 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Meet the Modern-Day Workspace
When
Herman Miller asked him to design My Studio Environments, a new system
of modular offices smaller than the average cubicle, designer Douglas
Ball decided to aim high: for the feeling he got when he drove across
the American Southwest in a Porsche 356. — Tracy Staton
Why the interior of a Porsche?
That
space was an ideal space. It didn’t have to be any larger. You felt
spacious in it — you felt good. My interest was to make a small space
an enjoyable space, a comfortable space. It seems to have worked. In
this 6-by-8-foot space, you’re in the middle of everything. You don’t
have to scoot your chair around. You just reach out and everything you
need is right there, just like in the interior of a well-built small
car.
Money magazine said you designed My Studio hoping to undo your mistakes when you designed one of the first big cubicle offices.
Back
in 1972, I created a design for a panel system. I remember spending
countless hours on how many ways we could use this design, always
looking at it in plain view, down from above. And it was versatile.
When I went into the first installation, I expected to feel really good
— but I was discouraged. I hadn’t thought about the interior elevation,
the way it would look from inside. When you see Dilbert now, that’s what you see, that installation. It’s still one of the worst I’ve seen.
One of the things I liked on your new design was the door.
When
I presented my ideas to Herman Miller, I said, “We’ve seen how systems
have taken away from the worker: the door, the private office, the
closet. It’s time to give back what the worker has lost.” What My
Studio attempts to do is give people a sense of territory and privacy
but, at the same time, an awareness of what’s going on around them,
because that gives people a sense of control — like the old gunfighter
in a saloon who sits with his back to the wall so no one can sneak up
on him from behind. — T.S.
For more information on Douglas Ball’s new My Studio Environments design,
see www.hermanmiller.com.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Style, Cubed
You can’t help but like an author who calls the drab office cube a
“blank canvas,” not “irredeemably boring.” Kelley L. Moore believes
that with a glue gun, some fake fur, and a copy of her book Cube Chic
(Quirk Books, $16), you, too, can take your work where the wild things
are … or retreat to the hush of an old-fashioned library … or tuck up
in bed to read your spreadsheets … even volunteer for alien abduction.
Just make sure to ask the boss first, or you may find yourself working
from a supply closet that makes your old, gray cubicle look like Trump
Tower. www.quirkbooks.com — T.S.
Feeling inspired to make over
your cubicle or office space? We hope so. Because we want you to send
us your before and after photos. Impress us enough, and we just might
publish a few of the pics. Send them to:
Cube Art
4333 Amon Carter Boulevard,
MD 5374
Fort Worth, Texas 76155
If you have a high-resolution digital image,
you can e-mail it to
editor@americanwaymag.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Melon Mania
Candy schmandy. This summer, rely on fruits of the vine, and your mouth will have a ball. A melon ball, that is. — Jenna Schnuer
Chilled Melon, Ginger, and Mint Soup (serves 4) 
— from Keep It Seasonal (Morrow Cookbooks, $30) by Annie Wayte
3 pounds ripe melon (such as cantaloupe, honeydew, Crenshaw, Charentais, Galia, and Ogden), peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 whole jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves,
plus 12 whole leaves, cut into strips
Grated zest of 1 lime
6 tablespoons lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
1/4 cup yogurt
PREPARATION:
Place four serving bowls in the refrigerator to chill.
Combine the melon chunks, ginger, jalapeño, garlic, chopped mint, lime
zest, lime juice, and salt in a blender and puree. Taste and adjust
seasoning if necessary. If you want the soup to have a healthy kick,
add extra jalapeño or ginger. If the soup is too sweet, add extra lime
juice. Place the soup in the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours.
Meanwhile, toast the coriander seeds and pink peppercorns in a small
sauté pan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Allow to
cool. Using the flat side of a chopping knife, crush the seeds and
peppercorns. Place the yogurt in a small bowl and stir in the crushed
spices. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. To serve:
Divide the soup among the chilled bowls. Spoon some spiced yogurt over
each serving, and scatter the mint strips over the top.
Shades of Melon
From green to orange and back again, melon-inspired goods will have you and your home looking sweet this summer.
