Beware anything comprised of 60,000 fiber optic cables….and movies with terribly long load times. Worth the wait by the way, since most people (like myself) have seen pictures, which are impressive but don’t quite do the structure justice.
Tag Archive for 'interiors'
http://www.vimeo.com/10774063
When I see things like this I immediately wonder if someone has the ol’ Bauhaus archives handy in order to verify that it hasn’t been done before. It’s so simple in terms of design yet offers up so much flexibility in terms of set-up that I find it difficult to think someone else hadn’t designed it first. I heart the black edge detail and contrast with the white shelving, which kicks it up a notch. Too bad it would be cost-prohibitive in order to apply this treatment to the surface notches as well. Best part is all you need is a table saw to build it yourself. Via contemporist
Tadao Ando is someone who produces stunning yet polarizing work. Even if you don’t understand architecture you have to appreciate what he brings to the equation in terms of balance and focus on proportion by the ubiquity of his material of choice; concrete. This is a coffee table book worth paying around $100 based on the juxtapositions of interior/exterior spaces and landscape integration for if you ask me. Taschen just can’t fail in this space and really doesn’t waste it’s time on artists that don’t deserve their attention–the perfect business model. Via Curated.
Usually I bitch and moan about spaces in misalignment between interior and exterior or ‘heart it’ when someone nails architectural detailing. In this case I have to backtrack a bit and say that this is a structure deserving of a separation between ‘church and state’ so to speak. In this case I wouldn’t like it any other way, since if the interior echoed the exterior (or vice versa) the structure would be pedestrian at best.
From the outside it first seems notable that the logs run perpendicular to their surroundings. Cool, but not exactly blogworthy. Then I took in the detailing on the shutters, done in an almost camouflage manner, which creates a seamless effect. Not easy to pull off from a manufacturing perspective either, requiring a truly custom build. At this point we have something worth appreciation–but wait, there’s more.
Yup. Uber-mod interior. Clean, glossy finish, tidy with a crisp linear feel. Perfect for a studio space since inspiration is right outside. Plus i’ts on wheels so you can cart it anywhere. I really appreciate the shift from urban to rural by simply shutting a door. It’s perfect since it was designed by Dutch architect Piet Hein Eek for a musician to simply rock out to. Via IfItsHip.
Just when you think that the early 2000’s stainless steel appliance trend is over, Rowenta enters the fray in a rather luxe manner. The use of wood in small appliances is a nice departure from the norm for their 100 year anniversary and must present a bit of an engineering challenge given the integration of heating elements and electrical components that need extra cable jacketing and insulation. Not to mention the cost as well, but it acts nicely to put their products back onto the appliance radar.
From a styling standpoint the ‘Silver Art Collection’ (it’s uninspired name must be a issue with translation) carries a nice degree of sophistication via materials alone. It’s a nice family of slickness for fairly mundane products by French studio Elium, who has done some work on other Rowenta products, a variety of furniture manufacturers, and accessories for Lexon. Other than the material is the design remarkable in and of itself? The pitch and gentle taper to the base of all products in the Collection act to bring everything together well, so they could thrive without all that metal and wood, but definitely works better with it. Via Appliancist.
Sculptural treatment of a cavity where no one pays much attention (possibly due to cost) results in an inversion of what typically takes place inside of vs. outside of a lamp. It makes you stop and actually pay attention to the fixture itself. Not sure you would need the contrast between the inside and outside surfaces and finishes but I would bet that it’s available in all white–just a guess. Added bonus: I’m sure the light undulates in an odd, hopefully somewhat even manner in regards to it’s coverage and resulting shadows. Oddly enough I don’t think this would be that hard to build at home, although it would take some time to get just right. Might be neat made out of smoked translucent glass…..but am not sure how that might affect the ‘topographical map’ vibe. Via dezeen.
It looks like a museum from the outside, is fittingly a bit sterile on the inside but definitely has the most efficient floor plan for a ‘cottage’ I have ever seen. It has a bit of both a Eames Case House and Modular Housing feel which merge together nicely in a stark contrast to it’s environment although in a way there is a certain fit with the surroundings with a stong linear nature amongst the surrounding birch trees.
