Enter the Community Design Agency (CDA), an architecture and design agency with a vision to create “an inclusive world where every human enjoys access to vibrant, safe, and healthy spaces to live, work, and play.”

An initiative of the Curry Stone Design Collective, the sustainably-minded CDA recently worked with both the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation and non-profit group Snhalaya on a project meant to revitalize the housing blocks in the city of Ahmednagar, India. The city’s Sanjaynagar neighborhood in particular is plagued by subpar living conditions, including homes built from unsuitable reclaimed materials like scrap metal and a lack of adequate sanitation facilities.

The community’s residents directly contributed to the design of the buildings’ interiors. As CDA Managing Director Sandhya Naidu Janardhan explains, the overall process “evolved at different scales of the neighborhood [from] the masterplan…[to] each family designing their apartment interiors.” The result is an “apartment typology [that] allows for multiple combinations and iterations based on the preference of families.”

The new housing will literally transform the area, creating a vibrant multipurpose living space that continues the neighborhood’s community-minded ethos. Built with locally-made bricks and understated decorative features, the units are so much more than the cookie-cutter constructions commonly associated with affordable housing. And the residents’ input did prove to be invaluable, as their requests for good lighting, ventilation, and adequate space for their families, pets, and livestock helped the designers envision a space where real people could live, work, and thrive.

Over 30 families have already moved into the completed homes, but they’ll eventually house almost 300 families, with construction of the remaining homes beginning in November 2022. With the completion of the development, Sanjaynagar will be one step closer to becoming a vibrant and affordable place for the locals to call home.

The post CDA Revitalizes Indian Neighborhood with Resident-Designed Community Housing first appeared on Dornob.

“For nearly 100 years, Disney has shared stories that have touched the hearts and minds of people all around the world,” said Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, in a statement. “As we prepare to enter our second century, we are developing new and exciting ways to bring the magic of Disney to people wherever they are, expanding storytelling to story living. We can’t wait to welcome residents to these beautiful and unique Disney communities where they can live their lives to the fullest.”

The first Storyliving by Disney residential association will be located in Rancho Mirage in southern California’s Coachella valley. It’s a fitting spot, considering it’s just minutes away from Walt Disney’s own favorite family retreat in Palm Springs, a getaway he called his “laughing place.” Subtitled “Cotino,” the Rancho Mirage development will include multiple housing options, including estates, single family homes, and condominiums. There will even be some neighborhoods specifically for residents ages 55+.

The entire village will be centered around a proposed 24-acre “grand oasis featuring clear turquoise waters with Crystal Lagoons® technology, enabling crystalline lagoons of any size to be built sustainably, with low water consumption and using a minimum amount of additives and energy,” the company said.

Residents can opt into a club membership for access to the recreational water activities, waterfront clubhouse, and members-only beach area. And of course, the club membership will provide access to all the other Disney lifestyle activities that the community offers. Disney cast members will run the community association and provide their legendary guest service to residents. They’ll also facilitate curated leisure opportunities like live performances, cooking classes, seminars, philanthropic endeavors, and wellness programming.

The master plan also includes a commercial zone with a hotel, as well as a range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options open to the public along the lakefront. There’s a catch though: to use the beach and its amenities, outsiders will need to purchase a day pass.

Disney says it is “exploring other location options in the United States – in the places people dream of living in.” Each community “will take inspiration from the authentic culture and heritage of each region,” with design help from its team of Imagineers.

“Disney Imagineers are exploring the richness of each local region to inspire the theme of Storyliving by Disney communities,” says Michael Hundgen, executive producer of Walt Disney Imagineering. “Distinctively designed indoor and outdoor spaces will offer residents new opportunities to explore, engage, and create the next incredible chapter of their story.”

The idea of Disney living originated with Walt himself. Epcot was inspired (and named) by his idea for the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” an imaginary city built on the newest and most innovative technologies. And the company actually did build an entire Disney town in the 1990s. Celebration, Florida is filled with pastel-colored buildings and palm-tree lined lanes, but Disney sold the municipality to a private-equity firm a decade later, essentially cutting ties with the development.

Cotino is being planned with the help of Scottsdale, Arizona-based DMB Development, a builder with experience creating unique communities in the western United States. No completion timetables have been given at this point, but interested mouseketeers can apply for more information on the Storyliving by Disney website.

The post Disney is Building a Residential Community in CA’s Coachella Valley first appeared on Dornob.

It’s no surprise that their latest collaboration with the Black Artists + Designers Guild (BADG) is is a must-have collection filled with statement pieces that up the ante with thoughtful designs. A group passionate about celebrating the work of Black creatives from every design sphere, one of BADG’s main goals is to celebrate Black voices through creativity and the larger themes of unity, diversity, and inclusion within all communities. Through their second collaboration with Pottery Barn (see last year’s virtual show house Obsidian Experience), they hope to bring that message to a larger audience.

