February 17th, 2021

This image, along with the others following, are pretty cool backlit renditions of quite interesting photographs, produced by WALLITY.
​Based in Turkey, Wallity creates forward-thinking design pieces that give any room an elevated aesthetic. Their eye-catching canvas prints are backlit with integrated LEDs that imparts a soft, subdued glow to already dazzling works of art.

 :BAR SCENE : 

: :  REST STOP : : 

​Step up the ambience in your space with this incredible collection of gallery wrapped canvas art prints— with a twist. Each one is equipped with color-coordinated LEDs built into the backside of the canvas. This not only makes your wall art come alive with brilliant color, it offers a soft, ethereal outer glow that enhances the atmosphere of any room.

: : SUZAN CARSLEY : : 

For those of you who have followed DR•I over the years you are likely to remember Suzan's work. Suzan, a professional interior designer, was a Montréal contemporary of mine for many years. Our orbits intersected on a variety of design projects. 
A few years ago she retired to New Brunswick, designed and built her own house and art studio and has devoted herself to her work, predominantly in water colours, ever since.

The following submission is somewhat of a departure for her - albeit we have featured s few of her linocuts previously, this series is based on a real life historical figure, Tappan Adney. 

Her pieces as shown here are brilliant - beautifully balanced in tone and construct.
IMHO, woodcuts or vinyl cuts, in my experience, can tend to be far too overworked - too biZZy.......not so in this case.
Following, in her own words, is Suzan's explanation as to how this work unfolded.

I live just outside Woodstock, New Brunswick, a small town of 5000 nestled where the Saint John and the Meduxnekeag Rivers meet.
 
At the Connell House, home of the Historical Society in town, there is a room housing a wealth of information on Tappan Adney. Born in the US in 1868, Tappan Adney visited Woodstock at the age of 18. This visit would change his life.  He ended up marrying a local girl and embraced everything he saw going on in the Saint John River Valley. 
 
He was a journalist for Harpers Weekly and travelled and wrote on the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800’s. Among many things, he was an artist, an ornithologist, a fighter for aboriginal rights, and singlehandedly saved the birchbark canoe from extinction. You might call him Woodstock’s “Complete Renaissance Man.”
 
His wife, Minnie Bell and son Glen would vacation on Skiff Lake, a 35 minute drive from Woodstock. In the mid 1950’s, Glen, then married himself and with a daughter, bought a turn of the century cottage on the lake. 

Now owned by Glen’s daughter, (Tappan Adney’s granddaughter,) I had the opportunity to stay at the cottage for a few days last fall. Tappan Adney died in 1950 and therefore was never at the cottage himself.   The building is filled with baskets, photographs, artwork and books by and about Tappan Adney, and the minute in entered I could feel his spirit.
 
I felt I had to express this emotion I was feeling and this has blossomed into a series. 
 
I have only just begun. The completed series will have 26 works. I will be showcasing linocuts of the cottage and it’s surrounds both in black and white and with the addition of watercolour on different papers. In addition I intend to produce some acrylic works incorporating photo transfer of photos of Tappan Adney and his own art.
 
Fittingly, the show will take place at the Connell House in Woodstock in July 2022 where located upstairs is the Tappan Adney room.
 
This is a sneak preview of some of the works. 
All linocut images are 8 ¼” x 12” 
The linocut of Tappan Adney himself, is a study being 3 1/4” x 10”
      The final work will be 8 ¼” x 14”
      The photo transfer of Tappan Adney on acrylic (the first image, above) is a test work, 6 ½”  x 10”,   with the final one to be 8 ¼” x 14”.

You all know the old adage, guideline when it comes to editing -
a good editor knows what to leave out as opposed to what to
​put in!

The same applies to a designer, an artist - personally I find a unique richness in this work - a richness of spirit captured, of balanced textures, of mood embraced.

Suzan can be reached directly at:
https://www.facebook.com/suzancarsleyartist/

CALISTOGA CHAIR
The Calistoga Chair features an industrial iron metal frame with a softly brushed finish. This chair is accented with wood arms in a contrasting light finish. A distressed leather seat is fixed to the frame with a series of buckles for a relaxed and bohemian flair

Measurements 36"L x 25"W x 37"H
OriginChina
— Warranty: Manufacturer's 2 Year 
— Seat Height: 16" 
— Max. Weight Capacity: 250 lb 
— Arrives Assembled 
— Weight: 44 lb 

PROPELLER TABLE:
A vintage 1920s boat propeller is recast as the focal point of this sturdy side table. Cast iron legs support the propeller shaft-inspired riveted column. A 22” x 3/8” thick glass top allows a clear view of the structure beneath

Materials Brass, Cast Iron, Glass
Measurements 22"Ø x 28.5"H
OriginIndia
— Warranty: Manufacturer's 2 Year 
— Assembly Required, Instructions Included 
— Product Weight: 36 lb

An APPLE Car?

