designcincinnati

modern

images from cincinnatimodern.com | click to enlarge

• Cincinnati architecture enthusiasts tend to focus on historic areas like Over-the-Rhine and on contemporary buildings like the CAC or the UC campus. But what about mid-century architecture? I recently came across the website of realtor Susan Rissover. She specializes in modern homes in the Cincinnati area.  According to her website, Susan "knows and understands Modern architecture and what the Modern buyer and seller are looking for." She also has a blog.

• Also, check out Cincinnati Form Follows Function (CF3) modern design forum, promoting awareness of modern design in Cincinnati. "CF3 welcomes all Modern design enthusiasts to become members of the area’s first group devoted to the awareness, preservation and education of Modern design."

more local blogs!

• I have started submitting photos to the popular Flickr group called Wardrobe Remix. So you can imagine how excited I was to find the local blog What I Wore Today. I really don't have the time to take photos of myself everyday, so I will live vicariously through Kasmira.

• Focusing mostly on Over-the-Rhine restoration, check out the "local" blog, Victorian Antiquities and Design, written by a "historic restoration consultant and art and antiques dealer in the Midwest."

architecture-o-rama

• I love this Soapbox article about Cincinnati Public Schools use of green architectural design in new school buildings. The "Cincinnati model" is being used by the Earth Day Network for its sustainable design education programs across the country.

click to enlarge | images from uc.edu

• Now that the weather is warmer, you should spend a few hours walking around UC's campus. “There are few, if any, places on earth that can boast such an impressive concentration of first-rate buildings by such a diverse group of leading architects. You don’t find this on the ordinary university campus.” We have amazing architecture in our own backyard... take some time to check it out.

paper cloud

I was digging through Park + Vine's website the other day, and came across a link to a local company named Paper Cloud. Started in 2005, the husband and wife team "are inspired by the sometimes quirky beauty of nature, interpretations of all that surrounds us."

images from paper-cloud.com

Paper Cloud sells pillows, lampshades, journals and cards. All products are earth-friendly. They make each piece individually using natural materials.

Pieces can be customized to your specifications via their website. In town, you can buy their products at MiCA and Park + Vine.

dinner and a movie

I recently found this Enquirer article via the Esquire Theatre web page. These are the reasons why I love living a half a block from Ludlow avenue...

"We've surveyed people at the Esquire," says Morrison, adding that he believes the demographic and desires are fairly similar at the Mariemont. "More than half of our patrons are repeat customers. Many of them come here so they can eat on Ludlow before or after the movie. They like it because they've got Graeter's a few feet from the front door (also true at the Mariemont). And Biaggio's and Ambar and Skyline," he says rattling off a trio of the neighborhood's dining mainstays.

"What they really like, though, is the pedestrian scale of the neighborhood. They can walk out of our front doors and find sidewalks and stores and restaurants, as opposed to going into a 4 million-car parking lot. It's definitely a different experience."

It's almost summer movie time. Come to the Esquire instead of going to one of those 55billion theater megaplexes in the 'burbs. You can park in the Merchant's lot and have your parking ticket validated for two free hours.

fancy chairs

images from contemporaryartscenter.org | click to enlarge

Beginning May 3 through August 31 at the CAC, you can see chairs designed by some of the best known international architects and designers in the museum's exhibit named "Form: Contemporary Architects at Play." The chairs, designed with materials from Cincinnati-based Formica, will be auctioned on May 10 from 7-8pm for prices ranging from $18,000 to $290,000.

Designers include Thom Mayne of Morphosis, Michael Graves, CAC architect Zaha Hadid, Bernard Tschumi, graphic designer Massimo Vignelli, among others.

help the streetcar plan

image from cincystreetcar.com

When I started this blog a year and a half ago, I decided I didn't want it to be political or negative. There are plenty of those kinds of local blogs. However, the streetcar plan is under attack by local politicians. I feel I need to use this space to get the message out. Please take some time to send a letter or email to your Ohio representative and senator who want to withhold tax money from the project.

Below is the letter that I sent. Feel free to use this letter and change it to your needs. We need to show these politicians that there is major support in the streetcar plan and that this will help our up and coming city.

Thanks to Melinda for providing the base for this letter and informing me about this issue.