1. Tie it up. Beaucoup organdy ribbon in honeydew or watermelon. $32 for 50 meters of 3/4-inch ribbon. (877) 988-2328, www.beaucoupribbon.com
2. Blooming with color. Grecian Key and Whiz Bang daylilies in melon-y shades, $3 to $6. (612) 756-2863, www.alldaylilies.com
3. Fabric of life. Fifties-inspired fabric in melon from the Repro Depot. (877) 738-7632, www.reprodepot.com
4. Paint the town
(er, room). Sherwin-Williams’s Delicious “Melon,” Behr’s “Honeydew,” or
Benjamin Moore’s “Melon Popsicle.” To find a retailer near you, visit
www.sherwin-williams.com, www.behr.com, or www.benjaminmoore.com.
5. Take a sip. Japanese Ceramic Teapot Set, $100. (650) 341-7391, www.zensuke.com
6. Pretty in pink. OPI’s Melon of Troy (shown), $6, and Essie’s Watermelon, $5. (310) 276-9532, www.adiscountbeauty.com
Beyond Cantaloupe
Bored by the usual, run-of-the-mill supermarket melons? Give an heirloom variety — or a new hybrid — a try on your table.
7. Instead of schlepping the weighty ones back from the store, why not turn your yard into a melon patch? Amy Goldman’s Melons for the Passionate Grower
(Artisan, $25) provides inspiration as you plant melon varieties sold
by Seed Savers Exchange, including the rare French heirloom Delice de Table and the Golden Midget Watermelon, first introduced in 1959. (563) 382-5990, www.seedsavers.org
8. A French cousin of the cantaloupe, the Charentais entertains the nose with its perfume scent, while the Galia (shown) more than satisfies with its sinfully delicious flavor. $6 each. (888) 674-2642, www.diamondorganics.com
9. The African Horned Melon
is a lot sweeter than it looks — and those spikes are sure to add to
the breakfast-table conversation. $40 for six. (800) 588-0151,
www.melissas.com
Choose Well
Put the “Which one is
fresh?” confusion behind you. “It’s always [funny] to see people
thumping all the time,” says James Parker, produce specialist for Whole
Foods Market. He fills us in on what you need to know to pick the best
of the lot — no thumping required.
Press (gently). Push your finger into the blossom end (the end opposite the stem). If it’s ripe, it’ll have a bit of give.
Tail end.
Give the stem end a look-see: If the melon is ripe, there won’t be a
stem. Still there on a honeydew or muskmelon? If you can remove it with
ease, that baby is good to go.
Breathe deep. For
honeydews and muskmelons, the sniff test is a great golden rule (if
they haven’t been sitting in the fridge). Ripe honeydews will have a
sweet candy smell, and muskmelons will have their namesake musky scent.
Color me ripe.
Honeydews go from pale green to yellow as they ripen. For watermelons,
gloss over all that green and head straight for the whitish spot where
it sat growing on the ground; if there’s a yellow tint to it, you’ve
got a good one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rest Easy
North, south, east, or west, United States or
abroad, we’ve got the scoop on several new lodgings you’ll want to
check out (and into). — Jill Becker
 The James,
on happening Rush Street and just steps from Chicago’s shopping mecca,
Michigan Avenue, is prewar on the outside and modern chic on the
inside. From the platform beds to plasma TVs, it’s everything you’d
expect from an upscale boutique hotel — and more. From $250. (877)
526-3755, www.jameshotels.com/chicago
The first of three Rocco Forte hotels opening in Germany, the Villa Kennedy
debuted in Frankfurt in March. From its mosaic tiles and mirrored walls
to its timber floors and three-level spa, it ranks no less than five
stars. From $336. 011-49-69-7171-20, www.villakennedy.com
 Equally sophisticated is the Pan Pacific Seattle,
from renowned hotel designer Hirsch Bedner. Set to open in October (and
only the second Pan Pacific outpost in the United States), it anchors a
massive new complex comprising restaurants, retail shops, a spa, and a
47,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market. From $395. (206) 264-8111,
www.seattle.panpacific.com
San Francisco is the site of the new Hotel Cielo Rojo. But not that San Francisco. We’re talking
about the one 30 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Adorned with
authentic Mexican art and antiques, the hotel oozes old-world charm
and, better yet, doesn’t cost a pretty peso. From $60.
011-52-311-258-4155,
www.hotelcielorojo.com
 Situated along a stretch of silky white-sand beach in the tropical paradise of Punta Cana in southern Dominican Republic is the Hotel Riu Palace.
