Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Wherever snow falls or water flows or birds fly, wherever day and night meet in twilight, wherever the blue heaven is hung by clouds or sown with stars, wherever are forms with transparent boundaries, wherever are outlets into celestial space, wherever is danger, and awe, and love, there is Beauty, plenteous as rain, shed for thee, and though thou shouldest walk the world over, thou shalt not be able to find a condition inopportune or ignoble." From The Poet by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Edgar & Ellen Banner - Designed by Rachel Landry

It's for the kids... Check out the site to play Flashpoint Faculty Member Simeon Peebler's game...

Smith & Fong Plyboo Palm Woven

Palm Woven, the latest in the Durapalm collection, imparts rich wall texture to both residential and contract jobs. The source? Coconut palms, specifically older trees that would have been felled and discarded. With no added formaldehyde, Palm Woven meets LEED criteria in two categories: materials and resources, and low-emitting materials. Panels are 3/8 by 6 by 48 inches and interlock easily—installation is literally a snap. 475 Sixth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103; 866-835-9859; durapalm.com.

Warren Platner Side Chair

Well... looks like I am very much so into furniture design these days. This is more so for my cataloging than anything else - hence all the copied and pasted descriptions and what not. Description: In the 1960s, Warren Platner transformed steel wire into a sculptural furniture collection, thus creating a design icon of the modern era. The furniture's unique, harmonious forms are produced by welding curved vertical steel wire rods to circular frames, producing a moire effect and capturing the decorative, gentle, graceful quality that Platner sought to achieve. All metal components are finished in bright nickel with a clear lacquer protective coating.

Gio Ponti

Gio Ponti (18 November 1891, Milan - 16 September, 1979, Milan) was one of the most important Italian architects, industrial designers, artists, and publishers of the twentieth century.

(above) Gio Ponti 969 Chair

(above) Decoboco Small Pouf

Chez Papa Resto Opens in San Fran

You're a firm believer that the best things in life are worth the wait. By that measure, Chez Papa Resto—brought to you by Jocelyn Bulow and Marc Sempere (Chez Maman)—opening Monday after six months of delays, ought to impress. From the moment you walk in, you'll see that the 50s Parisian lounge-swank interior looks nothing like its rustic Potrero Hill sibling, Chez Papa Bistrot. But that's not a bad thing: Pass the small lounge area and head to the bar, where you can settle in with the Fifth Street Zombie, a rum cocktail so potent that it has a two-drink limit (yes, Papa's paternal side kicks in). Or take a seat at the antique glass communal table, aglow under a pair of Murano chandeliers. From there, Executive Chef David Bazirgan's (Elizabeth Daniel) menu will seem just right as it leans heavily towards shareable Provençal-style small plates like Labelle Farms Foie Gras and Seared Diver Scallops. Some classics, though, like the Grass-Fed New York Steak with Pommes Frites, you might want to keep for yourself.Of course, it wouldn't feel very French without outdoor seating—and there's plenty here—but you might want to wait another two weeks for lunch and brunch service, or for warmer weather. Which brings us to one more thing that's worth waiting for. Chez Papa Resto, 414 Jessie St (between Market and Mission), 415-546-4134

BLU DOT

From the mouths of the founders of BluDot...

"OUR GOAL IS TO BRING GOOD DESIGN TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLEThe three of us were college friends and shared a passion for art, architecture, and design. After we left college and began to furnish our first homes, we didn’t like the stuff we could afford and we couldn’t afford the stuff we liked. We figured we were not alone and we were naïve enough to try and do something about it. Blu Dot was born in 1997. Our goal is to bring good design to as many people as possible. Which means creating products that are useful, affordable, and desirable. To make that happen, our design process is founded on collaboration. Not just among ourselves as we play show-and-tell with concepts, but a total collaboration between pencil and paper, materials and machines, even packaging and assembly. We like to think that the form is almost inevitable, a by-product of the process. Our job is simply to help it emerge as beautifully and as efficiently as possible. John Christakos

Charles Lazor

Maurice Blanks"

EAMES

Charles (1907-1978) and Ray (1912–1988) Eames were American designers, married in 1941, who worked and made major contributions in many fields of design including industrial design, furniture design, art, graphic design, film and architecture.

I have to say I was BLOWN AWAY by the sheer impact this couple had on the world of design. I initially looked up the chair that they are famous for - thinking that was their only shining accomplishment - but in all reality, that was only an ounce, a minute fraction, of their collection of beautiful work. Not only are they known for furniture, but numerous other facets of work. It makes me think of the idea of having an artistic eye in one design field truly translates to all other fields - it is not like if you are able to visualize something spacially interior-wise, you wouldn't be able to design layout for a small print project. Design can seep into every aspect of your life... and clearly it did for the Eames.

