S T R O N G P L A C E

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T13:08:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a warm holiday season in your strong place!

If you see something, spread the cheer! See you in 2012.

Happy July!

2011-07-08T15:00:00.005-04:00

Strong Place will be taking a summer sabbatical. See you in August for our 100th post!

Wednesday Wood: St. Hubert Residence by Naturehumaine

2011-07-06T12:30:00.017-04:00

The transformation of the St. Hubert residence in Montreal, Canada is an act of pure architectural genius. It comes as no surprise that the Ordre des Architectes du Québec presented Naturehumaine, the firm behind its redesign, won the Marcel-Parizeau Award at the 2011 Awards of Excellence in Architecture.

You can read all about Naturehumaine's impressive expansion of their clients' one-level bungalow at their website or you can just ogle the photographs of St. Hubert below. Your call, no judgment.

Happy Friday and Fourth of July!

2011-07-01T10:30:00.001-04:00

The Woolworth Building, an American landmark to celebrate this 235th birthday!

Ridiculous Things We Want: Jean Prouvé's Bicycle

2011-07-01T09:20:00.002-04:00

Steel and aluminum bike by Jean Prouvé, 1941. No explanation necessary.

Mind Your Step

2011-06-30T09:00:00.019-04:00

Check out Erik Johansson's Mind Your Step street illusion in Stockholm, Sweden. Those Swedes sure know how to enliven public spaces with quirky art. Remember the piano staircase?

When You've Had Enough of Wednesday Wood...

2011-06-29T10:13:00.031-04:00

Apartment Therapy via Make recently featured a DIY guide to shaving your rug! Using a pair of electric clippers and some masking tape, it's a relatively simple way to create a custom look at an affordable price. See the full process sans personal hygiene humor here.

Wednesday Woods: The Great Outdoors

2011-06-29T08:15:00.025-04:00

The above photograph was taken at Olympic National Park two years ago during a trip along the West Coast. In the comforts of our un-air-conditioned top floor walk-up with the sounds of garbage trucks below, I am nostalgically browsing through my photographs from that summer. It's got me itching to get outdoors. Honestly, whether it's seeking solace from the heat under a thicket of leaves or by dipping into some nearby fresh water, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't want a woodsy getaway right about now.

Jean Prouvé

2011-06-28T09:37:00.003-04:00

Jean Prouvé's classic line of furniture has recently been reinterpreted by the clothing brand G-Star Raw of all companies. Nine of the 17 pieces presented at the Vitra campus in Germany last week will be available for purchase in the fall. While G-Star's new color schemes don't distract from Prouvé's iconic forms, they do give me the urge to post some of my favorite original designs without commentary and let the furniture speak for itself. There's a reason why Prouvé is considered one of the most important designers of the 20th century.

Standard Chairs (1934) with Gueridon Table (1949)

2-Seat School Desk (1952)

Anthony Chair (1954)

Bibliotheque, designed with Charlotte Perriand & Sonia Delaunay (1953)

Potence Lamp (1954) with EM Table (1950)

The Alternative Portrait Project

2011-06-27T08:15:00.046-04:00

Check out these incredibly fun and creative "alternative portraits" by Alexandra Diez de Rivera. Diez de Rivera works with clients on portraits that reveal aspects of their personalities and lifestyles, often involving the same individual in a variety of poses. Each photograph paints a slightly surreal story that's full of movement and life!

I imagine an alternative portrait of Strong Place might feature us surrounded by (or perhaps ingrained in) wood while eating and blogging.

Special thanks to my friend Clément for introducing me to her work.

Con Ed Water Tower

2011-06-23T09:53:00.001-04:00

Con Ed plant, Vinegar Hill

Merci

2011-06-21T10:00:00.184-04:00

I've died and gone to heaven. Design heaven, that is. I imagine crossing the courtyard of 111 Boulevard Bouchemarchais is much like entering the gates of heaven. Surreptitiously tucked away from street view, Merci appeared to be just another cafe along the walk from Le Marais to Place de la Republique. But it's so much more.

Merci was my last stop in Paris before hopping on the RER to Charles DeGaulle. What was supposed to be a quick browse after lunch at La Boulangerie turned out to be the biggest regret of my trip. Launched in March 2009 by Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, this charitable retail concept occupies an impeccably decorated three-level, 1,500 square-foot converted factory.

What's there to do at Merci, you ask? It's a veritable design playland! Grab a bite at the eatery downstairs or a cappuccino at the street-level cafe while flipping through used books. Test scents in the Annick Goutal laboratory or wash and moisturize your hands with the Aesop skincare line. Browse the fashion sections (something I completely avoided as it would have been a time suck and I was on a strict schedule). Sift through fabrics, rifle through stationaries and spell your name repetitively with different pens and pencils. Sit on an assortment of chairs. Pick out all your dream kitchenware only to realize you'd actually have to cook to put these items to use. Take a mental picture of your dream summer home -- in France, no less. Or maybe just go to fulfill your philanthropic desires; profits go to a children's charity in Madagascar. Whatever you do, plan to spend more than 15 minutes there. You won't regret it.

Retro Brooklyn Neighborhood Walks

2011-06-20T09:13:00.003-04:00

It's true that the best camera is the one you always carry around. And of course the best retro camera app is the one that's free!

They make capturing these moments of being a hometown tourist that much more enjoyable.

Going to my parents' house now almost inevitably involves falling asleep on the train, missing my stop and walking from Brighton Beach.

Brighton Cold Certified Fur Storage

Green door on Coney Island Ave.

Looking over the Prospect Expressway, Coney Island Hospital creepin' in the background

Walking over the ramp

An undelivered package sent me to a very random part of Brooklyn: 51st St. and New Utrecht Ave., Borough Park.

Row houses on 49th St.

The ever-present Eagle Clothes sign in the Gowanus

Happy Friday

2011-06-17T14:00:00.005-04:00

Vernon, France

Rocker Round-Up

2011-06-16T09:16:00.021-04:00

It's no secret that Strong Place is a big fan of rocking chairs. Now that the weather's downright summery, I can't think of anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon than sip on some home-brewed iced coffee while reading on a rocking chair. In honor of lazy weekends to come, here's a round-up of my favorite rockers:

The Eames rocker is an icon of mid-century design. The molded plastic seats are surprisingly comfortable and the maple runners provide a smooth rocking motion. Not to mention this timeless, attractive design fits just about any setting. As Charles Eames once said, "Who says that pleasure is not useful?"

Jarrod Lim has a light airy aesthetic that produces simple, beautiful forms. This rocker is no exception with its solid wood base and upholstered seat with just a touch of character provided by the two-button detail.

The Race Rocker designed by Ernest Race in 1948 was recently reissued. With its metal frame and wooden armrests, this rocking chair is a post-war classic that just gets better with time. Its simple linear form looks great in the living room or on the porch (if you're lucky enough to have one).

