This weekend Milwaukee plays host to nearly 50 crafters of custom furniture, decor and accessories at the 8th annual Fine Furnishings Show. Meet the exhibitors and designers who hail mostly from the Midwest, including Wisconsin natives Bradley Ehrsam of Bradley Ehrsam Designs of New York (think whimsical, yet industrial) and Eric Neevel of Neevel’s Fine Woodworking (focuses on accentuating the natural beauty of the wood).
Source: M Magazine
Chicago food makers are at the top of their urban agriculture game. Two local outfits, FarmedHere and Co-op Sauce get a shout-out for leading the trend in zeroing in on value-added crops—from barrel-aged sauces sourced from local farmers, to herbs grown on an aquaponic and aeroponic farm.
Source: Modern Farmer
Workshop, a pop-up storefront set to hit the Fisher Building this October, hopes to bring "Detroit made" to a whole new level. The premise is that the storefront will not only specialize in furniture made in Detroit, but of Detroit. That means salvaged lumber originally sourced from Michigan's virgin pine forests. If all goes well, Workshop could open a permanent spot after the holidays.
Source: Curbed Detroit
Who could say no to a tour of modern homes in the Twin Cities? Especially when those tours are led by docents? Sounds fancy, right? Start your day in the east metro, with tours of homes by Ralph Rapson, Lisl and Win Close, Thomas Ellerbe and Brooks Cavin. In the afternoon bounce over to the west side of the city to see homes designed by James Stageberg, John Polivka and Phillip Johnson. To see the full list of properties on the Docomomo Tour Day (because we know you want to Google street map them), head over to their website.
Source: Docomomo MN
Dr. Robert Geller’s home in rural Wisconsin is so iconic it needed its own name: The Field House. But this modern box is a far cry from any little house on the prairie you’ve ever seen before.
Source: Dwell
Who doesn't love a deal? Well, we've got a three-for-one mini-exhibition blowout for you. Starting Sept. 28, the Art Institute of Chicago will host three shows that explore the work of individuals at the forefront of fashion (Issey Miyake), architecture (Greg Lynn) and product design (Scholten & Baijings).
Source: The Art Institute of Chicago
What can you do with paper pulp? Turns out a lot. The uncommon art material is the common denominator among the work in the Craft Alliance’s latest exhibition, “Raw Potential.” The show runs through the end of October.
Source: Craft Alliance
Michigan is home to dozens of artisan distilleries brewing homegrown libations ranging from craft beer to limoncello (vodka with a lemon zest twist). A small, but robust and well-reputed community, distillery won the top prize out of 250 entries for their aged rye whiskey. Cheers, Michigan!
Source: Record Eagle/Michael Stump
Take pomegranate oil, macademia nut oil and Nordic sea buckthorn and what do you have? Skin moisturizer, naturally. L’Étoile’s resident “Rogue Epicurean,” Anthony Enright, makes a foray into the world of facial oils and reviews some of his favorite products.
Source: L’Étoile Magazine
The briskness of fall hasn't completely set in, which means summer crafting is still in style! When cool weather does arrive, these do-it-yourself macrame chairs are stylish enough to transition from the patio to inside your home. See how to make them yourself here.
Source: Deuce Cities Hen House
Minneapolis' Nicollet Mall is set to get a facelift. This week, three design teams presented their visions to revitalize the space.The winner? A team from New York that proposed to divide Nicollet Mall into three sections: live, work and play. Get the details on the team's plan to transform the downtown Minneapolis area into a more green and sociable space.
Source: MPR News
Need a sci-fi fix? Take a gander at these architectural renderings making an adventurous foray into the world of speculative design. These futuristic skyscrapers turn vertical architecture on its head and re-imagine how the high-rises of tomorrow may interact with the natural and built environments surrounding them. Way cool.
Source: Cannon Design
Craft brewers and wholesalers are butting heads in Michigan. Beer, touted as a recession-proof commodity, is a $6 billion industry in Michigan, with craft breweries rapidly increasing their share of that billion-dollar pie. Their skyrocketing popularity has not gone unchallenged, however. The Wall Street Journal discusses the challenges facing Michigan’s craft beer industry.
Source: NASDAQ
Omforme is a Norwegian word meaning "to transform." It also happens to be the name of a new space opening in Minneapolis tonight where – wait for it – craftsmen and women take old, previously old furniture and transform it into something modern and new. Clever. Omforme started out as a refinishing shop for case goods and upholstery, but quickly morphed into a collection of artisans creating one of a kind objects. Consider yourself invited.
Source: Omforme
There’s a lot of talent in Detroit these days. Celebrate some of city’s best independent and design-forward makers with Artifact Makers Society (set to officially launch this December) this Saturday. Get a look at awesome Detroit-made products and talk to the people who spend their time creating them.
Source: Detroit Design Festival
Source: Lakeplace.com
Interior design showrooms will clear out their stock at International Market Square for the annual ASID MN Sample Sale. For three days, designers from the organization will be roaming around, ready to answer your most burning design questions and to give advice on everything from accent colors to design concepts.
Source: ASID MN
These days, it seems Detroit has so much new talent that it's hard to keep up with it all. Luckily, there's a five-day festival dedicated to celebrating it all, and a handy guide from the Metro Times detailing how to enjoy the third annual Detroit Design Festival (seriously, read their guide or peruse DDF's website – there's something for everyone). The fun starts September 17.
Source: Detroit Design Festival/ Metro Times
Detroit’s Nora store appeared recently on Herman Miller’s Lifework blog. The owners of modern design store shared their musical playlist. Click here to see the full article.
Source: Herman Miller
All rights reserved to Modern Midwest LLC. © 2013
