Design Bureau Issue 22 by Alarm Press

PHILIPPE STARCK: “DESIGN IS MY POLITICAL WEAPON” P. 142

DI IO T

SEPTEMBER 2013

THE INSPIRATION ISSUE

ANN

Inspiring Dialogue on Design

IVERS

A LOOK BEHIND THE WORLD OF FILM, MUSIC, FASHION, TECHNOLOGY AND MORE...

SEPTEMBER 2013 $8 USA/CAN

PRECISELY POISED PERFECTION

REVOLUTIONARY ILLUMINATION

Ultra-bright, glare-free illumination from revolutionary LED Flat Panel Technology ...eliminates the hot spots and multiple shadows from the multiple point sources of light, unlike other LED lamps.

Brightness controlled from a touchless optical sensor.

Ingenious articulating arm adjusts free of external components.

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The Inspiration Issue Five guest editors show us theirs

CONTENTS ISSUE 22 FEATURES 98

142

148

DIALOGUE & DESIGN THINKING

The Inspiration Issue We turned this issue’s feature section over to five guest editors from different creative worlds. Their task? To show (and tell) what inspires them. Get inside the minds of a graphic designer, musician, filmmaker, fashion heiress, and photographer to the stars.

The Wide World of Starck Why venerable designer Philippe Starck’s specialty might just be... everything

Ionna Vautrin After a decade working for big names, France’s next big designer is making a name for herself on her own

INFORMER

A Tale of Two Designs From an urban rooftop farm to a chic Central Park penthouse, one firm’s work spans the gamut of NYC’s architecture scene

Pixels & Print

Objects & Gear

Fashion & Beauty

Swiss Meets Italian Iconic design brands Kartell and Laufen team up to build a better bathroom

Travel & Culture

Structures & Spaces

An Artful Streetscape David Bomberg’s abstract artwork influenced the design of public spaces at a London college World’s Most Interesting Office The video editing company behind “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercial gets an office just as irresistible

PLUS 6 8 10 88 159 160

Contributors Letter From the Editor Letters Notes From the Bureau This Issue’s Best Albums For Hire

DESIGN BUREAU

September 2013

TRAVEL

The New Israel With a trove of historic Bauhaus-style buildings and new structures by todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top architects, Israel is the new design mecca of the Middle East 40

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September 2013

WORKSPACE

Office Spice A rooftop terrace restaurant and basement cocktail lounge shake up a marketing and design firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Minneapolis work space 96

DESIGN BUREAU

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DESIGN BUREAU CONTRIBUTORS

Dusdin Condren photographed designer Jessica Walsh for The Inspiration Issue. Condren works in portrait, editorial, and fashion photography. His background includes degrees in Slavic literature, stints living in Europe, and a short career directing theater. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. dusdincondren.com

Kristin McCracken interviewed Alex Karpovsky for this issue. After working in higher education, she realized writing about movies was more fun. Her filmmaker profiles have appeared on Indiewire, The Huffington Post, and TribecaFilm. Her latest book is entitled 101 Things to Do Before You Turn 40.

Sharon McHugh is an architect, writer, and critic. She began writing about architecture in the early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s. Sharon is the former USA editor for World Architecture magazine, a publication of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and now serves as the USA correspondent for World Architecture News (London) and Abitare (Milan).

Laura Neilson spoke with pop artist Kenna about his storytelling heritage, before shifting gears to interview designer Jessica Walsh on her gravitation toward the surreal, both in artistic and real-life contexts. Neilson also writes for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the website Food Republic. lauraneilson.com

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Force chris@alarmpress.com ----MANAGING EDITOR

Kristin Larson kristin@alarmpress.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Joel Hoglund joel@alarmpress.com FEATURES EDITOR

Elizabeth Hall lhall@alarmpress.com EDITORIAL INTERN

Emily Rosen

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Ellie Fehd ellie@alarmpress.com

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

Tarra Kieckhaefer tarra@alarmpress.com

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Jill Berris, Joel Bednarz, Krystle Blume, Lindsay DeCarlo, Matthew Hord, Kyle Johnson, Brianna Jordan, Moira Kelley, Natalie ValliereKelley, Caitlin Kerr, Mallory Wegner, Xavier Winslow NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Shannon Painter shannon@alarmpress.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

ART DIRECTOR

Alyssa Erickson, Gail Francis, Isabella Gutowski, Miranda Myers, Courtney Schiffres, Allison Weaver

DESIGNER

Lauren Carroll laurenc@alarmpress.com

DESIGN INTERN

Jenny Palmer jenny@alarmpress.com

----Spencer Matern spencer@alarmpress.com

Kady Dennell kady@alarmpress.com Ellen Winston ----CONTRIBUTORS

Gem Barton, Zack Burris, Dusdin Condren, Francois Coquerel, Steven Fisher, Donovan Foote, Kathryn Freeman Rathbone, Fiona Garden, David Brandon Geeting, Amber Gibson, Sarah Handelman, Lucy Hewett, Matthew Hord, Frank Ishman, Amanda Koellner, Jordan Mainzer, Kristin McCracken, Jill McDonnell, Sharon McHugh, Laura Neilson, Gwendolyn Purdom, Lesley Stanley, Dr. Rob Tannen, J. Michael Welton, Matthew Williams ----ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER

Kate Moore kate@alarmpress.com

INSPIRING DIALOGUE ON DESIGN AVAILABLE ON THE IPAD

PRODUCTION MANAGER

MARKETING COORDINATOR

HUMAN RESOURCES

Lauren Miller lmiller@alarmpress.com STAFF ACCOUNTANT

Mokena Trigueros ----ON THE COVER

Photo by Chris Force. Lighting assistant: Luhrs. Wardrobe stylist: Marta Cebrat for Factor Artists. Styling assistant: Hermina Chamnankit. Hair/makeup: Kerre Berry for Factor Artists. Model: Cassie for Factor. Products featured on the cover: Missoni pouf, $975, from Mobili Möbel, Chicago, mobilimobel.com. Quattro by Sonneman task lamp, $600, sonnemanawayoflight.com. On the model: White Blouse, $44, by Rubbish at Nordstrom, shop.nordstrom.com. Tempest Boots, $90, by Tildon at Nordstrom

A one-year subscription to Design Bureau is US $40 (international $80). Visit our website at wearedesignbureau.com or send a check or money order to: Design Bureau 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3200 Chicago, IL 60601

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Design Bureau (ISSN 2154-4441) is published monthly with the exception of May/June and Nov/Dec, by ALARM Press at 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3200, Chicago, IL 60601. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional mailing office(s). POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Design Bureau at 205 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 3200, Chicago, IL 60601 Retailers: To carry Design Bureau in your store, please call 201.634.7411. © 2013 Design Bureau. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. DESIGN BUREAU is a trademark of Design Bureau.

Packed with extended photo galleries, additional content, and interactivity exclusive to the tablet edition. Search Design Bureau in iTunes to get started.

DESIGN BUREAU

September 2013

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

collaborate with each other but also to motivate. And that, along with a feeling of progress, keeps organizations moving happily forward. There are many perks to being a magazine editor. One of them is meeting great people with a willingness to spill their guts and share a drink with you. That still hasn’t got old with me. Another is getting to travel to amazing places and experience some of the world’s best spaces and design. But the best perk is being surrounded by colleagues who not only want to do their job, and do it well, but help the people around them succeed too. Collaborating on a successful project is a fantastic reward and, most of the time, a fulfilling use of time. It’s how you choose those collaborations, and define their success, that gets tricky. The theme this year has been “there is no time.” Sidestepping the entire conversation about intentionally manufacturing chaos and distractions to create a sense of importance and meaning to life—I would like to jump straight into the fact that time is not a given. If we want to speak in hip-hop terms, death is certain (cue Royce da 5’ 9”). And as we moved from a bimonthly magazine to a monthly magazine this year, and simultaneously published our major special issue, Inspiring Interiors, it did feel like death was certain. But we survived. The life, project, colleague, deadline, or opportunity that you have is the one you have. So make the most of it. It’s a liberating, almost foolish moment when you accept that. And this year, we did that. This is Design Bureau’s third year of publishing, and one of our keys to success has been our ability to not only

Photo by Jim Krantz, JimKrantz.com

Of course, we couldn’t do it without the design community and our readers as well. I’ve been involved with many fantastic projects that seem to hit the air with a spark then dissolve into the ether. It’s not that way with Design Bureau. The magazine speaks to people, and they speak back. The dialogue we have been able to join is challenging yet rewarding, and it continues to grow and take us to new and fascinating areas of design. In this issue, we again ask creatives to give us a glimpse at how they do it. What motivates them? There are no right answers, but the fun is in trying to find them. -----

Chris Force Publisher & Editor-in-Chief chris@alarmpress.com

Month 2013

DESIGN BUREAU

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DESIGN BUREAU

September 2013

LETTERS TO DESIGN BUREAU SOUND BITES

We spent the hottest month indoors, looking at awesome interiors—at home and at work—and the people who make them. We love feedback, so keep emailing us your thoughts: letters@wearedesignbureau.com

QUIRK AT WORK “Offices like Quicken are a cool feat design-wise but I always wonder how it translates to productivity.” (K.L., VIA EMAIL)

INTERIOR DESIGNERS SPEAK

WHO’S RYAN KORBAN?

“As an interior designer I often feel like we’re kept separate from architects, industrial designers, graphic designers... thanks for giving us an equal spotlight.”

“Interesting piece on interior designer Ryan Korban. Creative and talented people who never quite feel comfortable in their niche always fascinate me.” (E.R., VIA EMAIL)

(J.L., VIA EMAIL)

“WHEN I WAS YOUNG I VERY MUCH BELIEVED THERE WAS MORE TO LIFE THAN WE COULD SEE OR UNDERSTAND. I WAS PRETTY SURE I HAD SPECIAL POWERS.” GRAPHIC DESIGNER JESSICA WALSH P. 100

DB SHOUT-OUTS FROM THE TWITTERVERSE

Join the conversation at twitter.com/DesignBureauMag

DB TWEETS @LaufenBathrooms Kartell by Laufen was named one of @DesignBureauMag’s favorites from #iSaloni! @RayNorrisDesign Loving the May/June issue of Design Bureau and the articles Going Underground and In the Details. @margsutherlin Really really cool tour of the House of Rock by @DesignBureauMag. Seriously cool digital storytelling here.

DB ON INSTAGRAM Seeing the @taipingcarpets Chinoiseries collection at Tai Ping Carpets showroom event

Stopping by the @Knoll_Inc HQ in Denver

See more of our photos on Instagram. Follow us @designbureaumag

FOR THE RECORD: Rants, ramblings, and random facts from behind the scenes of this issue

BRUTALISM

SHAMU

NINE

MISTY

Design destination Israel holds the UNESCO World Heritage White City, filled with more than 400 Brutalist and International Style buildings. p. 40

If he had to choose a different career, avant-garde fashion designer Long Tran would be a trainer at SeaWorld. Find out if he made the right choice. p. 31

The number of floors one unique home in the Netherlands occupies. Why so tall? It’s converted from an industrial water tower built in 1931 p. 45

The new Kartell by Laufen bathroom line includes a “mist system” that produces a perfumed mist, all part of a multisensory bathroom experience p. 60

Jessica Walsh photo by Dusdin Condren

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DESIGN BUREAU

September 2013

DESIGN BUREAU RECOMMENDS…

We’re always on the lookout for cool gear at home and on the go. Send us your recos at letters@wearedesignbureau.com.

ELIZABETH HALL, FEATURES EDITOR

SCHWARZES GOLD “This sleek pendant lamp wraps a biodegradable bell-shaped charcoal shade around a copper inside that creates a warm golden glow. Very cool.“ Price on request, ingoschuppler.de.

JOEL HOGLUND, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

JENNY PALMER, MARKETING COORDINATOR

TENERARCA IPAD CASE

NEST THERMOSTAT

“I’m a germaphobe so the fact that the amazingly soft leather on this iPad case is specially engineered to kill germs makes it my iPad-case soul mate.“ $150, tenerarca.myshopify.com

“This smart thermostat learns your schedule and programs itself, or you can control it from your phone... and it’s a lot sleeker and more stylish than your typical thermostat, too.” $249, nest.com

KRISTIN LARSON, MANAGING EDITOR

QUATTRO LED LAMP “This slim and sleek task lamp from venerable designer Robert Sonneman really lights up my life, no joke.“ $675, VRQQHPDQDZD\RটLJKW FRP KADY DENNELL, DESIGNER

MYPRESSI TWIST “No cords or power source (just a pressure cartridge) means I can easily get P\ HVSUHVVR ଘ[ RQ WKH go.“ $169, mypressi.com

Images courtesy of the designers/brands

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available now at wearedesignbureau.com

PIXELS & PRINT

The best of the best in graphics and photos

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Oxley’s Uploads He designed the logos for social media giants like Twitter and GitHub... but not on purpose

ou can say Simon Oxley is a prolific designer, alright. Since 2004 he has created and uploaded more than 9,500 images for iStockphoto that have sold nearly 100,000 times, designed graphics for astronauts and scientists, and worked with some of the top corporations in Japan. But it’s a little bird that made him famous—well, sort of. “I was watching CNN in Japan when suddenly my bird image filled the screen behind the newscaster presenting news of their tweets,” Oxley says. “It was a total surreal surprise to

CONTINUED

A Simon Oxley illustration entitled “It’s Happening Again”

DESIGN BUREAU

Pixels & Print

September 2013

GRAPHIC DESIGN

(CONTINUED)

Oxley’s bird image became the early logo for Twitter, and another was picked up by popular programmers’ site GitHub

“I BELIEVE AN IMAGE CAN BECOME A FRIEND BASED ON OUR INTERACTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERED, THE SAME AS HOW WE RELATE TO PEOPLE.” – SIMON OXLEY realize Twitter was using my image.” The simple little design he had uploaded to iStock was purchased by the nascent social media company and became synonymous with the brand when it quickly rocketed to fame. Oxley, though, didn’t exactly get a byline (or a ton of cash). And there’s the rub with designing stock images. “Once I submit images to stock collections I lose a lot of control over how folks use them, which can grate, but it allowed me to broadcast to a far larger audience,” he says. After Twitter took off, Oxley became a bit of a graphic design star in Japan, where the Oxford, U.K. native lived with his wife for 12 years. No surprise—his style, honed through a childhood of comics and D&D and 8-bit video games, was a perfect match for his adopted country. “In Japan, the enthusiasm for manga, and that corporations like character mascots, fueled my natural cartoon style, freeing my mind to make anything I felt like making with no stylistic constraints that I maybe had in my home country.” And with no constraints, Oxley may soon be able to tackle his next goal. “It is an ambition of mine to make models of the characters I have designed in vinyl,” he says. “And with the rise of 3-D printing, it may become a reality sooner than I thought.” a

“IF YOU THINK THAT DESIGN IS ABOUT SELF-EXPRESSION, YOU’RE OUT OF IT. THERE’S SO MUCH BULLSHIT ABOUT SELF-EXPRESSION AND ARTISTRY THAT IT CONFUSES PEOPLE.” MILTON GLASER ISSUE 12, JULY ’12 Images courtesy of Simon Oxley, idokungfoo.com. Milton Glaser portrait by Noah Kalina

September 2013

Pixels & Print

DESIGN BUREAU

TYPOGRAPHY

Fashion Font

Every fashion lover grew up cutting pictures out of magazines. See how this graphic designer turned these images into her own font CONTINUED

Image courtesy of Yvette Yang, fashion-font.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Pixels & Print

September 2013

TYPOGRAPHY

(CONTINUED)

Fashion labels used in Yang’s Fashion Font 1

PRADA 3 2

CHANEL

LOUIS VUITTON

DOLCE & GABBANA

nspiration turned to production in an instant for Yvette Yang. The graphic designer (and creative director for new Parisian lifestyle design brand Atelier Lannelongue, launching in October) has created new suites of her Fashion Font using images collaged from spring/summer

CÉLINE

and fall/winter fashion collections released every year since 2007. “I always enjoyed reading and watching visuals on fashion magazines,” Yang says. “One day I discovered that images such as a side view of shoes and various shapes of bags can be read as letters, and I immediately took the scissors and started to cut the images out of magazines for the collage work. It just happened suddenly like that.” Her hand-collaged fonts have been bought by Vogue Korea, and she’s often asked by other clients to create typefaces in similar collage style. Like a fine piece of custom haute couture, the whole design process is computer-free, Yang happily stresses. “Creating forms without a computer brings unexpected results that my brain did not plan, and I really enjoy this.” a

Images courtesy of Yvette Yang, fashion-font.com

September 2013

Pixels & Print

DESIGN BUREAU

IMAGE DESIGN

Stock Options They can be print and web designers’ best friends, but DIS is turning timeworn stock photography on its head “WE WANTED TO EXPAND ON THE SYNTHESIZED LIFESTYLE OPTIONS STOCK IMAGES PORTRAY.” – SOLOMON CHASE

he masterminds of DIS aren’t fed up with traditional stock photography. Actually, they’re obsessed with it. Lauren Boyle, Solomon Chase, Marco Roso, and David Toro—each with a background in art and vets of the advertising and fashion worlds—founded DISimages, a warehouse of hundreds of off-the-wall stock shots for purchase. “We wanted to expand on the synthesized lifestyle options they portray, as well as create stock imagery that can be applied to both commercial and art contexts,” Chase says. DB: Can any designer submit a DISimage concept? Lauren Boyle: It’s currently commissioned based. We find artists and photographers whose work we would love to see translated into stock, but we pretty much let them do whatever they want. DB: Where do you hope to see DISimages used? Marco Roso: We love the idea of them turning up in totally surprising places. They’re going to be used on a high-end mermaid tail e-boutique and a website for a modesty swimwear supplier, like burkinis. Seeing the images completely taken out of the context of DIS and DISimages is a goal. The images are rarely as straightforward as other stock sites, but each image taken alone in a different context can take on totally new meanings. For us that’s really exciting. We also want curators to get into it. Essentially they’re stock art.

DB: You have a digital magazine, a book coming, and created an unconventional watermarked video ad for Kenzo. Where is DIS heading? David Toro: Many brands have been interested in applying DIS notions of uneasy commercialism. We’d like DISimages to continue to grow with new artists, new concepts, new lifestyles, and new representations of a post-internet condition. We want a large enough database in which someone can search art key words like ‘immaterial’ and be able to curate a whole exhibition on the subject, even if half of them look like inappropriate Old Navy ads. a

Clockwise from top left, images by DIS, Jogging, Harry Griffin, and DIS. All courtesy of DIS, disimages.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Pixels & Print

September 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY

Big Shots

Photographer Sid Avery was legendary for capturing the private moments of old Hollywood stars—but perhaps an even greater legacy-builder was his creation of the Motion Picture Television Archive, now known as mptv images, to protect and archive the iconic shots of early Hollywood photographers. Today, the agency houses one of the most extensive collections of vintage and current celebrity photography in the world. With mptv’s latest book, The Art of the Hollywood Snapshot, heating up our coffee table, we asked Ron Avery, Sid’s son and now the CEO of mptv, to share his top 5 photos from the archive. a

ELIZABETH TAYLOR & ROCK HUDSON, 1955 1. ‫ی‬:KHQ \RX ଘUVW ORRN at this photo, you see two friends having a good time. The fact that they were the biggest celebrities at the time and have become legends today is almost secondary. Their emotion is so genuine. They are really enjoying each other’s company and are completely unaware of the camera.”

STEVE MCQUEEN, 1960 2. “Steve McQueen was a car guy and so am I. It’s part of the reason why I think he’s so cool. Although in this photo he doesn’t need a car to be cool. The light, sweater, and necklace are just right. It’s just a really great portrait.”

AUDREY HEPBURN, 1957 2. “It’s amazing how much an image can say without words. This photo gives an overall sense of who she was as a person—classic, down-toearth, unaffected, and personable. She’s so unposed and natural. My dad said that it was just her and the dog on the studio lot. No entourage, no crowds of fans.”

MARLON BRANDO, 1953 4. “This is an unusual shot of Brando. He’s relaxed, deep in thought and his surroundings are iconic of the 1950s era but not pretentious in any way. Up until this time, Brando was known for his tough guy persona. His characters

2 were rebels. It’s a stark contrast to the person he appears to be in this photo. Today we think of Brando as a legend. The Godfather. Here he looks like a regular guy.”

JAMES DEAN, 1955 5. “I love how this photo captured James Dean in a candid moment. This photo looks posed, but it’s not. My dad was really good at blending in and letting the subjects get comfortable with him. He really wanted to show the subjects in their best light. He wanted to create something lasting and beautiful. Celebrities like James Dean allowed him into their private space. He actually died a short time after this shoot. He was at his peak.”

OBJECTS & GEAR

Things that make us drool, covet, and go broke

SUBSTANCE

Aluminum, Wood, and Drama An Israeli designer makes beautiful furniture by keeping it imperfect CONTINUED

J i

DESIGN BUREAU

SUBSTANCE

Objects & Gear

(CONTINUED)

PROFILE

Molten aluminum is poured over whole tree trunks to create Shamia’s Casting tables

“A

s a designer, I have always been more interested in imperfections than with the obvious, perfectly controlled product,” says Hilla Shamia. “People build stronger emotional connections with imperfect objects.” Strong, emotional, and connected are three good words to describe her Wood Casting furniture series, which she makes by pouring molten aluminum directly over whole tree trunks, which are then cut up lengthwise and inserted into a mold to define the furniture’s frame and legs. Aluminum spiders its way into the wood and spikes down from the rounded trunk as furniture legs, giving each one-of-a-kind piece a natural but also unearthly quality, like the Six Million Dollar Man of end tables.

“The casting process is accompanied by high heat, flames, and smoke,” Shamia says. “When the metal is cooled down and the mold breaks apart, the furniture reveals a dark border between the hot metal and the wood. The object created presents a drama that occurs in the production process.” And like nature, Shamia’s final products are each unique. “Nature is full of seemingly imperfect, unpredictable processes from which everything emerges. It is these processes in nature that led me to examine how objects get their character from their imperfections, and how I, as a designer, can create objects in which the defect is a positive and desirable aspect.” a Wood Casting tables, price upon request, hillashamia.com

Jack of All Trades From tiny products to spacious New York apartments, David Nosanchuk has been there, designed that BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

Whether he’s dreaming up plans for a saltshaker or the interior of a Manhattan penthouse, David Nosanchuk’s process is the same. The New York City-based designer-of-all-trades takes a spark and runs with it. “I’m interested in things that are visually complex, that tell a story,” Nosanchuk says, “like places or objects or pieces of art that you cannot always inhabit physically but you can inhabit visually.” Nosanchuk and his eponymous firm have delved into just about everything—lighting, textiles, furniture, and larger, more comprehensive

projects. Nosanchuk’s penchant for structure, repetition, and light at all scales finds its way into each piece. His coated aluminum “N1” table lamp (pictured left) has been exhibited at multiple shows and museums and garnered accolades from the likes of the New York Times and Dwell. For his sleek Cantor Apartment (pictured above) project, Nosanchuk and his team converted three units of a post-war Upper West Side building into one contemporary space dressed in a palette of whites and natural materials like quartzite, brushed oak, and porcelain. The designer even recently developed his own structural toy, a system of 3-D-printed

September 2013

Design Thinking

DESIGN BUREAU

!"##$%&'()*$%')+,-$%'.(/0)1%2! blocks with moveable connectors (a more fluid alternative to Legos, he says) that may have more practical real world applications in the future. Currently, Nosanchuk is juggling two lighting collections, a wall covering

collection, and several residential projects. But even with a full plate, the multifaceted artist is always eager to take on more. “Design is never intimidating to me,” Nosanchuk says. “It’s always almost like a sense of freedom.” a

Images courtesy of David Nosanchuk, nosanchuk.com

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DESIGN BUREAU

Objects & Gear

September 2013

FOR THE KIDS

Cool Kids Stuff

You want your kid to have good taste in the design department, right? Better start ’em young. Here’s five things that could help turn the little one into the next Sagmeister or Gehry or Graves

LITTLEBITS With a slew of awards (and even a TED Talk for founder/ CEO Ayah Bdeir), littleBits are a hot new toy for 21st-century kids—think an erector set for the electronics world. The color-coded “bits” with specific functions for light, sound, and motion snap together magnetically to create little circuit boards with no wiring or programming, allowing kids to design and build their own functional gadgets at an early age. Starter kit $89, littlebits.com

MIGHTY OATS No offense to the Gerber baby, but packaging on kids’ food leaves a lot to be desired in the design department. To be sure Baby is getting exposed to good design from the earliest age, check out Mighty Oats organic grain-based baby cereal

PANTONE COLOR CARDS It’s never too early to start cultivating a good eye for color in your wee ones—if they turn out to be worldclass designers, you’ll owe yourself a big pat on the back. And who better to teach color to the young’uns than Pantone? The color authority has released this set of oversized flash cards with two tones of

from Little Duck Organics, based out of Brooklyn. Colorful and kid-friendly without resorting to plastering a hysterical cartoon character all over it, the packaging was designed by company CEO Zak Normandin himself. The coolest part? The compostable single-serve cups break down in less than six months, and the cardboard outer casing is embedded with vegetable seeds for the tikes to plant. Mighty Oats, $6.29, available at Whole Foods

the nine basic colors. Each card features a solid color with a fun name and its corresponding Pantone number (like Lobster Red/ Pantone 187), and on the flipside kids pick out that tone from an illustration featuring similar colors. Fun! Pantone Color Cards (Abrams Appleseed), $15, abramsbooks.com

“I LOVE FAME. BUT I’M JUST A PEON IN THE WORLD OF FAME. PRODUCT DESIGNERS WILL NEVER GET AS FAMOUS AS MUSICIANS OR FASHION DESIGNERS. IT’S A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF EXPOSURE.” KARIM RASHID ISSUE 9, JAN. ’12 Lick photos by Jeff Green, courtesy of DxDempsey Architecture, dxdempsey.com

Objects & Gear

DESIGN BUREAU

LIGHTING

SCRAPPY LIGHTING A Dutch designer’s scrap metal magic arrives in the U.S.

LICK With its risqué hook— seductive wall graphics show crimson-lipped models really enjoying the goods—and the fact that they’re located in casinos in Vegas and Atlantic City, this boutique candy store chain is as much for big kids as it is for candy-loving young’uns. The store design for the Mandalay Bay location, by DxDempsey Architecture and SCA Design, features rowdy red columns framing colorful confections and interactive displays that encourage guests to be “tongue models.” Sweet.

INKLING Kids these days are more digital than ever, so start that sketch-happy youngster off early with this nifty designerfriendly gadget that uses a wireless receiver to capture digital versions of their coolest drawings.

acco Maris finds his inspiration in an unlikely place: his local scrapyard in the Netherlands. Where some see merely heaps of twisted metal, industrial hose, and odd fragments, Maris sees materials to craft into his elegantwith-an-edge lighting collections. A haul of 500 salvaged Russian headlights led to the statuesque Stand Alone floor lamp. Chunky copper mesh high-pressure hose— the same kind used in race cars—is wound up with rich velveteen shades to produce the elegant 17th-century-inspired chandelier Ode 1647. Ribbons of curving metal form the sensuous Monotone chandelier (above), which also comes in a version hand-painted in a 16th-century traditional Dutch windmill pattern by Frank de Wit and Ben Quaedvlieg.

The files are transferred to the computer via USB, where they can be manipulated with Photoshop or Illustrator, but if that’s getting too high-tech you could always just proudly hang your kid’s sketches on a digital refrigerator like Facebook or Tumblr. $200, wacom.com

The materials and craftsmanship may scream “made in Holland,” but Maris’ work has made its way to the U.S. and Canada for the first time this year, as New York-based Global Lighting has begun distributing five of Maris’ lines. Here’s hoping Maris himself makes his way to the U.S. and starts doing something cool with all of our scrap. a

Jacco Maris is available in the U.S. at Global Lighting, globallighting.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Objects & Gear

September 2013

ONES TO WATCH

Men Who Make Furniture

Reinventing timeless methods and materials, crafting a cabinet that can dance the twist, and putting a 21st-century touch on a chair made famous in the 1930s by the Walt Disney— these three furniture designers have really captured our attention

ASHER ISRAELOW LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York WEBSITE: asherisraelow.com FUN DESIGN FACT: Asher also works on architectural projects Look at Asher Israelow’s furniture and you’ll see classical materials— sturdy walnut wood, maybe a little brass—but with a creative presentation befitting the designer’s hip Brooklyn Navy Yard location. “A lot of my time is spent looking for new ways to use traditional materials and techniques,” Israelow says. “Although experimental by nature, all the pieces

Asher Israelow’s The Study desk; image courtesy of Asher Israelow

are built to last for generations.” Take one of the first pieces he made professionally, a desk entitled The Study—it’s not flashy, yet it bubbles over with ideas. “Every element has a function related to sitting at a desk. The structural rails are also magazine racks and the slots below the desktop fit papers and a wireless keyboard perfectly.”

September 2013

Objects & Gear

DESIGN BUREAU

MARKUS JOHANSSON

Made in America for over 200 years

LOCATION: Gothenburg, Sweden WEBSITE: markusjohansson.com FUN DESIGN FACT: Once won an award from the Swedish postal service for designing mailboxes Usually when you say a designer’s work is “turning heads” it’s a figure of speech, but when you’re talking about Markus Johansson’s Walking Cabinet it’s quite literal. The furniture equivalent of Santiago Calatrava’s groundbreaking Turning Torso highrise in Malmö, the elegantly turning piece clearly has somewhere to go, and it’ll undoubtedly take its

rising-star designer places, too (already landing him a spot exhibiting at Milan’s prestigious Salone Satellite). Johansson says he was inspired to create “a form featuring movement and balance that resembles a playful and harmonic dance, with legs twisting in different directions.”

You design it, we can build it! Fancher Chair is a world class custom OEM wooden chair manufacturer in the far western corner of New York State. We make the chairs you want at a reasonable price. So what makes Fancher Chair a world class manufacturer? Fancher Chair can manufacture your product to the level you need. We can make component parts or complete chairs. We use all domestic hardwoods including Maple, Cherry, Red Oak, White Oak, Hickory, Ash and Walnut. We also import European Beech. We use exotic hardwoods upon request. Fancher currently produces about 300 chairs per day.

FAN C H E R C H A I R

P.O. Box 8 | Falconer, New York 14733 p 716-665-4313 | f 716-665-5168 From top: Markus Johansson in his Nest chair; Pippi crystal decanters atop the Walking Cabinet; the Harlequin chair. Images courtesy of Markus Johansson

fancherchair.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Objects & Gear

September 2013

ONES TO WATCH

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CORY GROSSER LOCATION: Los Angeles, California WEBSITE: corygrosser.com FUN DESIGN FACT: Was inspired by his daughter’s Eames Elephant to create a turtle-shaped children’s stool You can hardly call Cory Grosser a rising star. He founded his Los Angeles studio in 2002, the same year he had his first international exhibition in Milan. He has gone on to design furniture for the likes of Frighetto, Dellarobbia, and MDF Italia, and even product concepts for Bentley and Ford Motor Company. Working with big brands isn’t new to him, but there’s one project for one iconic name that really fills us with wonder. In 1934, Walt Disney (the Walt Disney) commissioned the design of the original Airline Chair to be used by the animators working throughout his California Studio. Fast-forward more than seven decades, and Walt Disney Signature, Disney’s adult lifestyle brand, commissioned Grosser to design a new armchair and ottoman inspired by the original.

“Being asked to design something based on something so iconic is super challenging and a little scary,” says Grosser. “Walt had a long history of working with well known artists and designers. I was honored to continue that legacy. I had access to Disney’s amazing archives. It was really cool to see original artwork by Mary Blair and large illustrations of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and they lent us the original airline chair for the duration of the design process.” The Airline_009 chair was a “classic” collaboration. Cory Grosser partnered with Fancher Chair Co., a New York state manufacturer that has been making wood furniture since 1807. “Cory relied on our expertise in joinery and we relied on him to keep the design true to his vision,” says president Pete Scheira.

Cory Grosser’s Airline_009 chair for Walt Disney Signature; inset, the original Walt Disney Airline Chair; images courtesy of Cory Grosser

FASHION & BEAUTY SET DESIGN

Setting the Stage Giant wasps, exploding sheds, ships caked in ice— nothing is impossible for art director Rhea Thierstein BY GEM BARTON

CONTINUED

Thierstein’s set design for a Kate Moss photo shoot for Love magazine; photo by Tim Walker

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Because style never goes out of… style

DESIGN BUREAU

Fashion & Beauty

SET DESIGN

(CONTINUED)

COLLABORATION

East Meets West

A Kuwaiti fragrance line melds its Arabian origins with Western design influences in everything from exotic notes to packaging BY GEM BARTON

S et design is not simply faux scenery, drop-down curtains, and forced perspective. It is much, much sexier than that, and Rhea Thierstein knows how to achieve it. The British set designer, art director, and prop stylist stands at the vanguard of a profession that did not really exist in the fashion industry a decade ago, and now it’s bubbling with impossible innovation. Thierstein creates dreamlike costumes and whimsical settings for the likes of Mulberry, Bombay Sapphire, Vogue (American, British, and Italian), Vanity Fair, and Selfridges, among many others. Citing English actress Jean Shrimpton as her style icon, the Londoner who once apprenticed for famed fashion set designer Shona Heath has already made a huge mark on the scene. Thierstein’s projects and commissions generally last two to three fast-paced weeks. Thierstein likes to get her hands dirty, designing, engineering, and building unique visions that often defy gravity and practicality. She sums up her crazy profession best: “Fashion set design is a creative platform like no other, which has no restrictions and welcomes experimentation and imagination.” a Thierstein’s set design for Constance Spry Flower Dancers, photo by Tim Walker

udh, rose taif, and burning agarwood aren’t notes you might expect to find perfuming Western women and men, but fragrance brand TFK (short for “The Fragrance Kitchen”) is aiming to carry the ancient scents and traditions of the Middle East worldwide. The brainchild of Kuwaiti royalty Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, TFK blends the influences of Sheikh Majed’s heritage (“Centuries-old family perfume recipes are closely guarded

secrets handed down through generations,” he says, adding “I have hundreds”) with the creative input of Western designers. For TFK’s 2012 Handmade line, Sheikh Majed collaborated with Scottish product designer Geoffrey Mann and a trio of Dutch talents—product designer Pieke Bergmans, furniture designer Joost van Bleiswijk, and ceramicist Kiki van Eijk—on a “bespoke fluid design” as well as that scent’s bottle design. The process harks back to the early 20th century, Sheikh Majed says, when fragrance pioneers François Coty and Paul Poiret enlisted Paris’ leading designers to create objet d’art bottles for their perfumes. The East meets West concept is further expressed in the packaging design, which blends solid colors and assertive type treatments with pattern-heavy, distinctly Middle Eastern graphics. a

TFK fragrances available at thefragrancekitchen.com

September 2013

Fashion & Beauty

DESIGN BUREAU

Q&A

Savage Beauty Long tran doesn’t care if you wear his out-there creations, just as long as they look good

he real world isn’t a huge concern for Vietnamese-born, New York-based fashion designer Long Tran. “My inspiration is from my mind and the process I am using on the collection,” Tran says. “Unlike others, I cannot be inspired from things around me or what I see because then I will not create something fresh and out of this world.” His fourth collection, Anonymous, pushes even further the avant-garde designer’s fascination with twisting forms, deep textures, and wild, feral silhouettes. And as for people wearing his work? That doesn’t really enter his mind.

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DESIGN BUREAU

Fashion & Beauty

September 2013

Anonymous, fall/winter 2013 womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s line, photos by Long Tran; styling by Drew Brando. Courtesy of Long Tran, longtran.co

September 2013

Fashion & Beauty

DESIGN BUREAU

(CONTINUED)

“I DON’T THINK ABOUT A PERSON WEARING MY CLOTHES, ALL I THINK OF IS HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING EXTREME FOR A PHOTO SHOOT.” – LONG TRAN

DB: How did your interest in avant-garde fashion start? Long Tran: When I was a little boy who wanted to be a singer, to be able to wear something different. Right in the beginning, I knew what type of fashion designer I wanted to be, however it took time for me to develop and understand my aesthetic. DB: How has your aesthetic evolved? LT: My aesthetic keeps going and never stops. The more it goes, the more extreme it gets. In the near future, my look will head somewhere really far, but really close. Wherever fashion is, my looks will be there. DB: Does your Vietnamese heritage inform your work? LT: Of course, deep inside, it is always there. However, to be able to compete with top brands, I must go Western, thinking modern and forward with a dash of my Vietnamese touch. DB: Do you pay much thought to wearability? LT: I really focus to create different silhouettes and concepts, so I don’t think about a person wearing my clothes, all I think of is how CONTINUED

DESIGN BUREAU

Fashion & Beauty

September 2013

(CONTINUED)

to make something extreme for a photo shoot. DB: Do you feel confident you can produce anything in your imagination? LT: I am lucky enough not to think about production. My focus is to create one-of-a-kind and couture pieces. Production is something to consider later when I have a huge amount of fans. DB: If you werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t designing fashion, what would you be doing? LT: A photographer, interior designer, web designer, or a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld. a

TRANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRSTS & FAVORITES Favorite designers: Alexander McQueen, Iris van Herpen, John Galliano First item of clothing you ever made? A very unique button-down shirt Favorite material to work with? Silk and wool Favorite music to listen to whilst creating? Non-vocal music like Matsuri, Tron soundtracks, sci-fi and drama soundtracks

Long Tran portrait by Josh Gleyfano

September 2013

Fashion & Beauty

DESIGN BUREAU

JEWELRY

Skull & Bones Three jewelry makers bring elegant style to hard-edged natural forms STYLING AND PHOTO BY ZACK BURRIS, ZACKBURRIS.COM

Clockwise from top left: Blackened brass Stalactite Circle Pendant, $148, brass Fish Jaw necklace, $103, and brass Engraved Springbok Horn Collar, $217, by K/LLER Collection, kllercollection.com; sterling silver Octopus Ring, $130, by Blue Bayer Design, bluebayer.com; brass Feather Earrings, $102, by K/LLER

Collection; brass Skull and Thorn Ring, $170, by Monserat De Lucca, monseratdelucca.com; bronze Raven Skull pendant, $30, by Blue Bayer Design; brass Four Human Skull Bracelet, $170, and Brass Skeleton Ring, $82.50, by Monserat De Lucca; silver plated Anatomical Metal Heart pendant, $38, by Blue Bayer Design, bluebayer.com

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DESIGN BUREAU

Fashion & Beauty

September 2013

NEW LOOK

Home at the Salon The term ‘beauty parlor’ may conjure 1950s images of nanas sitting on tacky vinyl furniture while their beehives bake in big old hair driers, but Calgary’s Butter is adding sophisticated style to the salon experience BY MARGOT BRODY

or the clientele at Calgary’s stylish Butter Beauty Parlour, home is where the hairstylist is. At least that’s the idea behind one of the city’s newest blow-dry bars, designed by architectural and interior design firm McKinley Burkart Architects.

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“We wanted clients to feel as though they were hanging out in a smart, fashionable woman’s apartment without coming across as haughty or pretentious,” says lead designer Tara Marshall, who collaborated with partner Walker McKinley on the project.

The team designed Butter’s entire interior identity, from the hardware and fixtures to the color scheme, furniture, and decor. “We decided to use dark gray in order to ground the very feminine design,” she says. “The collection of mix-and-match furniture, accessories, and artwork in an array of colors removes the sterile quality typical of many salons.” When it came to functional items such as styling chairs, manicure and pedicure stations, and product shelves, the designers opted out of typical wholesale salon furniture for custom pieces that contributed to a uniquely residential feel. And in order to provide optimal lighting without sacrificing the informal aesthetic, they layered dimmable LED track lights and vintage-inspired hanging pendant lamps and chandeliers to add soft mood lighting around styling areas. Marshall scattered in sumptuous elements like the dark marble reception desk and washroom vanity, as well as the elegant brass supply carts, to subtly hark back to 1970s-era Hollywood. “Although the space is quite stylized, the design is also eclectic and approachable,” says Marshall. We’re assuming the crowds around the multi-person styling tables are, too. a

Photos by Justin Poulsen, justinpoulsen.com, courtesy of McKinley Burkart Architects, mdbworld.com

TRAVEL & CULTURE

Eat, shop, explore, do what you do

HOTEL SPOTLIGHT

London Calling If you’re headed to this red-hot design spot this fall, you might as well bed down in style Few architects have defined the contemporary London skyline like Lord Norman Foster, whose spiraling “Gherkin” and shimmying London City Hall keep the ancient city moving boldly forward. Now visitors to London can get even more up close and personal with the work of Foster + Partners at the flagship ME London Hotel. CONTINUED

Photos courtesy of ME by Meliá, me-by-melia.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Travel & Culture

Month 2013

HOTEL SPOTLIGHT

TO DO What’s Happening in London London Design Festival September 14-22 More than 300 events and exhibitions comprise this takeover-the-town festival, now in its second decade. An audience of more than 350,000 and a growing number of offshoot events means that old cliché about being the design capital of the world rings absolutely true, at least for a while. londondesignfestival.com (CONTINUED)

Everything, from the shell of the building to the fittings in the bathroom, was designed by Foster + Partners—a first for the firm in the U.K. The architect’s signature circular patterns can be found stamped on everything from the light fixtures and furniture to the elliptical turret punctuating the building, but it’s intense angles that really define ME’s pyramid-shaped architecture. Foster may always drive things forward, but the design includes some nods to the past, too. Alongside the 157-room hotel, the adjacent 1904 Marconi House (the original London home of BBC radio) was restored and restructured to house 87 apartments. Foster + Partners also topped the corner tower—home to the two-story penthouse suite and its 360-degree views—with a glass cupola that speaks to an Edwardian-style domed roof across the street. A dramatic monochrome palette of luxurious materials—think reflective black marble corridors leading to brilliant white leather-walled guestrooms—defines the interiors, and the stylish Radio Rooftop Bar offers spectacular views from atop cushy designer

100% Design September 18-21 The U.K.’s largest design trade show hosts more than 350 international design brands, speakers such as Giulio Cappellini and critic Tom Dyckhoff, and a special focus this year on the 3-D printing revolution. 100percentdesign.co.uk Tent London and Super Brands London September 19-22 Two expanded shows under one bigger roof, Tent London brings together 200 exhibitors with several dedicated country pavilions, and Super Brands London fills its interiors trade fair exclusively with established global design brands—think Moroso, Diesel with Foscarini, and Fritz Hansen among the 40 international exhibitors. tentlondon.co.uk, superbrandslondon.co.uk Frieze London October 17-20

outdoor furniture. “By designing the hotel inside and out, down to the last detail, we were able to maintain a high level of quality and continuity,” says Giles Robinson, partner at Foster + Partners. “We defined the individual character of each space through variations in tone, texture, and scale.” a

For availability visit melia.com. Photos courtesy of ME by Meliá

More than 170 galleries and 1,000 artists from around the world are on display in a bespoke structure in Regent’s Park for this mega contemporary art fair. Six- and seven-figure sales aren’t uncommon, so expect to see plenty of major art-world players.

September 2013

Travel & Culture

DESIGN BUREAU

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

WALL GOOD Unlikely art decks the walls at this pre-war townhouse turned cozy eatery in NYC’s West Village

For Every Environment !" Your Life

BY AMBER GIBSON

WHAT: Italian tapas and cocktails / WHERE: West Village, NYC WHO: Modern-rustic interiors by Maneli Wilson

“T

he space was not very beautiful needed help keeping sound under control,” before at all,” says Maneli Wilson Wilson says. “These popped so well with of the former fine dining restau- our gray crackle-painted walls.” rant in the West Village that she helped transform into Italian tapas joint Sotto 13. “I wanted to make it a home away from “It totally looked out of place for an Ital- home for the neighborhood. A place where ian restaurant.” Wilson, the principal de- you can linger for long periods of time,” signer of Sotto 13, injected a more social, she says. a rustic-chic ambience into the space with distressed painted stucco walls, metallic cork paper, and a communal table made of salvaged wood from meatpacking district factories. She preserved the West Village townhouse’s pre-war character with aged oak floors and antique mirrors but accented the space with modern touches. Some of the most distinctive design elements are acoustic sound panels that masquerade as paintings. Wilson printed black-and-white images of Italian landmarks, like the Duomo and Florence Baptistry, made by her artist friend, Jenna Snyder-Phillips. The canvasses were then wrapped around acoustic panels, adding a splash of modern art above the cozy, Maharam fabric-wrapped banquettes. “With high ceilings and glass skylights we

Acoustical Solutions knows how to make diners happy: Keep the noise down. Aaron Duncan of Acoustical Solutions customized a noise solution that worked with Maneli Wilson’s design for Sotto 13. Aaron explains, “The biggest challenge was a solution that didn’t look like a plain acoustical panel, which is why we decided to go with a piece of stretched canvas art that went on the wall.”

Photos by Mary Jane Farnsworth, maryjanephotography.com

800.782.5742 Design.AcousticalSolutions.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Travel & Culture

Month 2013

DESIGN DESTINATION

Architecture in Israel

With more historic Bauhaus-style buildings than Germany and iconic new structures by Santiago Calatrava, Richard Meier, Ron Arad, and Steven Holl, Israel is positioning itself as the design mecca of the Middle East BY SHARON MCHUGH

srael has some of the best old and new architecture in the world. Home to larger-than-life icons of world religions, Jerusalem is full of its namesake limestone and glistening gold domes that give it a warm glow. But the city is also giving birth to a bevy of stunning new signature structures like Santiago Calatrava’s harp-like Chords bridge, the icon of the city’s new tram system, and James Carpenter’s extension to the Israel Museum, which makes for a rich tapestry of old and new. An hour southeast of Jerusalem on

the Mediterranean Sea, Tel Aviv is the design center of Israel. Here a relaxed and bohemian way of life, a strong cafe culture, and tons of trendy shops add a fresh, contemporary air to the city’s historic love affair with International Style and Brutalist architecture. Its White City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of more than 400 Bauhaus-style buildings, proudly proclaims the inspiration of such legends of modernism as Mendelsohn, Gropius, and Le Corbusier. Architecture junkies and design lovers, here’s an unlikely concrete jungle just begging to be explored.

Jerusalem MAMILLA HOTEL Located in the heart of the historic district, the Mamilla Hotel is where presidents bed down when visiting Jerusalem. Designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie with interiors by the Italian architect Piero Lissoni, the Mamilla combines old-world charm and contemporary design, but the emphasis is on luxury—like a soak in Dead Sea salts at the top-ranked spa or a panoramic view of the Old City from the rooftop restaurant.

ISRAEL MUSEUM Located high on a hill near the Israeli Parliament, the Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in Israel and among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums. Originally designed in 1965 by architect Al Mansfeld and designer Dora Gad to resemble an Arab village, the 20acre campus was expanded in 2010 by New York architect James Carpenter and local firm EfratKowalsky Architects. Carpenter added exquisite glass entry pavilions with their louvered shade walls and double the gallery space without expanding the building. The real gem, though, is the Noguchi garden, one of the finest outdoor sculpture gardens housing 20th-century works.

Mamilla Hotel bookings at mamillahotel.com, photos by Timothy Hursley, courtesy of Safdie Architects; Israel Museum photos courtesy of Israel Museum, english.imjnet.org.il

Month 2013

Travel & Culture

DESIGN BUREAU

YAD VASHEM Yad Vashem has no equal. Not only does it house the largest collection of Holocaust artifacts in the world, the complex itself, designed by Moshe Safdie, is a moving experience. The architect orchestrates the visitor experience of the long, skinny, prism-like building with a film director’s finesse, taking us on a journey through tragedy and sadness while presenting the prospect of hope, expressed in little bits of natural light that mysteriously penetrate underground portions and in sky bridges that traverse the above-ground structure. It’s a powerful architectural metaphor for a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

Tel Aviv

DESIGN MUSEUM HOLON Industrial designer Ron Arad’s masterpiece—and his first building—does for Holon what Gehry’s Guggenheim building did for Bilbao. Located near Tel Aviv, Holon was until recently a rough-andtumble place. The museum not only changed that, it put Holon on the design map. Made of elegant swirls of Corten steel, which gets its range of colors through the natural aging process, DMH is a bit like Richard Serra meets the Guggenheim with its signature bands of steel forming the main public space and its exterior entry.

CONTINUED

Yad Vashem (yadvashem.org) photos by Timothy Hursley; Design Museum Holon (Design Museum Holon) photo by Yael Pincus

DESIGN BUREAU

Travel & Culture

Month 2013

DESIGN DESTINATION

Tel Aviv

TAIZU Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing how many top-flight restaurants there are in Tel Aviv, but the best designed is Taizu. By Pitsou Kedem Architects and Baranowitz Amit Design Studio, the interiors of this Asianfusion eatery evoke a sense of Asia without being literal. The texture and form of the banana leaf, for example, can be found in the pattern of the concrete walls and in the pivoting partitions that subdivide the dining areas. The backlit wall of the bar, which features a long wine refrigerator with stained glass doors, provides an eye-candy centerpiece, and custom pieces by Foscarini, Vibia lamps, Vitra chairs, and Boffi appliances complete the classy space.

TOWNHOUSE TEL AVIV Boutique hotels are the rule in Tel Aviv. Townhouse is well designed and well situated, located on fashionable Rothschild Boulevard, a short 10-minute walk to the beach and right next to the hottest nightclubs and restaurants. The landmark building was lovingly restored and happily given an edgy, contemporary feel with sparse interiors, bespoke furniture, and offbeat artwork throughout.

Taizu photos by Amit Geron; Townhouse Tel Aviv bookings at townhousetelaviv.com, images courtesy of Townhouse Tel Aviv

September 2013

Rent-ToOwn Art

Design Thinking

DESIGN BUREAU

Revolving Collections Gallery lets you pluck your favorite art pieces from hotels or temporarily lease works for your own home BY EMILY ROSEN

ou may be able to get away with swiping the name-brand bathroom products from your swanky hotel, maybe even the designer towels, but there’s no way you’re making it out of there with the artwork. Not for free, anyway. Revolving Collections Gallery, a Chicagobased firm that specializes in leasing original artwork from local artists to both hotels and homes, began when working artist Laura Cartwright started putting pieces into hotels that guests could buy. The hotels, who could swap out their entire collections every six months to keep things fresh, even got a cut on sales. “Most buildings, offices, and hotels all have artwork on the walls,” RCG co-founder Brian Cuttica says. “Many times these turn out to be mass-produced prints, but we thought we could bring original artwork to these same places by accessing all the

amazing work our artists have created but that is currently sitting in their studio. We share leasing fees with our artists and are of course thrilled when we end up brokering a full sale, as that is always the goal for the artist.” The firm has expanded to amping up the art collections in individuals’ homes, sending in its team of curators to select pieces that homeowners can rent and eventually purchase. “It’s a commitment to buy a piece,” Cuttica says. “We try to ease the anxiety around that by offering the rental option. Part of our monthly fee [generally $40 per piece, per month] can be applied to the eventual purchase. Some people, on the other hand, choose to continue leasing as opposed to buying and can switch the artwork in their space every six months. They love the idea of having a revolving gallery come through their homes.” a

Brian Cuttica and Laura Cartwright of Revolving Collections Gallery, portrait by Lucy Hewett, lucyhewett.com

see the entire collection at L AXseries.com or call 310.313.4700

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STRUCTURES & SPACES

Enviable interiors to shamelessly ogle

CONVERSION

Extreme Home Makeovers Dutch architecture firm Zecc turns untraditional spaces into beautiful homes BY KATHRYN FREEMAN RATHBONE

CONTINUED

Church of the Living photos ÂŠ CornbreadWorks, cornbreadworks.nl, courtesy of Zecc Architects, zecc.nl

DESIGN BUREAU

Structures & Spaces

September 2013

CONVERSION

utch firm Zecc Architects is giving new meaning to the phrase “extreme home makeover.” The firm, based in Utrecht, takes on many different kinds of projects, but they’ve made a name for themselves by converting non-traditional buildings like churches, gyms, and chapels into beautiful private homes. Zecc restores specific original details—church organs, flying buttresses, steel water tanks, etc.— that are unique to each project’s architectural typology, but they also program each structure with a layout that’s conducive to contemporary living, often taking down walls, adding extra levels, and integrating windows to make these spaces feel like homes.

CHURCH OF THE LIVING Utrecht, Netherlands Zecc wanted to celebrate the glorious stained glass present throughout the original Catholic church, so they painted the interior living spaces completely white. When the sun shines through the tinted glass, prismatic light bounces across the different interior surfaces, creating beautiful design effects. Much of the home’s furniture was also built from upcycled church pieces. Old church pews now serve as the home’s dining room table and seating.

Church of the Living photos © CornbreadWorks, cornbreadworks.nl

September 2013

Structures & Spaces

DESIGN BUREAU

WATERTOWER OF LIVING Soest, Netherlands If there are stars among water tower designers, architect H.F. Mertens might have been the biggest, adding an elegance to many of the utilitarian structures he built throughout the Netherlands. That fact perhaps took a little bit of the edge off the radical idea of converting his water tower in Soest, built in 1931, into a nine-story

private home. Zecc stacked nine small, circular rooms up the towerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly 80-foot height and connected each level with a beautiful spiral staircase. The firm then added a three-story window to bring in natural light at the base of the tower, and finished the spaces in steel, concrete, and glass to play up the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial origins.

Watertower of Living photos by Zecc Architects, zecc.nl

DESIGN BUREAU

Structures & Spaces

September 2013

Structures & Spaces

DESIGN BUREAU

Gymnasium House photos by Zecc Architects, zecc.nl

DESIGN BUREAU

Structures & Spaces

GYMNASIUM HOUSE Utrecht, Netherlands Zecc reworked a former school gym, locker rooms, and a staff room into a single-family living space at the Gymnasium House. The building sits on a narrow plot of land, and aside from the large windows in the old gym space, the building suffered from low natural lighting levels. Zecc opened up the back of the house by building a patio and orienting two bedrooms toward the space. They also left the tall gymnasium windows intact, flooding the kitchen and shared living areas with natural light.

