102 ... 103 ... Do We Hear 104?

Mix testosterone with a remote control and what do you get? How about a 103-inch plasma display panel. Matsushita Electric Industrial, the maker of all things Panasonic, announced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) it had developed a prototype of what will now be the world's largest such screen -- bypassing the mere 102 inch whopper by Samsung. Neither company has made clear when or if these monster screens will actually reach store shelves or at what price. Although figure it will be higher than than the $130,000 you'll pay for Samsung's 80-inch model.

Details Matter

In new builds and new products, fine details will keep consumers happy in 2006.

Architect Evan Galen notices it in his New York City firm. He says, "As people are becoming less enchanted with bigger is always better, we are finding our clients going towards more beautifully crafted interiors. Beautiful details. Exotic materials, unusual shapes in rooms or walls or ceilings."

Consumer color expert Laura Guido-Clark forecasts similar trends in residential furniture. "I see a renewed interest in natural and beautiful materials, things that resonate on a soulful level," she says.

"Also, the play of materials is becoming more important. We’re starting to see more mixing of disparate materials like matte and gloss, or plastic and wood in a single object. It intrigues people and gives a piece more surface interest," she says.

Another tip she gives, and this one is more for manufacturers: be honest with your materials.

"Consumers want manufacturers and designers to be honest about materials used and to celebrate the material. They don’t want to see plastic pretending to be something else. Let plastic be plastic. If you want something to look like wood, use wood," says Guido-Clark.

Blast from the past

At Pure Contemporary we like to assist readers in identifying those hard-to-find pieces.

I am seeking a particular item that seemed to be everywhere in the 1980's and has suddenly disappeared. It is a square plastic rolling cart, with shelves on the bottom and a couple of pivoting trays/drawers above that. It was definitely available in white or black and I vaguely remember seeing some other colors. It seemed to be in every artist's studio at one point, and has suddenly vanished. Does anyone know the manufacturer and/or a resource for this item?

I know exactly the cart! ALVIN CO is the manufacturer and it's the Rover Mobile Taboret. You can buy directly from Alvin or virtually any good art supply store like Dick Blick, Pearl Paint and artsupplyonline.com. The cart is made of a heavy duty plastic with three pivoting trays. Alvin's Taboret can hold a ton of weight (actually a whopping 500 pounds -- which is only 1/4 of a ton). Be careful if you buy a cheap imitation -- because the trays can crack, the cart can tip, and the cart won't roll if the shelves start to crush the casters.

A Rose by Any Other Name...

Shakespeare loved the rose's smell, but Edra loves its looks. Its Rose Chair by Masanori Umeda captures the beauty of the romantic flower so well you can almost smell it. The rose is a perfect side chair to add fun and interest to a living room, bedroom or boudoir-- and it's a welcome alternative to Valentine's Day's 12 tired long-stems.

New Year's Resolutions - With a Contemporary Twist

The reset button has been pushed, and the year is freshly ahead of us. In addition to the bodies we wish to tone, the silly and often self-destructive obsessions we wish to give up, the happy moments we wish to multiply and the plethora of to-do lists we wish to plow through, here are a few more resolutions to strive for:

• Embrace color. The tangy Lemon Drop Bean I put in my office keeps me picked up when the caffeine ebbs.
• Find joy in the simple things. Two new amber pendants in my kitchen warm the room when the oven is off.
• Disengage from Disorganization. Jewel-colored leather magazine holders, organize (and disguise) all those important pieces of parchment I can't part from.
• Empty a closet. Make room for new pleasures by eliminating the old -- or just leave it empty -- just in case.
• Collect a piece of art -- because you love it -- bonus points if you make the artists your friends. My pieces from Linda and Angela are my most coveted.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!