Wednesday Wood: Anzfer Farms

2011-06-15T09:18:00.014-04:00

Anzfer Farms is a workshop and showroom located in the Outer Richmond District of San Francisco. Started in 2009 by Jonathan Anzalone and Joseph Ferriso, the design team works primarily with reclaimed wood to create unique objects that are raw yet elegant.

Their most well-known designs are the fragment lights made with driftwood and scavenged brick and concrete pieces. There's something intrinsically appealing about the formal contrasts of the rough, unpolished base and the round glass bulb that sits delicately on top.

Anzfer Farms also make fragment vases, which have a similar juxtaposition at work in the raw, weathered base and the delicacy of the glass tube and single flower. One works to bring out the natural beauty of the other.

The redwood spindle book easel is a great example of the kind of design I love -- simple, straightforward forms and ideas that are skillfully crafted and executed.

Redwood watercolor lamps

Frame shelf

Copper and olive branch candle holders

So far I haven't seen anything from them I didn't like. Check out more of Anzfer Farms' designs at their blog and store.

Paris Rooftops

2011-06-14T08:30:00.001-04:00

Your skyline may not offer the awe-inspiring altitude of New York's but there's something magical about your horizon of endless mansard roofs littered with smokestacks. Paris, je t'aime!

Space Invader

2011-06-13T09:00:00.073-04:00

With over 700 installations throughout Paris, it's not difficult to spot one of Space Invader's tiled creatures on the next street corner. Harder is catching the man himself installing one of these nostalgic mosaics. On my first night after a long dinner at Aux Deux Amis in Oberkampf, I walked back to my flat on Île Saint-Louis and saw Space Invader and his posse gluing up the below on Pont de Sully. Win!

Below are some other Space Invaders I spotted throughout Paris.

Montmarte

Belleville

Le Marais

Joyeux Vendredi!

2011-06-10T12:00:00.003-04:00

Wednesday Wood: George Nakashima

2011-06-08T09:13:00.003-04:00

You can't talk about wood without talking about George Nakashima. The man was a master woodworker who put butterfly joints on the map. Case in joint:

Nakashima, who was born in 1905 in Spokane, Washington, originally studied architecture, working under Antonin Raymond in Japan. In 1940 he returned to the U.S. to teach woodworking and to make furniture in Seattle. Like others of Japanese ancestry, he was interned during WWII and sent to a camp in Hunt, Idaho. It was there that Nakashima met Gentaro Hikogawa, a man trained in traditional Japanese carpentry. Under his tutelage, Nakashima mastered the use of Japanese hand tools and traditional joinery techniques. More importantly, he began to approach woodworking with discipline and patience, striving for perfection at every step of construction.

His signature woodworking design usually consisted of large-scale slabs of wood with smooth finished tops and jagged natural edges. He saw an inherent beauty in wood with cracks, burls, knots and other "imperfections" and featured them prominently in his work. Nakashima's approach to his craft was tied to his reverence of trees, which he believed possessed their own character.

His daughter Mira, who began working with him in 1970 and is now the creative director and head designer of the family business, says that “his philosophy was to allow the material to do what it could do rather than force the material to do what you wanted it to.”

Architect and interior designer Michael Gabellini's residence at Prospect Park West

Open canted barrel vault pool house, designed and built in 1960

George and Mira, 1945

Piece x Peace Frame by Kazutoyo Yamamoto

2011-06-07T09:01:00.001-04:00

Following our post on the Inception Chair, here's a picture frame that takes a similar cue. Designed by Kazutoyo Yamamoto, piece x peace is a unique frame within a frame that utilizes scraps of post-consumer wood. Each piece is carefully handcrafted and highlights the beauty of contrasting wood grains and stains. Simple idea, meticulous execution.

With a frame this attractive, you don't even need a picture to hang it up.

Strong Place in Paris

2011-06-07T08:30:00.013-04:00

Greetings from Paris!

Notre Dame

The Paris Metro

The Louvre

Atop the Arc de Triomphe

Ben Sandler's Tomorrowland

2011-06-06T08:55:00.134-04:00

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for good lighting and mid-century furniture. Not to mention plumbing the cultural imagination of past generations to see what their vision of the future looked like.

No wonder I feel so entranced by Ben Sandler's Tomorrowland. It perfectly captures the future mid-century milieu. Styled as the Jetsons meet Mad Men, Sandler shot this series in Alvar Aalto's Maison Carré, the Finnish architect's iconic modernist house for Louis Carré just outside of Paris. All the lighting and furniture are Aalto originals, except for the little details (video phones, flying cars) added later by a CGI artist. In doing so, Sandler creates a world that never quite materializes except in the imagination of Modernity.

Aalto's beautifully preserved house, however, has since been acquired by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and is now open to the public.

Happy Friday!

2011-06-03T14:13:00.006-04:00

Ridiculous Things We Want: Vintage Fans

2011-06-02T09:18:00.001-04:00

New York City weather is not for the faint of heart. We like to feel our seasons. I mean, really feel them. It's not even officially summer yet but the sidewalks are already emitting a familiar oppressive heat. It seems downright impossible to shake the sticky cling of urban humidity these days.

Coveting vintage fans is definitely a ridiculous want at this time of year. Why bother when you can take refuge in the glorious air-conditioned splendor of a subway car or supermarket? Even a cold shower before bed would be more effective in cooling you down. The appeal of these fans isn't in their function so much as their story. Like smart phones and the internet, it's hard to imagine life before freon-controlled environments. Here are a few attractive reminders.

Oscillating GE fan from Etsy, $48

Master desk fan from topsy design, $285

Machine Age Emerson electric fan on Esty, $36

Wednesday Wood: Joinery

2011-06-01T09:30:00.050-04:00

Joinery doesn't always need to be discrete. Personally, I prefer my joints exquisitely overt. Joinery can add a touch of detail enough to make a piece unique. Below are some of my favorite examples of exposed joinery.

Orlando based woodworker John Washburn of Hog Eat Hog built Rifle Paper Co.'s entire studio in Winter Park, Florida.

Brooklyn based design Asher Israelow

Berenice Abbott: Changing New York

2011-05-31T10:25:00.067-04:00

Special thanks to my brother-in-law, Charlie, who shared Berenice Abbott's Changing New York, 1935-1938 collection. Abbott, best known for her black and white photography of New York City architecture and urban design of the 1930s, curated the Changing New York collection to demonstrate three aspects of urban life: the diverse people of the city, the places they live, work and play, and their daily activities. The collection was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration and is part of the New York Public Library's collection.

Henry Street -- A block I visited every Sunday over ten years for piano lessons

Broadway and Broome

Park Row or "Newspapers Row" -- Before J&R monopolized Park Row's commercial space

Brooklyn Bridge, Water and Front Streets -- A similar photograph nearly 80 years later

The "El" Train on Second and Third Avenues, near Bowery and Division Streets

First tenement house, 72nd Street

On the waterfront, South Street

Happy Friday!

