From the monthly archives: August 2011
Read the rest of Belgian Brewery Transformed into Modern Housing Project for Artists
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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptive reuse, Architecture, artist housing, ateiler gigogne, belgium, brewery, brussels, collective housing project, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green housing, green renovation, housing, l'escaut, Sustainable Building, sustainable design
Seven independent jewelers inspired by geometry
Sacred underlying principle of the universe or Modernist design statement, geometric-inspired jewelry makes for good look. The following seven examples of Cartesian jewelry by independent designers perfectly add a literal edge for men and women alike.
For an unusual—even slightly eccentric—take on accessories look to RillRill of Portland, Oregon. Each one-of-a-kind piece demands attention with gypsy-esque chain designs of delicate mixed metals. The slave bracelet wraps around the middle finger and comes in several variations, including one made of copper and miniature arrowhead charms, while the silver and gold body chain garter fastens with a hidden elastic band for freedom of movement. RillRill's creative stylings are available directly through Etsy where they sell between $35-80.
These unconventional triangle hoop cufflinks subtly add a modern accent to any French cuff. Forged of sterling silver and plated with black gold, these clever cufflinks sell through 360cufflink's Etsy page for $75, also available in white gold.
Sometimes the simpler an idea, the better. Case in point, the brass bar earrings from threedeluxe. Measuring only 3/4 inch in length, each pair of raw brass earrings is small but powerful, made to order in San Francisco. Pick up a pair from Etsy for the modest price of $22.
Large porcelain beads threaded on a sterling silver chain make this statement piece worthy of every eye in the room. The facet ball necklace is made by hand in Australia and available in multiple different sizes and colors. Contact Dani M directly for more information about her playful porcelain wares.
Brooklyn-based design team Loyalty and Blood make a variety of creative necklaces, rings, and earrings inspired by basic forms and a DIY aesthetic. The flat triangles necklace is a pleasing take on the concept of repetition. Made of brass, the 20" necklace goes for $49 from their online shop.
The cutest of the bunch, Stone & Honey's tiny triangle ring is made of oxidized sterling silver with brass. Due to this oxidation process, each ring will develop its own unique patina over time, adding a little detail to the simplistic design. At just $20 each, the c ring is perfect for wearing stacked or as one alone. You can find the tiny ring in their online store.
Less is more with the beautiful negative space circle tie bar. The elegant piece is constructed of highly-polished sterling silver and handmade in Israel. Head to Erga's Etsy page to purchase the ideal piece of understated style for $52.
Nicki Minaj debuts the video for her single “Fly” featuring Rihanna, tonight on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.
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Enter NBA’s Greatest. MJ is back and he brought some friends along. NBA 2K12 is available in stores everywhere 10/4/2011.
Read the rest of La Tonnelle Wine Tasting Room Tucks Into the Terraced Cliffs of Switzerland
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Post tags: Daniel Schlaepfer, Fournier-maccagnan Architecture, green wine tasting, green wineryeco wine tasting, Lake Geneva wine tasting, Lavaux wine tasting, local materials, metal skin, pixilated facade, Swiss green building, Wine tasting room
North American roasters get crafty with South American and African beans
Thanks to the likes of Portland's Stumptown and Chicago's Intelligentsia, the favor of independent micro-roasters over corporate coffee houses is not only seen among connoisseurs but mainstream Americans as well. To survey the latest we've dedicated our morning—and afternoon and evening—cups of coffee to finding the best artisinal purveyors from across the U.S. Below is a selection of seven cups of black gold that will not only keep your moving, but taste good too.
Earning the coveted title of coffee partners with the cycling gurus at Rapha, San Francisco's own Four Barrel serves up one of the best cups of joe around. We imported a beautiful bag of their Kenyan Muranga Theri and fell in love. This sweet coffee has a delicate citric acidity with a bold bitter end—available for $20 per 12-ounce bag at their Valencia Street shop and on their website.
A Northeastern favorite, Gorilla Coffee hails "from a little town called Brooklyn." The coffee is bold and strong, just as one would expect from the city that never sleeps. We found the Kenyan Fairview Estate to be nothing fancy, just a good solid coffee perfect for every day drinking. The buttery brew sells at Gorilla's webshop for $15 per 12-ounce bag.
Operating from their lone shop in Topeka, KS since 1993, PT's Coffee Roasting roasts over 100 tons of specialty coffee a year. We got our hands on a half pound of the Organic Guatemala Finca Santa Isabel blend. Shortly after the first sip we noticed a subtle—almost floral—flavor that lingered even after the cup was gone. This smooth coffee sells for $15 per 12-ounce bag through their website.
