JULY 8, 1993

Full News Archive

• Headline: CURRENTS: Starck's Surreal Design Journey. Impact: If Philippe Starck hadn’t designed those bizarrely beautiful interiors, we might be living in a world where all hotels look like beige shoeboxes. Instead, his influence led to a global obsession with quirky design that has resulted in countless Instagram posts and a rise in hipster coffee shops. Thanks, Starck!. Fact: Did you know that Philippe Starck once designed a lemon squeezer that costs more than a month's rent? It’s like he said, 'Why squeeze lemons like a normal person when you could do it in style?'.
• Headline: Nostalgic Sundays in Three Rivers. Impact: Kurt House’s nostalgic musings about ceiling fans inspired a generation to embrace vintage aesthetics, leading to a resurgence in old-school home decor. As a result, millions of fans were sold, and many homes now resemble the set of a 1970s sitcom. The butterfly flapped, and the whole world got a retro makeover.. Fact: Did you know that ceiling fans were invented in 1860? That's right, they’ve been around longer than most of your grandparents. So next time you feel nostalgic for old things, remember: they might just be older than you!.
• Headline: Wang Laboratories' New Board Announcement. Impact: Wang Laboratories’ revival from bankruptcy paved the way for other tech companies to think they could pull off a dramatic comeback too. Spoiler alert: many of them just ended up in the 'Where Are They Now?' section of tech history.. Fact: Did you know that Wang was once a giant in the computer industry? Now, it’s like that one friend from high school who peaked too soon and now only talks about their glory days at the reunion..
• Headline: CURRENTS; Theaterama in Queens Gets Another Encore. Impact: The revival of the Theaterama sparked a wave of nostalgia that led to a resurgence of retro-themed attractions. This meant that hipsters could finally stop taking selfies in front of boring modern architecture and instead pose with a quirky piece of history. Thanks, Theaterama!. Fact: Did you know the Theaterama was part of the 1964 World's Fair? It’s like a museum, but with more popcorn and fewer people pretending to care about art..
• Headline: CURRENTS; Thinking Small for the Cities of the Future. Impact: This shift towards smaller, more livable urban designs inadvertently led to the rise of tiny homes and hipster van life. Cities are now filled with people who think living in a shoebox is a revolutionary act. Thanks for that, urban designers!. Fact: Did you know that the average American home size has doubled since the 1970s? Clearly, 'thinking small' is a radical departure from the norm. We went from castles to cabins, and now we’re back to tiny houses. Progress!.
• Headline: CURRENTS; Teetering Contentedly on the Edge of Time. Impact: Karim Rashid’s anthropomorphic clocks made timekeeping a whimsical affair, leading to a cultural shift where clocks became less about telling time and more about telling everyone how quirky you are. Now, time is just a conversation starter.. Fact: Did you know that the world's first clock was invented in the 14th century? It’s taken us over 600 years to get to a point where we can decorate our homes with clocks that look like they belong in a cartoon. Progress, folks!.