PrairieMod

Most Popular: Week of 6/23/08

In case you missed them, these were our reader's favorite posts from last week:

1. Affordable Bamboo Floor Screen
2. A Look at Some Phoenix Architecture
3. How to Restore Wright
4. Eichler Friday
5. Question: Modern Prairie-Inspired Patio

Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's "Little" Podcast

One spot on my list of places to go has been the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. I was just reminded of this when the Chicago Tribune featured the museum's podcast called "The Little Green People Podcast." The podcast focuses on sustainable living in the big city and is hosted by Laurene von Klan and Jill Riddell, executives of the museum.

I Love Business Cards

Don't know how I missed the article on business cards in the January 2008 issue of HOW Magazine, but I somehow I stumbled upon it today.

I love to collect and design business cards, they make a first and lasting impression. The article showcased 26 business cards that caught the folks at HOW Magazine's attention. I love that I actually have one of the cards showcased. Check out all them here.

Image copyright HOW Magazine

The Mysterious Mr. Storrer

I was cruising through the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy's chat site, when I came across a message that made my jaw drop. A user posted a message he received from author and scholar, William Allin Storrer, that is sure to rattle a lot of cages in the Wright-world...

How To Save A Usonian

Here's a great article from the AIA website about the work that Tarantino Studio has been doing in restoring several Usonian designs in New Jersey and California. Check out the article by following the link.

Photo copyright Tarantino Studio

Tinbot

An iPod is a terrible thing to drop. Luckily, the people behind Tinbot designed a way to protect your Pod by enclosing it in a cool metal case. Then they went a step further and added some graphic effects—or the option for you to add your own graphics! Check out the musical full metal jacket by following the link.

Image copyright Tinbot

Going Green Doesn't Have To Be A Hairy Experience

Preserve Everyday makes sure of that with their eco-friendly triple blade razors. The colorful and ergonomic handles are made from recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups, and is fully recyclable. Check out all the details and where you can find them by following the link.

Image copyright Preserve Everyday

Sullivan Exhibit: Must See!

Here's another cool exhibit I need to check out. It's called "Crombie Taylor, Aaron Siskind, and the Adler and Sullivan Project" and it's curated by John Vinci and Jeffrey Plank. So what makes it cool?

Dyson: From Vacuums To Cars

Anglo-inventor, Sir James Dyson, has conquered vacuums and is now onto building a better car. Make that a fast, solar charged, electric car. Read the article here.

Photo copyright Getty Images

Discover the Airship Series by Aero11 Design

Paul from Illinois sent us info on an interesting prefab series by Aero11 Design that revolves around three types of structures: home, office and retreat. Check out these streamlined works of wood, glass and steel that have been featured in Dwell Magazine.

Image copyright Aero11 Design

Randolph Street Market Report

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Chicago before the afternoon thunderstorms hit. I was able to get out to the Randolph Street Market fairly early and it was perfect. Tomorrow should be another awesome day for treasure hunting.

Based on my experience, I have some tips after the jump...

Big Shoulders Realty’s Chicago Bike Tours: Uptown and Andersonville

Continuing a series of Chicago neighborhood bike tours, Lee Diamond and the crew at Big Shoulders Realty are leading their next outing through Uptown and Andersonville. Tomorrow June 29th, 2008 at 1:00 PM. The cost is free!

The basic idea of these tours is to learn about the history of the area through an exploration of the area’s architecture, parks and neighborhoods.

Meet up outside the entrance to Graceland Cemetery (resting place of Chicago's most significant architectural legends) at 4001 N Clark St. Chicago, Illinois 60613.

Image copyright BSR

Architect For A Day

Here's an interesting article about the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust's Architectural Fantasy Camp program they run out of the famous Oak Park Studio, where Wright's Prairie Masterpieces were born. Follow the link to read the story and if you find yourself wanting to put on a cape and pork pie hat, follow this link to learn more about signing up for camp.

Photo copyright Peter Beers

Looking To Rent In LA?

Check out this sweet pad, designed by Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright's son). The John Sowden House (1926) has been for sale for the last 2 years, but found no buyers--most likely because of an out-of-this-world price. However, now you can rent it monthly for...$25,000!! YIKES! Check out this article on Curbed LA for the info and some really great photos.

Photo courtesy of Curbed LA

Eichler Friday

How about starting the weekend off right with a little Eichler. Check out this flickr photo set.

