2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

New from Thomaspaul!

Thomaspaul has released two new designs in their tablewear collection! The Portland collection includes the Portland Dinner Plate, Portland Tray, and Portland Coaster Set. This design is inspired by the lush forests and cosmopolitan nature of the city itself, and is at home on a picnic blanket or a dining room table. The items in the Luddite collection (which include the Luddite Beaker, Luddite Tray, and Luddite Dinner Plate) are inspired by the idea of turning back the clock and focusing on a simpler way of living.

Sculpture By James Hill

      


California native James Hill earned his degree in Fine Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1987. For over 20 years James Hill has masterfully fashioned and fused metal in service to his artistic vision, transforming the coolness of these materials into “living” dynamic forms. His sculptures have been described as “a celebration of optimism that unite the elegance of the organic form with the structure of the modern world.”

    

His work reveals the essence of the figure and relationship between forms using positive and negative space in a minimal expression.  Somewhat reminiscent of Picasso's minimalistic line drawings.  Shapes are subtle curves and strong angles speaking to both male and female characteristics.  His love of steel, stainless steel and bronze are apparent.  The materials are enduring.  His work contemporary and timeless.

      

 

His creations range from public works and private commissions to wall art, to tabletop centerpieces, to functional art furnishings.   See Hill's work at www.jameshill.com.

Have an infinitely modern day!

Dinner in the Sky

 

Impress them or scare them to death, or why not both?   Either way it is original.   Dinner in the Sky is hosted at a table suspended at a height of 160 feet by a team of professionals.  Benji Fun, a partner in this event, is the worldwide leader for this type of activity.  The table can accommodate 22 guests at a time during an 8 hour session in which they are strapped in like a rollercoaster ride.  Safety first.  

The based in Belgium the crane can be driven to any accessible location.  America has one in Las Vegas.  Surprised?

Dinner in the sky also is available for events and parties and can add an additional platform for performances or even weddings where you can bungee jump off afterwards to celebrate the nuptials. 

Sounds like fun, an adventure and something you will talk about to all your friends.  It does however beg the question … what happens when you drop a fork?  And oh yes…where is the Ladies Room?

For more info:  www.dinnerinthesky.com  and www.dinnerintheskylv.com

Have a infinitely modern day!

Stylish Fireplaces by Safretti

If you love the ambiance of a fireplace but aren't lucky enough to have one in your home, you can still enjoy the benefits with these modern alternatives. They run on bio-alchohol eliminating the need for a flue, so you can place them just about anywhere from your living room to your patio. Visit Safretti for more info.

            
 

Cloud Gate

The “Cloud Gate” sculpture referred to as The Bean in Chicago’s Milliennium Park is a wonderful contrast to the dramatic skyline that surrounds it and is reflected on its surface.

Inspired by a drop of mercury liquid, the 110-ton Cloud Gate sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly-polished stainless steel "plates" that create an elliptically-arched, highly-reflective work.

Visitors fully experience the majestic nature of the work by literally walking through and around, as it was designed for public interaction.  The sculpture is among the largest in the world, measuring 66-feet-long by 33-feet high.

The artist, Anish Kapoor,  has referred to the sculpture as “a gate to Chicago, a poetic idea about the city it reflects.”  Kappor's pieces are frequently simple, curved forms, usually monochromatic and brightly coloured. Most often, the intention is to engage the viewer, evoking mystery through the works' dark cavities, awe through their size and simple beauty, tactility through their inviting surfaces and fascination through their reflective facades.

Have an infinitely modern day!

Light My Fire

Whether it is a camp fire, a bon-fire or a fireplace something about our love of fire creates coziness and alludes to a romantic evening.  It even conjures up images of snow covered ground and roasting chestnuts.  For all of us who do not have a chimney nor feel like building one, live in a rental or just plain want a fire without the hassle there is a distinctive solution.   Ecosmart Fire is a great, stylish, modern and at the same time eco-friendly.  They are available in a variety of sizes and styles, ranging from fire on a podium to the size of a fireplace.  All you need is ethanol and a match.  No ash.  No smoke.  No mess.

Did I mention design?  I love this one by Paul Cohen called The Igloo.  The EcoSmart Igloo is designed with a futuristic appeal to enhance any contemporary décor.  Toughened glass surrounds and suspends a stainless steel bench from which springs the flame. 

Fire and Ice Coffee Table   

Tower

 

Or design your own!  

 

Have an infinitely modern day!

New from Wishbone!

New from Wishbone! Unlike any other running bikes, the Wishbone Bike evolves with a child's different stages of development. It starts at age 1 as a trike, converts to a running bike as the child grows, and by four to five years old, the 'wishbone' frame is flipped, making the Wishbone Bike one of the largest running bikes on the market. With its environmentally sustainable design and innovative 3-bikes-in-1 feature, the Wishbone bike really is the ultimate pre-bike.

Sou Fujimoto's Wooden House

Although it may not be the perfect house, it beats any tree house I ever had!

"There are no categorization of floors, walls, and ceilings here. A locality that was thought as a floor transforms into chairs, ceilings, and walls from different perspectives. Floor levels are relative and people reinterpret the spatiality according to where they are. People are three-dimensionally distributed in space and will experience new sensations of depths. Spaces are not divided but is rather produced as a chance occurrence within fusing elements. Inhabitants discover various functions within those undulations. It is a place akin to nebulous landscape."

 

 

 

 

 

via Archinect

The Bench That Leaves Its Mark

Botanist is not just any piece of furniture.  Orange 22 Design Lab, the brain child of Dario Antonioni , developed the basic shape of Botanist - Modern, curved at the corners and sleek in various lengths. Almost futuristic, the aluminum construction comes in a selection of colors from blues and reds to custom colors and of course what would modern be without black and white.  Orange 22 then collaborated with industrial designers and other creatives to leave their own impressions or “marks” on the bench.  Think of it as a “blank canvas”.  What would you put on it?  Produced mostly in the U.S. in eco-friendly fashion, Orange 22 gives back 2% of the sales to the designer’s charity of choice, leaving yet another mark.  A win-win for everyone!

The “No Ornamentation” series, from Claude Zellweger, is actually ornamented with typography.  Well-placed irony and the use of the term “no ornamentation” speak against austere minimalism while highlighting the ornamentation. 

Joseph Ricchio represents earth, water and life in his inspirated green colored expression.  A great contrast to nature and a compliment to the man-made modern minimalism of the bench itself. 

While Interior Design Goddess Kahi Lee chose a key theme against the luminous backdrop of the chrome, representing the key to a cure for cancer.

All of these are clever and stylish.   After sitting on this designer, water-jet cut out bench… will it leave a mark on you? 

New from Thomaspaul!

New from Thomaspaul! Thomaspaul has released a series of beautifully designed Melamine dining-ware. The plates--such as the Aviary Dinner Plates, Sea Life Dessert Plates, Flourish Coasters, & Folk Dinner Plates--come in a set of four, featuring different designs for each plate. Add one of the matching serving trays to complete your table setting!