Spaces

  • 12/03

    Print Avenue, Barcelona

    Print Avenue, is a vintage pavilion by design studio Egue y Seta, in collaboration with Sabaté Lab, a digital printing, large format and museographer company in Barcelona, Spain. The project is an incredible example of design marrying classic print and illustration into interiors.

    Walking along a game board decorated with “etched” past century lettering digitally printed over pinewood, the company introduce their main theme, printing, box by box, into a playful atmosphere.

    An entrance hall, a waiting area and a reception act as a decorative strategy to display the versatility of the medium, as well as the vintage style that acts as inspiration for the project.

    Almost the entire interior is printed, from the floors, walls, suspended ceiling panels, seating, doors and columns. The only items not printed are the reclaimed bar stools used in the reception area.

    (Images from Retail Design Blog)

  • 14/03

    Starbucks, Fukuoka

    Following our last post on Starbucks Amsterdam, here is another one that strays from the norm.

    Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed a sculptural interior for the coffee chain to sit inside plain box-shaped structure. Timber posts criss-cross to create a geometric web that lines the entire space. In typical Japanese fashion the rest of the space is left relatively bare with unassuming furniture and a zig-zag banquette – all in greys, blacks and untreated OSB. The minimalist approach to furniture complements the sculptural nature of the timber installation; providing an impressive, but not overwhelming interior.

    (Images via Contemporist)

  • 13/03

    Starbucks, Amsterdam

    Gone are the day’s where you can’t tell one Starbucks from the next. The newest breed of Starbucks’ have taken inspiration from their independent counterparts and are popping up with designs that creative and individual. Dutch designer Liz Muller worked along with 34 local artists and craftsmen on the design for the chain’s latest Amsterdam outlet.

    The space is much more exciting than the Starbucks that we are are used to, and manages to feel more personal and inviting. Walls feature antique Delft tiles whilst benches, tables and an impressive ceiling feature are made of re-purposed Dutch oak. These distinct features, along with a mix of old-school furniture gives the space a charming, characterful atmosphere.

    (Images via Trendland)

  • 05/03

    Jaffa, Tel Aviv

    Jaffa, a Tel Aviv restaurant, has an industrial design with a soft feel. The high ceilinged interior has floor to ceiling windows with wooden shutters that pivot open to create a light and airy atmosphere. Industrial pendant lamps are used in repetition over the mix and match tables and chairs that are dotted around the restaurant. The bare, industrial architecture of the space is enhanced by the rough concrete finish of the floor and ceiling, which juxtaposes a tapestry of delicate Turkish carpets with subtle patterns that line the walls. Although the space uses a subdued pallet of colours, it really comes alive as a result of the combination of rough and soft textures that are used throughout.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 23/02

    Casa Do Conto, Porto

    Casa do Conto (House of Tales in Portuguese) a concept hotel in Cedofeita, Porto, has had a rocky start. The charming XIX Century Oporto House was lovingly restored by Pedra Liquida Architects, after which a fire virtually destroyed the building just days before its reopening. A new building was built on the site with the memory of the old structure in mind. The architects thought of the new skin as a type of ‘fossil’ of the historic. The project references the ornate nature of its predecessor with abstract textures and texts applied to concrete surfaces.

    Apart from the textured surfaces, the design was approached with restraint and the resulting spaces seem appropriately quiet and poetic. The overall design manages to have a strong identity of its own while subtly referencing the site’s turbulent background.

    (Images via Yatzer)

  • 01/12

    Capanna by K-studio in Athens, Greece

    Capanna, an elegant new Pizzeria and Trattoria in Athens was designed by K-Studio to simulate the experience of eating outside. The adaptable facade allows the floor to ceiling windows to slide upwards and join the restaurant with the side-walk. The interior design subtly combines Italian and Greek influences to great effect: the resulting space is warm yet spacious.

    The most eye catching feature of the space is the cladding of the mezzanine level: rows of narrow wooden shutters run along the side of it and then bend around its edge, continuing on the ceiling underneath. Similar to the cladding that extends from the wall to the ceiling, the geometric patterned floor tiles also extend onto the double volume side wall of the space, giving the vintage feel tiles a fresh appearance and drawing your eye upward.

    Simple Scandinavian furniture and low hanging ceramic light fixtures complete the contemporary space that still manages to feel traditional.

    (Images via Yatzer)

  • 17/11

    Amelie and Friends, Chichester

    Amelie and Friends, a relaxed restaurant in Chichester, has been designed and branded by I Love Dust and 44th Hill. The interior has a natural, calm feel, thanks to the extensive use of whites and timbers. Exposed conduits and exterior light fixtures (used in the interior) are used to create a visually interesting ceiling. Timber floors and wallpanels create warmth in the light and airy space. The dining hall is simple, but still manages to surprise with interesting touches like the old farm-style tables that have been partially painted white.

    (Images via 44th Hill)

  • 09/11

    Babylonstoren,Cape Winelands, South Africa

    The Cape Winelands is a treasure trove of beautiful vineyards and orchards both new and old, one of the oldest is Babylonstoren. The vineyard sits in the dramatic Drakenstein Valley and has some of the best preserved gabled Cape Dutch buildings in the area, some of which date back from the 1690s.

    The guest suites of the farm hotel draw inspiration from the early Cape Dutch architecture and echo its quietly ornate, whitewashed aesthetic.  Wooden doors and window frames add warmth the the cool toned spaces, along with open hearths of exposed brickwork. Soft furnishings and natural carpets give the impression of modest, farmhouse luxury.

    Similar to the bedrooms, bathrooms are pictures of serenity. Whites and creams are combined to create a calming palette, and classic claw foot freestanding baths echo the Cape Dutch feel.

