Home Designs Wanted for Sculpture

Recreating Home is a national design and sculpture competition open to all designers, architects, artists, home-builders, engineers, families and students. The competition—offering more than $10,000 in cash prizes—seeks creative, innovative house designs to be developed into sculpture for public art exhibition in Prince George’s County, Md. Deadline for entries is March 1, 2005. For more information and entry forms, visit Prince George County Parks or contact the organizers via email at mailto:[email protected] or (301) 454-1450.

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Keeping Up with the Jetsons

Three year olds are surpassing adults in computer savvy. Cell phones and digital cameras the size of a credit cards are top sellers. So why shouldn't this hi-tech trend continue into the contemporary home?

Turning on the lights, making a morning pot of coffee, closing the curtains, these probably aren't the day to day activities that most of us would consider tasks, but they are a part of everyday life, and wouldn't it be nice if these and a handful of other aspects of running a household were done by someone, or, more to the point, something else? With "smart" technology, you can enhance the look, mood and feel of your home and make and make your life easier by automating things you do each day. Continue reading Smart Homes, Smarter Living.

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Making Kitchens Like Furniture

Eight years ago I re-designed my kitchen -- and created an environment that was totally mine. We cooked, entertained and did school projects in that kitchen. From the materials (maple and granite) to the placement and heights of the cabinets -- it reflected my family's and my needs.

We moved this summer and my current kitchen is the standard "glamour" kitchen that is hawked by builders. Big and boxy. Read: I can't do a thing in it. The placement of everything is just too many steps away. Storage and counter spaces are broken up. And the huge island is a useless box because of the position of the gas cooktop.

Like so many other things in America, the kitchen has been super-sized. The standing joke is we had to put islands in our kitchens so we had a place to rest. For kitchens, big is definitely not better. Not only are they not functional, but the sheer size of them and resulting high cost to furnish them, necessitate that you lock in a look until your dying days. White cabinets in 1990 were cutting edge -- now one can only pray they yellow. What can you do with the miles of grey lacquer that you invested in 20 years ago -- but hope that the color makes a come back.

American consumers should note the European philosophy of kitchens. First the kitchen is not the "selling point" for a house -- usually it is an empty shell -- and it is understood that you will furnish this space accordingly. Second, the kitchen space is smaller. So maybe you only need to invest in 7 or 8 cabinets instead of the 20 or 30 that we require. Third, there is a second-hand market for kitchen cabinets. When you tire of the fire-engine red -- you roll your cabinets down to the flea market, and upgrade to lime green.

Kevin Henry, newly crowned to re-brand Europe's dominant kitchen maker Alno here in the US, tells me that, like clothes, one-size kitchens don't fit all. In Europe, kitchens are "tailored" to the individual to be ergonomically correct for the tasks at hand.

With such a different mindset, it is easy to see how European kitchens are a panoply of colors. Ah wouldn't it be nice to see something other than oak?

Alno's Pictureline series allows the consumer to swap doors.

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Is AU Gold for American Leather?

With American Upholstery, leading high-end contemporary leather furniture manufacturer American Leather brings its innovative, quality designs and style savvy to contemporary minded lovers of upholstered pieces.

The AU Furniture collection boasts a variety of collections of sofas, loveseats, chairs and ottomans named for sophisticated sounding women, the Isabella, Sophia, Madeline. Each collection is available in a variety of colors and two upholstery choices AU calls Life Fabrics: Suede Life and Vee-Life. Suede Life is a soft, sueded, easy to maintain micro-fiber, just like Vee-Life. The difference is Vee Life has a tiny herringbone "v" pattern.

The limited choices make AU perfect for people intimidated by facing endless combinations of patterns, and styles. With these options, you can't make a wrong choice, and you wont end up with a piece that's passé before it's paid for.

All that ease, great styles and, AU says, they'll get your furniture to you in just 2-3 weeks. Definitely created for the modern consumer.

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The bulthaup b3 a Modern Kitchen Miracle

German kitchen manufacturer Bulthaup has already won design awards from Good Design, iF, red dot, and ICFF among others and, with their most recent contribution to modern kitchens, the bulthaup b3, this classic company of modern methods joins the quality, ergonomics and function that earned these lauds together with an innovative wall construction.

Free standing walls let you decide to slide cabinets, stoves, and accessories exactly where you want them. The result is a design that's heavy on function but looks so lightweight it appears to float. Available in a range of gorgeous woods––think maple, bamboo, Swiss pear–– as well as in stainless steel, glass, laminate, aluminum and more, the bulthaup b3, offers customizable style appropriate for your whole home, not just your kitchen.

Shop a variety of designs and accessories for modern kitchens.

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Contemporary Wine Cask

Even wine storage has taken the turn from traditional to contemporary and General Electric has given wine collectors something to pine for this year––The GE Monogram Walk-In Wine Vault. It's a professionally installed chamber that eonophiles can stock full of Syrahs and Beaujolais Nouveaus to their heart's content.

If you're into keeping your stash a secret, opt for the inventory rack option. These racks offer maximum capacity at 1,100 bottles. If you want your cache to make a splash, choose the display racks. They can hold about 975 bottles of you favorite wines. Both options are made of redwood and have engraved metal plates so you can organize by region and variety. Of course, these well-organized wines will be kept at an optimum temperature and humidity level.

Cheers to good taste, good design, and good wine.

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Flooring Trends from Rocks to Rugs

As Pure Contemporary has said before, nothing is pedestrian about flooring these days. We've shown you the glitz, jewels, and glamour of new flooring options for people who would rather walk on than wear their semi-precious pieces. Contemporary flooring is about more than cold stone surfaces though. Lately, bold colors, clean lines and even museum master works have been turning up underfoot in the soft wool knots and tactile nubs of designer rugs. These rugs are a fun way to introduce color and anchor "floating" furniture in a room. Rocks and rugs have revamped the way we look at flooring, and they're joined by even more luxurious options--custom bronze medallions, glass floor tiles in any color, texture or design. With so many options, the only thing you'll have to shop around for is a home with more square footage.

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Tsunami Efforts from Architectural Community

There is an abundance of worthwhile organizations available to aid in the Tsunami disaster relief, and Architecture for Humanity has joined the list. Founded in 1999, their purpose is to aid in global crises with the use of architectural and design solutions. Instead of giving man a fish, Architecture for Humanity is teaching him how, with added educational programs focusing on humanitarianism. To place a donation visit Architecture for Humanity.

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Contemporary Resolutions

So what's your plan? Are you resolving to lose those last 10 pounds, quit smoking, or finally take up yoga? What about a resolution that focuses on changing the interior - of your home. Are you planning a contemporary makeover or update? Tell us about it in the comments section and let us answer some of your tough design questions.

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