Excellent information on the streetcar is available at cincystreetcar.com.

Senator/Representative ________:

I write to express my extreme disappointment in your attempt to exclude state funding from the Cincinnati downtown streetcar loop. While I respect your desire to focus spending on needed projects, your decision, in my opinion, is shortsighted and misdirected. Streetcars are widely supported among downtown residents and the greater metro area. Streetcars are important to me and everyone I know.

I am a 2000 graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. As I am sure you are aware, it's very important for cities to attract and retain young creative professionals. Most of my classmates decided to leave Cincinnati. I stayed because I feel the city has great potential.

My friends and family have noticed all the great things happening in our city's core. I have friends throughout the country excited about what Cincinnati is doing. When out-of-town guests visit, they are happily surprised with Cincinnati and everything that is happening downtown and Over-the-Rhine. They share all of the wonderful developments our city has supported and they notice and tell others.

I live within the Cincinnati city limits. I recently have been seriously considering purchasing a condo in Over-the-Rhine. My decision hinges on the streetcar plan. If the streetcar is approved and begins construction, I will move. I am sure I am not alone, as others have told me they are thinking the same. I am sure the city and Hamilton County would love me to become a home owner as opposed to renting as I do now.

By dismissing the streetcar project you write off the hopes and dreams of young people looking to settle or stay in Cincinnati. We are in the position to finally make a difference and I am hurt by your choice to snub the Council's efforts by claiming misuse of funds.

With the rising cost of gas and the constant assault on open space by subdivisions our city is poised to make a serious comeback. This is not without great challenges. You are well aware of the unfair reputation downtown and Over-the-Rhine has suffered from. The community needs your buy-in. Streetcars are just the stimulus we need. Can you imagine our great city returning to a place where people live, work, and play? I certainly can! However this dream is hard to imagine without streetcars. Streetcars ensure the development of businesses in a concentrated area; dependable public transportation; increased public safety; the ability to support a huge urban population; reduced dependence of costly and polluting fuel; the list goes on and on.

I hope that you will reconsider your stance on the streetcar project and support funding for this great opportunity.

green

It's cool to be green lately. So start riding your bike instead of driving your car, get your locally grown food at a farmer's market and start recycling all your crap.

• Keep your car at home and buy a bike or have your old one serviced. Go to Campus Cyclery near UC. BuyCincy wrote a nice article about their products and services.

• Everyone knows about Findley Market. But there are many other farmer's markets around the area. Drive your virtual hybrid car to cincinnatifarmersmarkets.org to find one near you. Don't forget to bring your cool reusable bag you bought at Park and Vine.

• Go to Live Green Cincinnati for information on how you can start living green.

• Once you have your new bike, some locally grown food and some fresh ideas of how to live green, go to one of the great local parks and have a picnic.

posters

As a graphic designer, Old advertising posters really speak to me. Not all of them are my style and they can be a bit too pricey. But, I can still appreciate them .

images from jackwoodgallery.com | click to enlarge

Check out Jack Wood Gallery in O'Bryonville on Madison Road. They carry posters and "graphic art" from the late 19th century and early to mid-20th century. According to their website, Cincinnati "was home to some of the most highly regarded printing companies in the world." Even today, many local printers work worldwide, including The Hennegan Company.

images from vintageposterbank.com | click to enlarge

If you want something a bit more modern, try the Vintage Poster Bank on Main Street in Over the Rhine. I love the travel posters from the middle part of the 20th century.

ikea on a weeknight

awwww, cute. | click to enlarge

Blake and I went to IKEA this week. The crowds were very manageable on a weeknight. Before you go, test your knowledge of IKEA products with the "IKEA game."

misc. stuff for friday

• Somewhere over the Rhine is a new blog that is "A site dedicated to Cincinnati's Over the Rhine neighborhood."

• Also, check out Maya's blog called Visualingual.

• Excited to see what the new shop "Outside" cooks up in the Gateway Quarter. Outside will carry hard to find outdoor decor. That's not something I am necessarily looking for since I don't have a balcony or yard. But, it's nice to see more shops opening up in Over the Rhine.

• I want some "kung fu shoes" from Ali's Boutique in Northside.

get your drink on

I updated the links in the  "drinkcincinnati" section to the right. Added Mad Hatter, Havana Martini Lounge, Beluga and Below Zero Lounge.

hahaha 2.0

I love the Cincinnati shirts from Look at Me Shirts. Here are a few of my favorites...

home

I visited Joseph Williams Home on Friday with Blake. Neither one of us had been there, so we wanted to see what their story was...

fred, the cute owner  | click to enlarge

We talked a bit with Fred, the owner, about living downtown and what he had planned for the future of his shop. It's an industrial space with a cool cement ceiling. He told us he had spent a lot of time cleaning it up. Apparently, he is now carrying some furniture that  the recently closed Contemporary Galleries carried.

Located at 550 Reading road close to the 471 Exit off of Liberty Street, and just down the street from High Street.

hahaha

Blake and I stopped by Park + Vine on Friday. Other than a really cool bag made out of used billboard vinyl, i loved this hilarious shirt...

hot tranny fierceness

• LOVE the hilarious SNL sketch about Christian Siriano from Project Runway. Amy Poehler's impersonation was great. That's why I think the "FIERCE" t-shirt Wire & Twine is selling is a hot tranny mess, in a good way.

• Speaking of fierce fashion, one of my favorite shops on Ludlow Avenue is the Mustard Seed Boutique. They do have a small men's section which is nice. Thinking I need to do some spring cleaning and take some of my clothes to consign.

click to enlarge | photos from www.josegarciadesign.com

• Blake recently introduced me to the architecture of José Garcia. He's a local architect designing modern homes, my favorite of which is the Schon house.

mmmmm...

It seems like lately everybody has been talking about the Belgian waffle guy at Findlay Market. I have been wanting to try them. So, I was happy to find their website today.

According to the website, "The dough of the Liège waffle is sweeter and denser than 'Belgian waffles' as we know them in the U.S. This waffle has a rich vanilla flavor and cooks up with a caramelized sugar coating on the outside, giving it a delightful sweetness."

You can find the waffles at Findlay Market on Fridays 9:30am-3pm, Saturdays 8am-4pm and Sundays 10am-3pm. The waffles are also made daily at The Coffee Shop on Madison in O'bryonville.

On Saturdays and Sundays they bake the waffles fresh at Pike Street Press in Covington, Pleasant Perk in Pleasant Ridge and Front Street Café in New Richmond.

Other local restaurants and coffee shops serve the waffles... Daveed's, Honey, Otto's, Lookout Joe, Mammoth Coffee, Enzo's, Coffee Emporium, Baba Budan's, Koka Coffee Lounge, Sidewinder, Bellevue Bistro and Essencha.

Yum!

walking, building, shopping

my block in the gaslight district

• Over-the-Rhine is now the safest neighborhood in the city. "District One, which patrols the historic neighborhood, has posted lower crime numbers than any other police district in the city."

" 'The old adage that, when you have more people on the street, people feel safer, and actually I think people behave differently and I think the numbers point that out,' said Steve Leeper of 3CDC."

I once had a suburban friend who was visiting ask me to drive her back to her car, which was one block away, just because she was scared she was "in the city." I live a half block from Ludlow Avenue in the Gaslight District... not exactly a high crime area.

With this news, nobody has a reason to not check out Over-the-Rhine and everything happening there.

• My alma mater, UC/DAAP, competed in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. "The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house." The house is currently on display at UC.

• The Enquirer actually reports something positive for once... "Cincinnati was named the Best Walking City in Ohio and ranked 10th in the nation, according to a survey released today by Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association."

I have always thought that Cincinnati was very walkable. I love my Ludlow Avenue where I can walk to the movies, the grocery, a billion restaurants, a drug store, a library branch, the post office... I have gone entire weekends with out using my car. That doesn't happen many places in this car crazy, suburbanized country.

Other cities in in the top 10 are San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, New York City and Washington (my brother lives in DC and says it's very walkable... he loves it.)

• If you are a fan of Project Runway, check out Wire & Twine's "Make it Work" shirt.

• Found some really cool personal stationery at Margot Madison Stationery. Choose your layout, size, silhouette, font and color. It's $36 for a set of 25.