Tag Archives: Design

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Gaetano Pesce’s Unusual Chairs

One of the advantages of mass production is consistency and predictability.  But when it comes to home furnishings, what if we want something unique and personal?

Gaetano Pesce has come up with a solution to this problem in a most unusual way.  An Italian designer known for his colorful resin furniture, Pesce enlists the help of furniture makers in determining the final look of his chairs.  Each piece is manufactured according to a standard design, but there is  alot of room for improvisation.  The furniture makers ultimately choose what color the chairs will be.

Take a look at the examples in this post – all of these “Brodway” chairs start out the same, but they soon become as unique as their makers.



Pesce is achieving something that we at Design Lines strive for everyday: creating unique solutions that are personal and anything but mass-produced.

-Robert

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Carlo Scarpa

Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) is my favorite architect.  He was a master of timeless proportion and detail.  But he was also an inventor – creating works that are constantly surprising, and seem fresh even decades after his death.  It seems he never designed anything the same way twice.

His work was modern in style, but what made him unique among modernists was his reverence for traditional materials and crafsmanship.  Born in Venice, many of his projects are located there, and blend its history seamlessly with the present.

During his lifetime, Scarpa’s decorative style became a model for architects wishing to revive the use of craft and beautiful materials in their work.



I love his buildings for their beautiful forms.  Scarpa was a master of techtonic forms – in his buildings, volumes and planes seem to constantly slip past one another, giving movement to the heaviest of materials.

I am also intrigued by the details he designed into every project – from masterfully-designed museum pedestals to careful juxtapositions of materials.

His masterpiece is the Brion Cemetery near Treviso, Italy.  This complex incorporates some of the best examples of his architecture and landscape design.

Scarpa’s work has a timeless beauty.  I hope you’ll take a closer look and see how it speaks to you.

-Robert

image 1 &5: fakebuildings.blogspot.com

image 2: wvcarch64.wordpress.com

image 3 &4: flickr

image 5: brookegiannetti.typepad.com

 

 

Design Lines Communications

Design Lines Field Trip: Columbia, South Carolina


The designers of DLL traded a hot, humid day in North Carolina for a sultry summer day in South Carolina (their State Flower is the Yellow Jessamine at top) . Passing the iconic South of the Border on Interstate 95 we crept closer to the heart of confederate country, Columbia, South Carolina.
We spent the entirety of a day learning about the process of custom cabinetry & millwork, viewing the remarkable furniture at M. Craig & Company, and receiving an extensive history lesson from our new friends, Rosie Craig & Richard Miller.
Judy first made the connection to M. Craig while shopping in Charleston, when the Walnut Collection peaked her interest & she thought the collection too beautiful not to purchase a piece for her own home. My favorite piece is their graceful & conversational Deer Foot chair.


Rich & Rosie chauffeured us around beautiful Columbia as we toured a myriad of locales. In the morning we were treated to see M. Craig’s latest cabinetry installation at a lake house. From there, we went to the South Carolina’s Legislative Building as M. Craig & Co created the new desks and workstations for the South Carolina Senate & House of Representatives.


Molly, Judy, Lauren, Ashley, Stephanie, & I on the steps of the South Carolina State House

We also visited the lovely Dupree building downtown and Ellen Taylor was gracious enough to show us around her interior design studio. The most interesting part of the day was touring M. Craig & Company’s expansive millwork shop. Seeing the multiple processes that each cabinet goes through including the impressive & precise CNC machines. The finished product is truly beautiful.

We topped off our day with lunch at the delightful Southern Palmetto Club. I recommend their cranberry orange bread.

A fitting summary of the trip comes from Rosie in a 2004 article from the South Carolina Business Journal: “I believe, by seeing in practice, the whole world wants a piece of the South,” Rosie said. “They want to be part of that romantic element and that romantic dream. The fact that our products are made here satiates that yearning to have a piece of the South.”

As an Illinois expatriate, I’d second Rosie’s insightful statement. Who wouldn’t want an M. Craig & Company piece in their home? A true piece of the South. Our Columbia tour was another lesson in beautiful workmanship, an opportunity to learn about a new product resource, and a field trip we at Design Lines won’t forget.


Award Winning Interior Design | Raleigh, NC