Gehry's AGO Opens in Toronto

TORONTO, Nov. 14 /CNW/ - The transformed Art Gallery of Ontario opened its doors to the public today, launching three days of free admission to celebrated architect Frank Gehry's spectacular re-imagination of the institution and more than 4,300 works of art in 110 light-filled galleries.

"The new AGO is an extraordinary home for extraordinary art," says A. Charles Baillie, AGO board president. "The AGO's newly expanded collection and Frank Gehry's innovative design for his first Canadian building will inspire and celebrate the creativity within every visitor."

Nearly 40% of the artworks on display are new to the Gallery, representing recent gifts or purchases. Core among them are the extraordinary works given to the AGO by the late Ken Thomson and his wife Marilyn - a unique collection of Canadian paintings, European small-scale sculpture, ship models, and such masterworks as Peter Paul Rubens's The Massacre of the Innocents, as well as outstanding Renaissance and Baroque drawings. The Thomson Collection is among the most significant private art collections in the world.

With its expanses of glass and natural light, Canada's first Frank Gehry building connects the art museum with the city and offers stunning architectural moments, including Walker Court's spiral staircase, the new Vivian David Campbell Centre for Contemporary Art and the 600-foot-long Galleria Italia sculpture promenade.

"Art meets architecture in Frank's design, where spaces flow into one another and the works are installed to encourage a seamless journey," says AGO director and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum. "Visitors will make memorable connections between life and art."

Coinciding with its opening, the AGO also announced that the Transformation AGO Campaign has surpassed its goal of $276 million. More than 3,500 donors contributed to the project, 47 of them making gifts of $1 million or more. The Thomson family contributed a total of $100 million to the transformation - $30 million of it for enhanced features beyond the original scope of the project. Both the provincial and federal governments also generously supported the project. In total, the AGO has raised an unprecedented $300 million for its transformation.

Fancy faucets

The faucet in a kitchen is like the jewel in the center of a crown -- its exquisite design should complement and complete the masterpiece. With this in mind, American Standard introduces two elegant kitchen faucets with dramatic arch designs -- the Arch Collection and the Pekoe Collection.

Unique to Pekoe is the dramatic Extender, a swivel spray that automatically descends when the unit is turned on and retracts when it’s turned off.

Learn more!

-- allie

Tags: American Standard, modern faucet, contemporary kitchen, kitchen sink

Reclaiming Style

By reclaiming "garbage" top designers create gorgeous lighting that makes use see recycling in an even better light. Check these out:

Dutch Designer Anneke Jakobs collected discarded cartons in the street during her days as a student at the Utrecht School of Product Design. Ten cartons make up the luxe chandelier. Desktop paper fasteners hold it all together. The look is unexpected, chic, and surprisingly upscale. Chiquita Chandelier by Anneke Jakobs; AnnekeJakobs.nl.

Made from the cut bottoms of clear bottles strung together and hung in a circle; artist Michelle Brand lets the beautiful shapes speak for themselves. En masse, the look is one of softly falling crystal flowers.

Recycled Cascade Chandelier by Michelle Brand, MichelleBrand.co.uk

And, my favorite, from Studio Verissimo. This Portugal-based firm collected hundreds of discarded clear plastic sticks to create a chandelier with an iridescent effect that is as eye-catching and perhaps even more striking than your classic crystal.

Spoon Lamp by Studio Verissimo; StudioVerissimo.net

To see more of modern design's latest feats of recycling, check out ReUse Muse.

Designer Saw Horses

New York based sculptor and painter George Gavin Zeigler sees Saw Horses as something more than the utilitarian objects I've always viewed them as.  He's made them over into high end design pieces handmade from Zebra Wood, Mahogany, Ebony, Maple, Cherry, Afrormosia... 

The luxury woods support float glass or diamond wire glass tops to make desks, dining tables, consoles and other custom creations.

Prices start at $2,100 a pair, much more than was paid for the two dusty versions in my basement, but I guess they don't look as good.

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Moroso Modern Mirrors

We've overlooked the overlapping frame trend for a while (sorry, Pottery Barn) but now that Moroso has taken the idea one step further, we feel it can no longer be ignored.

