An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design

As you may or may not know, I have a day job. Lately, it has been extra hectic in the office, and my blog has regretfully suffered. Particularly, I've been working on co-producing the fast approaching Legends of La Cienega design event (May 7-8,) with ELLE DECOR, which I look forward to sharing with you soon. We've created 2 days filled with kick-ass programming that will sure to entice design enthusiasts looking for something different. I leave it at.
Now, I'm excited to share my latest writing effort, "An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design," which by the way, has been published in this month's issue of Instinct Magazine. Here goes:
An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design

2010 marks a pivotal year calling for bi-partisanship in green design. Today, when you consider the movement for a fully integrated eco-conscious lifestyle, it becomes quite evident that the consumer marketplace consists of two opposing parties; just like in our nation’s politics we have the Left and we have the Right. On the Left, we see the majority of innovators for the green movement who understand the real concerns for creating sustainable, eco-friendly designs. Often modernistic in their approach, the Left adhere to the old adage that “form follows function,” meaning that their designs are more concerned with the utility of a product rather than the look of it. In other words, their designs are usually absent of stylistic elements intentionally incorporated for aesthetic purposes that go beyond functional requirements. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Left’s aesthetic: linear, minimalistic, and often futuristic designs. These designers carry the torch of their forefathers: the Case Study architects of the 50’s and 60’s, and much of the designers who are praised at Design Within Reach stores nationwide. Products created by the Left comprise of the biggest bulk of green design out there right now, and as a mid-century modern enthusiast myself, I find it quite easy to integrate green products designed by these talented folks.

Now let’s dissect the Right. Truth is that most Americans simply do not like modern designs in their lives. The Right, AKA most Americans, go gaga for traditional décor with all of its ornate carved woods, crown moldings, excessive room dressing, and all sorts of other fandanglements. The Right may not be the creators for green design, but they are the majority of consumers in this country. Think about it, they live in places we lovingly refer to as the “flyover states,” but these Americans are the ones with the larger families, supersized homes, army-grade SUV’s and the insatiable desire to consume. Which brings me to my point, if we’re going to get serious about implementing green design into the fabric of our society we’re going to need to design with them in mind. We’ve got to realize that the whole notion of consuming less as a nation is too hard of a sale, not to mention idealistic for Americans, and that the Right will only incorporate green design in their lives when it’s packaged and marketed to them. Just to be clear, I’m not advocating designing for the Wal-Mart shopper in Boonville USA, quite on the contrary, I’m simply pointing out that appealing to an array of tastes should play more of a roll in green design today. The purchasing of most items is a superficial act in the first place, and those who have addressed the mainstream appeal of their green designs have been the most successful in converting the consumer to live in a greener way. Just to bring this closer to home for the big city dwellers who feel exempt to my point, right now in the city of Santa Monica there’s a pending city ordinance requiring solar panels to be installed in a way that is “least visible,” specifying that “there is no reason that the solar installation professional should not also consider aesthetic aspects when designing a system.” Whether it’s in town or country, it seems that green design is moving away from trending on the futuristic to becoming more inconspicuous for 2010 and onward. Simply put, the current agenda is to make green design look less like it’s green design.

In the growing industry of building green homes, there’s been a recent shift from designing prefab residences with pre-installed interiors to designing in the vernacular. Vernacular architecture is a method of construction that uses locally available resources and traditions to address local needs, evolving over time to reflect the environmental context in which it exists. For a better description, prominent builder to the stars (Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, Simon Cowell) and founder of Finton Construction, John Finton, explains: “For years, green homes have been synonymous with small, stark, and cold spaces, and many have sacrificed certain comforts in the name of mother Earth. We’re realizing that solutions for designing green are found in the past […] The way that people built homes in ancient times were inherently green, and we’re taking cues from history to change the notions of what green design looks like.” Unlike the common forms we are all accustomed to in sustainable design, John Finton is building homes with more locally sourced materials, designing spaces that appeal to popular tastes, and keeping it all with a carbon conscious footprint. Currently, Finton is harvesting one of the first large-scale luxury projects of it’s kind seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, challenging the notion of building Green, by creating “a house that doesn’t look like it belongs on Mars” and redefining eco-conscious living without compromising luxury, comfort, and traditional architectural styles that appeal to a broader spectrum of the populace.

