2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

Edgy and Sensible Art

I am posting a day early... I am off to Vegas for the Furniture Trade Show at World Market Center.

I will leave you with this introduction to a cool artist I have met through the High Point Furniture Show. His name is Parvez Taj. A Canadian living in Los Angeles, Parvez is producing some of the best urban art out there right now. Parvez works out his LA based studio and travels the world collecting images and ideas. Check out his website www.parvezmichel.com Parvez has roots in the fashion industry so it's easy to understand where his influences and well, simply put, his taste come from. He has an eye for cool and totally gets urban style for the home. Parvez has a unique method which incorporates, photography, digital manipulation and giclee technology to create unique art.

Sexy, thought provoking and edgy, this art garners the attention that it is getting. Viewers are left with multiple images to ponder and revisit with each gander.
Well priced, Parvez is careful to create pieces that are original and affordable. I think we can all agree that there is a market for sophisticated, fashionable art for the modern home at an attainable price. Art is an investment in your home's decor, being able to buy pieces and make an interesting statement is important to the home fashion-conscious buyer today.

Parvez also works with other mediums such as aluminum, stained glass and stone. You can check out all of this on his other site, www.parveztaj.com. What's also cool is that Parvez will customize. I have worked with him on a few projects for furniture showrooms where he takes the fabrics that I am using and incorporates my color into a custom piece for the space.

Look for this up and coming artist to emerge into the art scene spotlight soon. He was recently given an opportunity to show a piece in New York through Visa's, "...Life take's Visa campaign". Parvez was recognized as one of 15 artist who are setting trends and making an impact in the art world today. Once you check out his stuff, it's easy to see why he was selected among thousands of artist today.

Amy Butler "Lotus" Collection

By: Holly Becker, decor8

I love Amy Butler fabric, she is the one designer that really makes sewing feel hip and fun vs. old-fashioned (in a boring way) and stale. With each new season, she launches beautiful new fabric that can be used in a myriad of projects, from slipcovers to pillows, aprons, handbags, organizer totes, lampshades, everything you can think of. Her latest collection is called Lotus and I think it's stunning.
Aren't these gorgeous?

(images from amy butler)

Right on Target!

Let me introduce you to a little known store with more and more style everyday. Their prices are always affordable, and there's probably one of them right near where you live. This little store is called Target, and everytime I go in, I 'm amazed at how cool they can be. Lately, they have been getting in some really hip interior decorations and furniture, and it's all within the working person's budget.



Having checked online at target.com, none of these hip pieces seem to be up on the site yet, so you'll have to pop in to a store to check them out, and everything varies from store to store.

Going Beyond Primary Colors

If you're a mom or plan to be one soon, you gotta love the options for kid decor these days. You no longer have to be a slave to the primary colors or building block motifs of yesterday's nursery. There are thousands of options on the market these days to make a cheerful, urban and not so ordinary space for your baby to gaze upon each morning.

I found rompbklyn.com has a fun collection of animal silhouettes made from vintage wallpapers. Each cutout comes with instructions on how to hang your new friend using a brush and paste mix. You can create your own little zoo with these delightful creatures or pick a theme such as cooky crocs to take your sleepy baby into slumber land.

Another great source for fun and far away fantasies can be found at Stella Bebe. This website has many cool finds to outfit your little bambino's play space. Check out the Java Lampshade. I love the uniqueness that something this simple can add to chocolate and ecru theme nursery, (my personal choice of colors when it comes time to decorate a baby room). I am old school and will wait to see what my little gift will be so I thought it would be fun to someday decorate our first baby's room in chocolate and ecru. If our bundle is a girl, there will be hints of raspberry thrown in my accessories. I'm totally down with a boy too because blueberry will be fun to work in with the chocolate decor.

Don't forget the furniture. Check out the Funky Monkey. Super cute stuff. I especially love the Cubino Chairs. These durable and easy to clean chairs are canvas covered foam so no corners and edges for baby and toddler to bump their heads as they explore. I also loved the camping theme replacement knobs. What a great way to update that hand-me-down dresser.

Another great site of course is 2modern. There's a whole section dedicated to everything baby and I adore the Modern Basics and Nurseryworks line found on this site. Very urban and super non-fussy for the modern mom.

I love all the choices available to mom's and mom's to be. Don't get stuck in a rut with red, yellow and blue. Play it up, have fun and get funky with your baby's new room.