Founded by a former Starbucks exec, Roasting Plant roasts a wide variety of beans on site every single day to offer the absolute freshest coffee possible. We snagged a bag of the Roasting Plant Blend, described by one CH taster as "how you imagine coffee should be" and the aromatic blend quickly became one of our favorites. Look to either of their two NYC locations or their online store where $22 will get you 16-ounce bag of premium beans.
Located in the Hudson Valley just outside of NYC, Irving Farm roasts daily to achieve a "farm fresh" quality. As fans of their Flying Donkey espresso, we were eager to taste a few coffee bean selections, and found the Gotham Blend to have the most enticing full flavor. The dark, smokiness really came through with each sip, resulting in a "luscious, powerful and strong" cup of coffee. Available at Irving Farm's website for $14 per 12-ounce bag.
Portland's Heart Coffee Roasters roasts twice weekly in-store to ensure consistent quality from each batch of season-specific beans. We tried the Guatemala El Limonar, a soft hitting coffee with a slight nutty flavor accented by notes of citrus. Heart's lightly roasted coffees sell from $14 to $20 per 12-ounce bag throughout the Rose City as well as online.
After fifteen years of research and experimentation, the brains behind Seattle's Espresso Vivace think they've found just the right way to roast their espresso beans. After many rounds of voluntary sampling we agree. Described by Vivace as being ideal for drip coffee and french presses, the Espresso Vita is a delightful blend that we found to be light and flavorful, with a "classic" and "lovely" disposition. Available through Vivace's webshop for around $16 per 16-ounce bag.
Read the rest of Enchanting ‘Eco Truly Park’ is a Self-Sustaining Paradise on Earth
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Post tags: Architecture, Art, bamboo, biodegradable materials, eco-tourism, eco-travel, green holidays, green materials, green resources, Healthy Living, lima, mud houses, Organic vegetables, pacific ocean, peru, recycling / compost, reiki, sand dunes, Solar Power, sustainable food, Sustainable Materials, vegetarian food, yoga
Read the rest of C. F. Møller’s Colorful New Copenhagen School Take A Nod from its Historic Neighbors
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Post tags: cf moller, double glazed skin, eco school, green school, green school Copenhagen, nieghborhood appropriate modern design, passive cooling, passive heat, Sølvgade School
Mercedes introduces the new 2012 SLK55 AMG powered by a 5.5-liter V8 engine that generates up to 415 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. The SLK55 AMG accelerates to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and weighs just over 3500 pounds. The car will make it’s official debut at next month’s Frankfurt show, but won’t go on sale in the U.S. until early 2012.
Read the rest of Mexico’s Subterranean Children’s Museum is an Immersive Educational Environment
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Post tags: building reuse, children's museum, contemporary museum design, eco museum, Eco museum design, green museum, Green roof museum, Iñaki Echeverria, Mexican children's museum, Mexico green building, Papalote Verde Monterrey, underground museum
Many of you remember Julia Vaughn from our interview a few years back when she was working with Triumvir. Now she’s the founder of AVGVSTA & AVGVSTVS, her own hand-crafted jewelry line inspired by cultured arts and enthusiasts of the past.
With a mini-collection dubbed Heirlooms, each specimen is one-of-a-kind and meticulously pieced together by the creator herself. Several of the necklaces are embellished with rare vintage trinkets, giving each piece a unique personality and story of their own.
With a strong emphasis on versatility, the line is dedicated to the go-getters and style-setters. Great for layering, these works of art make it easy for anybody to make a statement.
Check out the entire collection at the AVGVSTA & AVGVSTVS webstore.
Pics of Porsche’s next generation 911 have been leaked on the net. The 2012 Porsche 911 will feature a slightly elongated profile, the result of a 2.2-inch increase in overall length. Full details on engine specs and such will be available next month when the car makes it debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Read the rest of Gorgeous Rooftop Garden Apartment Grows Above a Warehouse in London
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Post tags: "living wall", eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, living facade, London, Richard Rogers, roof garden apartment, rooftop apartment, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, tonkin liu, vertical garden
Mosquitos keeping you up at night? Here’s a creative, eco-friendly, non-toxic way to keep your home mosquito free! And it also doubles up as a pleasant fragrance while keeping those bloodsuckers away...
