The calm before the storm.

One more day before the launch of the highly anticipated Apple iPhone. Newspaper and radio reporters have been buzzing around the Town Square looking to gather bits of information on tomorrows launch. The predicted rain won't stop anyone from holding their place in line. I've received several calls from past customers wanting to know how good my relationship was with the team at Apple. Most want me to get them a “hook up”, or pick up two phones for them since I’m just next door. My reply is “sorry, I don’t even get special treatment.” One friend I made is actually getting paid $200 to stand in line. He’ll be here tomorrow morning, 10a.m. sharp; mind you, they won’t start selling the phone until 6pm. Can you say “Depends”?

Since I like to be a good neighbor, I've arranged for sodas, water, energy drinks and snacks from a local restaurant, Taco Diner, to be provided here in the studio. We'll also be doing a drawing for a $250 DWR Gift Certificate. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. Just be careful not to cut the line.

Posted by E. David Goltl, Proprietor-DWR Southlake Studio.

Isn't she?

Artist Julian Schnabel has come under fire in recent weeks as he’s finally unveiled his new residence on Greenwich Village’s West 11th street after lengthy renovations. The building, a Mediterranean-style high-rise, showed its true colors once the tarps came down. It’s adventurous and daring, sitting between two glass Richard Meier towers, pretty in a wash of bright pink.

While some like Andrew Berman, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s director, find the building “a nightmare,” I could not disagree more. It is playful, thoughtful and totally in line with the counter-culture that’s thrived in that part of Manhattan for decades. Whether the artist has painted the building to peeve the area residents who opposed his building permit or if he truly desired a perfect, pink palace I don’t care. I simply love Schnabel’s refusal to play it safe.

An ode to light bright.

   

In the latest issue of designboom, I learned that they’re promoting an international LED lighting design competition. The three categories for entry are indoor, outdoor and landscape. Read all the details here. And then start designing (we’ve got some unique lights here at DWR, but we can always use more). Oh, by the way, one of our LED lights, the Leaf Light, was named Best of Category in the 2007 I.D. Annual Design Review. You could be next.

A 50-year-old Tulip.

Speaking of Knoll, everyone at DWR is extremely excited about the launch of the 50th anniversary edition of Eero Saarinen's iconic Tulip Chair. Much like the reinvention of Herman Miller’s 50th anniversary edition Eames Lounge Chair in santos palisander, the Saarinen chairs, for a limited time, will be made in a platinum finish. True to the space-age stylings of the chair's design, the new finish is straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It would have been a perfect fit in Warhol’s factory. If platinum pedestal chairs aren’t your thing, don’t fret. Knoll is also reintroducing Saarinen’s Pedestal Tables in rosewood. They’ll be available, in stock, from DWR in August.

What is space?

The Design Within Reach Studios were all sent out a great book this week. Published by Knoll, What is space? is obviously a sales tool. It is a catalog of room photographs featuring Knoll’s classic designs, mixed with their more contemporary pieces. Normally a catalog would not merit a blog post, but I cannot seem to put the thing down. It is so very inspiring. Some assume Knoll’s products are more suited for office settings.  These photographs show how effectively Knoll, and all modern design, work in residential settings.

Even if you’re not going to spring for a Womb Chair any time soon, the book may give you an idea about colors, art or organization. Pop into a DWR Studio to check it out, or you can browse the book virtually on the What is space? link on the front page of Knoll’s website.

Sit on my trash.

   

Chairs out of trash? I’ve written in this blog before about cool things being made with garbage and finally the rest of the world is catching up. Businessweek.com wrote about a new chair by designer Richard Liddle, the RD4, which is made out of recycled plastic bottles. This is his first commercial chair and it’s made with using a proprietary process that turns used plastic bottles into all shapes and sizes. He’s calling the process URE for Uncooled Recycled Extrude. That’s a pretty cool name. The chair was also featured at the HauteGreen event during the ICFF show in New York. You can get it at branchhome.com.

The new concert hall.

The worlds of modern architecture and classical music have been thrust together in recent years with projects such as Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Herzog & de Meuron's Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg and Jean Nouvel's new Paris Philharmonie project.  The International Herald Tribune took a look at the phenomenon last week. The most intriguing issue is that of acoustics and the how the science of sound is partnered with the aesthetics of these buildings. Not only do these buildings need to look good and function as communal spaces, but they also have to sound right. That’s a tricky thing.

In the article, Frank Gehry discussed early conversations and arguments between acousticians about the Disney Concert Hall, saying "I realized it was like art. You could make it great, but it was intuitive. There wasn't a formula for it." That philosophy seems like such a gamble though. There are major problems if the acoustics of the buildings don’t work. As Christoph von Dohnanyi, the chief conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony, states in the article, “If you mess it up, the orchestra will be a mess. There are some orchestras that don't sound good because they play all the time in a bad hall."

Hamburg’s Elbe Philharmonic seems the most interesting of the new crop of projects. As the photo above shows the hall is slated to be built on a warehouse on a pier in a downtrodden harbor. It’s a tip of the hat to the neighborhood and a look to the future all at once. The concert hall will appear almost ship-like, floating in the harbor. Let’s just hope the musical notes float equally as beautiful.

Modern design meets your right arm.

I’ve heard of all kinds of ways to say you love design, namely buying your favorite piece and putting it in your living room, but here’s a new one for you: tattoos. Take a look at the work of tattoo artist Nick Baxter, who is busy putting Eames, Mies and more on the arms of his clients. Isn't it great how individualized tattoos can be? How better to tell the world you love modern design then to put your favorite Eames lounge chair on your forearm? Wow, to say the least. Thanks to DesignBoom for sending these my way.

The end of the road.

 
The 2007 Champagne Chair Tour, our 4th annual, is coming to an end in the coming week. This is your last chance to see the top 50 chairs from over 1,000 that were received, enjoy a glass of Veuve Clicquot and possibly meet some of the chair designers. The last two events are taking place at DWR Philadelphia tomorrow night and at DWR Cambridge next Tuesday, the 19th. Please come by and see what's popping.

Classic color.

 

A challenge many manufacturers of modern classics face is how to remain contemporary. Classic designs stand the test of time and many brands have reinvented these pieces while staying true to the original designer’s spirit. With this in mind the always forward thinking Herman Miller has launched the Eames LCW chairs in a myriad of colors. They caught everyone’s eye at ICFF.

Gregg Vander Kooi, product manager of classics for Herman Miller, says of the new series "we collaborated with the Eames Office to choose a set of colors authentic to the period during which the LCW was designed. We looked to the colors Eames used for the Eames Storage Unit and the Eames Hang It All. And we also found inspiration in textiles designed for Herman Miller by Eames' contemporary and friend, Alexander Girard."

Those colors are initially going to be a run in light blue, white and yellow. Later in the year we’ll see orange, red, purple, green and black. The chairs will be stained with an aniline stain on birch veneer, a return to the chair’s original wood species. The first three colors will be available to order now (during our Herman Miller sale), though they won’t be up on dwr.com for some time. Color me excited. Call 1-800-944-2233 to order yours.