D.C. architect Carib Daniel Martin came up with the idea of HELP (Housing Every Last Person) soon after Hurricane Katrina devasted the Gulf-Coast region. His idea was to create an emergency housing system that was easily transportable and could be quickly assembled.
With a working demo in place, he secured the means to manufacture his creation and has spent the last two years fine-tuning his work. Expanding on his original design, he has evolved the structure to also meet the needs of the commercial, non-emergency market by producing 4 models: the microCABANA, microHOME, microSTUDIO, and microSHED.
Link: Pure Austrian Design
Vandeventer + Carlander Architects announce that the C3 Cabin plans are available for purchase.
We've discussed IKEA here in the past and some our our topics have touched on the topic of altering those inexpensive pieces we purchase from our favorite blue and yellow big-box store. Little did I know that there was a blog dedicated to such exploits. Anyway, look closely at the photo on the right and you'll see an IKEA Effectiv cabinet topped by a quartz-slab countertop in this Eichler remodel. Perhaps not quite a "hack" but still I think it looks pretty slick.
As for the other "IKEA Hacks" on the site, it looks like a majority are geared more towards the dorm-crowd (not that there's anything wrong with that) but have a look around, you might just find something useful. Allen wrenches not included. :)
Read: Open to the Outdoors(Sunset.com)
Via: IKEA Hacker
Link: Ruckstuhl
Add some style to your crib/loft/home/office space with these fine chairs from Mackler Furniture. Both the Lenox Lounge Chair and the New York Arm Chair (featured at right) share subtle design cues and are available in a natural or walnut finish. Personally, I'm down with the walnut.
Link: Mackler
I received an email this morning that screamed a bunch of one-liners at me about what ATYPYK is and is not. Such as:
On and on the list went. And they were right when they said, "NO BIG SURPRISE THAT YOU NEVER HEARD ABOUT US THEN" because I've never heard of them. You probably haven't either. So, whatever. I don't really feel like trying to explain who or what they are but they've got some interesting sh*t on their website (seriously, and it's "lucky" as well) so just click through and check out the site for yourself. And watch where you step.
Link: ATYPYK
Link: Aaron Kraten
Continuing the tile theme tonight is the ECOTECH tile from Domus Tiles. The ECOTECH tile is made from recycled porcelain leftovers and is available in four colors. Two finish options are also available (natural and structured).
The ECOTECH is an interior/exterior tile designed for both wall and floor use and is offered in 6 sizes with the largest being 23" x 47".
Link: ECOTECH (Domus)
ModCraft tiles from New York based designer David Clark are available in 4 styles and remind me of the Tangent 3D wallpaper tiles we featured a few years back. The Peak (featured above), Valley, and Scoop are available in 6x6 while the Dom comes in 3x7. All tiles are made from stoneware.
Link: ModCraft Tiles
Link: ModCraft Lighting
The Writing Desk from Team 7 is a simple yet discreet solution for creating a work area in your living space. The Writing Desk features a slide out desktop with a hinged cover that reveals an organizer tray. Cable management is integrated into the desk and there is also ample storage space for your printer and files.
The Writing Desk is available in several different wood types including alder, beech, maple, and walnut.
Link: Team7
The Vine Chair by Clear, crafted from vines and resin, has a classic shape and would be at home both indoors or out. The materials in the Vine Chair also remind us a bit of the Alikudi chair by Aitali.
Thanks, Arlene!
Link: Clear Inc.
The OX Barstool from Canadian designer Adriean Koleric was designed with 2 objectives:
"One was to create a piece of furniture that when put in place had that feeling of a built-in / structural element within a particular environment. By placing several OX's in a row infront of a bar, one is creating an interior landscape that is simple enough not to overpower the room but rather add a clean and functional contribution.The OX Barstool is constructed of 1/2" MDF and can be ordered with a custom finish.The other and more important objective was to simply promote togetherness by providing the option of housing 2 patrons at once to either spark up a conversation about what they're sitting on or whatever else comes to mind."
In addition to the OX, Adriean has also instroduced the Monster Floor Lamp.
The Lolli Pop Chaise from Beyond Metal looks to be one of those products that has the potential to be notably cool, but might also be quickly tossed into the the clearance section at your local DWR. Based on the lack of actual product photos (their site only shows renderings), I'm guessing this has yet to see the light of day. However, just imagine if they turned this into one of those vibrating massage chairs with motors on each of those lollipops. (Hey you, get your mind out of the gutter) Depending on how the final product ends up, this could just be the perfect compliment to your Nelson Marshmallow sofa. Or not.Link: Beyond Metal
Sense of Place is a UK design shop that creates furniture and cabinetry using both contemporary and traditional methods. I discovered Sense of Place after browsing the portfolio of a photographer that photographed their furniture catalog and was impressed both by his work and SoP's craftmanship. Their one-off piece, "The Table", is featured at right.
Link: Sense of Place
Link: Kirsten Prisk Photography
At first glance, I was somewhat reminded of The Great Bowl of Fire but the shapes are much more organic. The Splash Form Bowls by Melt Modern are created with a technique that consists of throwing molten aluminum onto a sand mold one splash at a time until the bowl is complete. Needless to say, each bowl is unique.
Splash Form bowls come in three different sizes with prices starting at $195.
Link: Melt Modern
Designers: Matt Proctor, Aixe Djelal
Looking for the perfect arrangement of pictures? It's quite possible that The Picturewall Company has a solution. Using a template-based system along with an assortment of frames, they allow you to arrange the frames to make a perfect, well, arrangement. The template system is easy to use and offers you the ability to preview the arrangement before you commit your hooks to the wall.