Image copyright Julia

RE: Question: Modern Prairie-Inspired Patios?

Seriously? No one has any insight into Sean's question about Prairie-Inspired Patios for his modern prairie designed home? You guys always have so many great leads and ideas that you email to us, I'd think someone could point Sean in the right direction.

Okay, enough chastising on my part (sorry to be a bit of a meanie). I'll help get things started by leaving my personal suggestions in the comment section for our proposed question. If I'm way off base, let us know. If you have a better idea, please share it. Thank you!

How To Restore Wright

Here's a very interesting article about Harding Partners work in restoring and renovating two Frank Lloyd Wright designed gems, The Davenport House (1901) and Glore House (1951). What's especially intriguing is the LEED®-centered retrofit involved in restoring the Davenport House. Check out the article here.

Davenport House Photo copyright Paul Harding; Glore House photo copyright Craig Dugan

Affordable Bamboo Floor Screen

This very affordable bamboo screen was featured on Bltd.com and I had to share it with the squad. For a mere $265 this 6' x 8' screen could be yours, buy it here.

It reminds me a bit of the Eames floor screen.

Image copyright UMA

Kenilworth Could Be History

The tiny hamlet of Kenilworth, IL is in danger. No, not from an asteroid strike or the plague--but something far more sinister. Tear-downs! It was placed on the The National Trust for Historic Preservation 2006 list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places because tear-downs have decimated several historically significant homes. What's replaced them? McMansions. The town is struggling with being placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a way to try and halt this architectural slaughter. Read this article to learn more.

Photo courtesy of Blair Kamin's Skyline blog

Chicago's Randolph Street Market Festival

For those of you who know, Chicago is jam packed with summertime events. Some are worthwhile, some are not so much. One festival you can count on loving is the Randolph Street Market Festival. This event is home to the world-renowned Chicago Antique Market and Indie Designer Market...where you can find vintage and modern decorative objects, home furnishings, art, fashion and jewelry.

The next market is this weekend June 28th-29th. Admission is $10 per person for both days.

Get more details via the event website.

Image copyright RSMF

A Look At Some Phoenix Architecture

The Build LLC blog posted an article highlighting some prominent buildings Frank Lloyd Wright worked on in Phoenix, AZ—specifically Taliesin West and The Arizona Biltmore Hotel (which he "consulted" on). Check out the article and all the great photos by following the link.

Photos copyright Build LLC

See the Finalists from Decor8 & Amy Butler's Mood Board Contest

The 23 finalists for the Decor8 and Amy Butler Mood Board contest have been posted and you can vote for them here.

One could seriously spend hours looking at every detail of each board. It's like an HGTV overdose! I'm not sure how Holly Becker and Amy Butler were able to get through judging so many entries, but they did it. Now you can decide who will be the winners.

Image copyright Decor8

Jeanne Gang in Metropolis

I'm a little behind on my reading materials and just saw that Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang is on the cover for the June 2008 issue of Metropolis. It is a great feature about her firm's work and showcases some of their bold and innovative designs. I highly recommend checking it out.

Image copyright Metropolis

Getting Close On The Guggenheim

Here's a really great New York Times article on all of the hard work that is going into restoring the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Guggenheim Museum in New York. The complete $29 million restoration is supposed to be completed this summer! I can't wait to see the finished results. Check out the article by following the link.

Question: Modern Prairie-Inspired Patios?

PrairieMod constantly receives tons of questions (some we can answer, some we cannot) from you guys. So, we'd like to be able to put forward those requests to the PrairieMod Community. Send us your questions and we'll share with everyone else to uncover some great answers.

Kicking it off for us is a question from Sean...

My wife and I are working on designing a external stair, patio, and retaining wall for our modern prairie designed home (limited yard size). Needless to say I'm having trouble finding some good pics/examples of some prairie inspired patio designs. I was wondering if you might be able to offer some links or insights into where I might look?

If you have resources or suggestions to share with Sean, leave a comment in this post.

Sofas Under $900 at Room & Board

Seeing is believing.

If you're looking for a sofa that won't blow your budget, Room & Board has some options that you need to investigate. Try some of these modern and sophisticated choices...

:: Brooks Sofa
:: Haley Sofa
:: Melrose Sofa
:: Westwood Sofa

Image copyright Room & Board

How to Start a Garden

We were lucky we moved into a house that had a garden already planted and was beautiful. But that's not the case for everyone, here's a link to About.com on how to start your very own garden. Topics include:

:: Start Small
:: Evaluate and Choose a Site
:: How's the Soil?
:: Prepare the Bed
:: Choosing What You'd Like to Grow
:: Planting
:: Mulch
:: Label Your Plants & Keep Garden Records
:: Garden Maintenance - What to Expect
:: Enjoy! You've Created Your First Garden

Image copyright PrairieMod

Check Out The Digital Libraries

Fresh from digitizing Marion Mahony's final work, The Magic of America, the School of The Art Institute in Chicago has also digitized an amazing amount of items in their libraries that any art/architecture/design enthusiast will drool over. Here's some links to help you get started:

:: Louis Sullivan
:: Purcell & Elmslie
:: Frank Lloyd Wright
:: Walter Burley Griffin & Marion Mahony

Suburbia Coming to an End?

With gas prices as high as they have been, would you say that Suburbia is about to reach an end? Is this lifestyle of bedroom communities and life at 60 mph sustainable?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in this post.

Image copyright Power House Museum

Decor8 & Amy Butler Design: Mood Board Contest

The Mood Board contest sponsored by Decor8 and Amy Butler Design is almost finished. Amy Butler has selected her favorite finalists and now it is up to the readers to decided who is the contest winner.

Get the update here.

Image Decor8

Our PrairieMod Store Has Re-opened

The new PrairieMod Store is now open!

Get Teco Art Pottery Collection™ vases, ornamentals, mini-screens, letterpress stationery, laser-cut art screens and more!

By the way, all your purchases help us keep the site going. If you'd like, show your support.

Also, prices for the Teco Art Pottery Collection™ are increasing July 1st, 2008. So, get them at current prices ASAP before the increase next week!

Globe Trotting

Frank Lloyd Wright Globes. I had heard of these, but had yet to see them. Came across all 5 of the different styles online, what they cost and where you can buy them.

"What in the World?" or "Out of this World!" — I'd love to hear what the readers think.

Photos copyright Replogle

Learning From The Gilbreths

The blog, "Not PC", posted an interesting article on writer Robert Heinlein's house that he designed based on the ideas of efficiency experts, Frank & Lillian Gilbreth. Heinlein noted that Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra, while geniuses, could learn something from the Gilbreths.

I doubt very many people's souls are stirred because of efficiency...but that's just me.

You can read the post here.

Images courtesy of Not PC

2008 Michigan Energy Fair

We got word from one of PrairieMod reader, Eric Hughs of Image Design LLC, that you'll be able to tour their LEED for Homes "Platinum" Show Home this weekend at the 2008 Michigan Energy Fair. Also they will be unveiling their newest projects at the show: a projected LEED for Homes "Platinum" Log Home in Pentwater, Michigan and a projected LEED for Homes "Gold" Prairie Style home in Paw Paw, Michigan. Find out more info by following the link.

House image copyright Hybrid Homes LLC

Daily Thought Wallpaper from Real Simple

We know you love our free wallpapers, so you might like this find I stumbled across today. Real Simple has 19 download-able wallpapers for your computer with daily thoughts to ponder.

Image copyright Real Simple

It's Not About A Style, It's About Doing It With Style

Here's a nicely summed-up essay about why there's no such thing as a "Frank Lloyd Wright-Style" house. The only part that I take exception with is the fact that if you're work involves writing about Wright's work, then know in advance that it's spelled R-O-B-I-E, not R-O-B-Y. You can read all about it here.

Photo courtesy of HABS

PrairieMod Feature, CONNECT :: Dutch Mid-Century Modern Ceramics

For all you ceramic nuts out there....make sure that you go check the Features section to read Dutch Mid-Century Modern Ceramics. The good folks at Arte Moderne have a sweet collection of MCM ceramics that you may find interesting.

Also, we invite you to join in on the fun by writing a short feature. Get the details via the Submissions section.

Image copyright Arte Moderne

Most Popular: Week of 6/16/08

In case you missed them, these were our reader's favorite posts from last week:

1. Chicago's Eco-Bridge
2. How to Pick a Paint Color
3. CBB Springfield Modern Weekend Trip
4. Bikes as a Vehicle of Choice
5. Farnsworth House PLUS By Bus

Take A Pleasant Break

Looking for a mid-afternoon break? Check out Lee Bey: The Urban Observer's striking black & white photos of the Pleasant Home, located in Oak Park, IL. Check them out by following the link. Enjoy!

Photo copyright Lee Bey

Much Ado About The Burnham Plan Centennial

The Burnham Plan for the city of Chicago will be 100 years old next year. Daniel Burnham's plan for Chi-town has had far-reaching effects—not only for the 2nd City, but also for urbanism ideas across the country. As part of the run-up to the big celebration, Blair Kamin (architectural critic for the Chicago Tribune) recently reported that avant garde architects Zaha Hadid and Ben van Berkel have been tapped to create temporary pavilions in Millennium Park to serve as event focal points. Read all about it by following the link.

Images courtesy of Burnham Plan Centennial website and Wikipedia

Wes Peters For Sale

If you'd like to be even closer to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, you might consider buying this unique building for sale in the town of Spring Green, Wisconsin. Designed by Wright apprentice, William Wesley Peters, this earth-hugging, dynamic building is a perfect example of Organic Architecture in action.

I'd like to find out more on the history of this building and who the original client was. If anybody knows, please leave a comment! To see the sales page for this building, follow the link and plug in MLS # 1523164.

Photo copyright First Weber Real Estate

Visit Taliesin

If you live in the Midwest and can't take a far-away vacation due to high energy costs and the nightmarish conditions of air travel, might I suggest a trip to Wisconsin? Crain's online Chicago Business recently showcased Taliesin in Spring Green, WI as a destination close to Chicago that will take your breath away. Check out the article here, pack the kids up in your most fuel efficient vehicle and enjoy!

Photo copyright Crain's Communications

Trek Bikes: One World, Two Wheels

You may have read about my own personal experience switching from a car to a bike, but Trek is working hard to evangelize the unconverted.

One World Two Wheels is a movement supported by those who believe the bicycle can be a vehicle for positive change. Going by bike is a commitment, a challenge, and hopefully, the start of a revolution.

Find out why now. Find out how to go by bike. Get involved.

Also, see some troubling facts after the jump.

Podcast Player Issues?

We received an email from a frustrated reader last night, who was having a problem with our podcast player in the right-hand margin. They reported that it auto plays every time they come to PrairieMod.com and it will not shut off. We haven't been able to find any issues with it through our various testing, but would love to know if anyone else is having this problem or if this is just an isolated incident.

If you are having this same annoying issue, please let us know ASAP so we can work on a solution. Thank you!

Ranch Re-Do

Even though the American ranch house owes its lineage to the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright, many of these homes from the 1970s are crying out for a little updating. If you find yourself in that category, then check out this article from the Mercury News, which has architect Sandra Paim put forth her suggestions for reinvigorating your ranch. Read the entire list by following the link.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Disney's "House Of The Future" & Frank Lloyd Wright

This recent article in the Washington Independent critiques Disney's new "House of the Future," which is chock full of fancy new gadgets like the previous 1957 version, but not nearly as stylized in form (the old "House of the Future" looked like it was right out of the Jetsons.) Of course, no discussion of how the American home has evolved towards the future would be complete without a look at Frank Lloyd Wright's contributions. The article pays homage to Wright and puts his ideas into context along side the DIsney version. Check out the full article by following the link.

Photos copyright Disney

Blik and the Savannah College of Art & Design

blik has teamed up with the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) for more surface graphic designs. This cool graphic decal series has been designed exclusively for blik by the intern group of the Working Class Studio division of SCAD. The decals showcase a spirited reference to Savannah flora and fauna, as well as the architectural details of the wrought ironwork and moldings found in the historic district.

See the design here and if you see anything you like, you can order them right off of blik's website.

Image copyright blik

Rain or Shine: Sandwich Antiques Market

Looking for something to do this weekend if you live in the Chicago area (or Northern Illinois)? Look no further than the Sandwich Antiques Market in Sandwich, Illinois!

Running since 1888, its the oldest continuing county fair in the state of Illinois & one of the largest antique fairs in the US.

That Wacky Colonel Fabyan

Here's an interesting article that examines the eccentricities of Colonel George Fabyan, who asked Frank Lloyd Wright to remodel his Geneva, IL villa. Check out the article here and if you're in the Fox Valley region, check out this Wright remodel!

Image copyright Preservation Partners of Fox Valley

A Temple Of Light

No, it's not a shot from the latest Discovery Channel special about deep sea jellyfish.

This amazing structure is a Chilean Bahá’í Temple design by Hariri Pontarini Architects.