin Cities:

FlatPak

University of Minnesota Design Institute

University of Minnesota's Weisman Art Museum. Photo © Nattapol Pornsalnuwat.

Curt Lund is a designer and writer who, like 87% of his fellow residents, couldn't be happier living in the Twin Cities... except for the weather.

Recycled Zen Shelf

I recently found an old piece of wood sitting on the side of our yard that was collecting dust, getting rotted by rain and generally taking up space so I decided that it must get recycled into something beautiful. I thought I would share this SUPER easy design idea for anyone who has extra junk lying around and is not afraid to think "recycle" when it comes to decor for the home or garden.
Basically all I did was dust off the piece of wood, quickly smoothed out the edges a bit with a very coarse sandpaper and hung it on my wall using L-Brackets for support. I searched my house for items of decor which would match my new zen shelf and presto!
Try searching your home this long weekend or even stop by your local recycle or waste drop off center. Surely there is someone who has decided that the wood on the side of their house has been there much too long. The best part of this design idea is that I recently saw an old piece of driftwood at design store in my area, the price tag was a scary figure and mine was free!
I love recycled design ideas and would love to hear about anyone else who has "reused" in a clever way.

DIY Wood Pixel Art

By: Holly Becker, decor8

Retro gamers unite!
God, how cute is this thing?

If you suck at Photoshop, there's hope on the horizon. Now you can create graphic art without stepping foot near a computer. If you're a retro gamer, you'll appreciate this even more...

Classic videogame graphics via Wood Pixel is great for creative play and display in your home, and because each pixel cube has 6 sides (each a different wood - there's 100 blocks per set), you can change your mind and recreate as often as you'd like. Great for the coffee table too - guests will dig this completely.

(images from wood pixel)

West Chelsea Art Galleries

In terms of Modern Art Galleries, it is hard to be the West Chelsea Art Galleries in New York.

From 14th-34th Streets, between 5th Avenue and the Hudson River, is a mecca of galleries for the modern voyeur.

On Saturdays, when I am around, I will usually tour these galleries. Most are open from late morning till 6PM. there are great little restaurants and bars along the way and just a ton of wonderful modern art, installations, video and sculpture.

From the Stephen Haller Gallery...

From Stricoff Fine Art...

Want a pitstop? Try the Chelsea Market: http://www.chelseamarket.com/

It is over a MILLION square feet of space with gourmet food, retail spots, etc. Very cool. Try 202 > it is a fabulous spot, especially for brunch. Plus, I usually catch glimpse of a star or two :)

Happenings In High Point III

There is a cool casegoods company I discovered at the big furniture market in High Point this fall, Allan Copley Designs. They make both metal and wood items but I am mostly attracted to their wood line. Based in San Diego, this company captures a distinctive angle in the furniture marketplace. Not only are their designs beautiful, they are unique. As I browsed their showroom I didn't feel like I was seeing furniture that you could get just anywhere. I feel like having one of their pieces in your home would get the attention it deserves and holler, "hey look at me, I scream cool". Allan Copley's finishes are superb and while the designs are consistently contemporary, it appears that they have developed something for many different design tastes.
Like the other 2 manufacturers I have discussed, John Charles Designs and Accents By Design, Allan Copley product can be found at retailers across the country. Allan Copley has a website which allows you to buy product at the click of a mouse, but I suggest locating a dealer near you to see this stuff in person, you won't be disappointed.

Surf on a Rug

I now live in Southern California, the new Surf Rug can not be more appropriate for my little beach bungalow. The collection is inspired by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, the luxurious homes of Malibu and the surf culture of California's acclaimed Orange Coast. The way of the curl has become a way of life, thanks to films and cool kitsch. Used to be, it was only surfers who celebrating the world of the curl. Now there are plenty of converts who worship surf culture, both ocean-close and landlocked interior fashionistas, who just want to add a modern twist to their lounges, entrances, walls or living rooms.