Dale Chihuly’s glass art is rightly renowned for many things. It is never, however, accused of being understated. It is vibrant, life affirming and joyful. All of that is very wonderful but somewhat challenging if you’ve been tasked to build a home for a permanent collection of the great man’s work.
Modenus was fortunate enough to be able to ask Florida based architect Alberto Alfonso how he set about designing the first installation of Dale Chihuly’s art in a building specifically designed for that purpose in St Petersburg. Continue Reading…
Fine Edge Designs design, manufacture and install beautiful bespoke freestanding and fitted furniture. The company is headed up by Colin Morrell who is both a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers and a graduate of the prestigious Parnham College which was set up by John Makepeace, OBE, the subject of a recent Modenus Blog. That’s impressive enough for those who are impressed by that sort of thing. But it’s the elegance and refinement evident in his work which is the true testimony to his pedigree and application. Continue Reading…
Bocci call themselves eclectic and we are not going to argue. They do, indeed produce some lovely lights, an interesting sofa and something that really caught my eye, a beautifully simple electrical wall socket. That may seem like a strange thing to get excited about but look around and you’ll understand. Can you really describe those ubiquitous lumps pf plastic as anything other than unloved and unlovely? I’m going to make you wait for the sockets. First I want to establish the aesthetic sensibilities of the people who produce them. Continue Reading…
How much fun can you have in 24 square meters? Or, if you don’t want to take up that much space there is a smaller version which takes up just 13 square meters? UK Manchester based architects Dwelle produce these gorgeous little structures which pack in more than you could imagine. Originally the company was called “Sheds for living” but later re-branded, wisely we think, as Dwelle, making their little abodes Dwelle.ings.
Intended to be ‘off grid’ and carbon zero, they can come with wood burning stoves or renewable energy sources such as solar panels and you can, should you wish, connect them to main utilities. Continue Reading…
We love this bathroom redo by Michelle Drenckhahn at Spacial Adaptation – amazing work on a tight budget!
“Catherine’s guest bathroom was functional, yes. However, it did not speak to her style nor the peacefulness she wished for her guest to experience while visiting. The typical beige on beige on beige was drab & depressing to say the least. The budget was small so creativity was a must. Fortunately, the client is a savvy shopper & willing to manage her own project.
Starting with a vanity “find”, we developed a color & design concept that is pleasing & refreshing! The dark wood and curved details of the vanity ground the space and add elegance. Other distinct features such as the river rock shower floor with dark grout, custom shower curtain (mounted from the ceiling), new glass doors & the crystal chandelier take this room to the next level.”
Another amazing kitchen and house remodel but Michelle Drenckhahn and Spacial Adaptation.
“The homeowners asked us to create a space where they could be together as a family and entertain friends. Starting with a new vaulted FR addition, we added two walls of windows and a fireplace to capture the essence of the outdoors as well as make the space bright, warm, and inviting. An incredible new kitchen and enlarged luxury master suite in addition to updates to much of the lower level completes the interior. The project wasn’t complete without exterior elements such as a new deck, custom screened porch and front entry to make this house a home.
Spacial Adaptation collaborated with Knight Construction Design to create this beautiful remodel.”
The homeowners in this project are a professional couple who believe that you work hard and play hard. Both with busy careers and a love for entertaining, they wanted a space that would echo their lifestyle. When they purchased the home, they saw a diamond in the rough and knew that this 1,200 square foot house was perfect for them, it just needed to be
completely redone! Continue Reading…
The underlying question of this week’s “Let’s Blog Off” was “Are today’s college grads ready for the working world?” and we seem to be looking at quite a turnout of talented wordsmiths, willing to put forth their thoughts, insights, personal experiences and opinions. The question is of course rhetorical since there are as many answers as there are college grads. My immediate counter question was “Don’t know, but is the working world ready for our college grads?”, very snippy I know, and I therefor promise to not go down the road, however tempting of talking about the continued sense of entitlement and inherent lack of flexibility in businesses large and small at a time when new ideas have to be considered, then embraced and then implemented. But no. It’s not where we’re going this time. Let’s look at why we go to college. What we learn while there. And what happens after.
The Motivation
Parents. Peers. Friends. Money. As we leave High school, this is certainly the path that is considered the way forward by most of us. It’s expected and we know that if we want to make it “big” in life we have to have a little piece of paper that says we’re ready to face the world. Another scenario is a mid-life return to college, more typically motivated by financial potential, change in a life situation or simply because we crave to learn.
College Days
Whatever the motivation, our college days will inadvertently teach us something. The fields of study cover all forms of academics of course, for better or worse, but then there is also learning about perseverance, fighting through difficult assignments, learning to use the social aspect of college to engage and network with others and of course the learning to live through an all night kegger and be back in class at 8am.
Hello World
And then, little piece of paper in hand, we’re ready to show the world what we’re made of, what we know and why we’re the long awaited answer to it’s many questions.We’re ready to show the world what we’ve learned having yet to realize that having graduated means we’re now ready. Ready to learn.
The truth is, we don’t learn everything we need to know. We are given tools and now, in the real world, we learn to use them. In design we learn to draft, learn CAD, learn how to make presentation boards, learn about materials, about proportion and balance, about famous designs in history and even about the business of design – although the latter often leaves something to be desired. And now we learn to apply the basics. Persevering is now about finding a solution when a client is angry even if it wasn’t our fault. Difficult assignments are now not a matter of a grade but a matter of a paycheck. Social engagement is now used to meet new clients and sell our vision. And the kegger has hopefully by now been replaced by cocktail parties and an occasional awards ceremony. So we learn to use our tools and hopefully to our benefit. Some of us will excel. Others will fail. Many will be in the middle somewhere, doing a good job. Regardless, as long as we’re open to new ideas and willing to learn we’re ready.
Please join our fellow bloggers below and read their take. And don’t forget we all love a good comment if you the time:
Luigi Priante and Jorge Simes create individual works of art, each tile a hand crafted innovative expression of design. They explore the essential properties of leather and glass and expand both with their own elegant interpretations. By manipulating their materials and applying an uncommon aesthetic, their tiles retain the functional properties of traditional material while offering elements of both unexpected illusion and rich beauty. Continue Reading…
Only bus drivers and 50 year old virgins wear formal shirts with short sleeves. So lets not talk about them. If you are a man wearing a long sleeve formal shirt the choice is between doing your cuffs up with a button, probably made of plastic, or using cuff links.
Using cuff links says all sorts of things about you, not least that you either don’t live by yourself or that you have a level of dexterity that suggests that you are wasted in your solitary life. Continue Reading…
