After a brief hiatus,  the New York designer talks series Product Placement is back this month with another scintillating evening of inspiration and insight—plus wine and nibbles—curated by co-founders Julie Taraska and Kimberly Oliver. Designing with Metal is the theme of Product Placement 5.1, with four designers giving five-minute talks on the inspiration behind one of his or her products. The multi-talented line-up includes: Brad Ascalon, a product, packaging, and furniture designer; Darcy Miro, a jeweler and sculptor; Anna Rabinowicz, a designer whose work is inspired by biomimicry and nature; and Rodger Stevens, a wire artist, sculptor, and product designer. Held once again at Rockwell Group, the event is free—and popular—but seats are limited, so RSVP to save yours.

Product Placement 5.1: Designing with Metal

Wednesday, April 23, 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Presentations begin at 7PM

Venue: Rockwell Group, 5 Union Square West, 8th Floor, NYC

RSVP with your name and number in your party to thisisproductplacement@gmail.com

(Due to demand, only those who receive a confirmation will be able to attend.)

thisisproductplacement.com

Milan Design Week has officially started!
One of the most exciting events in the design industry, Milan is the place to be to discover new designers, learn about new products and network with the right people

In the next few days, you (like us) will probably be walking around the fair all day long, and when you are not at the fair, you’ll be running around the city to check out the coolest Fuorisalone events: we are sure you are going to get extremely hungry (we do!), and that’s why we made a list of our favorite restaurants and bars of Milan.

ALFRESCO

Located in the heart of the Tortona district, in via Savona 50, Al Fresco is the perfect place for a nice, quiet lunch. Set inside an old warehouse, renovated by landscape architect Emanuele Bortolotti, Al Fresco is much more than a restaurant. It is, as its owners call it, an “urban refuge”, a meeting place surrounded by cherry trees, wisteria and honeysuckle.

What to order: their maccheroni with fresh tomato sauce, basil and stracciatella cheese.

CIRCLE

Head to Circle for a fancy dinner after walking all day at Fuorisalone. Located inside the Diesel building in the Tortona district, in via Stendhal 36, Circle is a lounge bar and restaurant where fashion and design meet good food. The vintage furniture was hand picked by the Diesel Creative Team and the chandelier over the bar is an installation of more than 8300 light bulbs, all of different dimensions.

What to order: try their tuna tartare!

TERRAZZA APEROL

Italians love their aperitivo: a drink and some small bites, right before dinner. So why don’t you embrace this lovely tradition and head to Terrazza Aperol and order an authentic Aperol Spritz (3 parts of Prosecco, 2 parts of Aperol and 1 splash of soda). Salute (cheers in italian) !

GIACOMO ARENGARIO

The view from this restaurant, inside the Museo Del Novento, can’t be beat: it overlooks Piazza del Duomo, the heart of Milan. The décor of restaurant pays homage to the Deco period, while the menu takes inspiration from the Milanese tradition giving it a new spin.

What to order: we are hearing that the brunch here is pretty good!

LA LIBERA

This charming trattoria opened more than 30 years ago but is still very popular. Make sure to make a reservation because most of the time it’s fully booked!
Located in the Brera district, it’s the perfect place if you want to have a casual dinner and eat earthy, wholesome food.

What to order: their Cotoletta, the traditional Milanese veal breaded cutlet.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Located in the Porta Venezia area, Nottingham Forest is one of the 50 best bars of the world. Owner Dario Comini is a respected bartender with years of experience, coming from a chemistry background: if you’re interested in innovative, exciting drinks, this is a place you want to visit.

What to order: difficult to say, there are too many good drinks to decide!

RISTORANTE 13 GIUGNO

The story of this restaurant revolves around the number 13, but don’t be superstitious, only good things will happen if you come here. This Sicilian restaurant offers fine Italian seafood, delicious dessert and a vast selection of wine. And if you are lucky, the owner of the restaurant will entertain you by playing Italian classics at the piano. We promise that after coming here you will love the number 13!

What to order: Lobster Linguine with baby tomatoes and capers

Enjoy!

The second in a series of pre-show conversations organized by WantedDesign, “Designing + Making: Traditional Skills in the Contemporary Environment” at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) will feature a discussion between designers and manufacturers who are using traditional methods to create products in and for a contemporary design environment. Speakers include Coleman Gutshall (Bernhardt Design), Joseph Kent (FruitSuper Design), Steven Haulenbeek (designer), Laura Kirar (interior designer and product designer), and Alan Indursky (ILEX). The conversation moderator is design writer and photographer Paul Clemence.

We’re particularly excited to hear designer Laura Kirar and ILEX President Alan Indursky discuss their collaboration for The Portfolio, a new lighting collection launching this spring at Wanted Design—hopefully, we’ll get a sneak peak of what they, and the other presenters, have on the horizon for us!

Event details are are follows:

Designing + Making: Traditional Skills in the Contemporary Environment
The Theater at MAD
2 Columbus Circle, NYC
Thursday, March 27, 2014
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Free with Pay-What-You-Wish Admission

Seating is limited, so please click HERE to RSVP (required).

Final preparations are underway as the 13^th Annual Architectural Digest (AD) Home Design Show gets set to open up its doors to interior designers, architects, and the general public from March 20^th-23^rd at Pier 94 (55^th Street at Twelfth Avenue in New York City).

This year, the show promises to have an exciting array of exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in both indoor and outdoor home design with over 300 brands in attendance. There is also an invigorating series of seminars and talks that will feature today’s influential designers in the industry and current trend makers. These talks and exhibits are sure to set loose the designer within you and provide great inspiration for your own design pursuits!

This year’s highlights include a reFRESH pavilion where over 100 kitchen and bath brands will be showcasing their new products and partnering with top chefs who will be cooking up some delicious tastings. These culinary demonstrations are definitely going to be delicious, highlighting the possibilities that could take place in wonderfully designed kitchens.

The MADE section is another must-see at the show. Among this curated selection of products you will find limited edition, one-of-a-kind fine art, furnishings, and lighting. Today’s up and coming design talents, many of whom are based in Brooklyn, are producing all of these carefully crafted products.

Also, take a look at the table installations at DIFFA’s Dining By Design NY. There will be 45 different table installations that promise to be over-the-top and inspiring, combining both internationally famous designers and local talents. These tables are designed in support of gaining awareness for DIFFA’s mission to raise funds for organizations that fight HIV/AIDS. Past designers of DIFFA tables have been a variety of people from top architects and fashions designers to floral and landscape artists. As this is their 30^th anniversary, we cannot wait to see who is designing this year and the masterpieces they come up with.

Before you leave the show do not forget to stop by the debut of the Shops at the AD Home Design Show. There, products are available for immediate purchase and will allow you to take a piece of the show home with you!

So get your ticket today so you do not miss out on one of the design events of the year in New York. The show is open from March 21-23 to the public. Tickets are available for $30 online and $40 at the door. Check out the schedule of events for more information to plan your day at the show.

The film capital of the world is getting a dynamic new film festival and opening night is just two days away! After its fifth successful season in NYC, the Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF) is heading west to The Los Angeles Theatre Center from May 12-16, 2014 with a new lineup of films and an exciting program of Q&As, panel discussions, and celebrity cameos.

With 30 feature-length and short films to choose from, the festival will explore issues of design and urbanism and offer in-depth looks into the life and works of some of our most beloved design icons like Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Tadao Ando, Paul Smith, and Paolo Soleri, as well as a the world premiere of a film on the futuristic work of maverick architect Eugene Tssui.

Get your tickets and see the full schedule of films HERE.

Oh, and before we forget: be sure to connect with ADFF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. We won’t be able to make it out to LA ourselves, so we’re hoping to vicariously experience it through your photos and posts!

Watch out Saturday Night Live, next weekend’s LIVE FROM NY is all about DESIGN! The ASID New York Metro Chapter has put together a 4-day educational series with fellow professionals. The fun kicks off on Wednesday evening with an opening party. It is followed by an action-packed day at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show (Thursday), an educational forum at the A&D Building and high tea at the New York Design Center (Friday), a visit to the NY School of Interior Design, and tour of the Alpha Workshops (Saturday).

The AD Home Design Show plays host on Thursday, March 20. Featuring over 300 leading brands, it is a platform for new products, trends and inspiring lectures. The show floor will be buzzing with product demonstrations, culinary demonstrations, cocktail events and networking opportunities. The ASID NY Metro Chapter will also present its Top Picks Awards.

