ThingsAmongMany

A couple of months ago I mentioned UK-based artist and illustrator Russ Mills who’s working name is Byroglyphics. His work originally caught my eye due to the unique paint/inkpen technique that creates an outstanding graphic look. So, after the last entry, I wrote Russ just to see what’s up.

Turns out, he’s got a new show coming up that’s running under the title “Domestic Science”. If you’re going to be anywhere near London between May 22nd and June 13th, swing by the Signal Gallery to have a look at Russ’ latest pieces. There’s also a “private view” - which I assume is Londonese for “opening party” on May 21st, but I’m not certain if the evening is invite only.

The iconic musings of Droog Design will find their way to a new home in Soho (NYC for those across the pond) beginning on February 26. According to this NYTimes article, merchandise is already on a boat headed this way. Droog’s new shop will be at 76 Greene St. near Spring. According to Droog founder, Renny Ramakers,

a kind of exploded house made from bricks of blue foam, conceived by Jurgen Bey, the Rotterdam-based designer. Pieces of this structure will sprout from the SoHo showroom’s floor: a door here, a chimney there, a balcony in another corner. Droog products will perch on top or nestle within these deconstructed blue bits, and if you like the bits — a section of that balcony, for instance — you can buy them, too.

Known for their unique furniture and lighting solutions, Droog employees 200+ designers to create a unique collection of objects, etc.

Whoa! Talk about a collaboration that could yield some amazing results. The crews from Design Within Reach and Supermarket have teamed up to bring us ModernMart IV. They’ve collected the best of the best from the Supermarket designers and will be displaying their wares for a one-night-only sale in the DWR Tribeca studio.

The ModernMart will feature work from Bailey Doesn’t Bark (who you might remember from here), Kim Westad, and Moop - among others. They’re also offering up a “super goodie tote” to the first 100 people in the door as well as free champaigne. And you can sign up before the day of the event for a drawing to be help on the 11th (no word on what the prizes are).

Of course, if you’re in need of some modernist furnishings, check out the DWR Clearance Sale happening online or venture over to the DWR Annex in Secaucus which is supposed to have some killer deals.

A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Urban Escapes, a new adventure travel company based in NYC. They’re really getting things rolling with new trips posted for August and a new interim website to hold things over until the full experience launches. You can get all the info, and keep an eye out for the new site, at http://www.urbanescapesnyc.com.

August trips include two backpacking excursions as well as a combined hiking/whitewater rafting trip that sounds like a total blast! The guides at Urban Escapes handle all of the planning, most of the packing, and will keep an eye on everyone to make sure no one wanders off alone. Keep in mind, the price also includes transportation to and from a central meeting point in Manhattan and these guys have done the leg-work to hunt down some fantastic trip locations within a reasonable distance from the city. You seriously won’t believe that you can find all of this within a short drive of the concrete jungle! Don’t believe us? Have a look at the shots from a recent trip:

A friend of mine IM’d me the other day asking if I had a Moleskine. Not thinking much about it, I responded that I do, and asked why. Turns out, she’d just stumbled into them and was completely taken by the stigma surrounding the notebooks. Think of them as you will - I’ve definitely heard terms like “poser” or “wannabe” tossed around alongside “Moleskine” a number of times - but in my mind they’re excellent notebooks that serve my needs well.

So as I thought more about it, and talked to Caitee (the IM-er) some more, I spent a little time looking around the links I have relevant to Moleskine notebooks. There’s definitely enough out there to inspire some creativity, regardless of what type of notebook the outcome ends up in. There’s the Moleskinerie on Flickr, a group dedicated to showing off the random thoughts of your notebook pages.

And Moleskine has started a similar site of their own. Detour is a “special exhibition of artists’ Moleskine notebooks”. It looks like I’m a little late to the game on this one; I believe there was a competition involved with the site since there’s a lot of discussion about “jury selection”, etc. going on right now. But there’s now a travelling exhibit of the selected notebooks. It was recently on view in Paris, but there isn’t much info on where it’s heading next. Keep an eye on the site if you want to check it out.

So, as much as we all love living in the heart of things where no one ever sleeps and rent costs half your salary, sometimes you just need to get away. The problem is where? Many New Yorkers don’t have a car (and renting costs a fortune in the city). Montauk and the Hamptons have a certain…personality, let’s call it, that isn’t so agreeable to everyone. As does Fire Island. Atlantic City can be just a bit too much.

How about reconnecting with nature? We live in the one of the biggest concrete jungles in the world. Getting away from all of it - away from the car horns, the jackhammers, the screaching subways - is an amazing, wonderful thing. And it just so happens that a friend of mine has started a company that offers the perfect solution. Urban Escapes (have a look at the Facebook group for info; a website is coming soon) offers a variety of outdoorsy, adventurous trips that are perfectly suited for the city-folk who need to get away.

I had the pleasure of helping out on one of the first trips this past weekend. It had been way too long since I’d been out in the woods, and the experience was phenomenal. The group was awesome; everyone was excited to get outdoors and ready to help out wherever they could. And a good time was had by all.

There’s another trip planned for this weekend if enough people jump onboard. And the price is right considering that transportation to and from Manhattan, all food, entertainment, and experienced guides are all included. If you can’t make this weekend’s adventure, be sure to keep an eye on the Facebook Group - and soon, on the website - for an up-to-date schedule of trips.

I know I’m not the first one to post this. The guys over at High Snobiety tipped me off. That, said, I’m uber-excited so I’m shamelessly reblogging it. Colette, the famously infamous Paris design boutique, is closing their doors for a few weeks for a full redesign.

You’re right, that probably doesn’t sound so exciting. In fact, the idea of them closing (despite being for a redesign) is kind of mournful. The exciting news is that Colette is coming to NYC! For one month, September 6 to October 5, Colette will be operating a pop-up store near 54th st. and 5th Ave.

This is a thought that’s hit me a few times recently. New York city contributes something like 1% of the U.S. CO2 emissions. The Mayor has taken substantial steps toward greening the city, which is excellent.

New York also has a ton of rooftop space that’s sitting idly by. I’ve already come to the conclusion that every building in NY should have a mandatory outdoor use area on its roof. But why not make it a green area? Or at least put it to good use? What if there were a wind farm on roof of each building? Or a solar panel array? Or at the very least, a garden?

Well, someone in the UK apparently had a similar thought (about their own cities). And they’re holding a conference about it called Green Roofs 2007. This is a good step.

NY Design week is coming up. Check out this schedule of events.