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Billed as America’s largest design show, the three-day Dwell on Design showcases the best and brightest products in modern design today. 3 Story's own Madeleine Boos was there, and brings you her picks of what's desert cool and urban hot.

Curated by the editors of Dwell magazine, Dwell on Design in Los Angeles featured 2000+ products and 400+ exhibitors. But what stood out at this year's show?

1. Stikwood

Photo courtesy of Stikwood

Why we love it: This is DIY for the modernist: wood planking for walls and other vertical surfaces that sticks on. In just one weekend you could transform any room of your home into a modern space worthy of a shoot in Dwell itself.

The story behind it: Jerry McCall has been fascinated with high performance double-sided adhesives since the 1980s, when he was outfitting executive jet aircraft with the best in wood cabinetry and millwork. Sine then he's been in pursuit of the best ways to stick wood to walls. Wood moves and wants to pull itself free from glue and adhesives, so making that work was not easy.

Now Jerry and his wife, Laura McCall, have launched a lightweight wood planking system that sticks to the wall with no backing, no nails and no glue. Next stop for Jerry and Laura is West Elm, where their product will be for sale in select stores starting July 9^th.

Photo courtesy of Stikwood

The details: Most planks measure 5” x 12” to 48” in length. The thickness is 1/8”, the same as most engineered wood floors. Wood species include stained oak, ash, bamboo and a variety of reclaimed woods, even reclaimed barrel oak in 2” wide strips. Prices range $8 to $12 per square foot.

In terms of attention to detail, they've thought of everything, including transitions and outside corners.  They offer an aluminum edge trim for a finished modern look. A 4’ length runs $6 and also sticks to the wall.

All you need to know is on their web-site with step by step directions, including how to prepare the surface, and how to repair the wall it if you opt to remove it.

More at: www.stikwood.com

2. The Aurora lamp

Photo courtesy of The Good Flock

Why we love it: Known for their sustainably sourced and beautifully hand crafted goods, The Good Flock and its products have a minimalist aesthetic and an old world soul. The firm's latest design is a hand-crafted light fixture with a conical wood base, cotton covered cord, and single bulb in a porcelain socket.

It's simple, elegant and versatile, with stainless steel and brass hardware and an engraved label. You can set it on a table or simply hang it on a screw or nail via the key-hole opening in its back.  New to the show was the hard-wired sconce, with no cord for a clean look.

The story behind it: The Good Flock is based in Portland, Oregon and the lamp was named for the Oregon town in which it was made. Owner Marco Murillo left product creation at Nike in 2010 to create a company that manufacturers goods of seminal materials, by skilled artisans with minimal waste.

Each product is designed to solve a specific problem. In the case of the Aurora, the challenge was to deliver light in a sophisticated form that takes up minimal space. In an urban setting where horizontal surfaces are precious, the Aurora hangs on the wall doing just that.

The details: Each base is hand turned by a master craftsman. The engraving is done with a state of the art CNC laser. Prices: Walnut $199, Black Oak $179, White Oak base $169, with your choice of Edison bulb, reflective bulb or just plain white. Ships free in the US. Just specify with chord or as fixed sconce. Price is the same.

More at: www.thegoodflock.com

Photo by Madeleine Boos

3. The Helios Lounge - heated outdoor furniture

Why we love it: This is ergonomically cast concrete furniture with a built-in adjustable heating device that can be plugged in or hardwired for a concealed connection. It takes the same amount of power as a hair dryer and takes just 15 to 20 minutes to heat up. The smooth stone surface is cast in an ergonomic shape that provides comfort during hours of lounging. And because of its heating efficiency, you’ll stay warm all day and all night with minimal energy output. We much prefer the idea of a getting cozy on the Helios, than trying to huddle around a space heater.

Photo courtesy of Galanter & Jones

The story behind it: Galanter & Jones is a design and fabrication studio based in San Francisco. Aaron Galanter Jones is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he studied architecture and was inspired by the use of concrete in lightweight structures. While working on a backyard design for a client, he wanted to create an outdoor seating area and provide warmth, but ran into limited options. Heat lamps, for example, disperse heat, but they don't warm your blood to the core. He began casting concrete - strong, lean sculptural profiles and the Helios was born in 2013. It's no surprise that this piece has been likened to mid-century modern furniture.

Taste and style is a family affair. Aaron's partner and sister Miranda is also an editor at Pop Sugar Home and former style editor at Sunset Magazine.

The details: Made to order in 8 weeks. Price: $4900. There are 20 color combinations (5 cast stone colors and 4 base color options). The seat is comprised of cast stone/concrete and the color is fully integrated. The base is powder coated steel in your desired finish - white, black, silver or brass. Custom colors available. The heating element is fully adjustable to your liking

More at: www.galanterandjones.com

4. Organic Modernism - The Bronze Collection

4th of Photo by Madeleine Boos

Why we love it: These hand-forged bronze pieces with Japanese patina finish are organic, imperfect, one-of-a-kind pieces that would look as at home in the chambers of King Henry the VIIIth, as airy, modern-day digs. (And if it means anything, Ivanka Trump has them in her Manhattan apartment).

The story behind it: Organic Modernism is a New York furniture company poised for expansion. With a new showroom in Los Angeles, and sights on Scottsdale, their furniture appeals to those wanting an earthy mix of bronze, wood and leather. We're loving the rugged, sensual bronze pieces.

The details:  The Kashgar (as seen in Ivanka Trump's apartment) costs $1995. Seating ranges from $1600 to $3200, dining tables $3000-$5000, and coffee tables $1400 - $3000.

*4th of July SALE through July 7th - 25% off

More at: www.organicmodernism.com

5. Evolve concrete-look tile

Why we love it: This porcelain tile by Pental Granite and Marble has the refined look and texture of hand-troweled concrete. These days we're having a love affair with raw industrial materials in a luxe setting. So if you love the modern and monolithic aesthetics of concrete but are not so willing to build the form work for a concrete pour - mixing truck and all - then Evolve may be the product for you.

How to use it: To achieve the massive look of a concrete wall, go for tight joints and a grout color that matches and blends with the tile color.

The details: The cost starts at $7 per square foot. Sizes range from 24” x 24” to 12” x 24” to 3” x 24”, and the matte colors are a minimalist’s dream palette – camels, grays and taupe.

More at: pentalonline.com

One last thought on concrete: If you prefer the unfinished rugged and urban look of concrete, then you'll want to check out the new line of wall coverings by ConcreteWall available at Resource Furniture,

Made of polyvinyl, and with no repeat pattern, it can be sized so that the photo fits your space, and also color-enhanced to match your surroundings. Price: $18 per square foot. (See our graffiti feature this issue for more on ConcreteWall).

Photo by Madeleine Boos

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It says something about graffiti when it's being considered not only as high-end art, but as a home decor choice. We take a look at the graffiti scene in Tucson, and ask why it's struggling to remain underground. By Gillian Drummond.

Photo by Gillian Drummond

When a spray-painted piece by elusive British graffiti artist Banksy sold at auction last month for $1.1 million, it wasn't just the price tag that got people talking.

The stencil piece, named Slave Labour - showing a young boy hunched over a sewing machine stitching Union Jack bunting - had been displayed on a shop wall in a neighborhood of north London. Earlier this year, it disappeared and resurfaced at an art auction in Miami. After a campaign to have it returned, it was sold at a private auction in London.

Banksy himself is said to believe his art should stay where it is. The anonymous buyer, who can now enjoy the piece at his or her leisure, would no doubt argue otherwise. But what does it say about graffiti - a movement that prides itself on being public and free - when it has become art that is both sought-after and private?

Jaque Fragua, an artist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico who practices graffiti and mural art frequently in Tucson, doesn't even like the words 'graffiti' and 'art' being used together. "I'm trying very very hard. I'm training myself to never say that compound phrase," he says. Why? Whereas Jaque sees art as a career of hobby, he sees graffiti as a way of life, and one that is tribal. "It's like a community of hobos or bikers. It's like a whole new fraternity."

Phil Tanfield, editor-in-chief of graffiti magazine The Infamous, echoes his argument. "I don't think people really understand about graffiti unless they know, spend a lot of time with, and care about somebody who writes graffiti," says Phil. "But even then, no matter how much one knows or has researched/talked to people/knows "famous" writers, one never understands it unless they try living it. Not just going out for street tags once, but living the way a graffiti writer lives for a minute, by which I mean several months."

Jaque's work outside Cafe Desta. Photo by Gillian Drummond

Jaque uses graffiti and mural art to spread political and racial messages. A Native American, he references America's class and racial struggles in his work, which appears outside of Tucson's Cafe Desta, among other places. "For me, there's no other thing that you can feel that comes close to what graffiti is, on a spiritual, emotional and mental level. It's complete freedom. I have the ability to create an environment where I have self-love, I have self-pride, I have self-dignity, I can create whatever I please," he says.

Filmmaker Ricardo Bracamonte
Photo by Riley Lane

Filmmaker Ricardo Bracamonte grew up with graffiti on Tucson's south side. He even dabbled in it himself, with some late-night 'bombing' in tunnels when he was a teenager. But it was short-lived. "I was terrible at it," he laughs.

After spending a summer living in Spanish Harlem in New York, he gained a deeper appreciation and fascination for graffiti; he was moved by it, he says. So much so that he decided to turn it into the subject of his University of Arizona BFA film thesis. The result, the 8-minute-long Bombing Arizona, was part of the Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson last Spring, and has appeared in four other film festivals, including this year's Chicago Latino Film Festival and the 2012 San Francisco Latino Film Festival.

The film documented graffiti artists and their reasons for doing  it - from a love of the Bible and wanting to share religious messages, to escaping troubled family lives, to enjoying the adrenalin rush. And in telling their stories, it created art within art. Ricardo secured permission for artists to create murals at several locations. One of them was the Tucson meat market Carniceria La Noria at 1st Avenue and Prince, where an image of Frida Kahlo is so popular, the owner has told Ricardo he wants more.

Another location Ricardo used was a residential perimeter wall at his aunt's house, by a wash on the south side of Tucson. "That wash is the main walkway for a lot of kids who go to Sunnyside's Sierra Middle School. I wanted to create art for that community and give them a sense of pride," he says.

He had personal reasons too. His aunt helped raise him; his parents both worked and would drop him off there at 7am and pick  him up at 5pm. Ricardo remembers his Tia Elsa teaching him a lot, from tracing letters all the way to reading and National Geographic magazine. "She's a very smart woman. I wanted something colorful for her house," he says.

The mural on Ricardo's aunt's wall. Photo by Kayla Murray

The mural, depicting barrio-to-border living, and Tucson's controversial Mexican American Studies program, didn't last long. Within weeks it was run over, he says, using a graffiti term for being painted over. "It upset me how quickly it happened, but it comes with the territory," he says. "We ran over someone when we did ours. It goes back to the idea of ownership."

Mezo (his nickname and graffiti signature) is one of the writers who decorated Ricardo's aunt's wall as part of the film project. Mezo tried for some time to secure legal graffiti space for Tucson's youth, attempting to get non-profit groups involved and "the City on our side". But he says: "I never fully succeeded and my energy and drive to do that isn't there any more."

Mezo works three part-time jobs and doesn't do as much graffiti as he used to; he says he doesn't want to risk getting arrested, because he has jobs to hold down. But he carries markers in his pockets just in case the urge comes; he says it's a habit that's hard to kick.

Meanwhile, the graffiti movement is proving to be a challenge for local authorities. Mezo says graffiti is not going to go away, particularly given its resurgence in connection to the hip-hop culture. "For youth, hip-hop is a universal language and the graffiti ties it all together," he explains. Those battling graffiti in Tucson know this only too well. With around 70 cases reported a day and more than 2,300 in the last year, Tucson City Council and police are stepping up their fight. The council uses a private contractor to deal with covering it over or removing it, and police have assigned more officers to graffiti. Tucson City Council spokesman Michael Graham says graffiti costs the city $60,000 a month, a figure that has more or less stayed the same for the last three years.

Jaque draws a distinct line between what is graffiti and what is a mural: murals have permission, he says: "I feel like graffiti is illegal. That's the universal definition of graffiti." And he's spent time in jail for some of his own graffiti work. (In Tucson, a graffiti misdemeanor will get you a $250 fine and a minimum of 20 hours' community service.)

Frida Kahlo appears outside a meat market as part of Ricardo Bracamonte's film. Photo by Britton Zogg

For public artist Joe O'Connell of Tucson-based Creative Machines Inc and JB Public Art, the illegality of graffiti is part of his attraction to it as an art form. "I respect how graffiti artists in the 70's in cities like New York and Philadelphia carved out a space to express themselves. To some extent that lets me overlook the fact that a lot of the work doesn't look all that great. The fact that it was done against the law by people who figured out the logistics of the subway system - how to get in, create a little art, and get out - that raises it closer to the level of art. When you take the act as a whole: the finished piece plus what it took to make it, you get closer to art."

Adds Joe: "A lot of times graffiti has to be done in a hurry so you don't get caught, and it is not easy to erase mistakes. That puts a premium on simple, powerful designs executed without hesitation - and that's a good thing to cultivate in any field."

Joe's own work is sculptures, but he admires many graffiti artists, including Banksy, as well as "ad-busters" who alter billboards. But he says he has neither patience nor respect for tagging, when graffiti writers and crews simply leave their initials on a surface.  "Maybe if you climb a tower and put your name in a really tricky spot that means something, but I remember somebody tagged the gate in front of my shop and I was pissed. All they added to the world was their name, executed in a lame loopy piss ant derivative style that said nothing new. It was as if they stood up in class, interrupted the teacher without raising their hand, got the attention of the class, but then had nothing to say."

Photo by Ricardo Bracamonte

For his part, Ricardo does not distinguish between a spray-painted defacement of a garden wall and a giant mural that took half a day to do. "For me it's all the same. It's the same because it's an expression. It reminds us of class struggle and where we are in our society." His film is designed to provoke as much as graffiti is, he says. "I went into it wanting to put it into people's faces. I wanted people to ask themselves 'Where did this come from? Why did he put his name on this?  And what gives him the right?' I wanted to start a conversation."

Ricardo was limited by both time (the film had to last no more than ten minutes) and resources. He raised $800 on Kickstarter, put in another $200 of his own money, and couldn't afford proper lighting to film at night. And so this is a subject he would like to return to. As he narrates at the end of Bombing Arizona, "There is no resolution to this story. Graffiti has none. As urbanization continues, so will graffiti."

Adds Mezo: "If you look at history, writing on a wall isn't anything new. The urge, that need to express something, that's always going to exist."

From street to living room: graffiti becomes home decor

Photo courtesy of Black General Contracting

For homeowners looking for a bit of street art in their living room, it's never been a better time.

Photo courtesy of Eazywallz

"There's been a surge in the graffiti street art movement, thanks to people like Banksy," says Wendy Fixman, owner of Montreal-based Eazywallz, which produces stick-on fabric wallpaper for residential and commercial use. Graffiti images are one of its biggest sellers, snapped up at a reasonable price - from $119 for a 12-square-foot panel - by people who want a splash of color or something urban-looking in (usually) a modern home.

"Artists like Banksy have really catapulted a lot of these ideas and images. A lot of our customers want to add a splash, and that's what this gives," says Wendy.

Photo courtesy of Eazywallz

Eazywallz panels are designed so that they can be removed and re-applied - in case you make a mistake installing it, or in case you want to redecorate or move the wallpaper elsewhere. The company says the product won't damage the wall behind it.

Resource Furniture, which just opened a showroom in Los Angeles, has a new line of high-resolution photographic wallpaper called ConcreteWall, featuring images of concrete, brick and graffiti. Made of polyvinyl, and with no repeat pattern, it can be sized so that the photo fits your space, and also color-enhanced to match your surroundings. Price: $18 per square foot.

"It's a brilliant decor for urban chic interiors like edgy underground restaurants and boutique hotels", says 3 Story's Madeleine Boos.

Tucson graffiti writer Mezo has mixed feelings about what he calls the "glorification" of graffiti. He sees the irony in people making money out of a movement that was based on being public and free. "But at the same time there are opportunities for artists. It's a really cool opportunity for a lot of these people to make money and make a living out of the thing that they do." Some of the best artists he knows are friends in Tucson who will never make any money out of their art, he says.

Mezo and a friend have started a sideline business selling clothing like T-shirts, with graffiti images on them. Its name is Flowers & Bullets. "Flowers are the art," says its Facebook page. "Bullets are the struggle."

* Find out more about Bombing Arizona here. Read Art, Willy Wonka Style, our award-winning feature on Joe O'Connell, here.

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You may not have heard of Cipriana Salazar just yet, but it's only a matter of time. Here's why. By Gillian Drummond.

Photo by Gillian Drummond

Here is what does not excite her: too much of the same thing, college classes, sleep, and photographs. Yes, the photographs are a biggie. She detests having her image captured, and has never owned a camera herself.

A hand-crafted set of dominoes made by Cipriana. Price: $85

If you're starting to conjure up a picture of a workaholic engineer with a bent for the arts, you're just about there. But not quite. There is so much more to this 35-year-old than meets the eye. And because she dislikes self-promotion, it's easy to ignore her talents altogether.

You may have come across her fixing up a house (her handywoman business), or remodeling (she does that too). You may have crossed paths with her at a Tucson thrift store; she frequents them often, particularly Casa de los Ninos. Or maybe she helped you out at Originate, the natural building materials showroom she has worked at, selling you on some sustainable and eco-friendly looks for your home. Soon (she hopes) you will know her for something she has invented called TiLt connect. More of that in a minute.

