Between the Metro Convention Center in Toronto and the Jacob Javits in New York, I’ve seen a number of exciting new products. On Monday, I walked the Accent on Design aisles of the NYIGF, charged with the task of finding one product that features an urgent, odd and delightful design to receive Design-Calendar‘s Blogger’s Choice Award. With over 200 exhibitors at this season’s show and thousands of products to choose from, this was no easy feat. I saw a lot of playful designs and pieces that reminded me of my childhood. I love that today’s designers are reinventing every day objects and bringing their creative ideas to the home and lifestyle marketplace. In particular, BANG! by first-time NYIGF exhibitor bitplay blew me away. This toy gun combines fun and function. By pulling the trigger, a desk lamp illuminates. Shoot the light again and it turns off.

It seems my fellow bloggers were also impressed as Marisa Marcantonio from Stylebeat also awarded this her Blogger’s Choice.

Other winner’s included: Baggu laptop cases by Baggu, selected by Hollister Hovey of HollisterHovey.blogspot.com; Belle Helmets by MODEL CITIZENS NYC, selected by Kate Reynolds McLeod of the DailyGrommet.com; Chick-a-Dee smoke detector by neo-utility, selected by Evan Orensten of Coolhunting.com and Stephanie Murg of UnBeige.com; Helen Lamp by Gambrel Workshop, selected by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of ApartmentTherapy.com; and School Joke Chair by Alessandro Zambetti for Seletti North America, selected by Dickson Wong of the HuffingtonPost.com.

As I mentioned before, it was really hard to pick one favorite. Additional products that caught my eye included:

“Ooh la la”…What more can I say about Alexandra Ferguson‘s sassy pillow talk!

Kontextur‘s Duck Harry, a clever duck-shaped sculpture has a variety of uses from tooth brush/toothpaste holder to doorstop to paperweight.

Black + Blum‘s eau good – a BPA free water bottle with a binchotan active charcoal that serves as a natural water purifier. 

Oh Canada! Our Design-Calendar girls just got back from the Interior Design Show in Toronto, where the condo boom has put everyone in a good mood. Our spirits were high from start to finish, which might have something to do with the delicious cocktails served at the opening night party and preview and the Veuve Clicquot in the press room =).

Jenn-Air started the night off right with a series of delicious cocktails!

DJ Kreemy kept the party going with his mix of electronic beats!

The Krups Stage was a lively spot as keynote speakers including Matali Crasset, Fabio Novembre and Bjarke Ingels drew massive crowds.
Speaking of hot sessions, students had the chance to talk with Novembre and fellow Italian designer leaders  Piero Lissoni and Piero Gandini at Italian Design Unplugged, which took place at the FLOS Power Station on the exhibition floor.

Offsite, we had a chance to get a sneak peek at the new Templar hotel. Local design hero Del Terrelonge took us on a tour of the brand new 8 story bespoke boutique hotel in the entertainment district and explained his extremely cool concept for lodging. From the public spaces to the private rooms, the hotel is filled with Poliform furnishings, Duravit toilets, Axor faucets, Hansgrohe shower heads and Miele appliances. The kitchen is open 24 hours and guests are treated to a private chef. Airport transportation is provided by a chauffeur-driven Porsche Panamera. You name it, Del has though of it. His attention to detail is extraordinary.  We couldn’t be more proud!   Speaking of hotels, we spent Saturday night at the Gladstone – ducking (often times literally) into the guest rooms at the Love Design Party at the Come Up to My Room exhibition. This alternative design event, which took over the hallways and second floor of the hotel featured the work of 44 artists and designers. Each were asked to present what goes on inside their heads. The results were incredible…

Interstice Studios' CAST is a public space installation that explores the potentials of material reuse. Made of thousands of tiny paper clips, CAST takes the form of an intricate weave and is heavily influenced by traditional craft and textile techniques.

Wendy Fok's Geo-Cognition made guests stop and think about urban landscapes. Can you spot the city in the shadow?

Stay tuned as we’ll be following up with some of our favorite products from the show floor!

