The DIY food movement has certainly gained momentum in recent years, from beekeeping to home brews. Here's a modern way to put fresh, homegrown eggs on your table: the nogg chicken coop. Its name and shape pay homage to the chicken egg and with all the recent coverage in several design blogs (design*sponge, new house design and contemporist, to name a few), it's only a matter of time before a US-based store carries this British beauty. Until then, internet orders only.
Image copyright nogg
Get the ultimate iPhone accessory and go back to the future with the hand-sculpted iRetrofone Base By Artist Scott Freeland. Details after the jump...
We recently received word from artist and designer Randall Kramer on a beautiful bit of hand-forged artistry that he recently completed for a client's home on Manhattans Upper West Side. Check out more after the jump...
Faris Elmasu's new design for a bicycle basket will have wood-lovers' hearts beating a little faster. Bent plywood and elastic straps make-up the shapely and streamlined design. See more here.
Image copyright Faris Elmasu
I checked-in with Chi-Town designer, Randall Kramer, recently to find out what he's been making lately. See his stuff after the jump...
Now that the holiday season is officially underway, consider going handmade this year for your gift giving. Here's a great DIY project I found via design*sponge to make a beautiful and useful canvas bag. If you're not a fan of doilies, any stencil design could be substituted. See more here.
Image via Ashley Ann Photography
If you're like me, you understand the importance of coffee in the morning (I did not have enough yesterday before I started posting). With that said, here's a really great etsy.com find for those who would like a little style with your coffee while keeping you're hand protected. Get yours here.
Image copyright etsy seller meganauman
Your snacks for lunch don't have to languish in boring (and eco unfriendly) bags. Check out this useful and beautiful lunch set from Evelyn Fields' etsy.com page. The handmade set includes a sandwich bag, a mini bag & a napkin. She makes them from unbleached cotton with secure Velcro closures, they can be cleaned by machine wash & dry, or better yet line dry. Plus, your order comes with FREE healthy snack ideas! Check out this and other examples of her handiwork here!
Image copyright Evelyn Fields
Found this book by famous furniture designer Mario Dal Fabbro. I don't have a workshop, and my only woodworking experience was in shop class, but I would definitely get back into it if I had a book like this!
53 step-by-step plans for contemporary pieces, with simple construction details for building your own professional-quality modern furniture!
Design*Sponge.com recently featured some absolutely stunning paper goods designed by Oh Joy for Chronicle Books. Folders, stickers, notes and more featuring beautiful stylized plant and flower motifs in natural color tones. Read more and see more here.
Image copyright Oh Joy!/via design*sponge
Frank Lloyd Wright's statement above, made in an October 1954 issue of House Beautiful, is something that I've been reflecting on a lot this past month. In considering the PrairieMod Principle of "Useful and Beautiful," it occurred to me that many people may not be open to the things we talk about, because they are not familiar with what living in a "useful and beautiful" environment means. Our society values flash over substance; and our societal views on beauty are skewed on everything from personal appearance to our food. Is "Useful and Beautiful" a lost value in America?
I’ve recently realized that one of the most difficult “useful and beautiful” things that you can try and shop for is a fireplace screen. I’ve found myself in this situation due to the fact that I’ve been in the ongoing process of renovating my living room/dining area. It’s all coming together rather nicely and I’ve taken great pains to make sure that I’ve paid attention to principles as I’ve been working through its design and execution. Unfortunately, finding useful and beautiful together in the objects that finish a room off can be difficult. Which brings me to my screen situation.
The topic of this month’s PrairieMod Monday columns will focus on the Principle of “Useful and Beautiful.” Often, finding these two concepts paired together in the objects we live with, the homes we live in, and the places we visit is sporadic at best. Yet, in an increasingly busy and troubled world, the ability to infuse as many of the everyday objects and experiences we have with beauty has become a profound necessity. But doesn’t the old saying go “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” Does this automatically mean that such a generally accepted concept as relative as “beauty” will defy ever having any concreteness applied to it?
Teardowns are a huge threat to communities all over the United States. The epidemic is so widespread that the National Trust for Historic Preservation added “Teardowns in Historic Neighborhoods” to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Tearing down an existing house to make way for a larger, new house on the same site (sometimes more than one house) means a loss of historic and aesthetic character and ultimately has an overall negative impact on a community. It’s become a widespread breakdown in adherence to the principle of “Consider The Cost."
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