Each year as summer gives way to chill, the Jewish faithful erect sukkahs, or temporary outdoor structures in which to eat meals. At first glance, the rules dictating the sukkah seem arcane to the point of amusement: for example, the roof cannot be made of utensils or anything conventionally functional; the roof cannot be made of food; during the day, one must have more shade than sunshine; at night one must be able to see the stars through the roof; and the sukkah must be at least ten handbreadths tall. Oh, and a whale may be used to make the sukkah’s walls. Read more…

The fashion house’s line of furniture and lighting, which will now be available through the Future Perfect, is characterized by the same kind of casual, on-the-go vibe as their trademark denim clothing. A lamp with a knit shade collapses, while another features the same kind of stitching found on dungarees. The sofa and chairs, which come in beige and indigo, are made of linen but look and feel as good as your favorite pair of blue jeans. Read more…

Shimna’s booth celebrates the New York–based company’s local leanings. The pieces use reclaimed wood—lots of it from Pennsylvania Dutch country—and some are built by Mennonite carpenters. Accordingly, designer Aaron Huston and owner Michael Lamont have filled the space with Americana, including a silhouette portrait of Mark Twain and a quilt made by a Mennonite woman married to one of their carpenters. “I look for things for the booth all year long,” Huston says.

This year Patty Johnson is showing designs from 10 Caribbean nations made by 20 different producers. The collection is defined by traditional materials and techniques, all of them socially and economically sustainable, but as usual Johnson has worked with the artisans to develop pieces that have broad appeal. There are objects made of tobacco leaves, leather, and coconut fiber, but the standout is Johnson’s own chair, produced by Liana Cane, a factory in Guyana that is devoted to renewable materials. The chair is made from kufa, “with properties similar to rattan,” according to Johnson, and finished in environmentally-friendly neon shades. They are displayed to great effect in a twisting tower just below the name of the collection: Love Freedom Flow.

Mark Kinsley, who won a spot in Bernhardt Design’s ICFF Studio, designed his Riveli modular shelving system for his own small apartment. “I wanted something that didn’t always have to be out but could be pulled down when my book collection grew,” says the Chicago-based designer. He quickly realized that the system, made of 9-by-17-inch aluminum plates with a black anodized finish, was a shoo-in for the retail market, thanks to the image emblazoned on the undersides of the plates. DesignTex produced the images for the prototypes; in future iterations the shelves will work more like a picture frame, with a slot for images to be inserted and swapped out. Roll pins provide enough pressure that the plates remain against the wall when pushed up, giving retailers a clever way to show small items against their logo. Though not officially in production, Riveli is currently available on demand from Iconic Revolution.

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Clockwise from top left: Sushir Kadidal’s Tempo chair; Alexandra Pulver’s Lunch Bag stool; Mike Jozewicz’s Nabolis chair; Esin Arsan’s 142 chair; and Jonathan Gillen’s Primitive chair
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Wilsonart Challenges, a competition that asks a class of design students to come up with a chair to be photographed for an ad campaign, presents an interesting problem, because the winner is more image than object. Though a person does have to be able to sit in it (presumably to avoid nasty spills during the ad photo session), it’s more important that the chair showcase the properties of laminate and bear a recognizable reference to the sample chip (you know, those colorful little rectangles with a hole on one end for a chain to go through). I’ve now judged several of the competitions, and I always find myself torn between what I think is the most commercial design—the one I’d want in my living room—and the one that will best serve the ad. This year that tension was especially pronounced. Read more…

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On the site today, you’ll find Metropolis’s annual special product issue. After the jump, senior editor Kristi Cameron explains this year’s theme in the latest installment of our “Metropolis Minute” video series.

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Metropolis’s senior editor, Kristi Cameron, is contributing semi-regular posts on issues regarding livable streets in a feature we’re calling The Street View. Click here to read her previous posts.

I’ve suddenly developed a mild case of urban envy of…Washington, D.C. That’s right, as of today the not-exactly-progressive town has something New York is sorely lacking: a bike station. Funded by the District and the U.S. Department of Transportation and built by Mobis/Bikestation, the 1,600-square-foot facility offers secure parking for 130 bikes, a changing room, lockers, rentals, and repairs. An annual membership costs $100, or you can buy a daily pass for a buck. Cities like Seattle, Santa Barbara, and Long Beach, California, (where Mobis/Bikestation is based) have already had success with these facilities, but the D.C. station is the first of its kind on the East Coast. Which raises an important question: How useful is a bike station sans showers during warm, humid eastern summers? Perhaps I should reserve my jealousy for Chicago, whose McDonald’s Cycle Center offers showers and towel service. I could get used to the name.

For all you tennis fans cursing the four-month gap between the U.S. and Australian Opens, here’s a little something to tide you over. (That’s a nice way of glossing over the fact that this post is about an event that ended two weeks ago, no?)

Olympus, which sponsors the U.S. Open, invited a group of journalists (myself included) for a behind-the-scenes tour, during which we would test out the company’s new 12.3-megapixel E-P1 camera, also known as the PEN. When it comes to photography, I’m an enthusiastic amateur. In tennis terms, I’m a hacker. I long ago gave up my 35mm SLR for a digital point-and-shoot that stays on auto. So it was no surprise that most of my journalist peers, who by and large cover gadgets and technology, had far more technical inquiries than I did. But since the PEN aims to bring some of the capabilities of an SLR, such as interchangeable lenses, to a point-and-shoot model, I was arguably the perfect guinea pig. I kept my test camera on auto all day. Read more…

Metropolis’s senior editor, Kristi Cameron, is contributing semi-regular posts on issues regarding livable streets in a feature we’re calling The Street View. Click here to read her previous posts.

Most of the public-space projects I’ve blogged about involve encouraging developments for all residents of New York, but the urbanSHED competition should be particularly exciting to architects. Prior to now, I didn’t even know what a sidewalk shed was by name, though I am plenty familiar with the plywood-and-steel-tube hoods that so often frame stretches of my walk. At best they are an invisible part of the city’s noisy background; at worst, an eyesore. I was certainly happy to hear the city was soliciting a redesign (note: the competition is not restricted to locals), but it wasn’t until I listened to buildings commissioner Robert LiMandri talk at the Center for Architecture last week that I truly got inspired. Not only will his department produce construction documents for the new standard, but the winning design will definitely be built at the end of the process. The city wants something that delivers more natural light to the sidewalk below, is safer, and, of course, looks better than the current shed. There are 689 miles of this stuff in New York—just imagine what a difference a more beautiful version of it will make. Read more…