Best Cookie I've Ever Had

On Prince St between W Broadway and Sullivan lies Birdbath Bakery, a tiny space filled with baked goods.  I think this has been here for a little while, but just discovered it with my wife Elisa a few weeks ago and I've already been back multiple times for their chocolate chip cookies.  Large, buttery and delicious, they are worth the extra run or salad you fee like you need to eat afterword.
Check out their multiple locations: Birdbath

On The Road Again...

This week I am being a good son and headed down to Jacksonville FL to give my parents a bit of design help for a project that has been 7 years in the making.  They bought a large fixer-upper and have yet to complete it, mostly because they need help focusing their energy.  But, that is not the topic for this post!

What I found interesting is the new design (or redesign) of the Delta terminal at La Guardia airport in NY.  I am not a fan of air travel for the most part unless I am in first class which is pretty much never.  I always feel claustrophobic in the terminals with all of the people and the luggage milling about and I can't understand why there hasn't been a better designed (ie, more European designed) airport in the US.  On this trip however, I did notice little changes in some of the eateries that I appreciated.

WorldBean had taken over for Sbucks it seems and they are doing a pretty good job.  I had a great latte and a croissant here.

This is a rendering of the new WorldBean place that they just put in...

And the actual place, complete with this very cool metal lattice work that came out of the kiosk and wrapped up to the ceiling.  I love it.  I understand that space is limited so rebuilding a terminal is probably out of the question, so I appreciate the lengths that Delta or WorldBean or whoever is responsible has gone to to make flying not so much like Satan's butthole.

Restoration Project - Child's Rocking Chair

For the Solar Decathlon project that was recently completed, the interiors team decided it would be fun to refurbish a rocking chair for the child's room.  We had the idea of taking a classic form and reworking it in a modern way, using color and materials.  The perfect little chair was found at Housing Works for $15 and it needed more than a little tlc.

The basket weaving for the seat and the back was removed leaving a fairly rickety frame, but with two 4" screws sunk into the back supports, the chair began to gain some strength.   The top was painted white, leaving only the rocker portion natural and then the seat and back were woven with bright orange surgical tubing.

The result was a great looking chair that only cost $55 for all of the materials.

New York Mag - Stories from odd clients

Check out the story in this month's New York Magazine titled "Survivor Stories from Student Apprenticeships".  I can't say mine was all that terrible, but it made for a great first job story and something I will alway remember.

New York Mag Article

Vicente Wolf's Blog

In the design world where I exist, it is almost impossible to find anyone who is willing to discuss the business side of design.  It goes without saying that having business sense can set designers apart from others and in some cases it can make some less talented individuals more successful than talented ones.

This is why I found Interior Designer Vicente Wolf's design blog so great.  In it, he not only talks about design and his inspirations, but also the business side.  He highlights client budgets, dealing with vendors and much more.  It's just what someone like me needs to know and what I have not been able to find out from many people.

http://www.vicentewolfblog.com/

Company Highlight - UM Project

One of the highlights of the Solar Decathlon project that I recently concluded was the opportunity to meet a multitude of local NYC craftsmen and vendors.  Throughout the process, I was continually surprised at how different companies responded to my pleas for sponsorship.  Some were very dismissive, but for the most part, I was met with genuine interest and desire to help.

Of the companies that I worked with, none was more willing to go the extra mile than UM Project, owned by Francois Chambard.  I had noticed the Milk Stool (2nd image) at ABC Home and knew that it would look great in the house but I never thought that I would get a chance to use it.  So, out of the blue, I sent a request to Francois asking whether or not he would be interested in sponsorship and to my delight he responded affirmatively.  Never have I dealt with someone who took such pride in their work and in the end, he donated a Candy Table and a Milk Stool.

Throughout the furniture selection process I made a list of who I would like to work with in the future and who I would not.  Francois and UM Project are at the top of that list.  The work is beautiful and he could not be a better person.  Check out their site at www.umproject.com

A day in the life of a graphic designer

The Camel

There is a saying that a horse is a camel designed by a committee.  I had the experience recently to work on the Parsons Solar Decathlon team, which is a competition to design and build the best solar powered home.  Teams had two years to accomplish this and then bring their house to the National Mall in Washington DC for the week and a half long competition.  

Back in January of 2009, teams were formed for architecture, communications, graphic design, interior design, etc.  I was chosen for the second wave of interior design where furniture was chosen and sponsorship was sought.  This may sound like a fun and awesome exercise, but in fact it was a lesson in collaboration and the frustration of committee decisions and the weakness of the result.  

The team had about 30 architects at anyone time who work for a majority of time on the project because it was part of their studio class time.  This gave them a feeling of ownership that was battled every time an interior design idea was presented.  As you can see from the images above, the result of those battles in a fairly vanilla design where neutrals dominate and color is scarcely present.  

At this point you may think that this was a gigantic waste of time (other than the great vendors that I had the opportunity to meet) but the most important aspect of this project in my mind was not the competition, but it was the fact that we were partnered with Habitat for Humanity.  This house that we built would be delivered to a suburb of Washington DC where a family would then occupy it and we would donate the furnishings as well.  During the competition week, the candidate family came to visit and it was awesome to see how happy they were with the work that we had put in.  It made me forget the bickering and long hours sourcing committee approved pieces and in the end, brought me back to a very important realization that design, for the most part, is a service industry and happy clients are very rewarding.

Future homeowner Lakiya Culley and her three children

Here we go...

So this is the first post for our design blog .  A month ago, the wheels started moving and week by week, Evens+Odds Creative was born.  There is definitely a feeling of worry mixed with anticipation which is then mixed again with pure excitement.  Is this the right time to start a business?  Will we make money?  The answer to those questions is unknown, but I can tell you that there will never be enough money or be the right time to start something (multiple successful business people have told me this).  What I can say for sure, is that in these tough economic times, I would much rather have my future in my hands than in the hands of a large, multinational corporation who doesn't give two s@$%s about me.  So we're off.  


This blog will be many different things, ideas, trends, shout-outs but mostly therapeutic.  It feels weird writing this since no one is currently following us, but hopefully that changes... soon.  The biggest thing to keep in mind is that we (my siblings and I) love design and we love to talk about it.  Our goal for this blog is to share our design sensibilities with you and to maybe open up a dialogue about trends that we like or dislike.  


Read on if you want or go check out The Sartorialist and come back, whatever.  Either way, welcome and we hope you enjoy the ride.