Designer of Interest: David Salmela

We recently became familiar with David Salmela's work by way of Richlite, a material he's sought out for a few of his projects and one which we are pretty keen on ourselves. While his designs are decidedly provocative, we are struck by how the images reflect a modesty of the structures within their landscape -- smothered in snow drifts, or lost amid the grass. More more, visit Salmela Architect.

Open Shelving Roundup

To indulge my ever growing appreciation for open shelving, here is a best-of montage from our R&D folder. There is something so appealing about the utility and simplicity of a good old fashioned shelf. Enjoy. (Apologies for the lack of photo credit).

Purekitchen in Brooklyn's Newest Passive House

We are proud to say that a new Passive House lives in Brooklyn. We have worked with our neighbors at Loadingdock5 Architecture throughout this build and are excited that everything is finally in place. Of course, the premise of the design is to create as heat-efficient an interior as possible. And with such a insulated envelope, they designers sought out Purekitchen to provide casework with minimal emissions, and even threw in some FSC-certified panels to boot. We have not yet had a chance for a formal photoshoot, but in the meantime check out Inhabitat for a sneak peak.

Field Lab

New York photographer turned West Texas desert dweller, John Wells learned a lot on his own. But that was sort of the point. When Wells, 51, bought his 40 acre parcel for $8000, his intentions were not reclusive or even artistic. He simply sought the challenge of living with less and relying on his own ingenuity -- building solar cookers from scrap, for example. The result of Wells' pursuit, more than three years in, include, among other things, his initial internet-equipped one room shack, a solar shower and composting toilet, and four shipping containers sheltered from the sun by an arch of corrugated metal. While there is nothing entirely unique about Wells' accomplishments (being an "off-the-gridder" is sort of a thing), I definitely admire his approach to it all as fundamentally about challenging himself, not necessarily a cultural escape or artistic statement. Plus, he has a blog. Via The NYT.