Author: David Vega

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Olivetti Typewriter

subtitle: New Italian Industrialism and the Love of Work

By David Vega | 5 Mar 10 | office | 4 Comments

When Camillo Olivetti, the founder of a growing Italian typewriter company, sent his son, Adriano, to the U.S. in 1924 to study American industrialism, did he realize that he would be plotting an entirely new course for the future of his little endeavor?

Olivetti Valentine, 1969

4 Comments

The History Of Olive Oil

subtitle: Liquid Gift of God and Earth

By David Vega | 26 Feb 10 | Cooking | 5 Comments

Olive oil has long been considered one of the greatest natural assets of the ancient world (and sometimes worth its weight in gold). It has consistently offered humanity the gifts of health and wealth, and is as complex and delicious as wine. Since antiquity, olive branches have been a symbol of peace – perhaps because olive trees were an agricultural offering bestowed to the colonies after they were subjugated in battle. Wherever disseminated, olive trees were lauded for their myriad everyday uses, from the culinary to the corporal.

Fratelli Carli, Italian Olive Oil

5 Comments

SAFETY RAZOR

subtitle: The Indisposable Shaving Solution

By David Vega | 5 Feb 10 | Beauty, Materials | 3 Comments

I was walking on the beach not long ago and came across a sight not entirely uncommon in Southern California - a pile of trash. Scattered amongst this little hill of debris situated along the foamy line where surf meets sand, was: A plastic lighter, an empty Dasani water bottle and a Gillette disposable razor. Further down the beach lay a Bic ballpoint pen. Now, how is it that both Gillette and Bic, who’ve won over consumers with the offering of cheap lighters, razors and pens, keep us convinced that plastic is the material of choice? When did men’s little personal effects become so cheap, so… disposable?

Gilette Safety Razor Catalog, 1909 / Razor Archive

3 Comments

Paper Making

subtitle: An Industry In Dire Need Of Change

By David Vega | 25 Jan 10 | Materials, Wood | 3 Comments

Paper has been a key factor in communication and learning and can be traced back to 3000 BC. In those days, Egyptian craftsman cut the stems of the djet or tjufi plant (papyrus in Greek), a tall freshwater reed belonging to a group of plants known in Biblical references as bulrushes. The Egyptians cut the reed into thin strips, softened them in the muddy waters of the Nile, then layered them in right angles. They then pounded the mat into a thin sheet and left it out to dry in the sun. It was clearly a labor-intensive affair, and most likely won the respect of producers and consumers alike; for this reason, it was saved for very important records, fine art, and religious texts.

Image by John Hubbard

3 Comments

George Nelson Flip Clock

subtitle: A Clear Vision of Modern Design

By David Vega | 18 Jan 10 | electronics | 4 Comments

What is the crowning glory of your civilization… the symbol as clear a statement as the pyramids, the Parthenon, the cathedrals? What is this symbol? What is its name?

Its name is Junk.

Junk is the rusty, lovely, brilliant symbol of the dying years of your time. Junk is your ultimate landscape. - George Nelson, 1965

George Nelson Design for Herman Miller Clock Company, Circa 1950

4 Comments

Corrugated Cardboard

subtitle: Plain Old Box

By David Vega | 11 Jan 10 | Materials, Outdoors, Paper, packaging | 5 Comments

I was recently on a search, looking by the bins near our neighbor’s apartment complex, peeking behind the store around the block, looking for the right one. And then I found her - a flat yet sturdy beauty, about 6 feet tall, pleasantly thick in all the right places, clean around the edges, and in excellent overall shape. I had found the mother of them all, a huge cardboard box, and what a great playhouse it would make for my 2-year old. As I threw the heavy carton into the back of my truck, I imagined what it must have carried, being so strong, and what it would become after I got through with it.

Carboard Container Advertising 1942

5 Comments

Pocket Lighter

subtitle: Flip, Flick, FLAME

By David Vega | 23 Dec 09 | Outdoors, Smoking & Drinking | 3 Comments

Man’s fire, the gods’ greatest gift. Forgive the overused metaphor, but I was as inspired as young Prometheus when I held hot fire in my hands, produced by my very own steel pocket lighter. A skinny eighteen-year-old takes on a serious swagger when he smokes a cigarette, and half of it happens right when he lights up.

Zippo Advertising 1959

3 Comments

Natural Cork

subtitle: Much More than Just a Stopper

By David Vega | 18 Dec 09 | Materials, Wood | 3 Comments

Ah, the small squeak of the stopper against glass as you open a bottle of good wine, what could be more pleasing? Perhaps the subtle-spring in your heels as you walk across flooring from recycled wine stoppers? Or the dampened, acoustic softness that seems to seal out the noisy bustle of the world beyond? Yes, cork is a material that does it all, and does it well: it’s natural (derived from an evergreen oak, Quercus suber), beautiful, and regenerates quickly. Best of all, this wonder material is making a comeback.

Book From 1909

3 Comments

SWISS ARMY BREAD BAG

subtitle: Repurpose of an Old Bag

By David Vega | 9 Dec 09 | Fabrics, Outdoors, vintage | 6 Comments

I found these great vintage Swiss military bread bags at an Army-Navy surplus store the other day. Amazingly well-made. I was immediately drawn to them aesthetically, and seeing how I’ve been building up a vintage Italian road bike as of late, I thought they’d be perfect candidates for panniers.

Vintage Swiss Army Bread Bag

6 Comments

Kerosene Lantern

subtitle: Alternative Fuels for Kerosene Lanterns

By David Vega | 16 Nov 09 | Outdoors, vintage | 1 Comment

There is something beautiful about well-built camping gear- it holds up incredibly well after years of use and abuse. Take the old steel kerosene lantern for example; it is so much sturdier than today’s plastic variety, which is toy-like in comparison.

Coleman Catalog 1955

1 Comment

Author: David Vega

Olivetti Typewriter

subtitle: New Italian Industrialism and the Love of Work

The History Of Olive Oil

subtitle: Liquid Gift of God and Earth

SAFETY RAZOR

subtitle: The Indisposable Shaving Solution

Paper Making

subtitle: An Industry In Dire Need Of Change

George Nelson Flip Clock

subtitle: A Clear Vision of Modern Design

Corrugated Cardboard

subtitle: Plain Old Box

Pocket Lighter

subtitle: Flip, Flick, FLAME

Natural Cork

subtitle: Much More than Just a Stopper

SWISS ARMY BREAD BAG

subtitle: Repurpose of an Old Bag

Kerosene Lantern

subtitle: Alternative Fuels for Kerosene Lanterns

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