Introducing The New Case Study Alpine Series Bed
Chinese architect Zhu Pei worked with a manufacturer of fiberglass-reinforced plastic to develop a translucent fiberglass block for his Blur Hotel in Beijing. The architect wanted the building, which will sit near the East Gate of the Forbidden City, to glow like a Chinese lantern.
Zhu refers to a small 5-by-5 centimeter-wide (2.5 centimeter thick) block of frosted translucent fiberglass, a material that puts him at the technological forefront of Chinese design. He plans to use it as a primary material in a new hotel to create a large iridescent façade that will lend the building a calm luminosity. Ever the forward-thinker, he is using technology to re-imagine age-old motifs.
Source: Architectural Record
At Modernica, we’ve ventured into fiberglass and translucence as well. The process of making fiberglass products with high fiber prominence was the state of the art in 1950, even though it involves a considerable amount of hand crafting. Today fiber prominent fiberglass is a nearly forgotten art, but amazingly progressive architects are rediscovering the material.
With the Case Study fiberglass chair, the fibrous pattern texture slightly varies from chair to chair, giving each chair its own unique handmade characteristics. See the rich textured surface of the Case Study Fiberglass Chair in person and you will appreciate the variation of patterns that this process produces. Like a snowflake, each chair has a tiny variation in the fibrous patterning.
The Japanese staple company Muji and Lego have come together creating paper legos. These new stationery products remind me of paper sculpture like the ancient art of origami. Legos for Muji also stir up childhood memories of playing with those delicate one dimensional paper dolls and for some reason I want these paper building blocks.
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I stumbled across the most beautifully designed and delicious desserts by Amy Atlas. Its as if she brings Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to your table (and mouth!) For Thanksgiving, she created a decadent dessert table. My mom’s cheesecake is pretty good, but these desserts look out of this world! Happy Thanksgiving!
Its that time of year again where we slow down or speed up to begin the holiday season. In either case, its a time of reflection, gratitude and celebration that brings us together. Here at the Modernica office we appreciate and are grateful for the little things.
Pictured below are General Manager, Lori Weise’s amazing persimmons from her very own tree! With care, she nurtured the tree and we all enjoyed the beautiful fruit of her labor. They’re like candy! Next is Mama kitty the office cat. She’s warm, fuzzy & its really fun to watch her hunt for birds outside of our massive loft windows. Lastly, its awesome being surrounded by creative minds, our furniture, lighting and prop department pieces because they inspire with their sheer presence everyday.
Lori's persimmons
Momma Kitty
Modernica Props
Modernica Props
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Martha and Snoop Dog at Thanksgiving dinner would be a comedy classic but in this video they do manage to make what look like delicious mashed potatoes made with butter, cream, milk, an entire package of cream cheese and cognac!
What would glutenous Thanksgiving be without a recipe from Paula Dean. The accent, the unapologetic usage of butter, cream cheese, cream and more butter and her charm made me a fan. Here’s her pumpkin pie recipe made with an entire package of cream cheese. You gotta love it.
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
1 piece pre-made pie dough
whipped cream, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.
For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.
Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.
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Google’s EMEA Engineering Hub in Zurich is anything but conventional. The Zoogler (Google Zurich) design ideas were developed based on surveys. Architects Camenzind Evolution built an inspiring environment including cow wallpaper with stripper pole, pun intended, room, antique themed library, game room, slide and massage spa just to name a few. The communal vibe created for Zooglers was from collected research suggesting relaxation, play and moral promote creativity.
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Lately, I keep encountering flocked Victorian velvet wallpaper in modern settings. As I prepare for the next phase of my life where I will actually own a home and put extreme careful detail into every design decision, I find myself questioning: What rooms are best for such decadent wallpaper? And what colors and fleurs de lis shall I entertain? And how amazing is combining the Victorian era with the modern?
I will have to include a Peter Shire Prince Charles Chair!