But although Cipriana dreams large, she lives small. She's quiet to the point of shy,  and almost avoids self-marketing altogether. It's only when you start admiring some of the contents of her house that she admits she made them - just about all of them - or at least had a part in re-purposing or redesigning them.

Cipriana's TiLt connect, patent pending

Nothing, it seems, is outside of her realm. She has made bamboo and leather switch plates, she has created a slick wooden dog bowl stand and a domino set, she has powder-coated secondhand and new furniture - a salvaged medicine cabinet, for example, and an IKEA dining set. She has re-covered the fabric of chairs, and created the TiLt connect (the patent is pending), a small plastic widget that makes modular shelving a cinch. It allows the shelves to be snapped together both vertically and horizontally.

The TiLt connect at work

But it's when Cipriana steps outside, over the yard, and into a large work studio that she becomes animated. "This has been my dream since I was a little kid," she says, grinning, of a space that's part-DIY shed and part manufacturing plant. A powder coating station has been created in one corner. Next to that is an oven she uses to cure the powder-coated items.

There is a mixture of both bought tools and manufactured ones: a band, miter and table saw; a clamp rack she made herself; a drill press, ceramic kilns, a router table, and her own computer numeric-controlled router. Why would one go to the bother of making a computer-controlled router? "Because I like to know how thing works. It's pretty important to me to understand how things go together," she says.

So what's the story behind this genius, beautiful mind? It would appear Cipriana inherited many of her father's characteristics and talents. "He was a welder, a contractor, a ceramicist. He had a masters in sociology, a minor in labor law, and spoke six languages," she says of her dad.

Growing up in San Pablo, California, Cipriana shared a room with her dad's ceramics equipment. He died when she was ten years old, not before Cipriana had developed a love for tools, creating, LEGO... and making money. Her mother Georgette reports that she was doing puzzles before the age of one. At a young age she was making jewelry and hair barrettes and selling them to her classmates. Aged eight she had learned Photoshop. At eleven she had her first tool, a jigsaw. You could say Cipriana took up her dad's baton and kept his memory, and talents, alive, and throughout it, Georgette  has barely left her side (they now share a house in Tucson).

Liberal coastal California proved to be too easy for Cipriana. At one point she threw herself down a challenge: to make the biggest change to her living situation that she could think of, to live in a place opposite to Berkeley.  She chose North Carolina. "I wanted to put myself in the most difficult situation I could think of, and living in the bible belt in the south versus liberal California was about the biggest change I could think of," she says. Just to add to the challenge, she became a body piercer.

Her undergraduate degree is in interior design, although her studies - which continue now - run the gamut, from graphic design to interiors and furniture design, to web design. Although school "never moved as fast as I wanted it to", she can't stop studying, she says. "I'm constantly learning."

She does not sleep much. Her mind is thinking of designs and objects and, all too often, the equipment that might help her with her inventions. "A lot of the things I make are because I need to fix some problem I'm having," she says, adding: "I need to make things. If I'm not making things I'm not doing anything. Everything is a problem to solve. I enjoy sitting down and figuring out how to make something more than completing it."

Cipriana's dog bowl stands start at $85

Joan Wike, an installer in the construction industry, has worked closely with Cipriana for a number of years. Asked what sets Cipriana apart, Joan says: "It's quality of work. There is good work and there is great work. There is good art and there is great art. There is good architecture and there is great architecture. The difference between them is attention to detail and creativity. There's a balance there [with Cipriana] of creativity and a sense of style. It's hard to put into words."

A leather and glass vase: $30

Her mother, as well as being a companion and best friend (they say they never fight), keeps that brilliant mind on track. "She's my sounding board and the person to help me stay focused. I have a tendency to go off in different directions and she is the one to roll me back in. And she cleans up after me," says Cipriana.

Now 35, Cipriana is ready to consolidate her talents under her own business name, Lone Ant Design & Manufacturing. Like everything else she does, the business name was thoughtfully constructed. "I think the ant is my support animal. They're individuals and I like the idea that the ant is constantly moving around and toiling away on whatever they're doing and nobody even notices they're burrowing around," says Cipriana.

Georgette sums up the ant metaphor more simply: "It defines her."

Cipriana may be loaded with talent but a lot of the time, self-confidence eludes her. "I'm plagued by self-doubt but I work very hard to not let other people see it," she says. Just like the insects she admires, she's more about the work than being noticed. But she's taking the plunge; a re-painted Volkswagen van bearing the new company logo sits in her driveway, a sign that this lone ant is finally ready.

Contact Cipriana Salazar at [email protected] or visit www.loneantdesign.com.