Announced in February to coincide with Black History Month, the collection consists of more than 25 products spanning everything from dinnerware to bedding. With contributions from BADG members Penny Francis, Casi St. Julian, and Lisa Turner, the pieces were designed around the concept of “Black Joy” and incorporate some of BADG’s most important messages: unity through inclusion and equity, triumph over tribulations, a celebration of family and love, and establishing harmony as a connected community.

In a recent statement, BADG founder Malene Barnett discussed the collection’s inspiration, stating: “For us, ‘Black Joy’ is possibility and empowerment, a celebratory theme that is woven into our collection [and] this partnership with Pottery Barn builds on our message to honor ancestral legacies while embracing liberatory practices.”

Shoppers everywhere can show their support for Black creatives by shopping the Black Artists + Designer’s Guild x Pottery Barn collection now available on PotteryBarn.com, with budget-friendly, statement-making pieces that “find the joy and spread the love.” Below are just a few of the collection’s must-have pieces:

BADG Embroidered Sentiment Cotton Napkins

This collection is all about spreading the message of “Black Joy,” so bring some joy to your dinner table with these statement napkins that are bright, bold, and impactful (set of 4, $48.00)

BADG Unity Embroidered Pillow

A sense of family and unity shine through with this trendy pillow cover from the capsule collection “A Seat At Our Table.” ($69.50)

BADG Entertaining Collection

Entertaining has never been easier than with this vibrant collection – a curated set meant to spread joy with its “designs rooted in love and patterns inspired by power.” (pieces range from $29.50 to $129)

BADG Triumphant Vases

Bearing a triumphant message and stylish, warm design aesthetics that define the BADG collection, these handcrafted terracotta vases are the perfect standout accent pieces to complete any space. (medium vase $89, large vase $129)

Through their new collaboration with Pottery Barn, the Black Artists + Designers Guild continues to spread their message of unity, triumph, celebration, and love in a stylish collection celebrating Black Joy. As fashionable as it is impactful, this stunning collection is also a great way to support Black creatives and show that BADG’s message of inclusion and harmony has a place in every home.

The post Pottery Barn’s New Collaboration With the Black Artists + Designers Guild is Both Stylish and Impactful first appeared on Dornob.

Located in the mountainous highlands near Lake Sevan, a close stretch to the capital city of Yerevan, Gagarin Valley is an innovative vision of a “future-proof landscape.” The architects and their partners imagine a patchwork of residences, gardens, a market hall, a center for the arts, a commercial center, and a sunken stadium for 4,500 visitors built around a spherical educational agriculture center that will serve as the heart of the valley.

The new homes will be stacked around the center to form vertical villages, while the valley’s existing farmhouses will be preserved or transformed into new buildings to reduce waste. Many of the new structures will be topped with green roofs featuring a rainbow of vibrant flowering plants, creating a patchwork effect when viewed from above.

“The area is named after Yuri Gagarin, who was the first human to orbit the earth; he saw the planet’s vulnerability, a house in need of extra care, as many other astronauts have since stressed,” says MVRDV founder Winy Maas. “I share that concern: stimulating biodiversity, improving water management, and the ecosystem is of great importance for the future of the Gagarin Valley and the world. The valley can be seen as a series of test fields for the 10,000 species that will soon flourish there, an enrichment that will give the area the appearance of a garden of Eden.”

“We designed a sphere that acts as a mini-planet, where the classrooms surround a spherical void and where all the species of the valley and beyond are shown and monitored,” Maas says of the agricultural center. “The sphere will be surrounded by a Central Park that contains all the species – a scientific arboretum, reflected in the mirroring sphere. Gagarin would have loved it, I think.”

The current mosaic of 10,000 plots and the roads that connect them will serve as the basis of the new masterplan. The boundaries between the plots will be lined with canals, public paths, and greenery to reduce evaporation and enhance water buffers and biodiversity. Walking and cycling paths will also weave through the valley, and the canal system will be connected to the Hrazdan River.

By offering the amenities of city life enhanced by gorgeous natural scenery, beautifully planted parks, and many opportunities to walk, bike, and ride horses, MVRDV and DAR Foundation hope to attract not just millions of eco-tourists each year, but also young people who want to live in the valley full-time. Work is expected to begin on the project sometime later in 2022.

The post Named After an Astronaut, MVRDV’s Gagarin Valley Masterplan is a Future-Proof Paradise first appeared on Dornob.

Founded in 2013 on Bainbridge Island in Washington, U.S. by Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark, the Buy Nothing Project began as a simple way to connect neighbors who wanted to lend or give away items they didn’t need or wanted to share. As the idea began to spread, volunteer-run groups popped up all over, run according to a few universal rules: just freely give stuff away within your immediate neighborhood, with no buying, selling, or bartering involved. There’s no expectation that you provide something in return. Ideally, members of the groups are able to find new homes for items instead of throwing them away or donating them to Goodwill to be resold.

