January 23, 2009
See all Joo Youn Paek’s inventions here. Yes, they’re functional: as art.
January 22, 2009
The politest “No Entry” sign ever written. I photographed it in Korea many years ago.
January 21, 2009
This brick screening wall by Anagram Architects, New Delhi, is a reminder of how imaginatively brick can be used. I’m not a fan of brick, and that’s an understatement, but context is everything.
January 20, 2009
Left to Right: George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom
Photo from a 1961 Playboy article on 20th C “masters of design,” who are here dressed either as accountants or architects, it’s hard to tell which, but it’s a lot of zippers.
Supposedly raw blonde is a trend for 2009. I think that might be me, based on this definition. Warm but austere and at this point pretty pale.
This room somehow manages to be both sensual and monastic at the same time, so perhaps it represents the perfect refuge for a recession.
I always meant to initiate a regular feature about bad design but for a long time I didn’t have the heart for it. For one thing, finding insincere design is like shooting fish in a barrel.
January 18, 2009
This is one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. It is the “Final Wooden House” by Sou Fujimoto, 2008, in Kamamura village in the south of Kyushu. It has just won Best Private Home award in the Wallpaper Design Awards 2009 and is probably on every design blog this week.
The textile company Anek Taanka, which means “infinite stitches,” was founded by Indian textile designer Varsha Sharma. She has said that “my challenge is to create pieces of textile that could inspire spaces to be designed around them rather than the other way around.” That’s a bold ambition but this pillow makes you think she could actually do it.
I found this tragic modern poem online while researching ventilation for the studio. I took a screenshot of it just in case someone failed to recognize its morose genius and removed it from the public domain.
January 17, 2009
Yet another 60s DIY project from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, Greystone Press, 1970. While the bookshelf directly above is cringe-worthy (almost in the “so bad it’s good” category, but not quite), it could be very mod if it were updated and re-made properly with more attractive materials.
