Florida Modern Design

Older Florida homes often lend themselves to a more modern esthetic. The glass sliding doors, tile or terrazzo flooring and low wide room dimensions, all give the feel of the era in which these homes were built. Add some mid-century modern and contemporary furnishings and you've got the perfect modernist home with little to no construction cost. This is the sunroom in my Florida hame. We replaced the spanish tile with slate, but other than that, no new construction has been done to this space. If you own an older Florida home and want a modernist look, see if your home already has the bones to easily achieve this. Send pictures of your modern Florida home to feature on Design Mind to sesdesign2004@yahoo.com.

Design Hotel, Sezz Saint Tropez

Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez from Shahe Kalaidjian, architect Jean-Jacques Ory and designer Christophe Pillet offers it's guests isolation from the rest of Saint Tropez, instant beach access and your own personal assistant. But of equal importance is it's modern, clean lined interpretation of the beach resort. Without a hint of pretension, the spaces look comfortable, and casual with a sleek elegance.

Starchitects on Parade

Today's NY Times Style Magazine features the art and architecture of Chateau La Coste, outside of Aix-en- Provence. This 600 acre space features the work of Frank Gehry, Richard Serra, Tado Ando and Louise Bourgeois with additional work by Oscar Niemeyer, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano to come. Photos from NY Times and Chateau La Coste. See NY Times and Chateau La Coste sites for more information. 

The Bardessono Hotel

As summer heat and humidity escalate in my part of the world, summer travel absorbs a good deal of my thoughts. I plan to share more images and information during my future travels with you. Until then I will return to last summer and the amazing Bardessono Hotel in Yountville California. It is the perfect blend on modern meets earthy with truly innovative approaches to green design. Don't just take my word for it though. Go visit the web site and learn more about it's designers and the man behind it's creation! Most of all... STAY HERE... if you can. You won't forget this trip. Enjoy.

Great Outdoor Space

Designed by architect Brad Zizmor, this is a wonderful outdoor space in a New York apartment on the Upper West Side. See Dwell for more details on the redo.

Guest Blogger, Kelly Kilpatrick

Frank Lloyd Wright

George Nelson

Eames Design

Noguchi Lamps


Bauhaus Design

New Modern

Modern Furniture Design – A Brief History

Near the end of the nineteenth century, many changes were transpiring the world over. Social change, new inventions, and new philosophies helped pave the way for innovations in many different fields, among them furniture design. These new methods would take a while to come to fruition, more specifically in the Bauhaus Schools in Germany during the 1920’s.

Previously, furniture design in the West consisted of using deep, dark woods, extravagant fabrics, and heavy ornamentation in order to suggest longevity, durability, and lineage. These aesthetic values reflected what was revered by a worldview that many people in the West no longer shared.

Traditional furniture design placed emphasis on lineage and durability, which were seen by modernists as antiquated views that reinforced hierarchical values of past monarchies, not the people who actually used the pieces on a daily basis.

Modern furniture design came from the modernist viewpoint that ultimately viewed form and function as nearly synonymous. Integrating Eastern cultures’ used of color, flat planes, and simplistic design to achieve a perfect marriage of form and function was the ideal way to reject the past and move forward into uncharted territory as far as art and design was concerned.

During the 1920’s the Bauhaus School of Architecture and Design moved places and leaders several times, but the students of this revolutionary institution helped to make modern furniture design a lasting testament to the modernist philosophy. At the time, Germany’s new liberal Weimar Republic sought to make a name for itself as a major producer among its more productive peers, England and the United States.

The idea was to merge sleek, modern design and mass production of high-quality products at a price that everyone would be able to afford. Though this goal was not fully met, its intentions inspired generations of designers to move forward with new and innovative designs.

Materials for designing furniture changed during this period of innovation, and included plastics, metal, and formed plywood as mediums for the bold new designs. These materials certainly helped propel both the success of the products, as well as the companies that made said materials.

Modern furniture design lives on in nearly every aspect of our lives, from the simple and functional designs of Eurway and Ikea furnishings, to the African and Asian-inspired minimalism found at Pier One and World Market. Modern furnishings and the ideals behind them have flourished, and they continue to do so.

By-line:
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of art careers. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24@gmail.com

La Vardera Architecture

Gregory La Vardera is an Architect located in Merchantville, NJ. He has been developing plans for modern homes that have something for everyone. There are three great things about his work. You buy plans for houses that are already designed, saving a great deal of money while still having the creative design of a great architect. He has a good variety of plans to choose from so you're not locked into one or two designs, and finally, the work is great. See his website for many more designs and his blog for more pictures and info on the building of these homes.

Prefab In Dwell

This month's Dwell magazine is devoted to prefab housing and has a wealth of information for anyone considering a prefab home. The cover features this beautiful home. Art object or machine for living in? Architect William Massie’s personal prefab project takes the mass out of mass customization to create a one-of-a-kind wonder.

Modernism At Risk, A Must Read

The World Monuments Fund has worked for decades to save endangered architectural and cultural sites around the globe, from the earliest settlements to 20th-century architecture. In recent years, they have increasingly noted that modern buildings face the same physical threats as ancient structures, despite a mistaken view that modern materials are less fragile than those used in earlier times. In addition, 20th-century architecture often suffers from a lack of understanding of its historical significance.

The Modernism at Risk initiative represents extraordinary—yet threatened—20th-century sites that transcend specific definitions, and brings advocacy and education to the forefront. Here are a few of the structures that are currently a focus of Modernism at Risk. For more information on the initiative and these and other amazing architectural finds please visit their web site.
Salk Institute
VDL Research House II
Joan Miró Foundation
International Fairground at Tripoli
A. Conger Goodyear House
Helsinki-Malmi Airport
Russakov Club
Schindler Kings Road House and Studio