The last decade was in many respects the perfect storm for the establishment of the green design movement. Between concerns of our planet (land degradation, fresh water depletion, climate change, ocean acidification, deforestation,) not to mention the global economic catastrophes of the past few years, a sense of urgency forced us as a society to make some big changes in the way we live and consume. As the “Noughties” gave way to this second decade of the new millennium, 2010 became a pivotal shift for the green design movement as eco-conscious designers moved past selective tastes and aesthetic trends to normalize the look and acceptance for green. We’ve all witnessed green design gain great headway and even garner mainstream attention with consumers in the past decade, but at the same time we’ve also been experiencing the growing misuse of the term “green” on products that are mediocre at best. As we move forward in our quest, we’re becoming savvier about what products we call green, and at the same time we’re pushing designers to the blur the line for green design so that it’s more evenly integrated in the lives of both the Left and the Right. The future demands that the term “green design” not be separated from the rest of design in general. From here on out, I believe that we’re moving in a direction where all design in itself will become inherently green, and where designers will make green design look less like green design as we currently know it.

An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design

As you may or may not know, I have a day job. Lately, it has been extra hectic in the office, and my blog has regretfully suffered. Particularly, I've been working on co-producing the fast approaching Legends of La Cienega design event (May 7-8,) with ELLE DECOR, which I look forward to sharing with you soon. We've created 2 days filled with kick-ass programming that will sure to entice design enthusiasts looking for something different. I leave it at.
Now, I'm excited to share my latest writing effort, "An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design," which by the way, has been published in this month's issue of Instinct Magazine. Here goes:
An Aesthetic Divide: The Future of Green Design

2010 marks a pivotal year calling for bi-partisanship in green design. Today, when you consider the movement for a fully integrated eco-conscious lifestyle, it becomes quite evident that the consumer marketplace consists of two opposing parties; just like in our nation’s politics we have the Left and we have the Right. On the Left, we see the majority of innovators for the green movement who understand the real concerns for creating sustainable, eco-friendly designs. Often modernistic in their approach, the Left adhere to the old adage that “form follows function,” meaning that their designs are more concerned with the utility of a product rather than the look of it. In other words, their designs are usually absent of stylistic elements intentionally incorporated for aesthetic purposes that go beyond functional requirements. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Left’s aesthetic: linear, minimalistic, and often futuristic designs. These designers carry the torch of their forefathers: the Case Study architects of the 50’s and 60’s, and much of the designers who are praised at Design Within Reach stores nationwide. Products created by the Left comprise of the biggest bulk of green design out there right now, and as a mid-century modern enthusiast myself, I find it quite easy to integrate green products designed by these talented folks.

Now let’s dissect the Right. Truth is that most Americans simply do not like modern designs in their lives. The Right, AKA most Americans, go gaga for traditional décor with all of its ornate carved woods, crown moldings, excessive room dressing, and all sorts of other fandanglements. The Right may not be the creators for green design, but they are the majority of consumers in this country. Think about it, they live in places we lovingly refer to as the “flyover states,” but these Americans are the ones with the larger families, supersized homes, army-grade SUV’s and the insatiable desire to consume. Which brings me to my point, if we’re going to get serious about implementing green design into the fabric of our society we’re going to need to design with them in mind. We’ve got to realize that the whole notion of consuming less as a nation is too hard of a sale, not to mention idealistic for Americans, and that the Right will only incorporate green design in their lives when it’s packaged and marketed to them. Just to be clear, I’m not advocating designing for the Wal-Mart shopper in Boonville USA, quite on the contrary, I’m simply pointing out that appealing to an array of tastes should play more of a roll in green design today. The purchasing of most items is a superficial act in the first place, and those who have addressed the mainstream appeal of their green designs have been the most successful in converting the consumer to live in a greener way. Just to bring this closer to home for the big city dwellers who feel exempt to my point, right now in the city of Santa Monica there’s a pending city ordinance requiring solar panels to be installed in a way that is “least visible,” specifying that “there is no reason that the solar installation professional should not also consider aesthetic aspects when designing a system.” Whether it’s in town or country, it seems that green design is moving away from trending on the futuristic to becoming more inconspicuous for 2010 and onward. Simply put, the current agenda is to make green design look less like it’s green design.

