A robotically manufactured shed proposal for this new museum annex

This guide offers insights into styling eclectic shelving, focusing on creating a 'curiosity cabinet' with glass-door cabinets or bookcases to enhance visual interest and personalize a space. The process of styling shelves in such cabinets can often feel daunting due to the myriad of choices available, such as how to arrange books, the number of vases to use, and maintaining balance without making the display appear too full or overly symmetrical. However, the article emphasizes that there isn't a single 'right' answer, as the shelves should ultimately reflect the homeowner's unique personality and style. The article provides foundational guidelines to assist in curating a cabinet that feels both personal and aesthetically pleasing. The first key principle involves selecting unique objects that hold personal significance. These items can be mementos from travels, objects that evoke childhood memories, or framed photographs. The suggestion is to gather several objects and experiment with different groupings. One effective method is to group multiple objects that share a similar material, which creates a cohesive yet varied display. The underlying idea is that incorporating personal, interesting objects into a glass-front cabinet adds dimension and brings the room to life. The second tip focuses on the use of books and baskets as classic foundational elements for cabinet styling. Coffee table books and woven baskets are versatile items that can be easily rearranged. Books offer flexibility in arrangement; they can be stacked, leaned, or used with bookends. Integrating books with other decor, such as vases or decorative boxes, can further enhance the display. Woven baskets, like striped seagrass baskets, are recommended for the base of a cabinet, providing a contrasting texture and offering hidden storage for a tidy appearance. Finally, the guide suggests incorporating vases and artwork to add visual interest and depth to the shelves. Layering artwork, which can be sentimental or chosen for its color palette, introduces texture and pattern. Vases, with their varied shapes and heights, contribute curves and vertical interest to the arrangement. The article suggests pairing two vases on a single shelf to create a balanced and dynamic composition. By following these guidelines, individuals can transform their cabinet shelves into a curated display that is both visually engaging and a true reflection of their personal style, making the space feel more curated and inviting. #CuriosityCabinet #EclecticShelving #ShelfStyling #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #PersonalStyle #DecorativeObjects #BooksAndBaskets #VasesAndArtwork

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design (IMoDD), founded in 2012 by ceramic historian and curator Margaret Carney, has opened its first permanent brick-and-mortar location in Kingston, New York. Previously operating as a roving attraction with digital and pop-up exhibitions, the museum now showcases its extensive collection of over 9,000 "masterpieces of the tabletop genre" in a dedicated physical space. The inspiration for the museum stemmed from Julie Gaines, co-founder of Fishs Eddy, who sought a dedicated home for her lifelong collection of dishware. Gaines found that larger institutions were only interested in a few specific pieces, unwilling to preserve her collection as a cohesive whole. Carney shared this sentiment, believing that dinnerware, despite its prevalence in other museum collections, was often marginalized and not properly celebrated for its design contributions. The inaugural exhibitions at the Kingston museum, "Dining Grails" and "Dining Memories," feature approximately 500 pieces of dinnerware and related dining objects. "Dining Grails" presents a historical continuum of dining aesthetics, ranging from a Song Dynasty jug excavated from the Yellow River to contemporary 21st-century innovations like Shinichiro Ogata’s compostable dining set from 2013. Notable items include Eddie Dominguez’s "Rose Garden," a 12-person dinnerware set that forms a sculptural flower bed when not in use, and a rare spotted and shadowy breakfast set designed by Roy Lichtenstein for Jackson China Company in 1966. The exhibition also includes a 1960s lunchbox designed to resemble a loaf of sliced bread and Peter Saenger’s futuristic nesting tea set from 1990, famously featured on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." "Dining Memories" focuses on site- and era-specific dining vignettes, meticulously recreated with historically accurate furniture and décor. Visitors can explore a 1930s Queen Mary teatime deck scene or observe the impact of early refrigerator design on covered food-storage containers. This section also features a pink 1950s high chair that converts into a wheeled walker and a Donald Duck baby-food warmer, a pre-microwave invention. Margaret Carney's personal favorites from the collection include a fiery orange, angular coffee and tea set designed by Don Schreckengost in the 1930s, which is also the inspiration for the museum’s logo, and Eva Zeisel’s "Museum" set. Eva Zeisel, known for her organic forms, was the first female designer to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946, and her "Museum" set was commissioned for this seminal show. Jean Richards, Zeisel’s daughter and an advisory council member for IMoDD, highlights the personal connection people have with dinnerware, suggesting it’s more intimate than traditional art. Richards notes that while Zeisel’s work is present in other prestigious museums, it can get overlooked within their larger collections. The IMoDD, however, provides a dedicated platform to emphasize her significant contributions. Zeisel herself expressed a preference for designing cohesive sets rather than individual objects, viewing her pieces as having familial relationships. Among the rarest pieces in the "Museum" set is a porcelain salt spoon, of which only about four are estimated to survive globally. The museum’s Kingston location holds historical significance, being an hour's drive from where Zeisel lived and worked until her death at 105 in 2011. It is also near Russel Wright’s Manitoga, a design mecca where Wright designed dinnerware until the 1970s. This proximity allows for a comprehensive exploration of mid-century dinnerware design, with visitors able to see Wright’s "American Modern" collection at Manitoga and then his miniaturized plastic playset version at IMoDD. Carney envisions future exhibits dedicated to diverse topics like ashtrays and nesting dishes, and hopes to expand the museum into a larger space that can accommodate a kitchen and a growing collection. The museum aims to convey the rich story of dining, extending beyond mere novelty to celebrate the evolution of design, innovation, and artistic influences across various cultures and centuries. #DinnerwareDesign #MuseumOpening #Tableware #EvaZeisel #DesignHistory #KingstonNY #CeramicArt #HomeDecor #Exhibition