~by blogger Frank Brunelle

If one were to make an analogy between a literary work and the design of the new wing of the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum by Renzo Piano, than one might look to Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. But whereas Mr. Diamond talks about how one culture may overtake another mainly by environmental differences, Mr. Piano’s buildings are Glass Diagonals and Steel that combine to unite the inhabitants of the structure with the environment. Taking a page from Mies van der Rohe who strived towards an architecture with a minimal framework in order to give a maximum of free flowing space the new wing of the Gardner indeed complements and enhances the old wing and embraces the air, the sky, the light and the earth. And where the old wing in its DNA is a part of the Renaissance not only in art but also in quality of dim lighting of the era – by contrast, the new Renzo Piano designed wing opens up to the sky and integrates into the exterior architecture of the Gardner by offering the inhabitants the opportunity to gaze upon it when going upstairs or when using its glass and steel covered walkway on the first floor.

It was a pleasant surprise to be asked to participate in a photo contest as I stood in line waiting to go in to view the new structure. It reminded me of another interaction I had as a student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. As an art student there, I did a performance piece employing a rooster and two gallons of paint – one of blue and one of violet – in the Mies van der Rohe designed Student Union building.

The difference this time is that the tracks I left are digital and are images of the building rather than part of it… A difference I am certain the Gardner Museum appreciates.

There’s something innately creepy about a room full of spherical plant life enclosed in plastic bubbles and suspended in the air. On a recent trip to Berlin, I meandered to an empty pocket of the city to visit the Hamburger Bahnhof – a former railway station converted into a modern art museum – where the massive central hall currently houses Tomas Saraceno‘s “Cloud Cities.” Drawing inspiration from spiderwebs, astrophysics, and the architectural work of Buckminster Fuller, the artist created a series of cell-like structures that appear to float in space and time.

Some “biospheres” contain a single aerial plant positioned in the center of a clear cell, receiving water through a network of tubes, as if on life support. Others are reminiscent of soap bubbles clumped together like a pack of atoms. In each scenario, the spheres are constrained by an intricate system of black rope netting with intriguing precision. And, as with many large European art exhibitions these days, there are also a few large-scale interactive works where visitors can sit inside or crawl around the multiple layers inside the sphere. If you find yourself in that corner of the globe, I highly recommend going!

“Cloud Cities” represents the first time Saraceno’s works are united into a single installation. It will be on view at the Hamburger Bahnhof until February 19, 2012.

While she witnessed and experienced much suffering in her early years, Zeisel made a productive and passionate life for herself. Through her perseverance and love of art and ceramics, she was able to become a prolific designer and a true pioneer. After escaping from Hitler’s Austria and moving to the U.S., Zeisel went on to design for the likes of General Mills, Rosenthal China, Castleton China, Chantal, Nambe, Mancioli ceramics and Royal Stafford. A trailblazer, Zeisel developed and taught the first course in ceramic for industry at the Pratt Institute in New York. She also made history by headlining the first one-woman show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. These are just a few of her many achievements.

At the age of 104 she embarked upon what would be her last project: a collaboration with Leucos, a Leucos USA brand known for its Italian contemporary hand-blown glass lighting. Set to hit the market this spring, Zeisel’s collection with Leucos will include Murano glass pendants, wall sconces and table lamps in two distinctive silhouettes. The pieces show off her signature style and are inspired by organic forms with soft curves like those of the human body.

Fortunately, Zeisel’s extraordinary work is not reserved solely for those who can purchase it. All can enjoy her beautiful and “useful things” in permanent collections in museums such as: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art and Brooklyn Museum in NY; the British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal; Bröhan Museum, Germany; the British Museum; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; as well as many others.

(Photo Courtesy of Eva Zeisel)

If you’re searching for a meaningful, off-the-beaten-path adventure on New Year’s Eve, you may want to consider a road trip to Danbury, Connecticut. As part of First Night Danbury, The Mercurial Gallery is hosting a soiree for the senses with Ecuadoran dancers and a photographic installation of beautifully haunting images that could help save indigenous tribes in the Amazon.

From 4-8pm, the gallery will host an opening reception for “Selva Fantasma: Images from the Undeforestation Project.” As the name suggests (“Selva Fantasma” roughly translates to “jungle ghost”), the exhibit features ethereal photographs of the Amazon by Brooklyn-based artists Summer Moore and Marissa Macias. Though each has a different photography style, collectively it forms a strong narrative that reveals a side of the Amazon rarely seen before. According to Macias, “Remnants, leftovers, and spirits are a big part of what our work in the Amazon conveys.”