In the growing industry of building green homes, there’s been a recent shift from designing prefab residences with pre-installed interiors to designing in the vernacular. Vernacular architecture is a method of construction that uses locally available resources and traditions to address local needs, evolving over time to reflect the environmental context in which it exists. For a better description, prominent builder to the stars (Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, Simon Cowell) and founder of Finton Construction, John Finton, explains: “For years, green homes have been synonymous with small, stark, and cold spaces, and many have sacrificed certain comforts in the name of mother Earth. We’re realizing that solutions for designing green are found in the past […] The way that people built homes in ancient times were inherently green, and we’re taking cues from history to change the notions of what green design looks like.” Unlike the common forms we are all accustomed to in sustainable design, John Finton is building homes with more locally sourced materials, designing spaces that appeal to popular tastes, and keeping it all with a carbon conscious footprint. Currently, Finton is harvesting one of the first large-scale luxury projects of it’s kind seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, challenging the notion of building Green, by creating “a house that doesn’t look like it belongs on Mars” and redefining eco-conscious living without compromising luxury, comfort, and traditional architectural styles that appeal to a broader spectrum of the populace.

The last decade was in many respects the perfect storm for the establishment of the green design movement. Between concerns of our planet (land degradation, fresh water depletion, climate change, ocean acidification, deforestation,) not to mention the global economic catastrophes of the past few years, a sense of urgency forced us as a society to make some big changes in the way we live and consume. As the “Noughties” gave way to this second decade of the new millennium, 2010 became a pivotal shift for the green design movement as eco-conscious designers moved past selective tastes and aesthetic trends to normalize the look and acceptance for green. We’ve all witnessed green design gain great headway and even garner mainstream attention with consumers in the past decade, but at the same time we’ve also been experiencing the growing misuse of the term “green” on products that are mediocre at best. As we move forward in our quest, we’re becoming savvier about what products we call green, and at the same time we’re pushing designers to the blur the line for green design so that it’s more evenly integrated in the lives of both the Left and the Right. The future demands that the term “green design” not be separated from the rest of design in general. From here on out, I believe that we’re moving in a direction where all design in itself will become inherently green, and where designers will make green design look less like green design as we currently know it.

The Green Life: KAA & Cisco Launch HOM Outdoor Collection

Photos | homlifestyle.com

Los Angeles is the land of the endless summer. A handful of rainy days may scatter the SoCal calendar, but outside of that nominal precipitation Angelinos live in perpetual sunshine and summerlike temps year-round. When it comes to design and architecture, it’s no surprise that L.A.’s attributed with coining the term “indoor-outdoor living.” Whether the idea is to bring nature inside or to empathetically open up the home to the outside, designers in Los Angeles have pioneered the green movement from the very beginning. Grant Kirkpatrick, principal of KAA, is one such architect seminal to the movement for sustainable, green design. A leader in the design industry since 1988, Grant founded KAA as an integrated design firm inspired by the belief that “design has the power to elevate the human spirit.” Now making a foray into furniture design, Grant is bringing to furniture the same passion that has motivated his successful architectural career.