What kind of stuff can you gift or receive via Buy Nothing? Almost anything, as long as it’s legal. Commonly gifted items include furniture, houseplants, clothing, baby supplies, pet supplies, tools, kitchen items, and books. In some communities, certain items are passed around again and again, like decor for a child’s birthday party. Posting an item on your local Buy Nothing platform is also a great way to turn your trash into someone else’s treasure. You never know who might be looking for a bunch of old magazines for collages, a busted vacuum to harvest parts from, broken pottery for mosaics, or worn-out sheets as drop cloths. Items that have seen better days are okay to post as long as you’re up front about their condition.

Need something in particular? You can also post an “ask,” and more than likely, someone in your group will be able to provide the item in question. No need to offer anything in return. You can just say thanks, or show your gratitude by posting a photo of the item in use. You might be surprised just how generous members of Buy Nothing groups can be, offering high dollar items like televisions or even their time and skills. Most groups either gift items with a first-come, first-serve policy, or choose a random number.

Getting stuff for free is awesome, and movements like Buy Nothing can help us all produce a lot less waste. But honestly, the best part of joining your local Buy Nothing group is the insight it will give you into your community, and the connections it’ll allow you to make. Ready to find your local Buy Nothing group? Head to the website to find the closest group to your home. Most Buy Nothing groups are currently hosted on Facebook, but Rockefeller and Clark are currently working on a Buy Nothing app, so soon you won’t need any kind of social media account to join. And if there’s no existing group in your neighborhood, you can always start your own!

The post The Buy Nothing Project: Give, Receive, and Connect with Your Neighbors first appeared on Dornob.

On Twitter, some people loved the couches and expressed disappointment that they weren’t actually for sale – and it’s true, some of them truly aren’t bad. The “Lesbian” couch looks like standard IKEA fare, and the “2Spirit” couch is kind of cool, with a rainbow pillow emerging from black velvet. Two-spirit is a term used by some Native people to describe identifying as having both a feminine and masculine spirit, honoring a third-gender role that’s traditional in many indigenous communities.

https://twitter.com/LouCCRyan/status/1409889863898370051

https://twitter.com/neverlandlimbo/status/1410218245508972551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1410219330898481152%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_

Other designs, like the flower-covered “Progress” couch, are clearly not for actual use. But none have elicited quite so much controversy as the “Bisexual” couch, designed by artist Charlotte Carbone and inspired by poet Brian Lanigan. The line printed on the couch, “When you change ‘or’ to ‘and,’ nobody believes you,” is from one of Lanigan’s poems and refers to the skepticism many bisexual people face from others when they come out. The theme and inspiration aren’t really the problem here. What people don’t like is all the “creepy” hands.

Lanigan, for one, has taken it in stride, changing his Twitter name to “bIKEA couch guy.”

Whatever you may personally think of it, it’s clear that this design was always meant to be an art piece rather than a sofa you’d casually go buy at your local store. One thing is for sure: Carbone and Lanigan have netted IKEA quite a bit of media coverage with this design, for better or worse.

The public’s reaction seems to have prompted IKEA to remove all traces of the couches from its website, replacing the page with new content about “building a world where everyone can feel at home.” To be fair, it’s decent content explaining why pronouns are important, how to ask questions respectfully, and why IKEA has adopted the Progress flag in place of the outdated rainbow flag. But scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll find two shopping bags for sale… emblazoned with the old rainbow flag print.

Listen. As an elder millennial member of the LGBTQ+ community, this writer is torn between feeling a sort of dazed wonder that it’s suddenly cool for huge companies to declare their support, and disgust at meaningless money-grubbing displays of rainbow capitalism. At least IKEA hired (and hopefully paid) three queer artists to participate in the project, including Carbone, Madison Van Rijn, and Bianca Daniela Nachtman, though another designer, Ali Haider, was listed as an LGBTQ+ “ally,” which doesn’t do much for community representation.

But honestly, wake us up when companies are taking actual concrete supportive action year-round for our community’s most vulnerable members, like black trans women, instead of just paying lip support for a single month out of the year. For the record, transphobia-motivated murders of transgender people are trending upward even as all these corporations make big public displays for Pride.

The post We’re Still Thinking About IKEA’s Weird Pride-Themed Couches first appeared on Dornob.

This set marks the first time in the iconic toy brand’s history that it’s releasing an official LGBTQIA+ set. LEGO’s Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton talked about the inspiration behind the project, explaining that he “wanted to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love…this model shows that we care, and that we truly believe ‘Everyone is awesome!’”

The colorful LEGO set is inspired by the Pride flag first created over 40 years ago by Gilbert Baker to symbolize a movement that lacked representation of its own. Since then, it has come to be an important symbol to show pride and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Each color of the flag has its own meaning and symbolizes diversity within the community itself.

Included in the “Everyone is Awesome” set are Baker’s original flag colors, in addition to the transgender colors of baby blue, pink, and white. Also included are the black and brown stripes that were added to the flag in Philadelphia in 2017 as part of the More Color More Pride Campaign. Each minifig has its own matching color reflected on the display’s floor, and while the monochrome design symbolizes equality, each figure also has its own little added twist in the form of a unique hairstyle to show that everyone is different and beautiful.

With the set, LEGO joins other toy giants like Mattel in offering more inclusive additions to their product lineups. The latter has expanded their brand in recent years to boost diversity with more inclusive Barbies. This year, they also introduced a twist on the classic UNO card deck with rainbow-colored cards available exclusively at Target.

The popularity of minifigs has exploded over the years as the company introduced sets of everything from to The Simpsons to Star Wars. This set is an important step in increasing the diversity of the brand while also recognizing the diversity of its fans. Minifigs are known for being expressive and unique —the perfect medium for LEGO to expand their brand inclusivity and show support for their LGBTQIA+ fans. Through the message of “everyone is unique” and “everyone is awesome,” the company hopes to encourage its fans to “feel free to be [their] true, awesome selves.”

The buildable “Everything is Awesome” model is made up of 346 pieces and stands about 4 inches tall, ideal for displaying anywhere you want to showcase your pride. And as always, the sets are designed to be fun to build and display for maximum impact. Join LEGO in celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community this June by purchasing this amazing new set on lego.com.

The post Celebrate Pride Month With LEGO’s Colorful New “Everyone is Awesome!” Set first appeared on Dornob.

Etsy has made it easy to show your support for the AAPI community today (and every day). By shopping their page specifically created to highlight AAPI-run stores, you can learn more about individual shop owners, hear their stories, and find wonderful items that reflect the creativity, culture, and heritage of their diverse community. This list is just a sneak preview of all you can find on this creatively curated new page.

1. Pyarful

These greeting cards and gifts embrace and reflect South Asian traditions to the fullest! Visit this shop for cute cards designed to reflect South Asian experiences through lovely design elements and catchy, playful sayings. Creator Krisa Tailor-Aurora was inspired by her own heritage and wanted to create products that celebrated her South Asian American identity. As she told Etsy, “I hope through my work I can teach my daughter to embrace her roots, her identity, and the little things that make her who she is.”

Our Faves:

Paneer or Far You’re Always in My Heart Greeting Card

Rakhi hand-woven bracelets

Masala Chai Candle

2. Aerangis

Who loves candles? (Answer: we all do). What sets these candles apart is their beautiful, handcrafted jars made by local artisans. Alicia Tsai, a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant, strives to honor her country’s culture and history through distinctive scents and uniquely crafted candle jars. She says, “As for the candles themselves, each scent is inspired by a memory and tells its own story…[including] scents that incorporate Taiwanese culture and tell the stories of my hometown.”

Our Faves:

No. 51 Secret Garden

Discovery Journey Gift Set

No. 01 The Beginning

Naoshi

Looking for something fun, creative, and unique? How about checking out Naoshi, a wonderful shop where the artwork is mostly made with “sunae,” or shiny colored sand. Looking to make the world a brighter place with her art, Naoko Kikuchi says she was inspired by manga and Japanese comedy shows and that, through sunae, she is “inspired to live life brightly each day.” Now who can argue with that?

Our Faves:

We Love 8×8 Art Print

Rainbow Planet Necklace

DIY Sunae Art Kit Sunrise Boy

Other Stores to Check Out

AllAboutAmi – Crochet patterns for those creatives among us

InsCeramics — Handmade tea sets made just for you

TomoandEdie — Vintage Japanese hair accessories

These are just some of the examples of the quirky, cute, and thoughtfully crafted items to be inspired by on Etsy’s page of AAPI-owned stores. With so much to choose from, you can support the AAPI community now and always by learning about these amazing artists and designers and their unique items that celebrate the beauty, culture, and heritage of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Community.

The post Celebrate Asian American Heritage by Supporting These AAPI-Owned Etsy Stores first appeared on Dornob.

Working in a style uniquely suited to the local climate, with flat roofs covered in solar panels, Mighty Buildings will use robotic automation to build what it says will be the first 3D-printed zero net energy neighborhood in the United States. The 1,450-square-foot, single-story homes will be extrusion printed using an ultra-strong stone composite material that’s termite-proof, fire-resistant, and water-resistant. The homes can be built twice as quickly as conventional constructions, too, with 95 percent less labor hours and 10 times less waste.

The $15 million collaboration with sustainability-focused developers Palari Group uses Mighty Buildings’ “Cinco” housing unit and will be built with the company’s panelized Mighty Kit system, which features 3D printed polymer composite panels prefabricated and shipped from Oakland. The panels are pre-assembled with framing, insulation, finishing, weatherproofing, and the stone-like exterior surface. Each Cinco kit features a customizable floor plan with an attached garage capable of charging an electric vehicle. The homes will feature photovoltaic panels from Tesla Solar and Powerwall.

The Mighty Buildings team says of the project: “Featuring textured exterior stone walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, each property will complement its natural surroundings with midcentury modern architecture and will consist of a primary residence of 1,450 square feet, comprising 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a secondary residence of 700 square feet comprising 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. Situated on a large 10,000-square-foot lot, each backyard will feature a swimming pool with deck and views of the surrounding mountains with plenty of space for lounging and desert star-gazing.”

“Homes will integrate DARWIN by Delos, a state-of-the-art wellness intelligence solution to help enhance human health and well-being by improving indoor air quality, and implement localized water filtration and circadian lighting. Other upgrade options include backyard amenities such as pergola decking, cabanas, hot tubs, fire pits, and outdoor showers.”

Since the Mighty Buildings system is pre-approved at the state level, getting this type of home approved and permitted through California’s strict standards is easier than average. The system can be built on just about any site and offers high thermal resistance and low maintenance. 80 percent of the production process is automated in a controlled environment within the company’s warehouses for high-quality results. In fact, the 3D printers are often set up to build the components overnight while the employees are asleep.

The company has already built a number of models in a range of sizes throughout the state, including its 350-square-foot studio and its 700-square-foot “Duo B” model. Two-story models with living space over a garage are also available. Each model has a clean, modern appearance.

“We could not be more excited for this groundbreaking collaboration with Palari and to be a part of the creation of the world’s first 3D-printed zero net energy community,” says Alexey Dubov, COO of Mighty Buildings. “This will be the first on-the-ground actualization of our vision for the future of housing – able to be deployed rapidly, affordably, sustainably, and able to augment surrounding communities with a positive dynamic.”

The post America’s First 3D-Printed Neighborhood to Pop Up in the California Desert first appeared on Dornob.

Architectural firm Abin Design Studio (ADS) drew on this tradition for a beautiful new modern building in the town of Bansberia, West Bengal. “Gallery House” features an organic asymmetrical shape, a facade of rectangular bricks laid in dynamic patterns, and a cantilevered terrace that projects out over the front steps. The client originally purchased this plot of land across the street from his house as a parking lot for his vehicles, subsequently hiring the architects to build a garage with staff quarters above it.

Upon being asked, ADS had just completed the client’s home, “Wall House,” itself a contemporary residence clad in weathered steel occupying nearly 7,000 square feet. Built out to the edges of the plot, the home embraces the ongoing trend of inscrutable street-facing facades concealing luxurious courtyards, lawns, and pools. Not wanting to take up too much of the public lands, the architects managed to convince the client to use the lot across the street in a way that gave back to his fellow citizens instead of expanding his private complex.

The client initially agreed to build a garage on the ground level with a multipurpose public activity space overhead, featuring a design that would symbolically welcome community members by stretching out toward the street. As the project progressed, he decided he wanted to forgo the garage altogether in favor of opening more of the building up to the public. The ground floor then became a community hall, while the upper floor doubles as a dormitory for his resident staff by night and a multipurpose room for community yoga sessions and classes by day.

“The client enjoys a sense of pride and joy of ownership seeing the space put to good use,” say the architects, who add that “as a decision to introduce another architectural expression to the community, the building took cues from Bengal’s terracotta temples. Exposed brick masonry walls inlaid with ceramic blocks define the building character as a contemporary expression of the inspiration. Collaborating with a ceramic artist, rejected ceramic blocks produced for industrial use were collected. Terracotta bricks were procured from a riverside brick field located nearby. These two were combined, using locally prevalent finesse of building masonry.”

Regarding the structure’s name, the ADS team explains: “Every year, this locality holds a festive procession along the narrow, winding neighborhood lanes as a part of a cultural celebration. Reciprocating this, the building steps down towards the street form a gallery for the onlookers to sit, who gather at the street-side during this event. Through judicious planning and play of voids in volume, the integral space of the building was shared with the neighborhood people as a humane gesture of giving back to the local community, without disrupting the privacy and security of inner functions.”

The post Bricks Go Bold with Organic Shapes and Patterns Based on Bengal Temples first appeared on Dornob.

Designers, writers, and in fact, all types of artists often have a hard time showcasing their talents to the right people. Unlike many standard professions, a plain old resume just doesn’t work in these fields, and getting the proper introduction to prospective clients to share your portfolio with is a long shot at best.

When you’re Black, that struggle is even more difficult.

The Network Goal of BIDN

To do their part in furthering the careers of Black designers, the Black Interior Designers Network was founded to help black artists connect with the right people and resources. Not only do they help these designers link up with businesses and homeowners, but they also serve as a conduit through which they can access manufacturers, suppliers, and the industry in general.

