Aaron Britt is a Deputy Editor at Dwell Magazine. He covers the latest in residential design, architectural history, travel, and ideas for the magazine and dwell.com. Aaron writes the men's style column "The Pocket Square" for the San Francisco Chronicle and has written for the New York Times, the Times Magazine, Newsweek, National Geographic and others.
In mid-April, 2013, Washington Post columnist Philip Kennicott won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Naturally we're thrilled that Kennicott, who frequently writes about architecture for the Post, won, placing him in hallowed company with architecture critics like Ada Louise Huxtable and Paul Goldberger. We're even more thrilled because Kennicott is one of our favorite contributors, a sharp-penned writer whose finely attuned aesthetic eye never fails to see how, and if, a building actually works. Congratulations again to you, Philip. And if you've missed his contributions to Dwell, read on.
When it comes to DIY ingenuity, we applaud Scott Dorman of Marietta, Georgia, for designing, overseeing, and erecting a modern office/shed that makes a striking addition to his backyard. Click through the slideshow to see the shed in action and to hear Dorman candidly discuss the challenges and success of his project.
Not long ago we posted Chicago-based architectural film company Spirit of Space's great pair video's on architect Steven Holl's Daeyang Gallery and Home in Seoul. We were so taken with their work, however, that a larger share seems necessary. Check out this handful of videos for cutting-edge architects like Snohetta, Jeanne Gang, and Gensler translates design into image, motion, and music. Here are our favorites.
If you live in a small space, especially one without a garage, bike storage can be a nightmare. In the past we've praised clever bike-on-the-wall solutions, and today we're dubbing the Statement bike rack our Kickstarter of the Week. Designed and made in Los Angeles by industrial designer Daniel Sculnick and artist and craftsman Raul Diaz, the Statement rack not only gives your wheels a place to rest after a long hard ride, but it does double duty as a decorative piece of wall art. The project is nearly funded, and one of the latest projects from the Native Standard collective.
A month into the season and you're probably thinking to yourself, "How on earth do I get my love of baseball further into my decor? Should I frame and hang another Steve Garvey jersey? Is there a better way?" Yes. Yes, there is. And it's these charming, hilarious, and eminently stickball baseball wall decals by Blik. Designed by Left Field Cards, these three sets of decals work marvelously as a group or individually. From Catfish Hunter to the grip for a good sinker, this is the best way to play ball in the house.
If you were asked to name the world's design nexuses, Ottawa wouldn't exactly come tripping off your tongue. Yet the Canadian capital has birthed the Federal (get it?), an exciting new player in the world of product design. More a consultancy than a straight-up workshop, the Federal also does UI/UX work. Keep clicking for a spin through their clean, modern work that runs the gamut from lighting to kitchen knives.
Emilio Fuscaldo is one of our favorite Australian architects—check out this awesome modern renovation in Fitzroy—so it seemed only natural to ask the founder of Nest Architects which buildings most excite him. His thoughtful, highly personal takes on three of Australia's best buildings has us hankering for another trip Down Under.
FIlmmaker and landscape architect Evan Mather has already produced a small clutch of great films about the built environment. We showed his excellent "A Necessary Ruin" about the Union Tank Car Dome in Baton Rouge at Dwell on Design a few years back, and in 2011 we covered his film aimed at preserving the amazing modernist Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School in New Orleans. Now he's working on a time-lapse, feature-length account of a drive across America. promises to be an exciting work that give Mather a chance to spread out—quite literally—and it get's our nod for Kickstarter of the Week.
Scandinavia's contribution to modern architecture and design is colossal, with Norway taking a critical role. From the modfathers of yesteryear like Pritzker-winner Sverre Fehn to the new crop of designers like Lars Beller Fjetland, who we check in with in our young designers story in the May issue, Norway continues to lead the charge. Here are a few of our favorite stories from the Dwell archive from the great wintry north!
We've reported on modern skate parks before, but rarely have we seen such a perfect marriage of skating and landscape design as the one embodied by the Finnish Janne Saario. Saario started skating when he was six, eventually got sponsored, and through his experience riding around the world he developed an interest in designing landscapes. He's got his own firm now, with a specialty in skate parks. Check out our slideshow of some of his designs as well as this great video that shows him at work and at play.
Oh, you love Kaoru? Cos we love Londoner welovekaoru too. Preview of the new coffee mugs here: http://t.co/LBZY5d4ncy @dwell
Preview of the Wong residence on the West Side Home Tour this year @dwellondesign http://t.co/tiLKvb0z5f #dod2013 @dwell
Absolutely thrilled to be part of @dinnerpartydnld's joke episode. http://t.co/A30NuJRxt3 #HowDoYouGet50CanadiansOutOfASwimmingPool
Congrats! MT @Knoll_Inc The 1st Knoll retail store opens in #NYC tomorrow (at 53 St & 6th Ave). @dwell
Live feed of architect Kai-Uwe Bergmann of BIG talking about "Hedonistic Sustainability" today at 7:00 PST. http://t.co/2XGdL0Mbif @dwell
