modern furniture

Trig Modern Raises Nearly $5000 for SAFE Haven for Cats During “The Cat’s Meow” Auction

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The Dwell House by Grant Newton

Dubbed the “Dwell House,” a sleek composition of intersecting cubic volumes rendered in white laminate and natural wood, was one of six Modern cat houses created by architects and furniture designers to benefit SAFE Haven for Cats during The Cat’s Meow Cocktail Party and Auction sponsored by Trig Modern design center and showroom in Raleigh.

For the auction, the six imaginative houses were joined by a mixed-media painting by Louis St. Lewis of Raleigh and New Orleans, a large neon tabby cat sculpture perched on an old radio by neon artist Nate Sheaffer of Raleigh, and an iconic mid-century modern chair from Modernica donated by Trig Modern’s owner Bob Drake.

Under The Sea by i.S. Design

Approximately 100 cat enthusiasts attended The Cat’s Meow, along with

For Perching, Playing, and Napping by Little Associates.

two three-month-old kittens that SAFE Haven’s founder and director, Pam Miller, and a few volunteers brought to the event. Trig Modern provided an abundance of party food, wine, beer, and chilled water for the crowd as they perched on modern sofas and chairs throughout the showroom.

Mixed-media painting by Louis St. Lewis

With entertaining encouragement from professional auctioneer Ben Farrell, who donated his services to the cause, every item sold for prices that exceeded their designers’ expectations. Proceeds went directly to SAFE Haven for Cats in Raleigh, a non-profit, no-kill cat shelter and clinic that, to date, has found homes for nearly 8500 formerly stray and abandoned cats and kittens.

The auction itself netted $4525 with the “Dwell House” by Greensboro furniture designer Grant Newton commanding

The Cat Cave by Corey Baughman

the highest winning bid at $1150. Other donations brought in $274 and SAFE Haven sold $59 in retail items, making the grand total for the evening $4858.

Neon sculpture by Nate Shaeffer

“We want to thank Pam and the SAFE Haven volunteers; our delightful auctioneer Ben Farrell who made the auction entertaining as well as profitable; the architects, designers and artists who contributed their time and talent to the cause: and everyone who attended, especially all of the enthusiastic bidders,” said Bob Drake. “It was a wonderful evening and we’re looking forward to another Cat’s Meow next year.”

Background: This past February, Drake and Trig Modern’s interior designer Ann

Marie Baum, a SAFE Haven volunteer, invited architects and other designers throughout the Triangle to create “cool, modern” houses for indoor cats for the fundraising auction. According to guidelines, the houses had to be modern in style and of such quality that potential bidders would welcome them in their homes. They also had to be small enough to fit through a regular residential door and light enough for two people to carry them.

Multi-Use Play Tower by Arielle Condoret Schechter, AIA

The following designers created the cat structures:

The “O” by Bret Page Architecture

For more information on Trig Modern, visit www.trigmodern.com

For more information on SAFE Haven for Cats, visit www.safehavenforcats.org.

About Trig Modern:

Founded in December 2012, Trig Modern is owned and operated by furniture and lighting designer Bob Drake. Through its combination of modern and mid-century-inspired furniture, lighting, wall and floor coverings, and accessories, as well as Modern kitchen and bath remodeling services, Trig Modern’s mission is to present a realistic portrait of sensible living and offer an antidote to excess, formality, and convention. For more information, visit www.trigmodern.com, call 919.516.8744 and find Trig Modern on Facebook. The showroom is located at 1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, Suite 109, Raleigh, NC 27604.

About SAFE Haven for Cats:

SAFE Haven’s mission is to ensure the well-being of every cat through adoption, affordable spay/neuter services, community outreach and adherence to no-kill principles. The shelter receives no government funds and relies solely on private donations for 84% percent of its budget. Visit safehavenforcats.org for more information.

Ambiente To Host February’s “Thirst4Architecture”

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A networking event for fans of Modernist design.t4a-2015_sm

The Ambiente Collection, a showroom of contemporary and modernist furniture in Raleigh, will host the “Thirst4Architecture,” a networking event sponsored by North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) and Emilie Huin/501 Realty, on Friday, February 27, from 6-8 p.m.

Free and open to the public, T4A events are opportunities for architects, artists, building managers, contractors, engineers, furniture dealers, realtors, and anyone else interested in Modernist residential design to connect and create strategic alliances in a casual environment. The hosts provide refreshments and other entertainment while introducing T4A participants to their businesses.
Ambiente started as a Scandinavian furniture store 30 years ago. Today, the store represents contemporary and modern furniture from over 200 manufacturers from around the world.
The Ambiente Collection is located at 10700 World Trade Boulevard off I-40 West in Raleigh (919.572.2870). For directions, visit www.ambientefurniture.com.

For more information on NCMH and the locations for future Thirst4Architecture events, visit www.ncmodernist.org.

