PrairieMod

320 Oakdale Tour

On June 8th, 2008 at 2pm Chicago Bauhaus & Beyond is having their next tour at 320 Oakdale. Designed in 1951 by the 26 year old fledgling architect, Milton Schwartz, 320 Oakdale is known for its distinctive and playful Atomic-age profile. The building’s original extra large Neutra-inspired machined aluminum and glass sliding windows are set off by Wright influenced horizontal "eyelids" denoting each floor. Schwartz went on to build numerous other mid-century buildings, as well as the 1950s incarnation of the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, but he remained a life-long owner of one of 320’s double unit penthouses until his passing last year.

Image courtesy CBB

Google Goes Bauhaus

Today is Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius' 125th birthday. Following suit, Google has re-imagined the design of their logo on the home page to resemble some of Gropius' signature architectural designs.

I would say I still prefer their logo homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, but you gotta give Gropius props.

Graphics copyright Google

Wright Plus 2008: The Big Day

Well, the big day finally arrived! The weather was just absolutely perfect and the entire event went off beautifully. We received word that the houses on this year's line-up we're all extremely well received by visitors, with lines of anxious people waiting to get into houses like the Adams House, the Fricke House and of course--the Balch House.

The bookstore was awash with activity all day as well. There was special stenciling demonstrations, a Teco Pottery raffle that got people buzzing and an excellent display of Motawi tiles--including the new Frank Lloyd Wright tile collection. One of the hottest items were the official Wright Plus event shirts, which sold through very quickly and we're seen worn by attendees throughout the event.

All in all, another fantastic event for the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. If you couldn't make it this year, no worries--they'll be working very soon to put together another great event for Wright Plus 2009. Check out their official website for photos and more information. See you next year!

Image copyright The FLW Preservation Trust.

Wright Plus 2008: Preview Night

The Frank Lloyd Wright event of the year in Chicago is the Wright Plus house walk in Oak Park, IL. The event officially takes place tomorrow, but the PrairieMod Squad was able to take a sneak peek at the houses during this evening's Preview Night. Check out some iPhone photos after the jump...

Martino Gamper & Wright Auction House

Well this is last minute, but if your looking for something to do tonight - Wright Auction House is having a party for furniture designer Martino Gamper. Gamper will be using materials found in the warehouse to create one of a kind pieces. To find out more go to Wright20.com.

Also there's a great article about Gamper on I.D. Magazines site. I love this quote from Gamper:

“You can either try to make something in an expensive material or be quite honest and make something that looks expensive because there’s quality work behind it.”

Please let us know if you go and what you thought.

Image copyright Martino Gamper

We Gotta Check Out Rush Creek!

I still can't believe out of all the places the PrairieMod Squad has traveled to over the past few years, we still haven't made it to Rush Creek Village--a Usonian Utopia located in Ohio.

We've posted on this secluded treasure trove of Architectural design, but we seriously need to check it out in person. All I can say is "We're working on it!"

Check out this Flickr photo set on some of the sites in Rush Creek and read this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune for more info on this very PrairieMod place to live.

Photo copyright pubuela

AT's 2008 Smallest Coolest Contest Winners

A couple of us made it out to Room & Board last night in Chicago for Apartment Therapy's Smallest Coolest Contest event. It was a great time and we enjoyed the company of so many wonderful people.

The finalists and winners of the contest exhibited some amazing skills when it came to decorating their small pads (most under 400 sq. ft.). Seriously, some insane things were accomplished! Get the details after the jump.

Image copyright Apartment Therapy

Wright Plus Weekend Begins!

Spring is in the air, and that means it is time for that exciting time in Chicago known as Wright Plus weekend. The PrairieMod Squad will be out and about during the festivities, posting on the events and sharing the details of the houses on the walk.

Mod*Mom Interview With Green Depot's Sarah Beatty

Mod*Mom has a special interview with founder and CEO of Green Depot, Sarah Beatty. It is most definitely worth a read!

Image copyright Green Depot

What Happened to My Method?

I have been super crazy busy the past couple months and have not actually been to the store for anything. Yeah, Peapod has been my new best friend.

Apparently while I've been away....Method decided to switch up and refresh their product line and it is all good. My favorite cleaning wipes have been upgraded to a compostable bamboo fiber material with much less packaging. These are the first cleaning wipes to be recognized by the Design for Environment program of the EPA. A recyclable film pouch with under half the plastic of a typical canister will soon become another market first under Method's belt.

They also seem to have updated their website with some cool stuff, like the Ready, Set, Detox videos and the Squeaky Green detox guide. Check it out!

