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 [...]
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 Golden Age of Hollywood gave us a fantasy world that was carefully created by the big studios. Set Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design and cinematography were artfully used to create a living dream. People with talent and ability were made into stars, their names, look, speech and lifestyle were developed by the studios to [...]
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 found these funny little time telling orbes on Uncommon goods. I love the shape and the colors, there are just so many things I can think of to connect these little bursts of whimsical color too, but I don’t think its appropriate to discuss fun things like boobies here on this blog, because it’s [...]
For the past few months I have encountered a lot of concept art. Some as set design concepts, some in other fields. Much more so than usual it seems. Certainly enough to find inspiration. That last statement has more to do with the quality of the art than mere quantity. Simply put, concept art is [...]
“I swallowed the stuff. For a moment I felt as if somebody had touched off a bomb inside the old bean, and was strolling down my throat with a lighted torch, and then everything seemed to get all right.” -PG Wodehouse. Carry on, Jeeves Today a touch of serendipity came my way as I was [...]
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 [...]
When these storage cubes by french designer Mathieu Lehanneur popped up on my radar, the three things I listed in the post headline floated through my head. Of course, I then learned that the designer calls this collection Delicious Storage. These cubes are covered in a classic wafer patterned stainless steel, come in four sizes [...]