Work in progress

This is a prototype for my "Vessel" fruit bowl. I was thinking of skeletons (like the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History in New York City) or a boat hull under construction when I designed this. I am going to complete the open corners with nylon cord. This prototype was cut out of mdf, but I'm thinking of doing the final version in a sustainable wood such as bamboo.

Gio Gio Design is now a shop on Etsy!

My Etsy shop is now open! Please check back often - giogiodesign.etsy.com - as I will be adding more cool stuff soon. I am offering my readers 15% off though the end of the year with coupon code FF201215.

Bertrand Goldberg's Hospital Designs

Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago, a modernist concrete building designed by Bertrand Goldberg, is in danger of being demolished. I love these modernist buildings from the 70's - many architects do - but I think their charm is lost on the average person. You don't see such exuberant use of concrete today, and these buildings exhibit a celebration of the promise of the future that is typical of the era. Anyone interested in joining the fight to save Prentice Women's Hospital can visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In a recent article by Michael Kimmelman of the New York Times, Kimmelman asked architect Jeanne Gang to come up with a proposal to save the building. Gang's proposal to build a new tower on top of the old building would be an exciting addition to Chicago's skyline - you can see a rendering of the design at Curbed Chicago.

Closer to my home on Long Island, I've always loved Stony Brook University Hospital's building on the campus of Stony Brook University - another of Bertrand Goldberg's buildings. (I am so far the only one who shares this view...) When viewed from Nicolls or Sheep Pasture Roads, it seems to loom above the landscape like a spaceship that has just landed. It has a crazy floor plan of interlocking circles and I've heard that the large floor-to-ceiling oval windows actually operate (scary!).

Who needs handles?

I eliminated the need for cabinet handles or pulls in my kitchen by designing cut-out openings that allow you to grasp the door or drawer and open it. The pattern of openings become a design element: creating interest, yet still sleek and unfussy.

Ok, I admit, I didn't come up with this idea all on my own! At my architecture firm, Bohl Architects, we've been integrating this design detail into our projects for many years. At left is the Baltimore Loft kitchen of principal architect Chip Bohl.

In this guest room, Chip designed a built-in armoir that takes this idea even further.

Resources - Etsy.com

If you are looking for something unique, Etsy is a great source for all sorts of home accessories and other stuff. This website features handmade and vintage items from individual sellers.

I bought these door knobs customized with my daughter's initials for her wardrobe on Etsy from SweetPeasKnobs.

When I was looking for a simple panel to cover the bottom half of a window in my walk-in closet, I checked out the fabrics offered by sellers listing curtains on Etsy. I found one I liked from Kirtam Designs and had a panel made with a pocket top for a tension rod in the size I needed.

More Photos of the Completed Addition

Interior view - looking towards the new addition

Interior view - looking towards the new addition and screened porch

Interior view - new Heat N Glo Twilight II indoor/outdoor gas fireplace

New screened porch and see-through fireplace

Louis Kahn's Four Freedoms Park - NYC

This park, conceived decades ago by architect Louis Kahn, is set to open October 24th. It is located at the tip of Roosevelt Island and according to the New York Time's Michael Kimmelman "it gives New York nothing less than a new spiritual heart."


Louis Kahn is one of my favorite architects, and I can't wait to visit this new park when it opens.

Kitchen - Finished!

It's been more than 8 months since the addition was completed, and I am just getting around to posting photos of the final result! I blame our extended stay in Argentina, but that's not a great excuse. We love the addition and new kitchen - it's great to finally have space to spread out. It's perfect for cooking and homework.

Materials:
Granite Counter Tops
Stainless Steel Sink & Faucet
Custom Cherry Cabinet Fronts & Shelving
Ikea Cabinets
Slate Floor Tile
Glass Backsplash Tile

Astral Pendant Lights

I found these pendant lights in the Vivaterra catalog. The metal globe shade has small punctures in it to create a star burst effect - very cool. These would be great as accent lighting or over a dining table. The price is great too - $149 or $189 depending on the size you choose.

I'm not sure how they define "green", but Vivaterra has some really nice housewares and accessories - it's worth a look if you want something unique.

Denver Art Museum

I didn't know what to expect from the Denver Art Museum (hey - I'm from New York), but I was surprised and impressed. It has a recently opened wing designed by Daniel Libeskind that doubles the size of an already huge building. The galleries are large and spacious and the visitors few (compared to New York City), so visiting the museum is a pleasant and serene experience.

Although Libeskind's building doesn't necessarily blend cohesively with it's surroundings, it is dynamic and engaging. And Gio Ponti's 7-story castle-like North wing hardly sets an example for merging with the neighborhood, which is a mish-mash of architectural styles including the post modern Denver Central Library by Michael Graves and the neoclassical Civic Center Park with its Greek amphitheater.

The sharp angles of Libeskind's building are supposedly reminiscent of the nearby Rocky Mountains, and the sloping walls and angled plans of the galleries are meant to provide an "entirely new and exciting environment" to view artwork. It may not go quite that far, but I felt the galleries provided an excellent backdrop for the work on display.

