From the Potrero Studio: An inquiry on Quistgaard.

 

My love affair with Jens Quistgaard (above) started in the least exquisite of places: the filthy thrift stores of the Pacific Northwest. As a resourceful and enterprising (read: dirt poor) 20-something, I paid rent by reselling vintage clothing to fashionable, yet less resourceful, 20-somethings. In the face of growing competition and career fatigue, I found myself quickly bored of fighting punchy septuagenarians for scraps of dirty Dior. It was at this time that my attentions were drawn to Quistgaard’s mid-century tabletop items for Dansk International Designs. Cheap, plentiful and endlessly beautiful, it was like accidentally stumbling upon a Danish Modern goldmine. I soon found myself spending hours scouring the aisles for treasures marked with Quistgaard’s signature: IHQ. 

Rob Forbes to present at DWR Austin.

Most of us have a vision for a well-designed modern house, chair or pair of shoes. However, very few of us have a vision for a well-designed modern city. What kind of transportation and mobility solutions are necessary for modern cities to thrive? If you live in Austin, you can toss around ideas with Rob Forbes and Leo Marmol on February 18. Join them at the DWR Austin Studio for their event: Smart design in the public sector. For the rest of you, check back after the event and we’ll post some of the ideas that emerge from what promises to be a lively discussion. In the meantime, use the Comments field below to share smart transportation solutions and ideas for cool and provocative design in the public sector. If you'd like to learn more about Rob’s new Public adventure, click here.

Event: Public Design with Rob Forbes and Leo Marmol
When: Thursday, February 18, 6-8pm
Where: DWR Austin Studio
RSVP to austin@dwr.com

Sizing up Dubai.

If visitors get tired while exploring the ice rink, aquarium and more than 1,200 stores in the Dubai Mall, it’s good to know that the world’s largest mall is outfitted with one of the world’s most comfortable chairs. The Gas Chair was designed by Jesus Gasca for Stua, and there are more than 2,000 of them in the mall, which has impressive views of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Mannahatta in Manhattan.

 DWR: Tools for Living was jam-packed last night for Dr. Eric Sanderson’s lecture and signing of his best-selling book Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City. People started arriving around 5:30 so they could get a seat; we were limited to 40 chairs. The rest of the crowd strained their necks to see the presentation, meticulous and beautiful recreations of New York City’s habitat and landscape as it was on September 12, 1609. Dr. Sanderson also described how his Mannahatta Project looks not just into the past, but also projects what New York City might look like in 2409, if we take steps now to make our city a better habitat for all who live here. 

The smart generation.

No matter what kind of gizmo Apple throws our way, you can be sure there’s a task chair ready to meet the need. For an iPad, I’d recommend the Generation Chair designed by Formway for Knoll®. This is a chair that lets you sit how you want. As you move, it moves (even if you’ve got some unusual moves). Its elastic design rearranges itself in response to your body position, which Knoll describes as “holistic ergonomics.” Plus, it comes in eight colors, including firecracker (apple) red.

Check out the Generation Chair at the following DWR Studios: