Like legos for grown-ups, these clever and modern modular pieces offer a multitude of decorative options for your home or office. ModulA.R.T. was created by Donald Rattner in order to represent a new way to create, collect and think about contemporary art. The goal of A.R.T is to “make high quality, original art more accessible to more people.” Using only materials of the highest quality, A.R.T. involves the work of artists from a myriad of disciplines from fine artists to industrial designers. So, go ahead, play and display.

Note: The Art Rethought blog is a gem, covering architecture, fashion and design.

Working in the spirit of the great German design tradition is Studio Stadtnomaden. Linda Altmann and Oliver Krapfased are the lead designers in this Stuttgart-based design haven. They’ve created numerous genius pieces (like the ‘little helper’ doormat and the coffee maker that looks like a transistor radio), but my personal favorite is the A la carte moveable kitchen system.

“The robust outer shells can be set into transport containers in which the finer wooden parts can be packed and transported safely. The cuts for handling also serve as a hidden access for the electrical appliances. Such details and the bisection of the back cover eliminate the need for machining even for water supply. Besides the adjustable feet a set of castors can be adapted.”

I adore the cutting board that acts as a bridge between the two modules. In Fantasyland, my kitchen is this clean, orderly and sleek. In reality I’m forced to admire my late 90s appliances…shhhhh.

The work of 25-year-old artist Valentin Fischer (aka “Shu”) based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Before I left for Austin, I spent a little time online looking for tips in order to fully reap the benefits of SXSW, gather some insider info, etc. I scoffed at most of the them (drink a lot of water, rest, blah, blah), but in hindsight…I get it:

A few days in Austin during SXSW will wear you the hell out.

A few things I will remember next year…

1. Wear. Comfortable. Shoes. I think I walked about 422 miles on the first day.

2. Take a nap. Even a short one will make a difference. (I did not take this advice)

3. Buy food (wine + beer) at a local grocery store when you arrive. There aren’t a ton of quick-eating options around the conference center (unless you’re into bacon-flavored waffle cones). I would have been thrilled to have had snacks in my bag.

4. I discovered first hand that the best panels or workshops are often flying under the masses’ radar. Give yourself permission to walk out of the talks that seem to be garnering the most attention if you’re losing interest.

5. You don’t need all the junk. Leave the promos behind. If they’re that cool (like the cardboard ipod case below), just take a photo. The end.

6. Make a point to seek out music. I’d anticipated that I would just fall into the laps of  amazing bands in every bar on 6th Street. There were a couple open mics and standard blue bands, but nothing that knocked my socks off. I realize that I should have stuck around for the music portion of festival if I really wanted to check out the stellar gigs, but I’m not sure I would have survived even one more night in Austin. One evening I did seek out music, and saw Austin-local Mandy Lauderdale‘s (above in the cute red and black dress) show. Fantastic.

7. You may be too old for parties with the promise of free drinks. I always prefer to be out late rather than up early, but I am definitely too old to wait in line for free beer or a crowded party. I would rather have a glass of wine in the hotel lobby or a shot of tequila in a semi-deserted bar and watch the ‘kids’ stand in line.

8. Get off 6th Street. Austin is huge and awesome.

9. Expand your networking horizons. I made many more valuable contacts randomly chatting with people around town than I did going to SXSW events. They’re great, but I found them to be a bit too crowded and loud to make valuable connections.

9. If you can, give yourself a buffer day off when you get back from your trip. You’ll be happy to have a day to regroup, and go through all your notes while they’re fresh.

10. Schedule a midday flight home. We were on a 1:30pm flight and the security line was only fifteen minutes. The word around the airport was that the line had been over an hour early that morning. Not so fun after a long night standing in line for free beer.

In 2009, Magnum sent ten photographers to Georgia to capture its “renaissance, its revival, its awakening.” The project resulted in eleven web documentaries, a book, a touring exhibition and this beautiful website.

Photos above by Thomas Dworzak, Martine Frank, and Martin Parr.

While in Las Vegas last week for the apparel shows, I stopped by sales and branding agency Indigo Showroom‘s booth. While looking through their client roster, I discovered Uhuru, a Brooklyn-based furniture company focused on environmental sustainability with an avant garde design sense. Uhuru was founded in 2004 by RISD grads Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf.

“We strongly agree with the shaker assertion that ‘beauty rests on utility’ We strive to make furniture and products that are beautiful in their simplicity with an acute awareness of materials, and craft. Many of the items we create utilize materials that have been reclaimed, recycled, repurposed, reused or otherwise rejected from their original function.”

Creative professional, Nathan Shinkle, recently re-launched his portfolio with a healthy chunk of beautiful design work. Shinkle spent most of his career working in the garment-printing industry and recently made the switch to interactive. He now works for Indianapolis-based design firm Media Sauce.

Creative, funky, quirky innovation from London-based concept store Darkroom.

The work of Doshi Levien is clean, curious, quirky and imaginative. Oh, and beautiful. This London-based studio is lead by Jonathan Levien and Nipa Doshi.  Their website explains that their work “celebrates the cultural hybrid and explores the synthesis between technology, story telling, industrial design and craftsmanship.”

Refreshingly clean and colorful, the City of Melbourne‘s new identity made Brand New’s “Best of Identities” list for 2009. Can’t say I disagree. The new identity is clean, flexible and says that the city is progressive, vibrant and not afraid to go there. Nice work by Landor.