Tifmurray

The ARC Dollhouse is a brand new design and venture for artist/designer Krista Peel under the name 3 Star Studio. Working alongside her husband, they designed and created a mid-century 3/4 scale dollhouse designed for kids, families, teens, decorators, model-makers and collectors. Inspired by their young daughter, they wanted to create a dollhouse that is recommended for ages 2 and up.

The design of the house, which is made of laser-cut 1/4″ sustainable Baltic birch plywood, grown in WI, was inspired by Oscar Niemeyer, Brasilia and the Palácio do Planalto. It is affordable and comes flatpacked. Easily assembled with some wood glue, the entire thing notches together.

You can buy the house here.

In addition, they also designed a set of furniture specifically for the house that is available in either birch plywood or solid walnut with clear acrylic details.

Buy the Birch Plywood Furniture Set here and the Walnut + Clear Acrylic Details Furniture Set here.

For his masters thesis, recent Pratt Institute graduate Aaron Mickelson redesigned mainstream consumer packaging to eliminate waste. How? By creating a package that completely disappears by the time the product is finished. The Disappearing Project presents 5 different solutions in a hope to spark conversation and change.

Glad Bags: The package is made up of the last bag in the package itself, leaving no extra trash when it gets used. All the product information and logo are printed using traditional oil-based inks on the package in case you need a reminder of what you purchased.

Tide Pods: Instead of its traditional plastic bag packaging, a sheet of laundry pods will be stitched together, printed using soap-soluble ink. The individual pod packing for each pod is also water-soluble and dissolves in the wash.

OXO Pop Containers: OXO containers have a shiny, logo-ed paper inside the container. Instead of the normal printing methods, the instructions are printed directly onto the container using soap-soluble ink. Then, the label breaks down easily once the consumer washes it for the first time.

Nivea Bar Soap: A simple but effective solution—use a septic-safe, water-soluble paper to wrap the soap. The user will take the whole package into the shower with them, leaving the wrapper to dissolve.

Twining Tea Bags: As of now, tea packaging is lined with wax, preventing it from being composted. Mickelson’s solution is to glue together the sachets into a folded up, self-standing brick. While there still results in some packaging waste (as will likely always be the case with food packaging) but it has been diminished. However, when the product is gone, so is the packaging—which is the running theme for all of these new solutions.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and among breakfast offerings, I love savory breakfast foods.  Since December, I have spent a small fortune on breakfast in the West Village, taking a long time to consume cappuccinos and wonderfully, artery-clogging buttered toast and eggs.  When I am back in Rome, savory breakfast is one of the things I miss most.  I’ve been traveling quite a bit since late November and haven’t gotten back into a week-morning routine that will allow me to enjoy a slow breakfast, but on the weekends – especially Sunday – I try to allow myself the time to enjoy a nice hot breakfast with a good cup of tea.  This week, I have gone through our archives to find our best savory breakfast posts.  I’ve put a few sweet ones in for the sweet teeth out there.  -Kristina

Above and below, photographer Stacy Newgent shared her secret for the best french toast and crispy bacon.  This is my ideal breakfast!  Coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice included!  See more great breakfast ideas after the jump!

Click through for all of our favorite breakfast recipes after the jump!

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Inspired by Richard Mosse’s infrared work, NYC-based photographer Daniel Zvereff made sure to get his hands on some of the last remaining stock of expired Kodak Aerochrome film in 120 format. The dazzling fuchsia, crimson, and lavender tones are produced when the film reacts to the chlorophyll in plants. Because of this, Zvereff was only able to shoot during the short Arctic summer, and will have to wait until next summer to continue the project. It will be his last chance to use the film, which degrades more quickly than most film, before it goes completely bad.

Zvereff plans on taking these last 15 rolls back to the Arctic and, hopefully, into Russia. Of the parallels of place and process, Zvereff says: “The Arctic will essentially be the next frontier for mining natural resources, and with a warming climate it’s safe to say it will soon be transformed as we know it, forever. It only seemed appropriate to photograph its incredible natural beauty using a film that is no longer in existence.”

The post Infrared Film Transforms the Arctic appeared first on Feature Shoot.

One of the best ways to draw attention to the ugly side of humanity of is to beautify it, to make people want to look instead of look away. Seattle-based photographer Daniel Beltrá has achieved this with his photographs of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which he documented for Greenpeace. Spill, published by Gost Books, collects these striking images, all reminiscent of abstract paintings, into a compelling volume of evidence of environmental devastation.

