友達が友達を呼んでくれたので、順番待ちのグラスも登場。今夜も楽しいひとときになりそうです。

今夜私のパートナーは、ウィルソン　テニスグラス。忘れず真っ白なリストバンドを右手につけました。背の高いグラス達、ポールダンサー、メリーゴーランド、ショットグラスがリビーの４０s−５０sのモノです。

ゴールドドットは５０s、なんだかこの年代のグラスを集めると彼達もまた楽しい会話を楽しんでいるように感じます。これからタパス作り、美味しく出来るかな？

I literally cannot remember the last time I sent a regular paper-letter in the regular mail service with an actual stamp on it, but now I have a reason to! Actually, I will probably just end up framing them and showcasing their beauty in my office. Thanks to Meredith for this starred object via Google Reader!

It happens all of the time: I buy something pretty and then don't want to use it.

This is the case with my purchase of the Charles and Ray Eames commemorative stamps from the good ole USPS. They're gorgeous and they're sitting on my desk.

Every time I write a letter to my Mom, I reach for the stamps and then can't bring myself to do it. Which one would I choose? The classic lounge chair and ottoman? The LCW chair? The Hang-It-All? I just can't do it. If one were gone, the others would feel incomplete and lonely. And would Mom really appreciate the iconic design in the upper right-hand corner anyway?

So there, on my desk, they will continue to sit, longing for a trip through the mail. At least they will sit prettily.

Perhaps I'll have to open up a special savings account for this. If I save $20/month (because this is obviously a nice to have, not a must have), assuming that the price will stay constant at around $5000-$6000 (highly unlikely), it'll take me at most, 300 months = 25 years. hm. So I guess I'll get it at about the same time I get to pay off my mortgage. That's not going to work.

I might have to start playing the lotto..

Nicknamed the "surfboard table", this elongated Elliptical Table (1951) exemplifies the delightful playfulness that enlivened the work of Charles and Ray Eames. This table illustrates the whimsical playfulness that characterizes the work of this legendary American designer team. It also reveals the couple's practical side - their desire to create furniture that would become a part of a life lived with minimalism and splendor. This 6’ foot table sets the stage for a bowl of fresh fruit, a special work of art or a big art book. Its light wire base and long lean silhouette look just as totally modern today as then.

Eames was born in 1907 in Saint Louis, Missouri. He briefly studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis on an architectural scholarship. He proposed studying Frank Lloyd Wright to his professors, and when he would not cease his interest in modern architects, he was dismissed from the university. In the report describing why he was dismissed from the university, a professor wrote the comment, "His views were too modern."

This iconic piece is constructed with a chrome steel frame, birch plywood surface with a melamine top in your choice of black or white colors. This is a perfect copy (and is not a Herman Miller release) of the same unit at a fraction of the price!

DIMENSIONS: W X 71" X D 24" X H 10"

Gibraltar is based in Beverly Hills California and can be found on the web at www.gibraltarfurniture.com. This firm has been in operation for five decades, and is an insider secret weapon for blue chip merchandise at warehouse prices. Yahoo reports that Gibraltar Furniture has “The best prices, models, and service of any site on the internet. This store is nirvana for people who want Bauhaus, art deco, modern, mid century, or designer furniture at wholesale prices.”

This contemporary masterpiece is perfect for both residential and office use. We ship factory direct so that you don’t have to pay a middle man for a mark up. This means you get the wholesale price and a great product at unbeatable prices. A Google™ search indicates that one of the foremost sites for high end furniture at wholesale prices is Gibraltar. “This West coast internet pioneer features retro, modern, and post-modern furnishings at rock bottom prices. Gibraltar offers an exceptional array of wholesale, architectural, modern, high quality items at factory direct discount prices. Gibraltar Furniture is one of the leaders in the world of Internet modern architectural products. Gibraltar sells furniture manufactured in Italy, Asia, and the USA and all sales are tax free outside of California.”

Eames utilized the same technology that led to the creation of their legendary molded plywood lounge and dining chairs to design this Plywood Cocktail Table. Introduced in 1946, this unit is perfect at home or in the office as center piece coffee or cocktail table.

The plywood table is framed by four lean legs that create a durable yet lightweight base. Its "saucer"-like top and curved legs create a graceful shape that is compact and evenly scaled.

This is a versatile table perfect for both traditional and modern spaces. Product dimensions: 34.5" diameter, 16" height. We offer this superlative masterpiece in your choice of White Oak, Ebony, or Walnut colors

Gibraltar is based in Beverly Hills California and can be found on the web at www.gibraltarfurniture.com. This firm has been in operation for five decades, and is an insider secret weapon for blue chip merchandise at warehouse prices. Yahoo reports that Gibraltar Furniture has “The best prices, models, and service of any site on the internet. This store is nirvana for people who want Bauhaus, art deco, modern, mid century, or designer furniture at wholesale prices.”