MOTT Ad - Designed by Rachel Landry

MOTT Ad - Designed by Rachel Landry

David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle works in the fields of fashion, advertising and fine art photography. Not only is LaChapelle recognized massively in the photography world, he is also widely known in directing music videos. David LaChapelle has worked with the most famous of famous celebrities. His over exaggerated imagination is emphasized within his photographs and displayed with bright colours and fantastic imagery.

Donghia

Donghia: Original designs in furniture, textiles, trim, lighting, wallcoverings, and accessories that bridge the gap between modern and traditional. (above) Suzani & Casino textiles

Tree Table

I have no idea where I saved this image from... found it in my images folder and thought it would make a fine addition to my blog. I love the look of wood...

Oly Ajax

I love the absurdity of this Oly Ajax Lounge Chair with the animal paws. One thing I am going to start focusing in on is the unexpected element in design. I always return back to the thought of my current favorite phrase (Indonesian) "Lebih gila, lebin biak," which means "the more odd, the better." In design, the implementation (well, without overdoing it of course!) of the unexpected provides more thought, creativity and, if nothing else, smiles.

Flashpoint/ARTROPOLIS ad - Designed by Rachel Landry

Flashpoint/ARTROPOLIS ad - Designed by Rachel Landry

Succulents 101: HAWORTHIA

Haworthia is a large genus of succulents from South Africa. They are characterized by a small 2-lipped white flowers. They are all rosette shaped succulents, although some have rather grassy leaves. Some can add leaves until they are somewhat columnar, while other remain as flat rosettes. Some have translucent 'windows' at the end of their leaves, and some of the photosynthesis occurs inside the leaf that is filled with a translucent jelly. The nomenclature of Haworthia is continuously changing, fueled by how different clones of the same plant can look as a function of their growing conditions, and also fueled by the ease with which many species interbreed. Haworthia need light shade to shade to grow well. They like a regular watering in summer and they should be kept drier in winter. There are many variations in their watering needs depending if they are originally coming from a area with rains in summer or in winter. Incorrect watering often result in the plant losing its roots. The plant doesn't look very healthy and feels loose when touched. The plant should be removed from its soil. The root are should be cleaned, and then the plant needs to be set in a pot with new soil.

Art by Lawrence Loucka

Succulents 101: AEONIUM

Aeonium like many other succulent plants are sometimes called Hens and Chicks. The form green rosettes on the end of stalks, followed by lots of little 'chicks'. The green rosettes have red edging and a hint of cream in the middle. The leaves generally measure 1 - 2 inches across. The creamy centers seem more pronounced in winter. These tough succulent plants slowly form one foot clumps with aerial roots dangling down to the soil. When these pretty succulents bloom, they form tall stalks with small yellow flowers. Aeonium plants are easily propagated by cutting off a stalk and replanting the top sprig. The whole sprig can be put in the ground as is, or you can break up the leaves and spread them around.

Parallels Collide

Isn't it funny the smallest things in life connect? One occurrence this morning... Friend at work shows me the beautiful book entitled 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A Decade of Hot Dogs, Large Mammals, and Independent Rock: The Handcrafted Art of Jay Ryan about the work of screenprinter (and musician) Jay Ryan. His worked looked so familiar so I googled a bunch of images and, low and behold, I already had a Jay Ryan WILCO poster saved in my pictures folder. His work is wonderful... I love the way he handletters everything and the fact that everything comes out of his Chicago printshop The Bird Machine (I love birds!).

Unlocking Knowlege, Empowering Minds - MIT Open Courseware

Leave it to MIT to open up courses for all to view and experience. It is amazing the amount of courses they offer over their free site - and not just in engineering and all things techy - architecture, media arts, health, literature... and the list goes on and on. Check it out here!

Flashpoint Poster - Designed by Rachel Landry

Kaufmann House - Palm Springs

The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs was designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1946. I have seen this iconic home before but never took the time to look it up... and to tell you the truth, what I am drawn to design-wise these days have shifted to a more modern aesthetic, so now I am enamored by this home, but maybe a few years back, I would have floated right past it. Anyway, as I was reading about the design elements, architect, etc., I realized that the house was commissioned by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water original owners. Could you imagine being the forerunners of such fantastic pieces of art/architecture? Without the Kaufmanns (Edgar the father being a Pittsburgh department store tycoon), there may not be a Falling Water or Kaufmann House - what a wonderful legacy/gift to leave behind just as aficionados for the world at large.

