Los Angeles Gathers Moss

It's been with eager anticipation that trendsetters have looked forward to the inevitable expansion of Moss, Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell's New York-based design store and gallery.

And appeared it certainly has, in the shape of a minimalist, open-plan 3,500 square foot gallery on LA's Melrose Avenue. The venue was designed by Murray Moss himself to be the ultimate exhibition space, though Moss is keen to stress that the new venue is a development, not simply a replica: 'We're very excited about the ability to create a new environment, not a duplicate one, expanding our presentation in ways unique to Los Angeles. We want Moss to grow, to reach further and at the same time, we want it to be local.'

Moss




August 2007: the first Moss store outside of New York's Soho district opens its big glass door, on Melrose Avenue near the mouth of Melrose Place. 3500 square feet of cool optic white space bifurcated by a ten ton steel beam running straight from the door to the sales station. Paul Smith Big Pink to right of us, the Pacific Design Center Blue Whale to the left, and Marc Jacobs across the street. We got Maharam down the street and APC so close we can bang on the wall.

The opening exhibition, 'Glitter and Smoke' is the first of several installations featuring chandeliers from the Swarovski Crystal Palace collection. Up first is Georg Baldele's Vertical Glitterbox, comprising 18 eight-foot crystal pillars, together giving a hanging garden effect. The chandelier surrounds a unique 1938 Steinway Baby Grand Piano, fire-sculpted by Maarten Baas, which forms part of Baas' ongoing 'Where there's Smoke' collection for Moss.



INFORMATION
Address

Moss Loss Angeles
8444 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles
Telephone

+1.323 866 5260
Website

http://www.mossonline.com

Zo Design Goes To The Birds

Time To Fly:


By Zo design, a cuckoo clock and a birdhouse, but their functions are swapped. The shape of a cuckoo clock becomes a birdhouse, and a birdhouse becomes a clock.
Buy either one here.


The Neighbird:



When the world get's more busy every day, even the birds have to hand in space.
Material: oakwood
Dimensions: 32cm x 26cm x 12cm (h x w x d)

Buy the Neighbird here.

And a really cool idea- 1-2-3 birdhouse for free:
A birdhouse you start....and the bird finishes it!





A postcard shows you how to make a birdhouse without any material.
When placed at the right spot the bird will finish it.

Material: paper

download the free postcard here.
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About Zo:


Above: Designers of ZO, are Tineke Beunders and Nathan Wierink.

Both still studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven.
'We don't want to wait with our design studio until we are finished studying, it is too much fun to wait. We started the studio in 2005, during our second year, the design 'tallow' was being produced at that time. From our studio in Eindhoven, we try to do the whole designproces ourselves. From the idea until the finished product. In this way, we keep the production small and personal.
Our collection consists of many different products. From bags to furniture and interior products.
Keep an eye on us, there is more to come!'

Pre-fabULOUS: Sonoma Residence by CSS Architects

I keep saying I can't afford to buy the type of house I'd like here in California. But these prefabs are getting more beautiful everytime I look. Granted, one still has to pony up quite a bit of dough for property in the sunny state, but if I could find an affordable piece of property, I'd love to plunk down a house like this one in Sonoma.

This new 2000 square foot house is on a 5-acre flat parcel within an existing grove of walnut trees. An existing house, which was on the edge of the property, was demolished and replaced with this in the heart of the site to take advantage of the orchard beauty.




The site:
The house was carefully located to nestle up to the existing trees and to be within the field, so that it became a pavilion in the landscape. Hardscape, softscape and trees were added to create a blended effect and to provide outdoor living spaces. The swimming pool is located on axis with the house and further takes advantage of the setting.





The house:


The design is rooted in the notion of radical simplicity for aesthetic effect and for budget. The house is a 20ft by 100ft box with a slightly sloped roof, which is then counter-posed with the metal roof for effect, and for shade. This metal canopy is also there to link the house to the legacy of ‘farm vernacular’.




The house has exterior walls and a roof built from SIPS (structural insulated panels), which replaces typical ‘stick framing’. This expedites construction, provides for higher insulation, and is a more sustainable way to build than typical methods.





The interior and materials:
There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one large open space for cooking, eating and living…all of which open up equalaterally on both sides to the site.

Off-the-shelf 8ft high sliding glass doors are the windows and the doors – proving light, views, and vivid connections to the land. Cabinets are painted MDF to blend in with walls and ceilings, while floors are pre-finished bamboo and carpet. The two fireplaces are gas only to avoid the burning of firewood. Light fixtures are standard exterior types with metallic finishes. The exterior walls are clad in vertical slats of stained cedar over painted plywood.




Location: Sonoma, CA, address withheld per owner’s request
Type: new home, 2000 sf
Completion: May 2005
Owner: Carrie Neiderer
Budget/Cost: under $200 per square foot
Architectural, Landscape & Interiors Team:CCS Architecture (Cass Calder Smith)
www.ccs-architecture.com

Design Principals: Cass Smith, Aaron Maret
Consultants:
Landscape Contractor:
Sonoma Mission Gardens Landscaping; Sonoma, CA

Metal Canopy Roof
Stoltz Metals; Richmond, CA
www.stoltzmetals.com/pages/gallery_arch7.html

Engineer: Paul Geddings; Grass Valley, CA
General Contractor: Jim Allen; Sebastopol, CA
Photographer: CCS Architecture (scouting shots)