Art Rhymes With..... Smart?

 
There is nothing I love more than scattering random pieces of artwork throughout my apartment. I love the overall eclecticism of acquired pieces that were not made together, for each other, or even have the same colors. My design aesthetic is like that of a quilt. It is bright, random, patterned, and a patchwork of everything I love and all that is comfort. If I can't find a piece of art that I am sure has to exist somewhere other than my brain, what do I do? I make it myself. Though I do not fashion myself as a painter at all, painting is a hobby of mine that allows my brain to relax and take a backseat while my creativity takes the wheel. This painting shown above is a mixed media piece that I created that has a background of watercolor stained newspaper squares with an acrylic overlay of a painting. The Atlanta skyline is framed out by the ever-present power/telephone lines that decorate our sidewalks wherever we go. This painting is a reflection of my current environment and will always serve as a reminder of this time, no matter where life takes me.

In keeping with the use of newspaper, another favorite of mine is this mirror I found that is made from recycled Japanese magazine clippings. This piece incorporates the use of color, geometry, and the randomness of the magazine clippings to add a pop of color and reflection in my apartment. Sure I could look into the deeper meaning of the Japanese beauty magazine clippings that are subliminally telling me how to look while framing out the mirror, or I can be honest an admit... it is just really nice to have a mirror to glance into right before you walk out the front door.

Another interesting use of artwork in my apartment is in my bedroom. Instead of painting something to match my custom headboard, or spending hours to find the right color scheme, I found my inspiration in these Not For Tourist maps. My mom and I made a headboard from fabric from the fabric store that I work at a few years back. The center of the headboard is a printed orange silk with turquoise cotton twill side panels. So turquoise and orange are not the easiest colors to come by together, but the create a beautiful color palette. Inspired by my boyfriend's love of finding every bike path Atlanta has to offer, I found these interesting Not For Tourist Maps. Two of the maps showcase neighborhoods in Atlanta that I love, one is Candler Park, the other Virginia Highlands. These are the two outside pieces. The center piece is a map of the lovely Boston Harbor... a place I dream of being whenever I am dying to get out of this city. By tying the maps together with the simple orange frames, this triptych of my favorite places has a good aesthetic in the room, but a deeper, happier meaning to me.

 
Lastly, my favorite piece of art in my apartment. For years I have collected items from the Finnish textile design company, Marimekko. My mother always collected their things and she passed it on down to me. Their cutting edge design and bold graphics catch my eye and my heart every time I see them. A couple of years ago for my birthday, my sister gave me this piece of gorgeous Marimekko fabric. It was love at first sight! Being that my mom is a framer, I am always looking into new and interesting frames that she has at her work. I always had my eye on this bold, yellow, wood frame, but I had not use for it. As soon as I was given this fabric, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Rather than try to make something out of the fabric by cutting or sewing it, I had the piece dry mounted and framed. This is a large piece, it is about 5' high by 3.5' wide. This definitely is the focal point in my crazy quilt of an apartment. This is a piece that I will always treasure and I will always have it in my home.

Art reflects you and your personality... so who cares if it doesn't match? It is your home, fill it with things that make you happy and not what you see in a magazine. If you can't be yourself in your own home, where can you actually be?

Bottle of Sunshine... or Artficial Light.

Sofia Montero is a Chilean product designer that is making her stamp on the sustainable world of design. She makes the most wonderful pieces, whether they are lamps or furniture, from re-purposed PET plastic bottles. Not only are these products shaped into such a pleasant form, but they also embrace the whimsy of having a light fixture made from everyday plastic bottles. Since these bottles are not recyclable, re-purposing them has truly become its own work of art. Artists and designers everywhere have begun to use PET plastic bottles as a new medium. There have been things designed from houses to cars to purses to chairs and even to clothing. Regardless of the application, the re-purposing of the PET plastic has helped cut down on the amount of contamination of plastic into our environment.

