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2Modern Design Brief

Last week I had a mysterious black cloud hovering over me wherever I went...among many strange and out out character things, I left my cel phone in a cab in NYC...

I have been having image envy from all those who took lovely pictures at ICFF and actually get to post them.

 

One of my favorite booths was Molo. Visually captivatinig and a nice respite for what I really felt was darkness above...These puffy clouds of folded paper make everything seem so nice. Thank you Elle Decoration, for capturing this image just as I remember!

 

I just love doors. I am always snapping photos of doors I want, like, must have. 

In my mind...I will someday possess a house of many beautiful doors...I may have to hang them as dividers and extend outdoors but I will have many beautiful doors.

This door is stunning! This Moroccan inspired door was found on Style Court. The gloss white paired with modern architecture would be an ambitious but doable look.

 

Europeans do Modern so well...They know when to edit and call it a day. I found this image on Plush Palate.

 

Good design is usually just this simple. Seriously why have I not seen this on the market yet, and how is it that I don't own at least 2 or 3? Featured on Cool Hunting, you can get the details there...

Juicy colors available. Look how fun and simple this gadget is...

A Haunted Chair

The idea of the 'ghost in the machine' is translated into furniture by the design duo, Design Drift.  Tiny air bubbles trace the 3d outline of a fluid shape embedded in a hard plexiglass chair.  Ghost, by Design Drift, treats the hard chair as an invisible container for the ephemeral chair.  The hard chair disappears perceptually, so that we seem to sit on the ghost inside.  Its a beautiful object and a fascinating idea. It is also incredibly uncomfortable.  Does that make it a failure?  Or just an interesting experiment?  Is there a point at which we accept lack of comfort in exchange for aesthetic pleasure in the object itself?  Form and function do not always need to be perfectly aligned.  

Final chance to win a Modern Office from 2Modern & MASH Studios!

It is the final day to enter the Modern Office Sweepstakes! 2Modern & MASH Studios are giving away thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and a one hour color consultation from renowned colorist and TV Host, Danielle Hirsch. All you have to do is sign up for one of our monthly newsletters for a chance to win. Entrants get an instant 10% off coupon code! *Contest ends today : May 25th, 2010. Winners announced on Facebook, Twitter and the 2Modern Blog on May 26th, 2010. Winners must be in the continental US. Please read contest rules.

Enter Now To Win!

Black contrasts

During the long time humanity was inventing a lot of things - now are stereotypes, which now is difficult to understand. To understand world people tried tastes and colors, which surround them. They tried to feel world spirit. Thereby occurred notions and definitions about art, interior and design in whole. Some of those notions was right, some - wrong. And one of the most popular and wrong notion that black color is cheerless in all cases. People associate this color with mysterious and metaphysical and more often with fiend, hell, pitch darkness and grief. Maybe that's why pure black rarely use in interior.

However black could be titbit in interior as well. It is absolutely wrong that it makes interiors cheerless and useless for cosy home. Like no other it captivates, focuses attention and makes you think. There are huge range of black shades: delicate black as veil, matt and sad as crape, saturated royal black as velvet, rich black as taffeta, simple black as silk, flowing black as satin, joyful and formal as lacquer.

Black is perfect background for any object. Contrasting black walls outline furniture pieces as frame for paintings. Either it is table, chair or bed it become more significant in interior. Bright become more brighter and light become more lighter as well.

So, know we understand that black walls spruce up a room. What about floor? Black floor has amazing characteristic, it makes space more light and transparent. In room where walls and ceiling white or paint with bight colors, black floor look like fathomless lake under foots. Also it makes room higher. Contrasting black and white colors push away from each other, make white walls soaring under dark and deep floor. Also this method make focus on lower level of room. Furniture will look more steady, even if it placed in random order.

Black ceiling look extraordinary in any interior. It allow combine furniture with different styles, sizes, colors and shapes due to its domination under them. Black ceiling move to the back other objects in interior, so doesn't matter their quantity and shapes.

Try create your own room with black walls or floor or ceiling!

aaah real (paper) monsters!

Michael Valliquette's paper art is as delightful as delightful gets!

 

Via Me Melodia

2Modern Design Brief

Last week was a whirlwind which included an array of strange occurrences. Most enjoyable of all the week's events was a trip to the ICFF while in NY.

A recurring theme with many new products was 'shiny, blingy, reflective and acrylic...often these were paired with organic use of materials.

