As the 4th annual Dwell on Design event closed its doors to the L.A. Convention Center this past weekend, it became clear (as Philippe Starck’s Ghost chair) that Dwell is the new voice of modern design. Although the magazine has been championing prefab since its inception, with the revival of the green movement it was no surprise that every aisle of the show was filled with innovative products that were modular, prefabricated and sustainable.

Spending the weekend indoors when the sun-filled beaches of LA were a short drive away could have been torturous were it not for Dwell’s attention to detail. Situated in nearly every corner of the exhibition space, IdeaPaint’s dry-erase surfaces gave kids and creatives the chance to share their vision with the crowd.

Dwell and DESIGNBOOM decided to take futuristic kitchen design off the back burner and host the innovative exhibit Kitchen Ecology: Recipes for Good Design. Eco-friendly and energy-efficient kitchen products created by design visionaries from all over the globe were appropriately displayed on sustainable tiles supplied by Ceramic Tiles of Italy. These were some of my favorites:

Handmade "Log Bowls" by Loyal Loot Collective

Ivy-inspired photovoltaic panels that generate solar and wind power, designed by SMIT

"California Landscape" cutting boards by Eileen Kennedy

Other notable exhibitors reinventing material use and application include:

"Clouds" - a new tile concept designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in collaboration Kvadrat

Environment Furniture's "Pacifica Sofa" made from recycled canvas, designed by Memphis founding member Aldo Cibic

Vintage and recycled industrial design from Cleveland Art

Atik, winner of the Los Angeles Times‘ “Reclaimed Design Contest:

Mixed media collage portraiture by Michelle Caplan

The reigning experts have spoken, and this year’s Lumen Awards winners have been chosen. Announced at the 41^st Annual Lumen Gala hosted by the Illuminating Engineering Society of New York City (IESNYC), the recipients were judged by the best in the lighting industry. Over 600 field leaders attended the event, considered by many to be lighting’s most highly regarded.  Twelve awards were presented in four categories, the Lumen Award of Excellence, for architectural application, Lumen Feltman Award of Excellence for merchandise lighting, Lumen Award of Merit for meritorious recognition of architectural application, and the Lumen Citation for smaller scale work including art installation and technical detail. Awards were also given to individuals for their contributions and service.  

Highlights from the awards include the Fisher Marantz Stone, Inc. with the Lumen Award of Excellence for both the interior of the Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, Qatar and their receival of the Lumen Citation for Integration of Light Architecture and Signage for the TKTS Ticket Booth in Times Square. The Museum of Islamic Arts featured a breathtaking vertical space topped with a dome and oculus, heavily borrowing from its Islamic tradition.  In contrast, the revamped, vivid TKTS booth is brightly lit in keeping with the dazzle of Times Square, yet it sticks to its signature “building as sign” stance on design.

Several firms stood out, including the Focus Lighting team that took awards for their work at the Royalton Hotel in NYC, Casino of the Winds at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT, and restaurant Rock Sugar in Los Angeles, CA. The Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design team also got recognition for the Terminus 100 in Atlanta and the GSC Group in NYC. With their goal of creating beautiful and sustainable lighting design, IESNYC holds the standards of their industry high, and it definitely showed in the top-notch selection of inspirational design.

Fisher Marantz Stone Inc.’s Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha

Fisher Marantz Stone Inc.’s TKTS booth in Times Square

Focus Lighting’s Royalton Hotel in NYC

Focus Lighting’s Rock Sugar in Los Angeles

Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design’s Terminus 100 in Atlanta 

The forecast this weekend is finally looking good, so why not make your way to the Makers Market at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City!? R 20th Century, along with American Craft Magazine and Noguchi Museum are organizing this open-air market which is curated by the Socrates Sculpture Park. The market features over thirty artisans selling an array of well crafted items, such as furniture, jewelry, textiles and ceramics. Some excellent designers will be featured, such as Rusti D, Julia Krantz and Pedro Petry, so there should be something for everyone. For the design eager there is a previewing opportunity on Friday June 26th. And should the meteorologists be wrong about the forecast, as rarely happens of course, the market will take place rain or shine. 

June 26th to the 28th

Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, NY

Click here for information

There sure is a lot going on in Bethpage this week.  Move over Tiger Woods - Kravet is the one to watch!  Earlier in the week, the company announced that it will be manufacturing and distributing the very first fabric collection from Calvin Klein Home.  It will be licensed under the Kravet Couture umbrella.  Today, it went public with news about a creative collaboration with interior designer Barclay Butera. As part of Kravet Collections, Barclay Butera will launch with his first fabric collection and a selection of original design for Tufts by Kravet Carpet (richly textured, hand-tufted rugs). His transitional style grounds itself in European, American and Far East traditional influences, while adding his own contemporary and timeless twist.