2011-05-27T11:00:00.021-04:00

Strong Place on Front Street, Dumbo

If you happen to be partaking in a barbecue/picnic/tailgate/cookout/luau/any other outdoor food-oriented merrymaking this weekend, consider playing my new mix for the impending summer:

Fete Sounds

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Nights and Weekends

2011-05-26T09:50:00.019-04:00

Last Friday, The New York Times T Magazine featured the recently opened Nights and Weekends, sister restaurant to the popular Greenpoint cafe and bar Five Leaves. Nights and Weekends, situated around the corner from Five Leaves and across from McCarren Park, hosts a menu inspired by Cuba and the West Indies with seasonal plates like ceviche and rum accents in both its foods and beverages.

The interiors are less Caribbean-inspired save for its pseudo al fresco dining. The 750-square-feet space features three large galvanized metal doors and two fold-up windows opening to the sidewalk. Jud Mongell, one of the owners, likens the space to a "garage in South America." With its salvaged wood floors and purple glass from a turn of the century hardware store in Virginia, it shouldn't be a surprise where Strong Place will be spending our nights and weekends this summer.

Wednesday Wood: hOmE's studio

2011-05-25T09:19:00.028-04:00

You know the saying. Wood haven ain't just a neighborhood in Queens. It's also Evan and Oliver Haslegrave's 1,200 ft. studio in Greenpoint. The bearded brothers that make up the design team hOmE are responsible for the distinct interior stylings of Elsa, Manhattan Inn, duckduck, and Goat Town, among several other fine NYC establishments. There's a cohesiveness in Evan and Oliver's industrial rustic workspace that you'll also find in their more polished commercial interiors. Decorated with well-placed curios, including the innards of a piano mounted on the wall, the studio is a lumberjack's dream shop, which the brothers had extensively renovated. Check out the woodsy fruits of their labor below.

More photos at The Scout.

Brooklyn Neighborhood Walks

2011-05-24T09:45:00.005-04:00

Last week I found myself in a couple Brooklyn neighborhoods I rarely ever visit. Food was of course the destination, but I thought I should at least document the walk to it with a Hipstamatic equivalent.

177 Greenpoint Ave.

St. Anthony of Padua Church on Manhattan Ave., built in 1875.

New Utrecht Ave., Dyker Heights

ALSO, here's the terribly wrong weather forecast of late brought to you by an MTA rider:

Ridiculous Things We Want: Inception Chair

2011-05-23T09:35:00.043-04:00

I just had a dream that this year's International Contemporary Furniture Fair debuted the Inception Chair by Vivian Chiu.

...Or did I? The Inception Chair is an amazing Russian doll of meta-chairs. Assembled by nesting a series of 10 gradually smaller chairs through pegs and hand cut grooves, it's a seat within a seat I can really get behind. Special thanks to our friend Sam who nested this find into our coveting hearts.

Happy Friday

2011-05-20T10:00:00.024-04:00

Here's to what comes after the rain... Until then, enjoy the weekend!

College Place Carriage House

2011-05-19T09:13:00.002-04:00

This carriage house, sitting pretty on College Place in Brooklyn Heights, is the stuff of converted lofty dreams. Typical, I know, but no less amazing.

Wednesday Wood: My End Table

2011-05-18T09:00:00.050-04:00

As a graduate of SVA's basic woodworking continuing education class (and therefore a bona fide woodworker), I'd like to present my final project: an end table. Made of ash wood and jointed with dominos, this end table may have taken three to four classes to construct but came with a wealth of practical woodworking knowledge. I can now wear my flannel as a legit lumberjack!

DIY: Plumbing Pipe Shelving

2011-05-17T09:45:00.005-04:00

Plumbing pipe is a DIY godsend. It can easily be purchased at your local hardware store, cut to size and threaded as needed. Which is why it's common in DIY customized shelving. With the right pieces of wood, plumbing pipe can help create your dream industrial chic shelving. Check out this how-to from The Brick House for step-by-step instructions!

The Era of the Underwater Subway Graveyard

2011-05-17T09:11:00.069-04:00

Yes, I know, it's annoying to manually delete that extra bit of NYTimes pop-up url every time. But damn, they really know how to do subway slideshows right.

The latest greatest one is a series that documents the MTA's 10-year plan of dumping more than 2,500 obsolete subway cars into the ocean. In a combined effort to efficiently dispose of old unused cars and revitalize the marine ecosystem along the Eastern Seaboard, the subways "were packed up, shipped out and then, with a splash, dropped into silent graves at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean."

Teaming with barnacles, mussels, bass, tautog, and the occasional shark, they're just as crowded now as they were during rush hour many years ago.

Unfortunately, the MTA determined that its newer subway cars wouldn't be suitable for this fate. With more plastic parts, they're also more expensive to prepare for reefing.

"The era of the underwater subway graveyard officially came to an end."

Rifle Paper Co.

2011-05-16T09:05:00.014-04:00

I met Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. at the Renegade Craft Fair two years ago and was completely enamored with her beautifully illustrated paper goods and custom invitations. While sifting through her portfolio, I found myself coming up with party ideas for the sole purpose of employing their custom invitation services.

Their styles range from whimsical calligraphy to elaborate floral patterns. While not all customized, even Rifle's more massed produced products deliver like personal notes. Below is some of Rifle's new stock, which previewed at the National Stationary Show yesterday and today.

1. Just a Little Note Card 2. Botanical Coaster Set (8 coasters, 4 designs) 3. Vintage Happy Birthday Mermaid Card with gold foil & matching gold envelope 4. Girlie Dog Set 5. Vintage Telephone Message Notepad

Happy Friday!

2011-05-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

Go forth and frolic!

Google's New Smart Bulb

2011-05-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

There Google goes again, trying to bring us a little closer to that imagined future of flying cars and robot servants. The company just unveiled a new LED light bulb that can be controlled by any Android device using its new open-source wireless networking protocol.

Working with Lighting Science Group, the search giant developed a 60 watt equivalent bulb that can be dimmed or brightened by an Android-equipped smart phone, tablet or laptop. The light bulb's built-in radio interfaces with Google's new open-source wireless protocol introduced at this year's I/O developer conference in San Francisco. The protocol can also be used to control appliances and thermostats, so it may very well usher in a new wave of smart systems that self-adjust to ensure energy efficiency. Consider it the universal remote for the 21st century.

Google's light bulbs will be available at the end of this year.

New Feature: Wednesday Wood?

2011-05-11T09:04:00.003-04:00

BMT Jamaica Line

2011-05-11T08:15:00.018-04:00

In researching the French Connection's final scene in Bensonhurst last week, I came across this amazing photograph of the BMT Jamaica Line circa the late 1970s.

2011 Small/Cool Winner: Brooklyn

2011-05-10T08:54:00.033-04:00

As New Yorkers, we seem to feel most at home in cramped quarters. Tiny studio apartments, rush hour subway commutes, congested sidewalks -- we somehow make even the most claustrophobic situations downright enviable. No surprise that the winner of this year's Apartment Therapy Small Cool contest hails from Brooklyn.

Check out Jordan's Williamsburg digs. With just 460 square feet of space, she manages to pack in lots of personal touches, a sweet mini-collection of classic chairs, and a keen, clean sense of organization with a color palette that ties it all together.

Happy Friday

2011-05-06T15:05:00.003-04:00

Ridiculous Things We Want: Pirate Ship Kite

2011-05-06T09:39:00.014-04:00

This week's ridiculous want comes from an Amsterdam-based children's clothing brand called Gray Label. Nevermind that they specialize in "organic apparel for the little minimalist." I mean, sure, I do find myself wishing they made clothes for people larger than a kindergartner. What's wrong with wearing a nautical jumper to work anyway?

But that's all besides the point. Gray Label just so happens to make the coolest looking kite I've ever seen -- a denim pirate ship kite that I imagine would be the perfect post-picnic activity on a breezy spring day. And when you're not setting sails for the high skies, this kite would look just as good docked on your mantel or bookshelf.

The Seagram Building

2011-05-05T09:08:00.122-04:00

Does it get any more quintessentially New York than Susan Sontag waxing poetic about the Seagram building? No one else can get away with comparing an elevator swishing up to a gigolo's hand on a silk stocking.

I'm not the biggest fan of corporate modernism as far as architectural styles go, but I do find the Seagram building to be an exceptional structure. Designed by Mies van der Rohe in collaboration with Philip Johnson, it was completed in 1958 and was for its time the most expensive skyscraper ever constructed.

The Seagram building is seminal in its influence on American architecture. Built in the international style, it sought to emphasize its structural elements externally. Like all modernist movements, the emphasis was on the quality of materials used; the medium was indeed the message. The international style argued that the functional utility of a building's structural elements should be made visible. Rather than applied ornamentation, the structural components would converse more honestly with the public.

Mies wanted the Seagram's steel frame to be exposed but building regulations required that structural steel be covered in a fireproof material. Concrete hid the structure of the building, so Mies used non-structural bronze I-beams to suggest structure instead, which is the part I find pretty funny. The I-beams become just another decorative flourish in the facade of industrial modernism. They may refer to the building's structure but actually have nothing at all to do with it, making them even more ornamental than, say, a cornice. It makes the case for Philip Johnson's statement that the international style is purely an aesthetic movement.

Strong Place à la Kentile Floors

2011-05-04T08:25:00.008-04:00

The French Connection: A Tribute to Bensonhurst

2011-05-03T09:50:00.038-04:00

Arguably one of the best car chase sequences in cinematic history was filmed in the neighborhood where I grew up: Bensonhurst.

The final scenes of The French Connection has Gene Hackman's Detective James "Popeye" Doyle commandeering a civilian's 1971 Pontiac LeMans and chasing an elevated train running on the then BMT West End Line, now the D train.

Six years later another famous chap was filmed on the same street. Unlike Det. Doyle, this leading man prefers to strut down 86th Street.

Desklamp Roundup

2011-05-02T09:01:00.016-04:00

Monochrome in color with just a touch of whimsy evoking a single coil lasso, the Lasso desk lamp from Crate & Barrel makes a nice little addition to any work space. With clean lines and a simple silhouette, this functional lamp can't be beat with the sale price of a whopping $20.

This green pharmacy lamp from British company Graham and Green has just the right amount of antiquated charm. The large swivel-adjust, chrome-lined hood gives off a bright light suited for any project you're tackling, but would look just as good in a study or as a bedside reading light.

Jielde's Signal lamp was designed in 1950 as the indestructible standard for work lamps. Since then it's become a modern design icon. Taken out of the industrial context, these lamps are beautiful functional pieces for the home that still retain their original spirit and quality construction. Available in a slew of custom-painted colors.

The Studioilse w084t task lamp for Wästberg is an eclectic mix of materials. Iron, wood, and mineral plastic make up the construction of this lamp whose odd charm lies in its pastiche, almost Frankenstein-like aesthetic. The wooden neck lends it a certain warmth, while the exposed red wire adds a fun pop of color.

Happy Friday!

2011-04-29T16:03:00.009-04:00

Colonial leftovers -- Singapore's shuttered Chinatown

Olson Kundig Architects

2011-04-29T09:00:00.023-04:00

Beginning in the late 1960s with architect Jim Olson in the Pacific Northwest, Olson Kundig Architects built its foundation on the relationship between the dwelling and the surrounding landscape. The firm, now with four lead architects and over 80 employees, continues to design around the idea that buildings serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people.

Any chance the firm might be interested in doing some pro bono work in Brooklyn? I'd like to see their architectural interpretation of my relationship with this urban jungle.

The Brain in Seattle, Washington

Chicken Point Cabin in Northern Idaho

Glass Farmhouse in Northeast Oregon

Rolling Huts in Mazama, Washington

Delta Shelter in Mazama, Washington

The Ridge House in Eastern Washington

Steven Guarnaccia: Design Fairy Tales

2011-04-28T09:03:00.008-04:00

This week's T Magazine features Steven Guarnaccia's adorable children's books: fairy tale classics with a modernist design twist. In "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" our heroine/intruder tries out Papa Bear's ladderback Mackintosh chair (too hard!), Mama Bear's Jacobsen egg chair (too soft!) and finally Baby Bear's tiny Eames LWC (just right!). In the architectural version of "The Three Little Pigs", the porcine trio are recast as Frank Gehry, Philip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright who build houses out of scrap, glass, and concrete, respectively.

It's never too early to turn your kid into a design nerd or indulge your own inner child, who just so happens to be a design nerd.

Adil Dara Kim: Illustrated MTA

2011-04-27T08:30:00.010-04:00

Following Bobbie Davies' minimalist rendering of the New York City subway system is Adil Dara Kim's elaborate illustration. The Brooklyn based graphic designer hand drew the entire MTA subway map and reproduced it as a one-color screen printed poster.

Available at Modern Anthology.

Bobby Davies: MTA Minimalism

2011-04-26T11:42:00.001-04:00

MTA subway map stripped down to just the lines.

Can someone also please make a giant needlepoint of this?

Spotted: DIY Truck Door

2011-04-26T11:02:00.004-04:00

Of all the things to DIY, automotive design is usually not one of them. But here's a guy in Malaysia proving us wrong with his crafty wooden truck door complete with hinge and handle.

The right way to do wood paneling!

Happy Friday

2011-04-22T16:05:00.007-04:00

Sunset at Danshui, Taipei; construction cranes in the foreground

Traditional Malay House Tour

2011-04-22T09:10:00.003-04:00

During my jaunt in Asia I toured a traditional Malay house. These were the dwellings of indigenous ethnic Malay and the aboriginal Orang Asli of the Malaysian peninsula prior to foreign influences or modern technology. Characterized by slanted roofs suited for tropical weather and stilts which protect from floods and wild animals, they can still be seen all over Malaysia, especially in more rural areas.

