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Happy 103rd Birthday Eva Zeisel!
World-renowned Hungarian industrial designer Eva Zeisel turns 103 today! Though she is best known for her work with ceramics, Eva, a featured Designer Spotlight here on Casa, has designed everything from acrylic candelabras to wooden and glass coffee tables, and is considered by many to be the matriarch of industrial design.
In fact, New York magazine named Zeisel in its list of nine living Design Revolutionaries back in '07.
Ask Casa: Getting Nail Polish Off of a Wood Table
Hi CasaSugar,
Last night I spilled clear nail polish on my boyfriend's Room & Board end table. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but I think it might have been solid maple, cherry, or walnut with a lacquer finish on it. Needless to say, he was not happy.
Do You Store Your Bike Indoors?
I've had more bicycles stolen in my lifetime than I can count. Living in a city, it's just a reality you must come to terms with. In college, I always bought the cheapest bike I could find, $45 at most.
Open House: Would You Register For a Housewarming?
In Philip Galanes's latest Social Q's column, a 32-year-old woman wrote in saying that she'd decided that marriage wasn't for her. However, since she'd been in eight weddings and had to contribute oodles of presents over the past decade, she wanted to register for gifts for her housewarming party.
Galanes advises,
But the difference between their weddings and baby showers and your housewarming scheme is that their sole intent was not to rack up gifts.
Inspired: Miriam Makeba's Vibrant Style
Afro-pop legend Miriam Makeba, also known as "Mama Africa," died on Sunday at the age of 76 in the south of Italy, following a concert appearance. This powerhouse songstress's long and varied life included marriage to Black Panther Stokely Carmichael, exile from her home country of South Africa, a starring role in the film Sarafina!, about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, and an appearance in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony.
Over her lifetime Makeba made dozens of records and was responsible for bringing the issue of apartheid to the forefront in Western countries, though she always identified herself first as a singer, not as a political activist.
Crave Worthy: Neiman Marcus Albright Bathtub Set
I can't think of a more idyllic way to warm up this month than soaking in the Neiman Marcus Albright Bathtub Set ($6,489). Made of AcraStone, a chip- and wear-resistant material with a porcelain-like surface that is warm to the touch, it's a smart splurge if you're a life-long bath lover like me. Its Old World copper tub feet, faucet, and accessories have a classic appeal that will stay in style as long as its lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
Crave Worthy: Cherner Armchair
Designed in 1958 by Norman Cherner, the Cherner Armchair ($949) has a dramatic and elegant sloping shape, achieved by molding plywood, that sweeps me off my feet, literally and figuratively. Made of solid beech, it's built to last. This particular chair is a reproduction of the 1958 design, manufactured to the exact original specs by Cherner Chair, a company run by Norman Cherner's sons.
This Just In: Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan to Tie the Knot
It's not every day that one of my favorite designers gets hitched, so I'm excited to tell you that designer Jonathan Adler and Barney's New York creative director (and author) Simon Doonan plan to legally tie the knot in mid-September in California, according to New York.
But their big day won't be your usual ostentatious celebrity wedding. In the New York article, Doonan was quoted saying, "I always thought we were married, so I don’t feel like celebrating the fact that the government’s allowing me to think I’m married.
DIY: Rub-On Vase
If your kitchen cabinets can be mistaken for a 1-800-Flowers inventory shelf full of plain glass vases, it may be time to spice them up a bit and put them to work. This project will help you transform the run of the mill to something that's distinctly you (and a bit Tord Boontje, too). Or, if you're just looking for a bulk of inexpensive yet elegant vases for your wedding, perhaps, this is the DIY for you.
Designer Spotlight: Denyse Schmidt
I've written a couple posts trying to convince you that quilts can be hip. One of the hippest and most modern quiltmakers out there right now is Denyse Schmidt. Both of her parents took pleasure in creating and sewing as Denyse was growing up, and she followed their lead and was crafty from a young age.
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