Shopping in Brooklyn

Of course Boston will never compete with NYC for shopping. But it is also possible that Boston can't even compete with just Brooklyn, nay, Williamsburg alone. The neighborhood is extremely dense with retail awesome. Over the weekend I visited two great housewares stores which are next door neighbors: The Future Perfect and A&G Merch.



Both are well worth a visit. The Future Perfect focuses on beautiful objects, tableware, etc, while A&G has lovely sofas (currently on sale!), as well as a variety of smaller and relatively inexpensive housewares (glasses, dishtowels and the like).

Grand Hall of the Library of Congress or, The Most Magnficent Interior We Saw in DC

Complete 3D Design Portfolio

These projects are of a very conceptual nature and all fabricated quickly out of inexpensive materials. Therefore, they may yield a reaction of "Huh?" or "How did my child get his hands on LSD?" Nonetheless, they were all extremely labor intensive and effective in refining a lot of hand-on skills.

Hierarchy and Axial Direction Study in Cast Plaster

Tetrahedral Form Study in Wood and Fabric

Final Project, Chandelier made with Found Materials

Study of Curved Forms in Copper Wire

Study of Curved Forms with Paper

Study of Sculpture by Accumulation of Modular Forms in Cardboard, Acrylic Paint (or, The Mothership)

Still Cool

So, I exchanged emails with a potential residential client whose daughter wants "a chair that hangs from the ceiling." I immediately imagined she might be talking about the Eero Aarino bubble chair. I found a very reasonably priced knockoff on Amazon. And then I thought, in this order:

1) Kids are a hoot.
2) Wait, now I kind of want one (a bubble chair, not a kid). Where could I put it (applies to either)?
3) Oh, no, you can't just put one of these in a kid's room. Can you imagine how sad the visiting friend who has to sit in a different chair would be? Maybe two are needed.

It's only fair to point out that authorized repros are also available from Hive Modern. Free shipping!

Norman Mailer at Sea in Brooklyn Heights

The NYT reports that Norman Mailer's home is for sale. To say it is unconventional would be an understatement. How interesting that in spite of owning a large space, the author added cozy ship-like rooms in the upper part of the house. I hope that whomever buys it doesn't make any major changes. (Photo: New York Times)

Koch Industries Building Products

It seems that Koch Industries produces quite a lot of building products through their ownership of Georgia Pacific.  So now I can look forward to the day when as a practicing professional, I can choose other (non-Tea Party) products.  Avoiding their disposable paper products is quite easy (I wouldn't be caught dead buying paper napkins). 

The challenge here is Lycra.  Are Lycra-free yoga clothes going to be the next big thing?

Done!

Final project for IDC -- a display kiosk rendered in Photoshop.

Boston Public Library

What We're Up To In IDC

Marker and colored pencil rendering, W.I.P.

It's Not A Style, It's A School....

"Bow" Haus!  Excellent.  Sold by DenHaus.

 

(Image copyright: DenHaus)