Friday Favorites 8/31/2012

August 31, 2012

Cheryl Katz, Contributing Editor
What can be more alluring than a day spent looking at art and then doing a little shopping? (With lunch thrown in, it’s my idea of heaven.)Â So, while on vacation recently, I was more than a little delighted to stop in at The Schoolhouse Gallery on Commercial Street in Provincetown. Not only did I have the opportunity to see work by Kahn/ Selesnik, Richard Klein, and Jefferson Hayman (just to name a few of the artists the gallery represents) I also left with one of one of print maker extraordinaire Vicky Tomayko’s whimsical Half a Brain pillow. At twenty bucks each, if I’d have half a brain I would have bought more.

Photo by Cheryl Katz

Paula M. Bodah, Senior Editor
Now that summer is in its official exit stage, we might as well accept reality and start thinking about how we’re going to entertain ourselves in the dreary winter months. How about a game of billiards on a really cool pool table? Mars Made designs and manufacturers billiards tables that look nothing like the ornate wood models we’ve been playing on since the dawn of the game.

Mars Made founders Andy Marsella and Justin Sirotin, both with backgrounds in product design, combined a love for both furniture design and competitive gaming to start their Pawtucket, Rhode Island based company in 2007. Their tables are modern marvels of design, crafted of aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel and even concrete.

Okay, this oneÂ does hint at the classic billiards table, but it’s undeniably modern, too, with its tapered legs made of solid aluminum.

Photos courtesy of Mars Made

This sleek, space-age-looking table has machined aluminum legs and a solid welded steel frame.

Talk about a statement-making piece. This table stands on four polished concrete legs and has an aluminum top.

And lest you think Marsella and Sirotin are sacrificing playability for looks, rest assured their game science is solid. Every hand-crafted, custom-made table is designed to play flawlessly.

Kyle Hoepner, Editor-in-Chief
Looking desperately for a way to hang onto the cool, carefree feel of summer, even as we head into Labor Day weekend? You should definitely give Vermont’s Cricket Radio a glance, then. Founders Elizabeth and Sarah met in 2010 at the Burlington City Arts studio space, discovered a friendship and a common design sensibility, and have since become partners in the production of eco-friendly Italian linens hand-printed, -cut and -stitched by Vermont artisans. Their table runners, napkins, placemats, tea towels and pillows could be just the things to keep you feeling summer-light and summer-lively all year round. (Cricket Radio home goods are currently carried at Nest in Dedham, Mass., or can be ordered online.)