These houses were built with sustainable natural materials like timber and bamboo, often without the use of metal or even nails. Instead pre-cut holes and grooves are used to join pieces together, allowing for structural flexibility and easy dismantling and reconstruction. Consider it one of the original prefab homes.

The architecture of Malay houses are visually striking but when I stepped inside (always sans shoes) I couldn't help but be taken with the interior design. I'm sure they've been showing this house to tourists since the 70s, as it remains charmingly frozen in time.

Transistor radios, record players, typewriters on the floor...this is starting to look like many Brooklyn homes I know.

Old school irons heated with coal, which my dad used growing up. He said you'd have to be careful of any drafts blowing small embers out and burning holes in your clothes.

stringfurniture

2011-04-20T12:25:00.004-04:00

Let me make a small profession: I'm a sucker for some nice shelves! Being a big fan of shelving as a means of reducing clutter, I tend to gravitate toward a minimalist aesthetic when it comes to shelves, leaving room for a more flexible, artful arrangement of books, knickknacks and other random tchotchkes on display.

In light of this revelation, check out the eye candy from stringfurniture! Those Swedes have such a way with organization and simplicity. Be still my mounted heart.

Ridiculous Things We Want: The Butaca Chair

2011-04-19T09:24:00.003-04:00

I have kind of a thing for referential humor. I guess it's one of my pomo-tendencies.

When I saw this chair from Viva Terra, I laughed. And then I was filled with material desire. This chair just might be the apex of yuppiedom.

Formally modeled after Mies van der Rohe's iconic Barcelona chair but made with the spirit of Luis Barragan's original butaca, this updated version uses Guatemalan hardwood and reclaimed jute coffee sacks in lieu of metal and leather. For the contemporary, eco-conscious yuppie.

No wonder I want it! It fulfills so many lifestyle fantasies at once that I consider it to be an awesomely designed joke.

No Dumplings?

2011-04-19T09:00:00.008-04:00

Spotted on Eldridge Street, home to two deliciously cheap dumpling houses (Prosperity Dumpling and Vanessa's Dumpling House), was the most egregious graffiti. Clearly someone shared my sentiment.

High Density Living

2011-04-18T09:17:00.067-04:00

I know it's a dead giveaway of a tourist to look up for any extended amount of time but I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer density of people and structures while I was in Hong Kong.

It's hard to believe there are denser places out there than New York City's congested matrix, but Hong Kong has it beat as the world's most vertical city. More than a third of the world's 100 tallest residential buildings are located in Hong Kong, with the majority of the population living in high rise tower blocks. The density and tall skyline of the city's urban area is due to a lack of available sprawl space, making its real estate some of the most expensive in the international market.

New York, if you thought your apartments were tiny and rent ridiculously high, meet your eastern counterpart.

Weekend Thrift Find: 1910 Mission Rocker

2011-04-18T08:15:00.026-04:00

My search for a rocker has spanned years. Whenever I drink my cup of coffee sitting at the kitchen island, I think: Man, how awesome would it be if I were drinking coffee and rocking on a rocker. Whenever I'm sitting in bed reading, I think: Man, how awesome would it be if I were reading this book and rocking on a rocker. For me, at least in theory, any activity would be immensely more awesome if I were rocking on a rocker.

Two weekends ago, I flew out to Columbus, Ohio to attend a college housemate's wedding and visit my grad school housemate. The latter, a native of the Columbus area, was determined to show me the wonders of her Midwestern city. I was pretty much sold after our delicious dinner of sausages in German Village. But the next morning she drove us (in her Smart Car no less) to the Short North with the intention of taking me antique shopping at ReVue Fine Consignment. I felt like a kid at a candy shop; not only was the inventory extensive and of impressive quality, the prices were unheard of... at least for a New Yorker.

Check out this 1910 mission rocker I purchased for $70. Nestled in the backseat of a Toyota Corolla, the rocker made it through the 9+ hours drive back to Brooklyn. Welcome home ol' guy! Life just got awesome.

Happy Friday

2011-04-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

Spotted: Atlantic Yards

2011-04-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

Are you ready for Atlantic Yards?

Dead Wood Clothing Rack

2011-04-07T08:15:00.030-04:00

Who said wood furniture had to be expensive? Check out this beautiful clothing rack in Raymond Biesinger and Elizabeth Hudson's Montreal home. Made of dead wood stolen from near the Ontario-Quebec border, the cost of production is seemingly nominal. Now that's some dead wood worth throwing your clothes on!

Weekend Thrift Finds: Champion Suitcase and Terrier Bookends

2011-04-04T08:35:00.029-04:00

With every spring cleaning comes the much-anticipated aftermath, replacing all that was donated or discarded. My spring cleaning was more of a reminder of all that I had planned to do but never got around to accomplishing, like procuring a coffee table for the living room. So to celebrate this past weekend's beautiful weather, I made a deliberate attempt at checking off longstanding items on my ever growing to do list. Check out my weekend thrift finds.

The terrier bookends were purchased at the Brooklyn Flea. It accomplishes nothing on my to do list but I mean, c'mon! I can almost see that tail wagging! The beige and green vintage Champion suitcase was purchased at Sterling Place. The suitcase has it's quirks: the brown leather trim is pretty tattered and one of the latches needs to be manually locked. But it will make an awesome new coffee table à la this Design*Sponge do-it-yourself post. Stay tuned for my before-and-after pictures.

I'm half way to checking that item off and kicking my feet up on a coffee table!

Ain't No Fooling, Happy Friday!

2011-04-01T12:00:00.003-04:00

Ridiculous Things We Want: Soft Wood Sofa

2011-04-01T08:00:00.007-04:00

All jokes aside, I love wood. From its life as a tree to its life as an armoire, bed frame or dining room table, wood is incredibly fascinating. Aesthetically, it tells a history like no other material, whether it's through cathedrals in flat sawn, the distance between annular rings or the placement of knots.

Unfortunately, wood isn't appropriate for all furniture. After a long day at work, I can't honestly say I want to lounge on anything wood-like. What now New York Magazine, you beg to differ?

Soft Wood Sofa by Front for Moroso is made of stress-resistant polyurethane foam with a photorealistic wood grain pattern printed on Kvadrat fabric. Front is an all-female group of Swedish designers who created the Soft Wood Sofa as an "exploration in the difference between the visual and tactile experience." Ah yes, two piqued senses and one empty wallet!

Spotted: The Doors of Dennet Place

2011-03-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

If you've ever walked down this little unassuming alley in Carroll Gardens that connects Nelson and Luquer, you probably considered the distinct possibility that there are hobbits living among us. Elves, maybe? Munchkins, Oompa Loompas...they're all viable options. How else can you explain these 4-foot doors on the side of every staircase on the block?

Upon further research, it seems that the doors are just a space-economizing utility leading to very normal-sized basements. So much for a modern-day Shire.

On the contrary, Dennet Place used to be home to a cast of rather unsavory characters in the late 19th century, according to Lost City. It's a lot safer these days but if this alley is a testament to a New York of another time, it just goes to show that there is still much of this city that remains to be discovered.

Roman and Williams

2011-03-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors is a comprehensive design firm based in New York City. Started by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch in 2002, the firm's most notable projects include the Ace Hotel and Standard Hotel in New York, and their respective restaurants. Check out some of their awesome spaces.

American Rustic

2011-03-29T08:30:00.045-04:00

Special thanks to my sister who forwarded this article about early 20th-century style. How Melissa Howard, owner of the men's vintage clothing store Stock Vintage, found an apartment in the city with a wood burning stove is beyond me! Check out the handsome eye candy in the slide show.

Detroit Motor City

2011-03-28T08:15:00.018-04:00

Don't get us started on hometown pride. As Brooklyn natives who have both spent years outside of New York, we relish in all this borough has to offer, from the seedy summer nights on the Coney Island boardwalk to the pretentious two hour waits for brunch at the Buttermilk Channel.

Coming back from my trip to Chicago and reuniting with my fellow University of Michigan alum made me nostalgic about my time in the Midwest. Never have I met a population as proud of their hometown and home state as Michiganders. If you've ever seen someone pull out their Michigan hand map to pinpoint the location of their hometown, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Pride in Michigan is tantamount to pride in the auto industry. It's a state that lives by the words "Drive American," especially if you're in southeast Michigan. If you don't work in the auto industry, then someone in your family or your neighbor does. Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts' Rivera Court and you can begin to understand Michigan's proud industrial culture. Below is the fresco's North Wall.

Although my time in Michigan was numbered, I felt the same sense of pride I inherently have for Brooklyn when I watched Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial. Go Blue!

Happy Friday

2011-03-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Fire Escapes

2011-03-25T09:00:00.036-04:00

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City. While in Chicago I was also reminded of their historic fire, the Great Chicago Fire which consumed 4 square miles of the city for two days in early October 1871. As the only public building to survive the fire, the Chicago Water Tower is the unofficial memorial for all that was destroyed. With its Lemont limestone facade, it stands out amidst the shops on Magnificent Mile. More significant to me, and indicative of the precautions that were taken post-flames, are the fire escapes that scale buildings across the city. Below are some photographs of fire escapes in Downtown/the Loop.

Bon Voyage, Brooklyn!

2011-03-24T16:02:00.008-04:00

One half of Strong Place will be in Asia for the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned for Strong Place: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, respectively!

Ridiculous Things We Want: Nelson Table Clocks!

2011-03-24T10:39:00.000-04:00

These are ridiculous only in the sense that they cost hundreds to thousands of dollars per clock. Otherwise, the best thing since George Nelson's wall clocks are George Nelson's table clocks! Each piece is a charming little token of mid-century style.

I am completely enamored with every one of them. Please take the time to check out Wright's catalog of current and past auctions to see more.

Intelligentsia Coffee

2011-03-23T15:54:00.008-04:00

Greetings from Chicago! Home to, among other fabulous things, President Barack Obama, deep dish pizza (Lou Malnati's and Giordano's being my favorites), a plethora of architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe, the Green Mill, the Cloud Gate or "The Bean," Kanye West and Intelligentsia coffee.  

In 1995, Doug Zell and Emily Mange, two San Francisco transplants, started Intelligentsia, an in-store coffee roaster-retailer on the north side of Chicago.  Starting in the heartland, Intelligentsia has since expanded to both American coasts.

Strong Place first visited Intelligentsia at their Silver Lake location.

During my annual trip to Chicago, their Millennium Park coffeebar is always a staple on my mornings' itinerary.  Unfortunately, I never have time to go on their public tour of Roasting Works.

We are happy about our new local Intelligentsia hook up, the Van Leeuwen that recently opened on Bergen Street between Smith and Hoyt. If you're looking for an extra dose of caffeine while sipping on your coffee, try Van Leeuwen's Earl Grey ice cream. Better yet, pour your coffee over it and make it an affogato!

The Gowanus Canal

2011-03-23T10:25:00.066-04:00

The Gowanus Canal is the butt of many jokes, most of which pertain to its smell.

As early as the 1880s, about two decades after the canal was built, the city was already drawing up plans to address the stench. A century and many efforts later, the city is trying once again by investing $140 million into a renovation of the Gowanus flushing tunnel, which would pull in comparatively clean water from Buttermilk Channel.

Last year, the EPA put the Gowanus Canal on its list of Superfund sites. As a federally-designated contaminated waste area, the canal will undergo a cleanup program that the agency estimated would take ten to twelve years to complete and cost roughly $300 million to $500 million.

This comes just in time for the construction of the new Whole Foods in Brooklyn! With simultaneous city and federal cleanups and a profusion of new developments in the neighborhood, the Gowanus landscape will look quite different in the coming years. Scenes like this could be a thing of the past.

Let us remember the Gowanus in all its grimy glory, and check out these sweet panoramas by our friend, Laurel. Remember to click to embiggen!

Kentile Floors in the distance

3rd Street Bridge looking north

The empty lot where Whole Foods will be

Old NYC Subway Photos

2011-03-22T10:11:00.002-04:00

I think my longest relationship is with the MTA.

Seriously though. Home aside, I've probably spent the most amount of time under- and above-ground on the subways of New York City. It's a torrid, intense love-hate relationship, one that regularly fills me with commuter rage. The subway can of course be a hostile, stinky place but when it comes down to it, it's there for me at 3 in the morning when I'm tired, incoherent and without any wherewithal.

I get irrationally nostalgic about the subway of yesteryear. The graffiti, the crime, the little Chinese ladies selling cheap plastic toys for a dollar that I would beg my mom to buy.

Here is a compilation of photos that captures the gritty and vivid spirit of New York's bygone subway era. As if this city needs more romanticizing.

On the Times Square - Grand Central shuttle, 1969

Bocce ball under the F line in Brooklyn, 1975

Token booth agent, 1977

A mother with her children in a graffiti-bombed subway car, 1979

A nun wading through Grand Central Station after severe flooding, 1980

The end of an era; new graffiti-resistant subway cars from Japan are introduced, 1983

Transit officers guarding suspected turnstile jumpers in the Bronx, 1987

More from the NYTimes's amazing subway slideshow

Bruce Davidson's Subway series, 1980-1985

A Loft to Be Jealous About

2011-03-21T10:20:00.006-04:00

Check out Apartment Therapy's feature on Joel and McKenzie's loft in Providence, Rhode Island. The details around the house, like the raven perched on the ceiling pipes in the below photograph, are a fun mix between whimsical and industrial.

Other things to look out for while you click through the tour: the antique typewriter, the farmhouse sink and the paper storage.

Happy Friday

2011-03-18T16:00:00.015-04:00

Spotted: Hunt's Lane Door Awnings

2011-03-17T13:48:00.010-04:00

Check out these neat door awnings of adjoining carriage houses on Hunt's Lane. I'm really liking the circus tent motif of the one on the right.

