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There is nothing like a Christian Louboutin shoe. On the street, they’re exquisite mobile art. These shoes are adorned with anything from feathers, a plethora of bows to gothic metal spikes. In addition to quirky, totally “out there” designs, Louboutins come in a kaleidoscope of colors in classic designs mounted on his signature-sculpted heel. However, the soul and allure of the brand isn’t in each shoe’s sex appeal but Christian Louboutin’s trademark red painted soles. Paint. Yes, red paint is meticulously painted on the sole of each shoe as if they were born to flirt. And as I cringe to myself thinking how the city streets will unmercilessly scrape the trademark red off, I find myself saying, “I still want one!” 

#26 in Bruce Mau’s incomplete manifesto says: “Do not enter awards competitions.”  Entering design competitions is something that I have never given a lot of credence. They are, and always have been PR generators for large firms and not true gauges of the success of a design. 

All this aside, I found it very interesting that the My First Scooter ™ jointly design by Kaleidoscope and Radio Flyer ended up on the pages of I.D. magazine’s 54th Annual Design Review. Juvenile products of this sort never ever get any notice by the judges for consumer product design awards. Why? Is it because they are considered toys and not worthy of gracing the page opposite the iPhone?  Perhaps it is a bias against the toy and juvenile product genre. Granted, there have been awards given for toys (mostly educational) and juvenile products, but they are, for the most part, boutique items and not products sold in stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys “R” US.  

So what makes this little scooter special?  Is it the research, the opportunity, the design, or knowledge of the Radio Flyer brand that led to the product’s success?  It could be a combination of these things, or it could be luck. One little guy that snuck under the wire to grace the pages of a coveted design annual. As a friend of mine always says, “I’d rather be lucky than good any day.”

I am a huge book fanatic and I love reading and buying books that are nicely designed. One thing I cannot stand is reading a paperback book with an ugly cover! Luckily, the design team at Penguin Classics have realized that most people care about what their books look like. They have recently redesigned their entire classics collection under the name Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions. Each book is uniquely and beautifully designed with great illustrative cover art (with lots of nice detail work) and thick deckle edge interior pages. These editions are just about as luxurious as paperback books can be. So...go buy a book for its cover!

We welcomed into our family, Emily Grace Schultz, on May 18th at 9:42 in the morning. She weighed in at 6lbs, 11oz and was 19 3/4” long. Her big sister, Kali, was thrilled and could not get enough of her new “baby doll.” It amazes me how much Kali wants to help. She is 2 and really understands almost everything we ask her.  

My wife Jen and I are obviously tired but making it through each day, one day at a time. What has been a life saver is that several friends from our church have volunteered to bring meals to us every other night for the next few weeks which helps out a lot. Also, Jen’s mom is going to be in town for a week to help out and my mom was in town during the delivery to watch Kali while we were in the hospital. The family help has been great and very much appreciated.

We feel so blessed by this new addition. She is a perfect little peanut and we look forward to bringing her into the studio to show her off this summer!

Recently I traveled to the southern coast of Italy with some friends. The goal was relaxation, wine tasting, cooking classes, wine tasting, sunbathing, trying some new red wines…you get the picture.  The scenery was spectacular.  We rented a villa, which was situated on the Tyranian Sea in Massa Lubrense, a small town between the tourist areas of Sorrento and Positano. The villa offered unbelievable views of the Island of Capri and the most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen.

Positano, a seaside village with black sand beaches, is a destination not to be missed. With many art galleries, gelato shops and restaurants, there is plenty to do. Local artists paint and sell their works on the beach and we even met a painter that used to live in Chicago. The house wine, there I go again with the wine references, was an excellent choice at most restaurants. Lemoncello is also made in this region and seems to be readily offered up by the locals. One day, while ceramic shopping, lemoncello shots were provided to us by the shop owners as we were browsing the beautiful Italian ceramics. Maybe they thought we’d buy some ceramic shot glasses too.

We were treated to cooking classes taught by the villa owners, Lucinda and GiGino, in their spectacular 200-year-old Sorrento villa. What a delight to learn how to make gnocchi, lemon cake, and fresh fish. After completing the lesson, we sat in their stunning dining room and shared the feast that we cooked. The cooking lesson was personal and relaxed and we are excited to prepare the feast in our own kitchens.

I would recommend a trip to the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts of Italy.  Even with the crazy Euro/US exchange rate, our trip is something that I will never forget. 

For fans of modernism, Columbus, Indiana probably boasts more great architecture per-capita than any other city in the world. The town of 39,000, about an hour south of Indianapolis, has bragging rights to over 60 outstanding examples of work by the likes of Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Kevin Roche, Harry Weese, Robert Venturi, Cesar Pelii and I.M. Pei. Credit for drawing such luminaries to a small town in the middle of the Prairie goes to Cummins Engine and its president from 1947-1977, Joseph Miller. Since 1957, the Cummins Foundation, started by Miller, has paid the architect fees for any project in Columbus that hires an architect from a list that’s been vetted by the foundation.

Most of the buildings are open to the public and can viewed by car or better yet, walking tours.

How could you not love funky looking toys with names like “Putrid Pal” or “Hot Cha Cha?” Rotofugi is a designer toy store available both online and in the beautiful, up-and-coming West Town area (just a few blocks down from our studio).

I recently took a trip to South Beach to 1) get out of this god forsaken frozen wasteland and 2) attend the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. While I was downing drinks and stuffing my face with as much as I could, I was struck buy how accessible great art and design is in Miami. The laid-back vacation vibe totally translates to the galleries and furniture stores not only in South Beach but also in the Design District. The city definitely benefits from its international ports, which give access to many European designers and artists. It is a great stateside vacation for design geeks and people who need a creative injection.

Here’s a few of my favorite places:
http://www.michaelsgenuine.com/
http://www.miamidesigndistrict.net/
http://www.devitosouthbeach.com

We’re all happy to say goodbye to the winter of 2008. Boots, scarves, gloves, shoveling, warming cold cars after a long day at work, scraping windshields, the commute to and from on ice or snow covered streets! No one is looking forward to sunshine, daily walks or eating lunch out on the deck more than me, but fun could be found this winter, if only you looked for it!!

After just having a great turn out for Kaleidoscope's Creative Equinox, I though it appropriate to let everyone know about a artist community/studio in Ravenswood called Lill Street. Lill Street offers art classes for adults and children ranging from printmaking to metalsmithing. It's a non-competitive environment which encourages and inspires artistic growth. They also offer gallery and studio space for those already entwined in being creative.

Working as a "Brit-abroad," I constantly find myself pining for the things that remind me of home, especially TV shows, and none more so than The Mighty Boosh. Subsequently, I usually take the opportunity to recommend this comedy to anyone that will listen, and so right now, I'm unashamedly plugging the BBC show again. Having just broadcast their third series of "the Boosh," as it has come to be affectionately known by its fans, main characters Vince and Howard have steered their audience through six more whimsical comedy adventures, introducing (and re-visiting) a host of deranged characters that culminate to make a truly original series.

Take a short 3 hour trip south to Indianapolis and make a stop at The Children’s Museum (the world's largest museum of its kind), where one thing you can check out is the awe inspiring “Fireworks of Glass” exhibit: a 43’ blown glass tower and ceiling installation is made up of over 4800 individual glass pieces. Seattle glass artist, Dale Chihuly, is designer of this permanent incredible explosion of color. It’s mesmerizing, to say the least, and unbelievable that there’s 9-tons of twisted eye-catching symmetry seemingly hovering in the air... and then another 10-ton glass encased “base” which serves as the ceiling for the first level of the museum. For a mere $4.5 million, you too could be the proud owner of your own world class work of art like Fireworks of Glass, or you could just shell out a few bucks for a ticket, and heck... the parking is free!

The Children’s Museum... it’s not just for kids anymore.

See the time lapse Video of the installation:
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/themuseum/fireworks_ofglass/installation.htm
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/themuseum/fireworks_ofglass/index.htm

Recently I decided to take acoustic guitar lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square. I went to my first class and was blown away with the diversity of ages and people, some carrying beers and others playing in small groups while waiting for class to start.

I was assigned to a group class taught by a hippie who mixed music theory with various strum styles and chord shapes, adding humor as he went. After class was over, we all went up to the main stage area for a group rendition of old folk songs. Definitely a hidden gem worth holding onto…

If you have ever wondered about the eternal dilemma “paper or plastic” or “all natural versus organic,” A Fresh Squeeze is a great eco-friendly and sustainable living resource. The writers of this e-newsletter cull down an issue to the most relevant facts and present information and resources for green products, healthy living, transportation and local events.

You can learn a little bit about a topic you may not have thought about and also research links and additional resources if you want to learn more.

Theatre has always struck me as a beautiful balance of design and realization. What an opportunity to take your research and ideas straight from the page into reality for the enjoyment of everyone who cares to see. Every once in a while you get a special treat though - like the show being produced at the Piccolo Theatre in Evanston through April. “Lust, Lies, and Marriage” adds hand-made leather face masks to the typical set, costume, and lights of “normal” theatre. In a theatrical style rarely seen in America, these masks take tremendous skill to create and to perform in. The masks pictured were created by director and Maestro, Antonio Fava.