Housing for 55+ market report

MetLife has published an extensive report entitled "Housing for the 55+ market: trends and insights of boomers and beyond" The report has found that most are choosing to "age in place" and planning to continue to work in greater numbers than previous generations. - in fact, many are opting to downsize into homes that are closer to work. Only a slightly larger percentage are planning to move into age restricted developments, with the current economic climate affecting their ability to sell their current home.

With charm to spare: The Vegetal Chair

Vegetal Chair from Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec on Vimeo. Designed for Vitra and introduced at the Milan Furniture Fair 2009.

Coverings 2009/ Best Sustainability Statement

Having missed Coverings for a few years, I looked at everything in a fresh way, and found some new "favorites." This year one of them was BRIX, with an offering of truly classic design. They showed a highly-tactile 5mm x 5mm x 5mm mosaic, "I Frammenti" designed by Claudio Silvestrin (who designed the previous generation of Armani stores - but now Armani has a new look-for fashion sake, no doubt.) They also presented a natural neutral series designed by Andree Putman in large format sizes that allow the creation of an interesting variety of pattern called "Powder." From extremely small to large scale, no one can beat the Italians at design in the world of ceramic tile.

Ceramic tile is inherently a sustainable product that offers a long life-cycle at great value. Based largely on Italian technology there is little waste in the manufacturing of a product that is made of dirt and fired to a temperature with no possibility of off-gasing. Brix takes the sustainability of the product to an entirely new level with the classic sustainability of their "designs" and their brand statement which attests to this:

The aim of Brix is not to diversify and create short-lived trends. Brix produces materials for interior design following its own coherent style, a direction that's completely independent of trends, and doesn't follow the principles of fashion. Brix presents products from two points of view: US and YOU.

The perfect sentiment for these economic times.

Something for everyone at Coverings 2009

From tone-deaf bling-bling to the latest news in sustainability, Coverings 2009 had it all. I generally enjoy what Swarovski has done with their products from tatoos to chandeliers, but sometimes it is simply too much to bear or should I say "bare." Nature's most gorgeous granites do not need the embellishment of crystals - they just make the granite look over-the-top tacky. In the quest to have products noticed, have we lost all sense of propriety and good taste? And what can one say about the fans of Donatella Versace's taste, only that they too could find products at the recent Coverings 2009 in both tile and stone.

But the key to this show is that there is something for everyone - from beautiful artisanal hand-crafted tiles to inexpensive copies of copies.

Mini-moo's

I love my new box of mini-moo.com business cards. Above is a collage of just 5 of the cards, each one in the box of 100 can have a different image. They are opening a facility in RI shortly, so they will get here even quicker than from Europe.

The danger that lurks in a Name?

Recent research shows that an unfamiliar, unpronounceable name may be perceived as dangerous. That's just fine for amusement park rides - when selecting a name, it is important to ask if you want it to be associated with danger.

A clean house at TED built in 4hours

Through all the technological inventions of the last 50 years, we are still building houses with the same methods. Will we ever move away from "stick" building? Every era makes attempts at factory building. An interesting approach is shown here, but the cost is virtually double what a "stick" built home with these amenities would cost. Unless the costs become more realistic, these modular units by LivingHomes are not likely to displace standard on-site construction processes any time soon. How long will it take to come up with something that is between the tin-can-like "mobile homes" of today and the fantasies of tomorrow depicted here? The material suppliers get good shout-outs in the video, but in down economic cycles, tradition usually wins out over stark contemporary looks. In today's economic climate, we are all looking for "comfort" of some sort. These stacks of stark rectangular boxes, don't offer so much as a comfortable corner. Whose fantasy is this anyway? It may be good for getting press, but does it provide "comfort" for hunkering down in a "down" economy.

WUW / sixthsense - a wearable gestural interface

'WUW' is like having the entire world as your computer. Exciting technology from MIT Media Labs which will eclipse communication as we know it.

The Importance of Contrast!

It is no surprise to me! The new Tropicana packaging is a complete failure. What is a surprise is the visceral reaction of the consumer, they reacted immediately, both in the blogisphere and at the cash register.The figures are now in - the $35M rebranding campaign cost Tropicana a 20% loss in sales. This only goes to show that graphic artists cannot be without strong direction - not from their art director, but from the sales organization that is paying the bills.

And do any of these peep's ever get out to see where their products are displayed? Even George Bush the First who had never been in a grocery had more of an excuse, he was POTUS, after all. Orange juice is stored in a white refrigerator case with high key lighting - the new Tropicana label was all but lost there. The comparison image on the left does not do justice to just how washed out the labels looked in the refrigerator case in the grocery store.

