Classic Wire Kitchen Basket

I have always been drawn to old wire baskets. I love the simplicity of their appearance and their no-nonsense functionality. Here is a favorite collapsible basket, made in France, intended for gathering, storing and cooking food. The original label is beautifully designed, too.



The obverse of the label recommends using it whilst camping, too.

Paper as Sculpture

Catching up on lots of design ideas and inspirations this season, I would like to introduce some fabulous creations I've seen recently - made of paper. Enjoy!




The paper sculpture shown here is the work of artist Makiko Azakami.

Universal Design as Nouns

Free, fun, educational and loaded with really good designs - that's a winning combination. And you, the design savvy followers at 973 Third, can be part of the effort.

Check out the the Noun Project - the mission is "sharing, celebrating and enhancing the world's visual language."

"The Noun Project collects, organizes and adds to the highly recognizable symbols that form the world's visual language, so we may share them in a fun and meaningful way."

Click here for more on universal messaging.

Thanks to Grain Edit, a print design blog, for introducing us to the Noun Project.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Vintage Christmas cards are great fun to share online. Click here for more vintage imagery. Click here for our favorite creative Christmas trees.

Revisting Old Packaging

Revisiting: Scotch Tape

Originally known as cellulose tape, the product was made from strips of cellophane coated with an adhesive. The clear tape launched on this day in 1930 by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co., hence the 3M moniker, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

For more on the history of this indispensable product, click here.

Why Design Now?

Discovering beauty and wisdom in simple forms that use minimal resources. Enabling people around the globe to generate and share wealth. Powering the world with clean energy. As designers tackle these concepts with new products or prototypes they help us address globally relevant social and environmental issues.

Why Design Now? is the title of the fourth installation in the National Design Triennial series, started at the Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum in 2000. Amongst the sampling of contemporary innovation, the exhibit itself is an environmentally responsible design. Very inspiring.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Click here for information on the exhibition.

Colorful Interiors Win

Not surprisingly, the boldest and brightest hues were winners last week in Benjamin Moore's contest for best use of color in architecture and interiors. A lifetime achievement award was presented to the NY design team of William Diamond and Anthony Baratta. Above, an entryway in Captiva, Florida, by Diamond Baratta Design.

Are you suddenly thinking of a tropical getaway? Or maybe a blue box from Tiffany's?

Strawberry Hill - A Gothic Confection

Strawberry Hill, the 18th century summer house of Horace Walpole was undoubtedly an exuberant experiment in Gothic revival. In 1748 Walpole purchased the house built in 1698, and set out to make "a little Gothic castle" with the help of 2 talented friends, referring to themselves as a Committee of Taste. In several phases of improvements over 30 years the house grew and changed. There did not seem to be a fixed plan and additions were made based on loose interpretations of earlier baronial architecture he admired, as the chapel at Westminster Abbey and engravings of chimney pieces from early churches.

The house, just outside London, was widely visited although not entirely appreciated. Some thought it a folly and a disgrace. In addition to his mixing styles and periods, he used details from the exteriors of churches on the interiors of his house. It was, at the time, greatly discussed. And now, not surprisingly, it's recognized as one of the most influential houses of Georgian Gothic style.

Gothic became a popular architectural theme in the nineteenth century, perhaps in part because of Walpole's Strawberry Hill. What was unheard of in his choice of blending and recreating ancient styles and details of various periods has now become common for draftsmen and builders of new suburban construction and developments of mini mansions marketing grand traditional homes.

Fortunately, Walpole's writing, many of his collections (over 4,000 were displayed in his home for tours during his lifetime), architectural drawings, engravings and the house itself survive to visit and enjoy.

The house is under restoration and shall reopen to the public in the fall of 2010. The V & A is presently hosting an exhibit on Walpole, the collector through July 4.

Images of Strawberry Hill courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library collection at Yale University, top to bottom: The Tribune, 1789; View of the Great North Bed Chamber, n.d.; The Great Cloister; Sketch of the Gallery, 1759; The Round Drawing Room, n.d.