About NC Modernist Houses:

North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) is an award-winning, 501C3 nonprofit organizations established in 2007 and dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design. The website is now the largest open digital archive for Modernist residential design in America. NCMH also hosts popular architecture events every month and frequent home tours, giving the public access to the most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours and events raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations.

 

For more information: www.ncmodernist.org.

 

Find NCMH on Facebook.

Follow NCMH on Twitter and Instagram.

TRIG Modern Announces Exclusive Deal with ValDesign

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Trig Modern
A ValDesign kitchen

Downtown Raleigh store now offers high-end Italian kitchen systems.

 Trig Modern, the modern furniture, lighting, and interior design store located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, is now the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill “Triangle” region’s exclusive dealer for ValDesign, The Alf Group’s contemporary kitchen cabinetry systems.

ValDesign systems are designed and manufactured in Italy’s Veneto region, which is internationally recognized as one of the best furniture manufacturing areas in the world. The collection features a choice of high-end woods, lacquered and matt oak, lacquered colors, metallic lacquered colors, Melamine, cement resin, PVC, and laminated casework with polished or etched glass.

Speaking for himself and interior designer Anne Marie Baum, Trig’s owner, Bob Drake, noted, “Both Ann Marie and I were immediately attracted to ValDesign because of its ability to accomplish so many functions through its beautiful simplicity, spectacular finishes, and quality manufacturing.”

ValDesign’s parent company, The Alf Group, dates back to the 1950s. A group of highly skilled, experienced Italian craftsmen founded a co-op in Francenigo (Treviso) to mass-produce wooden furniture. In just a few years Alf became a luminary member of the Italian woodworking market. As a result, the late Oliviero Piovesana and his brother bought the company and invested additional resources.

According to Furniture Fashion reviewer Ronique Gigson, ValDesign “has the calming, sedate feel that will always bring you down to earth and back home.  The simple, cube-like basics of this kitchen echo a little bit of mid-century retro in their attitude… The combination of modular, rectangular cabinets and geometric lines of shelving turns a blank wall into a contemporary piece of three-dimensional installation art.”

Trig Modern is having a ValDesign demonstration kitchen installed in the store this month. In the meantime, anyone interested can look through samples of the systems’ various materials and discuss the collection with Bob Drake or Ann Marie Baum.

Trig Modern is located at 328 West Jones Street in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit www.trigmodern.com or call 919.516.8744.

Trig Modern bcsAbout Trig Modern:

Opened in December 2012, Trig Modern is owned and operated by furniture and lighting designer Bob Drake. Through its combination of Modern and mid-century-inspired furniture, lighting, and accessories, as well as Modern kitchen and bath remodeling services, Trig’s mission is to present a realistic portrait of sensible living and offer an antidote to excess, formality, and convention. For more information visit www.trigmodern.com, call 919.516.8744, and find Trig on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TRIGModern.

Triangle Modernist Houses To Host “ModStock ’09”

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TMH logo

October 19, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and growing modernist architecture in the Triangle, is throwing a party. On Thursday, November 5, from 6-8 p.m. the non-profit and the AIA/Triangle’s Young Architects Forum (YAF) will present “ModStock ‘09” at Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture Gallery in Cary, and the public is invited.

ModStock is the brainchild of TMH founder and director George Smart, who sees the party as a way to introduce more people to modernist architecture while introducing the area’s brightest young architects to the community.

“The Triangle has rediscovered cool architecture through our website,” says Smart, “and now it’s time to bring that community together.  Many people who love Modernist design feel they are alone, but we’re tapping into hundreds if not thousands of kindred spirits. If you have a coffee table book on Modernist architecture, we’re your tribe.  Come join us!”

George Smart
George Smart

Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture Gallery is one of the state’s largest modern furniture showrooms.  The event will include free beer, wine, sodas and snacks, and door prizes from TMH and Nowell’s, including tickets to TMH’s next Modernist House Tour to be held in West Raleigh on November 7.

Smart will also debut a portion of a new presentation during ModStock spotlighting award-winning architects and Modernist residences from 1951 to today.

“During 2010, city agencies, historical societies, realtors, design schools, or any group interested in learning about North Carolina’s rich Modernist heritage can engage me to speak. This presentation will be part of those speaking engagements.”

Only 250 tickets are available to ModStock, so Smart suggests anyone interested should go to www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/register soon to make reservations.

Nowell’s is located at 900 East Chatham Street in Cary.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

About Triangle Modernist Houses redchair sm

Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 to restoring and growing modernist architecture in the Triangle.  Its primary public service is the website http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.  The award-winning website, now the largest educational and historical archive for modernist residential design in America, continues to catalog, preserve, and advocate for North Carolina modernism.  TMH also hosts popular modernist house tours several times a year, giving the public access to the Triangle’s most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours raise awareness and help preserve these “works of art” for future generations. Visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

About Young Architects Forum:

The Young Architects Forum (YAF), a program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the College of Fellows (COF), is organized to address issues of particular importance to recently licensed architects.

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