2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

New from Thomaspaul

2008-11-18T11:05:09-08:00

Thomaspaul now has all-new Wool Pile rug sizes and designs! Hot new Goldfinch Wool Pile Rug, Seed Wool Pile Rug, and Zinnia Wool Pile Rug; as well as old favorites like the Feather Wool Pile Rug, are all now available in 8' Round and 8' Runner!

USB-tastic

2008-11-18T04:45:18-08:00

I found this over at Dieline.com, everyone's favorite package design blog, and had to share it with you guys.

The premise behind this design stemmed from the recent TTB/Cola regulatory changes, protecting Portugal's geographic indication which inhibits any winery who was not "grandfathered" in before this law was passed, from using the term "Port" on their packaging. Our client (Peltier Station Winery) was eager to find a clever way to play off the word "Port" without actually using the word itself. That's how "USB" was born. The imagery screenprinted on the front label shows an old vine built out of binary code that translates as "Peltier Station", and has roots that form the recognized USB computer symbol. The back label leaves it to the viewer to fill in the letters "port" in underlined slots (i.e. im____ant for "important") The back label took three months of TTB/Cola deliberation before they finally approved it - not without telling our Client they had never encountered someone going so far out of their way to prove a point.

Kudos to 6 west and the folks at Peltier Station for an awesome job sticking it to the "man" through such a clever idea and an awesome design.

--sdotg--

xue lei.

2008-11-17T10:35:41-08:00

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! :)

Link: Xue Lei

Hubs of Holiday Decorations

2008-11-17T08:08:32-08:00

Even modernly designed homes need a little help feeling festive during the holiday season. Too many homes go undecorated every year due to lack of time, money and because you sometimes feel you don't have any place to decorate. Don't have a spot for a huge christmas tree? No problem! You don't have to go overboard to feel like you've gotten into the holiday spirit; there are a few hubs in the home that you can pay extra special attention to and that will pay off big in the end!

1) The mantel If you're are lucky enough to have a fireplace, then you know that during the colder months this important fixture because a major gathering point in your home. Spending just a little time and money on the mantel will immediately give your home a major holiday feel. Candles in holiday colors, greenery and a few items of the holiday (like gourds and pumpkins for Thanksgiving or ornaments for Christmas) are quick and easy ways to give your mantel that holiday feel.

2) The dining table More than likely this will be the site for lots of family and guest eating and enjoying, so it will pay off to create themed tablescapes to go along with each holiday. Don't feel like you've got to go crazy, simple details that relate to the holiday will suffice. Many online home decor magazines will have ideas for tablescapes this season; investigate until you find a method that works with your own home decorating style

3) The entryway The first place your guests see of your home, but also the last too! Greet your vistors with a burst of holiday cheer and surprize yourself each day with a bit of holiday cheer before you leave for work. Consider festive wreaths, both indoors and out, and also consider using this location for your collection of greeting cards you'll get this season.

Remember, these are only a few hubs in the home, but lots of other decorated spaces in your place can help feel like your home's in the holiday spirit. What are the places in the home that you love to decorate the most? What are your favorite sources for modern-inspired home holiday decor ideas? Let us know!

Wine Cool-ers

2008-11-16T17:07:58-08:00

As the holidays approach and family dinners ensue, we start popping those wine bottles. But what's out there other than the usual wine racks, holders and sleeves. I've found some cool gift ideas, that you can spruce up with some of that grape goodness...

Wine Suit Sleeve ($20)

Cat Wine Holder ($11.95)

Hound Wine Holder ($70)

Moose Wine Holder ($90)

Metal Wine Bug ($39.95)

Labirinto designs by Marcelo Rosenbaum

2008-11-16T06:55:39-08:00

Inspired by Brazilian traditions, architect and designer Marcelo Rosenbaum created a graphic design pattern that is being used in different products such as bed clothing, wall paper, towels, rugs and fabrics.

You can read more about Marcelo Rosenbaum`s products at Tok&Stok website.

Liangzhu Culture Museum in China by David Chipperfield Architects

2008-11-15T06:41:14-08:00

David Chipperfield Architects keep us writing about their work by turning out building after building of beautiful design, well thought out architecture and simple solutions to the respective demands of each project. This is the case with the Liangzhu Culture Museum, located within the Liangzhu Cultural Village in in a suburb of the provincial capital Hangzhou in China.