The exhibit is part of Moore and Macias’ larger initiative, the Undeforestation Project, that uses photography to “document, revere, and conserve the rainforests of the Amazon.” What began as a two-week trip to Peru has turned into an ongoing collaboration with The Rainforest Foundation to help protect indigenous tribes in the Amazon. As Moore explains it, “I remember saying to myself as we hiked through the jungle, ‘Wow, this place really exists, it’s not a myth.’ And with that comes this intense desire to want to preserve it, not only for its absolute beauty, but because it’s a home to many communities who are having a difficult time fending for themselves.” Moore and Macias hope to produce an artful photographic book with all of the proceeds benefiting The Rainforest Foundation, which has been advocating the protection of indigenous tribes and rainforests for over 20 years.

“Selva Fantasma: Images from the Undeforestation Project” will be on display at The Mercurial Gallery from December 31 - March 2, 2012. All of the artists’ proceeds from the exhibit will be siphoned directly back into the Undeforestation Project, either by funding a second trip to Peru or kick-starting the book’s production with the images Macias and Moore shot during their trip in 2010. We hope to see you there!

For more information on the project, visit http://undeforestation.org

Emily Thomas, my dear friend from DC and founder of the fantastic food blog Corcoran Street Kitchen, hit up the 6th Annual Georgetown Jingle earlier this month and shared some of her favorite holiday trees and vignettes created by this season’s top designers. 

The unseasonably warm temperatures here in our nation’s capital have taken a toll on our holiday spirit.  I’ll blame it on the weather and not all of the politicians down here.  Thank goodness for the Georgetown Jingle Preview event at the Four Season last week where DC designers gathered to showcase their finest Christmas tree designs.  The Georgetown Jingle is an annual event to raise money for Georgetown Hospital’s Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program.  Designers worked with children to create their trees that ranged from over-the-top opulence to whimsical fun.  A great cause and a great reason to get into the holiday spirit are all the reason I needed to head over.

The first tree that caught our eye was the Nature and the Holidays by Cultivated Gardens, LLC.  The festive citrus ornaments fell both homey and elegant at the same time.  There was warmth in this tree from the rich red cardinal ornaments and soft blue lights that added contrast.

Upon closer inspection, we realized that this tree was made with bay leaves, which added another level of fragrance and intrigue to this beautiful tree.

Bling in the New Year was a sculptural offering from Camille Beers Design Studio and it was very glam take on holiday decorating for the inner diva in all of us.

There was no mistaking the island charm of A Caribbean Christmas Fantasea from Houseworks Interiors.  The various shades of blue really popped against the green tree and the gold weaving through gave a subtle nod to the beach.  This is a great example of a “theme” tree that isn’t campy or overdone.

The Far East Holiday by J.D. Ireland Interior Architecture & Design was a sweet beauty from a distance, but when you got up close, you could see the meticulous attention to detail in the flowers and the birds.  The lime green and coral colors are a great take on the classic red and green and they made for a very creative piece.

The Golden Rule was the tree that my mother wished that we had growing up.  It was all modern Victorian charm with gold and silver ornaments and accents.  The glittering ornaments with a sweet message and the music notes flowed together nicely and the gold fir branches added depth and body to the tree.

ASID Interior Design took a trip to the Dr. Seussian dream world and created every child’s ideal Christmas tree.  The Christmas Candy Tree-Dylan’s Candy Bar was bright and fun.  The stark white tree came to life with a rainbow of retro candy and bright colored ornaments.  I love that this designer took made a tree for children, but kept it edgy and modern.

I am absolutely in love with this inventive tree from Corcoran College of Art + Design.  Maybe it is that I made a budget version with Yuengling bottles in college, but this “Green” Wine Bottle Tree was a true showstopper.  Huge and monochromatic, this tree was a true work of art that was still at home alongside the more traditional offerings.

Niermann Weeks had the honor of designing the center tree for the hotel lobby.  Here is the design team with their creation that is based on a painting by Edward Hicks painting called Peacable Kingdom.

Their tree, of the same name as the painting, was decked with every animal imaginable.  I had to pay special homage to our famous blue claw crab that has never looked better.

The Gift Tree was a cubist interpretation of gifts piled to resemble a tree.  Gary Lovejoy Associates mixed classic toys with new ones to create this unique piece.

