What Michael Graves Understood About My World

Michael Graves passed away this last week. I didn't know Graves personally...well I did hear a little tidbit of gossip about him 20 years ago but I don't suppose that counts. Yet that man is a hero of mine in a way. This postmodernist architect understood that the elderly and handicapped may be limited in their movement but they are not limited in their appreciation of all things beautiful. I always thought he knew that even the most mundane object could use a little humor and glitz. I liked that a lot.

A Graves coffee pot on display in 2010 at the exhibition

Tea & Coffee Piazza 1983 for the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

in Leipzig , Germany  Photograph: Eckehard Schulz/AP

Michael Graves Design™ Spinner Whistle Teakettle
Amazon Link

See Graves was afflicted with an infection several years ago that left him wheelchair bound. His world became all about getting into the shower or moving from room to room. Instead of curling up into a ball and dying he set about making that new world he lived in beautiful as well as functional. In an article written for the Wear Design Bureau he talked about his Wounded Warrior project and how his life goals changed after his paralysis:

In the months following that fated February night, there was much that propelled Graves through his recovery, including his resolve not to die in the hospital because it was “so ugly.”  Having progressed through eight hospitals and four rehabilitation centers, the architect was all too familiar with the design failings of our healthcare system. On his first day in a wheelchair, Graves was given the challenge to dress and shave himself. “That was extraordinary for me,” he says. “I couldn’t turn on the water, I couldn’t plug in the razor, I couldn’t look in the mirror. And this is a hospital very well known for therapy. At that point I said to myself, ‘I am going to do something about this. I am a designer, I’m an architect; I’ve got the bully pulpit.’”

One of Graves most notable building projects is located in the city where I live. The Portland Building in the center of Portland stands as a testament to the architects ability to reinvent the way we look at the world around us. I have often thought that the building hinted of Walt Disney and Ayn Rand. It is just so unusually I cannot help but smile when I look at it. Long time Portlanders are still getting used to it's appearance.

The world of architecture did sit up and take notice when it was built back in 1983 when it was awarded an American Institue of Architects honor award.

But for me Graves was so much more. He somehow knew that we all need beauty no matter where we are. An elderly person should not be subjected to "ugly" in their home and certainly not in a hospital or care facility. Humor, color, unique design go a long way in helping the healing process.

I have always thought I would recognized the Graves design no matter where I saw it. I loved the Target tea kettles and I think this wheelchair is nothing short of amazing. It was one of his first designs following his illness.  Michael was 80. The man will be greatly missed. 

Just a thought.

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Related articles

• Architect Michael Graves, The Portland Building's designer, dies at age 80

Style: Help me find clothes that look wonderful....please!

I know! You think I am getting fat but it is not because I have gained weight.  Really it is not because of that.  I still wear the same size I have worn for many years.  But as my body ages I find that buying stylish and beautiful clothes is becoming more difficult. I don't want to wear bagging clothes or several layers. I don't want ruffles or gathers at the top of my blouse. My back is not fat so all that does is make a woman look bigger. Please don't expect me to buy those kind of clothes. Most importantly I was to look elegant...!

New Years Eve 2013.  We range in age from
ages 70 to 80. Posing is the key here.
I should not have stood at an angle to my
friend dressed in red. 

But please don't think that I can't afford to buy something that is stylish or even practical for everyday. But I just think that those stores we depend on for our knock about clothing could do better. As it is now,  I can find something that looks good on me but it is very expensive.

I want a knit top that has a slightly raised neckline at the back to cover the beginning of a dowager's hump. I have had these in the past and they are wonderful. I want my tops and sweaters to have some gathers at the side seam to give a loose top some fit.  I don't want a scoop neck that goes below the cleavage but I would like a little bit of a scoop.  I love long skirts. I don't want them at the ankle because it simply is not safe. I also want some choices in a skirt that is fitted and hits just at the mid-calf. A gray pencil skirt would be nice.

Dressing to show some shape in the winter
is hard. I may have pulled it off here but
I am not sure. Thoughts?

NOOOOO...all white is not good and the pose
is just not right! I need to practice more.

Dark colors seem to work best and
compliment my totally white hair.

I bought a Ralph Lauren dress that I absolutely love for New Years Eve. It was fitted but with gathers at the waist and a cowled neck.  I wore a cami that gave the dress a square line just above the cowl...this is a very good look for a woman of any age.  I wish the skirt had been slightly longer though. Oh, and I wish it had cost just a little less!

Doggone it, it is hard enough getting older but when the fashion world ignores anyone over 60, I don't think they are being smart.  Is the only way a woman my age can buy beautiful clothes to pay a fortune? The boomers are here and trust me, these women are not going to buy ugly and they are not going to spend more than they can afford!  There I said it!

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PS: If you are writing an advice blog about clothing, modeling or body shape, please include more pictures! I am a very visual person!

