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Showing posts from July, 2011

Eerie Reminder

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Once Upon An Island: Twin Towers Rising The current exhibit at the Price Tower Arts Center features more than 100 photographs taken during construction of the World Trade Center. The images were taken by Richard Quinney while he was taking a photography class at the International Center for Photography in 1969. Quinney eventually moved to Madison, Wisconsin, packing away the original slides where they remained virtually untouched for the next 30 years. photo courtesy pricetower.org In 2002 the collection was donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison. Prints were made and the eventual result was Once Upon on Island: Twin Towers Rising . The images not only document the building of these landmark structures, but also an important era in American history. Eerily the eventual fate of these buildings hangs heavy over the entire exhibit- which will be on display through September 11, 2011. Before You Go Construction of One Williams Center courtesy of the Beryl Ford...

All Modern Memo: Save on Kartell & Alessi

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Our friends at All Modern.com are offering special pricing on some of the best known names in modern home furnishings- Kartell and Alessi. Huge Kartell Sale This Week! Through July 17th all Kartell products are 15% off. For innovative contemporary design, shop the entire collection of Kartell furniture. From accent tables and barstools to ghost chairs and modern lighting, you'll find everything you need for every room in your home. 15% Off All Kartell Modern Furniture Sale ends July 17th   20% Off Top Selling Alessi Collections The bestselling Alessi collections are 20% off all month. Alessi's intention, from the beginning, was to be highly innovative with cookware. Today Alessi is well known for its unique collaboration with designers and architects to produce beautiful, quality cookware and whimsical home accessories. 20% Off Top Selling Alessi Modern Items   Sale ends July 31st

The All Electric House

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In 1953 the Kansas City Power & Light utility company decided to build a model home to showcase the virtues of total electric living. The home was designed in the new "ranch style" and featured all the latest conveniences. They decided on a location in a suburb called Prairie Village, Kansas. The home was completed in 1954 and within six months more than 60,000 visitors had toured the model home. Standing outside today you might wonder what all the fuss was about. The exterior is a typical ranch with wood shingles and a two-car garage. But step inside and you'll be transported to a world of Fifties high-tech. Automatic night lights illuminate the living room and hallway. The large picture window is shaded by motorized curtains. A panel beside the sofa provides remote control of the television- which is hidden by a painting! The laundry room is outfitted with a combination washer/dryer (an appliance now popular for space-conscious apartments). Step into the garage ...

Favorites: Modern Design Stamps

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Cool stamps are not always easy to find. I mean, you could always create and print your own photo stamps . But if you just want to drop by the post office and buy some cool stamps- well, you'll usually be disappointed. That is until now! On Wednesday the USPS unveiled a new series of stamps honoring 12 giants of industrial design. The Pioneers of American Industrial Design series includes influential designers like Henry Dreyfuss, Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy. Even the border of the stamp pane (or selvage as it's known in philatelic circles) is adorned with the classic Airflow house fan- as seen in the recent American Streamlined exhibit at Tulsa's Philbrook Museum ! Each stamp features the name of a designer and a photograph of an object they created, as well as a description and year the object was created. To learn more than you ever wanted to know about stamp collecting (including what "selvage" means) visit our featured favorite, Beyond the Pe...