Sendomatic Design Competion!

What is the design competition?
The Sendomatic Design Competition is an opportunity for any creative individual - designers, students, artistically-inclined hopefuls -  to produce a fabulous original design and win great prizes. The winning design will be spotlighted on the homepage and featured in the Sendomatic Design Library. Let the creative juices flow and send something spectacular!

What do winners receive?
The winner will receive a $200 gift certificate at 2Modern and unlimited use of Sendomatic for one year. 2nd & 3rd place will receive home decor items from Inhabit. All winners will have their design featured in the Sendomatic Design Library.

When does it end?
Submissions are due by Feb. 15, 2007. Between Feb. 16 and Feb. 26 entries will be narrowed down to several finalists. We will notify you if you are a finalist. The finalists designs will be posted and voted on by Sendomatic visitors. So, if you are a finalist, tell your friends about the competition and ask them to vote!

ENTER HERE >

Blossoming With Beauty!

By: Holly Becker, decor8

For anyone who knows me, I'm always on the look out for a new blog to sing praises about. On my own blog, decor8, I post a Blog of the Week exclusively for this reason - to spread the love by sharing other amazing blogs, showing my overall support for the growing community of talented bloggers out there. I am always in awe by what I see on blogs and by the talented people who sit down to write about the things they love just for the sake of sharing what they're into. I think that's pretty cool.

Recently, Irene Hoofs wrote to me about her blog, and the moment I clicked over, I asked her if she'd like to be featured as my weekly blog. Readers loved her, and so I'm here now to further sing her praises to the 2Modern audience because I think you'll really like her blog, Bloesom, Dutch for "blossom".  The blogger is Irene of Irene Hoofs, a graphic design firm based in Toronto, Canada.

Irene is an illustrator, graphic designer, and a website designer. In addition to her work, she blogs about lovely items that she finds, from textiles to ceramics and art. It's always fun to look at the world through the eyes of a talented artist, which is what makes Bloesom a nice experience for me.

An Amsterdam native, she recently posted a most helpful guide, Amsterdam On My Mind, for your next journey to the land of tulips (and hash brownies), one that I am printing and taking with me as I head over this year.

Bloesom is a blog to add to your list of daily reads. Gorgeous finds, and although written in Dutch, her weekend reads are always in English, so you always do what I do -  scan through her images during the week and click on the links,  and do some reading on the weekends when she posts her weekend specials in English.

(images from irene hoofs)

Cast This

Podcasting has become more and more popular over the last year. It seems like everyone has their own podcast now, on everything from knitting to news in Germany. Where blogs once ruled as the bench mark for the "In" crowd, now sits podcasts; your nobody unless you've got a podcast!

So with that being said, let's take a vote: 2Modern Design Talk Podcast, would you subscribe? We'll probably do it anyway, but just out of curiousity :P

"In Situ": Contemporary Furniture at the Walker

I just had the opportunity to visit "In Situ: Contemporary Design at the Walker", a new series intended to showcase the best and brightest of new furniture design.

The inaugural installations are by Minneapolis-based Blu Dot -- an easy choice for the Walker to be sure, but their designs need no nepotism, they make it into the museum on their own merits. On display in the Cargill Lounge is Blu Dot's new Couchoid seating system, surprisingly comfy and oh-so-mod:

And installed in the Bazinet Garden Lobby outside the Cinema, the very classic forms of their Buttercup lounge chair:

The best part? You can sit on it! (Well, everything that's not on a pedestal, that is.) The Walker actually moved the building-standard benches and seats out of these two areas, encouraging visitors to test out these works of art. The Buttercup installation also includes the device used to "mold" the plywood seat shape. Both installations include didactics on the company, the designers and the products, though most visitors might not even realize what they're sitting on is in fact an exhibit.

The Blu Dot installations will remain for a year. The Walker's Design Department, curators of the series, has not yet selected the next in the series; they are reportedly exploring several different options, some of which are designer-centered, others which are manufacturer-centered -- and others based on <i>geography</i>. Curious! It wouldn't be a shock to see installations from Herman Miller, Steelcase or Vitra, or iconic designers like Rashid or Starck or even Gehry, who has done a number of custom seating systems for his projects plus one for commercial sale (for Heller, pictured below). Or geographic -- contemporary Asian? Italian? Scandinavian? Will they go with a tried-and-true workhorse, or something really out there? I can't wait to find out. (And give it a sit!)