Liangzhu Site, located to the northwest of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, about 15 kilometres from the centre of the city, is a famous archaeological site dating from the late Neolithic Age. Liangzhu culture, also known as the Jade culture (c3000 BC), named after the site, is one of the most important archaeological cultures in China. So the museum hosting the findings of this era is of great importance to the people of China but also of the world: the particular site is also considered a world heritage site by Unesco.

The building is set on a lake and connected via bridges to the park surrounding it. Consisted of a series of different size cuboids, it has a sculptural quality that reveals itself gradually as the visitor approaches the museum through the park landscape. The museum is composed of four bar-formed volumes made of Iranian travertine stone, equal in width (all are 18m wide) but varying in height.

Each volume contains an interior courtyard. These landscaped spaces link the exhibition halls together while simultaneously inviting the visitor to linger and relax. Despite the linearity of the exhibition halls, due to the shapes involved in it's design, they enable a variety of individual tour routes through the museum, due to the interior courtyards connecting them.

To the south of the museum is an island with an exhibition area, which is accessed from the main museum building through a bridge. The edges of the surrounding landscape, planted with dense woods, allow only a few directed views into the park.

The entrance hall can be reached through a courtyard, the centrepiece of which is a reception desk of Ipe wood, lit from above. The materials selected for this particular project are solid ones that age well, like Ipe wood and travertine stone.A fitting choice for a building housing such an exquisite treasure of mankind.

Client: Zhejiang Vanke Narada Real Estate Group Co., Ltd.

Project Date: 2003

Completion: June 2007

Opening: October 2008

Architect: David Chipperfield Architects Principal: David Chipperfield Director: Mark Randel Project Architect: Annette Flohrschütz Project Team: Libin Chen, Marcus Mathias, Christof Piaskowski, Arndt Weiss, Liping Xu

Gross floor area: 9.500 m²

Landscape Design: Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten

Exhibition designer: Guangdong Jimei Design and Engineering Co.

Graphics: Ute Zscharnt in collaboration with SV Associates, Andrew Mark Lawrence, Nancy Chen Si Min

Local Architect: ZTUDI The Architectural Design and Research Institute Zhejiang University of Technology

Photographs: Christian Richters

Spam Architecture

2008-11-14T12:18:55-08:00

Whether it's an offer for cheap Viagra or the pleading of a wealthy prince in desperate need of your bank account number, heaps of electronic spam fill our e-mail trash bins. It is a never ending assault. But it is also the material out of which Romanian artist Alex Dragulescu creates his architectural models.

Rather than discarding the spam that clogs our e-mail filters, Dargulescu recycles this information detritus as the input for a piece of software he wrote which interprets the words of the spammers into 3-dimensional forms. The complex jagged forms of "Spam Architecture" are sculptures about architecture, rather than models of proposed buildings. There is no sense of function or interiority, but the external forms pack a provocative aesthetic wallop.

The complex algorithm Dragulescu wrote could have generated buildings with organic curvilinear forms or splattered with bright colors, or almost anything, but he chose a specific vocabulary of sharp corners and hard folded planes.

There are two ways of interpreting "Spam Architecture". On the one hand, Dragulescu has translated electronic spam into a series of aggressive angular buildings that reflect the aggresive nature of spam. In this way, the 'buildings' are true to the inherent qualites of their material. On the other hand, the works of "Spam Architecture" also suggest a well-armed fortress bristling with spiked weaponry, set to keep the invading hordes of electronic spam at bay. In this way the work reflects our anger at the growing nuisance of spam. Both interpretations are equally valid, which makes "Spam Architecture" a particularly complex and compelling sculptural project.

Saving the World, One Monster Truck at a Time

2008-11-14T11:00:23-08:00

If you've ever wanted to do your bit for the environment from the comfort of your SUV, Canadian designer Paige Russell might just have the solution.

Paige's North American Wild Life series is the perfect combination of smooth stylized lines, fresh white satin-matte glaze, and just a little hint of irony. Whether you adorn your camper van with flowers or stock your monster truck with stationery, these little vehicular vessels are bound to turn heads.

If you're looking for something a little less transport oriented however, Paige's Spout Collective may be more to your liking. Amongst a selection of slick stoneware teapots is this elegantly understated Hens and Chicks set.

Just in case you needed an excuse to add a bit of green to your abode.

CUB 2.0 Collection

2008-11-14T04:30:00-08:00

The CUB 2.0 Collection from Netto Collection is finally here! An all new and fully redone take on the CUB by Netto Collection's baby and toddler furniture: the Sleeper 2.0, Station 2.0, and Toddler Bed Conversion Kit.