Sunday, April 30, 2017

Germans Ermičs' Ombré chairs pay tribute to influential Japanese designer

Ombre glass screens and chairs by Germans Ermičs

This collection of colourful glass furniture by Amsterdam designer Germans Ermičs is based on a chair designed by Shiro Kuramata in the 1970s. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2pyqRrm

Alma-nac slots angular openings into timber-clad gables of House in the Woods

House in the woods by Alma-nac

Triangular windows are set beneath the pitched roofs of this house in England's South Downs National Park, which London studio Alma-nac designed to sit discreetly in its wooded setting. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2py1INI

Cassina marks 90th anniversary with installation exploring its past and future

Cassina 9.0 exhibition by Patricia Urquiola

A spaceship-style shelter, and oversized "sofa island" and virtual-reality experiences all featured in furniture brand Cassina's Milan design week exhibition. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oVK6Y0

Tents create guest bedrooms with panoramic views at Peggy Deamer's New Zealand retreat

House in Kaiwaka by Peggy Dreamer

The main living areas of this compact holiday home near New Zealand's Kaipara Harbour are arranged perpendicular to a platform that provides space for three tents used to accommodate guests. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oVmHWC

Kris Provoost photographs the most flamboyant architecture of China's building boom

Beautified China by Kris Provoost

OMA's trouser-shaped CCTV tower and Herzog & de Meuron's Bird's Nest stadium feature in this photo series by Kris Provoost, which documents the "weird architecture" China has tried to ban. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oUVRy0

OMA's XY 180 lighting can be used to create geometric patterns

OMA has combined rods with spotlights to create this linear lighting collection, presented by Belgian brand Delta Light during Milan design week. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2pjr3dm

"Feather-like" screens front church in Taiwan by MAYU Architects

Tainan Tung-Men Holiness Church by MAYU architects+

Rows of perforated aluminium shades intended to represent the feathers of an eagle shield the facade of this concrete and glass church in the Taiwanese city of Tainan. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oUMePT

Marcel Wanders' Calliope lighting reinterprets traditional paper lanterns

Calliope by Marcel Wanders for Wonderglass

Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has created tasselled chandeliers in the style of traditional paper lanterns for London company Wonderglass. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oUdKNk

May Reads: Where Most of the Books I Read are from the Library

Somehow I've let my reading list from the library become completely unglued and out of control.  In my quest to cut down on buying every book I want to read, and supporting the fabulous library system in my community, I've added a large number of books to my "Hold" list.  Only problem is, they all come in at once.  So I've taken advantage of my library's option of suspending some of my holds until I can read what I've got already checked out.  This is keeping me out of the bookstore for a little bit, and keeping me from spending money for a few weeks.  All good!

Here's a taste of what I'll be reading in May.  Of course I have a few that I won't list, but should pop up as reviews.  It looks like I've picked a bit of historical fiction, with sprinkles of contemporary here and there:

Listening to this on my commute.  Ah, the food!

Don't let the title fool you:  this is a bit of a thriller!

Three women cope with a changed Germany after World War 2.

So excited to review this!  A favorite author of mine.

1645 England and a woman caught between her witch hunting brother and a local family in the cross-hairs.
 I love starting off a fresh month with new picks.  Here's to Spring reads and warmer weather. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2oXlGy6

May Reads: Where Most of the Books I Read are from the Library

Somehow I've let my reading list from the library become completely unglued and out of control.  In my quest to cut down on buying every book I want to read, and supporting the fabulous library system in my community, I've added a large number of books to my "Hold" list.  Only problem is, they all come in at once.  So I've taken advantage of my library's option of suspending some of my holds until I can read what I've got already checked out.  This is keeping me out of the bookstore for a little bit, and keeping me from spending money for a few weeks.  All good!

Here's a taste of what I'll be reading in May.  Of course I have a few that I won't list, but should pop up as reviews.  It looks like I've picked a bit of historical fiction, with sprinkles of contemporary here and there:

Listening to this on my commute.  Ah, the food!

Don't let the title fool you:  this is a bit of a thriller!

Three women cope with a changed Germany after World War 2.

So excited to review this!  A favorite author of mine.

