i love you

Can graffiti be beautiful? Yes, we think so. What about a simple handful of words in a simple script? In art, as in design, less can be more. These messages, left five years ago by writer Nathan Reimer, though faded, can still be found all over New York City. Reminiscent of another design classic, we think Reimer's art is iconic, and we could not think of a better way to wish you all a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.

Click to read more ...

Heaven Scent

When we're thinking about interior design, we think of color, light, texture---but only rarely do we consider the senses of smell and sound. That may be about to change, with the launch this week of the Center of Olfactory Art at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.

"At MAD, we are always looking to push boundaries and question the hierarchies in art by exploring the materials and processes behind groundbreaking work,” said Holly Hotchner, the museum’s Nanette L. Laitman Director. “There has not been the exploration or recognition of olfactory art as there has been of art that stimulates the other four senses. In plain language, this is a game changer.”

The first exhibition of perfume as an art form will be at the museum next November, but until then, the MAD Museum offers an extensive slate of shows to delight your other senses.

http://madmuseum.org

The British are Coming! the Turner Prize

Every year for the past 26 years, the Tate Museum in Britain awards its prize to the most outstanding contemporary artist living or working in the U.K. under the age of 50.  The finalists for the Turner Prize 2010 are artists Dexter Dalwood, Angela de la Cruz, Susan Philipsz, and the Otolith Group.

Click to read more ...

Ciao Gio, Italian Style

La Triennale di Milano, the design museum from Milan, Italy, has recently opened their New York outpost in midtown Manhattan.  For their first exhibition, they are showing the works of famed Italian designer, Gio Ponti.  The exhibit called Expression of Gio Ponti will display the architectural models, drawings, furniture and objects of his life's work.

Gio Ponti was the founder of the Italian design magazine, Domus.  He also designed many buildings in Italy including the influential Pirelli Tower in Milan.  In the U.S., he designed the Denver Art Museum.

For more information on the exhibit, check their website, Triennale Design Museum.

Pirelli Tower

Kitchen Culture

New York's MOMA will explore the beginnings of the modern kitchen with its exhibit:  Counter Space:  Design and the Modern Kitchen, starting on September 15 through March 14, 2011.

MOMA recently acquired the Frankfurt Kitchen - designed by Austrian architect Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky in 1926.  The architect designed this kitchen as a prototype for kitchens that were to be installed in public housing in Frankfurt after World War I.  Italian kitchen-cabinet maker, Snaidero, is also displaying their 1968 mobile kitchen.

Kitchens became a laboratory for many design firms - allowing them to test out new materials and technologies, ergonomics, storage, and space planning.

Schutte-Lihotsky designed the Frankfurt kitchen to be compact and efficient, integrating various functions that not only included cooking but also other tasks: ironing, paperwork, and storing.  The kitchen was replicated and became a commercial success.

Take a look at the exhibit at MOMA's website.

Frankfurt Kitchen