Design+Dialogue

One of my favorite areas of the country is North Carolina.  There is something about the people, the natural beauty and the food that makes it feel like home.  Unfortunately North Carolina is a five  hour plane flight from Seattle. Thankfully I can now get North Carolina sent to me.  [...]

Simplicity.  It is what I find most interesting about modern design.  Take the Split Watch for example.  By simply twisting the watch 20 degrees on the band the watch is easier to read (for right-handed folks). Enjoy the simplicity and don’t kick yourself too hard for not thinking of it [...]

It has happened to us all.  You are at a coffee shop, the theater or in the car and *tingle* you have been hit by a huge magnetic field.  Damn!  There goes my watch! Worry no more. The new Rolex Milgauss is incredibly resistant to magnetic fields.  How?  The watch [...]

Architect Magazine released their 2010 salary survey last week and as you can imagine 2009 was not a good year for the architecture industry. Firms of all sizes were in survival mode, doing what ever they could to stay afloat. No surprising, the most widely used tool was the lay-off. [...]

Like many of my age group, I own music on every media created. If I had to, and let’s hope I never have to, cull out my collection what would remain would be my electronic music and my records. While I love the clunky 8-track and the cassette is easy [...]

The reasons for me to get an iPad seem to be getting more and more persuasive.

Forbes has released its top ten list of fastest growing retailers for 2010.  I always find this list interesting and a great snapshot of the buying habits of Americans.  I also think it will be a great indicator of what aspects of retail will lead the retail design recovery. Leading [...]

If you watch House Hunters or House Hunters International on HGTV you know that “they” have yet to produce a piece of exercise equipment that looks good in a home.  Without fail each house tour includes a quick peek into the bonus room or basement where these horrid dust collectors [...]

“Fortunes are NOT made in the boom times….That is merely the collection period. Fortunes are made in depressions or lean times when the wise man overhauls his mind, his methods, his resources, and gets in training for the race to come.” – George Wood Bacon Part of my daily routine [...]

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”  Abraham Lincoln I often find quotes from Abraham Lincoln to be the most inspiring.  Not only was he a man ahead of his time he had the ability to communicate in a simple, honest [...]

Ok, this watch is so beautiful it makes me weep! Designed by aluminum with a wristband made of wood.  The concept was derived from an alpine hut and a rock crystal.  Sebastian brings the two inspirations together to wonderful effect.

It has been a while since I posted about a cool watch.  Not to worry, the Aurora is worth the wait. The Aurora is a watch without a face.  Instead, laser light beams are used for the hands.  The red beam indicates the minutes and the blue depicts the hour. [...]

Necessity is the mother of invention.  It’s true.  The world is slowly emerging from the Great Recession of 2009.  The past two years have seen a paradigm shift.  How business will be done in the future has changed.  The business world is wiping the slate clean and developing new rules [...]

This weekend I was able to check a box off my bucket list.  I attended an Olympic event.  The event was Ice Hockey, Team Russia against the Czech Republic. Now I am not a huge Hockey fan but I understand the sport enough to enjoy watching it.  What I found [...]

Because I love Charlotte, North Carolina (my favorite person is from there) I wanted to share this fun clip about the growth and death of the city.  The clip is fun.  Unfortunately I see things too deeply and I cannot help but enjoy the irony of Charlotte, a banking center, [...]

I love the way Kulula, low fare air carrier in South Africa, has branded their plans.  The colors are unique and the clever labeling of the different parts of the plan is tongue-in-check fun.

As we sit here at what hopefully will be the end of the great recession I thought I would post about the necessity of architecture.  After all, buildings can get built without architects.  Spaces can be filled without interior designers.  Will there be a place for the design talents in [...]

Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre Photographers have compiled a set of haunting photographs of the decay of Detroit.  Titled “The Ruins of Detroit” these pictures are a telling story of a city caught in the perfect storm of prosperity and poverty.  Those who can have long moved away and those [...]

The day is over and all you want to do is sink into your favorite chair, switch on the tube and let the stress of the day melt away. Sorry, this chair is not for you. The Do-Hit chair will help you with the stress but there won’t be much [...]