 

A modern fusion of earthy objects and cosmopolitan flair...featured on Cool Hunting.

 

I can't stop thinking about this chair. Not a 2010 introduction but a masterpiece worth repeating. The Vegetal Chair. The artist comments and inspiration are worth reading. Check the 2009 'Projects' list.

 

Graypants, an enchanting line of lighting using discarded cardboard was exhibiting again this year. The line captures my attention with its unique designs and 're-use' story.

 

I found a line that really impressed me, Studio Dunn. Especially interesting were the Cumberland Lights. The collection includes urban luminaries and beautifully crafted furniture with an understated elegance.

Sunday Wall Light

The Sunday Wall Light pulls double duty as a shelf and lighting source in one!  For a cozier light source (or to set the mood) flip the socket and you have yourself a candlestick holder.  Nice.  Great as a bedside table, in a hallway, or next to your favorite chair.  Available in black powder coated steel.  Designed by Frost Produkt.

Sunday Wall Light: $160

Unidentified Magical Object

What's that in your room?! It's a bench! It's a table! It's a chair! It's all three---and more! The U.M.O. (Unidentified Magical Object) just debuted in New York, but it's already causing a stir. You might not be able to tell what it is just by looking at it, but get it into a space and we bet you'll be able to find lots of ways to use it. Created by UM Project, this dandy piece of furniture (art?) is made of sustainably harvested cork.

Photo credit: Francis Dzikowski / Esto 

King Abdullah II Cultural Center

Like a piece wind-swept limestone, Zaha Hadid’s newest project takes inspiration from the ancient city of Petra whose walls were carved into the mountains.  The elegant merging of modern architectural design and natural influences reveals itself at this thoughtful Amman masterpiece  The King Abdullah II House of Culture and Art is located at center of Jordanian capital.  “The rose-colored mountain walls have been eroded, carved and polished to reveal the astonishing strata of sedimentation. We have applied these principles to articulate the public spaces within the centre, with eroded interior surfaces that extend into the public plaza in front of the building.' says Hadid.

The theme of erosion is evident throughout with softened curves reverberating on different levels uniting the spaces. A monumental living sculpture. 

The complex includes a 1600-seat concert theatre, 400-seat theatre, educational centre, rehearsal rooms, and galleries.  It is designed with the community in mind, as a place to rehearse, discuss, teach, study, perform and enjoy.  Another Zaha Hadid creation to admire.Via Design Boom

Have an infinitely modern day!

The World's First Open Source Restaurant

 

A recipe is a set of instructions.  So is piece of software.  Open Source Software is the practice of sharing a piece of functional code with any one who want to use, it, improve it, or alter in any way they see fit...as long as they in turn share their work.  Open source code is a platform for collaboration, rather than competition.

Sharing and collaboration are also important features of cooking.  Recipes evolve over time as they are shared, revised, and shared again. Nobody owns the patent for the California Sushi Roll or French Toast. So what if someone applied the idea of open source software to a restaurant?  Someone did.  The Instructables Restaurant is a collaboration between Arne Hendriks, Bas van Abel, FABlab Amsterdam, to name just a few.  

  

The Instructables Restaurant doesn't have a permanent home, but instead pops up at different times in different locations, with different people, food, and menus.  Like Open Source Code, the Open Source Restaurant, is not site specific, nor is it rooted to a particular cooking style or some genius chef.   The restaurant's space, the plates, furniture, decorations, lighting, and layout are designed by collaboration. In this case the collaborators are members of the Instructables web site - to which anyone can join, though even this is not a necessity.  This web site promotes DIY project with an emphasis on sharing that knowledge with others in an open forum.  These members adapt, improve, and change the thing and share their version back with the group.  The instructions, like open source code, become public property.  The emphasis is on collaborative creativity rather than capital acquisition.  This Open Source ethos is permeating all sectors of our society and economy.  Wikipedia, is just one example of how bottom up collaboration between many diverse people often produces better results than the top down creative insight of a single person or small team.  

 

At an open source restaurant, the chefs share recipes with the patrons, and vice versa.  A diner can walk out of the restaurant with a drawings of a floor plan or instructions on how to make the ceramic plates they were eating on.  The instructables web site shares the instructions (open source code) for how to create your own open source restaurant.  Just remember to share your own discoveries with others to continue the cycle.