We just found out that one of our favourite architects will be speaking in Vancouver on Thurs. Nov 25th at the Terminal City Club.
Bjarke Ingels is a young Danish architect who is one of the best lecturers out there today. Apart from his architecture, we also love him for his industrial design projects with KiBiSi. These include the “Shanghay” chair which he designed for  HAY that we will have in stock soon, as well as the AIAIAI headphones that are a top-seller here at VS.

His firm BIG.DK produces some of the most seductive graphics out there. This is a lecture not to be missed!

Brought to you by the Urban Land Institute as part of the series “The City in 2050: Making it Happen.”
More info on how to register here.

The following event is being organized by the great people at The Vancouver Heritage Foundation:

Get inside six recently completed laneway houses in Vancouver!
Saturday, December 11, 2010 1 pm – 5 pm
$50 + hst ($25 tax receipts issued upon request)

Lane houses have arrived. We see them popping up all over the city, and six of them are opening to the public December 11th. Laneway housing is an option for owners of older homes in some historic neighbourhoods, to create rental income while densifying and improving their property.

Get some ideas for building a lane house, or just come to see what the buzz is all about.

* 500 – 750 square feet of creative rental living space
* 1 – 2 bedroom homes
* Both traditional and modern designs
* Project teams will be on site to talk to visitors (Architrix, Lanefab, Smallworks, Tandem Lanehouse Company)
* Creatively furnished for the tour by ‘Fluff’
* Enjoy hot chocolate, cookies and Christmas lights

The Laneway House Tour is a fundraising event for the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to creating new life for old buildings.

Get your tickets here.

Thanks to local designer Christian Woo for the shout out in Western Living Magazine!

He picked  our book “Birth of the Cool” as one of the things he loves. It’s also one of our favourite books in the store –  featuring the best of California mid-century design from art to music to furniture to architecture. Edited by Elizabeth Armstrong, it’s the companion to an exhibit of the same name which made its debut at the Orange Country Museum of Art in 2007. Published by Prestel, the hardcover edition is $72 and the perfect addition to your coffee table stack.

Mark your calendars – the Big Back to School Sale at Vancouver Special starts on September 4th!

It’s back – the Vancouver Special House Tour. Organized by the great people over at Vancouver Heritage Foundation.
I went on the tour last year, and it is not to be missed. Lots of new Vancouver Specials have been added this year, as well as a lecture. Sunday September 25th. $25. Get you tickets here.

Introducing Vancouver Special’s Summer Playlist 2.o! Compiled by yours truly here at the store, Anne, Doug, Karin, and Ocean offer their most favourite summer tracks. This eclectic collection is available for purchase on  iTunes, so feel free to download our personal picks for both backyard and beach. Enjoy!

Have you been waiting for the best party of the summer? Well look no further!  You don’t want to miss the biggest and best Party for Architects yet!

Come down to the Museum of Vancouver on Thursday after work, and  enjoy a cold beverage, chat with fellow designers, get inspired by the guys at Shape Architecture, and watch the sun set over English Bay.  See you there!

Tivoli Audio is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and to mark the occasion they have come out with the new Model Ten Radio which will be launched in September.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

A competition has been organized to design a billboard to advertise the Model Ten. Open to anyone -  professionals, students, and design-enthusiasts.  So if you’re an unemployed designer looking to make some money this summer, give it a shot. The grand prize is $3000, and your design will hang in Times Square in New York!

Details are available on designboom.com

Thanks to  Bruce Eyewear in gastown for the shoutout on their blog -  we agree, the felt pouf cubes look great in your shop!