Handcrafted Objects at the Architectural Digest Design Show

Photo by myself at the 2011 Architectural Digest Home Design Show, at 55th and 12th Avenue on the Upper West Side.

Above, the work of Mark A. Perry, a folk artist who lives in Rhode Island. His fanciful works in wood seemed to be imbued with hidden meaning.

My fiance Mark and I attended the Architectural Digest Home Design Show held at Pier 94, this Sunday. The show started last Thursday and ended yesterday.

This was the 10th year of the show, sponsored by the magazine Architectural Digest, or AD for those in the biz. The magazine publishes high end residential work by architects and decorators.

Over 300 exhibitors showed home furnishings, such as custom furniture, hand-blown glass lights and textiles. There was also a separate section devoted entirely to art. We encountered innovative and beautiful objects at every turn.


The delicate work of Jedediah Morfit. A bas-relief in plaster was suspended in front of a painted surface.

The themes of much of the work seemed to be reclaimed or natural materials. There was a good deal of furniture made of beautiful rare wood and glass objects in earthy colors.


Custom made wood pieces by Patrick Weder Design, a craftsman working out of Brooklyn.


Burled end tables, lamps and handmade earthenware by dbO Home.


Playful cast iron coat hooks resemble hands in different poses, by Nick Davis.

The above images are just a smattering of what we saw. Mark and I walked away with our heads full of ideas for our apartment.

What was especially refreshing was how open the exhibitors were to having their work photographed. Thankfully, there is the understanding that photographs can be less about stealing ideas than promotion on a large scale.

For more information on the AD Show and to sign up for their mailing list for next year's event, click here.


Faux aquariums created by Samantha Freeman. Fish were painted on layers of clear glass, creating a sense of depth.

Related posts: Now on Display, at the Annual Winter Antiques Show, At the Brooklyn Museum - The Dizzying World of Murakami and East (Side) Versus West (Side).

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Hailing a Cab, Outside the Hudson Hotel

Photo by myself outside the Hudson Hotel, around 58th Street and 9th Avenue.

There was a little bit of a scene outside the Hudson Hotel, which was designed by Philippe Starck.

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Not much to report from this front. The Yankees won their 27th World Series last week. I watched part of the last game, and it was inevitable that the Yanks would win. I hope another team wins next year and the year after that!

Work is picking up, with clients demanding that things be done yesterday. One project is rushing to wrap up before Christmas. It's a small renovation out in Connecticut, where the pace is a bit slower than it is in the city. The race to the finish will be similar to driving a jalopy on the freeway. Oy vey!

I visited the project last week, meeting with the cabinetmakers and contractor. Funnily enough, they asked whether a New Yorker could ever live in the country. 'Would you be able to handle it out here?' they asked, and chuckled to themselves.

Related posts: A View from New York and the Plaza Hotel, On How the Streets are Numbered in this City and Going for the Gold.

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On View at Open House NY

Photo by myself, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Outside a movie theatre, a marquis and illuminated movie posters advertised current films. I like the clash of neon and incandescent lighting.

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It's that time again. Open House New York is taking place this weekend. All over the five boroughs, various walking tours and open houses are taking place, and all for free (!).

I completely forgot about OHNY this year. Many of the venues are already fully booked, but some still have tickets available.

This year's events include tours of the oldest subway tunnel (below downtown Brooklyn), the Chrysler Building, the Apollo Theatre, and many other museums and gardens. There are even tours of several architects' offices.

If you're curious about the Open House New York events, click here.

Related posts: From the Great White Way, Night View, the Village and Open 24/7, Brooklyn.

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Meeting Felix, at 59th Street

Photo by myself on the subway platform at 59th Street, Columbus Circle.

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On the subway platform, I was moved to see a young man named Felix. I've seen him only a couple times before, with an enormous sign describing his situation.

Felix has a round, baby face and deep brown eyes. He was standing very still, holding his arms out ahead, supporting his sign. People walked briskly by to either side.

I gave Felix a couple dollars, and he thanked me warmly, looking me straight in the eye. Then I asked Felix if I could photograph his sign. He hesitated but said yes, and seemed satisfied when I showed him the image on the camera screen.

It was a great way to end an otherwise frustrating day. My troubles at work became trivial - how do you make a client's dressing room bigger? How do you best arrange a kitchen? How do you avoid making unavoidable mistakes?

The split second of looking one young man in the eye made my day suddenly worthwhile. Then a train pulled up at the platform. I went home, feeling hopeful and touched.

Related posts: Visions of a Cheeseburger, Midtown, Desperately Seeking... and Step Lively.

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Outside Mxyplyzyk, in the Village

Photo by myself on Greenwich Avenue and Horatio Street.

Mxyplyzyk, (pronounced 'Mixy-plix-ick'), a housewares and knick-knack store in the Village, cast a warm glow on the sidewalk outside.

Mxyplyzyk has been around since 1992, pre-dating Design Within Reach and Conrans as one of the first modern design stores in New York. It's one of my favorite places to pick up a gift for someone who has everything.

Appreciating the subtle art of industrial design and the willingness to pay for it is a recent phenomenon. In New York, as in many cities, there is a balance between stores selling the latest, well-designed objects and stores selling one-of-a-kind antiques.

Mxyplyzyk has a store online, too.

Related posts: Christmas Windows to Warm the Heart, Eco-Friendly Cardboard Design and Browsing Around in the Village.

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Living in Style at A&G Merch, in Williamsburg

Photo by myself at A&G Merch, a home furnishings store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

You can get anything from vinyl wall stickers to paper mache mooseheads to outdoor benches made of reclaimed lumber at this lofty store.

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I never tire of browsing, a trait that Mark does not share. He points and shoots, while I chew things over. Just looking at stuff satisfies me, which is lucky for my pocketbook. (I'm sure if I won Lotto, I'd sing a different tune).




Check out the A&G Merch website, here.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Related posts: Still Life, Antique Store, Eco-Friendly, Cardboard Design, Shopping on St. Mark's Place.

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On Drums and The Brooklyn Bunny

Photo by myself in Union Square.

An image from several weeks ago on a very sunny day. This capoeira group played music on curious instruments before breaking out into a group dance.

I'm not sure what the instruments are the photo above. The woman was hitting a drum, while others played an instrument with one-string.

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Here's something about New York I bet you don't know: we have an official rabbit.

Well bunny, actually. Friends of a friend of mine are keepers of the Brooklyn Bunny, named Roebling, after the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Like all good celebrities, Roebling has a MySpace page, a Flickr account and he's on Facebook. He doesn't Twitter yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

You can watch Roebling on a webcam that's set up in his home (the cam is experiencing technical difficulties right now, but usually refreshes itself every few seconds). You can watch Roebling, a magnificent white rabbit, snuff around in his area.

Roebling has entertained me during the work day. It's reassuring to watch him amble around, and every so often out of the blue, a mysterious hand will reach in to pet him.

The Brooklyn Bunny site also offers other things bunny-related, like room sprays flavored apple and lettuce, t-shirts, magnets and pins, all wonderfully designed with Roebling's clever logo, based on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bunny's humans are graphic designers Dresser Johnson, short for Kevin Dresser and Kate Johnson. They're based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and have done a ton of exciting design work for museums, magazines and other organizations.

You can check out Dresser Johnson's very cool website here.

Related posts: The Hills are Alive in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, The Guy with a Cat on His Head and Cats on Leashes.

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City Portraits - The High Line, Chelsea

Photo by myself from the High Line, at Gansevoort and Washington Streets in Chelsea. The new elevated park gives views of existing warehouses in the area.

A couple weeks ago I paid a visit to the newest addition to NYC landmarks - the High Line, a public park in Chelsea.

I'd heard vaguely about the project several years ago - something about old elevated railroad tracks being turned into a park. Now I know what the hubbub was about.

This public space is wonderfully designed, using modern materials that manage to refer to the structure's history. Precast concrete pavers are shaped to resemble train tracks, with grass growing in crevices.

At some points, rusty rail tracks are scattered casually on the ground. There are the typical things you expect in a park - plants, paths, benches and water fountains. The difference here is that you're on an old elevated structure, raised above street level.

If you're interested in visiting, I suggest starting at the entrance near Gansevoort Street, where a modern stair literally hangs from the old structure. Travel north, and encounter events along the way - piers that jut out for a view of the Hudson River, an outdoor theater space, and scattered seating areas.


The entrance to the park, at Gansevoort Street. Walking up the stair, you ask yourself - am I inside or outside?



At times, the park traverses below buildings sharing the same aesthetic.



Parts of the concrete flooring rise up to become benches.