How to be Trendy Without Breaking the Bank

Ingenious Full Length Mirror

Shopping online or using what you have to recreate that oh so new look...it is a way of life for me.  Take the mirrors.  I was watching a show on HGTV yesterday filmed in NYC.  The designers had a blank brick wall to decorate.  So they went to a thrift store and bought several mirrors to display.  Not a new idea but still....  I just moved and left behind the best full length mirror I have ever owned.  It was glued to the closet door or I would have brought it with.  So instead of buying a full length mirror my husband suggested I just hang two of the mirrors we own, one over the other.  It is mirror magic!

Grandmother Chevron Throw

The latest trend in graphic design is the chevron pattern.  The medal worn by military men for a long time has found it's way onto pillows, sheets, rugs and wooden balls.  I really don't need anything like that right now but I do own a bit of my own chevron design...I have this pink afghan tossed across the back of a chair in my bedroom.  My grandmother made it before I was out of high school.

So you see you can be trendy without breaking the bank.  Shop online or use what you have.  You will find more information below.

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Just Click on the Images for More Information

Zig Zag Rugs

Bambo Sheets.

Chabby Chic Mirror (should I paint my frames white?)

Links:

Apartment Therapy Missoni for Target

Hot Favorite Interior Design Websites...is spring here yet?

When I begin feeling restless and need a change I always go to the experts...interior design magazines or interior design website provide the inspiration that will get me going.  I woke up feeling bunchy this morning for some reason...I just need a change.   Am I dreaming or could spring be on it's way?

Even here in Arizona we have been suffering a very harsh winter.  Normally our park would sport beautiful snapdragons in bloom all winter.  But this year the season is going to be over soon and the snapdragons have not begun to bloom.  Call me a dreamer but spring needs to happen and soon...so I am moving spring indoors.  My little park model needs some jazzing up.

When I lived in Oregon during the winters, I would buy potted flowers at the grocery and set them in the window sill until some spring weather would come our way.  Here in Arizona I think that some color on the walls and maybe the pillows will help a lot.

HOME DECORATING MAGAZINES AND WEBSITES
I love the Canadian website for interior design called Style At Home.  The magazine reflects what we see on HGTV when the Canadian decorators like Candice Olsen and Sarah Richardson host their shows.  The trendy ideas seem to appear on their shows first.  The home decorating website featured vinyl wall designs from UrbanWalls this morning.  UrbanWalls sells through an etsy.com online store.  These wonderful designs are applied to the wall much like a decal but can be easily removed.  I thought the graphics used in the picture above were very appealing.

The oatmeal colored natural linen storage bin by Blue Bird with a small graphic bird design caught my eye too...it too was featured on etsy.com.  Both of these are small touches that can change the look of your space with out the cost of a big make over.

Apartment Therapy is all about living small.  I love their little ideas for brightening things up.  For example.......did you know that March 14 is pi day?  In honor of the most auspicious day bar ware with the numbers representing pi, 3.1415926535 are featured…!

Because I live in a small space both here in Arizona and Oregon, I am interested in their stories about small bedrooms or kitchens.  Today I found a picture of a very small bedroom with splashes of color in the accessories only.  White is such a flexible background in any room. Naturally I chose one with lots of girly colors because I am only dreaming.  If I were to do this for my house, I would need to take into consideration the fact that I share my space with a husband of 50 years.  He's pretty tolerant but I try not to push the envelop.


Have a wonderful day.  I hope I see you tomorrow!


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Design: "I need a change of pace" with color!

Odeedoh on Apartment Therapy...My Room: Muller Gray
Portland, Oregon

She said her favorite word and color is grey!  After looking at the room she created for her latest child with paint and a dresser from Walmart, I want grey too.  What do you think...could a Grandmother be as happy in this room as a baby would?

I'm not sure what the fluffy thing in the corner is but I want that too.

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Decorating a Tiny House/Apartment...Link to Links!

photo from Land Choices http://www.landchoices.org/media/index.htm

Apartment Therapy...At both ends of our lives we seem to live in cramped spaces.  When we are starting out, we live in a space that barely lets you change you mind let alone rearrange the furniture.  I am one of those people at the other end of that life...the retired, downsized mature person living in small spaces once again.  And you know what....I LOVE IT!!!  I rearrange my furniture and change my mind...maybe I  have less of both at this time in my life.

My husband and I fill our spaces with our being and living.  We are not big people so we don't require much space.  The kitchen dance has gotten to be a kind of ritual with us...if we are cranky, one person just goes away and waits their turn. This works when we live with one small bathroom too.

If you are like me, you probably are interested in seeing how other people live.  If you live in 650 square feet or less, you won't find much information to help you make some useful changes.  I guess that is why I was so excited when I found the Apartment Therapy website today.  Resources and Sites for Small Spaces was one of the articles they listed as a top blog. This link led me to another article in Mindful Metropolis called Small Solutions, Finding Peace in a Pint Sized Home.  Discardia is a lean and mean little website that has suggestions for simplifying our life plus you can sign up to get twitter tips on de-cluttering every day.   

Discardia is the time to get rid of things that no longer add value to your life, shed bad habits, let go of emotional baggage and generally lighten your load. (Discardia website) 

 These are just samples of what you will find.

If you are interested in looking what the younger designers are doing, you can start with Pure Style Home. 
Have fun.

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