Recently launching HOM, a collaborative line with L.A. based Cisco Brothers, a full collection of furnishings was unveiled at the Cisco Home showroom on La Brea last week. The collection features warm, modern design and functional amenities that are designed to be used indoors and outdoors, together and in combination with like-minded products. The vibe: simple, purposeful and ecological. The line provides a high degree of design with comfortable, quality products for a flexible and relaxed lifestyle. HOM is about living outdoors and in, with a close connection to nature. The idea is to live a healthier, happier lifestyle with a smaller ecological footprint and with respect to our planet.

As we spring forward into the forthcoming summer months, this may be the perfect time to consider the HOM collection as a chic way for living the green life. With this dual approach to designing the line, the HOM collection offers the quintessential indoor-outdoor, SoCal lifestyle while still being environmentally aware and proactive.

For more info about the HOM collection, please visit: homlifestyle.com, or visit your local Cisco Home showroom

The Green Life: KAA & Cisco Launch HOM Outdoor Collection

Photos | homlifestyle.com

Los Angeles is the land of the endless summer. A handful of rainy days may scatter the SoCal calendar, but outside of that nominal precipitation Angelinos live in perpetual sunshine and summerlike temps year-round. When it comes to design and architecture, it’s no surprise that L.A.’s attributed with coining the term “indoor-outdoor living.” Whether the idea is to bring nature inside or to empathetically open up the home to the outside, designers in Los Angeles have pioneered the green movement from the very beginning. Grant Kirkpatrick, principal of KAA, is one such architect seminal to the movement for sustainable, green design. A leader in the design industry since 1988, Grant founded KAA as an integrated design firm inspired by the belief that “design has the power to elevate the human spirit.” Now making a foray into furniture design, Grant is bringing to furniture the same passion that has motivated his successful architectural career.

Recently launching HOM, a collaborative line with L.A. based Cisco Brothers, a full collection of furnishings was unveiled at the Cisco Home showroom on La Brea last week. The collection features warm, modern design and functional amenities that are designed to be used indoors and outdoors, together and in combination with like-minded products. The vibe: simple, purposeful and ecological. The line provides a high degree of design with comfortable, quality products for a flexible and relaxed lifestyle. HOM is about living outdoors and in, with a close connection to nature. The idea is to live a healthier, happier lifestyle with a smaller ecological footprint and with respect to our planet.

As we spring forward into the forthcoming summer months, this may be the perfect time to consider the HOM collection as a chic way for living the green life. With this dual approach to designing the line, the HOM collection offers the quintessential indoor-outdoor, SoCal lifestyle while still being environmentally aware and proactive.

For more info about the HOM collection, please visit: homlifestyle.com, or visit your local Cisco Home showroom

Eco Antiques: The Answers are in the Past

(photo provided by LSA)

Sometimes I wonder how "green" an eco-product really is. Sometimes, the cynic in me is frustrated by the whole eco-movement, especially in the home products arena. Somehow, the real need to take better care of our environment turned into a brand new marketplace for capital gain. No I'm not a Communist, I thoroughly enjoy most of the benefits of Capitalism, but I still have a conscience and observing eyes. I bet my savings that most of the flyover states think they're doing right by Mother Earth when purchasing Breyers "organic" ice cream, and yet they know nothing of LEED Certification or the term "carbon footprint." This worries me.

Oh, here’s another observation. What’s up with 300-thread count organic sheets costing more than regular 600-thread count cotton? Um, I care n’ stuff, but this is a no brainer, I’m sleeping on the 600.

Ok enough criticisms, that's not what this blog's about... this blog's about ideas for stylish living, so here's my take on going green: BUY ANTIQUES. Wouldn't you say that an object that has made it through the ages is truly sustainable? And, the fact that nothing new is being created helps us maintain our natural resources. Not to mention, if you buy an antique near home, you wouldn’t incur the carbon footprint of shipping from overseas. Above all, I love that a solution to our environmental challenges can be found in the past. I also enjoy challenging the visual image of what people think eco should look like.

All I'm saying is that bamboo flooring and solar panels aren't the be all and end all for solutions, rather, think about antiques as a stylish solution to our current environmental concerns.