The park meanders much like a landscape, allowing for views of self-referential views along the way.

The glassed-in space is an open-air theater that looks out onto the street below.


Dozens of people were sitting on the steps, enjoying the weather. It looked as if something were about to happen.



Large reclining chairs on wheels can be moved along train tracks.

Be aware, though, that besides the buildings, there is little shade along the path. On summer afternoon, it can be hot up there.

Said one European in passing: 'We are closer to the sun!'

Related posts: City Portrait - Washington Square Park, City Portrait - BBQ Block Party, Madison Square Park and Warehousing Art in Chelsea.

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Eco-Friendly, Cardboard Design

Photo by myself on West Broadway.

There was a sale going on outside this store in Soho. Taking up the ecological theme, Cardboard Design sells objects made from recycled paper.

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They say there's a market for everything, and there's a huge variety of stores on New York.

You can get cheap stuff and expensive stuff, second hand stuff and stuff in the wee hours. You can get sample stuff that was worn only once on the runway.

And of course you can find loads of design stores selling the latest in material or technology. Even new stuff made out of old stuff.


Click here for the Cardboard Design site. They have some nifty kids things. Both the rocket and house are priced around $75.

Related posts: The Markets in Union Square, Christmas Windows to Warm the Heart and Buying in Bulk.

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More of the Brooklyn Bridge

Photo by myself of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The piers and cables of this bridge are so striking.

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Mark and I had gone to a park along the Brooklyn waterfront last weekend to take some photos.

We were close to the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and you could see the 59th Street bridge in the background. Most of the iconic bridges are on the East Side of Manhattan.

The George Washington Bridge is to the east, but way up North beyond Harlem. The Lincoln Tunnel links Manhattan to New Jersey.

The view was panoramic. The view at night, though, is really spectacular. Next time we'll have to go at sunset with a tripod.

Related posts: From Under the Bridge and Bridge and Tunnel.

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For the People

Photo by myself near 34th Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown.

Typically, large umbrellas are found above street carts selling food stuffs. It's all you can do to find a shady spot.

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What baffles me sometimes is that most architecture focuses on the wealthy and the hip.

The wealthy are usually long or newly established clients who want to look as if they'd been established forever. Very fancy, very traditional, expensive homes, housing antiques and heavy curtains and pianos.

Then there is the other crowd - fashion forward, tech-savvy, ready to break with all traditions. They prefer sleek, modern design, to suit their wardrobe and lifestyle.

Of course, there is the gamut in-between: country farms, Deco lofts, the mid-Century modern houses. But the most challenging architecture to design has always been affordable housing and public space.

When you're in school, there is always one semester where you tackle such big things - how do you make an open space 'safe'? How do you make repetitive buildings interesting? How you define what's private and public? Public housing and spaces are so difficult to design, yet we're in desperate need for it.

Of course what they don't teach you in school is that there are limits to what a building can do. An architect can provide the house, but she cannot eliminate homelessness.

Related posts: Building For a Greener Environment and Architecture, A Glorified Profession.

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From the East Bank

Photo by myself, looking onto Manhattan from Long Island City.

It's tough to say what's nicer, the views from Manhattan or the views of Manhattan. Many of the new condo buildings in Long Island City and Queens, just across the East River, are advertised for their cinematic views of the Manhattan skyline.

This photo is deceptive. The gorgeous modern United Nations, designed by Le Corbusier, looks to be next to the Chrysler Building, several blocks away. The Pepsi-Cola billboard actually lies along the edge of Long Island City, with the East River in between.

You can see the area better in an earlier photo of mine.

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Tonight Mark and I went to a rooftop party in Long Island City, also known as LIC.

We went to one of the new apartment towers, which had a beautiful roof deck. There were landscaped areas, freestanding barbeques and wood structures enclosing picnic tables.

Five or six separate barbecues were going on at the same time, without a problem. Each sheltered area was separated from neighboring areas by tall grasses. Someone brought an ipod and a couple speakers. We had a wine bucket and food from a nearby supermarket. The grill, maintained by the building, was ready to go. All we had to do was flip the burgers and enjoy.

There was also a petanque court, a swimming pool and dozens of lounge chairs. I can understand why LIC is advertising itself as the next Battery Park City, the cluster of modern buildings at the southern tip of Manhattan. The similarities are obvious - both are at the waterfront, both are littered with modern high rises and parks, and both have all the amenities people are willing to pay big money for.

