As sustainability becomes a greater concern across all fields, advances in materials technology and design mean aesthetics are no longer sacrificed for a reduced carbon footprint. Just in time for Earth Day, “Prefabulous World”…
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Long Island’s Sag Harbor, a quiet Hamptons escape, has long maintained a community that holds history and preservation paramount. For the last seven years, a project has been underway to meet local standards and reinvent one of the village’s iconic structures. …
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Monohedron is a prefab house that is mobile and suits almost any environment or climate. The idea is to move away from the predictable comfort of a brick and concrete home to something more versatile as this. With the options of adding layers of floors as per needs, the concept of your dream home takes on a whole new meaning. Customized and prefab are two words that don’t usually gel together well, but looks like this mobile home has sort of nailed it.
Designer: Andrej Cverha
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(Mobile Living With Glam was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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Professional-weight, hand-painted bones made in collaboration with GoodWoodNYC
Representing a community of photographers, writers and other creatives, NYC-based boutique creative agency TheGoodLife! curates content, events and campaigns for both established and fledgling companies. As part of their constant quest to bring this “Family” together, principals Craig Wetherby and Tim Brodhagen looked to one of their favorite pastimes,…
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Sous-vide cooking in the palm of your hand
by Irvin Slobodskaya
Sous-vide cooking is a time-tested, 300-year-old method in the culinary world, enjoying somewhat of a resurgence among today’s molecular gastronomist chefs. The remarkably simple process—it works by vacuum-sealing foods in plastic and cooking in a uniformly heated water bath at a specific temperature—has contributed to its longevity, and now, bringing it all together is the Nomiku. Recently funded through Kickstarter after being introduced this spring, the immersion circulator for sous vide is about the size of a hand blender, conveniently designed to clamp onto the side of any cooking pot.
The Nomiku offers a portable, easy-to-use alternative to dedicated sous-vide machines. Simply fill a pot with water, place desired ingredients in an air-tight plastic bag and crank the Nomiku to the right temperature on the tool’s OLED display. The result: tender, evenly cooked meat that’s as attainable in the home kitchen as it is in sophisticated, professional operations.
Taking the next step into manufacturing after the successful Kickstarter campaign, the Nomiku design team is currently in China overseeing the first production run. With this in mind, Nomiku expects to make sous-vide available for the masses this December with pre-orders available now for $359.
Our interview with the founder of LA’s new home design and accessories shop
With a style owner Scotti Sitz describes as “modern natural,” the new Los Angeles boutique Garde inhabits a tranquil and airy space stocked with eclectic handmade items.
Summoning her years of experience in fashion and interior design, Stitz filled the richly textured, light-filled shop with merchandise highlighted by carefully selected furnishings like hand-crocheted collars by Nathalie Costes, 2550º Candles and jewelry by Naomi Maslon arranged on tables made by Kristan Cunningham and Scott Jarrell.
We caught up with Sitz to learn more about the store from its opening to the constantly evolving collections she curates.
We are definitely a gift shop with home accessories. I wanted the opportunity to bring in designers and artists who weren’t necessarily represented here. I can mix my reasonably priced quilts and pillows with maybe a more luxurious cashmere throw. When something has a price point here that is a little bit higher, there is a reason for it. There is a process behind it in terms of the work and the material. Not just for the sake of being a luxury good.
I used to live in this neighborhood in the Beverly corridor a few years ago and I have watched it evolve. It’s become a destination for high-end vintage furniture, great restaurants and accessories. We looked at this space. It was a dump. The building is from the early 1940s and it had not been touched. The first business here was a bank of operators. It was the pre-411. So if you wanted to know who sold apple pies in Los Angeles between Fairfax and La Brea, these operators would tell you where to go. When we got this space there were the old phone jacks all along this wall. Then 30 years ago an electronic repair shop opened here. There was linoleum and false ceilings. The skylight was boarded up. We gutted the space.
We named the store Garde, keeping the idea of something new and different, and I also like the definition as it applies to “en garde, the stance in fencing to prepare for your match.
I ask myself, “Would I put it in my house?” “Would I wear that item?” If I have to say no, then it does not belong here. Except for some basics at good price points, everything has to have a story behind it. Everyone I represent has a story to tell. They have a process to tell and a unique and wonderful product. I love a good story.
My new obsession is Christien Meindertsma. She’s from the Netherlands. She is represented by Thomas Eyck. What I love about her is she comes up with a concept for a product design and takes it to an end product. I fell in love with her flax project a couple of years ago. Meindertsma commissioned a farmer to plant the flax seeds. Then she designed her flax collections, the flax ropes she makes into lighting fixtures. I also sell her wool Urchin poufs. If you go on her website you’ll see pictures of the sheep. They are all numbered. I love seeing the photos before and after they have been sheared.
I love Vincent Van Duysen pottery. He is a huge inspiration to me in terms of his look and design. The ceramic canisters with a sand-blasted white oak lid. The first time I got them in they weren’t even here for 24 hours. Something like that you have to touch. It has a softness to it that is just beautiful. It’s the same with Sara Paloma‘s pieces. Right now I am sold out of her work, except for one vase. We had a collection in when I first opened that I would literally make everyone touch because it was so exquisite and feels like suede. I also feel that way about the hand-blown glass vessels with cast brass botanical stoppers by Lindsey Adelman.
They are from a fashion house in India called Injiri. Everything is hand-done—the beading, the tassels, the lace, the buttons, the embroidery. There is a lot of workmanship that goes into these garments. I like the idea of carrying things that are good basics that can cross over. The scarves can be worn by men or women. The shirts are more of a year-round garment.
They are one-of-a-kind. The designer is T Smith Knowles. She’s local. Everything is hand-done, the stitching, the beadings are antique. The workmanship that goes into those bags is just exquisite. They really are unique, all hand-signed and numbered. The leather is the finest and really light-weight. She will even customize the strap for each customer.
I think what is so wonderful about this time is that there are so many amazing artists. It is the best time to do something like this. I can showcase my favorite artists and designers and many people who’s work is not represented everywhere else.
Makers of the Nest Learning Thermostat look at design in a new way
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Nest, maker of the Nest Learning Thermostat, has only just begun implementing their larger vision of creating happy homes. By reinventing a nondescript household necessity to make it a beautiful centerpiece of the home, Nest stands out by looking at the home—and the world in general—with new eyes. To celebrate this outlook, today Nest launched a new campaign video called Happy Homes, which encapsulates the innovative company’s design ethos.
“I design for the iPhone generation, people who expect beautiful, connected, intuitive devices,” explains Nest founder and CEO Tony Fadell. While this design-conscious demographic has grown extensively since the Apple boom some years ago—spawned by the iPod, which was designed by Fadell—products for the home, and appliances in particular, have remained rather untouched. This discrepancy became apparent to Fadell during the building of his “green” home in Lake Tahoe, California. When shopping for a palatable thermostat Fadell was less than impressed with his options, and so, Nest was born.
Coupled with the beauty of its product, Nest’s holistic approach has allowed them to carve their own niche in industry of home product design. Fadell tells CH that combining “new technology and a smarter, more connected customer with design sensibilities allowed Nest to revolutionize the entire experience: product, marketing, packaging, sales, installation, etc.” In short, they’ve taken an unloved product—the thermostat—and made it desirable.
To further encourage creativity in the home, Nest is hosting a competition via Pinterest. Here users can pin images of their own happy home, or really any household object with a bit of personality—i.e. a face. See the progress on Pinterest, or simply keep an eye on the Nest blog for more happy home inspiration.
Create your own miniature world full of beautiful flora and fake fauna with this step-by-step guide
From their Victorian-era genesis to waves of popularity in the ’70s and in recent years, terrariums have taken on a variety of mossy forms. Leading their most recent charge was the uniquely charming, Brooklyn-based Twig Terrariums, whose uncanny ability to build miniature worlds complete with perfectly manicured landscapes and quirky characters breathed new life into the household standby. Twig creators Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow have recently released Tiny World Terrariums, sharing step-by-step instructions on creating your own verdant paradise.
With revealing photography of little dioramic worlds depicting every situation imaginable—from graffiti writers in Manhattan to backpacking adventures in the desert—the DIY manual teaches the average crafter how to transform their own glass jar from a simple dish to an enchanting landscape. The book is filled with dictionary-like descriptions and even suggestions of proper tools for harvesting moss from the wild, making this little book an ideal guide for the novice “terrarer”.
Tiny World Terrariums is now available from Amazon for about $25. The book may also be purchased directly from Twig Terrariums, which also has more information, terrarium inspiration and a list of suggested NYC-based retailers for terrarium essentials.