-S

Eco Antiques: The Answers are in the Past

(photo provided by LSA)

Sometimes I wonder how "green" an eco-product really is. Sometimes, the cynic in me is frustrated by the whole eco-movement, especially in the home products arena. Somehow, the real need to take better care of our environment turned into a brand new marketplace for capital gain. No I'm not a Communist, I thoroughly enjoy most of the benefits of Capitalism, but I still have a conscience and observing eyes. I bet my savings that most of the flyover states think they're doing right by Mother Earth when purchasing Breyers "organic" ice cream, and yet they know nothing of LEED Certification or the term "carbon footprint." This worries me.

Oh, here’s another observation. What’s up with 300-thread count organic sheets costing more than regular 600-thread count cotton? Um, I care n’ stuff, but this is a no brainer, I’m sleeping on the 600.

Ok enough criticisms, that's not what this blog's about... this blog's about ideas for stylish living, so here's my take on going green: BUY ANTIQUES. Wouldn't you say that an object that has made it through the ages is truly sustainable? And, the fact that nothing new is being created helps us maintain our natural resources. Not to mention, if you buy an antique near home, you wouldn’t incur the carbon footprint of shipping from overseas. Above all, I love that a solution to our environmental challenges can be found in the past. I also enjoy challenging the visual image of what people think eco should look like.

All I'm saying is that bamboo flooring and solar panels aren't the be all and end all for solutions, rather, think about antiques as a stylish solution to our current environmental concerns.

-S

The Dishes Are Done

(Bison Kintsugi technique)


(Tectonic Repair technique)

Some readers of this blog may remember an entry I posted earlier this year on the art of Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese concept of "imperfect beauty," ... an embrace of imperfections, to say the least. Well, today I came across an artist by the name of Lotte Dekker, who is taking this concept to another level!

Lotte Dekker developed a new technique for repairing porcelain based on kintsugi (literally golden joinery in Japanese), a 15th century Japanese technique that repairs porcelain with gold leafing. It became so popular during its peak that people deliberately broke their own pottery so they also could have it "repaired."

Dekker's technique, called "Bison Kintsugi," is kintsugi in spirit, but instead uses modern-day Bison glue and inexpensive gold powder to achieve similar results. Dekker also another technique she calls "Tectonic Repair," using a kneadable glue that widens and essentially reshapes the cracks. By reshaping the crack, instead of denying it, the object is allowed to become a new form altogether. And may I add that this technique is highly green, which only adds to the relevance of incorporating the concept in our design solutions today.

A fascination for challenging aesthetics continues...

-S

The Dishes Are Done

(Bison Kintsugi technique)


(Tectonic Repair technique)

Some readers of this blog may remember an entry I posted earlier this year on the art of Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese concept of "imperfect beauty," ... an embrace of imperfections, to say the least. Well, today I came across an artist by the name of Lotte Dekker, who is taking this concept to another level!

Lotte Dekker developed a new technique for repairing porcelain based on kintsugi (literally golden joinery in Japanese), a 15th century Japanese technique that repairs porcelain with gold leafing. It became so popular during its peak that people deliberately broke their own pottery so they also could have it "repaired."

Dekker's technique, called "Bison Kintsugi," is kintsugi in spirit, but instead uses modern-day Bison glue and inexpensive gold powder to achieve similar results. Dekker also another technique she calls "Tectonic Repair," using a kneadable glue that widens and essentially reshapes the cracks. By reshaping the crack, instead of denying it, the object is allowed to become a new form altogether. And may I add that this technique is highly green, which only adds to the relevance of incorporating the concept in our design solutions today.

A fascination for challenging aesthetics continues...

-S

Reading Rainbow

This year marks the City of West Hollywood 25th year of cityhood. Since the City’s incorporation in 1984, West Hollywood has established itself as one of the most progressive and innovative cities in the country. In celebration of this landmark, the city has embarked upon a new capital improvement project to develop world-class public facilities, parks and open space, asserting the city's dynamic legacy.

