Welcome to Curbed's new weekly round-up of architecture and design on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and (god forbid) even LinkedIn. Collected from retweets, intra-office chats, and, well, anything that sent us into a 140-character tizzy, this is what Curbed editors actually read last week. Please be in touch if you have a recommendation for next week.
1.
All-around astute built-environment observer, expert Instagrammer (with the 38K following to prove it), and Curbed critic Alexandra Lange has been dispatching the loveliest photo missives from her time in Fire Island, New York, over the last few days—and she wrote about it for us! Works by Horace Gifford, Don Page, Andrew Geller, and more have all been on offer. And if you like house numbers (yes, house numbers) there's something in her feed for you, too.
2.
DC art pundits @PhilipKennicott, @KristonCapps feel insulted by @Hirshhorn's @Melissa_Chiu. It's the other way around http://t.co/PvJpKrvPdh
— Lee Rosenbaum (@CultureGrrl) August 18, 2015
Okay, this one's a bit of a thicket so just bear with us. According to CultureGrrl—the arts blog run by NYC-based writer Lee Rosenbaum—(a couple o' rabblerousin') journalists in D.C. are peeved that the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Melissa Chiu, will be holding the institution's 40th-anniversary gala in New York, and not in the nation's capital. The reason Chiu has incited the ire of Washington Post art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott and design writer Kriston Capps, Rosenbaum notes, is a perceived snub of the local arts community. But Rosenbaum argues that the Hirshhorn's fundraising needs as a national institution necessitate the gala's move to New York, where there is simply a greater wealth of, well, funds to be raised. Rosenbaum also takes umbrage at some of the arguably misogynist language in the piece—Capps calls a previous gala held to welcome Chiu to her position at the Hirshhorn a "debutante ball." We have to say, we see Rosenbaum's point.
3.
We don't use this space often enough to talk about Tumblr. At all. Our newly-minted Engagement Editor, Mercedes Kraus, is here to help, and sent along this Tumblr, Supreme Interiors (fka drydockshop), which features delightfully retro interiors. (Think sunken living rooms, heavy, patterned drapes, and velvet. So, heaven. Think heaven.) Follow it at drydockshop!
4.
Glass bricks aren't necessarily glamorized with the same fervor as, say, wood paneling, or anything and everything marble, but Bassam Fellows is here to change that. Touting an upcoming edition of its BassamFellows Journal, the lifestyle brand unleashed this 'gram of backlit glass bricks doing what glass bricks do so well.
5.
Do you know Dusen Dusen? Founded by Ellen Van Dusen, the self-described "line of universally flattering basics" (this is real talk we can endorse, though) is soon adding home goods. We, especially this editor, are elated. Here's a 'lil preview from Dusen Dusen's stellar Instagram feed.
6.
Too much hustling and selfie-stick selling in front of Eiffel Tower. Should knock it down. pic.twitter.com/7V8jCsD9tZ
— Nicole Gelinas (@nicolegelinas) August 23, 2015
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio lost some progressive street cred (literally) when he proposed ripping up the newly built pedestrian plazas in Times Square (completed as part of a master plan spearheaded by Snøhetta) to address the influx of topless women posing with tourists and passersby for tips. This is a very bad idea and reveals a fundamental lack of understanding when it comes to how urban spaces operate. It also seems to run counter to De Blasio's plan to reduce traffic-related pedestrian deaths in the city. Unsurprisingly, the mayor's plan has earned the ire of the Internets, and the tweets decrying and lampooning his idea poured in through the weekend. There were some serious gems, like the above. New York magazine architecture (and classical music!) critic Justin Davidson and New York Times art and architecture critic Michael Kimmelman each weighed in on the De Blasio/Times Square drama with blistering critiques of his plan. They're worth your time.
7.
And last, but not least, an "ahhhh" moment: Chicago-based jet-setter and photographer Paul Octavious has been in Thailand for the last week or so, Instagramming some of the most enviably relaxing-looking photos. Here's one over which to drool.
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