The organization’s main goal is to shine a light on the influence, imagination, and professionalism of Black interior designers. They pledge to maintain the highest principles of distinction in their support of competent interior designers who carry out design projects of various magnitudes and styles.

The Founder

In 2002, Kimberly Ward kicked off her design career working for members of the then newly-formed Houston Texans NFL franchise. That affiliation ended up blossoming into her working for clients from other NFL teams, including the New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most impressively, Ward eventually ended up designing homes for more than 90 percent of her clients.

From 2004 to 2008, Ward wrote monthly interior design columns for the lifestyle publication Gospel Today. She later left that job to take the position of editor-in-chief of the Pink Eggshell interior design blog. Despite being her first-ever foray into digital publishing, she quickly appeared to have found her niche, gathering awards and even making informational presentations at interior design and blogging events starting in 2011.

After repeatedly being asked where all the Black designers were at these venues, Ward published a list of the Top 20 African American Interior Designers. This list was so successful that it eventually spawned The Black Interior Designers Network.

Unfortunately, Kimberly Ward succumbed to cancer in 2017 after igniting the spark that gave the Black design community this much-needed exposure.

The President

Working with Ward in 2014, Keia McSwain began her own professional design career. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in writing and initially worked in kitchen and bath showrooms after graduation, though it wasn’t until joining the Black Interior Designers Network that she feels she found her true calling. In 2017, Ward appointed McSwain President of the network.

McSwain taught herself the art of interior design and currently resides in Denver, Colorado. Of course, the projects she deals with lay all over the country. Her specialty is designing spaces that are original, practical, and relaxed, and she finds that this penchant for personalized service allows her to help new designers expand their careers. She’s also great at staying within client budgets by finding extravagantly priced decor at significant discounts.

Helping Black designers tap into information vital to their success is McSwain’s biggest passion. She teaches them the finer points of business practices, the latest trade and industry protocols, and the complex points of contract labor. It only makes sense that she would also be instrumental in establishing BIDN as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The post The Black Interior Designers Network Gives a Vital Boost to Up-and-Comers first appeared on Dornob.

Located in China’s Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, “Nanchang Waves” serves as a community center offering multiple opportunities for activity on several structural levels. The mixed-use space features event spaces, cafés, galleries, and urban gardens.

The Nordic Office of Architecture is an Oslo-based firm with offices in Copenhagen, London, and Reykjavik. They centered the project around the nearby water saying, “Nanchang Waves derives its concept from the surrounding waterscapes.” In fact, from afar, one might think the venue was actually a giant water park. Curving walkways resemble a meandering river, and contours of the adjacent lake are replicated in the rippling architecture.

“Each of the landscape nodes contain functions for people of different ages and provide interesting and memorable spatial experiences,” explains the design team.

The element of earth is also expressed in the new facilities, especially in its most functional spaces. The center’s accessible rooftop, for example, is a lush green space with a design that continues the themes seen in the front square below. The architects see it as “the main body of the building [forming] a continuation of the landscape elements in three dimensions through the language of stretched curves and waves.”

Finally, the element of air is strikingly represented in the helical pathway leading to the center’s observation tower. Winding around the building, visitors are introduced to views in every direction as they ascend, anticipation building with each step until they reach the high point, where they’re able to overlook the surrounding natural and architectural highlights uninhibited by obstructions.

It’s often said that location is everything, and the positioning of Nanchang Waves absorbs both the history and modern development of the area. In front of the campus is Elephant Lake Wetland Park, which boasts water, trees, and animals for a relaxing natural experience. In the distance behind the structure, visitors will find a backdrop of skyscrapers — a snapshot of local industry. Closer in, a large new residential development consumes rows of real estate directly adjacent to the buildings. If that’s still not enough for you, the landmark Wanshou Pagoda can also be seen emerging from the nearby woodlands.

The post New Nanchang Waves Community Center Twists Into the Surrounding Wetlands first appeared on Dornob.

More than 1,000 New Yorkers came together to be photographed by the French artist for “The Chronicles of New York City,” a collaboration with architecture firm LOT-EK, who designed the stack of shipping containers hosting the mural in Williamsburg’s Domino Park. The mural is a compilation of images collaged together into an urban scene and reproduced on a tremendous scale. Overlooking the East River, it draws people into the newly completed park to engage with it via a smartphone app.

The Brooklyn Museum’s description of the artwork reads: “This soaring multimedia installation traces JR’s career from his early documentation of graffiti artists as a teenager in Paris to his large-scale architectural interventions in cities worldwide to his more recent digitally collaged murals that create collective portraits of diverse publics. The centerpiece of the exhibition is ‘The Chronicles of New York City,’ a new epic mural of more than 1,000 New Yorkers that is accompanied by audio recordings of each person’s story.”

