Fine Paints of Europe now offers Guggenheim paint colors, which are inspired by their art collection and used throughout the museum. Highly curated paint selections like this, along with other brands like Benjamin Moore’s Affinity line (where all 144 colors are compatible with each other in any combination) take some of the guess work out of choosing the right color for your space. We at OFA are constantly studying and incorporating more options, particularly when they are inspired by spaces we admire, like the Guggenheim in New York, which houses an impressive collection of modern art in a beautiful building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Do you have a favorite brand or collection of paint colors? Or are there spaces, private or public, where you feel they got the color just right?
It is always exciting to go to the stone yard and select marble slabs for a project. The large warehouses are filled with row after row of beautiful stone and granite, cut into approximately 5′ x 8′ slabs. Yesterday I had the pleasure of looking through Carrara marble slabs for the Knott Street Residence project, where we are using it for bathroom vanities and thresholds. It has been a while since we have used Carrara, but the look and feel of this particular stone is timeless. The swirls of gray and cool white are so gorgeous it’s breathtaking.
It’s fun to watch them move the slabs so that we can look at them one by one. A rubber-tipped clamp hangs from a crane near the ceiling of the warehouse, and moving each piece from one side to the other is a cautious and time-consuming activity. But it’s totally fun to watch heavy things levitate.
It’s easy to get swept away by the beauty of these slabs, and forget what we’re really there to do: select a slab that will work perfectly for the project. Some things to remember when looking at natural stone: it’s critical to pay attention to the pattern, and even bring a tape measure and some masking tape with you so you can understand where the pattern will go when the slab is cut, fabricated, and installed. If there are large fissures, you’ll probably want to avoid those slabs, as those areas are vulnerable to future cracking. Look for any stains, rub them with your hand, and if they don’t go away, you’ll want to avoid that area for your project, or skip that slab all together. If you see large mineral deposits or other imperfections in the middle of your favorite slab, one option is to configure the slab cuts such that the imperfection can fit within a sink cut-out, or place it between cuts.
Lastly, stone is a precious and limited natural resource. It’s important to make sure that you are using the least number of slabs, and minimize waste. If you can use the leftovers for floor thresholds, accent tiles, or even cheese boards, it is worth the extra effort to put it to good use. If it’s as gorgeous as this Carrara slab, you’ll want it everywhere anyway.
Check out a good sampling of his work here, or go to his website for a more complete viewing. Photography considers space and composition just as much as architecture does, so it is inspiring on many levels. I could absorb these images all day…
It’s a kind of player piano that reads the city like a score. The music it creates is not “harmoious” per se, but then again, what city is? The analogy of architecture as music and vice versa has always been a source of fascination. Goethe was quoted as saying “Architecture is ‘frozen music’… Really there is something in this; the tone of mind produced by architecture approaches the effect of music.”
Device above: ‘stadsmuziek‘ at Milan Design Week 2011 by Akko Golenbeld
Don’t throw your food. Don’t kick the seat in front of you. Don’t run by the pool.
Life is full of Don’ts. That’s why I love it when we can move a Don’t-Do item to the To-Do list.
So let your imagination wander. DO draw all over ANY surface painted with IdeaPaint, a dry-erase paint that only needs one coat.
One last Don’t to add to the Don’t-Do list: Don’t let the edges of dry-erase boards and paper pages hamper your creativity.
Porch lights are great, especially during Halloween.
Ever wondered how much it costs you to leave your computer or porch light on all night? Here’s your answer.
Cliff Notes: Turn computer off when not in use, you’re bleeding money even if it’s in sleep mode. Leave porch light on (it does wonders for neighborhood safety) but use a compact fluorescent (and a timer, too – then it turn off in the morning and you don’t even have to think about it).
I’ve been thinking a lot about Coco Chanel lately. Not just her mark on fashion history, but also her profound and timeless quotes. I enjoy how so many of them can transcend the fashion context and be applied to design in general. Here is one I especially like:
Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.
Replace “fashion” with “architecture”, and “dresses” with “buildings”. I couldn’t have said it better. The best designs are a balanced commentary on its surroundings.
I find the best inspiration in the mundane and everyday, like wet footprints, a warm towel right out of the dryer, and the quiet of early morning hours.
or dry footprints... although I don't know how this is possible.
What inspires you to create? What do you think is beautiful?
Our local Multnomah Public Library lets patrons borrow a Kill A Watt device to use in their home. This device measures how many watts your fixture or appliance uses. You just plug the appliance into the device, and the device into an outlet. You can also measure phantom energy loads, which is the amount of energy an appliance uses even when it’s technically turned off. You know that little red light that says your TV is off? Or the digital clock on your trusty microwave? The Kill A Watt can tell you how much energy those little things are using, too.
The best solution for saving phantom energy is to plug a cluster of appliances into a power strip, then switch off the power strip when those appliances are not in use. This is especially helpful around the media console – TV, stereo, DVD player, etc. – where it’s a pain to turn everything off one at a time. I know those digital clocks are reset every time they are unplugged, but do you really need 13 synchronized digital clocks in your kitchen? I didn’t think so.
The device has been around for a while, but what got me excited is the fact that my library lets me and everyone else check it out and use it. Not everyone needs to own a Kill A Watt, but I bet many people want to try it out for a few weeks around their home. Find out if your local library has this device or something similar available, and if not, it would be worth requesting it.
I just returned from Japan, where it has been unusually hot this summer. To escape the heat, my family and I stayed in Hakone for a few days. (It is higher in altitude than Tokyo but we found that it was equally hot in Hakone, too.) The area is known for its beautiful countryside and historic hot spring, but during this visit we also fell in love with the Hakone Open-Air Museum.
Most of the work is installed outdoors, where the sun and foliage play against the art. Many of the pieces were interactive, like the garden maze above.
Even though the art never seemed overcrowded, there were things to see at every turn. It felt like an outdoor version of Charles and Ray Eames’ living room: things weren’t on display, they were placed as a backdrop for living.
We could also make our own sculpture, using colorful foam pieces imagined by architect Mikiko Endo. (I love the fact that architects in Japan work on such a wide range of artistic projects.)
Almost everything in the museum was enjoyable for children. They seemed to understand what the art wanted them to do – to touch, to inquire, and to enjoy. The child in me really liked the woven sculpture by Toshiko Horiuchi, housed in a heavy timber pavilion by Tezuka Architects.
I feel refreshed and inspired after seeing art and architecture working together to create an environment that everyone can enjoy. I recommend you visit the museum next time you’re in Japan.