Gehry's "deconstructive" sofa, armchair and "twist cubes" for Heller.

[Walker installation images (c) Gene Pittman, courtesy Walker Art Center.]

Urban Art At Affordable Prices

I could use some fresh and modern art in my home but being an artist myself, I have 3 problems. First I have a hard time hanging my own pieces in my place. Second, I am pretty picky when it comes to the art I will put in my place and lastly, I live on the budget of an artist. These three things really limit my options when it comes to art so when I find a good resource, I can't help but feel overjoyed.

Modern Digital Canvas is an online company who loves urban and fresh expression as much as I do. They have a fantastic gallery of pieces to choose from for the modern guy or gal and the prices are considerably fair for the size you can get. Each piece is printed on a hand stretched, cotton canvas but looks painted. They also take the time to put a special coating on each piece so that there is no fading. Your art will outlast you. Any good piece should right? I mean have you been to the Lourve lately? Talk about some long lasting stuff...
All the pieces are wrapped around the kiln-dried frame and can be mounted with or without a frame. I suggest without, it looks cool. In addition, when your piece arrives in 1-2 weeks, it's ready to hang. md-canvas is careful to package your piece in a wood crate to prevent damage to your new masterpiece so no worries there either.

All pieces are available in Medium, Large and Jumbo. Check out the site for pricing on each size. Pricing is determined by size and image.
Have a favorite shot of your own? Not a problem. Log onto md-canvas's subsidiary company, www.photo2canvas.com. At this site, you can get all the details on how to submit an image that you prefer and they will print it on canvas for you.

Need to match an exact color and your monitor is playing tricks on you? md-canvas has this figured out too. You can easily request small samples of each piece for $9.95 per sample. This will take care of any buyer's remorse or unwanted headaches in the future.

Got a birthday coming up? I thought this might be a great link to send to the folks. All mom or dad has to do is click and buy. Next time they stop by, they can admire your stunning taste in art and your ability to value their dollar bill...

Check it out and good luck choosing just one... there is always Christmas, it's only about 331 days away.
Note: all images are from www.md-canvas.com

Mix & Match with Loadbearing

Mix and match colors to create your own custom designed storage unit from Loadbearing. Select from 13 colors or 2 woods. Super for kids room, office or bedroom. Fantastic quality and reasonably priced!

Rag + Bone Bindery

By: Holly Becker, decor8

While visting the RISD alum show recently in Providence, Rhode Island, I came across the booth of Rag + Bone Bindery and browsed their handbound books. While examining their products at the show, I was impressed by their craftsmanship and beauty -- it's hard to find books from a good old fashioned bindery these days. They take pride in their work, and not only does their product show that, but so does their success and experience in the business because they've been around since 1991. And just so you know, when I say books, I don't mean reading material. I'm referring to photo albums, journals, baby books, guest books, and many additional bindings that you'll love - I'm the proud owner of several so my opinion is experience based. In addition to being a quality find, they are affordable, and look very modern for displaying in your space. You could place one on your coffee table and it would only enhance your decor.

Some of my favorites include the accordion books, photo binders, and the digital photo albums.

If you missed the recent RISD show, here's a few links for you where you can check out the show online:

RISD Show - She Says

RISD Show - He Says

(images from rag + bone bindery)

I Heart iPhone

Get ready to pee your pants in sheer delight all you tech and fashion fans, because the iPhone is here!! The highly speculated, highly rumored, highly anticipated, highly fantasized mobile phone from Apple was finally announced at the 2007 Mac World conference eariler this week, and already has Mac and gadget fans drooling for it. Though it won't be available for another six monthes, make plans to cancel your current phone plan now and sign up with Cingular.

As most have been speculating, the iPhone is not only the fasted, sleekest phone and iPod combination, it's also a great PDA/Blackberry; with a widescreen and crystal clear graphics, possibly beating out Blackberry and its competitors out today (my theory anyway). The iPhone of course has Wi-Fi internet and mapping system, with a built in OS and Apple's own browser Safari, giving you internet like you never thought possible on a cell phone before. This ultra-smart phone also senses when you turn the phone around; ie, you can view content in the traditional perpendictular way, with a tall and narrow screen, OR turn the phone sideways and the screen adjusts your content around for you to view on a short and wide screen! The iPhone comes compatible with Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate, and Cingular's EDGE data network for high-speed internet access and data transfers.

