All I Want for Christmas is a KitHAUS!

Imagine retreating to a studio oasis. A place where your drafting board would face windows, windows that would allow your view to extend over a setting of your choice. Where glass doors could be slid open to allow a fresh breeze. An environment where clear glass walls could open you up to the landscape, but also where wooden blinds could be closed to insulate you from the noise of the outside world. Instead of the stale, warm air, and the incessant chatter of your current studio environment, this place would be under your control, it would be of your own design.

The prefab units KitHaus by Design Within Reach create these kind of environments. The 'houses' can be situated on any landscape, as a studio or as a guest house. Their footprint is small and they are built using green design principles. When purchasing a Kithaus you have the opportunity to DIY by choosing from an array of material esthetics. While a price tag of $29 500 to $44 900 limits our opportunity to test the KitHAUS, I like the way Design within Reach has made a structure which can be integrated into several environments. Also I like the way the prefab units incorporate the landscape into their interior environments. KitHAUS makes the inside of the structure more about the outside environment then about its own interior composition. The fluidity between the interior and exterior environments in this little Haus make it an appealing space, and one that is different from traditional built structures. This difference creates a space in the KitHaus which seems separate from the work place. The differentiated environment creates a space I would like to work in, and they are just so cute!

I Love The Whole World...

The Discovery Channel has come up with a brilliant new commercial that manages to instill a deep sentiment of love and appreciation for the Earth in anyone who watches. It is a rare occurrence when you come across a commercial that is so moving, you begin to think, wow, now this is how all advertising should be. To watch it is truly a one-minute humbling human experience that puts into perspective what we are all apart of and what we are really trying to preserve. There is a part of me that feels reassured that this innate love for nature exists in all of us, (Biophilia, E.O Wilson) and that ecological competence will be acquired unconsciously once we develop this love and appreciation even further.
A truly powerful display of what is so much overlooked in this world... Enjoy!

Brooklyn Hip to Sustainable Scene

When I conduct my continual search for designs that succeed and inspire, I have come to develop a certain criteria. In my view, a successful design must embody the spirit, needs, and desires of the user. Through creativity, its form should also communicate its function. The design should innovate in favor of the natural environment and finally, the design should reflect a care for esthetic beauty and detail.

Brooklyn's children's museum expansion designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, is the latest installment in my search. The museum's expansion opens this fall, and it provides a lovely example of incorporating human factors and sustainable design, without sacrificing esthetic beauty. The museum's whimsical facade creates an inviting entry and reflects its young patrons. Inside the structure, the architects have further integrated their users by employing children's ergonomics to develop handrails and installing porthole windows at different heights, accommodating their various sized clients. The architects have thoughtfully communicated the purpose of the building through its functional, and esthetic details. But perhaps most importantly, they have also made it New York's first LEED Silver Certified museum.

Here is an example of designers who have taken a holistic approach to design. They have succeeded in creating something beautiful, fun, user centered, and sustainable. I hope to do the same!