1645 England and a woman caught between her witch hunting brother and a local family in the cross-hairs.
 I love starting off a fresh month with new picks.  Here's to Spring reads and warmer weather. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2oXlGy6

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Dezeen's new Pinterest board puts the spotlight on millennial pink

Following our roundup of millennial pink at Milan design week, our new Pinterest board highlights the colour's increasing use in design and architecture, with examples including a room in Normann Copenhagen's flagship store and a pigmented concrete house extensionFollow Dezeen on Pinterest ›



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2qrzu4f

Studio Bergtraun perches black cabin on steep slope in the Sierra Nevada mountains

Alpine Meadows Cabin by Studio Bergtraun

California-based Studio Bergtraun has completed a holiday home in Tahoe, nestling a simple black volume clad in corrugated metal into the steep landscape. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oKrbEj

Sigve Knutson creates textured 3D versions of his abstract sketches

For his Milan design week exhibition, Norwegian designer Sigve Knutson presented a series of textured objects inspired by the lines he uses in his drawings. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2pJEULJ

I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

My friend Mad loaned me her copy of this novel, otherwise I would have missed it completely.  It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but it is a quick read once you start.  It is funny, sad, and captures the stress of trying to take care of an aging parent while still attempting to have a life.

Tig Monahan is a woman in the middle of a whole lot of change.  Her job as a therapist is ending, her boyfriend Pete is moving to Hawaii and expects Tig to come along with him; her mother Hallie is suffering from dementia and has just been moved to a nursing home.  Tig is unhappy, and the world is moving way too fast for her to cope. 

It's especially hard for Tig to reconcile the woman her mother is now with the woman she used to be.  A successful veterinarian with her own practice; a single mother bringing up two girls after her husband's unexpected death.  A take charge, no fear kind of lady.  But that's all gone now; Hallie is lost in her memories and sometimes can't even recognize Tig.  Wendy, Tig's older sister, lives away from her sister and mother, but comes home unexpectedly with a surprise:  she's very pregnant and a bit lost herself.  Giving birth to Clementine, Wendy can't cope at all with a colicky baby, postpartum depression, and her feelings of inadequacy.  She takes off, leaving Tig to take care of Clementine and Hallie.  Garvin perfectly captures the hardships of being a sandwich generation adult; coping with elderly parents and children and trying to have a life of your own.

 It's a huge juggling act, and Tig struggles.  Her relationship with Pete is still up in the air, but there's Alec, a cute widower who's mother is a sassy resident at the nursing home. There's also her stint as a radio show host for a call in therapy show.  It's growing in popularity, but Tig feels like a fraud.  

I enjoyed this novel; there were certainly parts that had me teary-eyed and nodding my head in agreement.  My experience with my mother, who had dementia and health issues that lead to her death in December 2015 had some similarities to Tig's experience.  It is heartbreaking to realize the parent you knew is no longer the person in front of you; that they sometimes don't recognize you, and revert back to people and places that are far back in time.  There were many times I left my Mom's apartment in tears.  Taking care of a parent is a huge struggle, and it can create issues between siblings you never thought would ever happen.  It forces you to look at life differently, and think about your own mortality.  

I liked Tig; she annoyed me occasionally, but overall I could understand her motives.  It seems when your life is chaotic, the most change happens and propels you forward whether you're ready or not.  That certainly happens to Tig.  I also enjoyed seeing the change in her relationship with Wendy from one of anger and resentment to one of friendship and solidarity.  Tig has a rocky road, but plenty of people around her who support her and push her forward.  

Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining, touching, and wise look at life's beginnings and endings and all the stuff in between.  

Available in paperback and ebook. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2oJAbt8

I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

My friend Mad loaned me her copy of this novel, otherwise I would have missed it completely.  It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but it is a quick read once you start.  It is funny, sad, and captures the stress of trying to take care of an aging parent while still attempting to have a life.

Tig Monahan is a woman in the middle of a whole lot of change.  Her job as a therapist is ending, her boyfriend Pete is moving to Hawaii and expects Tig to come along with him; her mother Hallie is suffering from dementia and has just been moved to a nursing home.  Tig is unhappy, and the world is moving way too fast for her to cope. 

