Name-Brand Modern: Now or Over?

I'm all in favor of pushing the envelope, and in previous posts I've admired IKEA and Target for bringing modern design aesthetics to a wider population in a more approachable, less risky way. At the extreme of this, however, is the pre-packaging of acclaimed, agreed-upon tasteful designs into a plug-and-play "lifestyle" home. Buyers are attracted to the familiarity of a brand that they may have previously encountered in furniture, merchandise, pre-cooked gourmet meals, and fashion. But ready-made options are a convenience and not a personal expression. In the luxury market, it's becoming an increasingly expensive convenience. In the Vanity Fair Roundtable, A.A. Gill recently called New York's "high concept" condo developments marketed to the super rich antiseptically-clean "marvels of sterility". They are all haute design and no home, an "architectural catwalk" where a dwelling is as signature as someone's shoes, but it doesn't reveal their heart. Like home-style mashed potatoes in a plastic take-out tub, the comfort of these homes is encased in artificiality. The buildings generally involve large swaths of steel-supported glass, "bendy-glass-and-steel erections, with their tacky design features worn like second wives' engagement rings". I don't think Mr. Gill missed the double-meaning of the prestige that comes with occupying a signature project. Not to mention taking advantage of the building's life coach, personal training, and concierege services.

Previously intrigued with developing hotels, Ian Schrager developed plans for 40 Bond Street, where the style and theme are modern, modern, modern. 20 Pine Street The Collection (I don't kid, that's the full name) features Armani/Casa-styled interiors to provide "a couture concept in lifestyle living." What is lifestyle living? VF answers: a transitory fashion choice, a glass-fronted box where one stores one's "unexplored, unused life." Ian Schrager says, "Lifestyle is the way a person distinguishes himself or herself. It is the artistry of living....The home is the ultimate expression of lifestyle." Funny, I thought 'lifestyle' referred to sullen Goth chicks or those back-page Observer ads. Does this pre-designed lifestyle truly express the condo's occupant? Or is it just one more prop of a characatured "life"? For most folks, living creates the style, not vice-versa. While how I dress and where I live reveal something about me, how about judging me by my actions, not my sectional (even if it is a very sleek and modern art piece). Stylistic choices of expression, yes. Living a style, no thanks.

Starchitect projects are not unique to New York, either. In Dallas, there is an epidemic of high-style, luxury high rises afoot in Uptown, with Philippe Starck's House by Starck and Yoo in the Victory Project leading the name-brand cache. While the W residences, One Arts Plaza, the Azure, and the Ritz-Carlton are selling well, other planned projects (namely Maple Terraces) have been put on hold due to lack-luster sales. In New York some "starchitected" projects' offerings are moving slowly, say Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, blaming the recent market downturn and the changing of the guard that accompanies the moving-target of of-the-moment taste and edginess. As constructions costs have risen, the investor market has shrunk, leaving luxury-quality projects to compete over fewer buyers. Don't get me started (yet) on Dallas' own Calatrava bridges.

Not to fear though, the image-seekers are still searching for the perfect statement. In the meantime, I'm going to stick with picking out stylish pieces that I like--with or without the pedigree or the price tag. And I intend on living first, and wearing Armani only if that's what's called for.

People's Design Award

"What is design? You tell us!"




The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is sponsoring its first-ever National Design Week, beginning October 14th. In the run-up to the week's National Design Awards gala on October 18th, the site is taking nominations and hosting voting for the best design. Browse all the nominations online. There are the expected design impresarios--the Eames lounge chair, the Knoll Diamond chair, but also the everyday items we take for granted--the paperclip, the zipper, the Helvetica font, the contact lens--and the unexpected--Google Earth, the I heart NY logo, the US Constitution. Voting ends on October 16th.

"Mastering the Modern Mix" Seminar

Metropolitan Home has been sponsoring a series of seminars recently (there was an event at the Lovers Lane Storehouse in May), and the next installment will be at Kreiss on October 6th.

Join Mike Kreiss, design visionary and CEO of the Kreiss Collection and Jo-Anne Pier, Metropolitan Home's Retail Merchandising Editor as they discuss "Mastering the Modern Mix." Mike will explain the Kreiss design philosophy while Jo-Anne will showcase the latest trends in modern design. Together they'll demonstrate how Kreiss products can be woven into your home by creating beautiful room vignettes with different design elements.

Kreiss is located at 1628-30 Oak Lawn Avenue in the Dallas Design District. RSVP to the store by 9/29 for the evening event. Munchies, gift bags and possible prizes are promised.

Blue Ant Studio--Miami

Blue Ant Studio (Joel and Maria Pirela) has a new fun blog that is a combination of nice online finds and local design resources. It's a mix of design inspirations and executions from a family of industrial designers. Their goal is to provide a

place where I can post, discuss and reveal our everyday challenge to make our homes and lives more modern and interesting, with tips, DIY's, modern furniture sources, photos and links to all related to modern spaces. That includes MCM, minimalism, modern, arquitecture, furniture design, art, pottery, graphic and industrial design

The DIY projects around their house inspire my creative side to go find the circular saw, and the recurring feature is the Catch of eBay encourages me to continue to reach beyond Dallas to find the right pieces. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Modern creeps into mainstream

When I wrote my first post, I wish I'd been able to quote this article from the October 2005 Wall Street Journal. Turns out, they too have been noticing the mainstream embrace of modern and minimalist design.

