Need to sell your house? Your broker may well recommend staging it — usually meaning winnowing down the furniture and accessories to a well-chosen few, artfully highlighting your home’s selling points, and neutralizing paint and personal touches so buyers can imagine it as theirs. Most agents and staging professionals believe that staged homes sell more quickly than those that are not, but with so many factors that go into buying a home, it’s hard to quantify. At a time when some houses sit unsold for long periods, agents say staging can help a home stand out. Read full article > >

Read the rest here:
Staging to sell: Tips for homes that need a little sprucing up

Massproductions pack a colorfully modern punch with the bold lines of two new chairs The new Jig chair by Massproductions in Stockholm is, in a word, beautiful. Absolutely poised in its form and slightly odd colorways, it’s the work of English designer Chris Martin (who founded Massproductions with his design partner Magnus Eleb

Actor-turned-woodworker repurposes New York City structures as classic furniture by John Ortved At just over 350 years old, New York’s identity—as both a relatively young city globally and as one of the oldest U.S. cities—makes the quest to possess a slice of its past rival even that for the hot new thing. Enter furniture designer > Jesse Hooker . The former actor builds custom tables, mirrors and seating using reclaimed wood from those structures—the Central Park Stables, for example—that helped define one of the greatest modern metropolises. Hooker, the son of a potter and a painter, grew up in Wisconsin and has been woodworking since he was 12, restoring wooden boats from the WWII era. When the now 30-year-old moved to New York in 2005 to act, he took odd woodworking jobs, like building gyrotonic exercise equipment, or “Hippie Bowflex torture machines” as he calls them. After a friend saw a trestle table Hooker had built for himself and payed $1,500 for Hooker to build him his own, Hooker started taking commissions in 2008. Others saw the friend’s table and wanted their own; his dining room tables caught on similarly. Built from the remnants of a Queens bowling alley, Hooker constructs their frames from simple angled iron welded together (with exceptional attention to detail), which he then hand paints. “It always starts with the materials,” says Hooker, surrounded by ancient wood in his studio. “Someone will ask for a commission and I’ll go to salvage and start working around whatever I pick out.” Hooker’s craftsmanship is immaculately simple, yet having a piece of his furniture isn’t just an aesthetic experience, it’s a connection to a bygone New York City’s older aspects of manufacturing and design. “I like the history of the materials,” he continues. “Those beams over there, some guys with handsaws and nails used them to erect a building, and then years later it’s all torn down to make room for steel and glass condos. But you can have a piece of that history. You can have some of that workmanship.”

Continued here:
Hooker & Co.

Industrial-era building materials reclaimed to make a modern furniture line Creatively crafted, Made of New York furniture is comprised of discarded Manhattan lumber and is constructed using as few machines as possible. The simple, geometric collection was conceived by former creative director of Ikea Sweden and current head of strategic design consultancy Daytime Projects, John-Michael Ekeblad , along with furniture designer Jonathan Locke and timber-sourcing expert Brian Kane —a trio as intelligent as the home furnishings they build in their South Bronx studio. The process begins with sourcing the wood, much of which comes from torn down 19th-century buildings. In determining the use for each part the team aims to have “minimal treatment of the wood in favor of sustaining its naturally worn out beauty and charm.” The resulting pieces are each completed within five to ten days, using water-based stains and sealers and wood plugs whenever necessary. Made of New York is currently finding a retailer to house the collection, but until then pieces sell online from New York City Snaps , with prices spanning $220-1,200.

Read this article:
Made Of New York

Art blankets, Memphis furniture in Legos, and Public bikes pop up in our look at the past week on the web 1. Maison Martin Margiela in Tokyo Designboom’s photo essay captures designer Maison Martin Margiela’s remarkable Tokyo retail store located in a former electrical products factory warehouse in the Ebisu area. 2. Dressed Up Furniture We wouldn’t have guessed it, but the Seoul-based designers at Kamkam found a way to create modern, colorful furniture using felt upholstery, adding utilitarian pockets. Dezeen takes a look at the collection and all of its impressive design detailing. 3. Replenish Cleaner System Utility Journal picked up on a new household cleaning product called the Replenish System , which cuts down on wasted materials by concentrating the cleaning agents and packaging them in replaceable pods that snap into the easily refillable water compartment. 4. Public Pop-Up Shop at Gap for the Holidays While we were busy installing our pop up shop for Gap on the East Coast, our favorite new bike brand Public did the same in San Francisco , creating a retail location complete with embedded iPads for online ordering of their beautiful European-style bikes. 5. Nathan Sawaya’s Lego “Carlton” For their 2010 holiday window, Moss tapped renowned Lego artist Nathan Sawaya to build an exact replica of “Carlton,” Ettore Sottsass’s iconic Memphis bookshelf. For the Memphis or Lego enthusiast, the over-six-foot-tall structure sells for $19,500. 6. Jonathan Safran Foer’s Interactive “Tree of Codes” Book After other publishers claimed it was impossible, “Everything is Illuminated” author Jonathan Safran Foer turned to the Belgian publishing house Die Kuere to literally carve a story out of another by using a die-cut technique. 7. The Love Movement Organized by CH contributor Jeremy Brautman, help bring recently-married artists Shin Tanaka and Nao Shimojo from Japan to San Francisco for their show that invited artists to customize blank versions of their toys with love as a theme by funding the Kickstarter project . 8. The Standard Limited-Edition Blanket The Standard Blog conducted an interview with Geoff McFetridge, the artist behind their limited-edition blanket featured in our gift guide and found in each room at The Standard Hotel in Hollywood.

See original here:
Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Authentic-looking barbershops have popped up all over Lower Manhattan for men who want classic cuts in a nostalgic, manly setting, far from the salon.

More here:
The Barbershop Renaissance

Conceptual artist Roy McMakin’s funny furniture gets a hometown show Roy McMakin ‘s furniture designs aren’t the first to take on conventional assumptions about the distinctions between art and objects. As a trained architect, it’s not surprising that the interdisciplinary artist’s skillful manipulation of details rivals that of a legend like Ettore Sottsass. But where Sottsass used his painstakingly deliberate compositions to playfully reinvent ideas about what furniture can be, McMakin’s studied work makes wry observations about what furniture is. As the press release for his current show “Five Chairs & Ten Tables” puts it, McMakin’s absurdist work “emphasize[s] the sculptural quality of utilitarian objects, resulting in works both awkward and irreverent, exuding a presence simultaneously monastic and mischievous.” This new exhibit sees the Seattle-based artist (he was born in the rural town of Lander, Wyoming) showing in his adopted city at Ambach & Rice . With an installation that consists of a series of furniture mismatched in shape and appearing slightly unfinished or off—cushions are askew, tabletops pitch too far over their pedestals—the work introduces a tension between notions of art and commerce. Here, the chairs and tables perform as “actors suspicious of the role in which they were cast.” For more of McMakin’s explorations of emotion, scale, craft and function to explore how objects contain meaning, see Rizzoli’s retrospective book ” When Is A Chair Not A Chair ,” which includes almost all of his prolific output over the past 25 years. As McMakin explains it, “I see the job of an artist as that of a philosopher of visual experience.” ” Five Chairs & Ten Tables ” is currently on view through 5 December 2010 at Ambach & Rice. See more images of the exhibit in the gallery below.

Read the rest here:
Five Chair & Ten Tables

Sweden’s democratic furniture retailer unveils design secrets in a new book Opening its first store in 1958, Ikea ranks as not just one of the most successful Swedish companies alongside Volvo but was an early pioneer in making good design accessible. Its hard to imagine modern living without the brand’s inexpensive, self-assembled products (and those mysterious leftover screws!). While some of its pieces have begun to turn up at international design auctions, the lusted-after Verner Panton Vilbert chair from 1994 being one such cult item, there’s little to tell of the unsung design team behind the Ikea brand. ” Ikea, The Book ” sets out with the goal of examining and celebrating the creatives behind the designs and indeed the stories behind some of Ikea’s successful designs. Written by Staffan Bengtsson, one of Scandinavia’s design authorities and editor of Form magazine, the 450-page title digs deep in its task to expose some of the secrets. For example, how the blazes did Ikea manage to get Panton to design not only an original piece for the company but happily allow it to be mass produced? Hella Jongerius too for that matter. Plus, how did its enigmatic founder Ingvar Kamprad (only 17 when he set the company up) manage not only to ensure the vision of his mass-produced, modern-design-for-all ethos translated well not only in its home country of Sweden but also the world? It’s a great insight into Ikea but also into the design framework of Scandinavia itself, putting shape form and colour into good context. we also know know who to blame for those dratted short allen-keys and indeed where to return our screws too! The 450-page tome “Ikea, The Book” sells online from Sweden Book Shop for 425 SEK.