Stemming from an intense study of the harmful elements of certain plastics during her Masters thesis, Montero was determined to change the way of plastic. Through her design she hopes to show the beauty of the re-purposement  of the plastic as well as the resiliency of the material. This design urges one not to use just plastic as an aesthetic, but en-recyclable and non-biodegradable PET plastic that is harmful to the environment and using in a completely new way. Lets face it, this stuff is not going anywhere so we better put it to good use! Whether it be a strong support for a coffee table or an interesting light fixture, Montero has truly created beautiful products out of an environmental foe. PET plastics are one of the most harmful of all plastics created for the environment. Due to the state that the world is currently in, it is refreshing to see someone embrace the fact that this material is not going away and start putting it to GOOD use instead of wasteful use. Next time you finish a 2 liter of soda, I challenge you to keep that bottle and create something out of it. Cut off the top and you have a re-purposed planter.... use the top in another sustainable project. Be creative, but most of all, save the world.

Okay, Probably a Bad Transition, But.....

 
Speaking of old people.... there, I said it. Green hospital design! Just like the neglect of the eldery, health care designed is extremely underrated by the general public. Sure hospitals can be depressing, but designers everywhere are slowly curing the plague in people's minds that hospitals have to be depressing and boring. Think again my friends. New studies have shown the importance of green design and the incorporation of nature in health care facilities. A recent poll show that patients suffering from depression spent an average 4 days less in the hospital when they were in a hospital room that was east-facing with lots of sun exposure compared to those who were not. In fact, some doctors prescribe visits to the tanning salon for patients suffering from depression in the long Winter months. The reason is simple, sunlight = happiness! The UV Rays from the sun penetrate the skin and get the endorphins flowing. This natural process creates a natural happy feeling in one's brain. Without the sun, the world would be a terrifying place. It is funny the simple things that we take for granted, like every sunrise and sunset. The sun is the essence of life. Not only does it help plants grow and spread, or helps create natural energy, but it also allows people to function at normal or some-what normal levels. Due to these studies, hospitals everywhere are incorporating gardens and green spaces into there design, as well as plenty of sun exposure. From Zen gardens to central atriums to larger, clearer windows, the health care world relies heavily on the natural healing powers of nature and the sun.

Let's Take Care of Our Elderly!

Sure, there are foundations all across the world promoting to "save the children" and to protect "today's youth", but what about Grandma? Do we just continue to toss our elders into nursing homes and assisted living where we only visit them when it is convenient for us? Okay, so maybe that was a little harsh... but the elders of today are seriously mistreated. Fed up with this ever-growing epidemic of "ageism", artist Paul Chamberlain decided to use art as his reaction. In his new gallery show, Stigmas, Chamberlain displays sustainable wood chairs that address the issues of the deprived elderly of today. 

Each chair has an overall theme, each one is directly drawn from society's stereotypes of old people. Such as all old people walk with canes, have horrible eyesight, can't drive, and they shrink. Sure, these things happen to an extent, but not in the extreme fashion that has been painted all over the media. News flash: old people are still people. I love old people.... from a very young age my mom had me deliver Meals on Wheels with her every week to older folk and I always loved hearing their crazy stories from their youth. I realized at about age 8 that old people were merely just an older version of myself and nothing to be afraid of like most children are. Old people are awesome, they have been through everything and they have shaped the society that we live in today. Sure the youth is always changing things around, but if you think about it, the elderly provided us the society that we were born into. Chamberlain wanted to push exactly this point across to the people. Old people are still people and sure we can design these great, ground breaking items and gadgets for us, but somebody has to be looking out for them. Lets face it, we will all be old people one day. Lets embrace our past and those who have survived a life through some of the most transitional times our country has seen. Old people matter... lets let them live out their last years seeing the change that their predecessors are making for the BETTER.

Another LEEDer in Design...

Westin hotels have just opened up a ground-breaking, LEED Gold Certified hotel in Times Square in New York City. LEED Gold certification means that this hotel was not just "green" enough, or sustainable enough to be LEED certified, but it was awarded the second highest LEED certification. For those of you who don't know, LEED stands for Leaders in Energy Efficient Design. LEED certification is awarded to spaces that truly make sustainable choices by using certain materials and systems inside the space to ensure that the building creates only a small amount of waste. 

The Element Hotel by the Westin not only uses green materials, but it also uses sustainable practices such as daylighting. Daylighting is the process of using the natural sunlight to light a space compared to relying on the use of artificial lighting. There are two types of daylighting, passive and active. The Element uses both types in the space. There is a large sunroom like structure off of the building that uses the natural sunlight throughout the space in a passive manner. Also, installed on the roof of the building are some parabolic sensors that track the sunlight and harvest its energy in order to act as the electricity of the space. In addition to the public spaces, the guest rooms, which each have their own kitchenettes, have energy efficient appliances as well as plumbing fixtures. This hotel truly gives the user a luxurious, sustainable experience. Starting at around $265/night, if you are into staying at posh hotels in New York City, do not hesitate to check this one out. I will be sure to book my room for when I get back from my vacation in my ecopod in the Swiss Alps. :)

THE MOST AMAZING LIGHT BULBS....EVER!

 
Sick and tired of that ugly compact fluorescent bulb in your floor lamp? Completely depressed about the death and banishment of the incandescent light bulb? Well dry those tears and take a look at these beauties. They don't even need a lampshade! Why would you cover these works of art up? Are you crazy? These light bulbs designed by Plumen took home the top prize of "design of the Year Award" at the recent Brit Insurance Design Awards. Not only are these beautifully sculpted light bulbs changing what we see as a necessity to an unspeakable elegance, but these light bulbs, or technically "lamps", are compact fluorescent lamps. That means that yes, these are the same type of lamp that you see in the store with the ice cream swirl top and giant ballast base. Who would have thought that they could be so pretty!

A new, hip restaurant in Brooklyn, New York has these Plumen lamps scattered throughout their space acting as pendant lamps over there salvaged wood dining tables. These unique lamps are the perfect addition to your trendy green space. Even if you're space isn't completely green, these lamps create an interesting focal point in a space while being stylish and saving the earth. That's what I strive to be.... Livia the stylish, elegant, earth-saving designer. Okay, new life goal... be more like the Plumen CFL's. Inspiration from a light bulb, don't judge me. Regardless of your views on the world and whether or not you feel that global warming and the ever-growing oil and energy crisis is just a ploy by the media, there is no denying the sculptural beauty of this product. This lamp is truly an art form and most definitely deserved the "Design of the Year" award. Keep up the good work Plumen!

Biodegradable Furniture? Could it be?

Don't worry, this chair won't slowly dissolve away as you are sitting on it. That's not how these things work. The young, talented, and wonderful French furniture designer, Elise Gabriel, has created a new line of furniture that is 100% biodegradable to add to her ever-growing "green" furniture collection. These pieces of furniture are made from 100% from a new, patented material called Zelfo. Zelfo is a ground-breaking material in the green world that is made from 100% cellulose fibers that are extracted from rapidly renewable plants. These plants include, hemp, miscanthus, and bamboo. Cellulose can also be extracted from cellulose rich waste..... or elephant/giraffe poop. Yes, I said poop. It's natural!

Ew, and you actually were thinking about eating on that table??? Just kidding. The cellulose is extracted from the waste and then thoroughly cleaned before being combined with the other cellulose fiber. Once the fibers are obtained, they are stretched and then pressed together to create a very tough, yet paper-like material. And there you have Zelfo. But is this patent-protected material really the way to go? Sure, the thought of having a strong, yet 100% biodegradable material is provoking, but will the company that created Zelfo soon have a green-material monopoly? I all likeliness, probably not. We must keep our thoughts positive and hopefully the prices for Zelfo won't shoot through the roof due to its exclusivity. Regardless of the price, however, these pieces of furniture have a rustic, yet modern feel to them. Let's support the "green" designers of the world and spread the word about this new, ground-breaking movement! Lets just hope that there are people out their with lots of money that are looking for sustainable products.... because I sure can't afford it!

Taking Green Design to the Next Level...