It's been in the background for years - rumour after rumour - but now, this:

​CNBC: Apple and Hyundai nearing Apple Car deal, first version will
​‘not be designed to have a driver’
 Filipe Espósito

Following an earlier report today from the Korean newspaper DongA, CNBC now corroborates the partnership between Apple and Hyundai/Kia Motors. According to the new report, both companies are close to finalizing a big deal that will lead to the manufacture of the long-rumored “Apple Car.”
 
Last month, Hyundai Motor confirmed that the company was in talks with Apple, although it did not reveal the reasons behind it. At that time, rumors suggested that Kia Motors — which is owned by Hyundai — would help Apple manufacture the first Apple Car.

A new report from CNBC says the Apple Car will be manufactured at a Kia facility in West Point, Georgia. Apple and Hyundai are close to sealing a deal, which could be worth about $3.6 billion, according to a Korean newspaper. If the rumors are right, the production of Apple’s first electric vehicle will begin in 2024.

However, while Hyundai is Apple’s primary partner in building the Apple Car, the Cupertino-based company is also negotiating with other automakers according to sources.

The so-called “Apple Car,” which is being developed by a team at Apple, is tentatively scheduled to go into production in 2024, though people familiar with the talks between Apple and Hyundai-Kia say the eventual rollout could be pushed back. […] In addition, they stress that Apple may ultimately decide to partner with another automaker separately or in addition to working with Hyundai.  

Interestingly, the report claims that the first electric vehicle with the Apple brand will be totally autonomous. A CNBC source familiar with the matter said that the “Apple Cars will not be designed to have a driver.” As the report points out, a car not made for drivers could be initially targeted for car-riding or delivery companies instead of regular consumers.

These will be autonomous, electric vehicles designed to operate without a driver and focused on the last mile.”  That could mean Apple cars, at least initially, could focus on package food delivery operations and firms incorporating robotaxis.

Having a completely autonomous car, although not impossible, seems to be an extremely ambitious plan — especially if we consider the schedule for a launch in 3-4 years.

The first rumors about Apple Car date back to 2015, and since then, Apple has been hiring car engineers and acquiring startups related to the electric car business. However, the company has never discussed its plans to build a new car in public.

Strictly from appearance, can you guess what this is? Or, more precisely, what it was - and then became this. . . . 

Rather stunning it is. But it started out life as a water tower.

Converted water tower for sale in Leicestershire is Rightmove's
​most-viewed January home
The property intertwines contemporary design with period architecture.

By Lisa Walden

​A quirky converted water tower for sale in Leicestershire has been revealed as Rightmove's most-viewed property in January — and it's not hard to see why.

The award-winning home, which was constructed circa 1853, intertwines contemporary and period architecture with superb countryside views.

Some head-turning features include the steel-spine staircase, exposed original brickwork, full-height curved glazed walls, limestone flooring, large reception hall, and the master bedroom suite with its own mezzanine bathroom. On the market for £595,000, you certainly do get a lot for your money.

There is a sense of grandeur to the property, notably thanks to the spacious light-filled bedrooms, attic room, large living/diner area, and floor-to-ceiling windows. But that's not all: the loft also has access to the tower's former tank, which provides ample storage space or the option to be used as a gym, studio space or children's chill-out lounge.

'It's always fun to showcase quirky properties that stand out from the crowd and this converted water tower certainly falls into that category,' says Tim Bannister, Rightmove's Director of Property.

'You don't need to be a property expert to see why it's garnered so much attention from the British public – it's a fantastic example of how innovative architecture can really reenergise and transform a period property.'
Situated in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, the water tower is around 400 metres to Market Street and the great range of shops, pubs and restaurants which the town offers. If you're looking for a little more culture, The Bath Grounds (park) and Ashby Castle also provide plenty of additional activities to enjoy on a weekend.
This converted water tower is currently on the market for £595,000 with Fisher German via Rightmove.

WOW!
What might this be?

Clearly, it's a computer of course - but - it's a laptop with seven screens!

