March 15, 2013
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Millard House; Photos: Scott Mayoral
Only Frank Lloyd Wright could come up with the world’s most expensive modular home. Wright’s 1923 Millard House has been listed for sale by Crosy Doe Associates, WSJ Magazine (and Architizer A+ Award media sponsor) tells us — and despite the modular concrete construction the home sports, it’s likely that you can’t afford it. The house, which Wright affectionately called ”La Miniatura,” represents the architect’s first foray into modular building, where he attempted to marry mass-produced building materials with ornamentation. The home’s now-famous cruciform-stamped concrete blocks variegate light and shadow while the recurring pattern breaks up the dullness of the bare concrete walls. The idea was that the concrete block was cheap to both produce and customize, thus making it possible to design and build a quality, quasi-bespoke house at minimal costs. As it turned out, however, construction costs nearly doubled the original estimates, and the construction methods (using mortar to adhere the network of blocks together) proved faulty, (i.e. the roof leaked).
Still, Wright thought very highly of the house, which he indirectly compared to St. Peter’s in Rome. The home continues to grow in eminence, and it’s widely considered one of L.A.’s greatest architectural sites. All of which factors into the nearly $4,495,000 price tag. See more about the sale at WSJ.”
more
February 11, 2013
Ever wanted to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house? Well, now you can — for just $1.79 million! Our friends at Curbed have reported that the Gerald B. and Beverley Tonkens House in Cincinnati, Ohio, designed by Wright in 1955, has just hit the market for the very first time.
Set on more than 4 acres of land, behind a custom Wright-designed gate, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The structure itself measures a cool 3,100 square feet and includes three bedrooms and two baths.
Like many of Wright’s homes from the time, the design of the Craftsmen-styled abode places an emphasis on linear form, with various rectangular patterns repeated throughout the accommodation. The sale of the house even includes much of the custom-made furniture, original to the design of the home. Hey, that hefty price tag isn’t looking too bad … Click through to see more pictures of the Tonkens House!
more
August 1, 2012
United Nude New York Flagship Store
In the last decade since Rem D. Koolhaas founded United Nude, the iconic shoe purveyor has consistently reinvented the form of footwear, moving effortlessly from Futurist and Constructivist models to Surrealist, Post-modern(ist), and even (quasi-)parametric designs. And that’s just a stab at categorizing the UN collection, whose spunky and colorful seasonal wares will be on display at “Design Night Out” next Monday, August 6.
The event, co-hosted by IDSA NYC and United Nude, will be held at UN’s Noho flagship store at 25 Bond Street. Rem D. Koolhaas will also be on hand, along with the Fashion Footwear Association of New York, to celebrate an evening of drinks, music, and–best of all–sales. For one night only, UN will mark 50% off select merchandise, so make sure to not to miss out (RSVP here)! We’ll see you there!
more
July 16, 2012
Mies van der Rohe’s Lafayette Towers; Photo via
The collapse of the housing market five years ago still finds particular resonance in Detroit, where even iconic designs, it seems, are not immune to ruin. Mies van der Rohe’s twin high-rise blocks in Detroit’s Lafayette Park were foreclosed in February of this year and, now the city’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced that the buildings will be auctioned away to one lucky bidder on Wednesday, July 18th. The Lafayette Towers were a part of a pioneering urban renewal initiative in the early 60’s by Mies and visionary–some might say mental–urban planner Ludwig Hilberseimer, and the slab-in-the-park scheme they represent is a prime, if sleek example of the socially-minded architecture of the era.
While the auction price may result in quite the deal, there are a few caveats attached to the property. The new buyer will have to shell out $10 million to renovate the towers’ 584 units and complete an exhaustive 80-page list of renovations (including new bathtubs and installing peepholes) within 18 months. They must also deposit $2.5 million into an escrow account that the HUD can access in the event that repairs are not completed as scheduled. We won’t have to wait very long to see if a buyer emerges to save the Mies’ blocks from further decay and restore the towers to their former glory.
[via Curbed]
more
March 15, 2012
It’s been in the seventies in New York this week, which means a few things: outdoor beers, the return of jorts, and the planning of summer outdoor spaces. Whether yours is on a fire escape or an actual plot of ground, gardens and patios are a great source of pride for many of us.
So, as Design Within Reach’s Semiannual Sale reaches its final days (one more week!), we decided to highlight a few great outdoor pieces from the thousands of on-sale items. Click through for firepits, swings, and giant outdoor lamps.
more
March 9, 2012
Design Within Reach’s semiannual sale has begun, and while you might know DWR best for their mid-century classics, they’ve also included a treasure trove of smaller accessories in the sale.
As summer wedding season approaches (and perennial baby shower season continues), it’s a good time to get out ahead of the inevitable last-minute rush to buy gifts. We thought it might be fun to highlight the smaller, more accessible items for a change, though there are thousands of other items on on sale (yes, including bigger-ticket stuff like furniture and lighting).
Below, five great diminutive pieces of design in DWR’s Semiannual Sale.
more
February 28, 2012
Sound the alarms! Design Within Reach - that venerable purveyor of accessible Modernism – is putting their Knoll Classics line on sale until March 4. The Knoll Classics line is made up of the most famed pieces of Modern design, from Barcelona loungers to Tulips Chairs, and it’s rarely been offered on sale.
If you’re like us, humming-and-hawing over that Wassily Chair as the seasons wax and wane, consider this a sign. Go check out the full line at 15% off (plus free shipping), and make good on that promise you made to yourself on investing in good design.
In the meantime, here’s a little quiz about Knoll’s most legendary designers. Who was a velocipede enthusiast? Who worked in on the pages of Playboy? Who wrote the best love letters? Find out, below.
more
April 30, 2010
We just caught word that DOM SHOWROOMS is having a New York Pre-Renovation Sale.
As the New York showroom prepares for a major showroom exhibition during the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair, they are hosting a blow-out sale on everything on the showroom floor!
We are talking about some major manufacturers here with incredible designs. Visit DOM’s website for a full list of brands.
The best thing about a pre-renovation sale is that everything must go, so prices are negotiable. You won’t be able to find a Valcucine kitchen at these prices, like, ever.
Their stock of wardrobes, sofas, chairs, lights, doors, side tables, shelves and beds will be available for purchase as well.
more