If the expanse of the ocean were an unknown visual trope, it would be possible to get lost in the sheer beauty of these photographs. Knowing how the ocean normally looks, the horror of this massive environmental catastrophe that killed 11 people, countless animals, and polluted oceans and coastlines and interfered with fisheries is readily apparent and impossible to escape.
Arriving in the Gulf one week after the spill, Beltrá spent 40 hours over the course of two months photographing the spill and cleanup efforts, flying 3,000 feet above the Louisiana coastline in a small, rented Cessna aircraft. Some of the 411 controlled burns used to clean up the spill are visible in Beltrá’s photos, as well as the effects of the oil and Corexit, the controversial toxic chemical poured in vast quantities (1.8 million gallons) over the spill, evidenced by the red striations seen through the surface of the oil and water. Although the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster happened almost four years ago, images of it remain consistently relevant out of the sheer probability that this very same sort of disaster could happen again.

Beltrá’s work is currently on view in the exhibition Prix Pictet: Power at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego through May 18, 2014.

The post Beautiful Yet Horrifying Aerial Photos of the BP Oil Spill appeared first on Feature Shoot.

Brazilian fine art photographer Angelica Dass‘ series Humanae identifies portrait subjects from around the world using the Pantone color system. Using an 11×11 pixel swatch from her subjects’ faces, Dass matches them to corresponding Pantone colors, creating an abundant and unique catalog of skin tones that reflects the world’s diversity beyond the categorizations we have long been confined to. We recently asked her more about the ongoing project.

What was your inspiration for using Pantone colors to represent humans?
“If what I wanted was to destroy the concepts of colors associated with race, such as red, yellow, white and black, it would not be logical to use a color scale that works with percentages of these colors. That’s why I chose not to use CMYK or RGB. Pantone works on a neutral scale, where a color has no more importance than another. It’s a very identifiable scale for those in the world of design, but also easily understood by anyone. It provides a way to look objectively at the ‘human object.’”

How do you go about finding subjects for your work and what are the criteria you are looking for?
“There is no selection criteria. I make public announcements through social networks. To ensure diversity in the project, I work at spaces that are not only in the art world, too. The 2000 images in the project have been made in galleries and art fairs, but also in urban favelas, in NGOs, at the headquarters of UNESCO, and in cooperatives that work with the homeless.

“Not only are there a mix of faces and colors, but a mix of social classes, religions, sexual orientations, political elections, economic status—together in Humanae we cannot be confined to these codes. So far I have taken portraits in seven cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Winterthur, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paris, and Chicago. My minimum goal is to make portraits on all the five continents.”

By identifying your subjects by Pantone color rather than ethnicity/color of origin/name/occupation, etc., what commentary do you hope to make about their identities and the relationship between them?
“It is a kind of game for subverting our codes. The ultimate goal is to provoke discussion about ethnic identity, creating images that lead us to identify each other independent from factors such as nationality, origin, economic status, age, or aesthetic standards. The most important thing for me is the dialogue Humanae has generated outside of the existing conversation. For example, Humanae has been used in educational textbooks by teachers who use it as a tool to talk about equality, appropriation for new artists who are interested in the physiognomic variety in the project, or scientists who use it to illustrate their research.”

Since the Pantone system is a highly structured and ordered system, how does your display of the work relate to this system?
“The project is exhibited in different ways, but always messy numerically. The aim isn’t to make a color scale from light to dark. The intention is to make it like real life—all together, and mixed. Each time I exhibit, I always try to make new portraits, to continue adding images to a work in progress.”

The post ‘Humanae’ Portraits Match People of Different Ethnicities With Their Pantone Color appeared first on Feature Shoot.

In his ongoing series, Convention, NYC-based photographer Harry Griffin calls attention to the rather quirky aspects of conventions and trade shows, in particular those related to health, beauty, “glaring instances of commodity fetishism,” or “anything uniquely esoteric, like gardening or hot tubs…”

Griffin’s destiny was tied early on to trade shows—his father invented the All Wall System and attended trade shows to market his invention, bringing Griffin along with him when he was a child. About Convention, Griffin says, “After the first show, it was thrilling but I couldn’t place why. The second, The Greater NY Dental Meeting, was when it started to come together.”

About one of his more bizarre experiences, Griffin says, “On the first day of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) expo there was an awards ceremony. They honored various CEOs and Presidents for their part in globalizing their respective countries. Towards the end, Mickey Mouse and his gang of breakdancers took the stage and did headspins. All of this for an audience of middle-aged, primarily white, men in suits. To say it was excessive would be an understatement.”

The post Amusing Photos Highlight the Bizarre World of Trade Shows appeared first on Feature Shoot.

don draper + sam mcadam-cooper photography.

it’s been a long while since i’ve shared a separated at birth. but it’s a special occasion. cuz, guess what? mad men is on its way back. and it’s the final season. such bittersweet news. what will become of our beloved don draper? and what of betty — will she ever find contentment? will roger keep dropping acid? will peggy go on to find true love? so many questions to be answered, so little time left. stay tuned — the final season begins sunday, april 13.

sweet home + joan holloway.

Marika Jarv Creative + roger sterling.

pony rider + megan draper.

betty draper + bolig liv.

peggy olson + smitten studio

New Zealand-born, NYC-based photographer Paul Nathan shines the light on some perfectly primped canines in his new book Groomed, released this Spring by Pelluceo Publishing. Shooting at multiple high-profile grooming competitions, Nathan explores the world—and art—of dog grooming, capturing the creations of some of the world’s top dog groomers. The selection here are from what’s known as the ‘creative’ category. Humorous and delightful, Nathan’s pre-show portraits reveal character in both the artist and the canvas. He recently told us more about the world of dog grooming.

Where did you find these colorful pups?
“The images in the Creative Grooming section of Groomed were taken last April at Intergroom in New Jersey. Intergroom is one of the largest international conferences of its kind in the world with more than 2000 dog and cat groomers attending each year. This year’s Intergroom is coming up on April 5-7th, 2014.”

Do you know how long this sort of grooming takes and how the dogs react to it? Any tricks to making them stand still while getting so decked-out?
“According to groomers I have spoken to, not every dog can be part of a creative grooming competition or have these extreme color creations done to them. As with child stars, some are just born with patience and the will to please that help them deal with the long process involved in creating a creative grooming piece. In most cases the colors are done in stages on different days, usually in sessions of no more than three hours with plenty of breaks for the animal. Every dog is different and only the groomer knows how long to work with a dog. Keeping the dog happy and comfortable is key.”

Do you know what type of dye is used, or how long it lasts?
“There is a vast variety of hair coloring products for dogs. They are all non-toxic and semi-permanent. Depending on the kind of coat the dog has it can last from a few washes to a few months.”

Who are the enthusiasts/pet owners behind this?
“The enthusiasts are master dog groomers competing at grooming competitions like Intergroom. They are wholly responsible for the designs. In fact, when the dogs are presented, the groomer is often dressed to match the animal and there is a set or backdrop where the animal is presented. I simply chose my favorites to photograph.”

The post Dogs Gone Wild: Photos of ‘Creative’ Fur Styles at A New Jersey Dog Grooming Competition appeared first on Feature Shoot.

Located in Palo Alto, California, this 1960s home, designed by Brown and Kaufman, was in need of a major renovation. The house was dark and chopped-up with too many internal walls preventing light from filling the space. Klopf Architecture came up with a plan to brighten the home by creating space and flow by removing walls and adding new windows.

The size of the living room was reduced so that they could add a master walk-in closet and laundry room/desk area, but the space still feels roomy.

The kitchen’s windows were redesigned to let more light in. I love how instead of a boring backsplash, they used windows which really lightens the darker cabinets up. I also love the bright yellow behind the stove.

There was also a partition wall in the kitchen that was removed to open it up.

Photos by Mariko Reed.

Maybe it’s in reaction to the world being so saturated with all WHITE KITCHENS, but I find myself attracted to EARTHY STAINED CABINETS recently.  When doing stained wood in a kitchen I love it rich: not too dark (espresso) not too light ( bleached)  Those looks, while lovely, seemed more trendy to me, and thus prone to lookin dated down the road.  I’d rather have a natural stained walnut or weathered reclaimed wood.  Something organic and natural.  The stained wood cabinet looks best on a modern door- slab or something with minimal embellishment. Pair it with a light counter, modern fixutres, perhaps an unexpected pattern and you have yourself one chic kitchen.

via Design Files

McAlpine Tankersley

Abramson Teiger

That island!  I love a mix of wood and metal.

We fell in love with Indian food when I was in seventh grade. By we, I somehow mean my entire world at once. Friends and family converged at this one Upper West Side restaurant, all of us craving potato samosas, saag paneer, and chicken tikka masala at the same time, and often. It was 1997, and I guess we’d been busy eating the cuisine of the 90s, whatever that was, and when it came to light that there were delicious and deeply flavorful stews and rice pilafs, not to mention naan and poori, that we’d been missing all this time, we decided to eat our fill. We also all loved vegetarian main dishes, and Indian cuisine has got those aplenty.

Ever since those dinners, starting in middle school, I’ve loved Indian food–I’ve taken cooking classes, explored neighborhood restaurants, and tried my hand at curry pastes at home. Despite this, I haven’t branched out that much, menu-wise, in what I order at restaurants.

Then one cold night in January, I met my friend Anika for Indian food at a local place she’d found, and she–daughter of an excellent Indian home cook–told me that there was a new dish she’d never had til recently. She introduced me to paneer bhurji that night, and in a way it made me fall in love with Indian food all over again, the vast array of sub-cuisines and whole undiscovered dishes (which makes sense, since India is enormous and diverse!). Thanks to this paneer preparation, I jumped back into my at-home Indian cooking journey and decided I’d figure out how to make paneer bhurji at home. Like vegetable korma, paneer bhurji is a meatless dish that pairs beautifully with warm naan.

Paneer bhurji uses paneer, the blank slate that many Indian vegetarian meals center around. I’m sure you’ve eaten your fill of saag paneer, but maybe not tried paneer in other ways. I hadn’t either. But here, instead of being fried in whole cubes, the paneer gets crumbled and scrambled, and the result is totally different. The flavor given to the blank slate derives from cumin, toasted in oil at the beginning, pinches of a couple other spices in the vein of garam masala, then lemon to balance the flavors. Essentially, this is a simple dish, something you might eat for weekend lunch instead of scrambled eggs. In the summer, you could throw in seasonal vegetables and nix the peas.

Unlike paneer dishes, naan is hard to make at home, and that’s where Stonefire comes in. The company makes traditional naan in its high-tech ovens, which mimic the intense heat of an actual ancient tandoor oven, a heat that can’t be replicated in a home kitchen. I like to keep the naan in the freezer (it comes in four flavors), then warm in my oven and brush butter before serving. Stonefire’s recipe uses both buttermilk and ghee and gets its teardrop shape from being hand stretched. Also, naan can be a great last-minute crust for pizza!

This post was sponsored by Stonefire. Figure out where to get your own naan on Stonefire’s store finder. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep Big Girls, Small Kitchen delicious!

**Recipe**

Paneer Bhurji
Serves 4

For those of you in the NYC area, I found Gopi brand paneer at Union Market. I don’t keep garam masala spice blend on hand, but if you do, sub in about 1/4 teaspoon for the coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Still use the whole cumin seeds, though–they’re central to the flavor.

Ingredients
8 ounces paneer
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like safflower
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
about 1 inch piece ginger, minced (1 tablespoon)
1 onion, minced
2 serrano chilis, seeds removed, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch cloves
Pinch cardamom
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
3 whole tomatoes from a 14-ounce, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons juice from the can
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tablespoons half and half
1 scallion green chopped, for serving (optional)
Naan for serving

Crumble the paneer, by hand or in the mini food processor, until it resembles medium-fine curds, like scrambled eggs. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat and add the cumin seeds. Fry, shaking the pan, for 1 minute, until very fragrant. Lower the heat to medium, and add the ginger, onion, and serranos, and cook til soft, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the spices and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Now throw in the paneer and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavors meld. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and lemon juice, and let the paneer bhurji simmer and become a bit saucy. Stir in the peas, then finish with the half and half. Taste for salt, adding more if needed. Sprinkle with the scallion green if using, then serve with naan.

Paneer bhurji reheats well in the microwave and is also great cold or room temp, as leftovers.

Albuquerque-based commercial photographer Wes Naman has discovered how to draw out the best of the worst in his contortionist portrait series Scotch Tape. Inspired by a silly moment while wrapping presents, Naman recruited family and friends to be transformed by his mutant use of office supplies. Simultaneously horrifying and hilarious, each smashed nose and stretched lip provides zombie-esque plastic surgery that one cannot look away from. Never taking more than 10 minutes to apply his effect, Naman uses photography to stretch and squeeze everyday people into fantastically freaky creatures.

The post Hilarious Portraits Use Scotch Tape to Distort Faces appeared first on Feature Shoot.