design-phan

One of my favorite topics: Philadelphia designers. I had the chance to feature some in today's LifeStyle column as a tie-in with Design Philadelphia.

(Click on the image to see a larger version of the page.)

The outtakes:

De'Longhi teamed up with 10 designers to design 29 limited edition, laser-etched Perfecta espresso makers to be auctioned off on ebay to benefit Oxfam America. This one's by Nicole Miller. The auction began on Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 18. Each starts at $1,800. You can bid here.

The whimsical Je t'aime Script wall decal ($28) from Center-City based The Surface Store. As part of Design Philadelphia, the company partnered with Design Within Reach to conduct a competition for local emerging designers. The challenge was to design a wall decal. The Surface Store will make and sell the decal, contributing all proceeds to CHAD, Philadelphia's Charter High School for Architecture + Design. Here's their blog post about the finalists. 

Today was a perfect day for many things: visiting Welcome House at Love Park, taking a narrated boat tour of the Schuylkill River, checking out the sample sale at the Marketplace Design Center .... what do all these things have in common? They're all part of Design Philadelphia, of course!

And so are the 14 white "Corian Bench Inventions" CH Briggs and Corian installed around Center City this past Monday and Tuesday. Each is designed by a local designer and realized by a local fabricator, and they're only around through the end of October so make sure to seek them out if you haven't already stumbled over one:

1. A-bench, designed by Kristine Shilling of EwingCole RDLA and fabricated by Solid Image Inc. [location: Schuykill Banks, beneath the Chestnut St. ramp]

2. Rock'n Chair, designed by Joanne Titcomb of Spillman Farmer Architects and created by John Kramer's Fabrication, Inc. [location: Schuylkill Banks, opposite the boat launch b/t Walnut and Chestnut]

3. Urban Skate Bench, designed by MIO and created by John Kramer's Fabrication, Inc. [location: Schuylkill Banks, beneath the Walnut St. Bridge]

4. Permutation, designed by Andrew Simmons of Francis Cauffman and created by Allegheny Solid Surface Technologies [location: Schuylkill Banks, near the Locust St. entrance]

5. Leaf, designed by Rich Killeen, Robert Bray, Courtney Moorhead and Suzanne Wright of Granary Associates and created by Eastern Surfaces, Inc. [location: 3 Parkway Plaza, outside Cafe Cret at 16th and Arch]

6. Leg-Go (in the background), designed by Shannon Cole of EwingCole and created by Henry H. Ross & Son, Inc.

6. Milk, designed by Todd Tully Danner of ArQitecture and created by McGrory Inc. [location: the wee pocket park b/t 17th and 18th and Chestnut and Ranstead]

DuPont's goal was to show that Corian is a flexible design material that can be contoured, sandblasted, routed, carved, laser-etched, etc. until it no longer resembles your grandmother's vanity counter. I think they proved it—with the help of some brilliant local designers. Hopefully the benches will stay put—the powers that be are looking for a way to gift them to the city.

Which is your favorite? For me it's a toss-up between the giant Leg-O outside Cafe Cret for its playfulness and the ice-cube shaped Rock'n Chair on the riverbank. It rocks, but you have to put some muscle into it.

To truly achieve world-class city status, a metropolis needs at least a handful of sophisticated boutique hotels. Philly's getting another when the Hotel Palomar opens mid-October. I had a chance to tour the refurbished Architects Building by Paul Cret at 17th and Sansom, where the hotel and restaurant reside, earlier this week so I snapped some pics:

Part of the brand identity of the Kimpton's Palomar hotels is "Art in Motion." In this Palomar, much of the art has to do with either Philadelphia or architecture. The blown-up scribblings behind the reception desk are the scribblings of two different architects. There are a few Philadelphia artists represented in the hotel, including Whitney Babin and Kimberly Brickley, but in a city so rich with talented artists, there could certainly be more.

Good old Ben has his place, as he should, keeping six watchful eyes on guests as they check in and out. Perhaps he's thinking of a penny saved ... rooms start at $159 and climb way up to $2,500/night for the presidential suite. 

Artist Donna Czapiga will periodically refresh the drawings (chalkings?) on the chalkboard wall in the restaurant's lounge area. The restaurant, Square 1682 (named for the year William Penn issued his plan for this green country towne) is located on the former site of the AIA Bookstore, so it's impossible not to look at the wine storage area and think, oh, that's where the children's section used to be....

Speaking of presidential suites, that $2,500 a night buys you access to a stunner of a bathroom. This is just one small part of it — there's also an enormous wet room with an elevated tub. That dark square in the mirror above the sinks is a television. You know, in case you're afraid you might miss a minute of Mad Men.

And, fittingly, the view from the presidential suite is a bird's eye of the skyline and of some choice Philadelphia architecture. That patch of green in the distance in the top photo is Rittenhouse Square. In the bottom photo, you can spot the signage for Continental Midtown if you look closely.

