This TriBeCa apartment building was designed by Mexican architect Enrique Norten, principal of Ten Arquitectos. This interior, by Chris Kraig offers a clean, fresh aesthetic. The white base is grounded by dark brown leather chairs and accent pillows and punctuated by green-blue glass table, jars and pillows – all in support of the focal point artwork.
Brightbuilt Barn is a collaboration between Kaplan Thompson Architects, Bensonwood Woodworking Company and others to create a prefab net-zero (carbon neutral) building with adaptable interiors. The project goals were to acheive livability, sustainability, replicability, affordability, disentanglement (making mechanical systems easily accessible) and education.
BrightBuilt Barn is built with no mechanical heating system. Instead, it is super-insulated with high efficiency windows, creating a super tight structure. It is outfitted with Photovoltaic Solar panels that are intended to contribute to the power grid. Brightbuilt Barn is an thoughtful project that explores some good basic green design principles. I would like to know how these principles translate in a dense, urban environment.
My idea of solving the Palmolive-Dishsoap-Bottle-on-the-Counter problem was to buy the really small size so it would be less noticeable. That was until I saw Soapfoamer by Menu. How great looking is this little guy? You simply fill the base with water and dishsoap, replace the top, give the scrub brush top a few pushes and get to work. I especially like the idea of watering down the soap. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but all of them are “super concentrated” – which I think means you get less, use the same amount that you’ve always used, and end up buying more product. Priced at about $40.
I have purchased several Menu products in the past, always as gifts. They are well designed, affordable luxuries that I feel good about giving. Check out the Menu Rubber Vase and Salad Tongs, two of my favorites.
SoapFoamer Stripe is now on sale at Emmo Home $30.36
Kulhaus Development Company just completed their second project: Kulhhaus 02. Kulhaus is trying to redefine residential development by delivering luxury custom homes using earth friendly systems including radiant floor heating, solar panels, flash water heaters, low VOC finishes and recycled and/or FSC certified wood products. In conjuction with Lean Arch, the company designs the houses using principles that maximize natural daylight and cross ventilation to reduce the use of artificial lighting and temperature control. Sited on a choice over-sized corner lot near downtown Manhattan Beach and the Pacific Ocean, this home combines luxury with environmental sensitivity. So you can have your cake and it too? It is nice to see basic sustainable design principles creeping into our collective conscious. The simple concepts of purposeful use of natural light and cross ventilation are such simple practices that can make a world of difference. Lets hope for the trickle down effect. Thanks for the tip Dario.
There are many compelling reasons to consider green or sustainable design pieces – when the concept is well executed, the decision is simple. Such is the case with Dan Pollock’s work. He has scoured California’s forest floors for interesting stumps of alligator pear, golden cedar, white fir, avocado and giant juniper. Each carefully selected piece is finished in either a glossy resin or a natural wax polish. These are pieces you want to touch. They can be used as side tables or stools. On sale now through February 15th at Suite New York 212-421-3300.
Scrittarello Desk by Achille Castiglioni for De Padova – at slightly over 4 feet long by 2 feet deep, a visually light desk that fits nicely in a home office or bedroom. The side trays provide easy access to books or supplies. Made from solid natural beech with white laminate surfaces @ Suite New York.
Italian designer Castiglioni was a well respected industrial designer, architect and urban planner with a career that spanned over 40 years until his death in 2002. He was a long time collaborator with Maddalena de Padova yet only created three products for her brand. This desk is one of those three.
By the time someone is having their second or third child, they pretty much have acquired every toy, baby book, blanket and rattle they’ll ever need. So what to send? Recently friends of mine welcomed their third daughter. I thought Blik Alphabet Zoo Re-Stiks might be a good gift. While the baby isn’t going to do much with them, they are a nice addition to a bedroom wall, can be set up and reorganized by her two big sisters, and are a welcome change to the typical linear alphabet display. At $35, its a great gift. You can also find Re-Stiks in contemporary patterns that would appeal to a teenager. Check it out at Blik Re-stiks.
At times it seems as though there are only 5 barstools in the world – you see the same ones used over and over again – so when I saw Lox, I was genuinely excited. What a beautiful, balanced form. The base is super low profile, which I love. The seat support is recalled in the footrest. The combination shown here features the strong black/white contrast with just enough chrome. Lox was designd by PearsonLloyd for Walter Knoll.
On December 20th, a new flagship store opened in Soho featuring Molteni & C furniture, Dada Kitchens and Unifor Office Systems. The new space is 8000 square feet on two levels. I have long been a fan of Molteni & C’s uncomplicated brand of modernism. Pictured here is one of my favorite chairs ever, the Alfa by Hannes Wettstein – the shiny geometric chair is made of resin reinforced with fiberglass. The result is glossy smooth. It comes in Chalk White, Metallic Silver Grey (more grey than silver), orange and black. The chair is paired with Less table by Jean Nouvel - a metal table on iron legs with a super slim profile.
