tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334003702009-12-23T19:25:53.902-06:00Exploring all facets of the modern aesthetic in Dallas, from architecture and art through furnishings and cuisine Suggestions or questions? dallasmoderndesign@gmail.comErikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13161589981479429091noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-42879989030979695022009-12-23T19:19:00.002-06:002009-12-23T19:25:53.919-06:00

Thanks to Engadget for noticing this tech! Panasonic and Sanyo are developing a lithium-ion cell designed to power a home for a week.The home use storage battery, scheduled for a 2011 release, is a way to store electricity generated from solary batteries that now do not allow long-term storage. The system may also be coupled to a system that tracks electricity usage on the home's TVs. More info

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-75042060517331984212009-10-19T22:11:00.002-05:002009-10-19T22:16:05.929-05:00

Thanks to BoingBoing for the tip on this modern furniture quiz: Donald Judd or Cheap Furniture? (by Graydon Parrish and Mikhail Simkin), which challenges one's ability to tell priceless designs created by minimalist sculptor Donald Judd as furnishing apartments that also contain famous abstract paintings from cheap flat-pack furniture from big-box establishments. I didn't get a perfect score, but

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-75447951747383287882009-07-05T21:27:00.002-05:002009-07-05T21:29:37.169-05:00

Cliff Fest, Oak Cliff, November 14th, 2009From "Oak Cliff People", 6/26/09: ‘Cliff Fest’ Planning BeginsNew festival will take cues from Taste of Addison By Silver HogueStaff Writerhttp://www.peoplenewspapers.com/ME2...E75FD51480D8A7DThe wheels are turning on one of the biggest festivals to hit Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District....Cliff Fest.The event, which is slated for Nov. 14, will be a

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-39994575332829030412009-05-04T10:05:00.003-05:002009-05-04T10:14:46.509-05:00

Love Le Soleil, a suspension lamp from Vincente Garcia Jimenez debuted by Foscarini (the makers of Ferrucio Laviani's SuperNova, another of my loves) at Euroluce last week. For more of the story, go here.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-2822564643466643452009-05-04T09:32:00.006-05:002009-05-04T10:05:38.433-05:00

A new way for gadgets to make it to the shower....Kohler's Flipside hand-hel shower has a rotating nozzle that provides a selection of four different streams. For under $130 you can play with something nice and shiny which is only slightly evocative of a select-a-stream garden hose nozzle.Gizmodo seems just as impressed as we are.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-81454199180237796972009-03-26T06:32:00.006-05:002009-05-04T10:17:20.116-05:00

I'm always a fan of new lighting thoughts, and this recycled wine bottle lamp puts a new eco-spin on illumination.Jerry Kott handcuts and polishes recycled bottles to create light sculptures. Colorblock table light fixtures have a weighted, distressed aluminum base with a switch on the cord. 3-color blocks are $150, 4-color blocks $280 at re:modern. My only eco-wish: LED bulbs!

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-64565481257460709702009-03-26T04:18:00.007-05:002009-03-26T06:37:21.063-05:00

Harrison Varma is an ten-year-old architecture firm in London "specialising in the creation of individually crafted, contemporary, luxury homes built to the highest standards". The luxurious, modern designs have a unique interaction with their environment, whether it's an in-town block or a cottage lane.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-45684449971499721652009-02-05T16:36:00.003-06:002009-02-05T16:38:46.942-06:00

Thanks to Haute Nature for finding this creative, reused item! I'm seeing an IKEA hack in the future....

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-51298629100123436802008-12-11T20:17:00.003-06:002008-12-11T20:32:51.180-06:00

This chair has a topologically folded single-piece seat made of polyurethane. Available as a chair, a barstool, and a lounge chair among other forms from Sawaya & Moroni, it has true visual appeal, though I can't vouch for the comfort test.I'm not the only design fan captivated by Sawaya's design tastes. Both Metropolitan Home and Maison Francaise featured his Milan apartment recently (see this

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-82684447584736734932008-11-29T13:05:00.003-06:002008-11-29T14:54:06.172-06:00

What started in 2006 as a way to catalog design finds that caught my eye has gotten a few eyeballs! Thanks for stopping by and sharing my little list of nifty things!

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-4345862703996816922008-11-08T10:35:00.002-06:002008-11-08T10:47:22.554-06:00

The Chestnut Residence in Newport Beach, California (architect Dan Heinfeld's personal residence) incorporates low VOC paints and no-paint plasters, recycled terazzo floors, and a cool roof/solar array system to provide power with the aim of being a sophisticated modern sustainable home.Inhabit has a full write-up on the property and its integration of green building strategies.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-62443486961295879752008-10-25T16:58:00.003-05:002008-10-25T17:13:15.929-05:00

Save the date for this artsy weekend event: the Sixth Annual Cedars Open Studios tour. The weekend event in the Cedars neighborhood south of Downtown features open house opportunities to see artists and their works.The day is planned to conclude with a sunset performance art piece titled “Decorating the Tree” by glass blower Jim Bowman.A review of the 2005 tour is posted at the DallasArtsRevue

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-64926044664887628482008-10-19T20:22:00.003-05:002008-10-19T20:29:59.208-05:00

