2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

it's a good thing; santa collectibles.

The December issue of Martha Stewart Living features a great photo spread of antique, collectible Santa figurines, and I highly suggest picking up a copy (or at least stopping by Martha's Web site to check out the selection). When my eyes fell upon the collectible Santa feature, a smile spread across my face -- there's something so charming about these little Santas. Most likely its the nostalgia factor, which sends me back to my grandparents living room on Christmas Eve, their Frasier Fir tree covered in ornate decorations that looked old then.

Most of the figurines featured in Living are made from celluloid and were available at five-and-dime stores during the 1930s-1950s. They also cost less than a dollar! Had I been a kid then I would have begged my mom to take me to the five-and-dime every Christmas so I could slowly amass a collection, which enevitably I would have gotten rid of in my teens only to regret it in my 30s.

Today, the five-and-dimes are gone and with them the celluloid Santa's, but a quick search on antique and second-hand retailers sites like Ruby Lane and eBay returns a pretty nice selection of the collectibles, although this time around they'll run you a bit more than a nickel or a dime.

Plastic Snowflakes

From the studio of Chromatophobic comes 30mm snowflakes. There are 10 different designs to to put on your tree or hang in your window. Go from chic to fun in colors of black, opal, clear, smoke, green edge, clear red. Why not keep them up all year round?

If you want to carry one with you all the time here is a pendant.

More durable than frozen snow. At least this snowflake will not melt in your hand within seconds.

Available through Ponoko.

Have an infinitely modern day!

12 Days of Holiday Sweepstakes

2Modern is giving away modern gifts for 12 days! One gift will be given away each day to a lucky winner. Come back each day and enter! It's easy! Please note that prizes can only be sent to locations in the Continental US.

VIEW THE PRIZES HERE: http://2modern.com/holiday-sweepstakes

To Enter:

Become our Facebook Fan - go to the 2Modern Facebook Page and click ‘BECOME A FAN’.
Write on our Facebook Wall each day you would like to win!
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Prizes from Thomaspaul, Notneutral, Ecotots, Wallter, Paper Cloud, Goldiehome, Parvez Taj and more!

Hopenhagen

Hopenhagen gears up to highlight Climate Conference with pedal-powered Christmas tree

Environmental organization Hopenhagen has set up an alternative means of powering the traditional Christmas tree in Copenhagen's City Hall Square, by means of series of bicycles hooked up via generator equipment to its festive lights.

Cycling and Copenhagen go hand-in-hand, people are very environmentally concious. A third of the population rides bikes around the city, many with grocery bags or small children in tow.

Danish Biomega represents a paradigm shift in the way bicycles are conceived. They were the first company to view the bicycle as a lush piece of design and we love them for it - and their night glow frames!

Biomega Biolove Bamboo Bike is handmade in Denmark www.biomega.dk

S+arck Palindrome Too

So it's about that time of year when we start slacking during our work day and start shopping for gifts online! (Well, most of us)

I have the perfect gift for all you that have a punctual, design-nerd on their list.

The S+ark Paindrome Too !

"Two stylish timepieces live inside of this sleek stainless steel case. A comfortable grey polyurethane strap completes the look."

Grab them over at the Fossil site.

--sdotg--

2Modern Holiday Savings

Today - Save 10% when you spend over $150 at 2Modern - Use code: CHEERS10. Save 15% when you spend over $250 at 2Modern - Use code: CHEERS15. Enjoy!

* Excludes: Gus, Blu Dot, Sample Sale Items, Sale Items and Gift Cards.

Faded Signs

Galena, Kansas - photo by FotoEdge vis flickr

An old faded sign - particularly of the hand-painted variety- has a particular kind of beauty that arises from the layers of paint built up over time that reveal the buildings history. The overlapping graphics tell a story of how the building was used as each owner painted over the previous owner's sign. As time passed, each layer of paint faded and peeled allowing the older signs to reappear. An invisible past is made visible.

Mount Vernon, IL - photo by army.arch via Flickr

Architecture 365

It's not easy seamlessly blending two distant and distinct styles in one structure, but Austin's Architecture 365 appears to have mastered the skill.