My personal favorite is the corporation of Mac Widgets on the phone; small individual applications that give you information like weather, stock quotes, news, and much more all in real time. Widgets were made famous by Apple on its Dashboard which was introduced on Mac OSX; and are now being imitated by Google Desktop with Gadgets, and also upcoming Windows Vista with Gadgets as well. You can find and download new widgets to your phone to meet your needs, and of course, check your email and search with Google or Yahoo, both of which are built in. Just like the iPod video, you can download music and video content to listen and watch in crystal clear resolution; with a battery life of up to 5 hours for talk/video/internet, and up to 16 for audio playback. The iPhone will be available in 2 different size storage capacities: 4GB and 8GB, both will have a 2.0 megapixel camera built in.

William & Mary by Context Furniture

Usually when you describe something as a "throwback", you're referring to aesthetic references of, oh, the '60s or '70s -- not so often the 1700s. But I dare you to not be charmed by these contemporary William & Mary throwbacks by Context Furniture:

The William & Mary Collection is a great use of the trendy exposed plywood edge aesthetic but in a clever and intelligent way you won't find at IKEA. Multiple layers of the material (here Baltic birch plywood) are laminated together and the finished product cut in cross-section, leaving the coveted exposed edge throughout the piece.

It's always great when you can just stumble across the perfect piece of furniture for a project or for your own home -- for most of us, a neverending project if ever there was one! But it's even greater when what you've found has a face and a name behind it. Context Furniture is a Detroit-based wife and husband design team, Kerry and Bryce Moore, both of whom are credited on the W&M collection. The Moores also collaborate on other collections with designer  Scott Klinker. This collaboration recently turned out Context's Truss collection, which has garnered a mass of media attention from ID and dwell to... Newsweek (Newsweek?!) since its debut at ICFF in New York City last May. Their website touts large commercial projects for clients including Hard Rock Casino and three Mills Mall properties, and even mentions hopes of being picked up by a large international retailer. But in conversation, Kerry reaffirms their dedication to sale by the design trade and by the small boutique shops that we all love to shop.

Check out William & Mary and all the others at contextfurniture.com.

A Home Not Away From Home

Recently, my husband and I found ourselves in a real estate pickle. I desperately wanted an Art Studio and Jason wanted an office that was entirely his space. I couldn't blame the guy, it's hard to sound professional to your clients when you have a barking dog or loud music in the back ground. But on the flip side, how could be blame me? I need a place to listen to loud music while I paint or work on design projects. A place to be messy and leave an unfinished project even if guest were coming over. We just did not have the space in our humble home for such creative and otherwise income producing outlets.

So I started researching what it would cost to add on to our house. Holy Moly, I was quickly back to the drawing board when I saw what it could cost to add some square footage. We had already paid a pretty penny to live in Huntington Beach, how could we ever afford to move or add on?

I started talking to some of my architect friends and long story short, I was introduced to Modern Cabana. This company specializes in small, freestanding units with a modern edge and an affordable price. The units can be used for anything from a home office to a yoga studio right in your own backyard. Designed to be used year round, these Cabana's offer style and the highest grade materials combined into one simple, easy to assemble package.

Each unit comes with lumber, sheathing, hardware and windows. But it doesn't end there, you can customize your Cabana to fit your needs and your space requirements. You can change window sizes and select from various sidings to match your existing homes exterior. Got power? No problem, each unit comes with wall chases which allow you to connect wire line units such as internet and phones. Most owners hire a licensed electrical contractor to come and install a hardwire system which conforms to their local codes and regulations. This is always recommended. Speaking of codes and regulations, before you dive into this adventure, check your local permit requirements to be sure that all your ducks are in a row and your new Cabana is safely protected from jealous neighbors who have nothing better to do than report anything going on in your yard. Owning in California, I know that a Cabana such as this can be a real bonus when it comes time to sell, but there are some permits required when adding structures (even freestanding), to your property. In order to make the whole sale process go smoothly, it is always a good idea to have your t's crossed by the local planning department.

But back to the fun stuff... the Cabana ships in a flat pack from San Francisco, so freight will depend on where you are shipping to. Check out the website to get the details. The quote that I got from SF to Huntington Beach was under $700.00

I bet I know your next question. Believe me I got grilled by the guy who knew that this idea meant "project for husband". How hard will it be to assemble this Cabana? According to the website, 2 people can assemble your new space in a few days with very basic building tools. But if you have a lifestyle like ours, where there is more work than there is time to play, Modern Cabana will offer referrals for skilled Cabana installers to come and assemble your new home away from home for you.