Link: Picturewall Company [Thanks, Erich]
Over in the comment section of our Dwell post, L+L reader Rachel challenged Dwell to "bring on the funk." We got in touch with her and sure enough, the funk be brought. Here's Rachel's take on Chair Couture:
While it's great to have a cool, crisp, carefully delineated living space, full of machined surfaces, clad in the colors of nature, sometimes even the most ardent minimalist craves a shock. Margaret Elman's Chair Couture takes vintage chair frames (more Louie, Louie than Louis XVI) and dolls them up with paint, gilding, and gaudy fabrics.I think Rachel's going to fit in rather nicely around here.The result--seating that calls for cocktails One blast of an aqua bergère will turn even the most Zen space into a lava lounge.
If Elman's creations are too much for those with major taste but minimal funds, a brisk tour of 2nd-hand shops might turn up a chair that just needs a jolt of color. Try an auto painting shop, (Candy Apple Red), and grab a staple gun. And then--relax and mix a Tequila Sunrise to match your settee. If you spill--trust me, no will notice.
Link: Chair Couture [Thanks, Rachel!]
Got an empty lot that your itchin' to drop a mid-century modern home on? If so, then you're in luck. Custom home builder Maxx Livingstone is re-releasing the 1956 Butterfly Home originally designed by mid-century modern architect William Krisel A.I.A. This "Architectural Icon" will maintain all the architectural integrity of the original along with some modern updates.
In addition, out in in California's Coachella Valley, they are in the process of developing a residential community chock full of Krisel Modern homes. This community should be open to viewings in late 2006.
Link: Maxx Livingstone [Thanks, Bob]
My penchant for screens hasn't waned during my absence here at L+L and thanks to a tip from Anita at Furniture Seen I'm happy to jumpstart my entries with the Pivot Screen from Mebel Furniture. Anita wrote us and said:
The Pivot Screen designed by Jacek Ostoya of Mebel Furniture in San Francisco. The screen is made up of frames with interchangable acrylic pieces. You can configure your screen with as much opacity as you choose and arrange colors or pictures to fit your mood. Ostoya was named by the LA Times as a furniture designer to watch in 2006.Link: Furniture Seen Thanks, Anita!
The LA Times features an article on LA's "newest status symbol", the Sierra Towers.
Sierra Towers sits on Doheny Road at the western end of the Sunset Strip, where the lively commercial clutter of West Hollywood gives way to the grand mansions of Beverly Hills. The building has always had its fans, well-heeled Westsiders of a certain age who appreciated the unobstructed views from every floor and the tender ministrations of porters and attentive doormen. It isn't surprising that condos in the building have been selling for jaw-dropping prices the last few years — the cost of residential real estate has skyrocketed throughout Southern California. Yet a Sierra Towers address now represents something more than a hefty price tag: The building has acquired a cool quotient.Link: LA Times
The Pearlroth House, built by architect Andrew Geller in 1959 and located in Westhampton Beach, is scheduled to be demolished in spring 2006. Filmmaker Jake Gorst, along with Exhibitions International, are working to save the house from demolition. Their plan is to relocate the house and turn it into a museum of mid-century modern architecture.
Johnathan Pearlroth, son of Mitch and Arthur Pearlroth, and current owner of the house, approached filmmaker Jake Gorst in April 2005 regarding the possibility of preserving the house by relocation. Additions made to the house in the 1970s were decaying and much repair work needed to be done. Present day building codes made a complete restoration impossible without further compromising the original design. Pearlroth realized that he would have to build a new structure if his family was to continue enjoying their beachfront property.For more info, follow the links below.
If you've been reading L+L for a while, I'm pretty sure you're familiar with the work of Canadian designer, Adriean Koleric. Back in May 2005, Adriean contacted us to tell us about his Edith Mailbox and I've been a fan of his work ever since. I look forward to reading Adriean's contributions to L+L.
Adriean also maintains his own blog, designBot.
Link: Item
Related: Sugar Recliner (L+L)
Related: Item (L+L)
Architect and designer, Michael Hilgers, created the dialounge as part of an exclusive collection for the label rephorm. The dialounge is available in orange, olive, and cream and features cupholders along with a place for your magazines.
"The communication- chaiselongue dialounge is manufactured in PE in the rotational-moulding process. It is wheatherproof, can be dismantled, is stackable and has integrated cupholders as well as space for magazines.Link: dialounge [Thanks, Michael!]
for Club, Lounge, Pool, Hotel, Garden, Bar, Patio, Beach, Livingroom...."
Mike from Mike and Maaike dropped us a line tonight to let us know about their Windowseat lounge chair. Billed as a "sub-architectural space", the lounge features a wrap-around design offering a bit of privacy.
"Along with this new sense of space comes the dynamic play between being inside vs. outside as well as new social or asocial behavior when the chair is introduced into public settings. When used in multiples, the Windowseat Lounge opens up a wide range of possibilities. By directing the chairs towards each other, people can engage in a semi-private conversation. By directing the chairs away from each other, strangers can create their own individual space, ideal for reading, relaxing, or people-watching."Link: Mike and Maaike [Thanks, Mike!]
The Flip chair is a prototype chair from Shawn Bruce that offers different seating arrangements depending on the situation. In it's most conservative way, it is a simple 100 degree incline chair. Yet at night, flip it over and it lets its hair down, becoming a 110 degree lounge chair. Each seating position offers two arrangments so you're sure to be comfortable one way or another.