    The hotel restaurant, Babel, is housed in a disused kraal (animal pen). The interior is pared back, with polished concrete floors, whitewashed walls and a mix of contemporary and traditional furnishings. A large section of the back wall is covered in glossy white tiles that display the menu, along with a blown up black and white picture of a bull’s head,  hinting at the building’s former function. The interior, although simple, doesn’t need a lot of decoration and the clean, fresh style is carried through down to the centerpieces, that consist of vintage glassware and fresh greens from the garden.

    (Images via travel-files)

  • 02/11

    Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, New York

    Somewhere on the corner of a brownstone lined street in New York there is Farmacy: a ‘soda fountain’ with a touch of old school charm mixed with Brooklyn attitude.

    The former pharmacy has been lovingly restored and boasts original cabinetry, ceilings and mosaic floor tiles from the 1920′s. Shelves and drawers that used to be stocked with medicines are now lined with vintage bottles filled with treats. The interior has been furnished to echo the bygone era of the shop: featuring bentwood chairs, cast iron tables and upholstered diner bar stools.

    Vintage pieces like the unusual scales and signage add just the right amount of playfulness to the charming space.


    (Images via The Scout)

  • 31/10

    Sajilo Cafe, Tokyo

    Sajilo Cafe is an unassuming, quiet restaurant and cafe that serves up Nepali food and drink in Kichijoji, Tokyo. The modest, whimsical interior is unpretentious and has an unfinished look that seems as if it has been evolving into its current state over centuries.

    The plain interior is filled with a collection of quirky bric-a-brac, along with charming glassware and wire dinnerware. This creates an extremely personal, relaxed looking space, almost like a friend’s dining room.

    Windowsills are filled with arrangements of succulents in old tins and ceramics, continuing the nostalgic mood to the outside of the cafe. The owners obviously have a good eye for the old world items they fill their cafe with: they also run Atelier Sajilo, where similar items are stocked in abundance.

    (Images via thisisnaive)

  • 21/10

    Cantina de Comida Mexicana, Mexico City

    Architects Taller Tiliche designed a restaurant in Mexico City that operates as a  Mexican food canteen.  They decided on a neutral palete and kept materials in their natural state as far as possible, the result is an unfinished look.

    A polished concrete floor creates a continuation between the indoor and outdoor spaces, inviting passing pedestrians in. Walls were painted white and tiled upto 1.2 m height with concrete tiles. The ceiling was purposefully left unfinished, with holes and lumps of plaster littering its surface.

    Folding timber shutters can open the restaurant up completely to the street front and allowing natural light to wash into the space.

    Sanded wooden tables and benches are paired with steel folding chairs and shelves stacked with bottles stretch across the bar, as well as between the kitchen and dining room. The result is a simple, casually unfinished, yet chic interior that encourages leisurely eating.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 19/10

    GRAB Thai Street Kitchen by Mansikkamäki+JOY

    GRAB Thai Street Kitchen intends to introduce London to the simplicity of Thailand’s urban street food culture. This new ‘fast food’ restaurant sits a short walk away from Old Street and serves up good, affordable, everyday meals freshly prepared and dispensed from behind a counter.

    The design was done collaboratively by Mansikkamäki+JOY and Lifeforms Design. In keeping with the idea of street food the restaurant has a ‘rough around the edges’ industrial feel, using materials associated with construction for the interior fixtures and fittings. Pallets and corrugated metal sheets line the walls and large globe light bulbs dangle haphazardly from a web of red and blue cables, creating an interior that, although minimal, hints at the lively scenes of Bangkok. Red plastic stools, similar to those used in urban street vending in Thailand, surround communal tables made from construction left overs.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 18/10

    Frieze Art Fair Pavilions by Carmondy Groark

    Each Autumn the Frieze Art Fair exhibits works from 1000 living artists represented by contemporary art galleries around the world. The fair’s program also includes talks, film projects and architectural installations. This year the fair was bigger than ever.

    The fair was hosted in a 2000 sqm purpose built temporary pavilion in Regents Park by London architects Carmondy Groark. The intervention consists of a series of interlinked, translucent pavilions housing hospitality spaces for both VIPs and the general public, along with large exhibition tents that take the form of timber lined spaces surrounding existing trees in the park.

    The intervention perfectly balances architectural expression that is sensitive to its context with the requirements of a large scale art exhibition.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 13/10

    UdK Bookshop 2010 by Dalia Butvidaite, Leonard Steidle and Johannes Drechsler

    The UdK Bookshop was created by students from the Berlin University of Arts to create an interdisciplinary platform for the works of students and professors. The brief dictated that the installation had to temporary, as the event would only last for three days.

    A final design was selected from entries in a student competition, the winning design was a cardboard structure, chosen for its flexibility, stability, affordability, sense of impermanence and recyclability.

    Six hundred 2,6 by 1,3 meter corrugated cardboard panels were cut, perforated, folded and glued together to form a massive block, which in turn was pulled apart like a giant accordian to achieve its final shape. Adaptable to any space, the entire shelving unit can be easily folded down to a tenth of its ultimate length for storage or transport purposes.

    The cardboard itself, despite being light in nature, provides enough rigidity not only for the books, but also for the lowest shelf, which doubles as a bench for events, a place to display oversized objects, or simply to sit comfortably while leafing through a book.

    At the end of the event, the shelving unit was auctioned off, ensuring funding for more publications as well as the continuance of the Bookshop in the coming year.

    (Images by Reiner Hausleiter)

  • 12/10

    Lisbonaire, Lisbon

    The Lisbonaire is a new type of hotel in the hart of Lisbon. It occupies a 1960s building that received a full make-over this year, and consists of 19 apartments. While the overall design is coherent in its use of furniture, each apartment was designed by a different artist / designer and as a result has its own distinct character, which adds surprise and personality to the hotel.

    The apartment by Alva:

    Ana Cunha’s apartment:

    Barbra Says created an apartment with a haphazard, urban feel by arranging posters randomly on walls and ceilings.

