But is it design?
“Modernism” shows museumgoers how we lost our frills
These days, we’re used to living with a mix of the modernist and the traditional. Just look at the Downtown Mall, where the blunt outlines of the fountain in Central Place sit within view of many century-old facades. It’s easy to forget that modernism was once a revolution. A big exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., lays out the history of the last century’s sweeping movement, concentrated between the World Wars, in which colors became bolder, forms became simplified, and ornamentation fell away. “Modernism: Designing a New World, 1914-1939” is showing through July 29.
 Alvar Aalto’s “Savoy” vase is an icon of modernism |
Among the 400-plus objects on display are many that changed the look of our homes. Gerrit Rietveld’s circa-1923 “Red Blue” chair, for example, is still striking in its geometric purity, but its echoes in contemporary furniture are obvious. And Alvar Aalto’s 1936 “Savoy” vase is a ripple of glass that has transcended its highbrow origins to grace millions of tabletops.
If you’re the kind of person who’s a little repulsed by a skyline full of steel-and-glass monoliths, “Modernism” might not be for you. Then again, it might just provide enough context to make all those clean lines and blank surfaces seem more appealing. And after all, you can save a bundle if you’re willing to set foot in Ikea.—Erika Howsare
Cook your buns off
Win big: Do Dixie in the kitchen
What could be more Southern than sweet potato rolls with sticky caramel-pecan sauce? That’s the recipe that won the 2006 Southern Living Cook-off. The grand pooh-bah of all Dixie region lifestyle magazines is running the annual recipe contest again right now, and there’s a big cash incentive to submit. The grand prize winner will score a cool $100,000—enough dough to buy a lifetime supply of cinnamon rolls. Last year’s other finalists created an array of recipes featuring Southern decadence on a plate, including shrimp bruschette with guacamole and spicy braised short ribs with peach gravy and green rice.
 Sharpen your knives: The Southern Living Cook-off tests foodies’ mettle. |
One catch: You have to use at least one of the “sponsor products” in your recipe. Your options include pride-wounding stuff like Crisco and Jell-O, but also versatile and respectable ingredients like peanuts and shrimp. This year’s Cook-Off Finals will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, where finalists will duke it out on October 3 and 4.
If you’re a local and you win, we promise not to make fun of you for reading Southern Living. Last year’s winners were all from the Midwest or West Coast, so our position is that Southerners need to bring bragging rights back home. Go ahead and enter! And, for the love of O’Hara, don’t forget to garnish.—Jennifer Pullinger
Get a patent
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The stuff you probably associate with a matching shoes-and-handbag set you once wore to Sunday school is now staying home from church. Instead, patent leather is showing up on wingchairs, mirror frames and other furnishings. At least that’s what you’d think if you saw the trend trumpeted in home-decor glossies. If you’re shopping locally, though, a super-shiny couch might be tough to find: Area shops are just starting to get into the patent leather market. Keep your eye out for the mirrorlike stuff in their showrooms and fabric-sample books in coming months, and don’t forget to wear shades.—E.H.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 (Number of days a week Penny Lane is open)
The eclectic Ridge Street antique store Penny Lane recently expanded its store hours from an elusive three days a month to three days a week. Every Friday through Sunday, home decor enthusiasts looking for the special touches to personalize their place can enter the realm of owner Penny Latham: cozy rooms packed with hand-crafted jewelry, china tea sets, French mirrors, vintage aprons and original art work by regional artists. Latham displays the brand new mixed seamlessly with the vintage; there are great gifts under $20, a few high-end collector’s pieces, and everything in between.
 Penny Latham is slowly adding hours to her store’s schedule. Until recently, she was open a tantalizing three days a month. |
Why the truncated schedule? It’s a result of the ongoing renovation of the aged Ridge Street space, a project that Latham executes with care. “I have a passion for historic preservation. I always want to get back to the way something was originally,” she says. Latham hopes to open the store on a full-time schedule soon, after the next wave of renovation is complete.
Until then, Penny Lane’s episodic hours of business lend an expeditionary air that makes shopping for housewares feel like you’re on a special quest. Follow the scent! Latham keeps everything personal: “There’s nothing here that I wouldn’t have in my own house.”—Nancy Chen
Which fork to use
Local company aims to revolutionize your table
Slight variations aside, a fork is a fork is a fork: a few tines and a handle. Unless, of course, you’re talking about Curvware. Designed by local businessman Mark Wilson, Curvware performs the same functions as the knife, spoon and fork you’ve used for a lifetime, but looks decidedly different. The handle of each piece is a two-part prong.
 Ever wondered what an ergonomic fork would look like? |
How the heck do you use it? It takes some getting used to. The handle fits into your palm and your index finger is invited to rest in a wide dimple near the business end. Wilson says that the design allows the hand to be more relaxed—especially nice for people with arthritis or carpal-tunnel syndrome, but ergonomic for everyone. He was inspired, he says, by pondering the difference between lever-shaped door-handles and round doorknobs. Curvware aims to replicate the advantages of the former.
Wilson acknowledges that people may not be ready for an everyday tool to change to radically: “Some things have been around so long they’re practically sacred,” he says. He works to get Curvware on tables at special events so as to build interest in the luxury market. (A three-piece setting is $99, comparable to name-brand sets from the likes of Vera Wang and Calvin Klein.) If you’re curious, visit www.curvware.com.—E.H.