The Aurora 7 laptop is the ultimate desktop killer with its 7 foldout screens
By Chuong Nguyen

Expanscape’s Aurora 7 is a 17.3-inch beast of a laptop that comes with a total of seven displays to elevate your mobile gaming to the next level. With the Aurora 7, which is currently still in the concept stage, gamers no longer have to choose between the immobile experience of gaming on a big desktop with a multi-display setup or trying to play on a small, cramped screen on a mobile rig. Nongamers can even immerse themselves in multiple tasks across all seven displays.

To make things compact enough to carry, the displays on the Aurora 7 comes in varying sizes that either fold or swivel out from the main 17.3-inch screen. Three additional 17.3-inch panels join the main display — one in the same landscape orientation sits above the display, while two portrait screens of the same size flank the main screen on either side. There are also three smaller 7-inch panels, each with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels.
In total, the whole package weighs a whopping 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds!), so it isn’t exactly the most mobile-friendly setup. Still, given that the displays are all integrated into one unit, the Aurora 7 is easier to transport to your next LAN party after the pandemic ends than having to lug around a bunch of external monitors.
To power all these screens, Expanscape is relying on an Intel Core i9-9900K processor that’s coupled to Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060, but according to Tom’s Hardware, the chassis of this notebook is large enough to accommodate different platforms, like a more modern Intel Core i9-10900K or even AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X. There’s no word on whether you can upgrade the GPU to Nvidia’s more modern GeForce RTX 3000-series mobile or AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 mobile graphics, however.

Other hardware include 64GB of memory and multiple drive options for storage, making it feel more like a desktop gaming rig. The Aurora 7 can accommodate two PCIe M.2 SSDs, a 2.5-inch SSD, and a 2TB hard disk drive.

In addition to the size and weight of the setup, another thing that can limit the Aurora 7 from being your primary travel laptop is its battery life. While the battery is rated at two hours and 20 minutes, actual battery life may be much shorter when you’re taxing the system with a high-end game. To its credit, though, Expanscape equipped the Aurora 7 with two batteries — an 82Whr battery keeps everything humming along under the hood, and a second 148Whr battery keeps the displays powered up.
Though gamers will find a lot of potential tucked into the Aurora 7’s design, the laptop can also be useful for multitaskers, designers, video editors, and graphics artists who need to juggle their work across multiple displays. Stock brokers and day traders working from home can also benefit from the multi-display setup of this laptop.
At this time, the Aurora 7 is unfortunately still a concept, and Tom’s Hardware noted that the whole setup feels more like a prototype than a product ready for shipping.

​THE BOWLUS TERRA FIRMA

by ​Ben Branch

The Bowlus Terra Firma is the newest travel trailer from the company that invented the aluminum home on wheels – Bowlus was founded by aircraft engineer Hawley Bowlus in 1934.

​Hawley Bowlus is perhaps best-known today for his role in building the famed aircraft Spirit of St. Louis, the aircraft flown by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France.

As an aircraft engineer Bowlus was well-versed in the practice of aluminum fuselage design, so when he needed a mobile travel trailer to transport flight crews to remote airfields he created it using many of the same principles of aircraft design.

When it was first shown to the public in 1934 it caused a sensation, and more than a few quickly emulated the design including Wally Byam of Airstream.
Bowlus’ first love was always aircraft so after approximately 80 of his aluminum travel trailers were built he went back to aircraft and left companies like Airstream to carry on his creation.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
More recently the Bowlus travel trailer company has been brought back, still using the sleek aerodynamic designs of the 1930s but now with entirely modern ​interiors designed for 21st century asphalt adventures.

​The model you see here is the new Bowlus Terra Firma, it’s 26 feet long, it sleeps and dines four adults and it even has built in accommodation for pets should you wish to bring them with you.

Each Terra Firma is fitted with an HEPA Filter with UVC giving occupants mobile clean air and relief for anyone suffering from hay fever outdoors. It also has an advanced two-stage water filtration system, taking the worry out of sourcing reliable potable water when on the road.

​Inside you’ll find a hotel-style bathroom with hot and cold running water, a toilet, a bathroom heating system, and all the other amenities you’d expect.

The interior height is 6’4″ which will comfortably accommodate most, it has air conditioning, a built in power system with an 8 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, 19 gallons of fresh water and 21 gallons capacity for grey water, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Levitating Celestial Bodies

​Comprised of a team of visual artists, designers, and creatives, E.P. Light is passionate about bringing beauty and creative energy to every home and office. Their collection of levitating LED lamps offer a unique look at the planets in our solar system while offering brilliant style and gentle illumination to any space.

Here we are
For some, at the end of DR•I
For others, a continuation.

Remember, if you have any comments, questions, concerns - please contact us at
Inbox@DesignReview.International