I would expect someone to play a bit with material in the space itself but I would assume that this a design that could be drag-n-dropped into different settings, with the only limitation being a better fit with the rural than urban due to external exposure. The structure has a high degree of natural light being allowed in, although I would personally want louvers to manually adjust which are open in, for example, your bedroom. Speaking of which, the diagram below gives us a birds-eye view of how the space comes together.
Notice the shared wall between the kitchen and bathroom (not quite an innovation) that allows the space to be that much more compact. I really dig the fact that the built-in furniture for the living room and kitchen face out. That being said built-in furniture is really the only way to make this small of a space truly work. No one should even consider adding furniture to this because it would be far too cluttered to say the least. On a parting note how awesome does this little house look at night? Via Deezen.
Naoto Fukasawa is releasing the ’Grande Papilio’ chair via upscale B&B Italia, and I have to say I am impressed. The overall form is so inviting yest basic it makes you wonder why no one else has sculpted something in the same manner before. The armchair is a companion piece with the ‘Papilio,’ an upholstered chair B&B Italia presented last year from the designer. In comparison (and I hate to be so American) I would definitely choose the ‘Grande’ any day because the proportions don’t work nearly as well with reduced mass.
The stacking chair looks a bit pedestrian in comparison, might be due to the neutral seat pan that has my legs falling asleep just looking at it but I digress. What I really like other than the siloutte and the friendly curvature is the very fashion-inspired metallic zip running along it’s ‘back’ for the removable cover. I saw this in some magazine in my doctor’s office and was mortified that I didn’t know about it earlier this year. Anyone else thinking that we will start seeing more products in PURPLE over the next year or two? I figured if the Europeans are doing it today……that timeframe seems just about right.
Niels Diffrient shows that he can still bring the heat these days as the brand name designer behind Humanscale with this summer’s Element Task Light. Let me start with function before form here……the lamp counterbalances without dials or knobs, effectively allowing a wide range of articulation while enabling locking in place after being moved is somewhat expected these days. What is nice is how the armature is handled in such a basic manner, hiding all functional elements minus the contrast-colored electrical wiring.
Instead of using a row of LEDs casting small circular shadows this uses one large LED.
Sure, there is a technology story behind the lamp due to the integration of a new type of LED. Along with this comes a gain in efficiency which I am sure enables a bit of upsell required with a near $400 desk light. The notable component to this in my opinion is how Niels handles the lighting element.
These ‘fins,’ in addition to looking hella-cool, also allow the light to shed heat from the lamp itself. It nicely balances the relatively neutral treatment of the rest of the form and gives it some personality. Everyone from Coroflot to FastCompany has covered this but it kind of dropped from my radar over the summer for some reason.
When it comes to places to renovate in hopes of becoming the next big club or brewpub nothing fits better than the site of a former brewery for several reasons. Large empty spaces are needed to house mash tuns and bottling lines, the site already has huge power hookups, not to mention the large industrial elevators and wide stairwells needed to house product. Plus, the structure and rating for net weight per floor is more than ample regardless of crowd size.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like what the architects did to the interior space. I just can’t understand why they did so given the disparity between the exterior which was preserved to maintain it’s integration with the historic district it stands in. I hate it when someone knocks down something and erects a structure that does not, in any way, match it’s surroundings but this inversion unsettles me a bit. I don’t think that whitewashing the exterior hurts but it’s just not 100% ‘there’ to me.
Case in point is this entryway, which would lead me to believe I was having somewhat of a ‘Matrix’ type experience given the building I came into vs. the floorspace I enter. Once again, I really like the lighting and wall treatment pictured above, the way the lenses gently jut out of the surface slightly in a seemingly natural manner is nicely executed. Sure it’s a bit curvilinear given the sterile edginess of the surrounding space but it does break things up a bit. Plus when seen from a holistic standpoint the indirect lighting works well as it refracts off of the glossy walls and floors.
I just hope no one makes the mistake of putting furniture (much less cubicles) that have too strong of a character into this space. Lets be honest here, it was built with low tables and no dividers in mind. Did they do a great job on the space? Yes, but it stands in too much contrast with it’s shell which calls attention to one vs. the other. I’m not suggesting that someone should have taken the space and decked it out in dark wood bars from enterance to exit but with so much raw potential I am surprised it ended up looking like this, and it’s not that I don’t like the end result agnostic of it’s origins. Like I said, I am definitely torn on this one. Via Dezeen.