The JWT Advertising Agency, in tandem with the interior designer, Mathieu Leihanneur, and the architect, Ana Moussinet have truly created a "green" environment. Not only does this space use environmentally friendly materials, but it incorporates biomimicry and living elements as well. This a striking commercial interior that would make anyone want to hire JWT for their advertising any day. The whole concept behind the space was to create a "digital plant station". This space was designed to tie the high tech and cutting edge design world back to the roots of nature. This overall aesthetic creates a striking contrast between the rocky edged and interior grass elements with stark white materials, clear glass doors, and cement structural supports. This space truly creates a harmony between the natural and the industrial.

One of the main features in the space, besides the pod like structures that are designed to look like large rocks, is an over-sized "black tar meteorite". Okay, so this sculpture really isn't made from black tar, but it is surely making a statement in this space. This sculpture, commissioned by the interior designer, is showing the juxtaposition between the beauty of nature and the filth of pollution. The "black tar meteorite" is used as a bar or a place to set one's food while in the incredibly unconventional employee breakroom. This sculpture can be seen throughout the space and it represents the ever-growing problem of waste in the world today. This design, created equally by the architect and interior designer, is truly stunning. This space is almost a shame that it is located in a building and not in an open field or courtyard somewhere for everyone to view. Being a lover of all things that are sustainable, this space not only delivers on the end of using environmentally benign materials, but it also delivers on sending a message of the cold, hard truth about the amount of waste littering this world. Truly successful design puts an idea in your head, even if it as simple as a mere thought, without you even knowing that it got to you.

Vacation Time!

So who isn't dying to go skiing in the Swiss Alps? Well next time the opportunity arises for me I know where I am staying! There is this amazing "hotel" in Les Cerniers, Switzerland where it is only $430/night to rent your own little eco-pod! This is seriously the cutest place I have ever seen. Not only do the white, dome shaped structures blend in with the landscape so as not to detract from the natural beauty of the Swiss Alps, but they are also made partly from recycled plastics! Adorable, eco-friendly, and functional? I'm booking mine today.

If the lure of the beauty of the natural surroundings isn't enough to draw you in, just look at the inside of this place!

Each eco-pod has their own fireplace, observatory deck, and an amazing view! This $430/night is actually beginning to look like a steal! Can you imagine waking up ON the Swiss Alps every morning? Even if I can only stay for one night, I have to experience this. The views are breathtaking. I could just lay in that bed all day with the fireplace on, looking out the window. Is this what Heaven looks like? Probably. These eco-pods are a reflection of the times and they are popping up all over the world. The geometric shaped dome made from rotated triangle figures also got its shape from nature. Scientists have been studying the art of the bee hive for years and have finally unlocked the answer to why they are perfectly insulated, thriving habitats. The geometric shapes combined together not only allow the eco-pod to trap the heat inside, but the alternating triangles also give the structures an added strength if, heaven forbid, there was an avalanche on the mountain. Regardless of the risk of staying directly on the mountain in a structure that resembles a tent, I would gladly risk my life to stay here. If I die, at least I would die happy. Now I am off to book my trip to the Swiss Alps and reserve my eco-pod..... well maybe one day!

Need More Green Space?

Are you like me and live in an apartment with no outdoor space to call your own? Being a true Cancer, I like to surround myself with living things like plants in order to feel comfortable in my home/apartment. I never realized how much I appreciated the live plants all over my childhood home until I moved out... an apartment without plants is not a very happy place! Besides, my boyfriend, who loves to cook, is constantly burning himself... so we now just keep an aloe plant in the kitchen.

 
Getting back to the point, I love having plants in my apartment! I actually collect vintage planters. In particular, on of my most prized possessions is my vintage deer planter. Funny story actually... when I was about 10 my mom and I were going "garage sale-ing" while we were in Tucson, AZ and I found this vintage deer planter and fell in love with it. It was only $6, but my mom talked me out of it. This would come back to haunt her. Over the next few years we kept seeing this planter at antique stores and the prices kept going up and up! So the wonderful planter that I originally saw for $6 was now selling for $50-$75. Regardless of the price, I was still so in love with it, and finally for my 19th birthday I got my deer planter! Thanks mom, I will stop rubbing that story in your face now. :)

Another great way to have plants in apartments is by getting wall mounted planters! They are usually meant for the outdoors, but they can easily be installed inside as well. I am tempted to get some and create my own "living wall" by planting ivy inside of them. That would be amazing! Here is another great wall mounted planter:

So precious. Enjoy!

