About the Author
Allison Arieff, the former Editor in Chief of Dwell magazine, is Senior Content Lead for the design and innovation firm IDEO. She is co-author of the books “Prefab” and "Trailer Travel," and the editor of many books on art and popular culture, including “Airstream: The History of the Land Yacht” and “Cheap Hotels.” Ms. Arieff lives in San Francisco. (NY Times Editor’s note: Allison Arieff wrote on design for NYTimes.com’s Opinion section in September 2006. She returns now with a monthly column.) From NYTimes.com/Blogs)