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 [...]
(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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I wonder if they used Vectorworks? I know that Frank Gehry’s firm has a proprietary CAD application that they use to develope his trademark sail like metal shapes. For about 10 years, Gehry has been working with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission. The first cool thing about this concept is the expansion of the [...]
Time to make Lemonade. We went to bed last night shortly after an unidentified thump in the midst of a hurricanesque Nor’Easter. This morning we awoke to find one of our major oak trees more horizontal than vertical. Actually, totally horizontal, just pushed over by the wind. Amazingly, aside from the loss of the tree [...]