    Joana and Mariana are responsible for an earthy toned apartment:

    João Maio Pinto created playful graphics for the walls of his space:

    Gwendolyn Van der Velden and Quim Albergaria created a colourful illustration of the city of Lisbon:

    Nuno Luz’s suite has a bit of a pop art feel:

    MAGA, a design studio in Lisbon created a unique space with innovative use of paper, not only on the walls, but also for folded light fittings.

    Musa Worklab created three dimensional graphics for the walls,

    DesignbyNada, an agency specializing in identity created a monochromatic interior with a strong typographic focus.

    Pedro Falcão’s suite:

    Mackintóxico’s suite:

    Marco Balesteros created a wall that resembles a loose timeline:

    Silva!Designers drew inspiration from neon hotel signs:

    Vanessa Teodoro’s suite:

    Vivóeusébio, a design collective, created a wallpaper that resembles vintage food wrappers – in the nicest possible way.

    The identity of the hotel is visible in each of the individual interiors that are all refreshingly playful in their own way.

    (Images via Lisbonaire)

  • 10/10

    The Past Was a Mirage I Had Left Far Behind, Josiah McElheny at the Whitechapel Gallery

    New York based sculptor and writer Josiah McElheny created a large-scale installation for the Whitechapel Gallery. Seven large, mirrored sculptures are dotted around the space. Abstract films are projected onto the screens and mirrors of these minimal sculptures to great  visual and spatial effect.

    The exhibition forms part of The Bloomberg Commission that invites international artists to create annual site-specific artwork inspired by the rich history of gallery 2, the former reading room of the Whitechapel Library,  a creative haven for early modernist thinkers like Isaac Rosenberg and Mark Gertler.

    McElheny’s installation explores how abstraction is used to depict an image of visual enlightenment.  The reflections and refractions created by the installation saturates the gallery in images and light, distorted and multiplied. The installation will be tranformed constantly by alternating the visuals projected onto the sculptures.

    (Images via Whitechapel Gallery)

  • 07/10

    The Great Viennese Coffee House Experiment, Vienna Design Week

    The Great Viennese Coffee House Experiment is work-in-progress exhibition that took its cue from Gregor Eichinger’s lecture “An Abstract of an Essay on the Origin of Coffeehouses and Varieties through Artificial and Natural Selection“. The exhibition explores the current state of the infamous Viennese coffee houses, where ‘sit-and-sip’ has been a tradition in the city for more than 300 years, and speculates on the future of this Viennese institution.

    Coffee houses have been a part of social infrastructure of Vienna long before the phenomenon emerged in most other cities, and while each coffee house has its own distinct design and identity, there is undeniably an underlying atmosphere in each that embodies Viennese culture.

    Alfred Polgar, a journalist who is famous for his wit for the city’s coffee houses wrote of the well known Café Central:  “Its inhabitants are, for the most part, people who are misanthropes, and whose aversion to other people is as acute as their need for people: who want to be alone, but must have company to do so. The habitué of the Central is a person who derives no sense of belonging from his family, profession, or party; the Café Central comes to his rescue, inviting him to join and escape. Its customers know, love, and underestimate one another. Even those who profess not to know each other regard this non-relationship as a kind of relationship; mutual dislike serves as a unifying force at the Central, a sort of camaraderie. Everyone knows about everybody. The Café Central is a village in the center of the metropolis, steaming with gossip, curiosity, and slander.”

    Julia Landsiedl, 2011’s MAK designer in residence, makes observations and conducts interviews around the coffeehouse scene, collecting examples from actual practice while also sifting through the MAK collection in search of helpful thematic clues under direction of Gregor Eichinger.

    The exhibition takes the form of a cognitively compiled and annotated map of historic and contemporary coffee houses throughout the city, along with a three dimensional ‘collage’ of artifacts associated with this culture.

    “I have always been fascinated by the Viennese coffeehouse as the core of our culture of thinking and art. In the future we will have to take care to secure the existence of the coffeehouse in the 21st century.” Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Managing Director of departure.

    “Coffeehouses encourage their guests to develop and spend time cultivating their own habits. These are mechanisms that offer us time and space, channeling our attention.” Gregor Eichinger, architect and designer who assumed direction of The Great Viennese Café: A Laboratory.

    (Images via jeplus.at)

  • 06/10

    40-48 Fashion Street, London

    A former market hall in Fashion Street has been converted into university offices by London based architects Buckley Gray Yeoman. The Grade II listed Moorish building that was used by traders at the start of the twentieth century required extensive work as a major fire demolished the entire rear section of the building. Fortunately much of the original facade remained intact and was preserved.

    The architects placed the new structure independently from what remained of the original building in order to emphasize the individual structural identity of each. A layer of Corten steel is wrapped around the concrete structure of the new building to add a layer of depth and in response to the rich urban industrial character of the area.

    The interior also has a strong industrial character: in-situ concrete is left exposed and complemented by timber panelling and glass balustrades. A large atrium allows natural light to filter down throughout the building.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 05/10

    Café Liberty, London

    SHH architects have been asked to redesign the second floor restaurant of Liberty, the famous London department store originally built using the timber from two warships in 1924. The aim was to integrate the café with the store and introduce an Arts & Crafts movement spirit to the restaurant of the store that has a well known dedication to design.

    The new interior is refined, hinting at the history of the store but in a fresh, contemporary way. Bent wood chairs and glass light fixtures with a handmade feel set the scene for this contemporary-classic interior. Delicately patterned wallpapers from Chiswick artist Marthe Armitage, who started designing and producing her beautiful wallpapers just after WW II, adorn the walls; while a flying duck sculpture in pink neon, custom designed by lead designer Helen Hughes, add a surprising twist to the otherwise demure interior.