Continue reading here:
Ikea, The Book

Eero Aarnio launches an update to his renowned 1968 Pastil Chair on a new private-sale site Getting a “do-over” usually only happens in video games, and it’s even rarer still in the world of design. With Eero Aarnio ‘s molded fiberglass Soap Chair, he’s improved on his own classic design, creating a version of his revered 1968 Pastil Chair for today’s lifestyle. The designer says, “I like to keep my design range as wide as possible. For example, the smallest object I designed is a tooth pick for Finnair and the largest one is my studio home.” For the chair he added an integrated handle for easy transport and a built-in cup that holds mobile phones or remote controls—updates that allow for spontaneous furniture rearranging for those always-on-the-go. Also in keeping with current sustainable thinking, Aarnio explains that to “confirm the quality and trust that my new chair lasts for generations to come and thus be part of sustainable development,” the seating is produced in Finland at the same factory where his arguably more famous Ball Chair was made. Like Ball and his other furniture, the living legend (he’s worked for five decades as a photographer and furniture and interior designer) derived the Soap Chair’s name from its shape. Drawing by hand in full 1:1 scale before forming a model in wood, Aarnio then studied the shape from every angle and test sat to ensure it’s balanced and ergonomically correct. The new design features soft corners and only comes in two colors—white because “it always looks good in fiberglass” and light blue because that is one of the colors typically occurring in Savon de Marseille (although he may add more soap colors to the collection later). The Soap Chair (photographed at Aarnio’s home in Finland) launches today exclusively on the new members-only site DesignStory (joining is a snap). Available for one week only alongside other notable works, each of the ten on offer is signed by Eero Aarnio and sells for $1,850.

Here is the original post:
Soap Chair

The world’s oldest candle maker opens up shop in New York City Few brands have 367 years of heritage and know-how behind them, and few are lucky enough to have the skills of a talented marketer, patron of the arts and designer to support them. Cire Trudon literally gave light to the people (and royalty) and produced such high quality candles that it has survived, even flourished, in an electric world. Cire Trudon’s staying power is partially due to the quality of their wax, which is made from rice, soy and copra (coconut kernal). It burns cleanly, doesn’t drip, lasts a long time, is biodegradable and is particularly well suited to carrying pigment and scent. Ramdane Touhani has led the company since 2006, and in a few short years has created a wide range of products, a cult following, a new store in Paris and starting today their second store in the heart of NYC’s Nolita neighborhood. The NYC store is inspired by the Palace of Versaille’s Hall of Mirrors. Ramdane had the mirrors made and aged in Paris, the stucco installed by a French company, the furniture made by an Amish carpenter in Pennsylvania, and the store filled with objects and curios found at the Brimfield flea market in Massachusetts (see our recent two part video series on Brimfield’s dealers and collectors ). Surrounded by windows, the royal blue walls and gilded mirrors give the light-filled space a Parisian feel that somehow feels completely at home in NYC. The store features the full range of Cire Trudon’s products: Brightly colored tapers in multiple sizes; scented and pillar candles; wax busts (Napol

Leather patio furniture literally tanned by the power of the sun Using an unusual approach to treat leather, design studio Greece Is For Lovers’ set of table and chairs features a nautical pattern that has literally been sun tanned onto the surface. Cheekily dubbed “Tan Lines,” they stenciled a pattern onto the leather with sunscreen, exposing it to direct sunlight to darken the negative space. Over time, the two-tone design will weather more, fading the imagery into a single bronzed hue. “We like this temporary decoration as it acts as a metaphor for the tan lines on the human body—they tend to go away very soon after one’s holiday! Furthermore, the ‘camping type’ of foldable furniture had been a staple choice for the Greeks of the late ’70s to early ’80s, long before the monopoly of the white plastic chair,” GFL’s Thanos Karampatsos explains. For more of the Athens-based studio’s lighthearted limited editions and one-offs, check out the “Ashe is OK” ceramic ashtray-cum-flowerpot, the “Ingrid & Stavros” bottle bikini and the “R.I.P.” broken heart candle. Greece Is For Lovers recently took their brick-and-mortar operation online, opening an e-shop that peddles their smaller items.