Carpet of Flowers

Begonias aren't getting the attention they deserve. Every once in awhile I'm struck by a beautiful flower and am pleasantly surprised to find it's a begonia variety. In Brussels, every other year, for one weekend in August, the cobblestone paved Grand Palace market square is transformed into a flower carpet spectacular. What do they use? Why begonias, of course.

Click here for more details on the 2010 event.

My Whistling Kettle

There are few possessions I treasure as much as my whistling kettle. I bought it when we were living in Italy and splurged to have an Alessi kettle to call my own. We had a very efficient and modern European kitchen with a tiny 4 burner hob. The kettle was the perfect size.

Back stateside, the kettle remains a fixture in my daily life, and a cheerful reminder of life abroad. I adore its fabulous design and the two note harmonious whistle reminding me the tea water is ready. The only problem, and it is a small, but telling detail, is the seemingly perfectly sized kettle in Italy is precariously small on my American cooking range. If it is not placed exactly on the iron ring, the handle starts to melt. One is alerted to this off-centeredness by the pungent smell of burning plastic.

But this is the price (and pride) one must pay for a piece of classic Italian design in an American kitchen. I recently learned this is a problem other Alessi 9091 fans may have also encountered. They do sell replacement handles, along with pipes and springs for Richard Sapper's 1982 design, now called, the first designer kettle.

Richard Sapper is a name that may be less familiar to design addicts that do not have a 9091 kettle for their tea. However, the German born industrial designer was also the elegant engineering genius that brought us the Tizio lamp in 1972 by Artemide and the IBM ThinkPad. His career has taken him from Mercedes Benz to cutting edge Italian consumer products through his independent studio based in Milan.

Subway Car Transformed

Imagine stepping onto a New York city subway car and entering the visual delights of a Dutch collector's salon. Take the S shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square before March 4 and you can experience the fabulousness for yourself. Mahogany wainscoting, damask wall covering, paintings by Dutch masters, even ceiling medallions and tufted seats have all been thoughtfully faux furnished to invite you away.

The wrapped subway shuttle has reawoken in color and style thanks with the The Netherlands Board of Tourism marketing campaign, "Just Be. In Holland." The three different themed cars (decorated inside and out) represent the city's cultural, classic and contemporary attractions and include translations of fun Dutch phrases and words. Catch it, if you can!

Image courtesy of PointClickHome

Liberty at Last

Venerable favorite for floral fabrics, Liberty of London isn't too stuffy to dress up in their Betsy print for a little fun. This popular fabric was designed for the firm in 1933 amongst their ever classic designs, rich colors and pleasing patterns.

Now, Liberty is launching floral patterns stateside at Target on March 14, a week ahead of spring. It's blooming good news.

Gold Fish Style

Ever since I saw the goldfish trash bags, I've been feeling nostalgic for the little swimmy pet that entertained us in his traditional goldfish bowl in the kitchen of my childhood. Maybe goldfish, real or imaginary, are making a comeback through industrial and home design? Where will we see them next?

Inspiration: Wedgwood Pattern Book

After experimenting with his innovative ideas and glazes at the pottery firm of Thomas Wheildon, Josiah Wedgwood opened his own pottery company in 17959 and helped transform English ceramics from crude and utilitarian wares into beautiful forms inspired by neo-classical art and architecture. Above is a page from a period pattern book of border designs for elegant tablewares.

Perhaps it's time for another look at these designs?

Enjoy!

Color of the Year

It's not surprising that the color Pantone, the professional color standard, has selected for its 2010 color of the year is: sort of green. But it's green made better, with a blend of blue and called Turquoise or 15-5519. It evokes the calm image of tropical waters and the vacation we so desperately need at this time of year. (Okay, well maybe I should only speak for myself).

For more info on this or any color, visit Pantone.