This contemporary masterpiece is perfect for both residential and office use. We ship factory direct so that you don’t have to pay a middle man for a mark up. This means you get the wholesale price and a great product at unbeatable prices. A Google™ search indicates that one of the foremost sites for high end furniture at wholesale prices is Gibraltar. “This West coast internet pioneer features retro, modern, and post-modern furnishings at rock bottom prices. Gibraltar offers an exceptional array of wholesale, architectural, modern, high quality items at factory direct discount prices. Gibraltar Furniture is one of the leaders in the world of Internet modern architectural products. Gibraltar sells furniture manufactured in Italy, Asia, and the USA and all sales are tax free outside of California.”

]]> http://arquitecturainteligente.wordpress.com/?p=1572 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:02:01 +0000 lareka http://arquitecturainteligente.wordpress.com/?p=1572 Vale.

Ya sabíamos de la existencia de Case Study Houses, un homenaje al diseño innovador de las casas creadas en los EEUU tras la I Guerra Mundial, cuya premisa era la utilización de materiales baratos y con el fin de resultar lo mas eficientes posible a la hora de acoger a los soldados en su retorno al pais.

Pues a partir de esta idea, Pierre André Senizegues y Gil Le Bon de Lapointe han creado skate study houses, un giro de tuerca en el diseño de mediados de siglo, del cual parecen estar enormemente influenciados, utilizando, en este caso, materiales existente en un elemento básico como es un skate.

Para muestra un botón, que te parece esta versión del lounge chair + ottoman de 1956 los EAMES?

O esta otra, STAX, un guiño a la LCW (lounge chair wood) de 1945 de los EAMES?

Y esta acaso, JETSET no quiere ser la tumbona modelo nºB306 de Le Corbusier?

Mas información en skate study house

Imagenes skate sutdy house

Over my version of Mom's chicken soup—known in Chamorro as "cado"—I enjoyed yet another fantastic episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Jessica Walter, whose unforgetable performance in "Play Misty for Me" (1971) resulted in an iconic role for woman-scorned-gone-psycho, this episode shows the frustrations of an upper-West-side hoity toity struggling to cope with her daughter in-law—a former dancer/cocktail waitress (Sarah Jane Morris) from the less fortunate areas of Kentucky.

In this episode, "Please Note, We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger," three parents of children on the waitlist of a prestigious elementary school are found shot dead. An interesting coincidence think Goren (Vincent D'Nofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe), therefore sending them on their usual track of ironies and twists to find the killer.

No doubt Walter's character Eleanor Reynolds tops the lists of suspects, resulting in some of the most humorous cutting remarks one can expect from whom Captain Danny Ross (Eric Bogosian) calls an upper-West "doyenne."

I don't want to give away the ending so will refrain from offering too many details. But the good news is, Goren and Eames seem to be getting along better and Captain Ross isn't questioning Goren's every move or intention. Refreshing. 

'Reunion' featuring Joan Jett

The show aired more than two weeks ago, so I'm a bit behind on my LO:CI summer coverage. But don't worry. As I update my segment of "TV Munchies," my homage to Law and Order: Criminal Intent—and food—I must also mention here that one kick-butt Joan Jett helped to make a rockin' episode featuring Dets. Logan and Wheeler.

I really love how the show captured the maturing/aging rockstar dynamic. How the wreckage of our past haunts those of us who lived fast and passionately in our younger years. Well done.

As for Mom's cado. I'd like to show you how to make it and can do it now with my fun and easy-to-use Flip video camera. So stay tuned for more TV Munchies as I show you how to make it from beginning to end.

Charles and Ray Eames designed the Hang it All in 1953 for Tigrett Enterprises Playhouse Division. It almost seems a shame to cover it up - it is more like a piece of sculpture. Believe it or not, it is only about $150 for this beautiful little piece of modern design history.

(EN) Athletics is an interesting art and design collective. They attracted my retina with this simple but dense infographic showing how their business model differenciates from those that are more traditional. They insert concepts like "big picture", "creative happiness", "larger cultural context" and "having a life" that usually don't find room in everyday work experience.

They also refresh designer Charles Eames' scheme "What is design?" and give me the chance to show you his wife 1977 video "Power of ten", in which they depict the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten.

(IT) Athletics è un collettivo di arte e design che ha colpito la mia retina grazie alla recente infografica che hanno creato per mostrare come il loro business model si differenzia da quelli più classici. Hanno infatti inserito concetti come "felicità creativa", "contesto culturale pià ampio", "avere una vita" che non emergono solitamente nella vita lavorativa di cui abbiamo esperienza ogni giorno.

Rinfrescano anche uno schema fondamentale dal titolo "What is design?" creato dal designer Charles Eames, dandomi così l'opportunità di pubblicare il video creato da sua moglie, in cui lui ha collaborato, che mostra le potenza di dieci nelle grandezze dell'Universo.

While perusing R&B's selection of bookcases, we noticed that Herman Miller designs, such as the Aeron and Eames desk chairs, were marked ten percent off for a limited time.

We asked one of the salespersons when the sale would end. Her response: "Oh, we always discount our Herman Miller products, you just have to ask for it."

So if you want to cure that aching back by outfitting your cube or home office with, say, a highly adjustable Mirra chair, don't pay full price; head to R&B and ask for the discount.

