I'm intrigued by this title, due out later this month, for two reasons, 1) it's by Loft Publications, who've got a good track record and 2) for the book description in Amazon; "Is a large canvas really necessary to paint a masterpiece? The obvious answer would be that the size of the canvas and the brilliance of a work of art bear no relation. Does this also apply to interior design? Is a creative, elegant and cozy design possible in a 30-40m2 apartment? This book proves that it is... The final result is a philosophy of life based on the small, flexible and adaptable. Not only has the size of our apartments changed, but with it our lifestyle.". Urban nomads take note. Living small requires a surprisingly large number of pages, this paperback edition has 356 pages, all no doubt well illustrated, for $23.07 at Amazon.

+ Living: In Small Spaces at Amazon

This week's MoCo picks.

+ Drop House portable house with pop-outs for entry, kitchen and bath that you can pop in and lock up. Via materialicious.

+ AATA Arquitectos Asociados' cubic Casa de Invitados in Chile @ Plataforma Arquitectura.

+ The New York Institute of Technology's Solar Decathlon OPEN House, "There are two main components to OPEN House: a large 480-square-foot open space that offers diverse living arrangements and a manifold (or core) that contains the kitchen, bathroom, and environmental conditioning systems.". Via TreeHugger.

+ Ideal Standard Tris shower cabin, a three-in-one shower cabin, "Tris pampers you with dry sauna heat, a hot steaming bath, hydro massage or a refreshing tropical rain shower.". Via Trendir.

+ HUH's cardboard NOT A LAMP designed by David Graas. Via Design.nl.

+ Nils Holger Moorman's modular Rechenbeispiel coat rack system, "Keyholder, mirror and storage space for the everyday stuff, as well as memo-board can all be added to simplify and organise messy wardrobe situations.". Via Atelier A+D.

+ Two new bureaux évolutifs, the Kazam 01 & 02, by Mahmoud Akram @ Daddytypes, "which reconfigure from infant to toddler to teen/adult height. The seemingly simple tubular steel and molded laminate tables have various slots and accessory shelves that look like wings--or those magazine racks on the treadmill at the gym.".

+ John Arndt's compact, flexible storage space Shed/ Shelf, "a doll house for adults". Via swissmiss.

+ Greenspot tiles, designed by Anke Bernotat, Sebastian Kraus and Sandra Turina for Baest, "The ingenious position of the hole allows for both regular and 'natural' irregular patterns.". Via The Style Files.

+ Zascho Petkow's colorful Bunte Betten! low beds @ genauso.und.anders.

+ Furni's Alba EK, a limited edition Alba clock with graphics by Emil Kozak. Via Josh Spear.

+ Luc Ramael's 801 beam stand-less table lamp for martinelliluce is held up with a transparent diffuser. Via pan-dan.

+ Marian Lassak's Buy Me bar code CD holder for ComuniStar. Via pan-dan.

+ Soap rocks that look like geological specimens. Via HemFeber.

+ Romancing the Flat Pack: Ikea, Repurposed, a NYTimes piece and slideshow on IKEA hacks. Via Core77.

+ ... Istanbul Design Week 2007 at Core77...

+ How to Work the Design Blogosphere: Design Blog Editors Teach You How to Get Your Shit Published Online. #1) Get an email address.

+ 35mm film still has legs, Takara Tomy's colorful, cubic, Tol Ne plastic cameras @ TOKYOMANGO.

+ The best magazines in the world?

+ I finally clue in, the authors of LUNCH, one of my favorite food blogs, are the architects at Front Studio!

A pink tank under glass started off the week at Art MoCo, as we looked at what Maurycy Gomulicki means by "Pink Not Dead".

Emily Barletta crochets and embroiders her art, evoking images of land and sea.

Stefano Pedrini fills his canvases with mostly black and white drawings in a style that is a combination of cartooning and street art.

Dustin Yellin is an artist of great precision and patience. Yellin creates drawings first, then layers them in resin.

And the only way to end this week is with the colourful work of Katharina Grosse. Hopefully not with a bang, even though some of her installations do involve a lot of balloons. SM

More at Art MoCo.

We featured some of Dan Golden's new rug series a few months back when we took a look at the more cartoon-like rugs from the collection. In this accompanying photo, Dan is doing the illustration for one of these rugs, in which a hold-up scene is being justified. However, the hand-tufted rugs of New Zealand wool are not all fun and games. The Sherman Oaks series features designs that are more abstract, suitable for a variety of decors, and a lot more serious than the cartoons. We decided to ask this artist-cum-designer a couple of questions, and we're glad we did.



Big Scoop & Stop, Go

As an artist you have made the transition to designing rugs, which of course look gorgeous before anyone sets foot on them. Since you must be accustomed to seeing your work hanging on a wall, far from spills and scuff, how does the thought of wear and tear make you feel?
I have always been drawn to almost anything with a patina. I collect old globes, tin toys-they are imbued with history and have character and history to them. There is something unpretentious about something with wear - and that is the way I hope I come across as a person and an artist- unpretentious, down to earth - someone you can relate to. As for the rugs, of course I would prefer not to see red wine spilled on a white "Morphine" rug, but I enjoy seeing my art in an unexpected place, like on the floor. I like the usability of the art as practical commodity. On a very practical note, we chose New Zealand wool since it is known to be very durable and naturally resistant to stains.