Start Ups

This has been a very creative design week in terms of graphics and branding. Our friends at Lil' Chick Jewelry are expanding to Lil' Chick Sitters. Yep, its as it sounds, chicken sitting. Amazingly enough, its a growing need, people are buying chickens and even ducks as the new trending pet.

Lil' Chick Sitters: For all your chicken sitting needs... go on vacation without worrying about who will take care of your flock!

A long time friend has finally realized what everyone around her has been screaming for the last 5 years "You have to start your own personal-training business!" SMMS Design is proud to be apart of the beginning of what will be a very successful and fulfilling business venture. The concept is a balanced approach to wellness, aiming to move each client forward in fitness, nutrition and life.

Do point: the point where you're fed up, done with excuses, and ready to get into action!

Vermont Antique Trip

SMMS went on a picking adventure in Vermont and New Hampshire recently. We unearthed many items for our stock collection plus "in-high demand" goods to be sold at the Brooklyn Flea. Here are a few of our pictures from the trip including our amazing finds.

Makeup cases are handy on so many levels. Whether on a bathroom counter housing jewelry or displayed nicely in a stack of multiples.

People are often intimidated by a rewiring project, what we say to that is, "You can wire a cheese grater!" In this case, we are able to take apart this bud lamp to create three individual pendant lights by using new vintage-looking fabric wrapped cord. In the end, these will be stunning anywhere they hang.

Oh, say can you see...

Its Independence Day and we're celebrating the Red, White and Blue through design. Maybe with a hint of cheeky prodding towards the Brits. Its possible to incorporate a little patriotism and a nod to history into our surroundings without looking like kitschy-Americana. Well-designed patterns, repeats and hues balance the red, white and blue theme in each of these products.

Pillow: Helkatdesign, Dishtowel: Crate&Barrel, Mug: Marimekko, Flooring: FLOR

Enjoy your independence and freedom to use America as inspiration in all your designs. Happy 4th of July!

NeoCon Think BIG

From Steelcase to Wolf-Gordon, many of Architecture and Interior Design's most influential companies unveiled new products and new concepts at NeoCon 2012, June 11-13. The three-day trade show at Chicago's Merchandise Mart drew tens of thousands from national design and architecture firms to see the latest products.

NeoCon is the only place to see thousands of new product launches from industry heavy hitters all under one roof. Attendees at the show were the first to see innovative, next generation products and resources from more than 700 of the world’s top furnishings manufacturers for commercial office, residential, healthcare, hospitality, institutional and government design environments. Products spanned a wide range of categories including: architectural products, artwork and accessories, building products and services, fabric, floor coverings, furnishings, kitchen and bath, lighting, outdoor furniture, stone and tile, sustainable design products, technology, textiles and wall coverings.

NeoCon 2012, Chicago’s contract and design trade-show, brought an influx of creativity and design to the Merchandise Mart. The first major art installation of its kind was a temporary, site-specific sculpture titled “Escalator Canopy” that hung above the 1st to 2nd floor escalator. The 30-foot 1,380-pound sculpture is surfaced in a selection of over 500 yards of Wolf-Gordon upholstery textiles, wall-coverings, and mirrors.

Happy Father's Day!

The idea of being a creative person as a rarity, is just a myth. Jonah Lehrer, author of the amazing book Imagine: How Creativity Works, was on the Colbert Report and had this to say about creativity...

The Colbert Report
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Case in point, Can your 4 year old make Google Sketchup masterpieces?

By Vanessa Quirk  —  Filed under: Architecture News , Google SketchUp

4 year-old Jed's Google SketchUp Masterpieces. via bleuscape

According to his Architect Dad, Anthony Rigg, 4-year old Jed is no prodigy. He just really likes playing with blocks. So when he showed his son how to use Google SketchUp (3D) for the first time, he wasn’t expecting much. He figured that his son, like any 4 year-old, would quickly lose focus and start doing something else. Half an hour later, Jed was still happily designing away, coming up with these 6 block “mansions.” Dad was “absolutely staggered.” In his words, “I think it is incredible what the unadulterated minds of children can produce.” Of course, you could take the position that Google SketchUp makes design so easy that even a 4 year-old can do it, but we prefer to think of it as a tool that breaks the barriers making Architecture inaccessible, that lets creativity trump technique, and lets you tap into your inner Jed. As Picasso once said, “Every child is born an artist. The trouble is remaining an artist when you grow up.”

Cite: Quirk , Vanessa . "Can Your 4 Year Old Make Google SketchUp Masterpieces?" 26 May 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 14 Jun 2012.

 

So to our dads, and of course our moms, we say, THANK YOU! Every child has the capacity to be creative, we're lucky to have people in our lives who recognized that potential and help us harness it everyday. Happy Father's Day!

Adirondack Antiquing

Last week's adventure took us to the Adirondack Park, upstate New York, where antiquing is prime. We found an amazing auction house operating out of an old barn, pictured below, and had fun van camping at beautiful Lake George. It seemed that lighting was the theme as we unearthed a Victorian doll lamp, several mid-century table lamps (that always do well for sale) and a few +80 year old brass standing lamps which will need our expert rewiring. All these amazing finds will make their way to the Brooklyn Flea next week.

Basement Playroom

We've begun preliminary work on a basement renovation. The family would like to update the basement playroom for their 2 toddlers. The home is a split-level colonial, because of this architectural style you are able to see into other parts of the home from the basement. It is important to keep a consistent flow and integrate design features from all levels of the home into the basement.

Some ways we're choosing to do so is through a harmonious color palette, balanced lighting, and mimicking finishings found throughout the home. It's a playroom after all so expect playful details as well. We expect to complete this project by late July and will keep you posted on the progress.

Basement approximately 300 sq-ft