Friday’s programming includes seven CEU accredited seminars ranging from “The Business of Blogging” to “Compliant & Creative: Hospitality Design with ADA in Mind.” The daylong offers up to 5 CEU credits. ASID members $150, non-members $200. Be sure to register to secure your spot. Later in the day (4-7PM), the NYDC hosts a high tea, tour and scavenger hunt.

Saturday sessions at NYSID include a conference on healthcare and evidence based design. Alpha Workshops owns the afternoon (2:30-5:30) as Ken Wampler, founder and executive director takes guests on a tour of this non-profit, which provides creative HIV-positive individuals with industry-specific training and employment in the decorative arts.

Tickets for the entire weekend are $275 for ASID members and $375 for non-members.

What’s happening in Milan these days? The Arclinea showroom is a hotspot as it debuts the “Artusi project.” The Artusi kitchen, designed by the archistar Antonio Citterio and manufactured by Arclinea, is equipped with the most expensive collection of appliances that exists today: the Grand Cuisine by Electrolux.  A marriage of haute cuisine,  it is a revolution in the kitchen. Used by chefs for over 90 years, Electrolux brings the professional cooking systems chosen by over half the Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe directly into the most exclusive homes around the world for the first time.

Grand Cuisine transforms the home food experience, offering technology that is applied to blast chillers, vacuum-packing machines and combined ovens for maximum daily use. It allows for the full potential of professional techniques such as “cook & chill” and “sous-vide” that have influenced how food is prepared and served in top restaurants. Over recent years we have seen a boom in well-informed foodies and gourmands. From refined ingredients to cutting-edge techniques, a passion for cooking has become a true way of life for many.  Grand Cuisine offers complete customization, in the same way as Ferrari builds the tailor-made car.  Grand Cuisine’s installation team will ensure that your kitchen is as practical to work in as it is aesthetically pleasing to look at. The result: a cooking system that allows accomplished cooks to achieve the exceptional, while empowering anyone to excel and enjoy the experience of home entertaining.

A dream finally comes true!

The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 have just announced The Living as the winner of the 2014 Young Architects Program (YAP) in New York. A kind of holy grail for emerging architectural talent, every year YAP invites architects to develop creative, eco-minded designs for a temporary installation in PS1′s outdoor courtyard that incorporates elements of shade, seating and water. This summer, the NY-based design and research studio, The Living, will provide the backdrop for PS1′s Warm Up music series with Hy-Fi - a series of twisting, morphing, compostable brick towers made from agricultural waste.

Exterior view of PS1 (photo via The Living)

A nod to both the shimmering skyscrapers and brick buildings that dot the city’s landscape, Hy-Fi will be built from a mixture of organic and reflective bricks, designed to play off the unique properties of two novel materials. The bottom of the structure will feature organic bricks made from a combination of agricultural waste (corn stalks) and mushroom mycelium (a natural, self-assembling glue) – a process developed by Ecovative but used on a large scale for the first time with Hy-Fi. Meanwhile, the top of the towers will contain reflective bricks, developed in collaboration with 3M, which will serve as growing trays for the organic bricks and, once constructed, bounce light down on the towers and the ground.

“Recurring to the latest developments in biotech, it reinvents the most basic component of architecture—the brick—as both a material of the future and a classic trigger for open-ended design possibilities,” says MoMA curator Pedro Gadanho.

Interior view of PS1 courtyard (photo via The Living)

Sustainable architecture is nothing new for the 15-year-old YAP series – past winners have incorporated recycled materials and anti-polluting nanotechnology into their designs – but Hy-Fi is the first installation to be built with a near-zero carbon footprint. According to MoMA, “The structure temporarily diverts the natural carbon cycle to produce a building that grows out of nothing but earth and returns to nothing but earth—with almost no waste, no energy needs, and no carbon emissions.”

Rendering of this summer’s PS1 Warm Up series (photo via The Living)

We can’t wait to see the final result of this living structure. If successful, it could create a whole new paradigm for architecture. At a minimum, it will introduce the public to the concept of bio design. Hy-Fi will open at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Queens in late June.