Prices on these tre cool structures vary depending on size and upgrades that you choose. But a good starting point for a basic 10x10 structure will run you about $10K. That may seem like a lot of dough but really, when you start to look at the cost of adding on to your home, this investment is far more reasonable and the bonus, your Husband could now have a place to call "his office". Every morning as he opens that sliding glass door in the family room and heads across the yard to his new Cabana, we could wave to daddy and say "have a great day at work"...

*note, all photos are provided by moderncabana.com

New From Offi

Offi's Kapsule Chair is ready to ship! The Kapsule Chair is sturdy, yet child friendly with Karim Rashid's trademark soft contors. Naturally multifunctional due to its storage and seating capabilities, yet it is compact enough to be perfect for small spaces. The Kapsule Chair was named "one of the best product designs of the year" in 2002 as a recipient of the Silver level Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA), and we believe it still is. It is available in four fun colors - Neon Green, Deep Purple, Luminous Orange, and Electric Blue.

Also new from Offi, My Pet Lamp in Siamese, TerriBear, Dachshund, Howweepup.

There is no Goddess

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles is known for its great antiquity collection, mostly Greek art and statues. Being a great Greek Mythology enthusiast myself, I love going to the Getty; I have even written a school paper on the now controversial statue of Aphrodite, the Getty's famed centerpiece. The Getty has come under fire recently over claims that the 7 1/2 foot tall marble and limestone statue was looted for the museum. The statue came to the museum in 1987, and though it is badly damaged, was thought to represent the Goddess Aphrodite, and has said so ever since. The Getty bought the statue for record-setting $18 million, despite warnings by one of the art directors that it appeared to have been looted.

Italy now claims it is one of many looted antique artworks, but would have to prove that it was found originally in Italy and then brought here sometime after 1939, the year it became illegal to excavate and export antiquities without Italian government permission. Italy has yet to successfully prove this, though they do have two witnesses that say they saw parts of the Aphrodite in Sicily as late as 1970.

Though doubts and speculation of the goddess's origin have been laid to rest, the statue remains just one more icon of the Getty's troubled past with doubtful museum entries.

AIA-MN's Honor Awards

Wow, it's 2007 already! I guess it's only appropriate to look back at some of the "best of" categories for 2006! In December, the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects announced the current batch of recipients of their Honor Awards, an annual "tribute to architectural excellence" extended to Minnesota-based architects, designers and artists. Though the recipients must be Minnesotan, the projects were located across the country and abroad. Likewise, the honored projects were incredibly diverse, from a prefabricated home design and museum expansion to two different architectural-sculptural works and even a giant pinhole camera.

University of Alaska's Museum of the North (Fairbanks, Alaska) by Hammel, Green and Abrahamson

Breck School commons (Golden Valley, MN) by Julie Snow Architects

You can see all this year's recipients and honorees at AIA Minnesota's website.

Groovy Threads

I am a fan of funky and original. So when I found out about the coolest site for fabulous T's, I feared the demise of my checking account. Threadless.com is a shopping site dedicated to creating artist's out of unknowns and groovy duds out of comfy threads. People like you and me are encouraged to submit designs for creation. People like you and me are also able to vote on designs. Positive feedback is what gets submissions made into reality and truthfully, I find tons of fun in just researching submitted ideas and voting on what I would wear.
The designs are all cool and what's even cooler is the remarks I get when I wear these T's around town. I can almost guarantee that when you wear a piece from Threadless.com, you will not see anything like it in your town.

The site just recently added hooded T's which I personally love. And while all T's are available in Men's and Women's, many are also available for kids. This option makes me a great Aunt, since my nephews can really appreciate an original when they see one. You have to check the site often, as good designs go fast. But if your lucky, every once in awhile, Threadless will bring back an old design due to popularity.

Prices are good too. Most Men's T's are about $15. While women's and kid's run $17. Hoodies are more expensive at about $40, but well worth the price. All T's are super soft American Apparel brand, which I love for their fit and all of my T's have washed up really well. I just turn them inside out before I put them in the wash and dry on low heat.

Check out the website to get all the insight on submitting your designs and earning cash prizes and gift certificates. You could make a living out of T shirt designs, who knew?...