The nicest thing about the rooftop was that it's environmentally friendly. A rooftop garden cools the roof, which is normally heated by sun during the day. Rain that normally runs off the roof is used for planting, and the plants themselves are great for the inhabitants and the environment.



Hopefully we'll see more urban amenities like this. I think everyone would love to have a garden and barbeque.

Lower photo by myself in Long Island City.

Related Posts: Building For a Greener Environment and Climbing the Times

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Gizmos We Live With

Photo by myself from the train crossing to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan skyline are in view through the smudgy glass.

To be sure, there are easier ways to take photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge, than hanging from a subway pole.

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Speaking of poles, have people outside of New York taken to the idea of pole dancing?

A sweet, unassuming former coworker reportedly took such a class. I'd never imagine her draped around a chrome pole, never mind wearing a mini skirt. Apparently, some of her fellow dancers had poles installed in their apartments so they could practice.

None of the projects I've worked on has ever had anything so unique.

Mirrors that raise into the ceiling, to reveal hidden flat screen televisions? Sure. Outdoor fireplaces? Of course.

But no floor to ceiling pole dancing poles. Yet.

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The Low Down on Walk Ups

Photo by myself on the Upper West Side, at 78th Street and West End Avenue.

I love the variations you can find among townhouses. Here, a gracious arch frames an opening. There is a sculptural quality to this entrance that I find compelling.

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Townhouses were called tenement buildings at one time. They are called 'walk-ups' by New Yorkers, to mean that the building is divided up into apartments on each floor that you walk up to.

Having a townhouse to yourself is a lovely fantasy. The New York Times recently printed that single-family townhouses comprise between 3 and 4 percent of the available habitable real estate in Manhattan. So good luck on having a whole townhouse to yourself!

Widthwise, these buildings were made to be just wide enough for a parlor and a straight run of stairs. They're typically four or five stories high. Five floors are just enough to make it humanly possible to come home with a bag of groceries, trudge upstairs and then find that you forgot the milk.

I knew someone who lived on the seventh floor of a walk-up, who routinely threw large parties (!). His poor guests trudged up the six flights and the poor smokers soon trudged all the way down again to get their fix.

Five floors are also an ideal distance for plumbing, because New York City water is just pressurized enough within the pipes to get to the fifth floor without relying on a pump.

Buildings taller than five floors use water tanks located on the roof. You see these water tanks silhouetted on top of older buildings. A pump in the basement pumps water up to the rooftop tanks, which use gravity to get the water down to apartments when needed.

The above photo shows a handrail that is completely illegal by today's US building codes. These days the vertical struts of any railing have to be at most 4 inches apart, which is about the size of a baby's head.

Other countries have their own building codes. You see improbable railings in Europe that would allow babies, the sight impaired and their households to fall through.

Related posts: Building for a Greener Environment, 42nd Street and Things to Come.

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Two New Yorkers, Now Playing on Sundance

Photo by myself in Nolita, at Cleveland Place and Grand Street.

This neo-Baroque police station was renovated into a condominium building for the rich and famous. A few models and other well-known celebs are rumored to live here, but I've never seen anyone enter or leave the building.

For more about the Police Station, click here.

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This afternoon I walked around Soho and the Lower East Side.

It was cold again and sunny. I'm slowly getting used to the buttons and dials on this camera, but right now I prefer my point-and-shoot, lol.

Speaking of creative pursuits, I can't say enough good things about the Sundance Channel. Lately I've been addicted to their Iconoclasts series, where two well-known people of different disciplines are paired. They essentially interview each other.

The other day I watched Quentin Tarentino and Fiona Apple. It was pretty incredible to listen to these two artists agree with each other about how neither of them can not do what they do, or do what they do poorly.

Today I saw another episode that I felt was even better. Isabella Rossellini is paired with Dean Kamen, an inventor. The segment is airing again this Wednesday night at midnight.

Rossellini is known for her extensive acting and modeling career. She also happens to train seeing eye dogs in her spare time and campaigns for animal conservation. Both Rossellini and Kamen are New Yorkers - Isabella seems to live on the Upper West Side, and is shown walking her dog in Central Park. Kamen grew up in Rockville Center, a small town in upstate New York.

Dean Kamen sounds pretty amazing. He has many medical inventions to his credit, including incredible wheelchairs that essentially walk people down stairs.

