Foldaway Home

Designed by Atelier OPA, this collapsable "apartment" serves as an adaption to the populirized idea of "Skeletal Infill" in Japan, in which the skeleton of the house remains preserved while only changing the insides. Of course, it doesn't have to collapse after use at all, it can easily be used as your every day kitchen, office and bedroom. I can see college dorms and hostels using this idea, it would create much more space and offer a ton of configurations to work with each individual. 

'Green' Graffiti

Green Moss Speaks Volumes

Anna Garforth's green graffiti on display at London's Clissold Park, is called the Mossberger Project and is part of YCN, a two-week global art initiative being displayed all over the world. The moss, which Garforth uses to display words, is much more welcoming than spray paint as a way to express a message. Not only is it a warmer "vandalism", it's biodegradable!

Garforth uses a mixture of natural yogurt and sugar to adhere her moss to public surfaces. 

The Reverse Graffiti Project

The Reverse Graffiti Project in San Francisco is creating environmental art by cleaning up dirt and grime from city walls. In this video, you witness the making of a 140 ft. long mural in the Broadway tunnel. It raises awareness to the native species of plants that might be living in the area were it not for the fact that the area is now downtown SF.

TrendVision Look Book

Durso Design created this "Look Book" for the Colors of the World Trend Vision 08 publication. Colors of the World is a Wella Professionals program designed to build hair color business and inspire the artistic side of stylists. This seasonal campaign was designed to serve as inspiration for stylists and their clients and to give Colors of the World an outlet for introducing new color techniques and trends in an interesting package.

Double Takes

I love it when I see smart advertising or design. The stuff that makes me look twice and say "why couldn't I have thought of that?!" 

Cannes Lions 2008

The advertising world was a buzz in the south of France last week for the Cannes Lions 2008 Festival. Here are some of our fav winners.

Nike- Los 5 Magnificos- A la Momento, Spain's soccer superstars take some notes to remember why they want to win Euro 2008.

HBO's interactive VOYUER PROJECT is a multimedia experience that gives you a peek into what happens behind the countless windows we pass on a daily. "The HBO Vouyeur Project illustrates the underlying truth thats sometimes the most revealing stories are the ones you weren't supposed to see."

Brand Identity: Coca Cola 

Agency: Turner Duckworth

FFFFound!!!

I have just ffffound! the greatest site ever. FFFFOUND! is a web service that not only allows the user to post and share their images found on the web, but also actively recommends each user's tastes and interests for a truly unique image-bookmarking experience. So basically, once you like an image (you do this by clicking the i heart this button) the site automatically recommends other images you might like based on your overall image collection and that of other's who have similar interests as you. The result is a designers wet dream, a digital library of some of the most inspirational images that are uniquely yours. But here's the catch, it's invite only which means that as a regular joe shmo, like me, I can view as much as I want but I can't post my own images or get my own recommendations. I don't know what it takes to be invited, I've searched and searched for the answer but to avail. For now, I'm pretty happy admiring the millions and millions of amazing images, from typography to photography and beyond. This site is truly an experience and I'm not gonna lie, it's quite addictive. I can spend hours clicking and looking, clicking and looking.  

The Launch of Planet Green

It's a very exciting day for TV loving, treehuggers everywhere! Discovery Communications launches the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle TV network, Planet Green, tonight at 6pm EST. But if you're looking for  granola eating, birkenstock with sock wearing hippies reeking of patchouli oil, you've come to the wrong place. From Ludacris and Tommy Lee to Maria Menounos, Emeril Lagasse and Ed Bagley Jr.,  Planet Green has created a grandeur of star studded shows. And the programs actually look interesting and span from home renovations and design, to green dining and even green celebrity gossip. The content is meant to be entertaining and relevant to people of all ages and backgrounds while giving them insight to greener pastures. Eileen O'Neill, general manager of Planet Green says, "this is an eco-tainment channel. It's a lifestyle and entertainment channel that's designed to activate people in the green space." She also went ahead to say the Planet Green is not intended to lecture or point fingers, it's all about entertainment and having fun, it is still television after all. 

MUTO by BLU

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo

2008 Venice Beach Art Walk

I had the pleasure of attending this year's Venice Art Walk over the weekend. For one full day, you're invited to explore the residential streets of Venice Beach, CA and discover the tight knit community of artists that inhabit it. The day started at Westminster School on Abbot Kinney where we enjoyed fabulous foods from many of Venice Beach and the surrounding cities best restaurants. The Counter and Chaya Venice were two of my favs. We ate under the shade of an umbrella while listening to live jazz music. After lunch we  hopped on one of the complimentary studio tour buses. Expecting to see art studios and galleries, we were really surprised when our first stop was the second story apartment of the artist. Walking up the stairs to Marion Lane's contemporary loft was an experience all its own. We were met with three huge canvases hanging on the wall each one painted a different color but carrying her signature design. She specializes in acrylic designs on glass which she then transplants to canvas in very intricate patterns. And not only canvases, walls, mirrors, windows, toilets, and sinks also wore the colorful swirls of malleable paint. They resemble colored glue art only a lot more sophisticated than the days of Elmer's school glue. 

Next we visited the home of contemporary furniture designer and fine art film maker, Elizabeth Page Smith, who happened to live right around the corner. She creates an amazing array of clear acrylic furniture filed with powdered pigments. She explained that the static inside the pieces created unique designs in the pigments, making each and every piece a true original.

The captivating artwork of mixed media artist, Fortune Sitole, told the story of the people of his South Africa. The paintings created on long, panoramic panels of wood use real corrugated metal siding and found food and drink wrappers indigenous to South Africa to create lively images of life in South African villages.

All in all, we walked approximately 3 miles and saw the homes, studios and most often home-studios of 23 different Venice dwelling artists. While I was fortunate enough to receive a free ticket from a friend, the $50 fee (which goes directly to the Venice beach Family Clinic) is well worth every penny. I definitely look forward to next years event.

2008 Venice Beach Art Walk

I had the pleasure of checking out this years Venice Beach Art Walk over the weekend. It consisted of two days full of artistic discovery right in my own backyard. I had no idea that Venice was so 

ICFF 2008

Over the weekend New York City was host to the 20th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair. "North America's singular showcase for contemporary design, the fair draws the most intrepid seekers of design truth and design trends to an extraordinary exhibition of the most inspired models of design on the forefront."

Diane Ruengsom, of Domestic Aesthetic, explains why she believes that design should enhance life without harming anyone or anything in the process.

Durso Design website is back on the grid!

It only took us 6 months but DursoDesign.com is open for business. Check out our current work as well as some of our past projects. We love feedback so let us know what you think.