A Real Good Film

The Real Good Chair experiment has ended. A test case by Blu Dot, whereby they left fabulous chairs in strategic locations around NYC, the experiment sought to follow these chairs to their new homes.

Many of the chairs were tracked, and the following film tells the saga...

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment from Real Good Chair on Vimeo.

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Real Good Chair Experiment

-caroline

Eames Lounge for Father's Day

Loved this email from DWR. They use a photo from 1969 to push the Eames Lounge as a great gift for Father's Day. A great, effective way to showcase this icon's classic roots. (They've also put it on sale with free standard shipping.)

Buyers Be Where?

PC headed down to Atlanta for the annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) last week, and we've  been waiting since for UPS to show up with boxes of notes, press releases, media kits, images and samples. Today is the day; they have finally arrived!

I just ripped open the boxes, searching for evidence to weigh the accuracy of my memories and corroborate my sad, digital snapshots. I found that the boxes were rather light compared to previous years, when the tradeshow floor was packed with shoppers and press room stuffed with folders, brochures, cds, dvds and samples from manufacturers jostling for position in front of media eyes. Yes, I got my slim folders, with a single page describing the product and a royal blue link to the website. I even received a few cds, and three USB Flash Drives replete with images and links. Gone were the notebooks, pens, and well-crafted press kits created in sync with the manufacturer's aesthetic.

It seems my memory is accurate. The contents of my boxes reflected a slower show, with less buyers, less exhibitors, less money and less marketing.  That's not to say the show was a flop. It wasn't.  Reports coming out now and the line towed there, match - the traffic was light but the people who came, came to buy. And, depending on what they were after, they should  not have been disappointed.  Among the trends displayed at K/BIS were a focus on bold design, color and eco-savvy materials.  Stay tuned to PC to get the details. I'll be digging through these boxes to bring you the best.

In the meantime, here's a look at the show floor on Saturday, May 2.

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.

Skulls in Interior Design

More evidence of interior design following fashion has reared its now skinless head. Skulls have made their way into interiors.

To wit - FLOR's new "trendy!" skull covered carpet tiles. Perfect for boys, punks, goths and this guy. If you're the type to buy a rug for a specific holiday, this is hands-down the perfect pick for Halloween.

The skull thing should be interesting for maybe another 4 months and then go the way of the antler.  Really, by the time a fashion trend makes its way into so-slow-to-catch-on interiors, it's already over.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Modern marketing?

I love the benches from Botanist by Orange 22 -- but I'm not sure how I feel about this ad...

What do you think --- timely and relevant or just tacky?

--allie

Tags: Botanist by Orange 22, Hurricane Ike, modern design, advertising, Karim Rashid

IKEA TV

I thought I fully understood the impact of IKEA on the world - inexpensive, attractive pieces that are supposed to be easy to assemble.  But I was laving out another, major impact of IKEA: it's therapeutic. Shoppers have long embraced the highs of making a purchase and finding a great deal. IKEA offers both in a comfortable homelike atmosphere complete with meatballs.

Now, a webseries explores the meaning IKEA can imbue into a purposeless life.

Easy to Assemble is a scripted comedy which tells the story of Illeana Douglas quitting Hollywood to work at IKEA Burbank. She discovers that her past is difficult to leave behind as celebrity friends, gossip columnists, agents and Hollywood craziness in general follow her into her new life.

Star and creator Illeana Douglas is joined by Goldblum, Tom Arnold, Craig Bierko, Kevin Pollack, Justine Bateman, Robert Patrick and Ed Begley Jr.

The series premiers at easytoassemble.tv on September22nd.

Do Not Touch: Recycle

A unique, three-day showcase of products and installations built from recycled materials to take place during New York Design Week

MAY 18-20, 12:00-7:00 PM
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION - SUNDAY, MAY 18, 7:00-9:00 PM

New York, NY-L.A.-based design company TOUCH presenting an exhibition of sustainable and social design, featuring a variety of furniture, accessories, and on-site installations made from recycled and repurposed materials. A three-day event coinciding with ICFF ((International Contemporary Furniture Fair), TOUCH | NEW YORK will transform a raw warehouse space into an interactive area in which virtually everything is eco-friendly-from the rebond cushion floor to the bottle-enabled lighting fixtures. Visitors are invited to attend the opening night reception on Sunday, May 18, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., with complimentary cocktails provided by Sagatiba, at the exhibition space, located at 148 11th Ave., between 21st and 22nd Streets in Manhattan.

A highly visual and experiential forum for responsible, progressive design, TOUCH | NEW YORK will showcase works by a range of environmentally and socially conscious designers, including Domingos Tótora, Estúdio Manus, Mana Bernardes, Blindesign, Thomas Beale, Baobá, Tucker Robbins, and Rodrigo Almeida-the latter of whom will custom-design a site-specific installation in addition to displaying pieces from his collection. In addition, the event will document a social design internship project by recent CCA graduate Ryan Duke, organized through StraaT, in the town of Pratania, Brazil. TOUCH founder Zoë Melo will be on hand to discuss the research and processes behind all the objects on display.

With sustainability gaining unprecedented traction within the new social vocabulary, TOUCH | NEW YORK aims to place the viewer firmly inside the context of the movement by not only showing works comprised of recycled material, but surrounding him or her with it as well to create a complete experience. In doing so, the exhibition hopes to explore the potential and practicality of sustainability in the design world as both a social and aesthetic force.

"While it's great that sustainability is such a buzz word these days, it's important to get past the concept and look at the mechanisms and infrastructure that can make sustainability an ongoing reality," says Melo. "We're hoping to deepen people's understanding of what it means to be sustainable, its extreme versatility, and the way it can impact lives on both an individual and a global scale.

Modern Design Docks in Italy

Pershing, the famous Ferretti Group shipyard and leading luxury motor-yacht manufacturer, introduces its latest creation, the new PERSHING 64'.

The Italian boat was admired by a mix of guests from all over the world this week as it was visited in its home waters of the Naviglio Grande during Milan's design week. The Pershing is the first yacht to moor in the center of Milan.

Find out more at Pershing S.p.A.

the Latest

Here's what new and news breaking at the Milan Furniture Fair:

















MYTO chairs by Konstantin Grcic for Plank.

Witches Kitchen cooking utensils by Tord Boontje.

See more, here, courtesy of The New York Times.