34 Elements To Get A Contemporary Look

Brooke Johnson of Brooke Johnson Interiors blogs about 34 elements "...which can be used around a home to get the right contemporary look." They range from Rugs and carpets, Wicker furniture, Indoor plants, Leather couches and Fruit baskets (for centre tables) to Flower arrangement décor with artificial silken flowers.

  
She concludes with this advice:

The placement and arrangement of these accessories in the right place and in the right manner is important so that it’s in sync with the color and décor surroundings and they service the purpose for which they are made in an effortless manner. 

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Ordning & Reda

I was excited to learn recently that The Bay just launched the ORDNING & REDA collection.  This well-loved Scandinavian line meaning "Neat and Tidy" (in Swedish) makes an amazing selection of  notebooks and calendars along with tech accessories, bags, desktop accessories, even cards.  The first shops carrying the line in North America for the Bay is on Queen in Toronto and Downtown Vancouver.  Loving all the bright cheery colours, perfect for a last minute gift perhaps? 

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More Great Holiday Gifts

From Global Views:

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Pick Up Planter

Jason Phillips has just wowed me with this accessory that looks inviting and repelling depending on your viewing angle:

Pick Up Planter measures dia20x16"h and is made from artist-grade resin.  Finished in a glossy black lacquer with orange dowels.  Other finishes can be custom ordered.  Will be produced and distributed by award-winning US-based company Phillips Collection.  Pricing and availability available upon request.  

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Enjoy Nica-Art

Every once in a while TODL shows a manufacturer that catches my eye.  They show something unique or different from anything I've seen before.  That's the case today as TODL singled out Nica-Art:



Nica-Art's Chris Welke represents 44 artists from the unassuming town of San Juan de Oriente, in Nicaragua. After a very lengthy process of hand crafting pottery, burnishing and painting using the traditional “engove” method, then baking in kilns constructed of local materials, these artisans create uniquely beautiful pieces reflecting their collective spirit.





The Nica-Art website has a whole page devoted to how this pottery is made at Making the Pottery. It takes days and days, using primitive methods, to turn out such beautiful vases.



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Paddle-and-anvil Pottery By Kate Tremel

American Style Magazine profiles Kate Tremel who has been getting her hands dirty for the past 20 years, yet the technique she uses to create her pottery goes back centuries. While in college, Tremel traveled to Peru where she studied a paddle-and-anvil technique, which became her signature skill.



What is paddle-and-anvil technique?

A method of smoothing and finishing the walls of hand-made pottery vessels where a small stone or wooden ‘anvil’ is held against the inner wall of the vessel while a flat or curved wooden ‘paddle’ is used to beat the outer surface into shape.

The shape of the anvil determines how the clay will move.

* a circular anvil results in the clay expanding in all directions
* an oval anvil held vertically against the wall results in the clay expanding horizontally
* an oval anvil held horizontally against the wall results in the clay expanding vertically

Bev & Mike
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Looking for some great Christmas gifts?

  Look at our favorites from  the Architectural Record:


Mysqueeze
Move over  Juicy Salif (Philippe Starck’s iconic citrus juicer) there is a new squeeze in town. Mysqueeze is a handheld citrus juicer designed by Roland Kreiter for Alessi’s Fall/Winter 2010 line. The 5’’ x 2 1/4’’ stainless steel juicer features an ergonomic shape that resembles the shape of a lemon, with deep grooves to get its juices flowing. Available at Alessi-shop.com and retail stores. Price: $67.00.


Trash Origami: 25 Paper Folding Projects Reusing Everyday Materials
Tuttle Publishing’s Trash Origami: 25 Paper Folding Projects Reusing Everyday Materials by Michael G. Lafosse and Richard L. Alexander is a fun, instructive guide showing how to turn trash into origami. Intended for the reader with little to no previous folding experience, the book should also appeal to veteran origamists who will find inspiration in the unusual materials, such as candy wrappers, junk mail, and glossy magazines (old issues of RECORD perhaps?). An instructional DVD is included. Available at fine bookstores and online retailers. Price: $19.95.


Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics, one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries, has been making tableware and tile for over half a century in its Sausalito, California factory. The company has introduced two new winter-inspired, hand-dipped glazes for its Winter 2010 collection of tableware, which includes salt and pepper shakers, a bud vase set, and a hot cocoa set. The seasonal designs are specifically produced just for their season, making them collectables a select group is now on display at the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. To purchase go to  heathceramics.com. . Price: Ranging from $32.00 for an espresso set to $205.00 for a serving bowl set.
Photo © Jeffrey Cross


Custom rings by Jeremy May
To make these bookish baubles, British designer Jeremy May laminates together hundreds of pages of recycled books and colored recycled paper, and then carefully finishes them to a high gloss. The design of each ring is a direct response to the book the paper came from; the jewelry is then re-inserted into the excavated space in the book afterwards, allowing the book to work as a jewelry box. May also takes custom orders and can turn any favorite book into a literary jewel. He does not have a retail presence yet in the U.S., but does ship here and around the world. To order visit littlefly.co.uk.. Pieces start at $165.00, plus shipping.

These are just a few of their ideas.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Going Global with Maps

Despite a constantly changing global landscape, with boundary lines moving and nations renaming themselves, globes are a classroom staple that have changed very little over the years. Even when barely legible from the effects of time (such as the one above that I sold on Etsy), they are a reminder of where we've been and where we're going. Grouped together, they beckon like toys and few can resist setting them spinning.

Old maps or pages from atlases are a graphic way to remember a favorite place or to earmark a destination yet to be visited. Considering the effort required of the cartographers who charted them, they are works of art worthy of framing and hanging in a prominent location. Yellowed pages from atlases are a subtle way of adding interest to everything from furniture to lighting.

One large map is all that's needed to bring color to this white dining room.

Atlas pages paper the panes of a soft blue wardrobe.

Neighboring atlases form a base to this modern coffee table from Family of Sam.

Taking a page from globe lamps, maps are made translucent as lampshades.

A vintage globe is upcycled into a light pendant from Anecdote Design.

Silk Aviatop Map Cushions from Atelier 688.

Decorative letters from Little White Dog.

Images: Inside Out Magazine Jan-Feb 2009 issue, Christmas 2007 issue, Jan-Feb 2008 issue, May-June 2009 issue; Apartment: Stylish Solutions for Apartment Living by Alan Powers, photography by Chris Everard, published by Ryland Peters & Small, 2001.

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Guardino Gallery Inspires Me

Judging by my Google alerts, there's a lot of interest in Wall Decor. Good designers speak of adding texture to their design and that can include fabric texture, distressed furniture and recycled wood, ceramics and metal wall art. Timothy S. Herbst wrote recently, beautiful, bright and bold metal wall decor can "induce a feeling and meaning in the viewer without the use of concrete form."

One of the places in Portland that inspires me is the Guardino Gallery on Alberta at about 29th. In January Yoshi Aoki exhibited his work which "incorporates steel, hardwood, rocks and ceramic. Using wire lines and mixed media objects, he captures the balance between the movement and stillness of forms."



Several Guardino Gallery ceramic pieces lift my mood:


Ingrid Hendrix creates ceramic sculptures with a combination of human and animal elements. She uses the female figure along with religious, mythical, and animal imagery to explore female stereotypes and to reveal those complexities.


Lisa Kaser creates imaginative mixed media sculptures with narrative as her focus.


Valenzuela’s ceramic work consists of quirky pieces that reflect upon a variety of issues with a thoughtful, yet humorous tone. Much of her imagery is pulled from sources around the 1950’s era.


Sara Swink works in clay, making human and animal forms with a psychological stance. This body of work, “Empowered Objects”, addresses the human tendency to imbue objects with symbolic meaning and magical power.

I'm going over there this afternoon to see what's new. Maybe, I'll see you there.

Bev & Mike
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Ways to Make Electrical Wirings Less Messy and More Classy

Wires lying around the house are a very common sight. As much they are difficult to hide they are equally inevitable to do without. Are you looking for some wire-handling solutions? Here are some that might just come handy.

How about this slimmed down plug which was a show stealer at one of the college art fests. Designer Min-Kyu Choi’s plug is just 10mm wide when folded and it can swivel out 90 degrees making itself compatible to be plugged into a normal 3 pin socket.

Use birds and leaves to camouflage the wires that cant be hidden behind furniture. The utility factor remains questionable but it does increase the aesthetic value of the room. You can get it here.

This work of art comes from a designer who believes in keeping wires – visible; a curvy multi power socket product called wirepod that, if looked from a distance, appears to be part of the floor design.

This one is far from being anything electrical. But appearances are deceiving and when they are as friendly faced they are surely welcoming. Hail electro man! (You can buy it here.)

Via

There are too many people complaining about cables and there are a few delectable solutions provided. Like this Powerblock that shields all the wire mess.

Via

Why hide your cable wires? Show them off with the mount peg boards.

You just can’t have enough of wire-hiding ideas! Here’s one more. Called the picket fence, this one is a great DIY concept.

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