This week on "Sunday Morning: By Design" (May 19)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. (Download it here.)
We present our annual edition touching on all aspects of design, hosted by Jane Pauley.
COVER STORY: Why tech billionaires are trying to create a new California city
A group backed by some of California's richest has purchased some 60,000 acres of farmland in Northern California, as part of an ambitious plan to build a brand-new, walkable city in the nation's most car-centric state, for as many as 400,000 residents. Correspondent Luke Burbank talks with Jan Sramek, a former Goldman Sachs trader-turned-city builder about the "California Forever" initiative.
For more info:
- California Forever: East Solano Plan
- "Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America" by Conor Dougherty (Penguin Press), in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
DESIGN: Designer David Rockwell on "celebrating a sense of ritual"
The portfolio of the design firm Rockwell Group includes Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, hospitals, hotels, stadiums, stage sets, and some 500 restaurants. The designer talks about the trademark elements he brings to his projects, including his latest: a revamp of the "Sunday Morning" set for our 2024 "By Design" broadcast.
For more info:
- Rockwell Group
- Photo credits: Peter Mauss, Frank Oudeman, AVABLU, Nikolas Koenig, Michael Kleinberg, Emily Andrews, Michael Stavaridis, Scott Frances, Eric Laignel, Jason Varney for Rockwell Group, Albert Vecerka & Blandon Belushin
WORLD: A modern adventure: Building a medieval castle from scratch
In the forests of Burgundy in central France, there's a bold effort underway to build a medieval castle, as they would have in an era before electricity, using ancient tools and laying stones by hand. Correspondent Seth Doane visits Guédelon, a project that has expanded into a modern medieval village, and meets a new generation of specialist artisans embracing the ways of another time.
For more info:
- Guédelon Castle, Treigny-Perreuse-Sainte-Colombe, France
ACCESSORIES: Baby stroller design: No mere child's play
Baby strollers, once just merely a means for transporting a baby, have become thousand-dollar accessories. Correspondent Serna Altschul looks at the history of strollers, prams and pushchairs, and at the designs and aesthetics of today's super-smooth strollers.
For more info:
- Bambi Baby
- Silver Cross
- UPPAbaby
FUN & GAMES TRIPTYCH: Wordle, the daily obsessions of millions
The daily word puzzle Wordle was played a staggering 4.8 billion times last year. Correspondent Susan Spencer talks with editorial director Everdeen Mason and executive producer Zoe Bell of The New York Times' Games about the five-letter word puzzle that has become a daily ritual for millions.
For more info:
- Wordle (The New York Times)
AUTOMOTIVE: Behind the wheel of a $3 million car
The Hennessey Venom F5 is not just a sports car; its twin turbo V8 engine can muster more than 1,800 horsepower, almost twice that of a Formula 1 racing car. And yes, you can drive it on the street, for the cool price of $3 million. Correspondent Lee Cowan goes inside the design of a machine that shuns the mundane.
For more info:
- Venom GT
- Hennessey Special Vehicles, Sealy, Texas
DESIGN: A weathervane artisan
Anthony Holand of Martha's Vineyard is widely considered the country's finest weathervane maker. Correspondent Martha Teichner meets the metal sculptor whose custom weathervanes tell remarkable stories (and come with a two-to-three-year wait list).
For more info:
- Tuck & Holand Metal Sculptors, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
FASHION: Tie-dye like you've never seen before
Tie-dyed fabrics have existed for thousands of years, with Americans really getting into the groove around the 1960s. Correspondent Nancy Giles talks with tie-dye artist Austin Mackereth and with designer and historian Shabd Simon-Alexander about the state of the art in tie-dye today.
For more info:
- Austin Mackereth: Dyes N Good Vibes
- Follow Austin Mackereth on Instagram
- Follow Shabd Simon-Alexander on Instagram
- "Tie-Dye: Dye It, Wear It, Share It" by Shabd Simon-Alexander (Clarkson Potter), in Trade Paperback and eBook formats, available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble
- shabdismyname.com
- Tipsy Tie-Dye, Hoboken, N.J.
FUN & GAMES TRIPTYCH: The art of jigsaw puzzles
Five-and-a-half years ago, Conrad Armstrong made a puzzling career change: after retiring as a software engineer, he turned his hobby of creating intricate wooden jigsaw puzzles into a new calling. Correspondent Susan Spencer talks with the Boston-based puzzle-maker about his artistic wooden puzzles, where each piece is designed and cut by hand.
For more info:
- Hand-made artistic wooden jigsaw puzzles by Conrad Armstrong (newpuzzles.com)
- Follow Conrad Armstrong (@puzzlerad) on Instagram
SUNDAY PROFILE: Courteney Cox: Designing woman
After studying design and architecture in college, Courteney Cox pursed modeling and acting, and is forever identifiable as "neat freak" Monica Geller in the classic sitcom "Friends." Now she's also an entrepreneur, creating a line of scented products for the home. She talks with correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti about why she was inspired to create Homecourt's cleaning and beauty products; her strong bonds with her "Friends" castmates; and about her early big break, appearing in a Bruce Springsteen music video.
For more info:
- Homecourt
- Follow Courteney Cox on Instagram
DÉCOR: Bidet sales are flush with success
Bidets are common in Asia but are only just now catching on in America. Contributor Kelefa Sanneh finds out what's behind this recent stateside surge in interest and checks out some of the options from Toto, the global leader in bidet sales.
For more info:
- Toto
- Architect Stephanie Goto
The Calder Foundation exhibition "Calder: Un effet du Japonais," designed by Stephanie Goto, May 30 through September 6 at Azabudai Hills Gallery, Tokyo
ENTERTAINING: Martha Stewart on how to throw a garden tea party
The lifestyle entrepreneur and host of "Martha Gardens" offers tips on preparing a delicious afternoon tea.
For more info:
- Watch "Martha Gardens" on the Roku Channel
- The World of Martha Stewart on Amazon
- Tea party tips from marthastewart.com
TOOLS: The origin story of Leatherman's "pocket survival tool"
In 1975, Tim Leatherman decided to put his engineering degree to use and see if he could somehow combine a pocketknife with pliers. His tinkering that forged a "multitool" would lead to Leatherman, a Portland, Oregon-based company that specializes in designing foldable jacks-of-many-trades (and many blades), churning out 10,000 a day, each assembled by hand. Correspondent Conor Knighton reports.
For more info:
- Leatherman Tools
FUN & GAMES TRIPTYCH: A Monopoly on fun
Monopoly is the top-selling modern board game of all time, available today in 114 countries and 47 languages, and a myriad of variations. Hasbro's senior VP of board games Brian Baker explains to correspondent Susan Spencer the most important design element to a game's success.
For more info:
- Monopoly
- Hasbro Toys and Games
NATURE: Weaver birds in South Africa
WEB EXCLUSIVES:
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Roger Corman, "King of the B Movies" (YouTube Video)
Filmmaker Roger Corman, who was legendary for producing or directing hundreds of low-budget exploitation films and horror/sci-fi flicks, died May 9, 2024, at age 98. In this "Sunday Morning" profile that originally aired February 26, 2012, Corman talked with correspondent Mo Rocca about making films geared towards teenage audiences; creatively solving problems he couldn't throw money at; and how his movies were a launching pad for such Hollywood A-listers as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Sandra Bullock.
GALLERY: Roger Corman 1926-2024
A look back at the hallowed career of the indie "B-movie" filmmaker, known for exploitation films, monster flicks, and some bizarre movie posters.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Meet stunt woman Jeannie Epper (YouTube Video)
Jeannie Epper, a groundbreaking performer who did stunts for many of the most important women of film and television action of the 1970s and '80s (including star Lynda Carter on TV's "Wonder Woman") has died. She was 83. In this CBS News profile first broadcast on May 3, 1979, Dan Rather interviewed Epper about the hazards of her profession.
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.
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David Morgan
David Morgan is senior producer for CBSNews.com and the Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning." He writes about film, music and the arts. He is author of the books "Monty Python Speaks" and "Knowing the Score," and editor of "Sundancing," about the Sundance Film Festival.
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