designbyte: Dwell on Design This Weekend in LA

Check out Dwell on Design this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center (South Hall).   Besides great design programming, DoD serves up something new and delicious this year, provided you buy your ticket in advance.  The home tours are sold out, but the Sunday kitchen demonstrations during Square Meal should be very enlightening.  (I never have perfected the art of poaching...)  Not to mention the great shopping on the floor... Even if they weren't my client, I'd totally be going this weekend!

greenbyte: Last Chance to Pimp Your Eco-Ride

Inhabitat has extended their Pimp My Green Ride Bike Contest to June 24th.  Win an awesome folding Strida 5.0 SX Limited, valued at $950, by simply sending in a photographic reason for why you deserve, need, can't survive without this special folding bike.  Whether you have a million and one steps leading up to your house or your car blew up in a freak accident and you've since turned over a new bike leaf, take a representative snapshot and see if you could be the lucky new owner of this state-of-the-art bike.  

travelbyte: From the Air

Why is it that American airlines are so behind the times?  I'm sitting on a Virgin America flight somewhere over Pennsylvania, flying back to Los Angeles from Boston....blogging.  How cool is that?  

The entire Virgin experience is superior: from the slick check-in kiosks on Starck-like white tables, to the hot pink (maybe they're supposed to be red) and blue lighting, the humorous animated safety film, and the on-demand munchies.  From start to finish, this airline uses sleek and modern design combined with smart technology to give each traveler an experience that feels special compared to what one gets on other airlines.  

To top it off,  Virgin was just rated the greenest airline by Greenopia.  The company uses biofuels, has a comprehensive recycling program that hopes to divert 50% of its waste by 2012, offers travelers carbon offsets that go toward green energy generation, and has transparent environmental reporting on its website.

Clearly, Richard Branson is a genius, and I'm glad to have finally popped my Virgin travel cherry!  I can't believe it took me this long.

realbyte: Anniversary at Palate

While Palate did not disappoint, it's pretty much a Glendale version of A.O.C. (plus urns full of giant plastic grapes).  Since Jonathan Gold happened to personally recommend the restaurant to a close friend, we absolutely had to stop by for our 3rd wedding anniversary.  The meal started with a plate of delectable cheeses and progressed to homemade pickled cucumbers (which were most definitely a highlight).  For the main course, we over-indulged ourselves trying four separate dishes (one of which - the steamed asparagus with egg - I am so going to deconstruct!) We lubricated our gastronomical experience with a lovely bottle of Sancerre.  Delicious? Yes.   Absolutely unforgettably mind-blowingly amazing?  Meh.  The fine wine and cheese and refined dinner portions have been done before so it's no longer surprising.  But what does set Palate apart is smart retailing.  They offer a library of cook books and a space where you can buy your favorite wine and cheese.  Now that is pure brilliance! 

 

green byte: Spring Greening DIY Design Contest Draws to Close

Inhabitat's Spring Greening DIY Design Contest comes to a close tomorrow, April 14th, at midnight EST.  The contestants this year are quite brilliant.  I wrote a story about one inventive submission from San Francisco dubbed the "Live Long and Prosper" lamp.  And the inner tube chair wrapped in recycled upholstery hailing all the way from Norway is pretty gorgeous too.  The book book shelf also brings a touch of wit to any room (why didn't I think of that?).   But I'd have to say that my favorite so far comes from Porto Alegre, Brazil where one creative - and infinitely patient - person managed to give old phone books a new life as rad new accordion coffee table.  If you've got an upcycled/recycled DIY project to share, you still have 24 hour to submit your great, green creation....so go on: get greening!

designbyte: French Furniture Renaissance Comes of Age and Sprouts Moustache

The Italians and Scandanavians are generally at the top of the design food chain, particularly when it comes to luxury furnishings.  But Moustache, a new furniture company launched by Stephane Aurriuberge and Massimiliano Iorio (partners in Domestic) is about to move France up a few notches at the upcoming Milan Design Week.  The First Collection which features designs by Mattali Crasset, Inga Sempe, Big Game, and Francois Azambourg seeks to attain the heritage value that objects held in the past while anticipating and fulfilling needs of a lifestyle in the future.  In other words, crazy next gen French designs which maintain some connection to the past without being cheesy and nostalgic.  Pretty trippy stuff that strangely blends yet contrasts with the traditional French aesthetic.  In the same way that Louis XVI style furnishings still have a place today, Moustache is gambling that their designs will have the same enduring timeless appeal.

designbyte: SchubLaden Finds Mates for the UnMated

If I were a lonely drawer with no mates, I would head straight for Berlin's Schubladen to find my perfect match.  Located in the creative neighborhood of Kreuzeberg's Graefedistrict, Schubladen, which actually means "drawers" in german, pairs old cast-off drawers with new bodies to create superbly unique one-of-a-kind pieces in small, medium, or large sizes.  The new frames are typically made from oiled MDF or oiled wood.  Besides the "out of the drawer" designs, the design studio also takes custom orders.  Order online or take a trip to Berlin.  Shipping/airfare are not included in the prices.  And the drawers?  Well, they live happily ever after with their new mates.  What a great find from Bloesem.