Finally joined Pinterest!

So a friend of mine told me about Pinterest back when it first started getting popular, and I checked it out. At the time it seemed like more of a Soccer Mom website for pinning arts and crafts projects and recipes. I finally joined a few weeks ago, and I have to admit, I think I'm hooked now. My images saved on my computer were starting to get pretty crazy, and this seems like a good way to organize stuff and get inspired. It seems like its really taking off now, and I think the site can only get better from here!

Here's a link to my profile if anyone cares:

http://pinterest.com/otrujillodesign/boards/

On a side note, I remember reading an article on archinect.com about the co-founder Evan Sharp. Interestingly, he studied Architecture before founding the site, and ended up taking a different career path.

Here's the aticle:

http://archinect.com/features/article/39788357/working-out-of-the-box-pinterest-co-founder-evan-sharp

Happy pinning!

Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair

Repost from Daily Icon:


Wright has offered at auction several original drawings of the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe.
When Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair was introduced in 1929 it was critically acclaimed but the cost and difficulty of chrome plating the frames limited production. By the early 1950s technology had caught up to Mies van der Rohe’s progressive furniture designs and both Knoll Associates and Gerald Griffith were producing his forms. Chairs produced by Knoll and Gerald Griffith can be distinguished by looking at the intersection of the base; works made by Gerald Griffith feature a crisp hard-edged intersection while versions by Knoll have a reinforced curved intersection.
The Mies van der Rohe office found Gerald Griffith in 1949. The challenge of creating the Barcelona chair in stainless steel – something engineers said could not be done – appealed to Griffith’s tenacious personality. After much experimentation and exploration, Griffith completed the task and he produced Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona and Tugendhat designs in stainless steel for a number of years.
Provenance: The Office of Mies van der Rohe, Chicago | Edward A. Duckett, Bowling Green | David Bryant, Bowling Green In celebration of Mies van der Rohe’s 125th birthday, Wright’s senior specialist Michael Jefferson presented the history of the Barcelona chair to The Mies van der Rohe Society.
Blueprint and Elevation of the Barcelona chair, 1950, Auction at Wright

Wow, they went for a lot! Very, very cool...






These fabrication shots are amazing!

Mattel Children's Hospital Dollhouse Project

Sometimes I really love the fact that I don't always know what I'm going to be working on from one day to the next. This time was no exception. Since I've done a lot of architectural models in the past, I was referred by the friend of the wife of a good friend to help a Landscape Design office to build the front yard/landscaping of a Huge bright pink doll house that was going to be auctioned off for charity.

The whole undertaking was really impressive. So many different design firms were involved, and everyone had to do their piece of the puzzle. The houses (there were about 10 of them) were being manufactured in the Factory of a really well known high-end furniture manufacturer here in Los Angeles. They were all really impressive. The auction will be held this Wednesday, I hope they raise a ton of money!

here's a link to the LA times article: http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-designer-dollhouses-offer-miniature-life-of-luxury-20130409,0,4853777.story
Ours is imgages 15-22

Abstract Organic Live Edge Burl Coffee Table-TAKE 2!

So after finishing the other table for my pal Glen, he nearly had to pry it from my hands. I had it in my living room for a while until we could finally find a time to meet up, and I really fell in love with it during that time.

It was a bit too big for my space though, so I've been keeping an eye out for another similar one ever since, and I finally found one at my super top secret thrift store location! I had to shoe away these two guys that were looking at it over my shoulder as I was looking at it, (poor thrifting etiquette tsk tsk). Even though I told them I was going to take it, those sneaky guys tried to go above my head and talk to the shop owner about buying it. Little did they know, I've been going there for over 15 years! So Ha! take that! Thrifting karma!

Since the owner hooked me up, I was in no position to haggle. Oh well! I still got a great deal though. A few weeks later, I dropped it off at my friend Fernando Garces' shop to have it refinished, I think it came out great!

Isabel Marant Store, Los Angleles

I stumbled upon these photos somewhere on the internet of the new Isabel Marant store in LA. It looks like it's pretty closeby, near the Beverly Center. I'm really in love with the interior, I am going to have to make a point to go see it in person. I will try to find out the designer of this space, they really nailed it with this project. It's difficult sometimes to explain a design philosophy, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I feel like it is totally my "style". I love the raw concrete floors, the use of steel, the wood shipping crate coffee table, the burl wood chair,the BKF Hardoy (butterfly) chairs, the use of the natural plywood to create the sculptural niches, the Jean Prouve potence lamp, the use of the bold accent colors...I love everything about it! If anyone knows who to credit the photos to, please email me and Ill update the post. Thanks!

I must know!!

While working on another project, which I'll be posting pretty soon, I came across this vintage fiberglass modular booth thing-a-ma-jig, and I simply have to know more about it. It was sitting in a yard in an industrial area, and it really caught my interest. I don't know anything else about it, and I can't make out the name. It looks like maybe "INGRAE" or "INGRAO" or maybe even "IVGRAP"? I can't make out the logo, and nothing really comes up when I search any of those. I suppose it's probably some long defunct Scandinavian Modular start-up company from the 60's. It sort of reminds me of those "Futuro Houses" from the same era, when people were really experimenting with the use of fiberglass and modular concepts.

It's being used for storage presently, but it looks like some sort of concession stand. It has a little countertop ad sliding window on one side, a door on one face, and windows on either side. It may have been some sort of jobsite office or ticket booth as well. I really dig the look of it, and it totally inspires me, My senior project in Architecture school was a modular/panelized system as well. I was talking with a guy on the yard, and he said it was probably about 40 years old, and that it was for sale for only $800! (Like I need another project), I'll just keep driving by and obsessing over it for now I guess...It would be awesome as a little home office or pool cabana, I just don't have the space right now though. If I could find some use for it I'd be all over it!

Blu Dot

Blu Dot is a company that I have been following for the last few years. I really liked the story of how they got started, and their philosophy is pretty much the same way I feel. I have been mentally planning a sort of pilgrimage to meet and interview all of the designers that I am influenced by, and these guys are on my list. One of my goals is to be able to work with my friends and family, and it seems like that's just what they did. I would love to learn more about how they did it. I really like a lot of the designs, we have spec'd a few of their pieces through work. They seem pretty functional, versatile and well thought out. One can see that a lot of thought went into the production, or mass-production rather, and they really tried to keep the pieces affordable. Anyhow, here is their mission statement taken from the Blu Dot website: