Outdoor Surfboard Shower

Today I am looking at a vintage surfboard turned into an outdoor shower.

I’m going to share something that hits all of my awesome requirements.  I stopped in my tracks when I saw this outdoor surfboard shower with Hawaiian floral design.  The surfboard is decorated with stained glass mosaic design on an 8′ longboard and offered on Etsy by Teri Labrousse a.k.a. TropicalArtist.

Looking at this clever shower makes me want to pack my bags and head to the beach.  I’ve said it before, one of the best things in the world is coming in from a day at the beach and taking a cool refreshing shower.  The fact that this outdoor shower is made from an old surfboard catapults it into the creative reuse Hall of Fame, in my opinion.

Outdoor surfboard shower with Hawaiian floral design. Stained glass mosaic design on an 8′ longboard, TropicalArtist, Etsy

Outdoor surfboard shower with Hawaiian floral design. Stained glass mosaic design on an 8′ longboard, TropicalArtist, Etsy

This is one cool longboard! We’ve taken this vintage surfboard and recycled it into a surfboard shower, using iridescent stained glass with colors that pick up the tranquil scene of Hawaiian flowers and leaves. It can either be hooked up to a plain old hose and used as an outdoor shower, or attached to plumbing with both hot and cold water for use inside as well. All plumbing is copper for the best quality.

– Tropical Artist, Etsy

To visit the Tropical Artist website, CLICK HERE.

Beer Bottle Doors

Today I am looking at the Blatz beer bottle doors.

I just saw this entry over at ArchDaily.  This project was creatively done by Johnsen Schmaling Architects in 2007.  The project was published by ArchDaily in 2009.  All I can say is, good design is timeless.  I think these beer bottle doors are great.  They reuse glass and make a statement about the history of the building.

Milwaukee’s Blatz Brewery, one of the city’s oldest and now defunct breweries listed on the National register of Historic Places, occupies a narrow block at the downtown’s northern periphery.  Built between 1851 and 1910, the massive masonry monolith had undergone a series of additions and alterations in the 1980s to accommodate for apartments and offices but had subsequently fallen into disrepair.  Working with a limited budget and within the strict parameters of the existing structure, we focused our efforts on a series of small interventions to re-imagine the building’s public sphere.

– ArchDaily.com

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

“The Blatz / Johnsen Schmaling Architects” 30 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 May 2013.

Bottle Doors

Each pivoting bottle door is 9’-6” wide and 9’ tall and consists of a welded aluminum frame and 1,590 horizontally stacked empty beer bottles, some of which were original Blatz bottles found in unopened boxes in the basement of this old brewery.  Using CNC technology, the bottles are held in place by a thin web of precision-milled neoprene rings that are suspended between the members of the aluminum frame.  Illuminated on all sides, the brown bottles emanate a warm amber glow reflected in the polished concrete floor.  We developed a customized set of pivoting hardware that allows a lounge guest to rotate each door around its center axis, thus permitting a high degree of spatial flexibility: the space can be totally open or, alternatively, private parties can be held in one part of the lounge while the other one remains accessible to the public.

-ArchDaily.com

Fragment House

Today I am looking at Fragment House by Danielle Krcmar.

Fragment House is one of six large-scale site-specific sculptures that will be on display until May 18, 2013 at the Slocum’s River Reserve.

The beautiful Slocum’s River Reserve in Dartmouth is the inspiration and the setting for six large-scale site-specific sculptures that will be on display from June 16, 2012 through May 18, 2013.  According to the The River Project website, “The overall goals of the project are to provide an inspirational and enjoyable free outdoor experience for people of all ages; increase public interest in and support for art & natural areas; and stimulate a dialogue about art and nature and the connections between them.”

Here is a peak at Danielle Krcmar‘s The Fragment House including the collaborative poem by Mary Pinard.

Fragment House, The River Project, Danielle Krcmar

Fragment House, The River Project, Danielle Krcmar

Fragment House, The River Project, Danielle Krcmar

Fragment House, The River Project, Danielle Krcmar

Fragment House, The River Project, Danielle Krcmar

Fragment House Poem

Mary Pinard

I might be the heart of someone’s family,      broken
then repaired again,
and again, like history   . . .
Or a shade,
refuge for a field hand, caretaker of this meandering
weave–
of oak and pine and sky,
of wise stonewall spines,
of the ruts and gouge of plows,
of bluebirds returning to nest at this ragged edge,
of tides that ply salt hay and bentgrass and sedge,
of the piling up and the ever-erasing pulling back,
of the here and now,
of then, and then . . .

I could have been,
I have been,
or might I be
the shed skin of seasons, my long, long weathering
a letter to you
woven from air and memory wire?

When I contacted Danielle in regards to The Fragment House, she let me know that she, along with the other artists, will be doing an artist talk/walkthrough, of the exhibit at the DNRT from 10-12 on Saturday morning.  There will also be a closing reception on May
18^th from  4-9pm.

It is FRIDAY!!!

http://pinterest.com/pin/158329743122620825

Why don’t you collaborate with a friend this weekend?

Have fun and I will see you back here on Monday.

Patricia

Custom Sliding Glass Door, Part Two

Today I am looking at architect, Michael Huber’s, custom stained glass sliding door.

I have anxiously been waiting to see the finished result of Michael Huber‘s Bald Eagle Lake glass door project. I posted the Part One video about the planning process and the metal fabrication on a previous post.
Michael has published another video, Part Two, showing the glass attachment and the finished door.

Custom Sliding Door Part 2 from michael huber architects on Vimeo.

Great job!

Capture the View

Today I am looking at the Capture the View series of cast glass sculptures by Priska Jacobs.

Okay, what can I say, I like these glass panels.  I like them a lot.  I like them a whole lot.  I think these sculptures are just beautiful.

Window, Priska Jacobs

Picture, Priska Jacobs

Heart, Priska Jacobs

Priska’s other glass objects are pretty amazing.  CLICK HERE to view Priska’s website.

All photos via Priska Jacob website.

Attached At OCLC Leiden

Today I am looking at the latest architectural art glass wall installation by artist, Hermine van der Does and her husband and business partner, Ronald Jonker.

OCLC Headquarters architectural art glass entrance wall by Hermine van der Does and Ronald Jonker

I am a regular reader of Hermine’s blog, Glass Art Professional.  This past weekend I looked at and read (thanks to Google Translate) about the latest project that Hermine and Ronald completed for OCLC Netherlands.

When I first looked at the photo of the wall, I wondered, do you think that Hermine meant to make a wall with shapes that look like paperclips?  As it turns out, she did.  I emailed Hermine and asked about the project.  This is what she wrote in response:

I designed the wall especially for the entrance hall of the renovated head office of OCLC, they connect the worlds libraries and their mission is connecting people to knowledge.  My intention was to make an artwork that would relate to their enterprise.  That is what I do, as a glass artist, I design glass art for a specific location.  I searched for inspiration and one morning I saw in my mind’s eye the symbol of the paperclip, the perfect connection between books and the internet.

The paperclip is an invention of the 19th Century and today we use it as the symbol for attachments with email.  I started to enlarge and zoom in and out of this symbol to compose the design for the wall.  I used mouth blown coloured glass with structure and little bubbles in the glass that make it very vibrant and lively.

The paperclip can also been seen as a symbol for connecting and to me it also represents the interconnectedness between all of us.

The building was inaugurated the 24th of April 2013.

At times, I wonder why I don’t see more architectural art glass projects unveiling out there in the world.  In my humble opinion, I just don’t see enough new large scale projects.  Perhaps, I’m not looking in the right places for them.  Anyway, I’m thrilled for Hermine and Ronald on the success on this project and I look forward to seeing more in the future!

Please visit Hermine and Ronald’s website!

Edison Bulbs

Today I am looking at Edison light bulbs.

I failed to mention on Friday that Edison light bulbs could be found in about a gazillion light fixtures at High Point Market.  The Edison bulb works well in both industrial and sleek modern lights.  I think the Edison Bulb works really well with all glass lights.  The decorative filaments add that little extra detail for depth and interest. I like to think of it as added texture!

All photos via Pinterest

Market Watch

I’ll end this week by looking at some of the trends spotted at High Point Market.

High Point Market is where furniture and accessory buyers come to get the latest fashions to fill their showrooms.  You will begin to see these colors, finishes and styles in the next few months.

Current style descriptions that I heard mentioned included:

Modern Classic Traditional.  New Preppy.  Retro Palm Beach.

Move over emerald-green and hello to

In some cases, you could remove this color

and replace it with a richer cobalt blue.

Coral was also included as a color option.

Coral

The combination of blue and white was also seen.

Blue and White paired together

Gold, brass, and copper finishes are currently gaining in popularity.

Brass Finish

Copper Finish

I should mention that Industrial style was still being shown in lighting and accessories.

When it comes to pattern, honeycomb was certainly the most seen.

Honeycomb pattern

And finally, I will add that I still saw a lot of antique mirror.  I was surprised by that.  I thought that it had run it’s course.  Clear glass used for side tables was also found in abundance.

What coming next?

I heard the words purple, art deco, and onyx mentioned. I guess we’ll just have to wait for Fall Market, won’t we?

Go ahead and smile, because…

It is Friday!!!

I told a friend this week that even though I work on Saturday and Sunday, I’m still happy to see Friday come along.  People are always happy and nice on Friday.  I wish every day was Friday.

I hope you smile and are happy and nice to others this weekend!

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

Patricia

Note: All photos for this blog were taken from Pinterest.com

Laser Etched Glass Block

Today I am looking at laser etched glass block by Innovative Building Solutions.

I was doing an internet search for something completely different and saw a photo of the laser etched glass block by Innovative Building Solutions.  I like the way these blocks look.  The etching gives the glass block a more decorative feel.

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

Laser Etched Glass Block by Innovative Building Solutions

After this week, I need one of these cute glass block piggy banks to save money for my next adventure!

I want to mention that I am still updating my High Point Market Spring 2013 Pinterest board.  Keep watching this board as I add more photos ever day.  You can also view any of my Pinterest boards by CLICKING HERE.  The most active boards are the GLASS board and the Favorite Places and Spaces board.

I’m Tired and My Feet Are Sore

Today I am resting and recovering.

My feet hurt, I’m tired, and there is a pile of work on my desk.  While I recover and try to put my life back in order, keep an eye on my Pinterest High Point Market board for the amazing finds from High Point Market Spring 2013.  I’ll be uploading files all day, today.