The Morristown, N.J. office of Gensler and California-based Dayna Lee of Powerstrip Studio restored many Art Deco elements, including brass motifs on the facade, original crown moulding and paneling in the architects' library, and one highly unique elevator bank. It's the greenest Kimpton — they're shooting for silver LEED certification. 

Oh! And I almost forgot two very important elements: bedding by Frette and bath amenities by L'Occitane. Welcome, Palomar. If you're looking for more local artists, check out Inliquid.

Here's the page I put together for the Philadelphia Inquirer's September issue of I Mag, a glossy insert that's sent to zip codes of a certain ilk. 

Isn't it pretty? Click on it for a larger version.

For more felt fabulosity, there's some great info on the use of felt around the world as a designing and building material on this blog that accompanied the Cooper Hewitt's "Fashioning Felt" exhibit last spring.

Another cool link is the website for the Queen of Felt, Mary-Ann Williams, the German-based designer who invented double-faced felt. She's responsible for the awesomely tactile pillow I included in the page above and for many more wonderful designs. Enter her "Felten Empire" here.

Also check out a) the entire collection by Boston-based duo,  Etcetera Media, designers of the Bun Bowl; and b) the revelatory SoftBowls by Philly's own Mio Culture, made at a local hat factory.

I felt it made sense to publish part 2 of my book-designs-around-the-world post (see part 1 here) during this week of politicians blurting out of turn and pop stars hating on civility. Here's my 2003 book, How To Behave, as interpreted by several cultures who all apparently suffer from their own bad-manner strains (take heart, America):

1. Spain. I speak French (un peu). Can anyone translate this for me?

2. Finland. Pretty straightforward.

3. Russia. What exactly is going on in that illustration? I hate it when parasites mistreat one another.

3b. Said parasite, up close.

And the original design, by lovely and talented Old City publisher, Quirk Books—the masterminds behind several publishing blockbusters, including the Worst-Case Scenario Guides and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

I hardly ever do these, but my inbox was filling up with so many fun, designy things to do right now and over the weekend, I figured I'd post a quickie guide:

1. SHOP a sample sale:

Philly textile designer Kevin O'Brien's sample sale to benefit PAWS started this morning and goes through Saturday. On sale are pillows, scarves, robes, and bedding at 70% off retail prices; 15% goes to PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society). O'Brien's signature aesthetic is Art Nouveau-esque in printed and burnt velvet. Once you become acquainted with his style, you'll start spotting his stuff all over the place, including in Anthropologie, Lisa Reisman, and Barneys.

The deets:

Where: Baltzell design Studio in Northern Liberties, 919 N. 5th St.

When: Till 9 today; 11-9, tomorrow; 12-5, Saturday. 

2. DRIVE BY a lace fence:

Demakersvan installed their lace fence for Lace In Translation, the exhibit that opens September 24. The fence is a gentle arc connecting the parking lot at the Design Center at Philadelphia University to Henry Avenue. From afar, as observed by the Center's Executive Director Hilary Jay, it looks like a ribbon of fabric. Up close, it looks like coated steel wire "embroidered" into something functional. Here's more about the designer and directions to the Center.

3. RUMMAGE at a flea:

I'd do it in rain, snow or sleet, but everyone else seems to agree that fall weather is the perfect weather for flea-marketing. There's a big flea on Saturday around Eastern State Penitentiary in Fairmount, from 9 to 5. And/or, check out one of my favorites, Shupp's Grove, where it's painting/prints/sculpture weekend. Of course, if you just happen to be in Paris, the fleas at Saint Ouen are the best place to spot a 5,000-euro cabinet. I just adapted a magazine story I wrote on the Paris flea markets for a blog, The City Traveler. (The photo above is one I snapped à Paris.)

4. WAVE a paddle:

In Lambertville, at Sollo/Rago's Real Modern Auction this Saturday. This Paul McCobb/Calvin breakfront cabinet (estimate: $2,000-$4,000) is just the thing to show off those flea-market finds. The auction action starts at 11 a.m.

5. LEARN TO arrange like a pro

Beautiful Blooms' floral design workshops at their gorgeous new space on Liberties Walk in Northern Liberties officially start this Saturday, with a three-hour workshop called "Urban Vase." (The pic above is of a Beautiful Blooms design.) Here's a link to their workshop schedule.

Happy almost weekend!

Paulo Mendes da Rocha's Paulistano Chair seems ubiquitous and timeless, so it's surprising to learn it wasn't introduced to the US market until 2006. (It was designed in 1957 and resembles some Bauhaus classics.)

The chair, constructed of a continuous 17-foot piece of stainless steel, morphs according to its slipcover:

Bold and sunny in orange cotton.

À la mode in Missoni.

Classic in buttery leather.

And happy(!) and handhewn in Philadelphia designer Adam Garcia's Optimism Script cover, a pattern of positive words and motivational sayings in hand-drawn script: an antidote to the overall queasiness of current times and a warm, welcoming contrast to the chair's steely modernism.

Garcia's design came out on top in Design Within Reach's recent "Paulistano Uncovered" contest.

What if you could change your personality as easily as this chair?