September 2013

OFFICE TOUR

Industrial Chic Stark modern elements meet industrial-strength materials in a cool Atlanta office space BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

Themed rooms include the Lab, with laboratory FRDW UXQQHUV DQG ŕŹ&#x2122;RRU WR FHLOLQJ HUDVDEOH white board walls; and the Retreat, with reclaimed wood walls, black leather conference chairs, and faux mounted animal heads. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I followed the theme of each room and had fun JRLQJ D ELW RXW RI WKH ER[ â&#x20AC;Ť Ű?â&#x20AC;Ź$OOHQ VD\V

rading standard constricting cubicles for uniquely tailored collaborative workspaces, Atlantabased corporate meeting company ROAM created its new office space with designers who put their focus on innovation with an industrial feel and rustic touches. Chris Bailey of Industrial Chic provided custom furniture pieces for the officeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of stark but striking conference rooms. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each space provokes creativity when you walk into it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a blank space and the only thing you have to work with are the minds that are in the room,â&#x20AC;? Bailey says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hoped to create furniture that would provoke creativity as well.â&#x20AC;? In addition to Baileyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s machine-age, industrial style tables and consoles (made

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INDUSTRIAL CHIC FOUND INSPIRATION FOR THE FURNITURE IN EARLY AMERICAN STEEL BRIDGE ARCHITECTURE AND GRID WORK. with reclaimed and newly constructed distressed materials), ROAM filled its 16,000-squarefoot space with modern elements and unexpected decoration like industrial gears and vintage yardsticks by lead designer Carrie Allen of Orchestrate, one of the companies that uses the office. Allen and Bailey laid

out the 13 meeting rooms to accommodate different groups for corporate retreats or training sessions. “We wanted to add extra touches of detail in the design of each room,” Allen says. “People love the space and the way it invites community and conversation.” a

In the space’s Innovate room, Bailey’s ad MXVWDEOH KHLJKW foundry table rises from UHJXODU KHLJKW for seated PHHWLQJV WR D level that’s better suited for stand LQJ JDWKHULQJV

ROAM office photos by Bennett H. Brian, benbrian.com

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Structures & Spaces

September 2013

SMALL SPACES

A PERFECT FIT One designer shares spacesaving lessons learned on a made-to-measure NYC home

Flanked by a park instead of the usual New York City buildings, the house has access to natural light that Zames wanted to showcase. Custom white oak suspended shelving in the kitchen and an open floor plan let light into the house from different angles.

BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

t only 950 square feet, the detached twobedroom designer Sarah Zames was brought on to completely redo didn’t leave much wiggle room. So Zames, principal of Brooklyn-based firm General Assembly, worked with the homeowners (both artists) to make the most of every cranny, designing to the couple’s specific needs with customized shelving, multipurpose furniture, and lively art. “I like to think of New York renovations as doing tailor-made suits for people, and that means that sometimes things come down to an inch or two,” she says. “The key to planning a space well is to be conscious of that.” a

Photos by Joe Fletcher, joefletcherphoto.com, courtesy of General Assembly, genassembly.com

Investing in custom furniture is a worthy expense in a small space, Zames says. By measuring the homeowners’ things and analyzing how they would personally be using each part of the house before starting the project, she ensured everything had its place. Friends’ artwork added an extra personalized touch.

September 2013

With limited space, pieces that serve multiple functions are key, Zames says. The homeowner’s basement studio GRXEOHV DV D JXHVW EHGURRP with a foldaway Murphy bed. Kitchen benches upholstered in Marimekko fabric open for EXON VWRUDJH‫ۅ‬D UDULW\ LQ PRVW FUDPSHG FLW\ GZHOOLQJV

Structures & Spaces

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GET THE LOOK

In the bedroom, Jacobson wanted WR FRQWUDVW WKH RUJDQLF OLQHV of the Cole and Son wallpaper’s ଙRFNLQJ ELUGV ZLWK PRUH JUDSKLF SDWWHUQV LQ WKH UXJ DQG EHGGLQJ Basic linen Roman shades and a custom upholstered Sofa Company headboard temper the mix of patterns and colors.

Pattern Play A balance of scale and bold color refreshes a historic home without sacrificing its charm BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

hen she updated a 1911 Craftsman in L.A.’s Hancock Park neighborhood, interior designer Taylor Jacobson adopted a domino approach. In the living room, it was the vintage Turkish rug that drove the family-friendly accents. In the powder room, the homeowner had her heart set on vibrant red zebra wallpaper, so Jacobson worked from that. But throughout the space it was the designer’s eye for mixing colors and patterns that achieved the fun, quirky vision they were going for. “I like to keep the bigger pieces in each room classic shapes,” Jacobson says. “If you tire of something you can always change out a pillow or a chair.” a

Photos by Avesha Michael, aveshamichael.com, courtesy of Taylor Jacobson Interior Design, taylorjacobsondesign.com

September 2013

Pops of color like D WDUJHW SDLQWLQJ by Jason Koharik in WKH OLYLQJ URRP DQG saturated emerald wallpaper in the GLQLQJ URRP KLJKOLJKW busier accents while VWLOO FRPSOHPHQWLQJ the houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich H[LVWLQJ ZRRGZRUN DOORZLQJ WKH historic character to remain intact.

To make the pieces VWDQG RXW DJDLQVW WKH ZRRG WRQHV WKURXJKRXW the space, Jacobson incorporated black touches like an RLO UXEEHG EURQ]H chandelier and sconces by Jonathan $GOHU DQG YLQWDJH walnut chairs she had lacquered to match.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If someone has an idea of a sketch we can find a way to design, engineer, produce, and build it,â&#x20AC;? says Alan Olick, owner of General Brite Plating Co., which partnered with Taylor Jacobson Interior Design to fabricate the coffee table for the Hancock Park project. The large metal finishing company works with high-end designers to custom build everything from toys, electronics, and jewelry, but it specializes in architectural hardware.

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September 2013

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DIALOGUE

Built in the 1920s, the Standard Motor Products building has a solid concrete structure and high load-bearing capacity that made it ideal to support the largescale rooftop farm operated by Brooklyn Grange. Using reverse engineering, the architects determined that the roof could support an 8-inch-think plant bed filled with lightweight engineered soil mix. The 40,000-square-foot rooftop holds approximately 1.2 million pounds of soil.

Q&A

A TALE OF TWO DESIGNS From an urban rooftop farm to a chic Central Park penthouse, one design firm’s work spans the gamut of NYC’s architecture scene

ptown and downtown. Mets and Yankees. The Times and The Post. New York is a city of opposites. Just ask NYC architecture firm Bromley Caldari, whose projects are as diverse as the city itself. Take its recent rehabilitation of the Standard Motor Products building in Long Island City, Queens. The firm transformed the dilapidated industrial complex into a thriving mixeduse space with a 40,000-square-foot rooftop farm— the largest in the world at the time it was built. Just over the bridge and through the park, the firm’s design of a sleek, stylish Manhattan penthouse shows a very different side of the city’s architecture. Native New Yorker and Bromley Caldari principal Jerry Caldari discusses designing spaces for a city of contrasts. CONTINUED

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“We wanted to create a dramatic space that plays off of the lights of the city at night and the park view during the day.” – ARCHITECT JERRY CALDARI

The green roof also serves as an educational tool, and it’s a great advertisement for new ways of thinking and urban farming. It’s become a hugely popular place for schoolkids to visit, and the produce grown there is sold at a weekly farmers market in the building lobby, so employees can get fresh produce on their way home. DB: At the same time, you also design more traditional spaces. The penthouse overlooking Central Park is classically New York, for example. JC: The client loves New York City nightlife, so the design of that space is geared for the nighttime. We really thought about the views out of the apartment and considered how we could frame things to create a space that is dramatic and plays off of the lights of the city at night and the views of the park during the day. We also helped the client select the finishes, lighting, and furniture. The interior design has all the bells and whistles for entertaining, including a built-in wine and liquor bar. a

DB: New York is an incredibly diverse city. How does this influence your work? Jerry Caldari: We do all kinds of projects on different scales. We aren’t in any one market. At the same time, we are big proponents of adaptive reuse projects. We’re part of a group that purchases these large-scale industrial buildings, improves the infrastructure and integrates sustainable systems, and then remodels the tenant spaces and leases them to local companies. The Standard Motor Products building was one of those projects. This building had been an eyesore for many years. So we renovated it, updating the structure and public spaces, and adding sustainable elements like a rainwater harvesting system. The building is now leased to a great roster of tenants, including The Jim Henson Company, The Franklin Mint, and Brooklyn Grange, which operates the urban farm on the roof. DB: What impact did the project have on the community? JC: Long Island City is a well-established neighborhood that has been going through a renaissance lately. So this project was about more than just design. It was really about urban issues, about taking that building and refilling it with companies that would have otherwise left the city.

After reworking the interior layout to maximize the city views, the architects added signature details like custom cabinets and a built-in bar that make the space ideal for entertaining.

Photos courtesy of Bromley Caldari Architects, bromleycaldari.com

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HOLIDAY HOME

CITY LIVING IN THE COUNTRY New York City offers just about everything—except the peace and quiet of the country. One of the many spots for busy New Yorkers to escape is Shohola, Pennsylvania, a small town on the Delaware River. Bromley Caldari created a weekend retreat for one such urbanite looking for a respite from the city. “He found property that was perched on a hill and had these amazing views of the Delaware River,” principal Jerry Caldari says. “He wanted a New York City loft but out in the woods.” With a limited budget and sustainability in mind, the firm created a contemporary cabin with a vegetated roof. “We had to put our thinking caps on to design within the project’s [constraints],” Caldari says. “The owner writes database

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programs and wanted a place to pace up and down to think, so we created one long, tall space with a cantilevered loft bedroom.” The home’s 20-foot-wide by 60-foot-long structure also allowed the team to use pre-cut framing members and standard cuts

of plywood for the sheeting, saving on material and labor costs. A heated floor, extrathick insulation, and the green roof help the home stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, while saving energy all year long.

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September 2013

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The Kartell by Laufen bathroom line marries the innovative ceramic technology of Swiss company Laufen with the high-end plastic finishes of Italian furniture brand Kartell.

Q&A

SWISS MEETS ITALIAN Two iconic design brands team up to build a better bathroom

ath time just got a whole lot brighter thanks to a collaboration between two design powerhouses. Swiss bathroom company Laufen partnered with Italian furniture brand Kartell to launch Kartell by Laufen, a bathroom line designed by architects Ludovica + Roberto Palomba that melds Laufen’s ceramic technology with Kartell’s signature plastics. Roberto Palomba shares what happened when the two companies got in the bath together.

DB: Why did Laufen and Kartell join forces to produce this line? Roberto Palomba: It was a unique opportunity for two iconic leaders in design to make something absolutely new. Not just in terms of new designs, but also new innovations. The project was about [evoking] three ‘E’s: ecological, elegant, and emotional.

DB: What’s elegant about this line? RP: For me, elegant means the expression of desire, architecture, and moods. We created shapes that are long-lasting and pure.

DB: How can a bathroom be emotional? RP: We tried to create a multisensory experience that involves sight, hearing, touch... For example, there’s a mist system that DB: How is the line eco-friendly? produces a perfumed mist that involves RP: We launched a new material called a [sensation] on your skin and smell. And ‘SaphirKeramik’ that is a new kind of ceramic instead of using basic colors, we created product. It’s 40 percent lighter than tradi- inspiring colors—not just red, blue, or yeltional [porcelain], so it takes less energy to low, but amber, china blue, and tangerine. produce and package it. And because it’s The different colors create different moods, so strong we can save volume, too. so that you can create your own style. a

Photos courtesy of Laufen, us.laufen.com

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September 2013

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AN ARTFUL STREETSCAPE

David Bomberg’s abstract artwork influenced the design of public spaces at a London college

B:D’s team looked to artist and former LSBU instructor David Bomberg’s work for inspiration, particularly his drawing Racehorses, which depicts horses and jockeys poised for action just before a race begins. Created during Bomberg’s Vorticist period, the work reduces the forms of the jockeys and horses into tubular, geometric shapes.

