HOUS March 2010 : Page 85
Home | hotlist THE BUZZ Architect and interior designer Sharon Perry Wise has opened Objects Lost & Found (2815 Ferndale St., 713.523. 8496), which sources 19th- centruy glass elixir bottles, old-school inkwells and other offbeat objects. Austin Imports: Rad Rugs Handsome Austin-based Kyle Bunting, 41, is turning heads—and heels—with his custom- made, high-end Italian cowhide rugs that weave in jet-black stripes and splashy colors.His pieces are available again to the trade at David Sutherland in the Decorative Center (5120 Woodway Dr., Ste. 170, 713.961.7886) after a hiatus. And speaking ofHill Country cool, stylish Edgar and Kelly Podzemny have opened a spin-off of popular Austin-based Edgar Kelly Rugs (2702W. Alabama St., 713.521.1492), which features antique and contemporary styles. HIP RUGGER Bunting outfi ts mega yachts, Gulfstream jets, luxury hotel lobbies and River Oaks manses with his hip hides. TREAD ON ME Italian tanneries apply Bunting’s custom dyes to the hides, which are shipped back to Austin for cutting and styling. The svelte lines of the prefab ‘ZeroHouse’ prototype enclose two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and living room, while, below, large steel pillars bore into the ground, able to take root in almost any terrain. MoreT an ‘Zero’ DESIGN FIND CONTOUR GUIDE Atlanta-based Shiner International proffers the mod- sculptural new Rib Chair, available at High Fashion Home (3100 Travis St., 713.528.3838). Its birch plywood spine holds 18 black-lacquer wood-plank “ribs” that can be removed and rearranged for varying contour comfort. “ZeroHouse” may as well not exist. It has no foundation. It processes its own waste. And it doesn’t need a city’s electricity or water to function. But if eco-savvy homeowners start multiplying the zeroes, Austin-based architect Scott Specht’s radical-mod prefab home design—which he plans to build with Houston-sourced materials—could revolutionize off -the-grid living. “You don’t have to give up any comfort to live this way,” says Specht, who’s begun looking for a buyer for a $300k prototype. Here’s how it’ll work: Big structural steel pieces will be delivered by fl atbed trucks to your remote, formerly un-inhabitable site—think marshy coastline, or rocky slope—and be assembled in less than a day.T e new house’s 650 square feet will make the most out of every inch, with a roof-top 2,200-gallon rainwater storage tank for plumbing and 40 solar panels that allow it to operate self-suffi ciently, year-round. March 2010 | | 85
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