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Read the rest of Shining Low-Energy L’Arbrisseau Neighborhood Center Rises in France
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Post tags: Colboc Franzen & Associates, community center, eco design, energy efficient design, france, green architecture, Green Building, green design, high performance facade, L'Arbrisseau, L'Arbrisseau Neighborhood Center, lille, neighborhood center, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design
Read the rest of Telok Blangah Hill Park’s Flying Bridges Soar Through the Sky
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Post tags: elevated parks, elevated pathways, flying architecture, green spaces, high line, hsbc tree top walk, raised parks, Singapore, suspensions bridges, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Urban design
Look at the headlines – we have financial turmoil all over the world, riots in the UK and someone is remaking Dirty Dancing. Truly this is the end of world… or pretty close to it. If you are concerned about where you will live once gangs of bikers start roaming the war-ravaged landscape that our planet might become, never fear – for a company called Vivos has created a stylish underground shelter network for “long-term survival in future catastrophes”.
Read the rest of Worried About the End of the World? Buy a Stylish Vivos Bunker
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Post tags: emergency bunker, end of the world bunker, green design bunker, mojave desert vivos bunker, robert vicino, stylish bunker, vivos bunkers, vivos mojave desert bunker, vivos robert vicino
How some of the most tech-savvy are using the latest social network
With any new networking platform, the tech crowd always takes the lead while the rest of us are still complaining about our parents joining Facebook. When Google+ launched last month it seemed like a particularly novel way to stay socially organized, but we still weren't quite sure what to do with it. Turning to the digital community and beyond, we asked around to see how some of the earliest-adopters are using it. From Refinery29's VP of Engineering Jorge Lopez and Gina Bianchi (who herself enabled anyone to make their own networking platform by co-founding Ning) to Selectism editor Jeff Carvalho and Jean Aw, Notcot founder, the overwhelming response from the total of 10 people that we surveyed was that, while there's tremendous potential, there's still a lot of learning that has to happen on both the consumer and Google's side.
Brett Renfer (Interaction Designer at Rockwell Group Lab told us that the more he uses it, the more he's discovered a need to share in the selective way that the site allows. Many from our list were on Google+ (or Plus, as some call it) since its launch, like technologist Joel Niedfeldt who described it as a "veritable ghostland at first." Matt Spangler (a friend of CH and digital entrepreneur) relays his more common experience, "I've read about it in articles more than I've used it."
Despite initial hesitations, most of the people we spoke to are checking Google+ two or three times a day. Ben Lerer, a Thrillist co-founder, and Taj Reid, who's the brains behind WeJetSet, point out they visit more thanks to the mobile phone app, and as illustrator Keren Richter predicts, while it doesn't have the same activity as Twitter or Facebook, it "has a chance of catching on."
Which feature do you use most often?
Jeff: Circles, based on common interests. I have circles for people I know interested in technology and music, for example.
Jorge: The Stream is pretty much as far as I go with it. Going to Google+ has pretty much been a chore.
Taj: Definitely the Stream and Circles. I'm also interested in making more use of the photo section.
Gina: My team and I kicked Skype to the curb and now use Hangouts for our daily stand-ups because of the higher quality and reliability. I think they just nailed it.
Keren: I use the Stream, I post photos and update my status.
What's different about Google+ that you really like?
Ben: It feels like a blend between LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to me, but it has some advantages of all of them.
Brett: The Circles more closely mimic real-world social structure. I can see Google+ growing into more of a hub for me, especially in a work context.
Joel: They've built a very mature social networking platform that does away with the early-stage stuff that just annoys me now on Facebook. It's more of a tool.
Jorge: If they had events, I like that I could create a public event and exclude some people. (Sorry parents, I love you, but I don't want you to hang out with my drunk friends.)
Taj: I like how the posting works—it encourages stickier conversations.
Matt: I like the simplicity and clarity of its design and user interface. Its biggest advantage is its integrating the magic of push notification alerts into my everyday media activity.
Gina: It's seamlessly connected to Gmail as well as my Google docs and apps, so it fits in beautifully with the fabric of my workday.
Is Google+ better for business or social aspects?
Brett: My job is very tech-centric, so my circles lean more towards people I'm interested in because of work rather than people I know in a social context.
Jeff: Socially. We'll see how their business model turns out for the service. I have a feeling it will not be free.
Jean: So far it's the same mess I have on Facebook and Twitter.
Matt: I've started creating some client-specific circles that I'm monitoring, but its just the beginning of that. Once they open up the API and allow for third-party developing, I think I'll both use the system more and it will drive a lot more adoption. I can imagine ways my small groups of trusted individuals can connect in more exicting ways, but it will depend on how well-done the API is.
Keren: I'm not the most business-minded. Right now, it's mostly for friends and memes, but it's not SO much better than Facebook that there will be a mass exodus.
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