Danziger Design brought us The Poet Tree, complete with ornaments bearing short poems.  This would be a fun family tradition and the classic, rich colors along with the floral decorations made this a very inviting tree.

We couldn’t pick a favorite from this group because they were all so amazing!  The best part is that I got so many amazing ideas for decorating this year.  I am feeling confident that even a novice like myself can incorporate some of these great trends and new ideas.

Last Thursday, Danielle and I headed to 4Food (New York’s famous “viral restaurant“) for Publicolor‘s TOP COAT cocktail party. Hosted by the organization’s Junior Committee (with the help of event co-chairs Carlton DeWoody and Hannah Bronfman), New York’s young and philanthropic donned their most colorful cocktail attire to benefit Publicolor’s “Paint Club+” program. With bleacher-style seating, a dj and a floor to ceiling jumbotron with alternating images of Publicolor’s work and live Twitter updates, it was one of the most hi-tech and laid-back charity events I’d ever been to.

To give you a little background, Publicolor is a NYC-based non-profit that uses color and design to engage high risk students (ages 12-21) in their education to counter the drop-out rate in New York City. It was founded 15 years ago by industrial designer Ruth Lande Shuman and has since transformed 138 inner city public schools into vibrant learning environments. Publicolor not only transforms schools physically, but also offers SAT prep and college counseling as well as career exposure workshops and professional internships. The company’s Paint Club+ program even teaches students a credit-bearing, Department of Education-approved, science-based sustainability curriculum and the marketable skills of painting and white-coating. This year, their goal is to raise $35,000 to transform 5 playgrounds in low-income neighborhoods of New York City.

To show your support or see Publicolor in action visit www.publicolor.org or follow them @publicolornyc.

A packed house at 4Food

Hannah Bronfman, Ruth Lande Shuman & Carlton DeWoody

Designer names like Alessi, Kartell, and David Weeks just got a new home in Brooklyn Heights. MODULE R, the world’s first shop dedicated to modular, reconfigurable and customizable modern design, opened the doors to their new shop on December 1, 2011 at 141 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. The shop is filled with gifts, home goods, toys, furniture, jewelry (some by well-known designers), as well as larger pieces like wall dividers and floor coverings.

Donald Rattner, owner and architect of Module R, saw the shop as a great opportunity to expand their already active business from their five-month pop-up shop on the Avenue last November and from the success of their
e-commerce site that launched earlier this year.

The store has something for everyone – in any price budget. The customizable options make the choosing process more fun by helping to “create” instead of buying “pre-made” adding a personal touch. Still holiday shopping? Make sure to add this one to your list… it’s a one stop shop for everything you need this season!
    

Founded three years ago to benefit Susan G Komen for the Cure, Traditional Home’s Holiday House features top designers, who design rooms based on a holiday or special moment. Housed in a historic mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Holiday House hosts a range of design events, all raising money for the cure.

I attended an event last night, and spoke with some of the designers who created these magical spaces. Suzanne Eason, who dreamed up a hauntingly luxurious room entitled, “Dark and Stormy A Cautionary Tale of Halloween,” combines Halloween motifs and high design. Featuring lush colors and materials Eason told me that the inspiration behind the room came from Edgar Allen Poe’s dark and dramatic “The Raven.”

On the ceiling, Poe’s “The Raven” meets Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Trove’s Indi pattern, which is a graphic tribute to the luminary Hitchcock, can be found circling a crystal chandelier- it is striking and beautiful.

Other notable rooms included Debra Landis’s “Night at the Oscars, replete with old movie photographs and a large screen playing notable films.

Bonnie Steves, Lana Lawrence, and Sherri Skov created a “Birthday Celebration” room, celebrating “less cancer and more birthdays.” This room, a “Dare to Wear Woman’s Dressing Room” features soft browns and pinks, plenty of beautiful feminine touches, and a wonderful photograph by Laurie Klein.

Photo courtesy of Marisa Pellegrini

This special design event runs each year from November 16- December 11. Upcoming events include a Holiday Shopping Night, tonight, December 6, from 2pm-8pm, an author’s book signing on Thursday December 8 (from 6pm-8pm), a Christmas play on Friday December 9^th (at 2pm) and a court yard sale on Sunday December 11 (from 11am-3pm).