He invented the Segue, those big-wheeled vehicles you drive by leaning one way or the next. He's also invented devices aimed at saving the planet - one that produces electricity from cow dung, and one that extracts potable water from polluted water.

If you have a chance, do catch the show and hear him speak. You'll be inspired.

Here's the preview for the episode:

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Building for a Greener Environment

Photo by myself on West 40th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The main branch of the stately New York Public Library is to the right. It's undergoing a slight makeover at the moment. Portions are shrouded by tarps, which bring to mind a Christo installation.

A row of recently constructed modern buildings recede to the distance. The furthest one with the spire is the New York Times building completed last year by noted Argentinian architect Cesar Pelli Italian architect Renzo Piano. (Thanks John, who commented below with the correction!)

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In 2000, Fox and Fowle, a New York architecture firm, completed 4 Times Square, the Conde Nast building at Broadway and 42nd Street.

The building caused a buzz because it called itself 'green'. It was the first time I'd heard the term applied to buildings. Special care had been taken in the design of the curtain walls, so a minimal amount of energy would be necessary for heating and cooling. Recirculation of air was also a concern, to avoid unhealthy office spaces.

So much waste is created in the building process, that it's great to know that architects, contractors and clients want to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. The trouble is that many of the costs are higher up front, to provide a savings in energy later.

Architects and designers can be concerned about the environment, but it means nothing until the client is willing to pay for it. And then 'green' alternatives have to be available to choose from.

When buildings began relying on internal steel columns, it marked a huge change in design and aesthetics. The New York Public Library is load bearing masonry building and looks like it is. On the other end of the spectrum, modern high rises don't wish to pretend to be load bearing at all. Their steel and glass facades imply a separate internal skeleton.

Now with the focus on sustainability, I have to wonder how our time period will be viewed in the future. Will we be able to discern a 'green' building from a non-green building by sight? Will there be methods for buildings to code themselves as green, and hence brand themselves as a better, more responsible place to live or work?

Stay tuned.

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My Kingdom for a Working Pay Phone

Photo by myself today at the Times Square subway station. A man sat with young cat that was enamored with him.

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Today I forgot my phone and had to call Mark from a *gulp* a pay phone. (Cue creepy organ music).

I wind up using a pay phone about five times a year. I'd say 75% of the time, the phone doesn't work. Either I don't get a dial tone, or I get a dial tone and my fifty cents disappear forever into an abyss, or I actually get my money back. Whatever the result, I have to go in search of another phone.

It's a real act of faith to pick the receiver up off the hook with your bare hand and put it anywhere near your bare ear. Ugh.

I once worked at an office that attempted to design street furniture in the form of snazzy modern payphones. We met with telephone business guys, three of them who wore blueish suits. In the midst of one involved meeting, one business guy was mid-sentence when he whipped out what must have been the equivalent of a Binaca and sprayed himself in the mouth. I would have lost it except I was so shocked I couldn't emit a sound.

Anyway, the amount of energy involved in trying to get the payphone to work was astounding. First was the cost; a fabricator estimated a cost of more than $30k for a prototype. Then it had to comply with national codes for the handicapped. Then it had to be buildable. Finally, it had to defy vandalism.

Hm. All this for a phone booth? Is it really necessary? Well yes, when you think about how much money these phone guys get from advertising. In fact, it doesn't really matter whether the phones work, as long as the phone is attached to a billboard or three. Hence the high percentage of broken phones out there.

In the approval process for the phone booth, we had to present renderings to the Mayor's office. I remember we had to switch out the graphic at the last minute because Rudy (Guiliani, the Mayor at the time), didn't like the Yankees. So we showed an ad for the US Open instead.

Or perhaps it was the other way around, that Rudy preferred baseball to tennis. Whatever the case, it was a mad scramble where we had to switch out one graphic for the other, so the design wouldn't be discriminated against on any level.

I thought it was ironic that we had to be super political around a politician, but perhaps it was less ironic than appropriate. I don't know how Rudy reacted to the images. We dropped them off with his people, and soon afterwards our office abandoned the whole phone booth enterprise. It was just too much work, even for the good of New York.

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Let the Hair Pulling Begin

Photo by myself on University Place.

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Today marks the start of World War III.

This morning, Frank, an architect at my office, had a skirmish with some decorators over the conference room. The decorators had booked the room but somehow, their appointment wasn't recorded in the log book. Frank was mid-meeting in the room when a group of them swung by, surprised and insulted.

