Arts & Crafts in Second Life

I took time this morning to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum on Usonia before it closes. I won't add too much to the existing blogage about the closure except to say I'm disappointed and hope saner minds reconsider.

I appreciate FLW's work but have always been drawn to the Arts & Crafts elements in his designs more than the overall structures (probably because I am a sucker for the mathematical precision of Art Deco). He obviously took the A&C movement only as a starting point for his Prairie School but the details he utilized (such as those in the Hollyhock House) are what appeal to me.

I love the fact that the ability to create in Second Life gives us all the opportunity to learn and watch as talented people not only replicate fabulous places and objects from the physical world but then also use the available tools to rethink design. In the context of this architectural musing I thought I'd introduce you to Troy Vogel's Mission Home Store. Troy has taken the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement and created furniture and buildings which are true to the aesthetic but have a much more modern ethos.

If you have a weakness for detail you'll have to give yourself lots of time to explore the store. Each piece is exquisite and obviously required a lot of time and attention to complete.

I first saw these light standards at a conference earlier this year and fell in love. The lines are beautiful and the combination of design and functionality is very sexy.

I'm also in love with the houses he has created. I'm obviously a detail freak and it's a delight to find a creator who not only shares that virtue (of course it's a virtue!) but can give me something that satisfies that need for me. The lines and shapes and colour palette are all what I wish I could accomplish.

I have a lot more photos of Troy's work but I think you really need to go see it for yourself. As you wander around the sim keep your eye out for T3di though. If you know Troy you've probably met T3di - we've not given up on him but he has yet to successfully complete rehab. Someday this young man will be a valuable member of society and a credit to bears everywhere. In the meantime - don't lend him any money!