"The Origami series looks at an abstraction of penetrating, folding, layering and juxtaposition of surfaces - static versus dynamic forces; a static moment of suspended action, frozen from a manual of folds."Phillip Michael Wolfson, a Cornell-trained architect, is known for both his design and sculpture works, with his unique use of shape and lines. More commentary and more pictures are

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-60025914075173397862008-09-21T17:37:00.002-05:002008-09-21T17:48:27.365-05:00

The Biombo Chairs by Daniel Milchtein convert from screen to seating in a few easy slides. According to original Design Milk posting, the wood veneer chair, built over a hinged wood structure, when is not in use is a folding screen (Biombo). The surface of the seat can be engraved with a graphic image that transforms it into a decorative object when folded flat.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-60921930859779722372008-08-25T19:39:00.000-05:002008-08-25T19:25:47.653-05:00

This really caught my eye (and it's only £99.95!):"The Firewinder® Wind-Powered Outdoor Light is a sculpturally designed outdoor light, which harnesses the wind to create a beautiful upward spiralling light every time the wind blows. In the daylight and when the wind isn't blowing, the product looks unobtrusive. But at night and when the wind blows, it creates a silent wind-powered firework show,

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-14266055924381278702008-08-21T21:52:00.003-05:002008-08-25T19:24:49.905-05:00

This set on Flickr (user brittnybadger) is from a senior thesis project at the Hartford Art School."this past year...i took apart used cooking/cleaning appliances, and arranged their interior parts very systematically on a white sheet of bristol board. my intention was to explore the hidden "brains" of these appliances; allowing us to view these everyday objects from a new perspective."

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-63866188353984760832008-07-09T19:29:00.002-05:002008-07-09T20:01:44.267-05:00

The Bubble Calendar ($29.99)Flat flowers for small spaces

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-24691643626263351312008-06-11T17:57:00.003-05:002008-06-11T18:01:08.370-05:00

The art conspiracy group does it again. At 8pm, Saturday 6/21 at Sons of Hermann Hall they will feature another iteration of SEED with several bands and artists participating. For $5 you can listen to the sounds of Matthew and The Arrogant Sea, Beauxregard, Spector 45 and Pet Hospital. There will be an artwork auction including some one-0f-a-kind moleskine journals. Since the end of May, 15

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-90947944229163072212008-05-27T22:18:00.003-05:002008-05-27T22:22:34.288-05:00

According to this release today, over $2 billion in development plans are in the works for Oak Cliff, just north and east of the Bishops Arts district, in striking distance of the Trinity River project. Incap Unveils Full Scope of $2B Plan for DallasBy Connie GoreIncap's VisionDALLAS-With 300 acres of entitled land now ready for development, Incap Fund is pulling the cloak of secrecy off its

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-81084852524015584652008-05-15T19:39:00.002-05:002008-05-15T19:41:43.971-05:00

Not all markets are as "dealer"-loaded as the downtown sheds of the Dallas Farmers Market. The Dallas Morning News has a good summary of the options in the Metroplex, but here's the list:CITY OF DALLAS FARMERS MARKET: Daily, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., year-round. More farmers, including organic, sell on Saturday mornings than any other day. Also pasta, beef, Alaskan seafood, pastured meats, cheese,

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-57959780467130508692008-04-20T17:35:00.006-05:002008-04-20T17:44:30.984-05:00

Before.... After....At 8am sharp on a Sunday, specifically on the same day that the Dallas News featured the preservation of MCM architecture in Dallas (see prior post), the Harwood Smith-designed office building at 2505 Turtle Creek Blvd. was razed by the developers. The full story is on Unfair Park. Apparently the permit for demolition was issued in the first week of April -- the day after the

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-8614298141001108462008-04-20T09:27:00.003-05:002008-04-20T09:46:03.833-05:00

Dallas's finest daily paper features the increased attention being paid to preserving mid-century modern homes in the area. The focus on architecture of this era has become more important as tear-downs of noted properties like the Horace Meyer-designed Morris Zale home (1949) have become more prevalent. Recently Preservation Dallas led efforts to add MCM office building to the National Register

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-63669817509647774662008-04-10T20:46:00.004-05:002009-05-04T10:20:04.351-05:00

Young German designer Daniel Jarr's alarm clock takes design to a sleek new level. This prototype is designed to set the alarm by pressing down on the right hand side of the clock (the main body of the clock pivots slightly on its base). Pressing down on the left side of the clock tips the clock in order to get a 10 minute snooze. Pressing down on the analogue clock’s frame illuminates the

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-2051700692659201502008-03-23T17:12:00.003-05:002008-03-23T17:17:52.572-05:00

Craftastica had a great description of using natural materials (cabbage, onion peels, and flowers) to dye eggs. This is similar to what I did with my grandmother as a child, although I like the idea of using the flowers and clover as resist.Almond Corner uses brown eggs to get a tone-on-tone look, but using white eggs and a variety of onion peels can get some very interesting marbled

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33400370.post-70977379150287039502008-03-11T22:01:00.003-05:002008-03-11T22:11:10.216-05:00

While it's not a new idea (see this Islamic architectural example from a bath), these examples of ceiling panels are much more stunning than plain-'ol clear skylights...giving you and your visitors an unexpected artistic "pop". More info here and more examples here and here.

Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013208709441140408noreply@blogger.com0