BY KATHRYN FREEMAN RATHBONE

arts of London are literally a concrete jungle, and London South Bank University is no exception. To spiff up its school spirit, the campus recently opened a new student center that’s more urban cool than industrial bleak. The center pairs sleek architecture by Hawkins\Brown with contemporary landscape and hardscape by B:D Landscape Architects. Inspired by the work of legendary artist and former LSBU teacher David Bomberg, B:D created a signature plaza and streetscape that have boosted the school’s aesthetic and artistic character. Here, Rob Beswick, founder of B:D Landscape Architects, talks about the transformation. KFR: What was the existing space like? Rob Beswick: The site before development was a back of house, underused, and unloved piece of the LSBU campus. It was bounded by tall security fencing and was inaccessible to the public. The new student center creatively reused and recycled a tired 1960s concrete building and underground parking lot. We created a new public piazza to the front and a ‘shared surface’ streetscape to the rear. These areas act as new entrances into the campus, and they draw pedestrians into the building with directional lighting and a graphic ground plane.

KFR: Why did you look to David Bomberg for inspiration? RB: David Bomberg is considered one of the most significant British artists of the 20th century. He taught at LSBU during the 1940s and ’50s. His work reduces imagery to geometric shapes and transforms organic life into machine-like forms; it was a really strong match with our design ideas. We extended the building’s concrete structure into the public realm and then shattered its rigid geometry with a striking mix of lighting and paving. KFR: What materials did you use? RB: So much of London is paved in a bland sea of poor quality paving, so we consciously strived to create something unusual. A combination of light granite

Images courtesy of B:D Landscape Architect, bdlandarch.com

September 2013

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Dialogue

FROM INSPIRATION TO INSTALLATION: THE PROCESS BEHIND THE LSBU STUDENT CENTER PLAZA

By combining in-ground lights with the larger paving planks, B:D’s design both pays homage to Bomberg and brightens the space during dark nights, which start as early as mid-afternoon in the winter.

2 The forms of the drawing influenced the design team’s process. “We abstracted the cubism [of Racehorses] using plasticine and cardboard, which led to the concept design,” Beswick says.

3 Light granite “planks” emulate Bomberg’s tubular forms. After the planks were installed, the team filled in the spaces with small, dark granite “cubes” and linear in-ground lighting.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;So much of London is paved in a bland sea of poor quality paving, so we consciously strived to create something unusual.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ROB BESWICK

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;planks,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; dark granite â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cubes,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and linear in-ground lighting is used to create a contemporary, directional ground plane. We placed dark granite extruded benches [developed with Hardscape] underneath London plane trees for conversation. We also incorporated seams of Irish blue limestone into the paving to define shared spaces. Inspired by our time spent working in Chicago, the soft landscape combines low maintenance and drought-tolerant prairie plantings with bands of very English clipped box hedging. Red maple and Ginkgo trees also add strong seasonal Photo ÂŠ Tim Crawford

variety, and their semi-mature size adds instant stature to the project. KFR: What do you think Bomberg would most appreciate about your design? RB: LSBUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Student Center, in the words of our client [director of development, estates, and facilities for LSBU] Roger Tuke, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;has created something out of nothing.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bomberg himself was something of an art-world trailblazer with his cubist and futurist styles, so I hope he would appreciate that we have strived to create something unusual and innovative in Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ubiquitous sea of the public realm. a

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Q&A

ART DECO INSPIRATION A furniture designer finds a muse in a Hollywood legend

veryone wants to be someone when they grow up. For interior and furniture designer Lisa Jarvis, it was Hollywood icon Claudette Colbert. It was not only the legendary actress’ star power that attracted Jarvis, but also the lavish art deco sets of her movies. Now an established L.A.-based designer with more than 30 years of furniture design experience, Jarvis still looks to her childhood hero for inspiration when designing her collections. DB: When did you know that you wanted to design furniture and interiors?

Lisa Jarvis: My interior design training started with my mother. We were ‘Old Hollywood’ movie fanatics and watched them every day. I wanted to be Claudette Colbert—to live in a Manhattan high-rise with art deco furnishings and fabulous clothes and to drink martinis while lounging on a white satin chaise. I stared at the gorgeous Hollywood sets for years and it formed my taste.

Above: “The Bagua table was inspired by my wedding ring,” Jarvis says. “I was drinking coffee in bed and musing on how the light hit my ring when I thought, ‘That’d make a beautiful little table.’ Coincidentally, I later discovered the shape is from the map used in feng shui called the bagua.”

DB: How has your style developed since then?

LJ: As time went on, adding to my adoration of the elegant strength of ‘Deco’ and ‘Moderne’ design, was the influence of the resurrection of ‘Mid-Century’ in the early ’80s that continues today. And, as a through line, the timeless peacefulness of Japanese design. DB: How do you develop your pieces?

LJ: My design process has changed very little. I get an idea, I doodle, I choose the best doodle, and then I refine it. I decide the specifications and either send it directly to the host of manufacturers I work with, or out for a CAD drawing. I pull the trigger and hope for a prototype I love. a Product photos courtesy of Lisa Jarvis Atelier, lisajarvisatelier.com; portrait by Lev Gorn

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Design Thinking

September 2013

OUTSIDE EDIT AND DESIGN

MOST INTERESTING OFFICE IN THE WORLD The studio behind “The Most Interesting Man in the World” gets an office that’s just as irresistible as Dos Equis’ charismatic creation BY JORDAN MAINZER

Photos by Frank Oudeman, frankoudeman.com

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rchitect Shea Murdock of Murdock Solon Architects may not have arm wrestled Fidel Castro, freed an angry bear from a trap, or spoke Russian, in French, but he does have one thing in common with Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Man in the World”—they have both contributed to the success of New York City editorial and design studio Outside Edit and Design. Along with his team at MSA, Murdock recently designed a new SoHo office for the boutique studio, which has served as the editorial team for Dos Equis’ famous TV ads. CONTINUED

Photos by Frank Oudeman, frankoudeman.com

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OUTSIDE EDIT AND DESIGN

The client wasn’t the only one that needed to sign off on the design of Outside Edit and Design’s new office space. Murdock Solon Architects also had to get the approval of New York City building code departments. So they turned to Green Light Expediting, a New York-based building permit expediting and consulting company that helps architects, homeowners, contractors, and developers secure the city approvals they need to get their projects going. “We helped review their plans for code and zoning compliance, prepared and filed the necessary paperwork for the New York City Department of Buildings and Landmark Preservation Commission, and met with the city plan examiners to resolve any objections they had,” Green Light Expediting’s Chris Henry says. “We also filed some plan amendments with the city when the scope of work changed or as-built conditions called for it.”

Like the famous character in their TV ads for Dos Equis, Outside Edit and Design likes to do things a little bit differently.

Like the character in their work, Outside Edit and Design likes to do things a little bit differently. The studio wanted its office, for example, to walk the line between a commercial office space and a comfortable, loft-like residence where employees could feel at home. “We have dealt with similar clients in the past, but they were more corporate,” Murdock says. “Outside Edit and Design wanted a fully functioning editing studio that still retained the firm’s open atmosphere in the common spaces. We needed to accommodate the contrast between the open and public office atmosphere and the needed privacy for client interactions (CONTINUED)

and the editing process.” Accordingly, the team designed a combination of rooms that can be closed off through blackout curtains and opened to receive natural light. The public/private contrast was not only a productivity challenge, but also an acoustic challenge. “We coordinated with mechanical and acoustical consultants to build an acoustically isolated sound studio for voice-over work,” Murdock says. To achieve true acoustic separation, MSA used soft surfaces, floating walls and floors, and a high-tech system to quiet the hum of the air conditioners. CONTINUED

Photos by Frank Oudeman, frankoudeman.com

September 2013

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In the reception area, lighting is a nod to Outside Edit and Design's crescent logo. Flat, round lights are recessed in circular holes in the finished ceiling that are edged in the company's signature colors: blue, green, and brown.

modern rock-’n’-roll culture.

Engineers Committed to Environmentally Responsible Design

IN PRINT AND ON THE IPAD. ALARM-MAGAZINE.COM

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OUTSIDE EDIT AND DESIGN

Work spaces in the Outside Edit and Design studio blur the lines between commercial office interiors and comfortable residential spaces.

In addition, MSA designed the office interiors, including selecting furniture and wall coverings. “It was challenging to work with the colors and aesthetic they had,” Murdock says. “We had to maintain an aesthetic consistency that still achieved their disparate requirements.” For instance, MSA recessed flat, round lights into circular cutouts in the finished reception area ceiling to recreate the look of Outside Edit and Design’s logo, a circle within a circle that

(CONTINUED)

The studio wanted its office to walk the line between an office space and a comfortable, loft-like residence where employees could feel at home.

creates a crescent, in its color scheme of green, brown, and blue. “The client feedback has been excellent,” Murdock says of the design. In fact, MSA and Outside Edit and Design are considering designing a rooftop addition with three more edit rooms. Stay creative, my friends. a

Photos by Frank Oudeman, frankoudeman.com

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September 2013

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BLAINE MANSION

REVIVING A LANDMARK A mixed-use project marries a historic structure with a modern addition of glass and steel

onstructed in 1882 for Maine senator James Blaine, the Blaine Mansion is the ultimate in late Victorian architecture: a solid masonry block punctuated with towers, decorated with a corbeled cornice, and capped by an array of dormers, chimneys, and iron cresting—not to mention an elaborate cast-iron porte-cochère. After a string of renovations over its 130-year history, the classic Dupont Circle building got a new life when a lawyer whose firm occupied the main floor purchased the building in 2006 and began a transformative renovation.

The historic Blaine Mansion in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood was updated with a modern addition. Designed by Van Dusen Architects, the mixed-use addition consists of a horizontal zinc siding base and upper floors

featuring aluminum and glass panels with perforated steel railing panels at the balconies and roof terrace. The contrasting materials, colors, and forms of the addition create a modern backdrop that allows the original structure to shine in its period glory.

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Photo by Boris Feldblyum, bfcollection.net; model photo by Van Dusen Architects

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BLAINE MANSION Benjamin Van Dusen of Van Dusen Architects was faced with several design challenges. To start, a four-story addition from the 1920s dominated the west side of the building, which faced a narrow, empty lot. A brick office building from the 1960s shared the property line and formed an incongruous backdrop for the mansion. “The primary design goal,” says Van Dusen, “was to find a way to construct an addition on the narrow lot that would support the renovation of the mansion and restore its original profile, provide a sympathetically contemporary backdrop for the mansion, and increase the income-producing square footage necessary to make the project work.” (CONTINUED)

The almost total restoration of the west façade of the mansion was a major undertaking, as was the reconstruction of the large corbeled chimney caps that were removed for safety reasons in the 1940s—all done in an effort to recreate the original mansion profile, with all chimneys, towers, and complex brickwork intact.

The design of the six-story addition features a slender metal and glass-skinned structure that is distinctly independent of the mansion, connected only by a three-story glass bridge. The materials palette contrasts with the red brick of the main building, and forms a backdrop against which the mansion’s profile can be clearly read. The ground level of the original building was repurposed for restaurant use, the main and second floors as office space, and the top two floors as a residence for the owner. Heating and cooling equipment, as well as elevators and exit stairs, were all cleverly located in the addition so that new HVAC and electrical systems in the mansion would have minimal spatial impact on the existing rooms, many of which featured elaborate paneling and moldings installed in the 1920s and 1940s. a

“The primary goal was to construct an addition that would restore the original profile of the mansion and provide a sympathetically contemporary backdrop.” – BENJAMIN VAN DUSEN

Photo courtesy of Van Dusen Architects, vandusenarchitects.com

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The floor plan features a spacious central hall with a series of large rooms on the perimeter. The footprint of the building is so broad, however, that getting natural light to the central hall was a particular challenge. In the upper floor apartment, a large elliptical opening was cut into the fourth floor, and a skylight was added above to admit a flood of natural light into the main receiving hall on the third floor.

