Shelving outside the box

Shelving does not always have to consist of a series of right angles forming a rectilinear piece of furniture.  Shelving can be fun; shelving can be exciting!  Who doesn’t love (and need) extra storage?  Marco Fumagalli has designed a wonderful alternative to traditional shelving.  Extreme from Martex is a whimsical modular shelving system for the office full of organic cutouts to store any collection of items.

via 3rings.designerpages.com

$5 Christmas Gift for Modern Design Lovers!

You can actually get something worthwhile for $5 these days, and it's a great buy worth every penny. George Nelson's 1977 classic, How to See.

Just updated in color with a new graphic layout, How to See reveals Nelson as one of the most important designers and thinkers of the 20th century, and an equally gifted writer.

How to See is a collection of over 50 chapter-long essays, illustrated with hundreds of startling photographs, mostly from Nelson's personal archives, and a preface by DWR founder Rob Forbes, who was project director for this re-edition.

The chapters cover topics as diverse as Letterforms, Spirals, Erosion of Pedestrian Space, Bread, Patterns and Pismo Beach. In each chapter Nelson discusses a way to understand and interpret the visual information presented through the photographic illustrations-the book is appropriately subtitled "A Guide to Reading our Man Made Environment." The text, as well as the photographs, are insightful, inspiring, provocative and entertaining and will be appreciated by students and design buffs alike. We consider it to be perhaps the best $30 $5 investment one could make towards a design education.

How to See is a limited edition, available exclusively at Design Within Reach. Made in U.S.A.

Did we mention it's only $5, with Free Shipping?  A great grab on a classic book that would be a much appreciated gift for the art/design/architecture lover on your gift list.

Libby Langdon's Small Space Solutions

Interior designer Libby Langdon is no stranger to small spaces.  She's a frequent contributor to HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style,"  starred in FOX's "Design Invasion," and works for clients with upscale, urban (read small) homes throughout the country. Now, Langdon's compiled her tips and tricks for making the most of the space you have into an easy to follow book due out this March.

Because as PC readers you're on the inside track, you don't have to wait until March to get a sneak peek at "Small Space Solutions."  We've got our favorite gems right here:

Libby’s Top Ten ‘Small Space’ Design Mistakes:

1.  Leaving your walls white
White walls won’t technically make your space larger and they lack personality. Spice up your space, have a little fun and paint some color on your walls!

2. Using large-scale furniture
Oversized pieces can hog square footage, and using better-proportioned furniture can allow you to create a more functional and comfortable living space.

3. Lack of light
Not lighting your space effectively makes it look smaller. If you can’t see an area in your room it’s as if it’s not there! Capitalizing on natural light and bringing in artificial light is imperative.

4. Using short shelving and cabinetry
Using full-scale shelves and cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling visually draw the eye upward making the ceiling seem higher and your space feel larger.

5. Keeping clutter
Holding onto too much stuff and not throwing away clutter can make even a large space feel small. When in doubt, throw it out!

6. Using small-scale accessories
Large lamps, artwork, candles, vases and accessories create the appearance of greater space and more height. No wimpy lamps!

7. Not using mirrors
Mirrors reflect light, whether it’s daylight or lamplight, and they visually make your space feel larger by adding depth and dimension.

8. Not capitalizing on your wall space
Think vertically and get your walls working for you! Mount shelving or storage systems up on your walls to display collections and store items so you don’t waste precious table space. This will also help focus your items in one spot so your space feels more organized.

9. Using all wood furniture
It makes a room feel clunky and bottom heavy, but by mixing in glass-topped tables with wood pieces you give your room a lighter, airier and more open feel.

10. Using small area rugs
A small area rug can look like a postage stamp and make your room feel cramped, but using a large rug creates an extended visual line and gives the illusion of more square footage.

Libby Langdon,"Small Space Solutions"
(Knack, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press; March 3, 2009)

Opus Incertum Bookshelf and Display Case from Casa Mania

Who says a bookshelf has to be a right angled grid? Opus modern bookshelf, or display case, or outdoor trellis features irregularly shaped, multi-angled divisions for your books, toys, plants, collectibles... whatever.

Made of expanded polypropylene, this indoor-outdoor stackable system is 100% recyclable and is the recipient of the ID Magazine award for Design Distinction.

Find Opus modern bookshelf at Functions.

BOOK: 150 Best Loft Ideas

Although loft living once meant converting old industrial warehouses, today it has evolved into a style and approach for modern living spaces. New ideas on how to design, build, and decorate a home are always of essential value to architects, designers, and homeowners alike. 150 BEST LOFT IDEAS offers an extensive collection of lofts from New York to Chicago, from Tel Aviv, Israel to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Barcelona, Spain to Buenos Aires, Argentina. These unique lofts are devised by distinguished international architects and designers who have worked to achieve practical, innovative, and stunning solutions adapted to the specific needs and particular tastes of their clients. This compilation expresses the diversity of current trends in loft design and provides an inspirational source of ideas for those active in the field of design or interested in catching up on the latest in contemporary residential architecture.

150 BEST LOFT IDEAS features inspirational full-color profiles of 150 exciting lofts across the globe. Organized into five sections, the book opens with one lvel, open plan lofts. The next chapter looks at the use of levels and partitions to make the most of the volume and space, followed by the introduction of specially-built objects and the use of color to identify different areas of the home. Chapter four features some of the most ingenious solutions for making the most of space and light, and the last chapter showcases a selection of unusual conversions.

ISBN 9780061348273, Hardcover - $29.95 On-sale : February 5, 2008

For the literati on your list

Is there a lover of literature and modern design on your list? Look no further!

Pick one up for yourself while you're at it!

--allie

Tags: modern holiday, modern design books, architecture, modern gifts

Piola Modern Bookcase

The Piola from Nobody and Co. stores books in modern modular style. It comes in two sizes with choice of peg colors and board style - glossy white lacquered or solid wood.  Looks as good holding a pile of cookbooks as it does empty. Contact nobodyandco.it for price and purchasing.

The great (and confusing) outdoors

Like many of our readers I spent the holiday weekend landscaping and repairing my chaotic garden.  At times I found myself at a lost as I tried to conjure a modern garden in my mind -- and the search began.

Below are a few picks on modern landscape and gardens -- enjoy!

-- allison

 

Modern Design Flip Books

Obviously, we all realize that PURE CONTEMPORARY is an outstanding resource for products and information on modern design. Right? Right. We're comfortable with that. Which is why we so confidently refer you to yet another outstanding resource for the classics, icons and next big things in Chairs and in Aluminum Design . Small, well-designed flip books from Architonic give readers 400 top products in a quick simple format that's fun to search. 16 Euros through Architonic.

Pure Contemporary Store

PURE CONTEMPORARY's editors have compiled an online store filled with modern books, kitchen gadgets, bathroom accessories, home furnishings, electronics and more! Check back often for newly added products.

Pure Contemporary Picks!

Prefab by Allison Arieff $27.57	History of Modern Art : Painting, Sculpture... by H. H. Arnason	Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style by Kelly Wearstler $26.37
Modern Architectural Theory: A Historical S... by Harry Mallgrave	Pacific Modern by Raul A. Barreneche $31.05	The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Midcentury ... by William D. Earls $24.12
Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks $49.50	Naturally Modern: Creating Interiors with W... by Ros Byam Shaw $18.98	Tropical Modern by Raul A. Barreneche $26.37

Visit the complete online store