They have a wonderful collection of Oceanic art that mixes pieces from the 18th and 19th century with the work of contemporary Oceanic artists working today. There is an interesting temporary exhibit on the airport architecture of Fentress Architects featuring Denver's own International Airport. I flew into this airport and I did love the translucent tented roof structure (also reminiscent of the Colorado Rockies). It is quite impressive viewed in the landscape, but when you get close to the building it is almost obscured by the boxy parking garages. Design Lab: Three Studios, another temporary exhibit with installations by members of Colorado's design community: DoubleButter, MATTER, and tres birds, featured some of the designers themselves working inside the exhibit - pretty cool. And I also enjoyed Open For Design: A DAM Community Challenge featuring submissions from anyone with an idea to transform an object or material into something that makes their neighborhood a better place.

There is so much I didn't see (and I didn't mention Garry Winogrand's photographs or What Is Modern?) that I will definitely come back some time in the future. Denver is lucky to have such an enriching and enlightening institution.

Frohawk Two Feathers

The exhibit "We Buy Gold, We Buy Everything, We Sell Souls" is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver through September 9th. These paintings by the artist who goes by Frohawk Two Feathers depict his re-imagining of the history of the colonial period. His exploration of themes such as racism, power, and greed is lightened by contemporary details taken from hip-hop vernacular. Altogether a very interesting, entertaining, and funny exhibit - go see it if you are in Denver!

MCA Denver

I visited David Adjaye's Museum of Contemporary art in Denver yesterday. The building is clad in tinted glass panels that let a diffused light into the galleries through a white translucent interior skin. The entrance was one of the best museum "front doors" I've ever experienced. An opening in the exterior leads to an enclosed ramp that narrows as you proceed along it. The door is not apparent, but as you approach the end of the corridor it slides open on your right side to reveal another ramp leading to the lobby.

Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, CO

I visited the Clyfford Still Museum today in Denver, Colorado. I didn't know much about this influential Abstract Expressionist, probably because he retained 94% of his paintings in his personal collection. He was critical of the commercial art world, and felt it was important to view an artist's work as a complete whole. At his death in 1980, his will stipulated that his paintings should be given to an American city that would promise to build a museum to house them. After many years Denver was chosen, and the Clyfford Still Museum opened in 2011.

The building, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture sits next to Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Denver Art Museum. It is subdued and minimal from the outside, but inside the unfinished concrete and day lit galleries are a perfect backdrop for Still's work.

It turns out Stills was right - seeing his paintings together provides a unique insight into his development and progression as an artist. The paintings are arranged chronologically to depict his transition into complete abstractionism, but it's also interesting to note the forms, elements and techniques that consistently remain in his work throughout. I definitely recommend a visit if you ever find yourself in Denver.

"I never wanted color to be color. I never wanted texture to be texture, or images to become shapes. I wanted them all to fuse together into a living spirit." -Clyfford Still

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

This beautiful little town on the Rio de la Plata is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Although it is very popular with tourists, the day I visited it was quiet and almost deserted. The cobblestone streets and colonial era buildings are picturesque - it's hard to believe that it used to be a very seedy port at one time.

Porton de Campo - original city wall and (reconstructed) gate

Calle de los Suspiros (Steet of Sighs)

Iglesia Matriz

Iglesia Matriz - begun in 1680 - Uruguay's oldest church

Faro (lighthouse) built on the foundation of a 17th century convent

View of Colonia from the lighthouse

View of Colonia from the lighthouse (you can see the church towers in the upper right)

From a window in the lighthouse stair

From the lighthouse - what remains of Convento de San Francisco

Back at the city wall

View of Iglesia Matriz from Plaza de Armas

Sycamore trees

Colonia is known for its picturesque sunsets

Joaquin Torres Garcia

I visited Montevideo, Uruguay across the Rio de La Plata from Buenos Aires recently. There we went to Museo Torres Garcia - a museum dedicated to the work of Uruguayan artist Joaquin Torres Garcia. I enjoyed the introduction to this wonderful artist who is credited with introducing Constructivism to South America. He lived most of his adult life in Europe, but upon his return to Uruguay he began to be influenced by Pre-Columbian and indigenous art. This influence gives his later works a distinctly South American vibe.

He is perhaps best known for the sketch "America Invertida", but I loved his colorful constructivist paintings from the 1940's.

America Invertida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A great School of Art ought to arise here in our country... I have said School of the South; because in reality, our North is the South.  There should be no North for us, except in opposition to our South.  That is why we now turn the map upside down."

La Recoleta Cemetery - More Photos From Buenos Aires

Cementerio de la Recoleta is one of the most magical places in Buenos Aires. This cemetery is like a little city full of different architectural styles, and the wealthy of Buenos Aires have been buried here since the early 1800's. I love visiting old cemeteries and imagining the lives of long-dead strangers from the names, dates and epitaphs on their graves. But cemeteries full of statues and mausoleums - like the ones here in Buenos Aires or in New Orleans - I find interesting because of the experience. It's urban architecture on a smaller scale.