R. Buckminster Fuller, at the MCA

On Sunday I joined Joy, a friend, to see the exhibit, "Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe" at Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. Wow! I was totally blown away. I had never really heard of him before, and was fascinated by how far ahead of time this architect, mathematician, and visionary was. He was very concerned about sustainability, efficient design, and globalization. The exhibit included models of his 4d homes, domed structures, and sea cities. I was most compelled of the video of 'Bucky' standing outside on a windy day with a table of rods and connectors in front of him, explaining why the tetrahedron is the foundation of the universe. While there was a tinge of sadness in it all, as many of his ideas never came to fruition, no matter how hard he fought for them, I was also filled with hope. I am often coming across modular housing, sustainable designs, and alternative materials in my reading, and I now see how foundational the thinking of Buckminster Fuller was. If you're in the city, I definitely recommend going stopping by the MCA. The exhibit ends July 5th. 

Domed Pavilion for the World's Fair, Montreal. still in existence.

Bucky's world map, meant to eliminate distortion and emphasize the interconnectedness.

Here he is with a model of a domed home and foldable interior

most incredible I think is his idea to dome part of manhattan to reduce cost: universal climate control, eliminate snow removal, protect against pollutants etc...

plate shelf

due to our way too large book collection I'm always interested in shelving options. We've been rocking the ikea cube bookcase for a while now and while I still love it, sometimes it looks a little heavy. I'm loving the above plate shelf by nARCHITECTS. very cool. 

wish list

coveting these palma patent ankle-wrap flats from j.crew. 

Listen: Phoenix

On April 6th I watched Saturday Night Live with Aaron (a favorite activity of his) and saw Phoenix perform. I had never heard of them before, which isn't unreasonable considering they are fairly unknown French band, and since that time I've had their song "Lizstomania" in my head. I really like them so I though I would share from their nicely titled album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (see the SNL performances here). What do you think? 

PHOENIX

on my wish list: proud mary

In my blogging around I came across this really neat company called proud mary. It is a company started by two you ladies developing socially conscious and inspired fabrics for wonderful products. While expensive, I understand the cost because of the mission of the company and the nature of a new company.  I've chosen this bag for my wish list. 

tempaper?

Just today I was thinking about how cool it would be to wallpaper, but that it seemed unlikely considering we will be renters for a very long time. I was inspired by these amazing papers from madison and grow. 

Then I came across these really cool temporary papers from tempaper designs. I think its a pretty good idea. Would you do it? 

I'm back!

Wow! We had to take our computer in the the Apple and they had to replace our hard drive. We lost almost all our music, but I'm glad they saved most everything else. It's disconcerting considering we purchased our computer less than a year ago, but oh well. It was under warranty. 

Anyways, its spring, and there is much to be happy about. Graduation is coming up, Europe is just around the corner, and Boston plans are set. I will really miss Chicago and our friends here though. 

Planning for the apartment has been really fun. I've been loving mid-century design lately, and now that I have a palate to place these ideas, things are coming together in my mind. We even already bought a Danish mid-century dining table from craigslist. Yes, we have a dining room! We love to cook and host, so we were hoping for a dining room. 

Well this is sort of rambling. Here are a few images that have been providing recent home inspiration. 

I love the layering here. We have so many books I'm thinking of getting another of the same large ikea bookcase that we have and replicating this in the living room. 

I love this room too.

We don't have dining chairs. Maybe paint random ones? 

update

So I've been a little absent from my blog recently! This week our computer has acting a little funky, and last week I was so focused on my thesis. Two quick updates: we found an excellent apartment in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. I can't wait to share more with pictures once we move. Also, my thesis is practically done! It will be turned in on Friday!!! So excited!

Sorry for the short post. Stay tuned for more activity as the computer is fixed and school slows.