Monday, June 15, 2009

Power In Buildings


I picked up an amazing book over the weekend called "Power In Buildings", and it got me interested in the author, Hugh Ferriss. The book is Ferriss's personal odyssey through the modern architecture of America from 1929 to 1953...Dams, bridge anchorages, grain elevators, skyscraper projects, and viaducts are delineated in Ferriss's rich work, and it's all pretty inspiring when you realize how influential his drawings have been on architecture, movies, and pop culture in general.

Hugh Ferriss (1889 – 1962) was an American delineator (one who creates perspective drawings of buildings) and architect. According to Daniel Okrent, Ferriss never designed a single noteworthy building, but after his death a colleague said he ‘influenced my generation of architects’ more than any other man. Ferriss also influenced popular culture, for example Gotham City (the setting for Batman) and Kerry Conran’s “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”. “Just Imagine” (movie from 1930), strongly influenced by Hugh Ferriss’s book, Metropolis of Tomorrow (1929), takes the archetype vision of the future city as defined by a Manhattan-like skyline, and portrays it in all its beauty and majesty.

Hugh Ferriss Flickr Page

Power In Buildings


I picked up an amazing book over the weekend called "Power In Buildings", and it got me interested in the author, Hugh Ferriss. The book is Ferriss's personal odyssey through the modern architecture of America from 1929 to 1953...Dams, bridge anchorages, grain elevators, skyscraper projects, and viaducts are delineated in Ferriss's rich work, and it's all pretty inspiring when you realize how influential his drawings have been on architecture, movies, and pop culture in general.

Hugh Ferriss (1889 – 1962) was an American delineator (one who creates perspective drawings of buildings) and architect. According to Daniel Okrent, Ferriss never designed a single noteworthy building, but after his death a colleague said he ‘influenced my generation of architects’ more than any other man. Ferriss also influenced popular culture, for example Gotham City (the setting for Batman) and Kerry Conran’s “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”. “Just Imagine” (movie from 1930), strongly influenced by Hugh Ferriss’s book, Metropolis of Tomorrow (1929), takes the archetype vision of the future city as defined by a Manhattan-like skyline, and portrays it in all its beauty and majesty.

Hugh Ferriss Flickr Page

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Saturday Find: Armani Casa's Bach Bar


Reflecting the spirit of Armani's haute couture, the Armani Casa 2009 collection interprets the Art Deco period in a contemporary way with textural variety, a geometric sensibility and an affinity for a restrained palette, creating a point of view that is both consistent and connected. Imitating the movement of one of his pleated garments, Armani applies a glossy, pleated surface to the geometrically styled doors of the black lacquered Bach bar, finishing it with lobster-colored fabric.

Favorite Giorgio Armani quote: "The difference between style and fashion is quality."

www.armanicasa.com

Saturday Find: Armani Casa's Bach Bar


Reflecting the spirit of Armani's haute couture, the Armani Casa 2009 collection interprets the Art Deco period in a contemporary way with textural variety, a geometric sensibility and an affinity for a restrained palette, creating a point of view that is both consistent and connected. Imitating the movement of one of his pleated garments, Armani applies a glossy, pleated surface to the geometrically styled doors of the black lacquered Bach bar, finishing it with lobster-colored fabric.

Favorite Giorgio Armani quote: "The difference between style and fashion is quality."

www.armanicasa.com

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Gay Talese: "Passeggiata"


Watch for his explanation of "passeggiata." It's the best!

Via goitaly.about.com -
Passeggiata: As evening falls and the harsh sun inches out of the your favorite piazza, an evening ritual is bound to begin, the Italian tradition of passeggiata, a gentle stroll (slow! think slow!) through the main streets of the old town, usually in the pedestrian zones in the centro storico, the historic center.

Italians tend to dress up for passeggiata, and tourists are usually easy to spot in their shorts and fanny packs. Older folks sit along the route, nursing a beer or a glass of wine in the bar, and watching for things to gossip about; la passeggiata is where new romances are on display as well as new shoes.

Passeggiata is especially popular on Sunday evenings. During the summer, some Italians even drive to nearby cities, the coast, or the lakes for a special passeggiata.

Gay Talese: "Passeggiata"


Watch for his explanation of "passeggiata." It's the best!

Via goitaly.about.com -
Passeggiata: As evening falls and the harsh sun inches out of the your favorite piazza, an evening ritual is bound to begin, the Italian tradition of passeggiata, a gentle stroll (slow! think slow!) through the main streets of the old town, usually in the pedestrian zones in the centro storico, the historic center.

Italians tend to dress up for passeggiata, and tourists are usually easy to spot in their shorts and fanny packs. Older folks sit along the route, nursing a beer or a glass of wine in the bar, and watching for things to gossip about; la passeggiata is where new romances are on display as well as new shoes.

Passeggiata is especially popular on Sunday evenings. During the summer, some Italians even drive to nearby cities, the coast, or the lakes for a special passeggiata.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

ColorSnap™ iPhone App


I'm a strict Blackberry supporter who never wanted an iPhone, well that is, until today. The latest ColorSnap™ app is a dream come true. This is an absolute must for designers, decorators, colorists, and those who need color in their lives.

With ColorSnap™, you can discover how coordinating colors and bringing ideas to life is easier than you ever imagined. Find a color you love, snap the photo and receive the matching Sherwin-Williams paint color and coordinating palette. And it’s all FREE!

-Choose a color that inspires you and match it with one of our 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors.
-Receive a coordinating palette that complements your color. Save colors to your "My Saved Colors" library for future inspiration.
-Learn more detailed information, including paint names and RGB numbers.

...Can't wait until Farrow & Ball does an app of their own!

-S