Fashionable, Sustainable, Fabulous Showroom

Carlos Ortega is an up and coming fashion designer in the heart of Mexico City, Mexico. Due to the overcrowding and high population of Mexico City, the city is high on diversity, but very low on livable space. This has proved to be a challenge that Ortega and a popular interior design firm in Mexico, ROW, have embraced with ingenuity and innovation. Oh, did I also say they did it with a tight and i mean TIGHT budget too?

Ortega and ROW were able to create a polished, modern space that has a raw feeling of deconstruction for all under $5,000. It is almost unheard of to create a custom space for such a small amount of money. Money was hardly the only obstacle though. Another huge challenge for the design was the space, or lack there of. The overall square footage of the fashion showroom is 700 square feet. They managed to create enough display space for Ortega's garments, a dressing room, and a small seating area for customers within the limited square footage. Interestingly enough, the modern, sleek lines of the space juxtaposed with the raw, rough face of the exposed plywood truly reflects the aesthetic of Ortega's overall fashion collection. Though there is a marriage of modern and deconstruction in the space, there are also classic, vintage elements that are seen in the furniture pieces in the space. These classic lines again reflect the aesthetic of Ortega and his designs. The overall space is a prime example of an innovative design created by the ingenuity of the combined forces of a fashion designer and an interior design firm.

(Ortega and RAW's design utilized every inch of the space including the corners of the room for unique and custom shelving displays. They also used different stains on the plywood surface to create more depth and contrast in the space.)

Not Everything "Pretty" And "Shiny" Has To Be New...

Re-claim, Re-purpose, Re-awesome. There, I coined a new term. Re-awesome. It is truly amazing what designers and artists are creating with re-purposed material. The art of re-purposing material is gained by taking a discarded material and manipulating it to serve a new purpose and for a new application than its previous life. It is really just a fancier term for recycling. When most people think of recycling, they imagine a rustic, sort of rough-hewn and patchwork-y look. Well that is an accurate "stereotype" for this new art form.

Who said patchworks and a rustic feel had to be tacky? That is a serious misconception. Especially in recent years, the art of eclecticism has become the most popular and versatile aesthetic around. Who wants to be tied down to one specific image? Through reclaiming materials and the "mix and match" approach of recycling goods, interior spaces can be given a new life through little to no investment. Discarded items can easily be manipulated to fit into an interior space. For instance, in the room pictured, the beautiful parquet wood floors are actually made from recycled shipping palettes. These palettes are used, destroyed, and thrown away without a care for the perfectly good and usable wood that still exists. This room also uses over one hundred discarded, white, restaurant plates as a focal wall treatment.

Never underestimate the beauty of an item or material that has seemingly met the end of the road. I am a true believer in the reincarnation of materials and everything deserves an afterlife in a beautiful interior.

Who Killed The Incandescent Light Bulb?

As most of you may have heard by now, in the next few years the incandescent light bulb will vanish into thin air. This source of light has already been outlawed by many countries including Great Britain and the United States. So with this form of light bulb about to disappear into thin air, scientists and engineers have been working overtime to find suitable replacements that are more environmentally friendly. The ever growing in popularity CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) is much more sustainable than the incandescent, but it can still be improved. This is where the wonderful LED comes into play.

LED's or light emitting diodes are a newly found technology that creates a bright, pure light while using less than half of the Watts an already eco-friendly CFL uses. Those of us involved in the interior design world have known about this LED technology for quite some time, but frankly it is still a new technology and can be quite expensive. With the ever adapting consumer industry, LED's were first really introduced to the mass market in the form of high definition LED television screens. These screens produce a large, clear resolution image and spectacular color rendering. Now the LED technology can be even more attainable in a new, compact LED light bulb that is design to replace not only incandescent light bulbs, but CFL's as well. This light bulb, though a few dollars more than the inferior products, is about to flood the market with its presence. Though somewhat of a steeper initial investment, LED light bulbs are a great long term investment not only for energy preservation and smaller energy bills, but for their un-comparable light quality and longevity.