    (Images via weheart)

  • 04/10

    The Disappearing Dining Club, London

    The Disappearing Dining Club is a step away from the conventional restaurant experience. It occupies a permanent ‘Dining Room’, a one table space that can only host ten people at a time, in Featherstone Street near Old Street, but also throws dinner and drinks parties in empty warehouses, hidden rooftops and basements, secret galleries and gardens, and just about any unusual space you can think of.

    The interior of the Dining Room, which opens only for bookings, is warm and homely. Guests are encouraged to forget about time, as all of the clocks on the walls have stopped long ago. The shelf that runs all around the room just below ceiling level is stacked with well-thumbed novels and 20th century bric-a-brac. The large wooden table is set with mismatched cutlery and old-fashioned glassware and creates the feeling of sitting down to a big family meal. The dimly lit interior, along with its quirky decor and limited amount of place settings creates a nostalgic dining experience that you are unlikely to have anywhere else.

    (Images via The Disappearing Dining Club)

  • 30/09

    John Lewis Fashion Pavilion by Grimshaw

    London department store John Lewis has commissioned Grimshaw Architects to design a pop-up installation for their Oxford Street store. The installation is made of cardboard tubes of various lengths and diameters suspended in sheets of perspex held together with transparent rods, creating the illusion of a floating cardboard screen.

    After two months in London it will travel to other John Lewis stores in the UK. The modular nature of the installation means that it can easily be dismantled and reconfigured to suit the needs of specific stores and spaces. The ‘tube walls’ separate spaces in an unusual way by partially obscuring views and revealing glimpses of adjacent spaces.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 29/09

    Outsider Tart, London

    When Americans David Lesniak and David Muniz moved to London, they felt that the indulgent cakes and tarts that they were used to were hard to come by, and promptly decided to rectify the situation themselves. The Outsider Tart serves up about any sugary treat you can think of, from brownies to biscuits, and already has a cult following.

    The dark interior is as quirky as the cakes they bake, with the large arrow shaped light fixtures above the counter taking center stage. The ceiling also features prominently and looks like it has been lined with cake tins of various sizes. Rough wooden shelves line the walls and add a rustic touch to this contemporary space.

    (Images via weheart)

  • 28/09

    Depot Basel

    Basel is synonymous with contemporary art, but it has been lagging on the contemporary design front. This is set to change: Laura Pregger and Matylda Krzykowski co-found Depot Basel to provide space dedicated to contemporary design. It is hosted in a disused grain factory, provided by the Habitat Foundation, and what what better way to furnish the space than to invite designers to create pieces purpose made for the it?

    Nine designers were handpicked by the founders and spent five days with the distinctive silo structure, which inspired a dialogue between space and craft. The narrative that developed can be seen in the objects created by each designer for the initial prelude ‘Infrastructure’. The finished pieces walk the fine line between concept and functionality and evoke a strong sense of the space they inhabit, while clearly reflecting the voice of each individual designer.

    Julien Renault + Camille Blin, Lightbox Library

    Damien Gernay, Display Table

    Damien Gernay, Lounge Chair

    Florian Hauswirth, Rammed Clay Bench

    Kaspar Hamacher, 3 L Shelf

    Mieke Meijer, Service Desk

    Mieke Meijer, Triangle Display

    Max Lipsey, Tree Bark Benches

    Max Lipsey, Concentration Chair

    Tristan Cochrane, Podium Desks

    (Images via yatzer)

  • 23/09

    Atelier Mecanic by Corvin Cristian

    A former factory in the Old Town of Bucharest, Romania has been given a new lease on life as a bar with strong industrial overtones. We have seen plenty of interiors that creatively mix old and new, but very few that successfully mix old with more old. Relics from the 1950s to 1970s comfortably rub shoulders in this quirky space.

    The factory shell has been left untouched save for minor cosmetic alterations such as fresh paint in subdued grays and dull, industrial greens and reds and fresh coat of screed on the floor. The custom built bar takes centre stage and continues the nostalgic feel with white tiles and copper top.  The vast majority of furnishings are salvaged with origins both industrial and otherwise. The vintage posters add a nice finishing touch to this bricolage vintage pieces.

    Salvaged sleepers form steps into the old factory.

    The large bar top is constructed of sleepers similar to those used for the steps, but covered with copper.

    The machinery overhead are remnants of the original factory.

    Salvaged desk lamps line the walls and illuminate the vintage posters.

    The interior evokes a strong sense of both the building and city’s past.

    (images via yatzer)

  • 21/09

    Size + Matter by David Chipperfield

    The London Design Festival never fails to transform an already interesting city into a treasure trove of installations. This year, in true form, it features designs by big names in architecture and design, with David Chipperfield Architects’ design for Size + Matter one of the most notable.

    Size + Matter pairs designers with materials / manufacturing processes so that the dynamics between design and materiality can be explored. This year’s material is Sefar Architecture Vision fabric, a metal-coated fabric mesh sandwiched between two sheets of glass to give a translucent / reflective effect that is black on one side and metallic on the the other.

    This unusual material has been used by the architects to create a sculptural pavilion that plays with the orientation of the different surfaces of the glass to make full use of both it’s translucent and reflective qualities. Unframed laminated glass panels create simple vertical elements that visitors can move through, each time having a different experience depending on time of day and levels of activity.

    The delicate, complementing relationship between the installation and its host site, the Royal Festival Hall, becomes apparent both in the designers drawings and in the physical manifestation of the design.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 24/08

    The Draughtman's Arms, London

    As part of ‘The Arhictect: What Now? exhibition that ran from 9 to 13 August, architects Gundry and Ducker designed a ‘pop-up-pub’ in the Crypt of a Marylebone church that served as a bar on the opening night and as a reception area for the rest of the exhibition. Its simple cardboard shell was decorated with 1:1 CAD drawings of wallpaper, art, windows with architecture related views and all the other little details that make up a typical English pub.