Style in Your Seat Pocket

Starting a little holiday flying across the ocean has just gotten more stylish. The free amenity bag from Virgin Atlantic has brought an old standby into the realm of cool design. When I was a child and before I had ever flown overseas, my uncle would bring me lovely treasures from his adventures in Asia and Europe. Among the carefully selected souvenirs I was equally enthralled with the fabric or vinyl airline bags he offered still packed tightly with diminutive containers of toiletries nestled among the footies and eye covers.

In Virgin Atlantic's take on this transatlantic tote, the cozy socks and eye shade are helpful when you try to get a head start on your arrival time zone or just want to dress up like a red footed mummy. And the translucent red toothbrush with matching cap looks like a design winner. But it's the plastic zipper pouch with drawings of everyday things that you'll want to reuse throughout your itinerary. Maybe to keep your travel diary, or a little snack safe and dry or keep your cellphone moisture free on the sandy beaches in the south of France or around the streets of London?

As flyer bags go, the VA contents are not that different from what airlines have offered international guests for decades. But in this world of diminishing amenities, it's refreshing to find something useful in such a good-looking and simple reusable design.

A Card for Dad

This occasion to recognize Dad calls for a hand made card, or at least a card that looks hand made. These are a few examples of appealing themes that don't feature convertible historic cars, backyard grills, a mug of beer or a trophy for the number 1 Dad.

I have a weakness for cards with doodled or fabric ties, a frequent gift for my Dad. The vintage floral card seemed an unusual find addressed to Dear Father. And although the tea bag card bears a weak pun, it's refreshing token for a Dad who enjoys a spot of tea.

Happy Father's Day!

Universal Messaging

International images we recognize have moved far beyond the well known signs for the ladies' or men's room. But still there is something charming in the simple design prototype of the single color graphic in a square with rounded corners. No matter how many languages you speak, or can read, these wordless signs are fun. Maybe they are visual puns or just clues, but they entertain us and convey a message for our benefit.


I recently found several sheets of sticky labels leftover from a Moleskine planner journal. The graphic images are so delightful for their unique representations of everyday life. They reminded me of the old familiar signs, but were deservedly more universal in their message. Maybe the world is getting smaller after all.

Keep Calm & Consider Alternatives

If the original Keep Calm and Carry On message doesn't suit you, here are but a few alternatives to consider:

For more info on any Keep Calm and Carry On parody featured above, just click on the image. See the previous blog entry for the story of the design sensation and original WWII poster saved from obscurity.

Keep Calm & Carry On

Keep calm and carry on is a great message and a very timely one for us at this exact point in history. It's also a great poster design. The baronial graphic of the crown and the clear Gill font in caps further expresses the simple focus of the message. Well, sure, we can be optimistic with such a thoughtful and charming mantra and a pleasing graphic design to view. I'm feeling better about the world already.

The timelessness of the message and the beautiful simplicity of the graphic elements do not reveal the artist who designed the poster. Now available throughout Great Britain on t-shirts, tote bags, tea towels and door mats, to name just a few, what little is known about it is that it was created as part of a British Ministry of Information propaganda campaign in August of 1939 to alleviate fear of a possible German invasion.

A series of three posters were created under the crown of King George VI, yet only the first two were widely released, appearing on billboards, train stations and shops throughout England. The third design, Keep Calm, was held in reserve, and, thankfully, never needed for its intended use.

Somehow, somewhere, a copy of the unused poster was saved for about 60 years. It resurfaced in a box of old books purchased at auction in 2000 by booksellers Stuart and Mary Manley of Barter Books in Northumberland. They hung the poster in their shop and started to research its origins. Frequent requests to purchase it led them to reproduce the poster and offer it for sale. Some 40,000 copies have been sold through them.

In spite of its wartime origins, the message of resilience is welcome. The archives of British history and design gained a document almost unknown and the rest of us gain the benefits.

Special thanks to Jon Henley for his article Keep Calm and Carry On in the Guardian on March 18, 2009 and Mary Manley's blog entry on March 4, 2009.