Hank Darlington rode from Fishkill to Suffern, NY, on this day of his four-week ride-a-thon.
If there's ever been a "Roaming by Design" post, this is it! Hank Darlington, one of the founders of the Decorative Plumbing Hardware Association, is bicycling from Maine to Florida for a good cause, the goal of raising $20,000 for scholarships being helped along by the sponsorship of Mr. Steam. The 76-year-young athlete will be averaging 70 miles a day for four weeks to benefit the DPHA Scholarship fund, which awards two $3,000 scholarships each year to deserving students working at or children of any individual working at a DPHA-member business.
Alexandra and Kymberly of Fun and Fit fame have conducted an audio interview posted here which not only illustrates Darlington's commitment to the cause but brings his jovial nature to the airwaves (of course with Alexandra behind the opposite microphone, would wouldn't be chuckling non-stop)!
Darlington claims moist heat, as in this Steamtherapy shower, is the best treatment for a day's worth of riding strain.
To follow his progress, visit Hank's blog, Cross Country Rider. You can donate to the cause at DPHA Scholarship Donations, and visit the sponsor, Mr. Steam, to see why Darlington is hoping to find one of their Steamtherapy showers or baths at the end of the road each day (and don't we get that)! To catch up with Alexandra and Kimberly at Fun and Fit for some serious fitness and lighthearted amusement, click here.
"To see our country from a bicycle seat is just incredible!" remarks Darlington, who logged 76 miles yesterday, noting in his latest blog post that he had made it to Virginia Beach, Virginia. Now that's some adroyt riding!
Why have just one serving when you can have as many as you’d like? Here’s another scoop of the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon, which is running from Sept. 23rd through Oct. 2nd in Washington, DC. Adroyt had the pleasure of joining Miele USA and their publicist White Good & Company on a press junket (see our pre-event post on adroyt here), along with several other guests in the design and journalism fields, on a tour of their sponsored entry: the University of Maryland’s WaterShed house.
The house is a built metaphor for the path of a water droplet as it cycles from the clouds to earth, incorporated into a sustainably designed residence. The U of M team drew their inspiration from their native Chesapeake Bay aquatic ecostystem, the name of the structure an overt tribute to the integration of human and natural systems. A blend of simplicity, modernity, and vernacular tradition, the house is elegant proof that there are ways to live with the earth and not just upon it.
Miele’s long-standing commitment to conservation, efficiency, and innovation was a perfect partner to the project’s goals: they contributed several of their top-of-the-line appliances to the sleekly designed living space, integrated seamlessly into the clean modern aesthetic. The reward of forethought and conscious evaluation was amply evident as we absorbed the results of the nearly two-year-long design and construction process. Nineteen other teams had their unique concepts on display on the park lawn, across from the Jefferson Memorial; their presence was a resounding affirmation that American ideals and leadership were still very much in evidence.
We’d like to offer our thanks to our hosts, Miele, White Good, the DOE, and the U of M team for a very enlightening (and encouraging) day in the nation’s capital, beside the Potomac. Lunch afterward at Founding Farmers (gotta love that name) was the icing on the cake, and our fasttrack to and from D.C had us hurtling back to the future in just over twelve hours!
We’re speaking Italian on this Travel Tuesday with some exciting news. Our ONLY choice for European lifestyle tours, The Antiques Diva, is expanding to, you guessed it, Italia; and Toma is already working her magic on the romantic language by saying, “Buongiorno Baby” to anyone wanting to come along for the Tuscan ride!
Tuscan tastemaker Susan Pennington will create and direct the tours, which will amble through the best venues in Florence, Sienna, Arezzo and Lucca (here's a feature in Belle Inspiration). A British expat living in the heart of Tuscany, Pennington was once an antiques buyer for Harrods in London and an auction-house specialist in New York City. She’s lived in Tuscany for the past two decades, running Montestigliano, a local agriturismo business known for its sumptuous Tuscan-style luxury décor.
Word up, Diva fans; this is Toma’s sixth country, and the list of destinations for gallivanting is impressive: France, England, Belgium, Holland, Germany and, now, Italy. Where’s my passport?
P.S. We understand there is a spot of royalty in The Antiques Diva’s future. Check in at adroyt in the next week or so and we’ll fill you in!
The Cooper Hewitt was buzzing on August 16th when Lisa S. Roberts' show "My Design Life" was screened for an elite audience of design devotees. The docuseries premieres tonight with two back-to-back episodes on the Ovation network at 8:00 pm ET. The show, which will consist of ten thirty-minute episodes airing on consecutive Wednesdays at 8:00 and 8:30 pm ET/PT, follows Roberts and her team as they visit museum exhibitions, trade shows, retail stores and designers’ studios in order to gather ideas and inspiration for her upcoming book DesignPOP: Popular Trends in Contemporary Product Design. The new book explores the trends taking place in contemporary design throughout the past 30 years.
Arlene Hirst, Caroline Baumann of the Cooper-Hewitt and Harry Allen
Highlights from the show include visits to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the design studios of Harry Allen and Tony Wurman; retail stores such as Design Within Reach and Moss; and restaurants, including David Rockwell’s Pod and Christine Liaigre’s Buddakan. Viewers will learn about the history behind the featured designs, as well as back stories of the designers and manufacturers who created them. The aim of Roberts and her team is to educate their audience about the importance of contemporary design while adding an air of whimsy and accessibility at the same time.
Bill Moggridge of the Cooper-Hewitt, Dror Benshetrit and Paolo Cravedi of Alessi USA
Lisa Roberts began her career as an architect. After six years, she left the field to pursue her professional interests in product and graphic design. Most recently, she has designed products for museum stores, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, among others. In the early 1980’s Roberts began collecting contemporary product design objects, which she calls “Antiques of the Future.” In 2006, Roberts published a book by the same title and, since that time, has traveled throughout the country speaking on the subject of design. She has been featured on HGTV, The Today Show, and the Early Show, and Antiques of the Future was reviewed in Time, USA Today, Parade, Dwell, and local publications. In addition, Roberts serves on the executive committee and as a trustee of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and as a trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), where she is a longstanding member of the museum’s contemporary design group, Collab.
Tune in design fans for a vivid romp through the contemporary design world; you'll love the full-on, behind-the-sceens access!
If you are a frequenter of Roaming by Design, you may have noticed I haven’t been posting as much lately as I have in the past. That’s because I’m putting all of my efforts behind my new social media consultancy, adroyt, and its blog. We’re delving deeper into subjects relating to SoMe and hoping to encourage some great exchanges through our new initiative, the adroyt salon. Inspired by the fervor with which Gertrude and Leo Stein discussed and dissected the subjects they surveyed with A-list visionaries in Paris, we will be posting new questions each Thursday, which we hope will be bandied about at length during the following seven days.
Our first salon post speaks to Gertrude Stein’s influence in my life, and in case you’re not familiar with her, one of the interesting things about the author is that she thought of her writing as a literary form of cubism. A peek into her book Tender Buttons is proof that she was working toward a unique melodic quality that had never been accomplished before: “A closet, a closet does not connect under the bed. The band if it is white and black, the band has a green string. A sight a whole sight and a little groan grinding makes a trimming such a sweet singing trimming and a red thing not a round thing but a white thing, a red thing and a white thing.”
The sound is not extant but this is a home movie of the living, breathing legend (it's worth sticking around for the great smile at the end)!
Another book Stein penned is The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. In it she described the Saturday evenings on the rue de Fleurus as “a kaleidoscope slowly turning” (writing as Toklas, of course). These salons hosted two of cubism’s founders—Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. About them Stein wrote, “…cubism is a purely spanish [sic] conception and only spaniards can be cubists…Americans…are like spaniards, they are abstract and cruel. They are not brutal they are cruel…”
It’s interesting to me that she took the stance that Americans express cruelty because the Spaniards are known for one of the world’s most barbaric sports, bullfighting. “I always remember Picasso saying disgustedly apropos of some germans who said they liked bull-fights, they would, he said angrily, they like bloodshed. To a spaniard it is not bloodshed, it is ritual.” We hope one of your new Thursday rituals will be to join us on adroyt where we will discuss myriad topics and maybe even kick up a skirmish or two!
To follow along with the salon discussions, here are links to the adroyt salon posts, from the first to the most recent:
If you're in San Antonio, Texas, tonight, you're a lucky duck because the McNay Art Museum is hosting "A Mad Men Night" with George Nelson. The architect, writer, designer and educator is going to revisit the heyday of American Modernism. Who better to do so than someone who had a tremendous impact on it (the images floating through the kicky video are his designs, munchkins; and who will ever forget their first sighting of the Marshmallow Sofa?)! The retrospective of Nelson's work is being brought to McNay from the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, and the exhibition will remain on view through September 11, 2011.
The lecture + libations go from 6pm to 9pm tonight. Sigh...if only that Roaming by Design private jet would crystalize, we'd be all over this one!
There are a number of thrills that come with having built a reputation as a quality journalist/blogger and social media zealot, one of which is the opportunity to see how products are designed and made. Last week, American Standard ferried a group of us—Andie Day, JB Bartkowiak, Paul Anater, Laurie Burke, Richard Holschuh and myself (design enthusiasts all)—to their facilities in Piscataway for a day of poking around behind the scenes to learn what subjects and ideas fascinate and enthrall their design team, which includes Gary Uhl and Carter Thomas.
There was inspiration aplenty, not just in the design activities going on in American Standard’s studios and laboratories but in the dedication the designers and engineers have to water conservation. I don’t often cover serious subjects that impact the environment here because the tone of Roaming by Design tends to be a bit more kicky and fun. Let me just promise I was having plenty of fun when the subject of water conservation came up, as Gary Uhl, who was taking us on the tour, was one of the most entertaining individuals I’ve ever met on a design tour. In fact, I think American Standard should hire him out to show other manufactures how it’s done!
See, I’ve gotten off track already: focus, Saxon, focus! Pointing out the sustainable attributes of the showroom at the facilities, Uhl noted the bamboo floor and movable display units that prevent them from having to reconstruct the area when new products are released. About the variety of freestanding tubs on display, Uhl remarks they use less water than whirlpool tubs, adding, “Performance and demand for water conservation is growing so quickly that the industry is changing like it never has.”
There was a running joke during the daylong trip that I am one of the few beleaguered souls who still prefers baths to showers because the industry is putting its muscle into what’s most in demand—the shower. It’s a fact: I’m a bathaholic and I crave big, roomy tubs in which to luxuriate. Now that I’ve gotten past the TMI, I will say something for the company’s advancement in showerhead technology: it rocks! The FloWise® Showerhead and Hand Shower Collection is now included in 21 of their design profiles. They use up to 40 percent less water than a standard showerhead. Now that’s a glass-half-full scenario!
The company is also blazing new trails where toilets are concerned. Uhl couldn’t contain his excitement at the new design ideas coming out of the engineering department, which will mean a further decrease in water usage even though their standards are already some of the top in the industry. See a fab little video by JB here. We even experienced the “down and dirty” testing facilities, coming away with a new appreciation for flush technology. Did someone say, “Pass the Miso?” Don’t ask!
A shout out to Nora DePalma and Wendy Silverstein for treating us so well and making sure we had everything we needed to bring our “takes” on the products and design advancements we saw to you. Speaking of other “takes,” here are the links to pieces by my cohorts in crime that day.
Thanks to American Standard for the great hospitality, including room and board, during the two-day excursion. Comps were taken but that did not influence the tone or content of this article. We at RBD take integrity very seriously!
One of our favorite tweeps, Andie Day, with Marcel Wanders at ICFF at our #DutchTreat Tweetup.
So we're saying goodbye to May, marvelous month that it was, and stepping into June with our eyes on tweetups and junkets that will serve as great roaming opportunities, and we'll definitely be reporting back (be sure to check out our sister site adroyt for some of the fun--okay, so she's the smarter sister but we're still cute here at RBD!).
Macel Wanders in the "hot seat" at the Alessi Tweetup.
We had a blast at Alessi and once again Marcel was on the scene, um, actually, he was the scene! A group of bloggers gathered to tweet what the Maestro of Moooi had to say about his designing mind.
Bruno Munari "Look Into My Eyes," Paper 1969-2003, at MAD.
Cleto Munari's table "Le Palafitte" holds court at GD Cucine.
GD Cucine was hopping with a hip vibe as design devotees feasted on freshly prepared Italian fare and on Cleto Munari's vision, which was sprinkled around the showroom in the form of the "Il Magnifici 7," a colorful collection of furnishings that popped within the serene backdrop of sleek kitchen charisma.
Soho was one rocking nabe during much of the week, our Moss tweetup being a highlight. We hit so many showrooms on Monday night that we stumbled around in sensory overload, ending the evening at Scavolini's showroom with its lively atmosphere, fantabulous food and hip crowd.
There were so many events, so little time, which is about how we always describe ICFF week in New York City; that said, we did our stellar best to make it to some of the hottest parties and unearth the best in design offerings. Oh yes; there was the show itself! Here's one of our favorite offerings: James DeWulf's Ping Pong table, in concrete, which can also serve as a dining room table.
We at Roaming by Design have an exciting announcement to make during this incredibly energetic week in NYC. As the design world comes to the city for ICFF, we are launching our new social media consultancy, Adroyt. Our first event was last evening, when we were invited by our marketing communications friends at VP+C to join them for the grand opening of Arhaus Furniture’s first foothold in NYC last night. Arhaus adds this impressive presence to their roster of 37 other retail stores, in celebration of their remarkable 25 years in business and timed to coincide with ICFF's design juggernaut arriving in town.. They deliver remarkable quality, value, and extraordinary variety, desporting themselves admirably with this new venture situated in the MePa district of the Big Apple.
We were met at the entrance of their dazzling 28,000 sq.ft. showroom by Michelle Shen and Josh Schoenfelder from VP+C, based in Manhattan. After passing muster (no TSA here!), we were ushered in to join nearly 600 guests, relishing the hors d'oeuvres and sipping wine or mintinis (!) as they wandered the lush displays. Anticipation was hanging in the air for the highpoint of the evening: a performance by Graham Nash and David Crosby.
We had a very interesting conversation with CIO (that’s Chief Information Officer for you non-corporate types) Ron Kerensky and his wife Kendra, about the place of social media in today’s marketing milieu. Healso quoted CEO John P. Reed with reference to his conviction that “retail is theater” – presentation matters: the company employs a staff of circuit-riding designers to keep the showrooms fresh and engaging. The “theater” tag was born out dramatically at 7:30 when John Reed introduced the musical guests and Crosby Nash took the stage, to cheers and, yes, there were screams…
When I received the invitation to attend a comparative glassware Champagne and wine tasting hosted by Maximilian Riedel, CEO of Riedel USA, and Nick Ord, CEO of Miele USA, with my dear friend and colleague Saxon Henry, my favorite roamer, I must say I was quite intrigued. I have spent many years in the restaurant and wine industry, and was taught that Riedel or any fine stemware should never be cleaned in a dishwasher for several good reasons. First off, residual soap interferes with the aromas and flavors of the wine, and scratches and breakage were always a concern. So of course, I wanted to find out firsthand from the man himself why the company had announced a new partnership with Miele to endorse their dishwashers as safe for their glassware. Lots of rules have been broken in the wine world since I first began to understand fine wines and cuisine as a server at the venerable Gotham Bar & Grill in the early 90s. We were taught to always hold a wine glass by the stem, never by the bowl, to ensure that our fingertips would not warm the wine. This would also allow us to swirl properly to release the aromas in the wine that were so integral to our overall enjoyment of it. We were also taught the importance of the right wine with the right glass which Riedel touched upon during the event we attended (see a bit of his tutorial in the video below), and the right food/wine pairing. These revelations have stayed with me for years for good reason. In 2004, everything changed when Riedel introduced the “O” line, a stemless glass series. Really??? Well, it took off like wildfire and stemless wine glasses were popping up in top restaurants and well appointed homes around the country. If Riedel endorses it, what’s not to love? thought those of us who paid close attention to wine and food subjects. The glass was so successful that it increased Riedel’s U.S. sales by $18 million dollars from the previous year. Sometimes, you have to break the rules, as they say.
It was quickly clear that Ord likes to break the rules as well. While shopping for stemware to best enjoy his fine wines at home, of course he was considering Riedel, he was shocked to read on the box that they did not recommend washing their “instruments” in the dishwasher. Well, of course Mr. Ord took this as a personal challenge and set out to make a dishwasher that was Riedel worthy. And the rest, as they say, is history. The event Saxon and I attended launched the global partnership of the two iconic brands, unveiling the next generation of Miele machines that will be introduced this coming June. The Futura series is made up of 20 models of 18- and 24-inch dishwashers that have features as sophisticated as a super tall bottom trays equipped with fittings that hold extra tall stemware in place and an option for chilling pilsner glasses (beer drinkers everywhere can thank Ord for this fact: he’s an ale man)! Beyond the tech fun, there is tech genius behind these new dishwashers as well, such as water and energy consumption features, and RemoteVision™ that alerts a technical service team whenever there is a performance issue. Oh, and did I mention we tasted some excellent wine in none other than Riedel stemware, or as Maximilian called them “tools” for making any wine-tasting experience delightful? It was a tough job but someone had to do it! Roaming by Design would like to thank Susan Wilber, our guest journalist today, for this juicy post! The dynamic food/wine guru is a freelance culinary event planner who makes the behind-the-scenes rigamarole of handling intimate and large-scale events seem effortless when they are far from it. We're thrilled to have her as an occasional contributor here. Welcome Susan! For my piece on the event, which I wrote for the kicky new site Food Republic, hop on over to this page (and don't forget to stay for a while and look around)! Happy Roaming everyone!
Saxon Henry has been a journalist for fifteen years, and has written for an array of publications, including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Robb Report. In her niche as a design/architecture journalist, she is a former contributing editor to Interiors Magazine and MIAMI Magazine, and a former regular contributor to Luxe, Modernism and Manhattan. As a design-related travel writer, she is a former regular contributor to Delta Sky, Latitudes, Cayman Airways and Aishti. Henry’s book Four Florida Moderns was published by W.W. Norton & Company in early 2010. She publishes a number of blogs, including Roaming By Design and The Road To Promise, and her new Social Media consultancy firm, Adroyt, founded with Richard Holschuh, is now in full swing. After years of writing for a variety of publications, Henry considers capturing a client's most authentic and marketable voice a skill she has honed with great effort, making the process of identifying that voice seem effortless, though nothing could be further from the truth!
