Frank Lloyd Wright - How He Got His Start in Architecture

Irwin Weiner ASID - Frank Lloyd Wright has not always been considered the world's greatest architect; at times during his own lifetime, he wasn't always appreciated. He sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, insisting on designing things "his way," and attending to the tiniest of details, from creating the furniture, fabrics, napkin rings, and even the dress design for what the hostess of the home would wear in his perfect residential space. Now that's micro detailing! I enjoyed this video on Wright's early career start - some of it rocky - put together by talented Meghan Carter of Ask the Designer fame. She walks around his first Oak Park, IL home (in the photo above; click on it for more information), and we learn some fascinating details of his architectural origins. For another intriguing Wright video, click here to see our Designers We Love tribute to his iconic Fallingwater project.

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5 Favorite Vermilion Home Goods - Our Unusual Color of the Day

Irwin Weiner ASID - When we think of colors, we usually default to the primary, secondary, and possibly the tertiary hues. Think, however, of all the colors in the spectrum. Where would paint companies be without their exotic colors? They've made collections with over a hundred different variations on white alone! So imagine our delight when Merriam-Webster, the dictionary and reference company, came up with a feature on the definitions and origins of more unusual colors. Today's unusual color, courtesy of M-W, is vermilion. Here's what the dictionary experts have to say about it:

Color

Vivid reddish orange

About the Word

Spanish painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (who painted in the late 1700s and early 1800s) was so fond of this vibrant color – shown here in the woman's head scarf and the man's vest – that vermilion also became known as goya.

The word vermilion traces to the Late Latin vermiculus, meaning "kermes." Kermes are the dried bodies of insects (of the genus Kermes) used to produce this ancient red dye.

Full Definition

: a strong red that is deeper than geranium, yellower and deeper than geranium red, and bluer and deeper than average cherry red

In celebration of vermilion, we've chosen five different home good objects that share a hint - or more - of this magical color. Click on each photo for more information.

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2 Videos Highlighting Toronto Interior Design Show 2012

Irwin Weiner ASID - The Toronto Interior Design Show 2012 this January saw a resurgence in up-north style that spanned the globe. We were impressed with the imaginative use of shipping containers, with designers and studios turning them into living spaces (see above, from Mason Studio, Toronto), and the room that Piero Lissoni designed (see below, the show's official international guest of honor - what do you think of the bookshelf with books spine-in, showing off pages; it's a look!).

The official show overview video is directly above ... and delightful interior design blogger Kat Bell of Kat Bell Designs visited the show and took the video highlight reel (below) of some of the sights, designs, and innovative products that made an impression on her.

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Hollywood Glamour Furniture Updated by Nancy Corzine

Irwin Weiner ASID - If you're looking for contemporary takes on the Hollywood Regency Glamour look, which we've been celebrating this week at Design2Share, look hard at many contemporary furniture lines that advertise themselves as "timeless." That means that they've borrowed elements of style from the past - deco, art nouveau, regency, mid-century modern, Memphis Movement Eighties, and so on - and given them a clean, fresh twist.

Look at the collections from iconic interior designer Nancy Corzine, for example. In the top photo, her Prism Bed is an updated twist of styles, from the mirrored surfaces of Hollywood Regency to the skyscraper lines (literally) of the streamlined deco period. The end result is contemporary glamour and a fashion "feeling" as well as a "statement." In her 2009 book Nancy Corzine: Glamour at Home, we even have the designer embracing the Glamour banner and declaring herself the new standard bearer.

Corzine's Delmonaco Cocktail Table steals the glamour show in her living room grouping, above and below. The shining Venetian Sterling Silver finish of the glass-topped piece puts the glitz of old Hollywood front and center, but in a more contemporary, streamlined way (and that bottom glass shelf is perfect for books, baskets, and extra eye-candy accessories.

A pair of her Museum Slipper Chairs covered in Cavallo (azure) fabric complete the scene along with her extra-luxe high-backed Delmonaco Sectional Sofa finished in her soft azure Boucheron fabric - and remember, pale and dusty blues are part of that Hollywood Regency color palette. And how about that special three-tiered Balthazar Chandelier, with elegant tapered silk shades!

And how about the Harlow Vanity (above), topped off with her Three Part Vanity Mirror? When you have furnishings named after one of Hollywood's great Golden Age leading ladies, you're absolutely inspired by Tinsel Town chic. For more updated glamour, visit the Nancy Corzine website. 

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