SketchUp video

The great and powerful Laurie Burke from Kitchen Design Notes mentioned this video in a comment she left on Sunday afternoon and I think it warrants its own post.



This video comes from Michelle Kaufmann Designs, an Oakland-based architecture and design firm. Great video for sure and what's doubly amazing is that this model was constructed with software that's available to anyone for free. Go get it!

I will never draw by hand again

This is a studio apartment by Surya Murali.

This is a willow tree by Beibel.

This is the Trevi Fountain by Antonino G.

Here's an office with an Eames Lounger and a Noguchi table by SmartFurniture.com

All of the images above were created in Google's SketchUp and uploaded to Google's 3-D Warehouse for use by anyone anywhere. I've mentioned my appreciation for Google's SketchUp a number of times, but recent events have awoken a missionary's zeal in me.

If you're a homeowner and you're interested in playing around with the floor plan of your house, download SketchUp and once you master some very basic concepts, you'll be modeling in three dimensions before you know it.

If you're a professional who needs to plan spaces and create construction or production documents, then SketchUp's for you too. Download the free version, master the skills and then upgrade to the Pro version so you can crank out measured plans and eye-popping presentations.

SketchUp is a rendering and modeling program and by itself it's a wonder. However, the software that sits on your hard drive is only half of the equation. SketchUp has a companion online library called the 3-D Warehouse that contains hundreds of thousands of models and components that you can select and download directly into the model you're working on. So if you want to see what a Design Within Reach sofa would look like in your living room, create the walls of your living room and then download a model of the sofa you're interested in. Bam! Instant preview.

SketchUp's training videos are easy to follow and are a perfect way to learn how to use this amazing software. So what are you waiting for? Go download it now!

And this is my friend Eric's self-portrait.

In the bleak midwinter

The great and powerful Fifi from Fifi Flowers Design Decor takes her readers on a virtual vacation every Saturday. She asks that people send her photos and a description of a location and she takes that supplied material and spins a tale of a weekend getaway. She paints a few of the images and adds what she needs to complete her journey of the mind. Great stuff. Well, this weekend, she took a bunch of my photos from my various trips to the Out Islands of the Bahamas and uses them to tell a story of quiet seclusion and beauty. Beautiful work Fifi, thank you.

So if you're looking for a break from February, take a stroll over to Fifi Flowers Design Decor and let her fly you away in a pink airplane for an adventurous weekend jaunt.

I've been aching to go away lately and Fifi's post today cements it. I need a break!

Cool pendants from J. Schatz

These pendants from J. Schatz were featured on Dwell magazine's website this week and I think they're cool as all get out. Besides, after knitting my brow for the better part of yesterday over all things Tuscan and contrived, I need to look at something clean, modern and whimsical. Thank you J. Schatz.

J. Schatz is the brainchild and life's work of an artist and designer named Jim Schatz. Jim has an admirable philosophy that guides his business and a sense of playfulness and wonder that won't quit.

These pendants are from a series he calls Cilindro. Each of them measures 11-1/2" tall and they're 5" in diameter. The pierced Cilindros retail for $275 and the solid Cilindros cost $255. These pendants are hand made and they're available through J. Schatz's website.

And here's a pink one for Fifi.

Quick! Run outside!

Check out Venus and the Moon. I just took this shot a moment ago. If you're on the east coast you have about 15 more minutes of Venus lining up like this. Cool!