Another sweet house spotted in Dwell. Just 20 miles southeast of Milwaukee, this stocky, cavelike 1970s bi-level was renovated by a creative young couple—Eric is a songwriter and JJ is a life coach—into a warm, modern home that embodies their core Midwestern values: simplicity, connection to nature, and strong family ties. Oh, I’m jealous. Work via Johnsen Schmaling Architects. See more here.
I just picked up Dwell’s “100 Houses We Love” special issue and was glad to see a home featured on Madeline Island. “Two Black Sheds” sits on four and a half acres of forest and meadows overlooking Lake Superior and is vacation home to Minneapolis residents Golob and Freeman. Architect David Salmela worked with the couple to achieve a house that was simple and didn’t involve a lot of work while having a space where everything worked together. Very cool. Read more about it here.
With this great weather, I’ve seen more and more bicycles dusted off and out on the town. It’s always fun to buy a new accessory for the season to spiff up your ride. How about one of these gorgeous leather bike seats from leather artist Kara Ginther in Madison. Kara creates these incredible hand carved brooks saddles that are almost too pretty to sit on. Kara says “nothing pleases me more than to be able to rejuvenate old leather with fresh pattern and color. I love giving new life to antique luggage, purses, belts, shoes… anything really.”
Turning out a stellar stable of craft brews, Madison, Wisconsin-based Ale Asylum is far and away the most daring from a brewing as well as a packaging perspective. Their evaluation criterion for what makes good packaging is poetic: “If it looks like something someone would tattoo on their body, it belongs on their bottle”. Enter Madtown Nutbrown. Using an autumnal color pallet, moonlit backdrop and unstable typography, Hiebing’s re-designed artwork implies something sinister but gives no answers.
Allison of The Social Type was recently featured on the Minted blog. Originally from Madison, Allison graduated from UW-Stevens Point and took her designing skills out to San Francisco. She teams up with friend Jessica to create fresh greetings and stationery that often win the Minted design challenges. Read their interview here.
Natalie’s handmade skirts have caught my eye for sometime, but now that it’s warm out, I’d really like to buy myself one of her “Jane’s”. OrangyPorangy (as her husband calls her orange hair) sells her skirts at the Madison Farmers Market as well as several stores in WI and online. They’re clothes for the modern lady with classic style.
Update: Natalie is opening a storefront at 2606 Monroe Street in Madison featuring her OrangyPorangy clothing. In addition to her handmade skirts, the shop will have a nice selection of womens vintage dresses, mens vintage shirts and handmade art & home goods from artist all over the U.S. including her husband Mike’s work. Check out zip-dang.com for more info.
Madison’s Creative Communications Company Knupp & Watson, recently rebranded to become KW2. (They added another “W” owner). They launched a new identity and website which can be seen at kw2ideas.com.
I love the new “Magazines: The Power of Print” campaign. I spotted it in this month’s Glamour. Created by WPP’s Young & Rubicam.
“We surf the Internet. We swim in magazines.
The Internet is exhilarating. Magazines are enveloping.
The Internet grabs you. Magazines embrace you.
The Internet is impulsive. Magazines are immersive.
And both media are growing.
Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. Even in the age of the Internet, even among the groups one would assume are most singularly hooked on digital media, the appeal of magazines is growing.
Think of it this way: during the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent.
What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn’t necessarily displace an existing one. Just as movies didn’t kill radio. Just as TV didn’t kill movies. An established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to offer a unique experience. And, as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.
Which is why people aren’t giving up swimming, just because they also enjoy surfing.”
With this nice weather I’ve got summer on the brain, so I started looking for a new swimsuit. Have you seen the new Lands’ End Canvas? It’s very cool and I’ve already found these four suits that I like. There’s a store on State Street in Madison and a new website. And did you know that the Lands’ End headquarters are in Dodgeville, WI? The designers also collaborate on a blog with the tagline of “Designed in Wisconsin, inspired by the world around us” — love it.
A blog showcasing Wisconsin's best design resources. Keeping it local, with design in mind.
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