The 612-room, all-inclusive resort, luxurious in its own right, affords
guests access to all of the amenities, facilities, and restaurants of
Riu Hotels’ five other area properties. From $198. (809) 687-4242,
www.riu.com
Also laying on the luxury are the Grand Isle Villas in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Its two- and
three-bedroom beachfront residences come with creature comforts
like a personal concierge and an au pair (the latter for a fee), plus a
golf cart for getting around the property. From $960. (888)
472-6310, www.grandislevillas.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fitness Fairy Tales
Think swiveling up a storm during a
strenuous workout like belly dancing is the only way to lose fat? Think
again. There are plenty of other ways (too many to list, really). There
are just as many workout misconceptions, too, say the experts at L.A.’s
the Sports Club, one of the most comprehensive fitness centers in the
country. Here’s the skinny on what they call the four most common
exercise myths. —
J.B.
Myth No. 1: You have to do cardio to lose fat. Reality:
Getting your heart pumping is great, of course, but for a more
permanent solution, you have to add weight training and eat sensibly.
Myth No. 2: When you stop exercising, muscle turns into fat. Reality:
Muscle and fat are different types of tissue, so it’s physiologically
impossible for one to turn into the other. But you’ll lose muscle if
you don’t use it.
Myth No. 3: Repetition is the key to getting toned. Reality:
Intensity is what reshapes your muscles, so unless you’re using heavy
enough weights, all the repetition in the world won’t make a difference.
Myth No. 4: For rock-hard abs, you’ve got to do countless crunches. Reality:
Crunches can strengthen and tone your tummy, but they can’t get rid of
that spare tire altogether. That’s because the body can’t spot-reduce
with exercise. The transverse abdominus, however, when properly
exercised, can help you achieve flatter-looking abdominals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Belly Dancing with the Stars
It’s the newest craze to hit Hollywood: shaking your hips to The Way of the Belly,
a book and workout DVD from Neena and Veena Bidasha. Already popular
performers on the celebrity circuit (they danced at Brad and Jen’s
wedding), these identical twins are now bringing belly dancing to the
masses as a form of fitness with their star-studded L.A. exercise
classes and, for those who can’t make it to class in person, the book
and DVD, which not only teach the fundamentals but also include several
routines. $20. www.bellytwins.com — J.B.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Let the Sun Shine In
We all love our gadgets — our cell
phones, our BlackBerrys, our iPods, our laptops. But, as we all know,
these gadgets are no good without batteries. Until now. These days,
products are harnessing the power of the sun to keep them going … and
going and going. Here are our favorites. — J.B.
Need something
to hold all your gadgetry? Then why not a briefcase or backpack with a
built-in solar generator? Innovus Designs has won awards for its
innovative Eclipse Solar Gear bags (two messenger, one
backpack), equipped with enough wattage to charge your GPS device,
two-way radios, and other popular consumer electronics. $130 to $190.
www.eclipsesolargear.com
The most common, and perhaps most
obvious, solar-powered device on the market is the one that charges the
very batteries that run our high-tech toys. Solar Style’s SC004 Power Bar
is only slightly larger than your cell phone and will rejuvenate the
batteries for said phone, as well as your PDA, MP3 player, digital
camera, gaming device, and more. $30. www.solarstyle.com
 Info-Mate’s lightweight World Band Dynamo and Solar Radio
lets you listen to everything under the sun thanks to the power of the
sun. Its built-in solar cell stands in for batteries, so you simply
place the radio in a bright spot and then take a trip down the dial, be
it for police bands or the National Weather Service, foreign
broadcasts, or your favorite local AM, FM, and TV stations. USA Today
said it may be the most versatile radio ever. $70. www.ambientweather.com/inwobadyands.html
Be the first geek to go chic by slipping on German designer Bogner Jeans’ new solar denim jacket,
tentatively set for debut next year. It has sewn-in solar patches, so
all you need to do is flip up your collar, power up your gizmos, and
channel your inner nerd. It’s said to be powerful enough to charge your
laptop. www.bognerjeans.com
To be released later this year is the Mega Player 540,
an MP3 player that can hold 4 GB of music and — thanks to the solar
cells on its backside — a charge for up to eight hours. The
manufacturer, MSI, is also coming out with a solar-powered laptop.
Both, however, are experimental and not yet ready for mass production.
Keep your eyes peeled. www.msicomputer.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |