A model of Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in France is on display at The Corcoran.

You can see the influence of the Modernist movement in virtually every home-design store and neighborhood in Washington. Everything from coffee cups to living room furniture bears its marks of simple graphics, abstract shapes, and bold colors. Modernist architects believed that a building’s form should mirror its purpose and introduced structures of concrete, steel, and glass. It was also the first time building interiors used open plans that integrate different functions.

Through July 29, The Corcoran explores the foundation and meaning of this influential movement. “Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939” comes to Washington from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum—and The Corcoran is the only venue in the United States to host it.

Alvar Aalto's vase is an iconic piece of Finnish design.

In addition to paintings and works on paper by Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso, visitors can browse ideas and designs by such icons of architecture as Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Richard Neutra, and Frank Lloyd Wright. There are also displays of furniture—you’ll get a glimpse of the famous “Wassily” chair and the curvaceous Aalto vase—cars, paintings, and architectural models.

Admission is $14; $10 for students. Hours this weekend are Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 6.

The Corcoran | 500 17th Street, NW | 202-639-1700

After a few false starts, it looks like spring is here for good. And with May’s arrival come flowers—and the Washington National Cathedral’s annual Flower Mart festival.  This Friday and Saturday, May 4 and 5, the Cathedral turns its grounds into an open-air garden market with food vendors, a mini-Ferris wheel, historic carousel, and climbing wall. 

For the garden enthusiast, the real attractions are the 50-plus tents and booths selling everything from perennials to gargoyles.  If you have an outdoor garden, look for a range of sun- and shade-loving annuals like geraniums, pansies, and gerber daisies plus perennials like black-eyed susans and daylilies.

If you don’t have outdoor space, you can still find ways to dress up a condo or apartment. Hanging baskets add color and vibrance to a room without taking up space; a wide selection of herbs like lavender, rosemary, basil, and thyme would be useful—and decorative—additions to a kitchen. There also will be garden ornaments, handbags, jewelry, and the chance to chat with gardening experts.

This year’s theme is Canada, so look out for a Royal Mountie on horseback, an Inukshuk workshop, and tea featuring Canadian culinary specialities. Inside the Cathedral, countries from around the world—from Ecuador to Armenia to New Zealand—will display flower arrangements celebrating their region and culture.

Washington National Cathedral | Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues, NW | Friday 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 5

Kent uses heavily-applied paint to create pieces with texture and depth.

Not sure how to spend your Thursday night? Vastu, a furniture store/art gallery hybrid on 14th Street near Logan Circle, hosts an opening tonight that’s worth a visit. The work of two local artists—painter Joanne Kent and photographer Allen Russ—take the spotlight. Kent’s colorful, abstract pieces seem more like sculptures than paintings; Russ’s photographs of nature are stunning.

This photograph by Russ was taken in Acadia National Park.

In addition to mingling with the artists and checking out their work, you also can take a gander at the store’s furniture. Owners Eric Kole and Jason Claire stock their concrete-floor showroom with high-end modern furnishings from designers like Knoll, Steven Anthony, and David Edward.

If neither the artwork nor the furniture is a big enough draw, there’s also free wine.

 


Vastu | 1829 14th Street, NW | 6 to 8 pm

If you want an excuse to visit New York this weekend, the Architectural Digest Home Design Show offers a good one. In addition to exhibits from hundreds of high-end design companies, there are complimentary one-on-one consultations with design professionals, book-signings, and cooking demonstrations by kitchen designers and celebrity chefs. A collection of portfolios from interior designers, architects, and landscape designers is a good resource for design help.

Tickets are $25, $20 in advance, and include a six month subscription to Architectural Digest.

March 9-11 | Pier 94 | New York City

By: Lauren Masterson

Feeling overwhelmed by the eruption of new condo buildings in the District?  A "Metropolitan Open House" this weekend hosted by Wells Fargo and McWilliams Ballard, a real estate sales and marketing company, offers potential buyers a chance to learn more about 23 new buildings in DC. A variety of building sizes, price ranges, and neighborhoods including Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, and U Street will be showcased.

Sales representatives from each building will be on hand to show patrons pictures, architectural renderings, and floorplans, so come armed with questions. Even if you don't walk away with a new condo, you'll leave with a better understanding of the District's ever-changing condo market.

February 24, 2007 | Noon - 3PM | Halo, 1435 P Street, NW
Click here for more information or to RSVP.

On the third weekend of every month, an old general store in Southern Maryland comes to life. Called The Vintage Source, the abandoned building-turned furniture market is run by local resident Michelle Radez, a former schoolteacher who has a knack for finding and restoring furniture and decorative pieces.

Radez travels to auctions, flea markets, and garage sales on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Virginia, and Pennsylvania looking for “funky and eclectic” pieces to fill the store every month. The result is a little bit of everything—gilded mirrors, painted dressers, upholstered wing chairs, vintage dishes and teapots, and lots more.

“The Green House” at the National Building Museum is an exhibit with a mission. Through photographs, drawings, and a life-size replica of an ecologically friendly home, the exhibit introduces visitors to the world of green design and architecture.