News And Updates
From spring cleaning sales at a local studio to semi-annual sales at a national retailer, this is a good week for deals. Know of a sale coming up that we should mention? Let us know!
JHill Design & Jill Rosenwald Spring Studio Sale – pieces as low as $5. Through 3/6.
Vessel – 40% off Roomies and Fusionware.
Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams – 20% off all tables and storage, through 3/14.
DWR Semi-Annual Sale – Save 15% on most items throughout the store. Free upgrade to white-glove delivery on orders over $2,000. Though 3/16
Karianne, a DesignBoston reader that works at Suffolk University’s New England School of Design, just tipped me off to a great, green design event happening today!
Design for the Environment 2010 is NESAD’s 4th annual green design trade show, featuring 26 local, national and international design companies, with an aim at showcasing their best, most environmentally-friendly designs.
The design community, along with society as a whole, has become aware that a new, more “bio-friendly” approach design must be taken if we are to stop polluting our earth, wasting energy and resources and jeopardizing the health of all species. Design firms are looked to for expertise in these areas and educated designers must be conversant with both design strategies and building technologies associated with environmentally responsible structures and spaces. Those designers who adapt and respond to changing global energy and resource issues through sustainable design will pursue their profession in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
Design for the Environment 2010 is taking place today, from 12:00 to 2:30, at the NESAD Galleria
NESAD Galleria
10 St. James Ave (the same building as Landry & Arcari and Montage)
Boston, MA
I love it when I check my email and find, hidden amongst the spam and less-than-personal pitch emails, messages like the one from Brian McAlpine of Eternal Furniture & Design, “a one man shop located just outside of Boston, MA, specializes in custom, one of a kind furniture with hand made craftsmanship.”
Brian’s work combines modern, minimalist lines with traditional joinery techniques, and is built with enough care and attention to last. Heirloom quality.
Brian says, “Every piece of furniture is unique, and designs are influenced by the wood itself. Wood is hand selected, highlighting grain and natural features of each board. Natural defects like cracks are often showcased showing the organic nature of the wood. No two pieces are the same.”
Brian operates with a respect for the environment, too, with domestic hardwoods harvested in a responsible manner. He often uses salvaged or storm damaged timber for tables tops. He also uses natural oils, waxes and ultra low
VOC finishes. Then there’s the build quality — the longer something lasts, the less you need to replace it.
As part of their First Friday reception, Dennis Duffy is bringing “Bonsai: Living Sculpture – Ancient and Modern” to D Scale.
Mixed among D Scale’s brilliant selection of modern home furnishings, Bonsai West’s Michael Levin will introduce you to “some of the oldest and most beautiful bonsai trees outside of Japan. One such masterpiece in this exhibit is well over 400 years old, and has been collected from the mountains in California.”
Bonsai West has the most extensive collection of specimen Bonsai outside of Japan, featuring the work of American Bonsai artists such as Mr and Mrs Hatanaka, Mr Yamasaki, Roy Nagatoshi, Nick Lenz, Mr Ishii, Guy Guidry, Colin Lewis, Jim Smith and Michael Levin – as well as trees styled by artists in Japan, Korea, and China. Bonsai West has become a destination for bonsai lovers from throughout the world.
Local sculptor and furniture designer Jacob Kulin will be curating the show. As a way of uniquely exhibiting the sculptural trees, Kulin has designed many of the pedestals and tables “specifically to suit a given bonsai.”
For this event, Jacob Kulin is highlighting the significance of proper presentation of the bonsai. Jacob has addressed the challenge of finding the proper balance between the bonsai, the pedestal/table on which it is placed, and the surrounding space it occupies. The goal of the show is to explore the true beauty and artistic aesthetic of the bonsai, including technical composition and presentation.
“Bonsai: Living Sculpture – Ancient and Modern” is scheduled for this Friday, March 4, from 6 to 8pm. RSVP by email at info@dscalemodern.com. The exhibit will run from Friday through Sunday, March 6.
D Scale
520 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
Throughout February, the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions launched a new marketing campaign, “Just be. In Holland,” with a series of events aimed at showcasing the greatness of that European nation. For the next six days (the contest started yesterday), they are giving visitors to Holland.com a chance to win a Moooi Carbon Chair, designed by Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders!
Holland is currently one of the world’s poles of great modern design, a center of innovation and experimentation in architecture, urban planning, industrial design, and graphic design. Created by Bertjan Pot and Marcel Wanders for Moooi in Holland, the Carbon Chair is a great example of Dutch design – contemporary, sleek, yet down-to-earth.
Once you’ve entered in to win the Carbon Chair, you can then enter to win the grand prize: 2 round trip business class tickets on KLM to Amsterdam and 4 nights deluxe accommodations at the Sofitel Amsterdam The Grand! How great would that be?!
Good luck, but be warned: I’ve already entered, so you might be seeing posts about Dutch design!
It looks like spring cleaning is hitting early! All around the city, retailers are offering sales to clear space for new merchandise. Know of a sale coming up that we should mention? Let us know!
Infusion Furniture – 50% off selected inventory: Side tables, coffee tables, console tables, etc. Contact for more details. Through 2/28.
Grand – February Sip & Shop 2/27 – Sip Karlsson’s Gold Vodka Martinis and save 10% off everything in the store – tasty!
D Scale – Huge floor model sale with 40% or more off nearly everything in the store, through 2/28.
Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams – 20% off all tables and storage, through 3/14.
DWR Storage Sale – 15% off shelving/bookcases, media storage, credenzas/sideboards, dressers, bath storage, and more. Through 3/2.
What a difference a week makes! Things have really picked up from last week.
Drinkwater’s Cambridge – 20%-50% off all winter merchandise through 2/13.
Magpie – 25% off all jewelry and valentine’s cards on Saturday 2/13 – and free cupcakes!
Good – Winter sale – up to 50% off throughout the store through 2/14.
DWR – The Bedroom and Bath Sale – 15% off mattresses, bedding, accessories, lamps, bath items, rugs and bedroom furniture through 2/20.
Infusion Furniture – 50% off selected inventory: Side tables, coffee tables, console tables, etc. Contact for more details.
Is your store having a sale? Be sure to tell us so we can list it!
How do you like the combined listing of design sales? Is it more useful? Let us know, and be sure to tell us if your store is having a sale!
After the flurry of sales last week, this week’s a bit quiet. No doubt everyone’s getting ready for the Super Bowl tomorrow.
DWR – 15% off all Knoll products through 2/7.
Infusion Furniture – 50% off selected inventory: Side tables, coffee tables, console tables, etc. Contact for more details.
If you follow any of my activities outside this blog, you know helping connect non-profits to their supporters using social media is one of them. Combine my passion for design and desire to help those less fortunate? Sounds perfect to me!
Didriks in Cambridge is donating 5% of sales throughout February to Food For Free, a local food rescue organization. Didrik’s has already kicked off with a party on February 4th, which I hear was an amazing success.
So, if you’re thinking of buying new outdoor furniture (spring is right around the corner, after all) or housewares, make it down to Huron Village this month. You’ll get top quality products, and help a very worthy organization at the same time.
Didriks
190 Concord Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
…but it’s for a good reason!
When I should have been writing about the great designers I’m coming across, I’ve been working with Joyce — not just a blogger but also a freelance photographer and graphic designer — on designing and programming a new DesignBoston.org.
The basic layout is all set, but there’s still much to be done. We’re hoping to be finished in the next few days. When that happens, the site will be unavailable for a short time while we make the switchover.
In the meantime, I’ll be sure to post as often as I can.
Thanks for your patience!
(Yes, I was dared to put this old school .gif up. 
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