Industrial Modern on La Brea

Just as promised more on industrial modern with more to come. The pic directly above was taken on the showroom of Cisco Modern on La Brea in Hollywood as was the table above it. The cool thing about the table is that it was milled from reclaimed teak (although I've seen a lot of this...maybe too much for it ALL to be reclaimed). However in principal, what a great concept. The accent table has a solid stone top. It was salvaged from a factory and re purposed as either an end table or as one customer suggested, a kitchen island.

One Last Word...

On a parting note when it comes to the Dwell on Design Show, as a furniture designer and hopeful business person, I had the same question for every business owner I spoke with whether a builder, green energy company, or showroom owner: "How has business been in 2010?" The answer was almost always a resounding "good and getting better". Some designers said '09 was a terrible year but 2010 has been even better than '08 already. Without a doubt I was left with a sense of optimism. Everyone is having a good first quarter and looking forward to a strong finish to 2010. The numbers are looking good and the momentum getting stronger. In a seemingly endless sea of negative press giving us a constant reminder of a sagging economy, the word on the street is "best sales in a long time". So suit up. Lets go for a ride. I think it's time already.

Dwell on Design Rapid Fire Wrap Up

From the top are Sarah Turner's cleverly recycled light bulb vases and her ingenious doorstop stools (sorry for the blurry pic). Malfi flooring's ingenious concept for pouring resin into wooden floors. These materials can be back-lit to showcase the resin coloring etc. Lastly featured above is the uber artistic combo of Modern Murals. The Evans' pictured above are probably the most congenial and approachable business I encountered. They enhance and enlarge artwork both by other artists or your own to display on your walls. modernmural.com is definitely worth a click.

Dwell on Design Rapid Fire Finish Up

Pictured above are tile samples from Soli Architectural Supply and in the middle, terrazzo looking flooring from Ice Stone. Ice Stone mixes glass shards with concrete to create the terrazzo aesthetic popular in lots of 50's minded home owners and designers.

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Four

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Three

The first three items on in this post are actually from the Asia Now portion of the Dwell on Design show. Many Americans probably have difficulty wrapping their brains around the sophistication and extensiveness of the far Eastern marketplace but as someone who has seen it first hand, it is awesome.

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part Two

Dwell on Design Furniture Row Part One

Without a doubt mid-century mod is still dominating the face of modernist furniture according to many of the vendors at Dwell on Design but it was refreshing to see some new influences making their way to the front as well. Hand made look is surfacing more and more as well as a mix of industrial aesthetic is showing up more and more. As for the industrial part. I've been been seeing it more and more over the years and welcome the inclusion of up-cycling not just materials but also entire fixtures that might not serve their original purpose. Personally, I can't wait to experiment with it when I get home. For more examples of where I'm getting this from check out Truck furniture (http://truck-furniture.co.jp/), Cleveland Art (clevelandart.com) and even Cisco Home (ciscohome.net). Look for more post to come on this.

As a furniture maker, design professional, and all around design geek, I find it difficult to nail down a perspective on sharing information about other studios that would otherwise be considered competition. At Dwell on Design this weekend, I found myself geeking out about a whole range of boutique lines that are visionaries and all around great people. Chief among such companies is Mash Studios with their LAX series and some of their upcoming releases. I had a lengthy conversation with owner Bernard Brucha about fabrication, design, and the rigors of bringing quality into production at an affordable price all while staying green in todays American marketplace. Bernard and his studio manager Zoe were plain out straight shooters and without a doubt one of my favorite conversations at the show. They have a showroom in Venice and a fantastic new collection coming out. Worth your time and worth your money. mashstudios.com In time you'll see more posts from me about these guys.

More Dwell on Design

One of my favorite exhibitors at Dwell on Design is Handmade. John McDonald has designed a series of upcycled door and drawer fronts that are made for pre-existing Ikea cabinets. As he explained (and as a furniture builder I agree) Ikea sells their cabinetry for less money than most craftsman can even buy the materials for in America. He has devised an simple but ingenious was to dress up your kitchen without having to buy an entirely new set of cabinets with recycled flooring, building materials, and the like. Check him out: ahandmadehome.com

IQ Haus is a recent take on prefab from shipping containers. The model showing at Dwell on Design is turnkey at $39,000 which isn't bad considering everything is included. In Southern California, permitting can be a real problem for would be home owners and this unit actually simplify the process a bit. At, 300sf however some more suburban dwellers might find it just a great guest house (or place to keep your clothes?). The company actually has other models available (at a higher) price point that are gorgeous but still cost effective considering what you're getting but you're still not looking at under forty thousand. Definitely worth checking out.

This unit from reclaimed space was on ebay selling for around $60,000 when we were viewing it. The materials were salvaged from an old brewery and assembled in Austin, TX and shipped to Dwell on Design. Pictured is the front and back which has a natural wall and the insulation (made from recycled denim).

So much going on a Dwell on Design this week. TONS of pictures to come and the full story. Great innovators from furniture, prefab, and the like. It's all about re-cycle, up-cycle, re-claiming. So much more to come.