Image copyright Method

Wonderland By Yeondoo Jung

While pursuing the web I came across Yeondoo Jung's odd-but-interesting photography (via Drawn!). His website didn't give much information about the Wonderland photo series, so I "Googled" him and found this out on beikey.net:

A Pleasant Event

We got wind of an event happening Friday evening at the George Washington Maher designed Pleasant Home in Oak Park, IL.

Stickley Corporate Historian, Mike Danial, will be on-hand delivering a lecture titled "The Arts and Crafts Movement in America." Mr. Danial will discuss the history of the Arts & Crafts movement in America and how the Stickley brothers made their mark. Mr. Daniels will also provide valuation on arts and crafts antique items brought to the program. Presented through the generosity of Toms-Price Home Furnishings. Doors open at 6:30pm, lecture at 7pm, reception to follow. $10 per person, all proceeds benefit the restoration of historic Pleasant Home.

Reservations are suggested, but not required. For more information, call Pleasant Home Foundation at (708) 383-2654. www.pleasanthome.org.

Wright In Racine: Back On Track

We recently heard from our friend Mark Hertzberg over at wrightinracine.com that he's had a little bit of technical difficulties lately that contributed to an unwelcome hiatus in his blog posts.

Well, things are back on track and in addition to today's post on the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, he's making up for lost time with a fantastic set of stories that are in the works...

Tea Forte on Ice!

All I have to say is WOW! I love the new brewing pitchers from Tea Forté. I try to have a cup of green tea every morning, but now that it's getting warmer it would be so much better to have iced tea. These folks must have been reading my mind. I would categorize this under Useful and Beautiful.

Oh and by the way, my birthday is coming up (hint, hint).

More info about the brewing pitchers:

Steep hot tea in the lidded upper pitcher and then Flash Chill deliciously fresh iced tea by pouring the brewed beverage into the ice in the lower pitcher for immediate service. The signature piece of our Tea-Over-Ice™ line, these sculpturally designed pitchers are made from hand-blown heat-resistant glass and stack for a captivating table side presentation. For use with our larger, specially designed Tea-Over-Ice pyramid infusers. The proportions of hot water, tea and ice are perfectly balanced to produce a fresh 24 oz. pitcher of iced tea with each infuser.

Image copyright Tea Forté

Small Cool Contest Party at Room & Board

If you're in Chicago this week, make sure that you RSVP for Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest party this Thursday May15th. The event will be hosted by Room & Board at their Chicago store. We will definitely be there and will look forward to hanging out with friends from AT and Room & Board! Please join us for a wonderful time.

Image copyright Room & Board

A Shout-out From Michelle Kaufmann

After the PrairieMod podcast interview with Michelle Kaufmann last week at the Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home exhibit, MK gave us a shout-out on her blog.

How cool is that?! We liked Michelle before we meet with her, but now we just love her!

Image copyright MK Designs

Sneak Peek: June 2008 Dwell Magazine

New Dwell magazine has arrived! I thought I'd give our PrairieMod readers a little sneak peek at what's inside...

Yves Behar: Notes on Design

Yves Behar recently did an interview with Sessions.edu's Notes on Design that is worth a read. Yves discusses his current and past projects: the NYC Condom Project, One Laptop Per Child and the very cool Y Water Bottle.

Images courtesy Notes on Design

PrairieMod Monday

Things are going well at the Little Red House. I received news that our new energy efficient sliding glass door and thermal pane window will be installed next week. This is fantastic news, because it will allow us to move forward on some much needed work in the main living areas of the house. In the mean time, we've been putting in some work on our new "victory garden" and going to a lot of graduation parties. One recent party required a trip to down state Illinois, which meant another road trip.

With gas close to $4.00 a gallon here in Chicago, it got me thinking about two recent stories I heard on NPR that deal with the price of gas and the way we drive. One made me cringe, the other gave me a little hope...

For the Love of Crayons

I found a link to All 120 Crayon Names, Color Codes and Fun Facts by COLOURlover through Coudal Partners. What a great site! COLOURlover has some sweet facts and resources about crayons. My favorite is:

According to a Yale University study, the scent of Crayola crayons is among the 20 most recognizable to American adults. Coffee and peanut butter are 1 and 2.

Mmmm, the refreshing smell of crayons. When Eric and I were kids we had the 64 color box and it was the best. I loved the sharpener on the side and was always looking for an excuse to use it.

Share some memories with us about your experience with crayons.

Image copyright Sir Fish