BATTLES the band

Battles: New band out of New York, NY

On YouTube.com

Francis Bacon

"I myself and the life I've lived happen to be more profoundly curious than my work. Then sometimes, when I think about it, I'd prefer everything about my life to blow up after I die and disappear." -Francis Bacon

Man & Child

1963

Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne

1967

Antoni Gaudi

Antoni Gaudi was a Spanish architect who belonged to the Art Nouveau movement. He is known for his unique style and highly individualistic designs. Click here for more information. Below is Casa Mila (Le Pedrera) in Barcelona - constructed between 1906-1910. Antoní Gaudí (Spanish, 1852-1926), manufactured by Gaudí's workshop, Prayer Bench, 1898-1914, wood and wrought iron, 32 5/8 x 44 1/2 x 26 inches (82.9 x 113 x 66 cm), seat height 16 5/8 inches (42.2 cm), Museum of Modern Art, NY.

JADE - How simple a business can be...

Succulent was conceived one afternoon while actress Samantha Mathis and interior designer Ryann Davis were having tea. Looking for environmentally conscious ideas for her landscaping, Samantha came upon thousands of beautiful varieties of succulent plants, 'neglectable plants,' that need little care or water. Discussion expanded into how wasteful, and how much money is spent, on cut flower arrangements that simply die in a matter of days. Why not create flora arrangements with these beautiful, luscious plants that live? Succulent, a Flora Design Firm, was born.

Succulent's vision is to offer a green alternative to traditional cut-floral design, by using locally grown, pesticide-free succulents, planted in soil, to provide a renewable source of the natural beauty of flara, without harmful processes. Their hope is to inspire our customers to make educated consumer choices: to know more about where their purchases come from, what impact they have on communities, and to spend their dollars more thoughtfully, to experience renewed values while encouraging simplicity.

They believe that going green is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity, and that green actuallly IS the new luxury.

David Adjaye

My friend recently (well... just seconds ago) told me about a young architect out of London-- David Adjaye.

Idea Store Whitechapel

I.M. Pei

Funny thing... As I was perusing the life and work of I.M. Pei, I ran across a building on the CU campus! I remember walking past the building (and all buildings on the east or west or north or south-don't know what direction!) and thinking, 'What a ghastly building!' I do not know if it is the material (brick color alone is foul) or the angularity of it all against the Flatirons--who knows? (I certainly don't--I just know what I like!) I was just reading about him and somewhere it states that his concern has always been the surroundings in which his buildings rise. That completely goes against what I was saying about the backdrop in Boulder. Anyway, other than CU, his work in my eyes is progressive and bold. And more importantly, I like his overall physical appearance (sounds shallow, but heck, look at the guy--what a dapper lad!)

Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Canton, China in 1917. He left China when he was eighteen to study architecture at MIT and Harvard. Between 1942 and 1945, he worked as a concrete designer for Stone and Webster, and in 1946 he began work in the office of Hugh Asher Stubbins, in Boston. Pei worked as an instructor and then as an assistant professor at Harvard before he joined Webb & Knapp Inc. in New York in 1948. Pei worked as the head of the architectural division of Webb and Knapp, Inc. until 1960, when he resigned and founded his own architectural office, I. M. Pei & Partners, New York, which in 1979 became Pei, Cobb, Free & Partners. Due to his reliance on abstract form and materials such as stone, concrete, glass, and steel, Pei has been considered a disciple of Walter Gropius. However, Pei shows little concern with theory. He does not believe that architecture must find forms to express the times or that it should remain isolated from commercial forces. Pei generally designs sophisticated glass clad buildings loosely related to the high-tech movement. However, many of his designs result from original design concepts. He frequently works on a large scale and is renowned for his sharp, geometric designs.

My Exploration in ART DECO

Art Deco Influencers

Hector Guimard

Hector Guimard (Lyon, March 10, 1867 - New York, May 20, 1942) was an architect, who is widely considered today to be the most prominent representative of the French Art Nouveau movement of the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Guimard did not originally have such a high reputation, because he did not have any followers; however, recently, people have come to realize the extraordinary formal and typological profusion of his architectural and decorative work, the best of it done in a relatively short fifteen years of prolific creative activity.

My Exploration in ART DECO

Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1920 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. This movement was, in a sense, an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, functional, and ultra modern.

Torre Espana, Madrid

Santiago Calatrava

When form takes function... Santiago Calatrava

M.C. Escher

The mathematical patterns completely blow my mind. If you can spare a few moments, take a peek at M.C. Escher's work. Recognizable pieces but I was in need of refamiliarizing myself with his work.

M.C. Escher

Mary Mowry Designs

The first piece of a new collection designed and hand-made by Mary Mowry... Congratulations on the beautiful piece!