The USPS has just released a commemorative sheet of Eames postage stamps, honoring the husband-and-wife design team of Charles and Ray Eames. Available online at The Postal Store (or check your local post office).

Since the lease on my Chicago apartment ended on Monday, I've been staying with my parents in a hotel on Grand and Columbus. I drove here from my apartment at Notre Dame, and like George Costanza, I refuse to pay for parking, and thus, I have been parking near the Red Line and riding it to Grand. Last night, I parked my car at Broadway and Lawrence, figuring that I'd want my car tonight, since I'm dining with Agraja at Demera and meeting up with Kate afterwards (she doesn't have a blog yet, but I'll hyperlink her when she starts one). Last night, I argued with my father, who thought the area was still dangerous, even though the crime-ridden Uptown he (we, actually) once lived in no longer exists. 

This morning, my father told me that a CTA worker had been stabbed at Broadway and Lawrence the previous night. And while I don't really care if my car is broken into (yet again---the first time, in a parking lot with a wire hanger, in which I was both the perpetuator and the victim, the second time, in front of Hyde Park Produce, with the keys locked in the car and the engine running, in which I was also both the perpetrator and the victim, but had two homeless men as my accomplices, and the third time, in front of Lovely Cafe on Milwaukee, in which I was merely the victim, and my TomTom was stolen), I really, really hope that the Laotian gang members don't steal my Eames chair . . . you know how we Asians love the modern furniture.

need need need need need

I watched Law & Order: Criminal Intent and In Plain Sight last night and decided I have a pathological need to share my down-and-dirty, unpolished impressions with all of you.

• L&O:CI

  Goren is officially back on Major Case, but Eames is playing cold. Then again, I probably would be too if I came dangerously close to shooting my partner because he was working a case undercover and failed to tell me.

  Right from the beginning of the episode we see that Eames is still more than just a little miffed at Goren's actions in "Purgatory". If she doesn't have to talk to him she's flat out ignoring him and you can see that he's both puzzled and hurt by the whole thing. I gotta say: awesome. I'm really sick of shows that have a certain emotional tone in one episode and then, as if by magic, it's all back to normal in the next episode, especially when we're dealing with weighty issues like having the person you've spent the last seven years trusting implicitly lie to you about being in an extremely dangerous situation. They don't have to be lovers to care deeply enough about each other to feel betrayed. Heck, if I'd worked that closely with somebody for seven years and we ended up facing each other with guns because they were undercover and didn't tell me about it I'd be downright furious.

  Then there's Captain Ross, who showed a major weakness I hope we won't see again when he essentially ordered his detectives to leave a possible suspect alone. This of course blows up in his face and hopefully teaches him a valuable life lesson: Even your friends will use you if they're trying to get out of a whole heap of trouble and you're in a position to help them.

  By the end of the episode Goren and Eames are getting back into their vibe, but they aren't quite there yet. I image Eames is going to hold onto Goren's slip-up for a long time and I wouldn't put it past her to throw it back in his face if he angers her enough in the future.

  As far as Goren's appearance is concerned, I think he's looking better than he did at the end of "Untethered", but I'm seriously hoping he drops the beard (and the weight) sometime soon. It seems like he's slimming down a bit, but it's hard to make comparisons when he's not dressing like he used to much to my chagrin (what can I say, I love a man in a suit). My guess is that the weight will eventually come off since the word is that Vincent D'Onofrio gained it intentionally for a role he was playing. I actually think it also helped with the Goren character, because people going through hard times tend to have major weight fluctuations and Goren had definitely been getting the short end of the stick.
  
  
  

• In Plain Sight

  Last night was the fourth episode of In Plain Sight and we were treated to our first very blatant display of major crushing between our two favorite Deputy U.S. Marshals. Of course, this is going to be going on for a while because even though it's obvious to us viewers, it's never obvious to the characters in the series (for example, Mulder and Scully of The X-Files).

  Marshall is a man of hidden depths. He went into medical speak and I was positively giddy because a) being a medic myself I understood exactly what he was talking about, and b) he got that exasperated look on his face everybody gets when they're talking about something they think everybody should know but it's obvious the person they're talking to doesn't get it. Poor Mary is worried sick and he's making faces at her and passing out.

  Dave Foley was an oddly inspired choice to play a harmless looking man with connections to several contract killings committed by an assassin named "Lola". He was incredibly narcissistic which I find Foley can pull off well, I don't know why, but he does. Maybe it's because he's a comedic actor and comedy just doesn't work right unless you're paying attention to what's causing the funny.

  At the end of the episode I was rather surprised to see Mary break down sobbing at the hospital while waiting for Marshall to come out of surgery. My curiosity is peaked as to just how far down this rabbit hole the writers and producers are going to go before they cool off the Mary-Marshall crushfest. I wonder only because Mary's breakdown is probably one of the single most honest reactions to a horrible situation I've seen in a long time and I find it interesting. BTW, no, I'm not making up some love link between Mary and Marshall, you can find the actors, writers, and others involved talking about it in various interviews on the net.

I know those aren't really polished, but as stated above they are my down-and-dirty impressions.