The Obsessive Furniture Line
"In loose change, you see a couch. In pieces of show leather, a chair. In jars, a chandelier. These are all visions turned into reality by Johnny Swing. and his Obsessive Furniture line. Taking common, everyday materials and re-purposing them, Johnny Swing has created practical art that is as stunning to view as it is stimulating to use.
His nickel couch, made of over 6400 welded nickels, is a magnificient piece of work that is contoured for the body. His Jardelier, a chandelier made of glass jars, evokes a feeling of early 20th century invention with its illumination. These are but two example of an exceptional furniture line. The difference is in the art. Each is a unique example of beautiful and functional sculpture."
Link: Johnny Swing
One of the things we've admired when grabbing lunch at Chipotle is the simple interiors they have in their restaurants. Materials such as concrete, wood, stainless steel, exposed conduit, corrugated aluminum, and old-school pull-chain porcelin light fixtures. Perhaps they've taken the typical "let's make this look like an artist's loft" approach to their design (on their behalf, what project these days doesn't use at least some of those materials?) but for a fast food restaurant, we like what they're doing. Rip out the dining tables and chairs, throw in some furniture, and hell, I'd live there. Also, we didn't know this but according to their website, each Chipotle interior and exterior is unique.
"The intrigue of this piece lies in the interplay of convex and concave forms that produce a unique undulating form. The hinges are placed at the top and bottom of the panels creating a sliver of uninterrupted space between the panels. The screen is modular. We recommend a minimum of six leaves but any number greater than two is possible. This is a great piece to section off a space or to provide a sculptural element within a room."
"Before excavating, Barry and I decided exactly where the LV Home would be built. We chose a knoll with southern exposure. We marked the trees that needed to come down and staked out the building's rough location with rebar. Since we wanted the LV Home to 'float' on the ground per Rocio's design, we were faced with a problem. The building site is on a hill with a 7-foot slope. We wanted to keep the natural landscape of the knoll undisturbed. So we chose to level the hill where the house will sit and terrace the remainder of the hill. This was a risky decision because we didn't know if the excavator would hit rock..and there's plenty of rock!"
"Show your friends and bill collectors your devotion to design with the recently-released Isamu Noguchi stamps from the US Post Office."
Earlier this month, we featured an 
The architecture community website started in 1997 by Paul Petrunia lanched a redesigned site today.
"META means “right in the center” and META is right in the center of a metamorphosis thanks to its innovative modular system. It formulates a progressive statement in its objective formal language. A geometric order of long-lasting value."
"True Sustainability - We believe that true sustainability strikes a balance between process and materials to make a minimal impact on the environment. To achieve this, we take
painstaking care in our choice of materials, the process by which fabrics are made, and even how our interior furnishings go to market. We also use water-based inks, recycled paper stock and FSC (forestry stuardship council) approved paper products for our printed material."
"This innovative product cools water to twelve to fifteen degrees below room temperature, or retains the chill in previously refridgerated water, through the natural evaporative process of terra cotta. For centuries terra cotta has been used for decorative pottery as well as to create utilitarian vessels for food and water. Made of all natural materials, the terra cotta carafe leaches no harmful chemicals into your drinking water. Comes complete with a matching, non-porous plastic, drip tray and cap. 4"dx9"h,2.5 lbs. There is a plastic stopper and there is a plastic tray. Since it is Terra Cotta it will leach."
"Chef is Driade's kitchen project. Started in 1978, it has been constantly updated by Antonia Astori. The number of possible combinations and variety of fittings provide a full range of possible solutions from kitchenettes, through solutions integral with living spaces, to large professional kitchens. Although Chef divides into 2 programmes of differing aesthetic and structural characteristics, the two can be readily combined: Kucina has developed from a virtually infinite modular system. It consists of bases, wall and tall units, with matching hanging bar and other wallfittings. Fuoko is a collection of bases, wall and free standing units which, as definitive furniture can also be employed as individual pieces in their own right. These can be used freely grouped between them, individually or in blocks. They have aluminium structures, standing on levelling feet or on wheels."
We stumbled across this website tonight. There isn't much info on the site describing the products, but some of the pieces look fantastic. Among the collections are tables, seating, storage, and sofas.
"Agape was formed in 1973 with a specific mission: the design of fittings for the bathroom. The proved to be a far-sighted decision, as the bathroom was at the time relegated to minor status within the home, a space characterised by the presence of utilitarian sanitary fixtures, only occasionally lightened by decorative touches in the design of ceramic tiles.
"Gargantua is a multifunctional piece of garden furniture, made of durable materials: galvanised metal, stainless steel and teak.
Lounge chair with matte chromed steel frame. Curved seat and arms in plywood, blanched oak or oak stained dark walnut.
"From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than 100,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (An outhouse could be purchased separately for Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customers could choose a house to suit their individual tastes and budgets."
"We come from two generations of kitchen manufacturing. and have designed thousands of these spaces. We can provide cabinetry to meet any material specification; woods, lacquers, and laminates- anything imaginable- as well as any countertop material available on the market."
"I really can't believe that we ever survived before this device was invented, but here it is:
"The Rematerialise vision is to compile and maintain a versatile collection of 'Eco-Smart' materials, which by their very
nature provide a range of environmentally responsible alternatives to other resource hungry materials. By tapping into
both post-consumer and post-industrial waste streams, scrap and refuse otherwise destined for landfill is recycled and
reused which reduces waste and maybe more importantly saves natural resources. It is unfortunate that many of
these often-exciting new materials never make it into the wider market place and are tragically discontinued. Due to
a lack of demand they just disappear!"
"The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected 10 examples of architectural and "green" design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The selected projects address significant environmental challenges with designs that integrate architecture, technology, and natural systems. The top ten projects make a positive contribution to their community, improve comfort for building occupants, and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as: reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact site development, energy and water conservation, use of "green" construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality."
"For the Carte Blanche collection, Venlet created a mobile desk-seat, a place of retreat where users can withdraw to with their laptop, mobile phone, etc …
Do you live in LA? Do you want to cut down on cooling costs? Did you know the the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power has a program where they will give you free shade trees?
Yeah, so it's obvious we read Dwell. Often. Both print and online. So I'm not sure how I missed this from the Dwell forum, but here ya go.
"For several years, we have been interested in modern prefab architecture. Barry gave me a copy of Arieff & Burkhart's book PREFAB for Christmas, 2002. When I saw Rocio Romero's LV Home, I knew if we ever built a prefab house, it would be the LV Home. I had also just finished documenting a 1960's house designed by Richard Neutra...I became enthralled by modernity."
Michael from FabPreFab.com has posted images of the finished Glidehouse that was on show at the Sunset Celebration this past weekend in Menlo Park.
"Packed with full-color photos, easy-to-read charts and information, this reference and how-to book is for anyone interested in dry-climate plants from California to Texas.
Plants for Dry Climates offers complete descriptions of more than 300 species, including a variety of low-maintenance and drought-resistant plants. Over 430 color photographs and useful plant charts help you choose your annuals, perennial color, ground cover and trees."
Continuing our theme of regional newspaper magazines, the Seattle Times Magazine, Pacific Northwest, has a write up on the city's stunning new library.
This weekend's edition of the The New York Times Magazine is dedicated to Landscape architecture. Among the articles are:
"The [Washington Post] magazine's Spring Home and Design issue explores the theme of less is more: An avid collector learns to let go of years of treasures, an Annapolis couple downsizes from a 6,000-square-foot house to a boat and a renovation of a school into a residence shows the success of a clear, strict vision."