Charles Eames

Last Friday, June 17th was the birthday of one of design's real legends, Charles Eames. Happy Belated Charles, and thanks for the amazing legacy you left for us all to enjoy to this day.

– jb

Airside on Gestalten.tv

Pioneering London-based multimedia design agency Airside have firmly stayed on the top of the game for more than ten years now–having among others created campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Greenpeace, MTV, Panasonic and Sony, plus visual identities and web design for the Serpentine Gallery, White Cube and the Pet Shop Boys. Via Gestalten.tv

Timing is everything...

Even as most of us now keep our days on schedule by checking the time on our cell-phones, the clock on the wall or on our desk can still go a long way towards adding some definite style and personality to our surroundings.

Thanks to a much-appreciated write-up in the ApartmentTherapy Marketplace last month, we've been getting some nice attention paid to our latest wall and desk clock designs. Our mid-century inspired Haywire, Modulicious, and Flower Power lines are available in both the 14" wall clock or 3 1/2" mini desk clock and will help keep time on your side!

– jb

Little Giants invade dzynwrld store!

We're just loving these little giants of history designed by Alphie Northcote and produced by Jailbreak Collective! The Artists Collection includes avant-garde pop artist Andy Warhol (complete with Campbell's soup can), king of surrealism Salvador Dali, passionate but tortured Vincent van Gogh, and last but not least, the Spanish creative powerhouse Pablo Picasso.

The Revolutionaries Collection includes India's passive-resistance guru Mahatma Ghandi, Argentine Marxist Che Guevara, African-American Muslim activist Malcolm X, and Communist China's authoritarian leader Mao Zedong.

Each of these vinyl figures is approximately 3" tall and has no moving parts. Set of 4 figures comes in a window display box with original artwork and biographical notes for each artist or revolutionary.

Check them out at the dzynwrld store and use that tax refund to shake up your world a little...

– jb

Herman Miller blocks

Leave it to House Industries to come up with yet another cool toy that the designer-kid in me feels like he needs to have. The set includes eight basswood children’s blocks dressed in House Industries numbers, shapes and patterns with puzzle sides based on the original Herman Miller furniture box used for deliveries. The entire “box” set is packaged in a miniature corrugated shipping carton with appropriately-sized brown kraft packing tape. Fortunately for my budget the set is available only at the Herman Miller showroom in Tokyo... whew.

– jb

Stella Artois goes mid-century mod

There are some newer TV ads out these days for Stella Artois but imho none better than this one that came out a few months ago. Love all the awesome little gadgets & the dueling fishtanks. Directed by king-of-quirk Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola.

– jb

L.A. Modernism 2010

Just a couple of quick examples of some of the coolness that was this year's L.A. Modernism show held April 30-May 2 at Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport.

The original showroom model for the Holiday House trailer, designed in 1960 for David H. Holmes, half of the Harry & David fruit company, by automotive designer Charles Pelly. From Designing LA.

I love Stefan Zwicky's concrete & rebar versions of Le Corbusier's iconic LC-2 chair courtesy of Los Angeles Modern Auctions.

– jb

Si Scott

Some amazing work by designer/typographer/illustrator Si Scott out of the UK. Check out his website for more of his incredible work.

– jb

Unhappy Hipsters

If it isn't obvious by some of my posts here, I'm a huge fan of modern residential architecture and design. Must be my 4 years of architecture and environmental design from high school that I did nothing with...

Anyway, ever since I bought my little, old, drafty, creaky, 1940's era fixer-upper I've been obsessed with one day re-modeling it into an awesome, sleek, modern haven like the "architecture porn" featured on the pages of Dwell magazine. Then last year reality finally, and rather abruptly, slammed me upside the head. I cancelled my Dwell subscription and pretty much shoved my dream aside. Oh well, pipe dreams come and pipe dreams go right?

Today I discovered a blog called Unhappy Hipsters that helps me to put it all in perspective. As far as I can tell it is produced anonymously and features little hilarious deadpan captions underneath photos from Dwell & other publications that show couples living not-so-happily-ever-after in their sleek, modern homes. In a typical scenario a woman sits on a beautiful modern sofa while a man stands off to the side gazing out a window, quietly reflecting on his depressing life while plotting his escape.

There are many fun little dramas being played out in these ironic photo/caption combos and they help me to realize that, as with all dreams, you need to be careful what you wish for. Check it out for yourself and enjoy...

Majora Carter's tale of urban renewal

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/majora_carter_s_tale_of_urban_renewal.html

At first glance you may wonder what this video has to do with design. The quick answer is that it's about designing a new way of life for communities and people that otherwise may not have the ways and/or the means to do it themselves. With the economic realities of today, that tends to describe more and more of us every day and in my humble opinion that makes this design of the highest order.

It's also about being inspired to go beyond what you ever thought you could possibly do and having the tenacity to not let any barriers keep you from accomplishing your dream, whatever it may be.

Majora Carter fought for, and won, environmental justice in her hometown of New York's South Bronx. She worked not just to hold back the corporate polluters who target low-income neighborhoods like hers, but to bring back the green – and created green jobs in the process. She has now formed the economic consulting and planning firm the Majora Carter Group, to bring her pioneering approach to places far outside the South Bronx. Carter is working within the cities of New Orleans, Detroit and the small coastal towns of northeastern North Carolina. Her group is putting the green economy and green economic tools to use, unlocking the hidden potential in every place – from urban and rural communities, to universities, government projects, businesses and corporations – and everywhere else in between.

This is someone we all should know about and listen to... her vision and her story makes her one truly inspiring individual. Please check out this video and learn more about Majora and her work... I'd love to hear what anyone else out there thinks of what she's up to.