Archive for December, 2008

Image: Joe’s Best of 2008

Joe’s Best of 2008

On this afternoon of the 31st, the prelude to the much-anticipated eve of the last day of 2008, you may have noticed that the world is abuzz with quantifications, qualifications, comparisons, and “best ofs.” This trend seemed to first take life at the beginning of the holiday. I even participated with my article What Joe is Thankful For. Read more…

Image: Alicita’s Best of 2008

Alicita’s Best of 2008

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish a Happy New Year to all our loyal 3ringers. Most of you read my Thanksgiving Treasures, and while that article was a lot of fun, I decided to do this even better for New Years. In order to organize my picks for the best products of 2008, I’m going to tackle this in an organized fashion: from exterior to interior, top to bottom. Read more…

Image: Blast From the Past: Best of 2008

Blast From the Past: Best of 2008

The calendar says it’s that time of the year again. A time where parties are no longer perilous, resolutions no longer redundant and changes no longer clichéd. December always seem to pack a joyous punch and before ringing in the New Year we are toasting to innovation by introspecting the inexhaustible mine of creations, Read more…

Image: Venus Natural Crystal Chair by Tokujin Yoshioka

Venus Natural Crystal Chair by Tokujin Yoshioka

Japanese architects and designers have been on the quest of formulating their own identity since the devastation of World War II. It was architects like Kenzo Tange and Maekawa Kunio, who first showed affinity to the Le Corbusier School of design. Read more…

Image: Z is for Zeta

Z is for Zeta

Architect Diego Granese likes to incorporate design into the spaces he executes in order to “reach a larger homogeneity in the final result.” Given the interesting shape and color effects of his bent glass table appropriately named Zeta, I would love to see the building in which it was intended to housed. Read more…

Image: Graffiti for Books

Graffiti for Books

Under the About Us section of his website, designer Charles Kalpakian states that part of his artistic philosophy is to “forget quotidian constraints.” This reminds me of a Donald Barthelme story, “Critique de la Vie Quotidienne,” wherein everyday life offers nothing but boredom (and a good amount of J&B). Read more…

Image: Morgan Furniture’s Miami Line

Morgan Furniture’s Miami Line

At first glance, the Miami Sofa and Chair Range by Morgan Furniture, U.K. may provoke a bit of wistful deja vu. Read more…

Image: Blue Dots Needlepoint Armchair

Blue Dots Needlepoint Armchair

While polka dots are not exactly the way to my discerning A&D heart, the Blue Dots Needlepoint Armchair evokes an instant smile. The perennial dots peeping out of the armchair make it part whimsical, part conventional, and part unpredictable. Read more…

Image: Sadlerstone Precision Engineered Precast Concrete Flooring

Sadlerstone Precision Engineered Precast Concrete Flooring

Has anybody ever heard of “thermal mass?” One of the few concepts I remember from the sustainable building course I audited a couple years back, the term refers to the sum total heat-retention capacity of a given material. Read more…

Image: Cube Motorized TV Cabinet

Cube Motorized TV Cabinet

If you’re a fan of Wallpaper Magazine, then you’re probably familiar with Domus Design Collection (DDC). In June 2008, they featured a story about the DDC showroom in LA, which was originally designed by Charles and Ray Eames, based on their Case Study House #8 in Pacific Palisades. Read more…