Your Roots Are Showing... In a Good Way.

Right now at Israel's Design Museum Holon there is a ground-breaking exhibition that is a true show of our current time. This exhibition highlights the work of over 60 designers and artists worldwide going back to the roots of all art, nature. All of the sculptures, pieces of furniture, and other works of art on display are pieces that were handcrafted by natural, abundant materials.  Many materials used were found objects such as twigs, leaves, mud, and other organic materials. This exhibit highlights the beauty of nature and puts into focus a world of materials that has been somewhat ignored and unappreciated for the past 50 years.
 

One of the highlights of the show, and centrally located in the exhibit, is a large scale sculpture of a bunny rabbit. This sculpture is made up of found, dead twigs that have been shaved down to the "raw" wood and slightly powder-coated with a white wash. This stunning piece along with the other pieces of the exhibit has gained a lot of attention from the art world. Many are speculating a true shift in modern art to truly rely on and center around that of "Mother Nature". This means that there is an expected shift from the bold, graphic modern art that currently flanks our museums to a more simple and rustic aesthetic like that of environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. Whatever the future holds for art, this exhibit is truly a showcase of the beauty of nature and the natural world and promotes the importance of saving the environment.

Made in Portugal, With Love.

Along with many other countries in the world, Portugal has put a vast amount of interest on the art of sustainability. Always known for their unique style and sense of art, Portugal is once again leading the way in the designing of sustainable interior elements. Made Out Portugal is an organization and coalition of Portugal designers and artists that promotes locally made, sustainable products. These products range from interior materials, to furniture, to artwork, to clothing. This versatile organization is gaining national attention and support by the day. Made Out Portugal has successfully promoted both local and sustainable products to the point where they are beginning to gain international acclaim. This is definitely an organization to watch out for.

Not only does this organization put high importance on supporting local artisans and businesses as well as sustainable products, but they are truly dedicated to spotlighting the artists themselves. This is a wonderful organization that keeps struggling artists off the streets and creates a platform for them to build their career upon. Most of these artist come from humble beginnings and therefore use reclaimed materials to keep their overhead low so that they can stay out of poverty. The beauty of these handcrafted and designed items cannot be touched by the mass manufacturing of machine produced goods. Most of these artists are getting a second chance at their calling and quite a few of them have become the rockstars of the Portugal art scene. Made Out Portugal has begun to establish itself as an international representation of Portugal's artists and artisans and continues to grow in popularity.

Retro-Chic Meets Sustainable Living

Though interesting and cool in theory, living in a vintage Airstream trailer does not sound too appealing to most people. But what if that Airstream had top of the line appliances and the most up-to-date-technology on board? Change your mind a little? In Santa Barbara, CA an architect by the name of Matthew Hoffman is re-defining the art of living. Though he makes a more than decent living off of his profession, Hoffman lives in a 1970's trailer by choice rather than necessity. This unconventional architect has put his blood sweat and tears into taking a dumpy old Airstream and turning it into a modern, unique live/work environment. Yes, this is not only his home but his office as well!

This newly renovated, sleek interior has something that Hoffman says most spaces has a lack there of, "personality and charm". A vintage Airstream trailer in superb condition surely does not lack in the "charm" department. Regardless of your age, the Airstream trailer is a symbol of pride and the "American Dream". Countless movies and television shows have depicted families going on cross-country road trips in their Airstream trailers, living life to its fullest. This overall renovation and reclamation of the vintage Airstream is not only an achievement for Hoffman, but the realization of a life-long dream. Regardless of the ever-changing trends in the design world, Hoffman is sure to always treasure this small piece of the "American Dream" that he has so lovingly crafted for himself.

(Being the architect that he is, Hoffman even took the time to create an accurate, scaled floor plan of the vintage Airstream and its interior. See Below.)