    The illustrated aesthetic was complimented by a simple trestle table that served as the bar and a minimalist chandelier made of wood.

    Its cardboard shell hovered dado height above the floor, partially revealing activity within.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 12/08

    Slowpoke Espresso, Melbourne

    Slowpoke is a new cafe in Fitzroy, Melbourne designed by French-born, Melbourne-based designer Sasufi. The focal point of the bright and airy interior is a 12m wall clad with off-cuts of reused timber sourced from local furniture designers. Tables are also constructed of recycled wood, this time flooring and they are complemented with classic white chairs.

    The space is completed with quirky touches such as vintage art and understated flower and herb arrangements in antique glassware. The character of the cafe is carried through to the last detail with even business cards being made of hand cut recycled card and signage custom made using flea market finds.

    (Images via weheart and sasufi)

  • 28/07

    Table Cloth by Ball-Nogues Studio

    Table Cloth is a new performance space in the courtyard of Schoenberg Hall at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles. The project is a result of ongoing research into the reuse of temporary structures and installations.

    A collaboration between the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, the Herb Alpert School of Music, and the UCLA Design Media Arts; Table Cloth serves as an integrated set piece, backdrop, and seating area for student musical performance and everyday social interaction. It is made of hundreds of individual low, coffee-style tables and three legged stools. Each of these household items is a unique product (no two are alike), fabricated specifically for the installation by Ball Nogues. The public can take home the tables and stools after the run of the installation. The tables and stools link together collectively to form a “fabric” that hangs from the east wall of the courtyard. When the Table Cloth meets the ground, it unrolls to form an intimate “in the round” performance area. Visitors can sit on the tables and stools within this area.

    “Tables are places for social interaction,” explains Ball-Nogues. “Dining tables, specifically, facilitate organization and communication within the typical American home. We see this project like the cloth adorning a dining table; however, at Schoenberg it will adorn the courtyard, an important social hub, and will facilitate community at the scale of the University.”

    Used for a variety of activities, from musical practice to performance, dance to lectures, and from casual conversations to academic discussions; it will embellish the courtyard throughout the summer of 2010. Because of the work’s size and the materials used, its presence within the space helps to reduce reverberation and alter other acoustical phenomena.

    The processes of designing manufacturing, assembling, and dismantling the performance space are examples of a unique design and manufacturing methodology that moves beyond and constructively critiques the three “R’s” of sustainability – recycling, reuse, and repurposing, processes that typically down-cycle material into less valuable states. After the structure has served its function as a performance space, the components comprising the installation will be dismantled to become smaller scaled household commodities, – tables and seating. This process, referred to as “Cross Manufacturing” by Ball-Nogues, is an integrated design and manufacturing strategy that harnesses digital computation and fabrication technologies to make architectural scaled installations that become collections of smaller scaled products. The items will be immediately available and given away as consumer goods, once the installation is dismantled. This approach moves beyond recycling and reuse.

    By using a consumer good as its basic building block, the project expands and critiques notions of “green” architecture. As a visual concept, the installation serves as a symbolic gesture of sustainability and a poetic reminder that the buildings and temporary pavilions we construct are impermanent: frozen moments in an ongoing flow of products and materials. Outside of its environmental considerations, the Table Cloth dramatically re-contextualizes consumer products – symbols of mass consumption and standardization– into alternative gestures of hope and one of a kind manufacturing.

    Table Cloth will be the site of performances hosted by the Herb Alpert School of Music through the summer of 2010. Please see the Herb Alpert School of Music Website to confirm dates and start times.

  • 21/07

    The Truvia Voyage of Discovery

    The rooftop of Selfridges, Oxford street has been transformed beyond recognition by jelly mongers, Bompas and Parr. The Truvia Voyage of Discovery is a celebration of the arrival of Truvia sweetener in Britain that runs from the 21st to the 24th of July, tickets have sadly sold out already.

    Bompas and Parr have lived up to their reputation of delivering the strange and exciting, creating a rooftop landscape complete with rowing lake and waterfall. Rounded off by rows of the Stevia plant from which the natural, calorie-free sweetener is derived.

    Guests at the event can sip on cocktails by the Experimental Cocktail Club or teas and coffees by Caravan and the Rare Tea Company while drinking in their unusual surroundings and an amazing view over the heart of London shopping.

    (Images via Notcot)

  • 29/06

    Soundscapes by Zimoun

    Zimoun, an artist from Switzerland, works primarily with sound. What started as a fascination as a child grew exponentially, so much so that he is now often referred to as a sound architect.

    His works are minimal and focussed. Humble materials such as cardboard, cotton balls, plastic bags and wire are elevated above their everyday associations by repetition and the introduction of (hundreds of) motors to achieve an air of elegance. The conscious restraint that is evident in his work amplifies their impact. His works are immersive, drawing the spectator into the space of its sound. Here are a few videos of a few of his freshest pieces:

    121 prepared dc motors:

    138 prepared dc motors:

    200 prepared dc motors:

    More videos and images can be seen on Zimoun’s website.

  • 07/04

    The Modern Pantry at Meza

    You are always guaranteed a delicious brunch, lunch or dinner in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere at The Modern Pantry. New Zealand chef Anna Hansen performs magic with fresh ingredients to create original dishes that are as inspiring as their almost all white interior.

    For a limited period this Spring, The Modern Pantry takes some of its relaxed atmosphere to vibrant Soho. For four weeks the interior of Meza on Wardour Street will be transformed along with its menu.

    The new interior features walls painted in muted tones and minimalist Danish furniture from design house Fritz Hansen. Interesting artworks from guest artists Kate Boxer and Robert Clarke can be seen throughout the space.