Projects are already underway, and specifically, the development of the new West Hollywood Library on San Vicente (across from the PDC) has really started taking shape. The forthcoming MDA Johnson Favaro-designed library will be a 43,000 square foot, three-story project, that will house the library, sidewalk cafe, public meeting rooms, and circuit party convention rooms (just kidding.) It's scheduled to be finished in 2012.

"The design’s square volume and white, smooth facade of cured limestone plaster may evoke Le Corbusier’s masterpiece, but undulations in the lustrous surface will imbue it with lightness and movement, making it tranquil rather than monolithic." (via la.curbed)

Highlight of the Library: Extensive LGBT Collection; International Languages Collection; Decorative Arts and Design area; a vast collection of large-print materials for Seniors and people who are visually-impaired and a West Hollywood Room which will feature archival materials showcasing the City’s history. Not to mention, the new Library is designed to achieve LEED certification to be a certified "Green Building.”

Next time you're gonna get your Abbey on, look out for all the exciting changes in West Hollywood!

-S

... OMG, I can only imagine what the opening party's gonna be like.

Reading Rainbow

This year marks the City of West Hollywood 25th year of cityhood. Since the City’s incorporation in 1984, West Hollywood has established itself as one of the most progressive and innovative cities in the country. In celebration of this landmark, the city has embarked upon a new capital improvement project to develop world-class public facilities, parks and open space, asserting the city's dynamic legacy.

Projects are already underway, and specifically, the development of the new West Hollywood Library on San Vicente (across from the PDC) has really started taking shape. The forthcoming MDA Johnson Favaro-designed library will be a 43,000 square foot, three-story project, that will house the library, sidewalk cafe, public meeting rooms, and circuit party convention rooms (just kidding.) It's scheduled to be finished in 2012.

"The design’s square volume and white, smooth facade of cured limestone plaster may evoke Le Corbusier’s masterpiece, but undulations in the lustrous surface will imbue it with lightness and movement, making it tranquil rather than monolithic." (via la.curbed)

Highlight of the Library: Extensive LGBT Collection; International Languages Collection; Decorative Arts and Design area; a vast collection of large-print materials for Seniors and people who are visually-impaired and a West Hollywood Room which will feature archival materials showcasing the City’s history. Not to mention, the new Library is designed to achieve LEED certification to be a certified "Green Building.”

Next time you're gonna get your Abbey on, look out for all the exciting changes in West Hollywood!

-S

... OMG, I can only imagine what the opening party's gonna be like.

Wabi-Sabi

Wabi-Sabi - for Artists, Designers, Poets, & Philosophers - By, Leonard Koren

It has come to my attention that the design world is silently and subconsciously preparing a drastic shift in popular theme.

Since the middle of the last century and onward, much of the design world has been defined by a concentration on modernism as a departure from 19th century classicism. A fascination on universal prototypical solutions and concepts that imply a logical and rational worldview have been concerns of the current design administration... that is, until now.

At the moment, what we are experiencing is a move toward personal, idiosyncratic solutions in design... a new appreciation for all things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete... a worldview that is self-referential, intuitive, ambiguous, and based in a metaphysical understanding that all things are devolving toward, or evolving from, nothingness. What is being discussed here is the Japanese concept of "imperfect beauty", Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West.

Wabi-sabi is the undeclared beauty that waits to be discovered. It is the beauty of things as they are...an embrace of the imperfections, pared down to its barest essence, at the border of nothingness.

Unlike Modernism which solicits the reduction of sensory information, this view solicits the expansion of sensory information. In Modernism, people are adapting to machines. In Wabi-Sabi, people are adapting to nature. Beyond the hype of all that is packaged as "eco" these days, is this new understanding of the relationship between design and nature.

Author Leonard Koren is a trained architect, but never built anything—except an eccentric Japanese tea house—because he found large, permanent objects too philosophically vexing to design. Instead he created WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, one of the premier avant-garde magazines of the 1970s. Subsequently Koren has produced unusual books about design- and aesthetics-related subjects. Koren resides in both America and Japan. For more information, visit www.leonardkoren.com.

This book is an updated version of the enduring classic that first introduced the concept of “imperfect beauty” to the West. Text, images, and book design seamlessly meld into a wabi-sabi-like experience.


-S

Wabi-Sabi

Wabi-Sabi - for Artists, Designers, Poets, & Philosophers - By, Leonard Koren

It has come to my attention that the design world is silently and subconsciously preparing a drastic shift in popular theme.

Since the middle of the last century and onward, much of the design world has been defined by a concentration on modernism as a departure from 19th century classicism. A fascination on universal prototypical solutions and concepts that imply a logical and rational worldview have been concerns of the current design administration... that is, until now.

At the moment, what we are experiencing is a move toward personal, idiosyncratic solutions in design... a new appreciation for all things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete... a worldview that is self-referential, intuitive, ambiguous, and based in a metaphysical understanding that all things are devolving toward, or evolving from, nothingness. What is being discussed here is the Japanese concept of "imperfect beauty", Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West.

Wabi-sabi is the undeclared beauty that waits to be discovered. It is the beauty of things as they are...an embrace of the imperfections, pared down to its barest essence, at the border of nothingness.

Unlike Modernism which solicits the reduction of sensory information, this view solicits the expansion of sensory information. In Modernism, people are adapting to machines. In Wabi-Sabi, people are adapting to nature. Beyond the hype of all that is packaged as "eco" these days, is this new understanding of the relationship between design and nature.

Author Leonard Koren is a trained architect, but never built anything—except an eccentric Japanese tea house—because he found large, permanent objects too philosophically vexing to design. Instead he created WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing, one of the premier avant-garde magazines of the 1970s. Subsequently Koren has produced unusual books about design- and aesthetics-related subjects. Koren resides in both America and Japan. For more information, visit www.leonardkoren.com.

This book is an updated version of the enduring classic that first introduced the concept of “imperfect beauty” to the West. Text, images, and book design seamlessly meld into a wabi-sabi-like experience.


-S

HFH - SECRET Home Improvement Store

(HFH) Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles operates what feels like a secret home improvement store in Gardena, CA. The inventory is unlike anything I've ever seen. They carry everything from doors, windows, lumber, and everything you need to build a home, to oversize lighting fixtures, crystal chandeliers, boxes of beautiful decorative tiles, dining chairs, tables, desks, stainless steal refrigerators and other appliances, etc... Everything is donated and than sold at an extremely nominal price points. Let me stress that when I nominal I mean ridiculously cheap. My only disclaimer is that depending on the day, the inventory changes. Because everything is donated at random, there's no consistency with what's available. Obviously, those who know about the store swoop up the best things as they come in, so try to get there in the morning and try not to go on a weekend.

"Habitat for Humanity’s Home Improvement Store is a retail business selling surplus new and used home furnishings and building and home improvement materials to the general public. Retail businesses, contractors, individuals and other organizations that are remodeling or have surplus or discontinued merchandise donate usable materials. For example, a lumber company that is remodeling donated most of its inventory to the Home Improvement Store, and a lighting company who went out of business gave Habitat the remainder of its merchandise to sell. " -HFH website

"Profits from the Home Improvement Store will be used by HFH to further its mission of providing home ownership opportunities to low-income families in need of safe, decent, and affordable housing. Another benefit of the Store is environmental: materials that would otherwise be thrown into landfills are reused and recycled." - HFH website


17700 South Figueroa Street in Gardena.

www.shophabitat.org


-S

HFH - SECRET Home Improvement Store

(HFH) Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles operates what feels like a secret home improvement store in Gardena, CA. The inventory is unlike anything I've ever seen. They carry everything from doors, windows, lumber, and everything you need to build a home, to oversize lighting fixtures, crystal chandeliers, boxes of beautiful decorative tiles, dining chairs, tables, desks, stainless steal refrigerators and other appliances, etc... Everything is donated and than sold at an extremely nominal price points. Let me stress that when I nominal I mean ridiculously cheap. My only disclaimer is that depending on the day, the inventory changes. Because everything is donated at random, there's no consistency with what's available. Obviously, those who know about the store swoop up the best things as they come in, so try to get there in the morning and try not to go on a weekend.

