Lost & Found in LA: Part 2
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Here's Jamie Rosenthal in the 'wood room,' dedicated to a collection of housewares, linen, and objects from around the world.
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Unraveling calendar from Germany, $98. "2011 is already off to a great start! There is something so soothing about unraveling the year a day at a time. Although... if you have a cat it could get tricky."
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Here's a close-up of the unraveling in action.
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Seeds of Change, $5 each. Says Rosenthal: "These are my favorite seeds. I started selling them when the recession hit. 'Grow your own food' just seems like the right solution for a lot of what ails us."
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Areaware wooden tape dispenser designed by Jonas Damon, $35. "How much better looking can a tape dispenser get than this? It’s a wooden masterpiece. Staples should get in on this!"
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Wooden clock with leather strap by Brooklyn-based Stanley Ruiz, $225. "I first saw this clock when it was a prototype. I loved it then and am thrilled to finally have it for sale. Stanley really knows how to balance modern organic design with a utilitarian purpose. Between Stanley’s clock and the unraveling calendar, you have a good chance of successfully navigating 2011."
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Ceramic shotgun house by New Orleans artist Robert Tannen, $100. "Robert Tannen is one of my favorite renegade artists of all time! He is a brilliant engineer and urban planner as well, and a major visionary force in New Orleans for decades. He has elevated the importance of the shotgun house in numerous mediums through out his career and has been working with his buddy Frank Gehry to create a new living model for Louisiana and the world. This ceramic object in collaboration with New Orleans jewelry designer Mignon Faget memorializes the shotgun housing that was torn down in Lafayette and is another great example of Tannen's love of his home region's architecture."
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Other People’s Rubbish lamp shades, designed by Heath Nash, made from recycled plastic jugs, $395-$1,250. "Capetown designer Heath Nash embraces the local craft of his hometown and has created a new modern aesthetic that celebrates a tradition of recycling. He departs from tradition [see next slide] to create new functional designs made from post-consumer plastic bottles."
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Here's an example of a more traditional Cape Town design made from chopped-up plastic bottles and milk jugs. "These curtains are an amazing example of crafty resourcefulness and are magically beautiful as well."
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O-Check graphics stapler from Japan, $12. "Leave it to the Japanese to design the perfect stapler. They know how to keep it all together."
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Lucky Fish 4 Edible Schoolyard dishtowel, $20. "Alice Waters is a hero of mine and has been incredibly supportive of Lost & Found. I can’t think of a better way to support her magnificent foundation than to create a fund-raising product that has design appeal and is useful."
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Woven rugs from Portugal, $95. "Old world is new again. The white mat is the same classic one that my mother always had in her bathroom. The striped rugs meld traditional weaving technique with a perfect modern palate."
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Woven tote from Morocco, $295. "This En Shalla Moroccan woven tote basket by a London-based husband and wife design team is just another great example of how European sensibilities can be combined with traditional regional craft to produce a new gestalt."
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French canvas market bags with leather straps, $125-$175. "We have several versions of this classic French market bag. It’s always nice to be chic and green at the same time. The French figured that out a long time ago."
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Le Souk olive wood nesting bowls from Tunisia, $85. "I think these nested olive wood bowls from Tunisia are the best gift ever. You can never have enough bowls. The smallest are a hard-to-find size and are perfect for salt and pepper and spices."
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Vintage grain-sack placemats from Transylvania, $20 each. "The interesting thing about these hand-woven linen, cotton, and hemp recycled grain-sack placemats is the stripe. Each farmer's name was indicated by the color of their stripe, so that when they were left filled with grain at the mill they would be properly credited. People ask me all day long where things are from. Having the opportunity to say 'Transylvania' and watch the expression on their faces always makes me smile."
More
Lost & Found, Part 1
I spent last week in Los Angeles, exploring neighborhoods, poking around design shops, and hoping to finally understand how the various corners of the sprawling metropolis fit together.
Raw Mirror
Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the rawest of them all? Designer Stanley Ruiz cut this birch plywood piece to expose the unique grain of the wood, while a leather strap suspends it from the wall. Smile!
Growing Home New Orleans
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans still houses to up to 70,000 vacant lots. Two years ago, however, the city put a plan into place to help residents revive their neighborhoods.
New Orleans, LA
As New Orleans struggles to get back on its feet, one architect learns from the past while building for the future.
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