NeoCon from neoconwtf on Vimeo.

I received my first direct mail piece today announcing the 2010 Necon at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. With over 700 showrooms and exhibitors the event  is seen as one of the nations premier design industry event. This years event runs from June 14,15 & 16th and features a  variety of products in five basic categories, Healthcare, Fine Design, Environmental, Lighting and Buildex, My personal area of interest is Fine design because of it’s focus on residential applications. I think if you’re looking to see what’s new and hot in the design market or maybe just want to drink in the Windy City in summer (it’s beautiful there) then this just might be an event you need to make plans to attend.

The Karisma Hotel’s Azul family of properties offer the modernist fan a variety of getaway options. Located just 20 minutes from Cancun’s airport the Azul Beach features just 98 rooms and boasts an Gourmet Inclusive® menu. The Azul Sensatori also boast the Gourmet Inclusive and close proximity to the Cancun airport but features 438 suites, it’s own Mojito Bar with 32 Mojito’s to choose from, and swim up Jacuzzi sweets along a lazy river that wraps around the property. Located just 5 minutes from Playa Del Carmen the Azul Fives offers 260 suites with the largest featuring a private rooftop pation and over 3,800 sq ft. of living space, and of course as you might have guessed, the Gourmet Inclusive® feature that the Azul family of hotels is known for. The final offering in the Azul family is the Azul Villa Carola, by Karisma a 10,700 sq ft interior space with room for  12 adults and eight children. This luxury six bedroom features a pool, heated Jacuzzi, Majordomo service and optional private chef and access the Azul Beaches ameneties. The appeal of the Azul collection of properties to someone like myself is the family friendly nature of the facilities combined with a sophisticated modern aesthetic and some real food and beverage options, not usually found at properties that appeal to families.

I don’t usually get too excited about wall tiles. It’s not that I don’t recognize when I seen nice tile or the impact that it can have. It just doesn’t seem like I seen anything that gets me so excited I want to add a wing onto my house to put in a another bathroom, or put up an extra wall in my kitchen so I have a backsplash to cover, but these new tiles from Impronta Ceramiche (that my wife found the other day) have me contemplating some crazy “what if’…” scenarios. Honestly I don’t think that I personally can do them just with my description so I’ll just let you take them in from the photo above and the link. I will note that usually Italian made means very expensive shipping costs but as it turns out it looks like these guys have a plant state side located in Virginia so maybe just maybe that makes the slightest bit more affordable.

Finding a shower curtain that works well in a modern industrial aesthetic isn’t always easy, but if you got a few extra dollars to spend here’s one you might want to consider. Tualatin, Oregan based Cascade Coil is the home of architectural metal draperies and has been since they developed the idea in 1960. Recently the company has seen growing interest in their commercial products after it appeared on the former Conan O’Brien show. There certainly are some great uses for Cascade Coil’s line of products, but by far my favorite is a really cool alternative to a traditional plastic or cloth shower curtain.  The curtain comes in two standard sizes and sell for between $400 and $500.

Citroën Survolt from Laurent Nivalle on Vimeo.

The French automaker Citroen has brought some real sex appeal to the auto shows of Europe. Their new concept Survolt is stunning to look at, but I’m not sure who the target demographic is for this one after seeing the images and ad. Normally a muscular looking sleek sports car ad featuring a beautiful woman would be a dead giveaway, but the fact that the Survolt has hot pink accents and a heroine star for its promotional video leaves you guessing. Either way the French automaker seems to have a really eye-catching, sleek looking and did I mention Fully electric sports car ready to hit the streets of Europe. Looks like the people at Tesla are going to have a little competition in the cool electric sports car category very soon—or at least in Europe.

I really don’t know what to say about the work of artist Charles Clary. it’s cool, fascinating and inspiring. All of his work is made out of acrylic and cut paper and have a very organic yet almost surreal quality to them. What I’ve posted her is just a tiny sampling of his incredible work so take a little time and visit the link above to see some more.

The Little Whirl Serving Dish could be put to use as a catchall for small items or as a serving dish for nuts and candies. This porcelain dish is hand made by ceramist Kim Westad out of  NY.

Available at Supermarket for $72

The island of Antiqua is almost completely surrounded by coral, which creates calm waters of crystal clear blue water unlike almost anywhere else in the world. I was super excited when I found this great looking new resort located on the north shore of  this magical island by the name of Hodges Bay Club. The Club scheduled to be finished for the 2009/2010 winter season, sits on eight-acres and features a unique collection of stunning ocean-front houses, penthouses, club apartments, deluxe courtyard suites and club suites. Ok I’ll admit that that description basically comes from the their website, but this place really does look stunning.  The rooms are much more than just rooms, their more like sleek modern residence with incredible views that invite relaxation. My disappointment came when I started looking for some customers reviews and found that construction on this property had ground to a halt, apparently the “great recession” has even impacted paradise.

We’ve all seen them —Mid-Ccentury Modern houses from the 50’s and 60’s that have suffered through years of bad design decisions that have often left them lacking their coolest design jewel—the front door. Yet when MCM homeowners David and Christiane couldn’t find a replacement for their 1951 home’s front door they decided to do something about it. They created a do-it-yourself Doorlite Kit company called Crestview Doors, that offers homeowners and professionals the ability to bring the MCM look and feel to any flush interior or exterior door through the introduction simple windows.

68 bucks gets you a small Crushed Bowl designed by Julien de Smedt for Muuto. This may seem like a lot for something only 6.5″ dia. x 5.5″ h but then again, you can see the picture as well as I can.  This thing is really amazing and only available from from the Fluke Collective.