This lack of contrast started in interiors in the 90's and went over to graphic arts, early on in the graphic arts it was dark on dark, pattern on pattern - all rendering things unreadable. (The original issues of WIRED magazine - in an attempt to be cool, were unreadable) Now it is light on light and only those with better than 20/20 vision can read many of the labels. As I said before, I don't take my reading glasses into the shower, nor do I expect to need them to buy groceries. The solution is so simple - we need contrast to make even smaller typeface more readable.

The old Tropicana label is, after all, iconic - Tropicana had a winner - they should have stayed with it. Icons, like Tide may be regularly tweaking their labels, but you can still recognize it on the shelf.

You can even listen to the original sales pitch for the "new and improved" packaging.

The Jenga Effect

Can architecture be inspired by a toy? Witold Rybczynski, my favorite writer on architecture, thinks so. He has created a slide show called "The Jenga Effect" at Slate.We all hope these buildings are not as vulnerable to tumbling down as Hasbro's game for all ages.

NY Times Magazine and MOMIX

Quibble, if you will, with the NY Times Magazine's take on "green" but no one can argue with the creativity of the cover to the April 19, 2009 issue covering "The Green Mind." That "brain matter" on the cover is composed of MOMIX dancers. Watch the delightful video describing the cover shot in conjunction with the dance troupe MOMIX. I do still need that paper version on Sundays; now I feel compelled to go online as well.

Architecture! Peter Zumthor - The Thermae of Stone (1/3)

This building has been my favorite representation of the beauty of natural indigenous materials used in architecture since the first image that I saw of this quartzite encased thermal pool. The architect, Peter Zumthor has just been awarded the Pritzker prize. He certainly belongs in the company of previous winner James Sterling, who used natural indigenous limestone so beautifully in the Neue Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. It is no wonder that I have worked with materials all my life, as material is what I respond to first when I see a building - well before I notice form.

Connecting to the customer

Designed with the consumer in mind, Sherwin Williams has a fun new interactive tool called "The Color of Inspiration." Even if not totally satisfying, it is a start to the conversation of selecting colors for the home. It only lets you pick one color from a photograph that "inspires" you and picks the rest of the palette for you. Not for those who expect subtlety, but entertaining non the less. I put an entry under "chimera" and will see once it is on line, if it lets me create more palettes with the picture in the "community" part of the program.

Looks like the right way to use the internet and a smart way to engage the customer who is looking for color suggestions and actually send them to the store for the promoted product.

London 2012 Olympic Games Aquatic Centre Animation

Wow, this wave-shape aquatic center looks like it will live up to the architectural standard set by the Beijing Bird's Nest. While I am not always a fan of Zaha Hadid's many swirling surfaces, this looks fabulous in the animation and is entirely appropriate to the venue. Learn about and keep up to date with the interesting construction details on more youtube.com videos.

Frank Lloyd Wright's La Miniatura for sale

Built in 1923 for $17,000, (70% over budget) La Miniatura in Pasadena is now on the market for $7.73M. Wright decided that he would make a silk purse out of a sow's ear by molding a cross-shaped "textile" pattern into concrete blocks, the cheapest of building materials. It has recently undergone a major renovation - as it, like all Wright houses had water issues. Ah, the price of genius! And then again, not a bad return on investment.

Recession Chic

The New York Times is staying in tune with the economic times by featuring a California desert house created and owned by the sculptor Randy Polumbo. The house is featured in both an article and in an enchanting video presentation of the largely hand-made house, narrated by the artist. Found objects find new homes with glass bottles being the most common "find." Here an exquisitely beautiful window is created with bottles. Solar panels power the entire house. This house is a delightful antidote to the starkness of minimalism that only a housekeeper could find rewarding.

Wal-Mart envy

The marketers of the world should be watching every Wal-Mart move instead of trashing the company. Could it be that too many marketers are out of touch with the real world? Take a look at Tim Manners (Author of the book RELEVANCE) survey of his readers on their "relationship" with Wal-Mart. He is taken aback by the results and asks his readers for their response. The replies are for the most part nuanced and acknowledge the fact that marketers had something to learn from Wal-Mart especially since many sell to Wal-Mart. The "Management IQ blog on Business Week picked up the information, but their readers' shout-backs were vitriolic at best.

Opinions on the internet both inform and "expose."

Toting Relics

The great thing about the internet is that one is always finding someone who shares one's curiosities. Over at designobserver.com, I ran into an article on religious decorations/ designs on vans and I feel compelled to share the snapshot that I took of someone's charmingly colorful chapel of the road in an iconic VW van at a parking meter in downtown Santa Fe. Love the relics - so Georgia.