compendium
the heat is on
Design news, events, reviews, and more from across New England
Written and Produced by MOLLY JANE QUINN
hit the wall • “Light Plant,” an exhibit running through June 14 at
the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, features the work of Friederike
Hamann and Colin Sullivan-Stevens, the duo behind Field, a Portland,
Maine, company that creates custom wall art. The show’s installations
reflect impressions of the Maine landscape, including more than 2,000
hand-tinted seed packets that, when assembled (below), resemble
Technicolor Tibetan prayer flags. Center for Maine Contemporary Art,
162 Russell Ave., Rockport, Maine; 207-236-2875, cmcanow.org
PLASTIC FANTASTIC • Reusable lollipop-hued
plastic cutlery ($30 for a four-piece set) is perfect
for pretty spring picnics. Available online at Vivre;
800-411-6515, vivre.com
Insider Trading • Traditionally staid outdoor fabrics are becoming ever more stylish and, thanks to high-tech weaves and UV protection, supremely durable. Socialite-turned-textile designer Lulu de Kwiatkowski’s “Tocca” sheer, seen here, is interwoven with stripes
of ethnic-inspired herringbone and checked patterns. Plus, it’s mildew-, water-, and stain-resistant — perfect for billowy, worry-free
outdoor curtains. Lulu DK Fabrics, available through Webster & Company, Boston Design Center; 617-261-9660, luludk.com
street art • It’s the sewer system as decorating muse: Manhole Covers ($35, MIT Press),
the 1994 book by Mimi and Robert Melnick (left), still impresses with its photographs of the
surprisingly design-forward metal disks. Without a regulated style, old manhole covers featured
everything from radial diamond patterns to floral imprints and
honeycomblike stampings. But does industrial street hardware
have a place at home? Essentials, a stylish home goods shop,
sells doormats made from recycled tires that depict sewer cov-
ers from three top design destinations: London, Paris (right),
and New York. Surely, Boston is next. Essentials, 88 Main St.,
Northampton, Massachusetts; 413-584-2327, shopessentials.net
