Like certain luminaries before and doubtless more to come, designers Ana Mil and Emil Padrós of Barcelona’s emiliana design studio seem smitten with the potential of plywood. Like Alvar Aalto and the Eames duo before them, Mil and Padrós apparently love curves almost as much as they admire the blatant contradiction of the concept of bent wood. They respect it so much, in fact, that they designed an entire series of stools in different heights and finishes to showcase what ply can do for you: “The Naoshima Stool combines four identical pieces of plywood to construct the seat. The seat, together with four wooden legs, creates a solid and unique whole. The empty spaces generated in the corners of the plywood seat make Naoshima a light and visually vibrant piece of furniture.” Read more…
If you’re among the fortunate few who’ve attended April’s annual Salone del Mobile, than you know the intractable pull of Milan. Perhaps your most recent stroll through the annual springtime rites of A & D has inspired a late summertime visit to this sunny, sultry city. Read more…
Just as with Pierre Paulin’s F 444, or Le Corbusier’s LC4 Chaise, or even Walter Papst’s Three-Legged Chair, the much anticipated re-issue of classic mid-century work by designer Jens Risom represents a fortuitous collaboration between past and present. Read more…
If you thought Sand and Birch was a Bed and Breakfast on the Oregon Coast, think again. The name in fact refers to the firm of co-founders and collaborators Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro (which is “Sand” and which is “Birch” remains anybody’s guess). The pair works well together because they bring diverse talents to Bear. Read more…
At my current locale of 9,200 ft. in the Colorado Mountains, the preferred method of document disposal is the good old reliable and potentially poisonous American trash fire. But I jest a bit for effect—in truth, we have a charming backyard campfire ring strictly limited to wood and paper. Read more…
While the cereal aisle contains far too many choices for being of simple starches and hopefully fiber, restaurants’ lack of vegetarian options can leave much to be desired. Perhaps dependent upon the rank of your birth between siblings, Read more…
Growing up as a diehard soccer player, “there is no ‘I’ in TEAM” popped out of coaches’ mouths almost as frequently as missed corner opportunities. As obnoxious as broken record life lessons were back then (and still are), I’d like to think they usually come with good intention. I’m sure even Spain - arguably Read more…
I can think of more than a few temporary or impromptu abodes I’ve inhabited (even just during the past year) that would have improved one-hundred fold had they been availed of Danish Architect Knud Kapper’s inspired Instant Kitchen. Read more…
In the race to create more sustainable, environmentally friendly products, the value of the human element is forgotten. I would venture to guess that without mass production, the excess in our society would decrease dramatically. Read more…
To the untrained eye of decorating, they’ve got legs, a flat top, and are level to your elbow - not to be confused with a place to actually rest those elbows. Many believe that dining room tables are seen as merely functional planks on legs that can be found for free on your local Craigslist. Read more…