    (Images via We Heart)

  • 28/02

    The Mast Brothers Chocolate factory

    The story of The Mast Brothers Chocolate began in a New York apartment, where Rick and Michael Mast started processing cocoa beans with a homemade machine. Overtime they refined their creation and started sourcing beans from family farms as far as Madagascar and Ecuador. Their chocolate is now produced in a small, three room factory in Williamsburg, New York, with the same passion and care as in the very beginning.

    On weekends the first room doubles as a shop front. Customers can browse their range of handmade chocolates in the pared down factory and catch a glimpse of the machinery that was used to make it. During the week is when the real action takes place, from sorting and processing the cocoa beans to making the chocolate and wrapping it.

    The history and process of making chocolate is as important to the brothers as the final product and this care is evident in the quality, each bar is unique and no two have quite the same flavour.

    The chocolates are hand wrapped in golden foil and decorative paper.

    The brothers are now planning on navigating the Atlantic in order to source beans and get to know the people who grow them.

    Images via The Scout.

  • 22/02

    Madrid Hub Offices

    Churtichaga + Quadra + Salcedo Arquitectos (SH + QS) have transformed an abandoned garage from the 40s in Madrid into timeshare offices. Transform is probably too strong a word, since the architects wisely decided to leave much of what they found in the space intact in order to preserve the original character of the space. With minimal intervention the designers upgraded the space to make it both functional and sustainable. The building now provides working space, as well as a gathering space for cultural activities in the neighborhood.

    The existing concrete floor was replaced by a wooden floor that immediately giving the space a warmer feel.

    A skylight was set in the roof to provide natural light for the main working and collaboration space.

    The majority of the space was furnished with recycled furniture donated by the hub owners and this creates a playful, mix and match vintage feel. Wooden fruit crates were used to fill in the gaps of furniture still need. Shelves, stools and coffee tables as well as a ticket office and even a ladder was constructed from these.

    An unusual touch is the little orange tree that was planted in a gap in the floor to bring a bit of the outdoors into the space.

    Peeling paint was covered with a special resin to keep what is left of it intact and revealing the marks and scratches of time.

    A mezzanine was constructed in the main space under which there are rooms isolated for meetings. The interiors of these rooms are lined with recycled wool felt to provide sound isolation for private meetings and media.

    All photos © Daniel Torrelló / ayr + chitecture (via Yatzer)

  • 17/02

    Micheline Print Boutique

    Micheline, a printing boutique in San Pedro, Mexico with more than forty years business under their belt, have a fresh new brand identity and interior to go along with it. The designers from Anagrama opted for sophisticated minimalism with a limited colour palette that draws your attention to the brand.

    The interior features designer furniture and refined details like the unexpected lighting and the slender shelves that display the art work produced by the boutique.

    The brand identity is beautifully carried through and is reflected in everything from the packaging to the literature.

    Images via We Heart

  • 14/02

    Shibuya Booksellers

    Shibuya booksellers combine two complementary functions into a single narrow space in Shibuya, Tokyo. NAP architects placed the bookshop up front and this gradually turns into a publishing house towards the end of the space.

    The sides of the long narrow space have been completely covered with an interesting range of white bookshelves varying in shape and size. Books are arranged chronologically on these so you navigate the books through time rather than alphabet.

    The production work of the publishing house takes place on a long table towards the back of the space. Here customers can interact with staff allowing immediate feedback on new projects and a highly unusual shopping experience.

    Images via designboom

  • 09/02

    What Happens When

    What Happens When is unusual, even for pop-up restaurant standards. A collective of interior designers, a graphic designer, a composer and a Michelin starred chef put their minds together and are transforming a reclaimed space, not once, but nine times over the course of nine months.

    Graphic designer Emelie Baltza sets the tone by creating an interesting visual language for each month to which the interior designers at New York agency the Metrics respond with a complementing interior. Chef John Fraser creates indulgent menus and is serving up Nordic and Northern Germanic inspired food for the debut month. The music is as unusual as the concept, done by Micah Silver, it includes extracts from videos at rural bonfires and orchestras warming up.

    Their combined efforts offer customers the ultimate all round experience of sound, art, interiors and good food.

    Images via We Heart

  • 07/02

    Weird & Wonderful Houses

    In the past few weeks I came across various interesting looking houses of all kind, so thought they would be worth to be posted here. The first one, a kind of “floating castle”, is placed in Ukraine. Supported by a single cantilever, this mysterious levitating farm house belongs in a sci-fi flick. It’s claimed to be an old bunker for the overload of mineral fertilizers…

    The second one is an absolutely beautiful yet bizarre stone house, bordered by two huge boulders that inform the interior spaces – but it is also filled in with smaller stones to finish the effect. Crooked windows complete the curious picture on the outside while rough-cut log furniture, stairs and railings add to the organic feel of the interior spaces. Of course, this design is naturally eco-friendly as it incorporates local materials and more natural elements requiring less energy to turn into structural supports, finishes or cladding. Inspired by none other than the Flintstones, this is not a work of installation art nor a themed hotel – it is simply the private residence of one person who saw a unique design opportunity and creatively integrated the natural environment while constructing his custom home on hill with a view (images via Jsome).

    In the next few days I will post some more posts in this “Weird & Wonderful Houses” series, so please stay tuned.

  • 01/01

    'Mr_Design Office' by Schemata Architecture Office

    Who wouldn’t want to work in this office? ‘Mr_Design Office’ by Japanese studio Schemata is a 190 m2 office for 5 people in Tokyo. With the intention of keeping the space open while still maintaining a level of privacy and warmth, the project incorporates noninvasive design elements with playful components. In order to avoid separating the single room into a number of smaller rooms, the design purposely lacks complete partitions and dividers.

    A meeting area on the south end of the rectangular layout is flanked on one side by a mirrored surface to lengthen the space. The partial-height wall unit which houses the washroom and storage space features a built-in tube slide for the employees. To provide a level of privacy, the conference table is placed under a parabolic reflector with a 3.4m diameter. In addition to funneling light, the suspended fixture collects and directs sounds to the meeting area. In order to have a subtle presence, the overhead lights are constructed from spiral tubes cut in half to mimic the aesthetics of the ceiling ducts.

