The title of the Lighten Up exhibit by [re]design certainly reflected some of the humour that lit up the display, such as the charming Bakelite Telephone lamp from Jericho Hands or the more contemporary Pixel by Alison Edwards. Lizzie Lee embellishes plastic from milk bottles with vintage lace collages and Louisa Cranmore knits covers for plastic jars. Sinus by Andreas Nydahl gives off a spinal glow, and Spore by John Wischhusen makes use of recycled aluminium. Also after the jump is Giles Miller's Flute Pendant.

+ redesigndesign.org

Awhile ago I was driving down one of our main local roads and noticed a house in the middle of it. I didn't remember a house being there and thought that I was seeing a strange mirage. The closer I got, the more real it appeared, until I was forced to slow down and drive around the thing, at which point there was no doubt about its authenticity.

A big truck tractor was towing this entire 1200 square foot house balanced on two huge steel I-beams and a bunch of wheeled dollies. Progress was slow but steady as it inexorably moved toward its next incarnation. Just that morning it had departed its original home where it had been seasonal housing for migrant workers.

The owners of this seeming mirage had searched for just the right orphaned house to adopt as their own, lovingly place it on a new foundation, and refurbish it. Many houses would not be suitable for such a trip; generally only well-built wooden structures can withstand the stress of such a move. This house had all the qualities they were looking for: charm, integrity, and affordability. The entire cost of the house and having it moved was $10,000.

By the time they have it completely fixed up with new plumbing and electric service, an insulated stucco exterior, new energy-efficient windows, a metal roof, a completely rebuilt front porch, all of the interior walls resurfaced, and miscellaneous repairs, they estimate that the total cost of the project will be about $50,000, including the land. Not bad for what in most regards will be as good as new!

Of course new is not what they wanted; they bought this early twentieth century house (it's actual date of construction is unknown) precisely because of its special vintage quality. It reminds one of the owners of the house his grandmother lived in, with 9 foot ceilings, three smallish bedrooms, tongue and grooved fir flooring, cast-iron radiators, built-in cabinets, drawers and even ironing board, and the intangible quality of a by-gone era. They plan to retain the original floor plan intact, only altering a walk-in closet to become the mechanical room and turning a room off the kitchen into a dining space.

The house made the entire trip with just a few places where the plaster cracked in one corner, which is easily repaired. This is one very solidly-built house, made from the sort of fir that no longer can be bought. There was only one place under the kitchen sink that had suffered leak-induced rot over many years; everything else is as straight and true as any carpenter would want.

Another late twentieth century vintage home of about 800 square feet came from property leased from the Federal government and the house needed to be moved. With local help, the buyer of this little home added an additional room onto the original to comply with the homeowners' association square foot minimum. She has thoroughly enjoyed the process of remaking this simple cabin into her charming home, imbued with the wonderful quirky qualities that spring from her fanciful mind.

Once a house is moved it must comply with current plumbing and electrical codes, so these elements were completely redone. Most of the windows were replaced with second hand units that gave her just the views that she wanted. The exterior was resurfaced with rough-sawn lap siding and a new metal roof was installed. The original interior plastic paneling was replaced with sheetrock, and decorated with lots of natural wood trim. The whole feeling of the place is one of lovingly crafted touches wherever the eye lands. The new owner says, “I would much rather live in something recycled than buying something brand new which has no character. I let this house come together…it just evolved!”

Creating new life for old or abandoned houses has got be one of the most sustainable ways of making habitation. This is the ultimate form of recycling, where most of the basic components of a house are utilized intact instead of being tossed into a landfill or burned. There is a tremendous savings in the embodied energy of the house (in both materials and labor), so that all that needs to be done is to repair and polish the original dwelling to create a whole new life for it. Hoorah for these people who have the vision and willingness to take on these projects!

'swivel chair' by bokja, sixties furniture upholstered in embroidered vintage fabric from tajikistan - image © bokja

al-sabah art & design collection is a contemporary gallery which is scheduled to open its doors in dubai in early
spring of 2009. the gallery is the result of a recent partnership agreement between DIFC (dubai international
financial centre) and founder of the luxury retail emporium villa moda, sheikh majed al-sabah from kuwait.
the mission of the gallery is to promote the craftsmanship of the middle east. sheikh majed al-sabah wants to
encourage local governments to take more responsibility in preserving their cultural heritage.

before the gallery is even completed, it will preview its collection at this year's design miami 2008 from
december 1st - 8th with an exhibition entitled 'ALEF'. the name of the exhibition refers to the first letter of the
arabic alphabet 'a', but also acts as a symbolic name to mark the gallery's first show. 'ALEF' will highlight the
work of two lebanese designers, huda baroudi and maria hibri of bokja. the duo is known for their use of
vintage furniture, embroidered in fabrics originating from the east. also on show will be the work of dutch
product designer, pieke bergmans, who works in porcelain, plastic and glass. he will be creating a series
of pieces using traditional syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid antique pieces of furniture. for the gallery's official opening
in 2009, new works by studio job, maarten baas, marcel wanders and jaime hayon, who have created limited
edition pieces with local artisans, will be revealed


'swivel talia' by bokja, vintage furniture upholstered in a combination of vintage lakii from central asia together with
suzani (decorative textile) and new fabric - image © dina debbas


'crystal virus' by pieke bergmans, blown glass vase

designboom snapshots design miami 2007

design miami: http://www.designmiami.com
al-sabah art and design collection: http://www.alsabahcollection.com