"Habitat for Humanity’s Home Improvement Store is a retail business selling surplus new and used home furnishings and building and home improvement materials to the general public. Retail businesses, contractors, individuals and other organizations that are remodeling or have surplus or discontinued merchandise donate usable materials. For example, a lumber company that is remodeling donated most of its inventory to the Home Improvement Store, and a lighting company who went out of business gave Habitat the remainder of its merchandise to sell. " -HFH website

"Profits from the Home Improvement Store will be used by HFH to further its mission of providing home ownership opportunities to low-income families in need of safe, decent, and affordable housing. Another benefit of the Store is environmental: materials that would otherwise be thrown into landfills are reused and recycled." - HFH website


17700 South Figueroa Street in Gardena.

www.shophabitat.org


-S

Reverse Graffiti

Graffiti goes green!

Inspired, yet again.

S

Reverse Graffiti

Graffiti goes green!

Inspired, yet again.

S

R. Buckminster Fuller

Article from my favorite new magazine, DOSSIER JOURNAL - dossierjournal.com

Long before Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", there was R. Buckminster Fuller.


One of the great American visionaries of the twentieth century, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) endeavored to see what he, a single individual, might do to benefit the largest segment of humanity while consuming the minimum of the earth’s resources. Doing “more with less” was Fuller’s credo. He described himself as a “comprehensive anticipatory design scientist,” setting forth to solve the escalating challenges that faced humanity before they became insurmountable.

The Whitney is offering a thorough retrospective of his work with the show Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe. If you're gonna be in NYC sometime before October, I suggest trying to see the show and then imagining the possibilities some combination of the ideas presented might create for your own modern dwelling and living.

R. Buckminster Fuller

Article from my favorite new magazine, DOSSIER JOURNAL - dossierjournal.com

Long before Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", there was R. Buckminster Fuller.


One of the great American visionaries of the twentieth century, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) endeavored to see what he, a single individual, might do to benefit the largest segment of humanity while consuming the minimum of the earth’s resources. Doing “more with less” was Fuller’s credo. He described himself as a “comprehensive anticipatory design scientist,” setting forth to solve the escalating challenges that faced humanity before they became insurmountable.

The Whitney is offering a thorough retrospective of his work with the show Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe. If you're gonna be in NYC sometime before October, I suggest trying to see the show and then imagining the possibilities some combination of the ideas presented might create for your own modern dwelling and living.

The High Life

Please add this to the list of WHY NEW YORK ROCKS!

Friends of the High Line is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line - an abandoned 1.5 mile elevated railway (of the former elevated freight railroad) that runs along the West Side of Manhattan. The High Line was built in the early 1930s by the New York Central and has been unused by freight service since 1980.

Presently, there are plans to turn the High Line into an elevated park or greenway, similar to the Promenade Plantée in Paris. In 2004, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park.

As of 2007, Hotel developer Andre Balazs, owner of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, is building a 337-room hotel straddling the High Line at Little West 12th Street.

This is the kind of stuff I love to see...transformation.

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." - Picasso

-S

The High Life

Please add this to the list of WHY NEW YORK ROCKS!

Friends of the High Line is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line - an abandoned 1.5 mile elevated railway (of the former elevated freight railroad) that runs along the West Side of Manhattan. The High Line was built in the early 1930s by the New York Central and has been unused by freight service since 1980.

Presently, there are plans to turn the High Line into an elevated park or greenway, similar to the Promenade Plantée in Paris. In 2004, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park.

As of 2007, Hotel developer Andre Balazs, owner of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, is building a 337-room hotel straddling the High Line at Little West 12th Street.

This is the kind of stuff I love to see...transformation.

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." - Picasso

-S