Extendable/Adjustable Sconces Round-Up

2011-03-17T09:15:00.001-04:00

Traditional sconces rarely appeal to me. Lighting a small portion of a wall seems useless and I'm very much about form and function. With that said, extendable and adjustable sconces (or wall-mounted lamps) fit my bill. While some can be large and act more like far-reaching pendant lamps, others feel more like desk lamps playfully hanging off the wall.

Workstead, a Brooklyn-based architectural and design collaborative, produces extendable and adjustable sconces for their room designs, including their own home.

Wo and We is a collection of lights made by Olivier Abry in Lyon, France. The industrial aesthetic of his collection is authentic as Abry primarily uses restored components when creating his lights.

Warren Place Workingmen's Cottages

2011-03-16T08:15:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, we stumbled upon Warren Place Workingmen's Cottages located in Cobble Hill. The cottages were built in the Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles by Alfred Tredway White in 1878. After visiting the slums of London, White was convinced that "No European city suffers so much and so unnecessarily from the evils of overcrowding as does New York today." And that was over 130 years ago.

To provide the workingmen of Brooklyn relief from the city's overcrowded housing situation, White built the 44 cottages of Warren Place with help from the firm William Field & Son. At 24 feet high and 11 feet wide, each cottage cost about $1,100 to construct. Most recently, 12 Warren Place sold for $1.2 million to SNL's youngest writer, Simon Rich, who now also happens to be the youngest brownstone owner. Bastard.

Stumptown Cold Brew

2011-03-16T07:47:00.013-04:00

Well this is exciting...

Just looking at this bottle is waking me up! Earlier this month Stumptown released their bottled cold brew coffee, adorably referred to as "stubbies." Each bottle is cold brewed in the "Toddy" style and has a shelf life of 11 days. They're currently only available in Portlandia, so I hope these little stubbies make their way over to NY by summertime. I'm already anticipating muggy mornings for which they'll be the perfect on-the-go drink.

A New CFL

2011-03-15T13:03:00.007-04:00

Since when did light bulbs become such a politically charged object? A couple weeks ago Michele Bachman, a Republican representative from Minnesota, introduced a bill that would roll back efficiency standards for light bulbs. The “government has no business telling an individual what kind of light bulb to buy,” she declared. Some Senate and House Republicans are similarly looking to repeal a 2007 law that phases out incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy efficient options.

An op-ed in last week's NYTimes defended government-mandated standards as a vital component of scientific and industrial innovation. Raising the bar of efficiency standards promotes healthy competition within an industry, thereby creating a cycle of improvement. Lest we forget, it wasn't until we established an agency to set higher technological standards in the early 1900s that a boom in product innovation followed in the next century.

It's fitting that the light bulb has once again come to not only symbolize but actualize invention and innovation in this century. No surprise that the winner of this year's Brit Insurance Product Award, which beat out the iPad, is a light bulb.

The Plumen 001 is a low energy bulb designed by Samuel Wilkinson that uses 80% less energy and lasts 8 times longer than a regular incandescent. The glass tubes have an irregular, organic form that creates a sense of harmony and offers a different silhouette from every angle.

Eureka! CFL GAMECHANGER.

Kings Highway, Ace Hotel Palm Springs

2011-03-15T08:25:00.005-04:00

Last April, Strong Place (along with our favorite tumblr) traveled to southern California on a birthday excursion. One stop on our road trip was Palm Springs for the main purpose of staying at the Ace Hotel. When we arrived, we were surprised to see the name of the hotel restaurant King's Highway, which also happens to be the name of a street in South Brooklyn.

The restaurant was built in a restored Denny's and has a distinct 70's feel with vinyl booths, stone walls and dim lighting. The food was deliciously refreshing, especially after a long day of sitting poolside in the desert sun. Word on the street is that King's Highway recently updated their late night menu. If only it was actually located on King's Highway.

Ridiculous Things We Want: Modernist Cuisine

2011-03-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

This is the behemoth of modern gastronomy cookbooks, slouching towards your kitchen/bookshelf this week. Slouching because this 6 volume work, self-published by a team led by former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold, weighs 40 pounds. The whole project cost somewhere between 1 and 10 million dollars, and produced 3,216 of the most spectacular food photographs ever taken. This is some serious next level food porn.

For $462 at Amazon with free shipping (40 lbs!), it's kind of worth it, no?

Namesakes

2011-03-14T11:43:00.002-04:00

Strong Place, Brooklyn, NY

Socrates Sculpture Park

2011-03-14T09:06:00.006-04:00

As a native New Yorker who was born and raised in Brooklyn, I always had a pretty strong sense of pride for my borough. I mean, can you really blame me? We've got a beautiful bridge, Prospect Park, Coney Island, and some of the best cheesecake to brag about.

It wasn't until my late teen years that I came around to exploring and appreciating the charms other outer boroughs had to offer.

Recently I visited the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens. What used to be an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 is now an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Under the leadership of American sculptor Mark di Suvero, a coalition of artists and community members transformed it into the beautiful green space it is today.

Some sculptures from the 2010 Emerging Artists Fellowship Exhibition can still be seen, but the park is currently in the process of transitioning into its next exhibition.

A view of the East side from the edge of Socrates Sculpture Park.

Horn Light

2011-03-11T10:08:00.005-05:00

We spotted this amazing horn light in Desire to Inspire's tour of an 1896 Victorian home located in San Francisco.

Salvaged Pieces

2011-03-11T01:12:00.011-05:00

The most fetishized commodity in the design world of late is wood, specifically that of the salvaged, reclaimed, reused, repurposed and upcycled variety.

Consider this $14,000 table from Brooklyn-based furniture company, Uhuru, made of planks from the demolished Coney Island boardwalk.

Creating luxury home objects from scrap really is the new punk rock.

It's safe to say that contemporary design is steadily moving towards a salvaged junkyard aesthetic. At the very least that niche is growing, given the success of many NYC-based furniture companies like Nightwood and Made of NY. Both emphasize sustainability, locally sourced materials, simplicity in form and quality construction. The DIY ethic has grown up, gained some skill sets and now craft is undergoing a major Renaissance.

The rhetoric behind these upcycled furniture companies echoes the social principles put forth by the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century. Instigated by William Morris and inspired by the writing of John Ruskin, the movement advocated the idea of "truth to material," preserving and emphasizing the qualities of the materials used. These objects were simple in form and often exposed the way they were constructed.

While Arts and Crafts was a reaction to the negative consequences of Industrialization, upcycling is similarly a response to our current environmental climate of wasteful spending and consumption. It's a move in the right direction, albeit one that still sometimes costs $14,000. Ikea this is not. But it is democratic design in another sense, one that sees the possibilities in a discarded crate on the side of the street. It's a movement, not for consumers, but creaters.