“All of the projects on view honor the voices of everyday people and demonstrate JR’s ongoing commitment to community, collaboration, and civic discourse. Working at the intersections of photography, social engagement, and street art, JR collaborates with communities by taking individual portraits, reproducing them at a monumental scale, and wheat pasting them — sometimes illegally — in nearby public spaces.”

“The Chronicles of New York City” is the final work crowning the exhibition “JR: Chronicles,” the first major North American exhibition the artist’s works, which officially opened in October 2019. Set at the Brooklyn Museum, the show features murals, photographs, videos, films, dioramas, and archival materials spanning JR’s entire two-decade career.

You can also view close-ups of the Williamsburg mural itself, getting a better look at both the individuals featured in it and how the imagery was assembled. Some of the portraits are tucked into windows, or peeking out from the basement level of the brick building. Other subjects are dancing, performing stunts, or playing music. And it’s loads of fun to pick out humorous little details, like a group of people using extra-long straws to drink from soda bottles on a lower floor.

“JR: Chronicles” will be on view until May 3rd, 2020. Other murals can be seen at the Kings Theater in Flatbush and the Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance in Bedford-Stuyvesant, with even more set to appear through the run of the exhibition.

Check out more of JR’s work, including a giant optical illusion mural outside the Louvre Museum in Paris and a poignant US-Mexico border art installation featuring a Latino child peering over the wall. The latter was created as a response to President Trump’s attacks on DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program), which protects people who were brought illegally to the United States as minors from deportation.

The post 1,000 New Yorkers Featured in JR’s Massive New Williamsburg Mural first appeared on Dornob.

One of the most exciting categories to be covered at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is that of “smart cities.” While the fair’s other exhibits focus more on specific aspects of electronic and AI innovation, the Smart City sector addresses different ways to bring aging infrastructures up to par by repurposing the old concurrent with incorporating new technologies into the renovations.

These were just a few of this year’s most interesting developments in the field:

Toyota Woven City

Near Mount Fuji, Japan, Toyota is constructing a smart city. Their project, scheduled to launch in 2021, will transform a former factory into an actual town where families will live, work, and research mobility options and advancements. The 175-acre locale designed by Bjarke Ingels’ BIG company will focus on converging transportation options, housing alternatives, a conglomerate of smart power sources, water distribution technologies, and research that benefits the community’s sustenance and growth.

BIG previously designed Two World Trade Center and Google’s latest headquarters, so this undertaking fits well on their résumé of projects. Their transportation scheme for the “Woven City” is three-fold. One road is dedicated entirely to self-driving vehicles, another to scooters and bikes, and for pedestrians, the firm plans to construct a large park chock-full of walking paths. All three options come together in the center of town. The goal is for residents to use one or more of these every day to get around.

The houses in the Woven City will predictably be constructed from sustainable wood and be powered by photovoltaic tiles. A subterranean level of the city will also house hydrogen cells to store power and a water filtration system. Another underground system will deliver supplies to residents via conveyor belts — or even a mass of little androids.

Power to the People

For a futuristic city to flourish, the people who live there need to thrive as strongly as the emerging infrastructure. Many exhibits in this year’s CES Smart City category concentrated on taking care of the inhabitants.

Vayyar, headquartered in Israel, presented a sensor-based system called Walabot that monitors the movement of people inside their homes. Raviv Melamed, the company’s CEO, explained in an interview that “the idea is to have something that the person doesn’t need to wear, so it just sits over there monitoring the house … we have a 3D imaging sensor that can look at you without actually having your picture so basically we can track people if they go around the house if they fall down, if they sit, if they lie down in bed sleeping. We can monitor day-to-day kind of living and tell you things about yourself or alert someone if you fall.” Walabot also detects children left in hot cars and alerts parents and caregivers through an accompanying mobile app.

Addison Care, developed by Electronic Caregiver, is a voice-controlled 24-hour virtual caregiver. CEO Anthony Dohrmann says that “she is a 3D virtual smart health home virtual caregiver [that] manages behavioral health, chronic disease, supports caregivers, and even takes care of child patients. So she can through that visual sensor verify you’re taking medications, see how you’re feeling, look for signs of distress, or if you’re doubled over in pain. She can see if your fall risk increases. She can see how you’re adjusting to a prosthetic or a new rehab exercise. She can even demo a rehab exercise, verify you’re doing it with that visual sensor, monitor your progress as you improve, and keep providers informed.”

Platform House HED-Net, the latest innovation from Sekisui House, uses contactless sensors to improve health, wellness, and happiness in homes. The system can detect strokes and heart movements. Company President Yoshihiro Nakai clarifies: “Let’s think of a bedroom because what we use for sensing is contact-less, it is not under a mattress, not like a watch or a pad put onto the [chest]. Instead, we install a sensor recessed onto [the] ceiling. By monitoring vital data such as heart rate, perspiration rate, and blood pressure and using our proprietary algorithm, we [can] detect the onset of acute diseases.”

