Stories of the Week: June 30
By vpc
June 30th, 2015 |
Quick Reads

Meg’s gearing up to give her pad a much needed pick me up, which is why she’s digging the design tips that today’s top NY designers are dishing out. A fun takeaway: Go for glamour on the ceiling with metallics.

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Michelle is excited to see The NYC Architecture Diary, produced in partnership with the Architectural League of NY and other local design institutions is now live. It’s a new go-to resource for all architecture happenings in the Big Apple.

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Blaise hopes LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy can relieve the abject misery of rush hour on the MTA. The musician wants to change the tone the turnstiles make into his Subway Symphony.

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Rachel is type-happy over Maine’s historic Press Herald Building turned boutique hotel inspired by the building’s original use. Taking cues from the Portland Press Herald newspaper, the architects have brought new life to the building while honoring the building’s history — such as ink blot area rugs and newsprint-inspired wallcoverings that spill into the carpeting.

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She’s also amazed by how Disney disguises unsightly things with this gray-green paint, making them not invisible, but really easy to ignore.

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There are things you wonder about but never get around to googling – enter the pink flamingo lawn ornament. Margaux has often wondered if it was the Milanese aristocracy who adorned their urban front garden with real flamingos (and continue to do so today) that inspired our very iconic American decor. Today, with the announcement of the passing of sculptor Don Featherstone, we learn where it really began. Now we know – so as we head into the week of July 4th next with all things red, white and blue consider celebrating some real Americana – and put out a pink flamingo or two. Your neighbors will thank you. #pinkday

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Lisa was thrilled by last week’s release of Pope Francis’s first encyclical on climate change and its effect on the world’s poor. Love it or hate it, it’s brought important social and environmental issues to the forefront, and we’re excited to be part of that conversation with Interface, which has been pushing for socially responsible and inclusive business models for ages as part of Mission Zero.

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Will’s hoping that the Fairphone, a modular smartphone that aims to be durable and repairable, can make a splash when it launches in the US some time next year. The major bonus: the company is leading by example in its aims to bring change in the cell phone industry, focusing in using fair-trade materials and applying ethical business practices.

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