In the 1950’s, the future was as bright as the SoCal sun. We were living in a post war prosperity, the dawn of the space age and tremendous advances in technology fueled our imaginations of what tomorrow would bring. Designers, architects and engineers boldly explored new materials and processes and were released from the constraints [...]
(and a Monday morning rant – let me know if I need to cut down on my coffee consumption) Scale. So often I see contemporary new construction or renovation that leaves me wondering what ever happened to the concept of scale? Are today’s home builders familiar with the term fenestration? Why are so many architectural [...]
I finally watched Mad Men on Sunday. I know, I know, as a tragically trendy urbanist, I should’ve been all over this show. The production values are excellent, from production design to props to wardrobe, hair, make-up, lighting and cinematography. But I wasn’t. Why? You ask? Well, it is, as I say to my relentlessly [...]
I think we’ve blogged about Tree Houses. I know our friend Eve Politanoff has. Twice, I think. I know I have always been fascinated about tree house since reading about the construction of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house at Disney World. At the time, I had likely just finished the book. Tree houses, like [...]
When a client comes to KLAD with a project, one of the first things that I get started on is research. Whether it’s a period play, a news set for the Steelers or a trade show booth for a toy manufacturer, all of our set design and event design is grounded in a combination of [...]
Woods Bagot, a worldwide architectural firm has designed an interesting solution to the recession stalled, partially finished construction projects that dot the Manhattan landscape. This caught my eye with its potential for set design and events. The firm is shopping to developers temporary inflatable buildings which may help developers collect rent from these sites, and [...]
As a follow-up to my post on Wildwood populuxe, here’s even more incentive to put Wildwood on your roadtrip list if you’re a fan of populuxe roadside architecture. Thanks to Michael at ModernCapital for the heads-up via twitter. from Press of Atlantic City The Retro Roadmap Vintage Diners of Southern New Jersey photo exhibit opens [...]
Your house looks like a set! exclaimed Mark Kruger as he stepped into the foyer of our home, a Mid Century Modern designed and built by Arthur Rigolo, a renowned schools architect, as his private home in 1952. When I first walked into the double height entrance gallery, I knew this would be my home, [...]
As cars became part of the American landscape, designers turned to Streamline Moderne for inspiration on how to make drive-ins, auditoriums, supermarkets and movie theaters attractive to the newly developing car culture. No place in America exemplified this trend better than southern California. Developed cities on the east coast required more dense, vertical building and [...]
Populuxe! Just say the word out loud. It’s bouncy, bubbly, boisterous, like summer. In the summer, if you’re a Jersey girl, you have to go down the shore. At least I have to, it’s in my DNA. One of my favorite places is Wildwood. The beach is gorgeous, and the bazillion mile walk in the [...]