Concrete Planters are here and we're on Etsy.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Artlantis Arts and Crafts Festival.  We launched the concrete coasters and concrete planters and we are happy to say that we may have generated some buzz.  If you weren't able to make it out and/or are feeling down about not having one of our sweet coasters, have no fear.  We are selling the coasters on Etsy along with the concrete planters. 

A bit about the planters.  The planters are made from reclaimed wood, thin slabs of concrete, succulents, and river rock.  The piece can be hung on your wall, bringing a bit of nature and the outdoors inside. Mist with water to keep hydrated.  I've included some images below.  Take a gander.

Artlantis Arts and Music Festival Prep

The Artlantis Arts and Musical festival is coming up this weekend-June 2nd.  The festival will be at the corner of Ponce and N. Higland at Druid Hills Baptist Church (across from Urban Outfitters).  I decided to create concrete planters and concrete coasters for this event.  I love concrete and as seen in past pieces, such as the Living Table, love integrating plants into the raw, industrial material.  Will post more as the planter process unfolds.  I started on the coasters this past weekend and have uploaded photos below.  Still in the works but gives you a good idea.  Would you set your drink on these?

CYCEL: Making Night Cycling Safer

Onwards to Post 2 of the series- projects from the Georgia Tech ID program continues.  This project was done in conjunction with Tory Harrison. 

Biking has become a newfound interest/“passion” of mine.  I use “passion” loosely since I haven’t had much time to ride this past year but I will say every time I hit the pavement and elude mac trucks and school buses determined to run me off the road, my heart starts racing and adrenaline begins pumping.

Tory and I decided to create a product through my “Wearable Technology” class to help  bikers on the road.  A huge concern among bikers is their visibility on the road, particularly at night.  We decided to create a jersey that is comfortable, functional, and will allow drivers to see you better at night.  Thereafter, it’s up to the driver as to how kindly they want to “share the road.”  I digress.  See below for model pictures of the jersey and design concepts.  Kudos and lots of thanks to Jocelyn Chen for lending me her sewing machine and to both Jocelyn and Starr Banks for providing me a crash course in sewing, guiding, pedaling, and for providing encouraging words as we broke countless needles and zippers.  Although, I did realize at the end of the night that sewing isn’t too far from sawing.  Who knows, maybe we’ll be on the next Project Runway.

Title: CYCEL

Materials: Polyester and EL (electroluminescent) wire

This image presents multiple design concepts and ways to incorporate the EL (electroluminescent) wire.  We ended up incorporating the EL wire as a box piping framing the shoulder after accidentally breaking the curved form by sewing over it (learning curve).  I would like to attempt the curved form sometime in the future.

Final product: Thanks to Mona and Starr for the bicycle modeling.

Cardboard Chair

I started MDC Interiors 8 years ago and have learned so much in the process.  As the business has evolved, I found myself gravitating more towards design and product development. . . .which in turn led to the launch of the reclaimed furniture line in 2011.  I learned quite a bit through the furniture line and decided I wanted to learn more about design, production, and technical processes.  Enter graduate school.

I just finished my first year of the Industrial Design program at Georgia Tech.  It was a challenging year, balancing work with a full time school load, but I made it through.  Perhaps with many sleepless nights and one too many bowls of ramen noodle, but made it through nonetheless. 

I'd like to share some of my projects with you.  The next few posts will highlight some of the projects completed through the Fall semester ID program.
-Mike

Design Challenge 1:  To create a chair composed of cardboard that utilizes the integrity, structure, and function of the material to create an aesthetically pleasing and functional seating unit.

I really enjoyed working with cardboard.  Working with unexpected materials inspires creativity and forces you to think outside the box (literally).  I also appreciate that cardboard is recyclable, greener than many materials, and readily available to most people.  Next time, you're tossing out that cardboard box think twice about its potential.  

I've included the final product and process images below.

New Table Alert! Glow Table Series continues.

In continuation of the Glow series, MDC Interiors recently added a new table to the technologically-inspried series.  Built for a client who loved the original Glow Table, we tried to keep the concept the same but build on to it a bit.  The client requested a mixed media piece and this is what we came up.  The concept drawing is incredibly basic but gets the point across. 

The table is made from plywood, steel, glass and LED efficient light bulbs.  Similar to the Glow Table series, a dimmer switch is attached to allow the user to change the light setting and create different levels of ambient light.  We chose to make the drawers from glass so the light beaming from below will beautfiully display and showcase the items.  Depending on what is placed in the drawers (marbles, flowers, books), the beauty of the object's shape and colors can be highlighted.

Amazing photos taken by Karen Shacham.

Eco-Home Pick of the Week: MDC Interiors’ Glow Table

Leslie Hedrick did a great write-up on the Glow Table on USGreentechnology.com.  We couldn't have said it better ourselves.  Read below or check it out here.  Photo courtesy of Karen Shacham.

Eco-Home Pick of the Week: MDC Interiors’ Glow Table by Leslie Hedrick

A little bit rustic, a little bit sci-fi, a whole lot eco-friendly. The Glow Table by MDC Interiors incorporates green technology materials like recycled pallet wood, glass, steel and concrete, creating a unique look that effortlessly combines industrial and rustic.

And surely you didn’t miss the accent lighting? The illuminated well depressions are perfect for holding a glass, and even light up your drink from beneath for an eye-catching effect you can adjust with a dimmer switch–energy saving green technology. The glowing drink wells are a surprising addition, but they aren’t out of place at all in this modern-rustic hybrid.

As society moves more toward green technology, we’re seeing urban and earthy styles come together in new and exciting ways. The green technology in the Glow Table is a brilliant example blending both worlds. This piece lends an earthy feeling to urban settings, with natural pallet wood and simple, straightforward lines. On the other hand, the concrete and illuminated wells lend a contemporary edge to more natural environments that showcase wood and eco-friendly elements.

MDC Interiors calls themselves a “creative finish company,” probably because they provide such a variety of interior decorating and finishing services. It’s virtually impossible to slap a label on them. You could contact them about a mural or faux finishing, or meet with their team to have them custom design and build a completely unique piece of furniture. When designing furniture, MDC Interiors favors green technology that minimizes their carbon footprint. They also feel that recycled and reclaimed materials have unique personalities–including aesthetics and performance you won’t find in conventional manufactured pieces.

Whether you love it or hate it, the Glow Table definitely has personality.

http://usgreentechnology.com/stories/eco-home-pick-of-the-week-mdc-interiors-glow-table/#comments 

Calico Desk Featured in Inhabitat

We love Inhabitat and were stoked that they decided to feature our Calico Desk.  It's probably one of our most popular sellers and we're excited that the piece will be getting more visibility and feedback from Inhabitat readers.  The write-up and copy of the feature are below.

MDC Interiors' Cool Calico Desk is Made from a Medley of Recycled Materials  by Diane Pham
This gorgeous Calico Desk by MDC Interiors will add a bit of rustic charm to any interior space. Designed for a new series made with reclaimed wood salvaged locally from construction sites and discarded pallets from local warehouses and stores, each desk boasts a medley of colors, textures and depth to create one streamlined design. The front drawers of the desk are salvaged from a broken hutch, thus combining an old discarded piece of furniture to produce a functional desk. The chunky legs are taken from remnant 4×4 exterior wooden posts.

Read more: MDC Interiors' Cool Calico Desk Is Made from a Medley of Reclaimed Wood Pieces | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building