The first patented controlled-feeding solution for cats
Besides their quiet companionship, cats offer a relatively low level of demand as a pet. Owners and their feline friends will enjoy the freedom of cat lover Philip Eu’s cleverly named invention, the Gatefeeder. The minimally designed controlled-access home feeding system works with a collar-mounted Smart ID tag to limit proper servings to the proper pet.
The Gatefeeder helps organize meals in multiple-cat homes, especially when one of the crew may need medication. Those who live on open farms can rely on the set-up to protect their cat’s food from pesky intruders, while outdoor cats wearing their tags can rest safe knowing strays won’t steal their rations.
Eu’s odyssey to create the Gatefeeder began when his cat, Mikey, got cancer. A new dietary regimen prevented Mikey from sharing with his housemate, Sparky. We talked to Eu to learn the story behind the decade-long labor of love to create the controlled-feeding system.
Plato is credited as having said, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”. In 1999 I had a day job with long and irregular working hours, and two cherished cats, Mikey and Sparky. Then came the news, that Mikey had life threatening health issues, and I got strict Veterinarian instructions to only feed him a special medicated diet for the rest of his life. His special diet could not be shared with his brother Sparky, so I could no longer leave food out if I was going to be working late, and most nights I had to work late. After a few months of twice daily supervised meals, and with the help of friends and family for the night time feeding, I thought that there had to be a better way! I sketched out some ideas, and I now knew what our babies at home needed; now I just needed to figure out how to make the thing work. Plato was right!
Like many inventors, this started as a weekend project for me, but each time I thought I had created the perfect solution, my cats showed me how smart they were, and sent me back to the proverbial drawing board.
I actually got stuck for over one year because the technology available didn’t allow me to make the machine I wanted. I had to wait until RFID technology became widely available and secondly, was reasonably priced before I could make the feeder I had envisioned in my mind. And still we had to overcome some very tough technical hurdles which we succeeded at because we didn’t know experts thought it was not possible.
The amount of detail and minutia required is staggering and overwhelming. I never considered that one day I would need to write a manual detailing the millimeters tolerance for how two pieces of plastic fit together or how many scratches are allowed and how to define a scratch; Mind boggling.
There are points designed in that allow users to drill bolts into the ground for situations (placement outside) where the feeder needs to be securely anchored, and the unit can allow up to five animals to use the feeder at the same time to allow users like animal shelters who might need such an option. We use more expensive stainless steel food bowls instead of various plastics because we believe they are the healthiest and most durable material for the cats, and a more expensive polycarbonate plastic for the clear parts because they are more resistant to scratching and clouding. The viewing window is not placed directly over the food bowl but angled so that an average person can stand in front of the feeder and see the condition of the dish without the need to bend over.
The Gatefeeder controlled feeding system is now available directly online from the inventor, designer and founder for $250.
A new pre-fabricated dwelling addresses financial, aesthetic and ecological concerns
The C6, a new low-cost abode by LivingHomes unveiled today at the TED conference in both Long Beach and Palm Springs, California, makes a substantial leap forward in green building. Designed with the hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in mind, the pre-fabricated structure fulfills the requirements for the LEED platinum-level environmental program with a $179,000 price point and two-day installation timetable.
Non-profit organization Make It Right—the brainchild of Brad Pitt and architect William McDonough—collaborated with LivingHomes on the creation of the C6, producing an eco-friendly home that also complied with economic and spacial restraints. For the materials, LivingHome turned to McDonough’s book “Cradle to Cradle“, which condemns industrial manufacturing’s wasteful methods and encourages the use of recyclable and non-toxic materials. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each C6 home will be donated to Make It Right.
Beyond its stellar environmental concern, the C6 ranks as an enviable design object. Focused on natural light, the floor-to-ceiling windows extend around the courtyard-style, three-bedroom house, while transom windows and solar tubes bring light to interior spaces like closets and bathrooms. The wooden interior and cork flooring give the space a warm feel, and the external fiber cement cladding makes an affordable, durable material for prolonged use.
Tech features inside the C6 include the Nest learning thermostat and the iPhone-controlled Verve lighting system. The house can be purchased at its basic level or upgraded with a number of features for extra cost. From there, general contractors must be reached to lay the foundation and erect the structure. Long thought to be the provenance of wealthy homeowners, green design has finally entered the affordable housing market with the C6.
Visit the LivingHomes website for C6 purchase and building information, or to design your own custom virtual C6 floorplan.
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