Moroso, the cutting edge Italian furniture company, has once again teamed with Doshi Levien, the London based design duo known for combining traditional Indian culture and symbols with contemporary thinking and Western industrial manufacturing. Their newest wares are a collection of silk screened mirrors called Sheesha, which is a Hindi word meaning glass.  These mirrors feature magnified graphic representations of different Indian stitch techniques used to sew tiny mirrors to textiles to ward off the “evil eye,” an example of which can be seen on the Charpoy covers (shown in this image, under the mirrors), one of the original Doshi-Levien designs for Moroso.  There are six silk screened mirrors, plus one without a design, measuring 23 ½ inches in diameter.  The circular mirrors come on an articulated custom bracket with spacers in sets of three, five and seven that allow them to be arranged over and under adjacent mirrors. 

We love the mix of ancient meanings on modern design, and the sculptural effect of overlapping circles. Great for dining rooms or living areas, in a bathroom though, it would drive us crazy.

What do you think?

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Drink responsibly

It is 31 degrees in my neck of the woods, and 45 minutes south of my toasty home the snow is falling in copious amounts. Within the next few days I will be living in a winter wonderland. While I am certain that I will complain, whine, and go through bouts of bitterness, I secretly love this time of year.

This time of years signifies two things I hold near and dear to my heart -- warm, rich coffee, and shopping for Christmas presents. Chiasso has now combined my two loves.

The Not Paper Cup. The modern double-walled porcelain cup with a silicone lid keeps coffee hot without burning your hand. And, unlike their paper counterparts, you can use them again and again. Both the contemporary eco-to-go cup and lid are microwave and dishwasher safe.

Shop Chiasso now and receive 15% off sale merchandise

-- allie

Tags: Chiasso, modern Christmas, holiday shopping, best Christmas gifts

Modern Nut-cracker

Modern designers can't resist reinventing the mundane, and the nut-cracker has risen as one of the most retooled banal objects of our day. To wit, the newest iteration, Molletta by Gabriele Pezzini for Area Plus:

The clothing pin version joins two of our other favorite modern nutcrackers, here.

Digs to Impress, Modern Meeting Space for Rent

If ever there was an industry in need of a ground-breaking makeover, it is meetings. Meet at The Apartment, an evocative, two-story, 2,500-square-foot loft has just opened in SoHo offering an entirely reinvented space to hold business meetings, creative brainstorm sessions, new product launches, fashion events, etc.

Most meeting spaces typically have beige walls and a conference table, screen, but no style. Fully engineered for creative thought to flourish, Meet at The Apartment fills a void as a stylish/edgy/thoughtful one-stop-shop. The brainchild of Marc and Sara Schiller (Electric Artists and Wooster Collective) who have created a duplex loft which takes every conceivable need into account while allowing the space to inspire innovative minds. Designed by Stefan Boublil of New York’s premier design firm, The Apartment, the romantic minimalism meets chic modernism interior concept is at once aesthetically focused and fashionably smart. The design is completely unorthodox and is a genuine departure from the norm.

Meet’s sharply focused style comes with a sincere desire to make meetings more valuable. To that end, one of its most welcome characteristics is its one-flat-rate policy. Unlike other venues’ a la carte pricing, Meet’s bundled price features staffing (including a concierge, server and A/V tech), audio-visual components such as 65” presentation screens with corresponding PC and Mac-compatible workstations, meeting facilitation supplies (flip charts, color printers, markers and more), as well as unlimited beverages and snacks. Mornings begin with fresh fruit smoothie shots; at mid-day, fresh fruit and fresh-baked cookies keep the creative juices flowing; followed by wine and cheese to end the day. “We want to make sure that there are no big surprises when the final bill comes,” says  Sara Schiller, referencing a point of difference that is sure to be embraced by today’s belt-tightening executives.

Jaime Hayon and Lladro = Fantasy

We're anxiously awaiting Jame Hayon's Fantasy Collection for Lladro, to be unveiled at a cocktail presentation Wednesday, November 19th.

We'll let you know how it goes and bring you sneak peeks of the collection. Stand by. And check out Hayon's and Lladro's other work to wet your whistle in the meantime.

Dirty Sexy Chandelier

As with Nip/Tuck, many shows know there is more to a television series than dialogue and plot lines. It's the set that often makes the show. It gives us a glimpse into the character's personality, their style.

ABC's Dirty Sexy Money, a mix between Dynasty and Arrested Development, hit the mark with the Ether Chandelier by Patrick Jouin.

More on Nip/Tuck

-- allie

Tags: modern lighting, modern chandelier, Nip/Tuck, Dirty Sexy Money