Just a few years ago, good taste was overstated, defined by ornate Oriental carpets and sofas dripping with tassels. Dining tables came with pedestals and crystal-chandelier sales were booming. Now, in a reaction against the clutter of tradition, designers and furniture makers are emphasizing a more minimalistic look. With its insistence on sharp lines and shiny surfaces, this style in the past has sometimes been a hard sell for consumers. But this time, there's a soft twist: In place of cold or stiff materials like metal and leather, the new versions come with fuzzy fabrics, plush stuffing and more forgiving edges. The goal? To bridge classical and modern looks and make the furniture easier to live with.

What the main outlets are producing caters to those seeking chic creature comforts: a soft, cushy, padded-up version of the hard angularity of modernism. All of this is geared towards improving approachability and decreasing the intimidation of the modern design classics. Kinda like the California Roll is approachable sushi, that shows you're still hip enough to get into the raw without risking the unagi.

Austin Modern

Maybe the biggest national exposure for Austin's hip and modern design came from the Season 16 of MTV's Real World. Downtown Austin has tons of other reasons to be both hip and modern. The views and svelte loft-style design offset more traditional or edgy furnishings. The nightlife and the music scene complement the design aesthetic.

Scott (recently moved from Dallas to Austin) has a fabulous Blog called Mies and Carrots that covers nice design in Austin and beyond. His most recent post features the Ultimate Tree Houses exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum! Even better, he's from the same mindset that I am: good, modern design is in evolution, meaning that we're always on the lookout for something new, and even better if it's a bargain. The modern eye appreciates the interaction between man-made and natural beauty and the contrast of crisp lines and organic forms. As Scott writes, "beautifully simple, and on sale". The savvy design fan's trifecta.

ModernAustin.com is another fabulous site that is devoted to cataloging the modern homes in the Austin area, as a way of documenting and preserving non-McMansion architecture. While some of them are for sale, others are presented for appreciation.

Let's Talk IKEA

IKEA arrived in Frisco amid much fanfare last year, the 24th American outpost of "good design and function at low prices". What had everyone ga-ga? It's not just the 99-cent meatballs. According to the aptly-named Positive Fanatics, "Ikea balances two seemingly contradictory truths. It remains rooted in Scandinavian design, even as its global reach, toward customers "and" suppliers, broadens each year." IKEA must be commended for bringing the crisp, clean lines of modern Scandanavian design to the multitudes in an approachable and affordable way. Sherry Jacobson revisited the store's attraction in a recent Dallas Morning News article. Shoppers found the store "comprehensive" and "kid-friendly", offering "a little bit of everything" and a foreign flavor. The affordability lends itself well to the college and first-apartment crowd, but there are also budget-conscious stylewatchers and those who seem to rotate furniture with the seasons. The majority of items consist of flat-packed fiberboard components that assemble (some expletives might be necessary to aid in the more complicated versions). Flat-packing makes things transportable, while ecologically-conscious materials impress those who aren't struck by the pricing alone. Competitions range from Target's competing designs to the pricier cousins at Design Within Reach, but IKEA defines its niche, one that inspires creative variations and video and song parodies.

To the tune of Abba's "Mamma Mia":
Damn IKEA, here we go again
My my, feeling pale and trembly
Damn IKEA, sold me "Trollfjorden"
My my, it's all self-assembly
And if a screw goes AWOL
Man, you'll feel like an a-hole..
Why why, are you going back for more?
Damn IKEA, with their budget lines
My my, what a soul destroying store

IKEA was perhaps best spoofed by this scene in "Fight Club" touring us through Edward Norton's apartment, and The Onion offers its own commentary on the "epidemic of self-assembled, clean-lined modernist furniture". Love it or loathe it, IKEA has earned great cultural recognition for making modernism less affected and stand-offish, at least as best as it can and still preserve the tongue-twisting style names.

Some Attention from 2Modern

2modern has been doing a series on modern design trends in various US cities....and Dallas got a feature on the trip from Seattle to New York. A quick rundown of shops, museums, designers and some modern architecture is accented with some nice photo work. The store list includes Ligne Roset, Century Modern, Collage Classics, Jan Showers, Kul, and Scott + Cooner. Other cities featured in the series thus far include Denver, St. Louis, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Dallas Modern Expo Oct 13th

The Dallas Modern Committee of Preservation Dallas is sponsoring the Modern Expo in mid-October, with a special preview party Friday October 13th. Additional details at their website. A silent auction will feature mid-century classic designs and other goodies.

Why Dallas Modern?

Dallas is most often ignored by the modern design blog scene. Apartment Therapy and others seem stuck on New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. But wait! Look at that distinctive skyline! Think of the burgeoning Arts District, the renaissance of the Bishop Arts District and the growth of the Design District! What about the Trinity River Project and the Calvatrala bridges! What are we, chopped liver?
There is a growing group of design afficionados who aren't satisfied with just Pottery Barn, Storehouse, and Ashley for their furnishing selections. We're the types that have particular aesthetic predilections, from art and furnishings to architecture and cuisine. Dallas has more options every day to accomodate our desires and we're loving it! We're planning to follow the Dallas design scene along with its influences thanks to the Internets, and we'll try to feature some of Dallas's best developing neighborhoods and events along the way. Any suggestions? Let us know!