    The bench in the waiting area is made from four separate chairs with clear epoxy feet to give the illusion of floating.

    All Images courtesy Schemata Architecture Office

    Photographer: Takumi Ota

    Via designboom

  • 22/12

    AESOP AOYAMA SHOP BY SCHEMATA ARCHITECTURE

    Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka of Schemata Architects has designed the interior of the first Aesop shop in Aoyama, Tokyo. Mainly built from materials found in an abandoned house in nakano-ku due for demolition, the space is minimal and contemporary whilst possessing the warmth and richness of traditional Japanese design.

    Aesop’s range of hair and skincare products sit on bundles of timber taken from the abandoned ‘murazawa’ house and wooden panels from the house are reincarnated as neatly stacked display shelves. The best thing about this project is the attention to detail, clearly fuelled by a deep appreciation of raw everyday materials and the glimpses of past uses they reveal. Blank surfaces are defined by small details of the shops skeleton. Much like a Rachel Whiteread sculptures, channels are dug around water pipes and manholes in the  floor and filled with epoxy resin and lighting cables are exposed and arranged in linear patterns, like delicate drawings.

    via designboom images

  • 29/10

    OPEN HOUSE – 20 ROOM VERTICAL GREENHOUSE

    Could this be the future of community centres? Open House is a vertical village of haphazardly stacked house shaped rooms recently opened in Anyang, Korea.

    Raumlaborkorea, a research and intervention unit of the design group Raumlaborberlin, were invited to design, programme and build this centre as part of ‘Anyang public art project/ A new community in the open city’. Described by it’s designers as a ‘social sculpture’, the project aims to knit into the existing urban and social landscape and not only serves the local community but was also built by them!

    Two hundred residents of Anyang took part in building workshops and completed the stacked rooms which include a bicycle rent shop, a children’s play pavillion, a community garden and a tea room.

    I love this project, Raumlaborkorea have reinvented the architecture associated with community and participation and created a playful and exciting project which also looks great!

  • 28/10

    RICHARD CHAI AND SNARKITECTURE POP UP STORE


    Brooklyn based architects Snarkitecture and fashion designer Richard Chai have teamed up to transform a retail space into an urban glacier using a single material, white architectural foam. An existing structure was lined with foam and walls were sculpted by hand with hot wire cutters creating a landscape of light and shade perfect for housing Richard Chai’s latest fashion collection.

    Designed as part of the Building Fashion series at HL23, a collaboration between architects and fashion designers, the space reveals a curatorial approach to architectural design and fashion. Niches and insertions into the cavernous foam walls become moments of display, telling the story of the collection piece by piece. There’s just something so satisfying about the perfectly straight slices and rocky surfaces of the foam, however I did wonder about the use of such an energy intensive material for a temporary installation.Thankfully, the architects have recognised this issue and the sculptural walls will be re-incarnated as rigid building insulation.


    

  • 19/10

    Urban Station

    Mobile workers have long been suffering the distractions of working at home and the annoyances of coffee shops. But now thanks to Urban Station gone are the days of working on a tiny, badly lit coffee shop table and having strangers spill their drinks on you – if you live in Buenos Aires that is. Urban Station, a place designed specifically for those who call the local cafe their office has opened shop in the hip Palermo Soho district of Buenos Aires, a rich mix of fashion, design and art.

    It provides large tables, complete with plugs,  wi-fi, printers and scanners, everything that you would have in your own office, including meeting rooms for seeing clients, plus they provide lockers so that you won’t have to haul everything home at the end of the day.

    What sets it apart from other hot desk concepts it that your hourly rent includes unlimited refreshments, you can have coffee and croissants to your heart’s content whilst working undisturbed in a bright, airy environment.

    The design includes casual lounges with comfortable armchairs where you can have informal meetings or browse through the books and magazines that they have on offer. The designers seem to have thought of everything, down to how you can get home – if you need to get somewhere fast you can even rent a bicycle. The way that we are working in cities have changed, hopefully more cities will catch on and get mobile worker friendly spaces of their own.

    Images from WeHeart

  • 14/10

    Sideways Cafe by Nema Workshop, New York

    New York designers Nema workshop have created this unusual interior for emerging brand D’espresso.

    Asked to relate the design to its location in Madison Avenue, Nema workshop took inspiration from nearby Bryant Park Library but turned the room sideways to form this playful interior.
    Full scale photographic prints onto custom tiles allow bookshelves to wrap from floor to ceiling,  whilst gravity defying pendant lights jut out from behind the bar.  A herringbone clad wall opposite to this mimics a floor in this surreal café space.

    The designers’ slanted take on a straightforward concept makes for a spectacular, if not slightly disorientating interior!

  • 07/09

    The Waterhouse at South Bund by NHDRO

    Who knew military buildings made good hotels. Architects NHDRO proved this to be true when they converted disused Japanese army headquarters in the South Bund District of Shanghai into a luxury hotel. The Waterhouse hotel features exposed concrete and brickwork, staying true to the structure’s previous function and resonating with the industrial past of the docks it borders, while clearly contrasting old and new. The architects added a Corten steel extension to the roof, new circulation and narrow interior windows, surprisingly allowing glimpses into private rooms. Apart from the beautifully raw architectural fabric, the building offers views onto the the neighbouring Huangpu River and the breathtaking Pudong skyline.

