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 [...]
Of course, we also want the future we were promised. That would now be the today we were promised. The future is now. Of course, my father-in-law also wants his trip to Mars. That’s probably not going to happen. Deep Glamour, a blog about the intersection of Imagination and Desire (gotta love that; a little [...]
Art installations are something of a conundrum to me. Sometimes they make sense, other times they fall into the category I call designer masturbation. The same if often true of couture and some furniture design that isn’t about comfort and style. In my opinion, the image at left of ights and umbrellas is amusing. It [...]
The City Daily Photo Blogs generally bring a smile to my face in the morning. No, I don’t read all of them, but they are a welcome relief from the news. These blogs are excellent inspiration, small cultural windows and great set design research. They often include little ideas to tuck away for future reference. [...]
(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 [...]
Interesting post at Inhabitant today about a German company re-fitting cigarette machines to dispense books. For less than the cost of a package of smokes. Pretty good deal and interesting change in cultural iconography. Apparently, cigarette machines have great mechanics. Never thought about it or considered the idea, however they must have needed to take [...]
When has this not been true and why should it be any other way? The New York Times today reports of Alice T. Friedman, architectural historian, professor of American art history at Wellesley, and her new book, American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture. In her book, Friedman links the work of architects like Morris Lapidus [...]
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 [...]