A Hipstamatic Brooklyn Walk

2011-03-10T10:25:00.077-05:00

After reading this article in the New York Times (and re-looking at the slide show every time a friend forwarded me the article), I went on a stroll through Brooklyn to try the doughnuts at Dough. Frankly, they paled in comparison to the ones at the Doughnut Plant or Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop but I was in Clinton Hill and now had three doughnuts to walk off. I decided to take the long route back to Cobble Hill, weaving through the streets of Fort Greene, revisiting the site of my adventurous first date, admiring the doors of Vinegar Hill and trying out my new Hipstamatic app.

Brownstones on St. James Place and the steeple of Emmanuel Baptist Church in the background.

Smoke stacks at the Navy Yard.

A gutted car outside Admiral's Row on Flushing Avenue.

Under the Brooklyn Bridge, looking over the Tobacco Warehouse.

A teal Oldsmobile parked at a gas station on Old Fulton Street.

Ithaca Revisited

2011-03-09T22:16:00.003-05:00

I nearly squealed when I saw Design*Sponge's Ithaca City Guide. Having spent four years in Ithaca, one of the few reprieves I had when feeling "city-deprieved" was the copious amounts of amazing restaurants in the area. With more restaurants per capita than New York City and Cornell Dining, I was rarely hungry for too long. The only addition I would make to Laura Lanz-Frolio's comprehensive list is the Carriage House Cafe (and Wegman's). On a drive from Ann Arbor, Michigan back to Brooklyn, New York, I made a slight detour to Ithaca for the Carriage House Cafe's brie-stuffed french toast. It's well worth the time and gas money.

Coney Island Overhaul Shop

2011-03-09T19:09:00.005-05:00

Built on marshland in 1926, the Coney Island Complex is the largest rapid transit yard in the world and services each of the 6,000 subway cars in the MTA's fleet. Also located somewhere in the complex is a firing range for the NYPD.

Floor Lamp Round-Up

2011-03-09T12:51:00.026-05:00

Lighting is 2 things: the type of light produced and the design object that is its source. Here are some floor lamps we love that adhere to the tenets of beautiful, functional design.

Ana Kras‘s Hive Lamp is made with an oak frame and a steel wire shade manually knitted over with colorful strings. The results are simple, elegant and serene.

This might look like a Dan Flavin knockoff with legs but it’s actually Chicako Ibaraki‘s Line Light, whose light source is an LED lamp with an acrylic diffuser that provides high luminescence with lower power consumption. Light as art. Light in its pure state. In this case, less really is more.

The Sleepy Time Lamp, created by Studio Klass for Busso, refers to its lazy position as a floor lamp that props itself up against the wall. What it lacks in posture, the lamp makes up for in functionality, allowing you to hang books and clothing from its rungs and creating a calming reflection of diffuse light. Perfect for sleepy time.

Spotted: Doors in Vinegar Hill

2011-03-09T11:25:00.009-05:00

Check out these neat doors on Hudson Avenue in Vinegar Hill. The door on the right looks inspired by the nearby Navy Yards.

Before & After: Mallet

2011-03-09T09:19:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago, I turned my first object on the lathe: a mallet. What began as an uneven 2.5" x 6" x 24" piece of oak was surfaced on the jointer and planer, cut into two 12" long pieces and glued together. Once set, my next hour was spent shaving layers and layers of wood off the block, making sure that the handle's length and thickness fit perfectly in my hand. I'm looking forward to doing some serious damage with this bad boy! My next project? A baseball bat.

Ridiculous Things We Want: Pallet Coasters!

2011-03-08T23:31:00.005-05:00

Pallets have been reclaimed for lots of uses, but none as cute as these miniature coasters. Scaled down to one-tenth the size of a standard EURO pallet, these stackable wooden coasters are exact replicas of their industrial models, right down to the quality stamps.

Shipped in stacks of 5 from DesignBoom!

Admiral's Row

2011-03-08T23:15:00.015-05:00

Admiral’s Row or Officer’s Row is a small section of the Brooklyn Navy Yard with ten houses built between 1864 and 1901. These Second Empire houses were home to high-ranking officers and their families. The Navy Yard was decommissioned in 1966 but the homes weren’t vacated until the mid- to late-1970s. Admiral’s Row has since been managed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its fate remains unknown. Efforts to include Admiral’s Row in the National Registrar of Historic Places are ongoing.

Propositioned by a stranger, I found myself outside the iron gates of Admiral’s Row at 7:00AM on a frigid December morning last year. Learning that I was a veteran fence climber—a result of fetching foul balls during block-wide wiffle ball games in my Bensonhurst community driveway—the stranger inquired whether I would climb a fence if it were a felony and suggested we break into Admiral’s Row as our first date.

The idea of exploring the abandoned, dilapidated mansions of Admiral’s Row combined several of my favorite things: climbing fences, Brooklyn history, architecture and adventure. Committing a felony? Just a small technicality. To my accomplice, I said, game on.

Our excursion started early so that foot traffic around the Navy Yard would be minimal as climbing the gate is hardly a smooth undertaking, even for a veteran. Admiral’s Row is located on the corner of Flushing Avenue and Navy Street. The facades of the houses can be seen from Flushing Avenue but to get an interior view, be prepared to climb an iron gate with spiked finials and maneuver under barbed wire. When exploring the houses, we tested the floorboards first by placing our toes down and then applying more of our weight, feeling for the amount of give and listening to the amount of creaking. We were particularly careful in the attics where gaping holes in the ceiling allowed rain and snow to wear down the floorboards. Exposed, charred wooden beams indicated that fires had blazed through. Graffiti and empty take-out containers suggested that we weren’t the only adventurers to have passed through.

Walking through the plush, wild grounds of Admiral’s Row transfers you to a different space and time. You can easily forget that you’re in Brooklyn, let alone the 21st century. Ivy consumed entire sides of houses, scaling the walls, doorframes and inside windows left ajar. Thick, hardened vines weaved through metal fences and surreptitiously trailed paths hidden by the overgrown greenery. The houses in both their exterior and interior were refined in character. Although nothing like their original states, exquisite architectural details like floor-to-ceiling French windows, parquet floors and an oculus withstood tenacious weathering.

I left with a tinge of sadness over the neglect and deterioration of Admiral’s Row but also felt that in its current state, it possessed a new beauty that spoke to its perseverance and valiance. This was, hands down, the best first date.

The floor-to-ceiling windows remained intact with interesting panel details. The fireplace, mantel and flooring, however, did not have a similar fate.

The edges of the parquet flooring have begun to curl up and splinter off.

An oculus focuses light into the third floor.

A side entrance that's no longer inviting.

Another sitting room, this one with evidence of visitors.

The charred attic and what used to be a ladder up to the roof.

The naturally-made greenhouse in the attic.

The facade of Building 16 or the Timber Shed.

More of the crumbling Timber Shed.

The Timber Shed is currently used as storage space for office furniture, namely metal cabinets and desks.