Bottom photo by: Tre Dunham

The Met, by WOHA Architects, Bangkok, Thailand

This high-rise residential project, designed by WOHA architects of Singapore, investigate the opportunities for high-rise living in the tropics. The design won a MIPIM future project award, and is now completed. Rather than adopting models developed in temperate countries, with a strong separation of interior and exterior, this project explores how aspects of low-rise tropical housing can be applied to create outdoor-indoor spaces in the sky.

The solution creates appropriate tropical living at extremely high densities – a plot ratio of 10:1. Located between two train stations, the development permits higher use of existing infrastructure, and a practical way of dealing with Bangkok’s urban sprawl and terrible traffic jams. In Bangkok public transport is used by all sectors of society, as it is often the only way to move through the grid-locked city. The building is planted on every horizontal surface, creating almost 100% landscape ratio. Additionally, vertical faces are shaded by green creeper screens, rising up the full 66 stories. Balconies are provided with private planters. All apartments are cross ventilated, and all face north and south. The staggered block arrangement gives all apartments access to light and air on all four sides.

The design encourages and makes possible living without air-conditioning. Most tropical high-rise housing in developing countries is designed by consultants from temperate countries replicating cold-climate models. However, in the tropics light winds, year-round balmy weather, constant temperatures and high humidity make outdoor living desirable. In addition, the environmental conditions up high in dense Asian cities are preferable to those near the ground – there is more privacy, better views, lower humidity, stronger breezes, better security, less noise and less dust. To make the most of these opportunities, this project creates cross-ventilated tropical houses in the sky with breezeways, full exposure to light and views, outdoor living areas, planters and high-rise gardens, and open-air communal terraces with barbecues, libraries, spas and other facilities. These sky terraces, both private and public, link the blocks every 5 stories, creating dramatic yet human-scaled external spaces in the sky.

The building contributes to the urban environment with its planted facades, balconies and sky gardens, bringing cool, dark, natural relief to the grey concrete of central Bangkok. The walls incorporate random inserts of faceted polished stainless steel, a contemporary interpretation of the sparkling mirrors incorporated into Thai temples, returning this delightful glittering effect at a scale appropriate to the central city. Common areas are spread throughout the towers, offering inhabitants a variety of experiences, from the intricately designed carpet of water, stone and vegetation at ground level, to the extensive indoor-outdoor facilities at the pool level, to libraries, barbecues, and function areas at sky terraces that offer the experience of living high in the sky to all the inhabitants. The design is an innovative solution to the issues of density in tropical Asian cities, and offers a new model for high-density tropical housing. The concept of a naturally ventilated, perforated, indoor-outdoor, green tower is a necessary alternative to the sealed, glazed curtain wall buildings being erected across the tropical regions.

Structural engineering is fully integrated with architectural design. The design is built around a very systematic and regular structure. Based on a 9m module, the structure works well with all the various functions – apartments, recreational facilities and car parking. The design presents a slender profile, but the engineering has taken into consideration likely earth movement and strong window conditions. Wind tunnel tests were carried out to ensure safety and comfort in sky terraces. Structural bracing was introduced at every 5 levels, which is used for sky gardens, private pools and common areas.

The design uses a wide range of passive strategies to reduce energy consumption and make a better environment: The building is shaded by overhang ledges and perforated metal screens. This protects all external walls from heat from sunshine. The design uses living screens at the east and west walls, as well as the car park areas. These cool the building through transpiration and shading, as well as improving air quality through photosynthesis. Cross ventilation is provided to all homes, making air-conditioning an option, not a necessity in Bangkok’s pleasant nights. Water gardens are used at ground level and recreational floors to provide evaporative cooling and store rainwater.

The lighting design makes a dramatic statement on the skyline. The sky gardens are lit to highlight the building’s unique features, creating a desirable lush appearance. The building height and slenderness will also be highlighted as making the building a iconic statement for Bangkok. The project was awarded best housing (including mixed use) at the World Architecture Festival 2009 in Barcelona.

Mean Cards

With the holidays coming up, you have to really stand out with your cards. My boyfriend gave me a card from Mean Cards, and I was so tickled by them I had to share. The drawings are minimal but full of feelings. Here are some good ones for the season. Show someone you care so much you know they won't be offended by getting a slightly insulting card:

And the one that started it all: