Housewares by Architects

The china above is Tuxedo from Swid Powell and was designed by Gwathmey Siegel, the architect.  At My Ranchburger we have numerous household items, collected over the years, that were designed by architects.  The appeal of these pieces, I believe, is that their designs are so intelligent and therefore functional.  I cannot afford to live in a house designed by one of the great architects of the world but I can still have something their work.  There is a certain snob appeal in that small ownership.

Note:  This design, which Tall Husband and I purchased from the Houston Museum of Fine Arts Gift shop, has long been out of production.  "Tuxedo," along with many other Swid Powell designs by architects, is represented in the Yale University Art Gallery collection.

Zamore Homes Open House

The Design Within Reach furniture and accessories used in styling the Zamore Homes event were a perfect combination.

Zamore Homes of Houston held an open house today to show off their Kit Collection 2009. On display were two homes on Center Street, one furnished and the other unfurnished, plus a small guest house. (By the way, the two homes are for sale and the guest house is for rent.)

The Architect's models for Kit Collection Homes were on display in the guest house.

The unfurnished house allowed one to appreciate the absolute perfection in the execution of a perfect minimalist design. The real luxury in these kit houses, aside from built-in quality, is the use of high ceilings and the abundance of natural light.

Every entrance was an exercise in minimalist drama. The stylist used a light touch to continue the theme.

This is perfect, affordable minimalism; and you thought that was an oxymoron.

Barbara Hill's Pulpoetry

Pulpoetry pillow by Barbara Hill, punctuates vintage Roche Bobois black leather at My Ranchburger. Pulpoetry at Found for the Home.

Modern Rubber

The gray and white rubber pots are from Ligne Roset.

The pale blue rubber vase (above) was found at Galeries Lafayette in Paris. When I spotted this vase, I thought it was blown glass. As I gingerly picked it up, it folded in my hands and the bottom fell to the floor...talk about feeling as if you're in the twilight zone!

The cinnabar rubber pot (above left) is from Conran's in Paris and is made by cutting edge "potters" Charlotte Arnal and François Fevre in their atelier in Paris. The black rubber bowl is my jeweler's bowl for mixing investment plaster for casting and is available from jeweler supply shops.

Designers have been producing hip looking rubber products for quite sometime now. Besides exuding modern cool, they turn out to be great room accessories to have around if you have children or clumsy adult visitors.

Click on Photos to enlarge.

The Dark Side of Design

Image from The Museum at FIT website. Evening dress and cross necklace: Christian Dior (John Galliano); Red coated silk, black ink, & metal; Spring 2006, France.

Are you wanting to go to the dark side? Want to find your inner Goth? This is the place to begin your search: The Museum at FIT's Gothic-Dark Glamour exhibit or if you cannot get to New York City visit their very dark website. See the video below for a sneak preview.

The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York
"Gothic-Dark Glamour" September 5, 2008-February 21, 2009

The Confidence of Youth

This is not a lamp; it's a symbol of youthful confidence. Three-year-old Andrea and her twin Sofia were visiting when the lamp sputtered and the room went dark. It was unplugged and placed out of the way, in a corner of the kitchen. Andrea immediately pulled a kitchen stool alongside and climbed up. From the stool she looked down at the lamp, then announced, "I can fix this. Bring me a hammer and some tape!"

The girls are about to be teenagers now but we, their grandparents, haven't forgotten that display of utter, unwavering confidence. Whenever anything in our lives is screwed up beyond belief, we say, "I can fix that. Bring me a hammer and some tape." And somehow the situation doesn't seem so dire. Youth can be a wonderful teacher.

Classic Cool

My vintage radio has got its cool back, thanks to Classic Cool!

I'm in love! With Classic Cool Radio which has just made its debut here in Houston on 650 AM with longtime Houston radio personality Ronnie Renfrow and his Classic Cool team. At this moment, I am listening to the debut show as I am blogging about it. Harry Connick Jr. is front and center now. Cool!

Classic Cool: 650 AM. Tune in at 4:00 PM Central Time starting today! Monday through Friday.