Words were exchanged and suddenly it felt like 'West Side Story', with the Jets meeting the Sharks. The flamboyant expressive decorators were riled up in a huff and we, the stolid sensible architects didn't stand a chance.

Usually, we folks get along like monkeys and giraffes in the zoo (it's questionable, however, who are the monkeys and who are the giraffes). Our personality types are on opposite ends of the spectrum - the architects draw lines on computers, abstract representations of physical spaces. Meanwhile, the decorators use itty bitty swatches of material and paint chips to describe the same spaces.

They run around chattering giddily and calling one another 'Girl' and 'Lovey', regardless of gender. We call each other by our last names and sit quietly at our desks. They dress in stylish, color-coordinating ensembles and astonishing footwear. We dress tastefully in conservative greys, browns, blacks and the occasional green. They're the disco queens. We're the nerds.

Anyway, while Frank told me what happened with the conference room, we received a group email from a teammate showing the following: multiple portraits of a cartoon character sitting calmly, before spontaneously spazzing out. Above the cartoons, the email read 'Do someone a favor. February is National Mental Health Month. Send an email to an unstable person you know.'

'Why don't you forward Them that email we just got?' I suggested.

Frank giggled maniacally and started typing on the subject line, 'Ladies, don't cry.'

'Are you trying to start a war?' I asked. 'That's like lobbing the first grenade.'

Sensibly, Frank used the backspace key. He thought a bit before typing, 'Can't we all just get along?' and hit return.

Minutes later he received the reply, 'Not on your life, suckass.'

The first grenade had been lobbed from their side. The war was on.

For more posts on the divafest, click here, here and here

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Fashion Accessories Coming Soon

Photo by myself at the Bluewater Grill in Union Square, around Broadway and 16th Sreet.


I rarely carry an umbrella. First, carrying one requires planning and knowing what the weather will be. Second, I'm overladen with other crap - purse, wallet, keys, cellphone, camera, gum, Airborne, New Yorker Magazine.

My habits may soon change. This Spring, we'll be seeing a new umbrella on the streets. In last week's New Yorker, Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief, wrote an article about the Boston sculptor Steven Hollinger. His new umbrella design is modeled after the aerodynamic shape of a bicyclist's helmet.

Rounded on the front end to deflect wind, the umbrella tapers at the back. It has gutters. It's narrower than it is long, so that people can walk the sidewalks without bumping into each other. Hollinger's prototype was made of shiny black fabric on the outside and a bright red fabric on the inside, to make the user feel cozy (!).

Just imagine the ramifications. No more crumpled metal skeletons along the streets after a rainstorm. No more hawkers selling cheapo umbrellas for three bucks. No more heaps of anonymous black nylon at the doorways of restaurants and galleries.

I'm skeptical but curious. The image of New Yorkers waiting on a street corner for the light to change, huddled and glum beneath their flimsy umbrellas while traffic hurls by will soon be history. Hard to believe.

I'm sure there will be a few hold-outs at first, carrying their antiquated three dollar nylon umbrellas. And there will be those of us who carry nothing at all.


Top photo by myself at the Blue Water Grill, in Union Square. The jazz club Metropolis used to occupy the downstairs. Metropolis is no longer, but the restaurant features live jazz in its lower dining room.

Lower photo showing the rounded end of the new umbrella design, from Steve Hollinger's website.

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It's a Small World After All

I read about the latest at the Cooper Hewitt on The Girl in the Green Dress. Traci points out that Design for the Other 90%, a timely show on social responsible products, ends September 23. Time to make the trek to the Upper East Side. I love the Cooper Hewitt; they have interesting, well-designed shows that aren't overwhelmingly huge.

Speaking of good design, The New Yorker announced last week that we'll be seeing Smart cars soon in New York.

I remember how excited people were when these cars made their debut. For the past eight years, they've been in Europe. Called 'Twofors', because they only seat two people, they are three feet shorter than Mini Coopers, (as a frequent Mini passenger, I find this incredible). A Smart car parked perpendicular to the curb is shorter than a Lincoln Navigator is wide.

All I can say is, what took so long?

Hopefully, we'll be seeing a change in the definition of what 'good' design is. A well-designed object should function well, look cool, challenge the status quo and consider the bigger picture.


Photo by myself from the edge of Greenpoint, looking out at the East River and Manhattan.

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