Continued here:
Tan Lines

Hendzel+Hunt reclaim South London scraps for a well-crafted furniture collection Secluded in its own room during Designersblock this year was Made in Peckham , a project devised by London-based design studio Hendzel+Hunt . Specifically conceived with sustainability in mind, the team made the entire range from locally-sourced materials, such as discarded palettes and leftover scraps from the streets, yards and workshops in the Peckham area of South London. Designers Jan Hendzel and Oscar Hunt , who specialize in bespoke cabinets and furniture, then upcycled the rough materials. While it’s easy to read the project as yet another marketing move under the sustainable banner, the undertaking bests the appalling design and construction of other green-washed projects, putting it more in league with the efforts and intentions of genuine sustainable leaders in design like Piet Hein Eek and his Scarpwood work or Wharfside . Made in Peckham feels honest in its execution. Hendzel cites his “zeal for materials, design and manufacturing techniques,” as inspiration for his refined approach. They even invite clients to visit their workshop to see the level of craftsmanship and passion that goes into creating each piece of furniture. The pair have kept the materials nice and raw for the Made In Peckam collection. The wood is certainly not untouched, with great detailing and an intelligent use of the natural pattern from the grain. Further distancing the pieces from others of a similar approach, Hendzel+Hunt have held true to the traditions of cabinet-making throughout the construction, with each piece held together without any metal fixings. While the company itself has only been in existence for a short time, the duo have already scored some major press thanks to a table they created for The Shop at Bluebird , a conceptual fashion and housewares store on Kings Road. They also stood out from the London Design Festival crowd with their subtle showcase of the things which make design one of the keys in protecting our environment, while not taking advantage of the consumer.

See original here:
Made in Peckham

A primer on the pioneering lifestyle store that introduced good design to the people Before Crate & Barrel and Design Within Reach, there was Design Research, the retail concept widely credited with reinventing furniture shopping by pioneering a lifestyle approach that changed the look of bedrooms and stores from coast to coast. The brainchild of architect Ben Thompson, he founded a new way of decorating and living when he opened his first Design Research store in 1953 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a story chronicled in the new book ” Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes .” Through photos, press clippings and other ephemera, the Pentagram-designed primer outlines his philosophy and the impact of breaking away from mass-produced furniture sold through dominant mega-department stores. His widow Jane Thompson, founder of I.D. magazine, architect and urban planner, weighs in too, documenting how her husband not only introduced “lifestyle” under one retail shopping roof, but popularized the idea that good design should be accessible to everyone in postwar America. Design Research became an influential modernist mini-chain that mixed design objects from Charles and Ray Eames, Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen with French rustic pottery, no-name Bolivian sweaters and $1 Mexican drinking glasses. For fashion in the late 50s, just when women sought equality in society, Design Research became the first representative for Marimekko’s loose, colorful and graphic shifts. Fashion had gone from tight waists, pointy bosoms and round hips to the tent-like chemise. American women embraced the untraditional, “high casual” style that gave them permission to move freely in comfort. For Ben, modernism didn’t mean minimalism, oversimplification or monochrome. He believed that people should be encouraged to imagine for themselves what their homes could be inside. All they needed was a forum of the best available national and international goods to pick from. He built a retail store that was a department store without the departments, hence creating “lifestyle.” Design Research went on to have stores in New York and San Francisco, among other cities, through the late ’60s, inspiring budding retailer entrepreneurs like Gordon Segal, co-founder of Crate & Barrel, and Rob Forbes, founder of Design Within Reach. Segal was directly influenced by DR in 1965 when he realized a store’s environment, visual display and music were integral to how it made a customer feel. As a teenager in 1968, Forbes fell under the spell of modern design, when he saw a friend’s home outfitted with DR goods. Pick up “Design Research” directly from the publisher, Chronicle Books or get it from Amazon .

Go here to see the original:
Design Research

Our video on Coalesse’s lounge-inspired conference furniture with designer Scott Wilson In this Cool Hunting video we visit the industrial designer Scott Wilson, founder of the Chicago shop Minimal and former Global Creative Director for Nike Explore. Taking us behind the scenes of Coalesse’s new SW_1 furniture collection, he walks us through the concepts and design processes that it took to realize this fresh alternative to the generic conference room.

See the rest here:
Cool Hunting Video Presents: SW_1

Fashion’s unlikely pairing of an Italian concept shop with ’90s Americana Pairing its classic American style with a niche Milanese retailer, Gap is set to launch a European expansion with a shop-in-shop collection at 10 Corso Como this fall. The capsule collection is the work of Gap and American artist Kris Ruhs, who oversaw the original creative direction of first 10 Corso Como shop in Milan, from the furniture to displays and overall image—as well as that of their successive stores in Tokyo and Seoul. The collection consists of two styles of limited editions T-shirts, sweatshirts and canvas shopping bags. One series is decorated with the signature circles of 10 Corso Como, while the other one boasts a selection of Ruhs’ illustrations, handpicked by 10 Corso Como founder Carla Sozzani. The collection will be available for men and women at 10 Corso Como during Milan Fashion Week, beginning 22 September 2010.

Continue reading here:
Gap x 10 Corso Como