Design-Calendar is proud to welcome its newest blogger, Cecilia Fortuna! Hailing from Milan, she will be covering international news & events! First up, Belgium in NYC!

D’Apostrophe, a NYC-based supplier of high-end European residential and contract furnishings, is celebrating this holiday season in style. The showroom, which is moving to a new uptown location next year, is raising a toast to the Belgian brand BULO and its 50th anniversary.

The party, held on Friday, December 6 at 394 Broadway, will mark the US launch of O Mr. President; an environmentally-friendly desk/side table that can easily live with you for the next 50 years, as well as a series of three short films exclusively created by Frederik Heyman & Wout Bosschaert for MoMu3 x Bulo.  The short films infuse the rich collection of the ModeMuseum (MoMu) Fashion Museum in Antwerp with digital life by using 3D scans and manipulations – visually combining Belgian handcraftsmanship, digital technology and renowned fashion.

Click here to RSVP!

With urban populations exploding all over the world, housing will pose a crisis for future city residents unless new residential towers are built. Therefore, Metropolis Magazine, the Steel Institute of New York and the Ornamental Metal Institute of New York are asking: What is your vision of the living cities of the 21st century?

Students and professionals are encouraged to submit proposals for the inaugural Living Cities: Residential Towers of the 21st Century Design Competition. All proposals must use a steel structural system, be 30 to 40 stories, and be sited within the five boroughs of New York. Considerations of changing workforce demographics and tenant lifestyle amenities with the role that a building’s form and features play related to constructability and sustainability are vital.

The winner will be awarded $10,000 and invited to present their proposal at the Institutes’ conference in New York City.

Deadline: January 3, 2014

For more information and to register, visit www.metropolismag.com/living-cities

Feeling lucky? Who says #13 has to be associated with bad luck? I for one, don’t think so! I’m getting ready to spend [my birthday night] with my D-C gals, the editors of New York Spaces, the amazing team at Axor NYC and a few hundred or so industry friends. Like any Axor NYC event, there will be delicious food and speciality drinks. This time, the creative liquid concoction uses Wodka (yum!) There will also be some fun give-a-ways including a chance to win a Hansgrohe Select Hand shower and Axor kitchen faucet.

I know I’m biased and all (being born on Friday, the 13th), but let’s all put away our superstitions tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if you believe that a horse shoe brings good fortune or breaking a mirror means you are doomed for the next seven years; let’s just enjoy this good ole opportunity to party!

From Allmilmo to Wood-Mode|ACK, the showrooms of the Architects & Designers Building will once again be buzzing with chefs from some of New York’s finest restaurants. Among the participants will be world-class chefs including: Jeremy Bearman of Rouge Tomate; Franklin Becker of The Little Beet; Emma Bengtsson of Aquavit; David Bouley of Bouley; Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar; Ariane Daguin of D’Artagnan; Mario Danieli of Sant’Ambroeus; Carmine DiGiovanni of Greenwich Project; Alex Guarnaschelli of Iron Chef America; Kerry Heffernan of TV’s Top Chef Masters; Shaun Hergatt of Juni; Matt Lambert of The Musket Room; Sarabeth Levin of Sarabeth’s; Bill McDaniel of The Red Cat; Marco Moreira of Tocqueville and 15 East; Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill; Raffaele Ronca of Rafele; Soulaphet “Phet” Schwader of Khe-Yo, Bryce Shuman of Betony; Roxanne Spruance of Alison Eighteen; Luke Venner of BLT Fish; and Isao Yamada of Brushstroke.

The evening’s activities are being presented in conjunction with T: The New York Times Style Magazine. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to God’s Love We Deliver, the non-profit organization committed to providing meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses.

As the saying goes, “Home is Where the Heart is.” All month long, K&B leader Hansgrohe has been inviting Instagramers to upload pictures that illustrate what the “Heart of the Home” means to them. Those who do so are automatically entered into the sweepstakes, where an eligible winner could score a sleek Talis C HighArc kitchen faucet in chrome. In honor of Hansgrohe’s 25- years in North America, there will be not one, but 25 winners selected at random for the price. The contest ends on October 29 and the winners will be announced on/around November 11. So what are you waiting for?!? Official rules and details can be found here. 

The Royal Oak Foundation‘s 16th annual Timeless Design Gala  will honor the Kravet family with a Timeless Design Award for the pivotal role they have played in the Anglo-American design world since the founding of Kravet Inc. in 1918, having established a legacy of international design, commitment to quality, attention to detail and superb craftsmanship. The award recognized outstanding achievement in American and British design and the stewardship of historic properties. Previous recipients have included Julian Fellowes, David Hicks, Charlotte Moss, The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Lord Rothschild, Bunny Williams, and Mary Fox Linton.

The Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library will also be honored at the Gala with the 2013 Heritage Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations in Britain and the United States that have substantially advanced the understanding and appreciation of our shared cultural heritage. Winterthur is being recognized by Royal Oak’s Board of Directors for its preeminent role in conserving and presenting American decorative arts for a global audience.

The Timeless Design Gala is taking place tomorrow evening at the Metropolitan Club in New York. There will also be a live auction of two memorable experience packages: the first, a trip for four sailing aboard the Sea Cloud II to explore and learn about the art treasures and ancient temples of Sicily; the other, a private collector’s weekend for four, learning about the cultural riches of Wilmington, Delaware with senior curators at Winterthur. All proceeds of the auction will benefit scholarships for the Attingham Summer School and Damaris Horan Prize.

It’s been many months in the making and we are so excited to finally see all the hard work pay off at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Coined “Project Design 2013“, the home has been transformed by 22 leading New York designers into a special showhouse and will remain as a permanent space for families that utilize Ronald McDonald House’s services. The original 18 bedrooms of the House, kitchen, breakfast room, five common areas, first floor restrooms, and three laundry rooms have been completely revamped. We can’t wait to see them tomorrow night – as the project culminates with a gala event. Following will be an Open House Weekend, October 11 – 12 from 10AM-6OM and October 13-14 from 10AM-4PM. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students and children. It is located at 267-07 76th Ave, New Hyde Park, NY.

As someone with a close connection to the cause (a dear friend and his family received exceptional care at the Ronald McDonald House – a home away from home – while undergoing cancer treatment), I am especially grateful to Kravet for pioneering such an extraordinary project, as well as the manufacturers and designers that donated their time, talent and products to make this house a home. I encourage you all to take the time to visit the home and show your support of the Ronald McDonald House and its residents.

Stay tuned for project pictures…

If you’re filling your calendar with Archtober events, make sure the Architecture & Design Film Festival is on your list! From October 16-20, the fifth edition of the nation’s largest film festival devoted to the subject is bringing over 25 feature-length and short films plus panel discussions, director Q&As, even a pop-up bookstore to Tribeca Cinemas.

If you’re picturing a lineup of dry documentaries about buildings, think again… The films take viewers around the world from Moscow to rural North Carolina, exploring universal topics of urbanism, historic preservation, studio culture and the creative process. A few offer intimate looks at the works of architectural luminaries such as Tadao Ando, Paolo Soleri, Luis Barragán and Richard Neutra. Others address pressing issues such as scale and population including The Human Scale, based on the work of urban planner Jan Gehl, and William H. Whyte‘s 1988 classic film Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. There’s even an intriguing detective story about the connection between the Barolo Palace in Buenos Aires and Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Film still from ‘The Latin Skyscraper’, directed by Sebastian Schindel

Check out the full line-up of films to get your cinematic fix. Otherwise, you may have another chance when the festival travels to Los Angeles in March and Chicago in April. Happy viewing!

October is officially Archtober—now in its third year, New York City‘s month-long celebration of architecture and design has made quite a catchy name for itself offering special tours, lectures, films, and exhibitions that focus on the importance of architecture and design in everyday life. Each year brings NYC and ideas about “the city”—design, technology, urbanism, the present and the future—into focus for city dwellers and tourists alike.

So pull up the Archtober calendar and start making your schedule of what not to miss! Our first stop was Wednesday’s Archtober kickoff party at Steelcase‘s chic space at Columbus Circle.

For the next four days, NYC’s historic Tunnel will transform into a gallery-storefront hybrid as it becomes host to the fall edition of the New York City Affordable Art Fair. Featuring over 50 galleries and a huge array of contemporary art—including thousands of original paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs—the event brings together the work of young, emerging artists and some of the biggest household names under one roof. And if you’re hankering for a mid-week party, tickets for tonight’s private preview party can be purchased here.

All artwork is priced between $100-$10,000, with over half of the works going for under $5,000. Pubic hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM, and Sunday from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. General admission tickets are $15 and student tickets are $10 at the door with valid student ID. Get more visitor information here. While attending the fair, be sure to check out the Recent Graduates Exhibit as well as some of the talks and tours, including one with founder of Affordable Interior Design Betsy Helmuth about decorating your home with artworks available at the fair, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 6th at 2:00 PM. And if you’re more of an art browser than a buyer and are looking for a fun, culturally stimulating way to end the work week, we recommend skipping happy hour drinks for free admission hours this Friday, October 4th, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.

See below for our favorite picks from the Fair highlights!

Contempop Expressions Galleries, Klaus Leidorf, “Aerial Beach I”

Elisa Contemporary Art, John Conn, “Antarctica29″

Uprise Art, Jen Wink, “The Way I See”

Co Galería de Arte, Cirenaica Moreira, “Arbol que nace torcido jamas su tronco endereza”