We’re sure these fresh, new designs will be another successful addition to Kravet’s extensive line of products. 

It’s mid-June and you know what that means!!!  Three days of waiting 10-20 minutes to catch an elevator, hoping you are on one that brings you to the correct floor of the Merchandise Mart, and finally hiking all the way down the stairs to get to a party or client dinner.  Yes… you guessed it… it’s NeoCon!  All kidding aside, it is one of the key shows for the contract market and we always look forward to learning what’s new in the industry.  

If you’ve ever listened to pop-sensation Lady Gaga, then you probably know what is next.  So…go ahead…”Just Dance!”  That is exactly what we intend to do tomorrow night as the New York Design Center and New York Spaces team up to celebrate Summer in the City.  We’re told there will be dance contests (with prizes for the best moves) in the Grange Showroom, as well as festive cocktails, fabulous food and catchy tunes (see above!).  In addition to those dancing shoes, be sure to bring your checkbook as the event is intended to raise money for “Furnish a Future - a program of The Partnership for the Homeless.”  Tickets are available for $25 in advance and $30 at the door.(100% of ticket proceeds will benefit Furnish a Future.) 

Father’s Day is just around the corner and so is the desperate dash to find the perfect gift for dad. As bloggers in the design world, we are fortunate enough to get tons of great gifts ideas sent right to our inbox - so we figured we’d spread the wealth.

Most dads (except mine of course!) like beer.  So why not get him a new Pilsner glass from German-manufacturer Ritzenhoff.   Fun and functional….they come in 6 different new designs and are just right size for a bottle of dad’s favorite brew.

Designs: Douglas Day, Orlando Hoetzel, Helena Ladiero, Frank Maier, Thomas Marutschke, Rob Snow (from left to right)

As I was wandering through the aisles of ICFF a few weeks ago, “ooo”ing and “ah”ing at things like the Geneva sound system and Shimna Liffey bed, I could not help but stop at Timothy Lile’s table. As one of the avant-garde designers included in the inevitably fresh designboom mart, his crayon rings (cast in actual washable crayons) drew quite a crowd. Whether an accessory or a gift , it just seems like one of those things everyone should have. After all, they’re cheap, accessible, and fun! Just don’t leave them lying around in the summer…

You can find them at The Future Perfect in packages of 8.

We are very pleased to hear that the Neal Small exhibit at Material ConneXion has been extended until June 19^th. Following an overwhelming interest in the show Material ConneXion have announced that guests will have another week to attend, and some select pieces will be available for purchase. Small is renown for his groundbreaking work with Plexiglass and Lucite for creating lighting and furniture. Throughout the 60s and 70s Small lead the way for a whole generation of designers using industrial materials for furniture and accessories. Small’s work is part of the permanent collections at important institutions such as The Smithsonian Institute and The Museum of Modern Art. This exhibit is definitely worth a visit, whether you are interested in making a one of a kind purchase of just a design lover. 

Material ConneXion, 60 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York

Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm

Click here for more information

"Origami" side table, 1960s

Dornbracht is launching a new concept at Art Basel this year, Global Street Food. For this display, the German based company, which is a world-class manufacturer of kitchen and bath faucets, is taking the kitchen to another level. If you are familiar with the company’s cultural coup, than this latest creative vision is true to form. In order to have viewers understand the importance of the function and design of kitchens, Dornbracht is creating an exhibit that celebrates the diversity and ingenuity of actual street “kitchens.” There will be everything from a Vietnamese market boat with soft drinks and veggies, an Argentinean charcuterie cart, to a “green” Sudanese tea stand, made from recycled tires and tin cans. The purpose of the exhibit is to have viewers understand the importance of the function and design of kitchens. Dornbracht’s creative and brand director Mike Meiré said, “it’s about being aware of the kind of kitchen you really need for your lifestyle, and then developing the design.” The exhibition premiered at IMM Cologne furniture fair in January this year with remarkable success. The goal is for the project to reflect the crossroads between architecture, design and art… a topic that is sure to be of importance to the Art Basel audience. I am sure this will add yet another dimension to the already diverse and exciting event.

Closed opening June 10th. Open to public June 11th and 12th. 

Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhine, Germany

www.dornbracht.com

Vietnamese market boat

Global Street Food