Again, this is just a sampling of all the fantastic smart city fantastic innovations on the horizon. CES 2021 is sure to introduce even more spellbinding advancements to help make mankind as happy and healthy as possible, so be sure to stay tuned!

The post CES 2020 Gives Us a Peek Into the Future of Smart Cities first appeared on Dornob.

What do you do with an abandoned supermarket that’s no longer needed for its original purpose but still has great bones? In this case, transform it into a celebrated, completely free homeless shelter for 42 full-time residents. “Shelter From the Storm” is more than just a place for unhoused people to lay their heads at night — it’s a thoughtfully designed community that could serve as a model for similar projects around the world.

Designed by Holland Harvey Architects, the London shelter now bears few signs of its former identity. Its spacious open interiors have been converted into cozier, more domestic-feeling spaces. Guests and residents can even enjoy a cheerful on-site café space full of plants.

The original building clearly had plenty of life left in it, and many of its elements are still present, including the brick walls, concrete columns, and visible ductwork. All this gives the space a somewhat industrial feel, albeit one softened by the addition of wood floors, residential-style lighting, and tiled surfaces in pink and white.

The architects explain: “Upon arrival, guests are greeted with an entrance space that is domestic in scale with a smaller private room directly adjacent if needing to compose themselves before entering the shelter. As you move through the shelter, the scale of each space slowly increases, aiding a smooth transition to the open kitchen and dining area.”

“Throughout the project, each detail was carefully considered, ensuring robustness, dignity, and a sense of ownership for the guests. Bedrooms and bathrooms are based upon typical domestic typologies. For example, sinks and mirrors are separate, providing guests with something of their own within a communal space.”

They add: “An essential part of our undertaking was to understand and respond to preconceived ideas around homelessness and the homeless. Our approach to this was to embed the idea of transparency into the scheme. This was achieved through the insertion of new windows and internal openings that allow views in, out, and through the space. Similarly, the dual use of the shelter as a community café aims to open up the shelter to the wider community. By inviting the general public into the shelter, they are simultaneously invited into the debate about how to demystify homelessness.”

Shelter From the Storm has a primary aim of reintegrating its residents back into society, and it shows that with the respectful way in which they’re all treated. The shelter aims to house and support people no matter who they are or where they come from, noting that they “do not shy away from difficult cases that require extra perseverance, understanding, and care.”

The organization works in collaboration with both large corporations and third party institutions to offer work opportunities to residents. Running on donations, they manage to provide all of this care at a cost of less than £20 per guest per night, which is much lower than the amount it typically costs city and state governments to have people living on the streets. If you’re interested in learning more about their compassionate model, check out STFS.org.uk.

The post Abandoned London Supermarket Transformed Into a Homeless Shelter first appeared on Dornob.

In 2016, 20 percent of urban survey participants said there are places where they feel more at home than the spaces they live in. In 2018, that figure rose to 35 percent. Does this change reflect a reduction in the quality of our homes and their ability to meet our needs? Or does it speak to a broader phenomenon that might actually portend positive changes in how we view our communities?

One of IKEA’s key findings is the fact that 64 percent of people around the world would rather live in a small home in a great location than a large home in a less-than-ideal location. Another is that 60 people of people say they’re ready to create a life at home that’s different than the one they were brought up in.

Some of the ways in which our sense of home has changed over recent decades include an increase in the number of people who work from home, longer work hours with fewer vacations, bathing outside the home multiple times per week (at work or the gym, for instance), and taking in roommates or AirBnB guests to make extra income.

A lot of complex factors go into our sense of home. To explore them, IKEA identified five core emotional needs: privacy, security, comfort, ownership, and belonging. These needs are universal, but vary in importance individually depending on our personalities, age, who we live with, and where we are in the world.

If we live with a big family, for example, our homes might not be able to give us a feeling of privacy. Our sense of both ownership and security certainly depend on whether we’re homeowners or renters, our relationships with our landlords, and how often we have to move. Our sense of belonging might shift if we go from living with loved ones to living with strangers, or vice-versa.

When our homes can’t sufficiently meet these needs, we look to our surrounding neighborhoods and communities — and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it could help us build a greater overall sense of belonging, insulate us from emotional hardships relating to tough transitions in our home situations, and teach us to grow as people.

“Your network of spaces and places might be big or small, and maybe you have your own home at the heart of it, and maybe you don’t,” reads IKEA’s report. “There’s no one-size fits all. The important thing is that everyone deserves to experience that feeling of home. The things we have learned through this year’s research will help us develop products, show furnishing solutions, and design home experiences that take us closer to our vision.”

Sure, IKEA’s “Life at Home” report is mostly market research meant to help them sell more products. But there’s also value in thinking about those core emotional needs and what we could change in our homes and lives to feel a greater sense of peace and contentment.

The post Life at Home: IKEA Report Reveals What Makes Us Comfortable first appeared on Dornob.