It's especially hard for Tig to reconcile the woman her mother is now with the woman she used to be.  A successful veterinarian with her own practice; a single mother bringing up two girls after her husband's unexpected death.  A take charge, no fear kind of lady.  But that's all gone now; Hallie is lost in her memories and sometimes can't even recognize Tig.  Wendy, Tig's older sister, lives away from her sister and mother, but comes home unexpectedly with a surprise:  she's very pregnant and a bit lost herself.  Giving birth to Clementine, Wendy can't cope at all with a colicky baby, postpartum depression, and her feelings of inadequacy.  She takes off, leaving Tig to take care of Clementine and Hallie.  Garvin perfectly captures the hardships of being a sandwich generation adult; coping with elderly parents and children and trying to have a life of your own.

 It's a huge juggling act, and Tig struggles.  Her relationship with Pete is still up in the air, but there's Alec, a cute widower who's mother is a sassy resident at the nursing home. There's also her stint as a radio show host for a call in therapy show.  It's growing in popularity, but Tig feels like a fraud.  

I enjoyed this novel; there were certainly parts that had me teary-eyed and nodding my head in agreement.  My experience with my mother, who had dementia and health issues that lead to her death in December 2015 had some similarities to Tig's experience.  It is heartbreaking to realize the parent you knew is no longer the person in front of you; that they sometimes don't recognize you, and revert back to people and places that are far back in time.  There were many times I left my Mom's apartment in tears.  Taking care of a parent is a huge struggle, and it can create issues between siblings you never thought would ever happen.  It forces you to look at life differently, and think about your own mortality.  

I liked Tig; she annoyed me occasionally, but overall I could understand her motives.  It seems when your life is chaotic, the most change happens and propels you forward whether you're ready or not.  That certainly happens to Tig.  I also enjoyed seeing the change in her relationship with Wendy from one of anger and resentment to one of friendship and solidarity.  Tig has a rocky road, but plenty of people around her who support her and push her forward.  

Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining, touching, and wise look at life's beginnings and endings and all the stuff in between.  

Available in paperback and ebook. 

from Bookalicious Babe Book Reviews http://ift.tt/2oJAbt8

Pitsou Kedem adds white plaster and black iron surfaces to vaulted Jaffa apartment

Modern Cave by Pitsou Kedem

Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem has updated an apartment in the ancient port of Jaffa, Tel Aviv, adding arched windows and door frames that echo the form of the traditional vaulted ceilings. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oSY8cM

Five highlights from the Ventura Lambrate district at Milan design week

A supermarket filled with waste products and an overview of Norway's hottest young designers are among design reporter Alice Morby's pick of the best exhibitions at the Ventura Lambrate district during Milan design week last month. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2pggLuT

Eduardo Souto de Moura transforms whole Portuguese farming village into luxury retreat

Sao Lourenco do Barrocal by Eduardo Souto de Moura

Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura has helped to revive a former farming village in the Alentejo region as a high-end hotel featuring whitewashed interiors and original vaulted ceilings. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2qhXCab

Ten thousand IKEA refugee shelters left unused over fire fears, United Nations admits

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has mothballed 10,000 of IKEA's award-winning refugee shelters over concerns about the product's vulnerability to fire. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2pfCi6G

This week, safety issues with IKEA's refugee shelters emerged and Turkey built a Syrian border wall

This week on Dezeen, Turkey completed phase one of its Syrian border wall and IKEA revealed that deployment of its award-winning refugee shelters has been put on hold due to safety risks. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2prpsRd

Friday, April 28, 2017

Atelier Swarovski Home collaborates with Aldo Bakker and Tomás Alonso for second collection

Atelier Swarovski Home Milan Design Week

The latest Home range from Swarovski includes bottle stoppers, polygonal paperweights, and marble trays decorated with slices of brightly coloured crystal. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2oHIWnu

CCY Architects uses weathering steel and locally quarried stones for Colorado ranch

Gambel Oaks Ranch by CCY Architects

US firm CCY Architects has divided this low-slung Colorado home into private and public zones, encasing the former within weathering-steel boxes that define the property's layout. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2qgHntX

Leers Weinzapfel completes America's first cross-laminated timber academic building

The University of Massachusetts Amherst's design school by Leers Weinzapfel Associates

The University of Massachusetts Amherst's new design school is the first academic building in the US to have a structural frame made of cross-laminated timber, according to its architects Leers Weinzapfel Associates. Read more



from Dezeen http://ift.tt/2qf3YKm