    (Images by Pedro Pegenaute)

  • 06/09

    Institute of Fine Arts Vienna by Studio Gruber

    The Institute of Fine Arts Vienna have very successfully integrated new classrooms, a computer lab and a photo studio into a former imperial stage set production building by Gottfried Semper and Karl Hasenauer. The 1877 building is beautifully complemented by ‘pods’ constructed of CNC-milled plywood, using roughly 1600 individual elements. Although each unit is geometrically unique they are derived from a common prototype. The cleverly designed rooms not only add a contemporary feel to the space, they also integrate seating, workstations and storage into their structures, unifying structure, function and aesthetics.

    (images via roots)

  • 02/09

    Vacant NL by Rietveld Landscape

    Vacant NL is the Dutch contribution to the Venice Architecture Beinnale 2010. The installation, commissioned by the Netherlands Architecture Institute and curated by Rietveld Landscape, is interestingly executed and features a cityscape suspended overhead and a drawing made of threads and pins. It aims to draw attention to government spaces that are often temporarily vacant and have huge potential for creative use, marrying architecture with ideals it sparks thinking around the intelligent reuse of these spaces.  Along with the installation, visitors experience space left intentionally empty to highlight that it is unoccupied nine months of the year.

    (images via designboom)

  • 11/08

    Chin Chin Laboratorists by Shai Akram and Andrew Haythornthwaite

    Chin Chin Laboratorists in Camden, North London is an ice cream shop with a twist. The shop has a different workstation for each stage of the ice cream making process and additional space for experimentation. Each workstation becomes a colour coded part of this ice cream making machine, held together at appropriate heights by scaffolding. The scaffolding, white coats and laboratory paraphernalia gives the shop the feeling of a mad scientist’s lab, and a theatrical one at that. Making the ice cream becomes a performance and customers can see each part of the process from the decanting to mixing, freezing with liquid nitrogen and topping. The concept is carried through effortlessly into the branding that borrows symbols and diagrams from chemistry.

    (Images via Dezeen)

  • 16/07

    Frank's Cafe and Campari Bar

    Perched atop a disused Peckham car-park, Frank’s Cafe and Campari bar is an innovative pop-up eatery designed by Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley (Practice Architecture). The temporary cafe appears for the second year in a row as part of the Bold Tendencies sculpture project by Hannah Barry Gallery which has attracted more than just local interest in this culturally overlooked corner of South London.

    Frank’s cafe is run by Frank Boxer, owner of Vauxhall’s Brunswick House Cafe and Bonnington Square Deli, and head chef Michael Davies of the Hope and Anchor, Waterloo. Diners can enjoy an al-fresco set-up that offers outstanding views of London and its landmarks, the London Eye, Millennium Dome, to Crystal Palace and beyond.

    The structure was built over 25 days by a team of volunteers working alongside Lettice and Paloma, whose collaborative studio specialise in design-build architecture and social spaces. It is made up of nine 50m long ratchet straps that ‘loop around the entire floor plate and lash a bright red PVC canopy to the car park roof’. Reclaimed timber columns constructed from bolted together scaffold planks support the straps. The same reclaimed timber has been used for the structure, bar and furniture resulting in a pared down look that suits the starkness of the car-park and allows the striking colour and form of the roof to stand out. The red roof and ratchet straps were fabricated in a factory that produce drop down canvases for commercial lorries.

    Frank’s Cafe and the sculptures of the Bold Tendencies project are open Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 10pm on the 10th Floor of Peckham multi-storey car-park, 95A Rye Lane, London, SE15 4ST.

  • 14/07

    Lemay Office in Montreal

    When recently in Montreal, I had the pleasure to visit the Lemay offices – an architectural practice that works with a holistic approach, involving urban development as well as interior design. They had only just recently moved into their new premises in Montreal, not far from where their old offices used to be. The area is an ex industrial quarter with many – already or soon to be – converted warehouses to live and work in. So surprise, surprise – this was one as well!

    One of Lemay’s declared values is sustainability, which also means to create new buildings that have a low energy impact when created. Therefore they re-use, if possible, a lot of already existing building material, if they convert a site. In their ex-warehouse office you can therefore find a lot of evidence for this approach, with re-gained wood being used for the reception area and rusty metal sheets that were turned into beautiful wall panels, just to mention a few. All in all a really sensitively developed site that pays tribute to its industrial heritage.

    Here is what Leay says about its own philosophy:

    Lemay not only applies sustainable development principles and values to every project it undertakes, but also extends them to every operational level of the company. To accomplish this, Lemay has developed a policy to integrate elements such as healthy environment, comfort, and energy efficiency into the creative process resulting in imaginative and innovative solutions that remain within budget allowances without compromising ecological responsibilities.

    They practice their principles even in the microcosm of everyday office life: Their coffee stir devices are not the usual plastic sticks or  made from wood, but simply pasta, i.e. minimal production energy costs as well as composting for disposal. Another wonderful thing is the fact that they have started to grow a vegetable garden in the outside bit of their office. Apparently it will still take some time until they will be able to prepare their first company dinner form these ingredients, but nevertheless I was thrilled by the consequent realisation of their values in all areas presented.

  • 07/07

    Nike Stadium

    To celebrate the World Cup Nike has opened Nike Stadiums in major cities across the globe and provided many enthusiastic fans with interesting soccer-inspired spaces to get immersed in. At Nike Stadium NYC various programs and performances are taking place throughout the summer, including match viewings and film screenings exploring the creative expression of soccer. The multipurpose space is located in the Browery Stadium and was designed by architectural agency Rafael de Cardenas. The ‘stadium’ has many experimental features like the concertina display pictured below and triangular boxes that can be rearranged to produce different seating configurations.

    Reflecting its location it is not overly sleek, contrasting new fittings with exposed services to create a New York edge, playful, but hard-wearing. The architects of the space used materials interestingly increasing the tactile experience of the interactive furnishings. The graphics on the walls are equally engaging and range from old school illustrated wallpaper to to high tech digital prints.  Standard light fittings in unusual arrangements were used very effectively and this adds another dynamic layer to the space.

    (images from Nike)