Photo by Maxwell Mackenzie, maxwellmackenzie.com

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Design Thinking

COCONUT GROVE SCHOOL

SUSTAINABILITY IS IN SESSION A Miami school is saved from “sick building syndrome” with a LEED Gold structure made for eco-education

ithout so much as a cough or achoo, the Coconut Grove Elementary School got sick. The original school building was a simple structure, built near a grove of oaks that filtered the Miami sun, creating a beautiful outdoor environment. But over time, as the main road and other surrounding buildings were raised to accommodate new flood codes, the structure’s existing floor slab began sinking—at its worst, it was 18 inches below street level. The resulting flooding, dry rot, and mold inside created the perfect breeding ground for “sick building syndrome,” and the structure was no longer safe for its students. Local architecture firm Jenifer Briley + Associates was called in to nurse the campus back to health. The cure involved demolishing the existing building and creating a new structure that would serve as a teaching tool for environmental awareness. The result is a LEED for Schools Gold-rated building that includes energy-efficient glass and lighting, daylight harvesting, rainwater harvesting for irrigation, recycled content, regionally sourced materials, and low-emitting materials and finishes.

The building is “green” in other ways, too. The site’s oak tree canopy and native vegetation inspired many of its design elements. Constructed from heavy timber trusses supported by wood columns, the structure seems at home in the lush location. “This allowed us to create large overhangs at the balconies and arcades,” principal architect Jenifer Briley says. The pattern of the recycled aluminum trellis that wraps the balconies was modeled after the leaves of the sea grape plants that grow on-site. In the ground-floor classrooms, low window seats that double as book cubbies line glass window walls that give the three- and four-year-old

Photo courtesy of Jenifer Briley + Associates, brileyarchitects.com

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1 The trellis that wraps the building is constructed from recycled aluminum. The pattern is a variety of sea grape leaves taken from a tree on-site. 2 The new structure is built from heavy timber trusses that are reminiscent of the original building, which was condemned. The team commissioned an artisan to build benches out of the original trusses, which they salvaged from the existing building.

3 The site plan preserved and protected the large, first-generation mature oaks on campus. The main stair was placed in front of an old oak tree covered in resurrection fern that turns brown in dry weather and bright green after a rain, allowing the children to get an up-close view of the rapidly changing plant life.

students outside views. Indigenous woods— pine, mahogany, oak, and cypress—were used in each of the four classrooms. Briley even designed the site plan for the new building without disturbing the lot’s mature oak trees. Some of the most encouraging sustainable developments came from the students themselves. “Their excitement was pretty contagious and continued all the way through construction,” Briley says. “Some of this had to do with the heavy timber frame we used—it looked like giant Tinkertoys being erected.” Teachers embraced an environmental curriculum and parents reported that their kids had started recycling at home. In the book they composed about the project, entitled Pre-K L.E.E.D.S. the Way, the Pre-K students shared their excitement about their new school: “Our building helps us save the planet! Our bathroom walls are made from old glass bottles and windows! We love our new green building!” a

Top to bottom: photos by Deepak Chowdhury, Jenifer Briley + Associates, Ivette Charlton

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Design Thinking

September 2013

Suburban Snaphot

French Lessons An American designer takes cues from France’s classic architecture to design a California estate fit for a king BY AMANDA KOELLNER

Photos by David Heath

or his French Ancestry Home, designer David Joseph Katona drew inspiration from classic French architecture to transform what was once a two-acre open parcel of land into a sprawling estate. Outside, the stunning four-bedroom, seven-bath home boasts a slate roof, aged-copper details, leaded windows, and a hand-burnished, aged stucco finish, while the interior features hand-hewn beams, faux-stone corner moldings, stone, and wood floors, all of which Katona says contribute to the home’s overall

sense of time and livable luxury. “It was my intent to provide the occupants a visual experience that inspires, supports, and nurtures their daily lives,” he says. With its state-of-the-art screening room that utilizes wireless signals to eliminate the need for cumbersome cables, breathtaking pool area complete with a carved marble fountain, and a gourmet kitchen space that is actually a combination of four separate rooms, the house is a whimsical dream that combines French beauty with American comfort. a

September 2013

“IT WAS MY INTENT TO PROVIDE THE OCCUPANTS A VISUAL EXPERIENCE THAT INSPIRES, SUPPORTS, AND NUTURES THEIR DAILY LIVES.” – DAVID JOSEPH KATONA

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Architecture Eye Candy

September 2013

Design Thinking

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Enlightened Updates Airy additions give a Victorian home back its charm BY LESLEY STANLEY

ot every “painted lady” ages gracefully. Take architect David Armour’s 3,000-square-foot Noe Valley Victorian, which had been robbed of its original 1906 charm when he purchased it. Armour’s firm rehabilitated the house, adding back period details and smoothing out dated design kinks.

An addition to the back of the house creates more room for the kitchen, where natural light pours in from the skylights above. The dining room’s original curved ceilings were recreated in the kitchen for continuity.

“While the general location and purpose of the rooms from the 1906 design still worked, the individual room proportions and openings were awkward,” Armour says. “Our goal was to create a timeless space that accommodates today’s lifestyles without losing a connection to the original history of the house. This was accomplished by refining the proportions of the rooms and improving the flow between the spaces without erasing the original room configuration.” CONTINUED

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September 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

The once dark and uninviting stairway gets a boost of natural light from angled skylights installed at the roof’s peak. The adjacent, matching, circular windows not only project a healthy dose of sunshine into the formerly cramped attic area, but are also a playful nod to one of Armour’s favorite buildings, the Phillips Exeter Academy Library designed by Louis Kahn.

“OUR GOAL WAS TO CREATE A TIMELESS SPACE THAT ACCOMODATES TODAY’S LIFESTYLES WITHOUT LOSING THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE.” - DAVID ARMOUR

The new design maintains original details, like the elegant curved ceilings in the dining room, while adding modern elements, such as skylights in the stairway and kitchen, that give the home a fresh perspective. “When you’re dealing with houses that have had no improvements in the past 100 years, there is this need to get the house ready for the next 100 years,” Armour says. “[We designed] structural improvements that reinvigorate the construction of the house.” a (CONTINUED)

LOCATION: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA DESIGNER: DAVID ARMOUR OF ARMOUR + VOKIC ARCHITECTURE PHOTOS: ARMOUR + VOKIC, ARMOUR-VOKIC.COM

September 2013

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IN THE DETAILS Exploring the key elements of uncommon spaces

Design Thinking

September 2013

Basic Gets Bold Texture, shape, and fabric spice up the neutral palette of a Tribeca loft Beige doesn’t have to be boring. Neither does brown, gray, or cream. Using a range of neutral hues with just a few colorful accents, interior designer Purvi Padia crafted a look that is as eye-catching as it is refined in this four-bedroom Tribeca loft. “I don’t use a ton of color, in the traditional

sense, in my designs,” Padia says. “I want points of interest to come from shapes, materials, finishes, and textures.” Comfortable furnishings and understated but elegant custom accents and antiques give this loft a lived-in feeling that is anything but basic. – Lesley Stanley

“Custom upholstery takes on a life of its own,” Padia says. In the living room, angular chairs by Jens Risom are each upholstered in two types of fabric. The woolblend fabric that wraps the chairs’ exteriors has a coppercolored filigree while the fabric inside is gray microsuede.

“My clients wanted to feel like they were escaping the city at night,” she says of the bedroom’s neutral color palette. The custom-made headboard, constructed from a tree trunk, reaches from window to window while natural liana wood sticks add height and soften the sharp lines of the city view.

LOCATION: NEW YORK, NEW YORK DESIGNER: PURVI PADIA OF PURVI PADIA DESIGN PHOTOS: COURTESY OF PURVI PADIA, PURVIPADIA.COM

Exterior Embellishments The design of this Tribeca loft took time to perfect— inside and out. “This project required a grueling approval process from the landmarks commision, as the building is in a historic district. The façade required several rounds of revisions before the final design was accepted,” says Rocco Basile, principal of Avo Construction. The Tribeca-based construction, general contracting, and management firm developed the 37,000-square-foot building and built out the loft interior.

INTERIORS REDEFINED.

Pieces like this large Chinese stone oil urn bring character and heritage to the loft

Purvi Padia Design is a New York City based Interior Design Firm specializing in residential interior spaces of all sizes and scopes. Purvi Padia, the firm’s Principal, focuses on bringing luxury, style and comfort to each of her projects while maintaining the values and sensibilities of each individual client. She utilizes texture, color and shape in a unique manner and prides herself on perfectly balancing heritage and modernity resulting in spaces that are aesthetically beautiful and enticingly inviting.

ring: 646.429.8116 write: purvi@purvipadia.com visit: www.purvipadia.com

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September 2013

IN THE DETAILS

The New Classics A designer puts a fresh spin on some old favorites at a Greenwich Village apartment

With its eclectic mix of something old, something new, something borrowed, and shades of blue, this Greenwich Village apartment gives new meaning to the old wedding rhyme. Designer Sarah Magness paired antiques and reproduction pieces with the homeowners’ repurposed furnishings for a lived-in look. “Because it’s located downtown, the space is less formal,” Magness says. She revamped some of the client’s existing items, like

the kidney-shaped couches in the living room that were reupholstered with a wool herringbone fabric to suit the room’s calming sea foam and gray color palette. Since the clients had previously lived in France, she also incorporated Parisian-inspired pieces, like the reproduction bergère chairs in the sitting room off of the kitchen. “I wanted their home to feel really special to them,” she says. – Lesley Stanley

“The hardest component to any New York City apartment is storage,” Magness says. In the casual sitting area off of the kitchen, the custommade banquette offers hidden storage underneath the seats and features outdoor fabric upholstery for easy cleanup. The chairs are a reproduction of a French design that dates back to the 1880s. The living room’s mohair rug was woven by villagers in South Africa, says Magness. “It’s like a sweater— super soft and luxurious.”

Magness designed a modified version of an 18th-century, New England-style chair for the home’s entryway. She made the chair more comfortable than its predecessor by increasing its size and making it broader. “The balance has to be perfect,” she says. “Otherwise it falls apart.”

LOCATION: NEW YORK, NEW YORK DESIGNER: SARAH MAGNESS OF MAGNESS DESIGN PHOTOS: ANTOINE BOOTZ, ANTOINEBOOTZ.COM

One of Magness’ favorite pieces? “I really love the Venetian table lamps in the bedroom,” she says. “They are unique pieces that are not duplicated and are really special to the client because they have traveled to Venice—they fit their lifestyle.”

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Design Thinking

September 2013

Notes From the Bureau NEWS AND MUSINGS FROM THE WORLD OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Into the Blue Rich blue hues and nautical accents bring a bayside Victorian home out of its style slumber

ow do you transform a space from funky to family friendly? Interior designer Jocelyn Chiappone of Digs Design Company shows us how she redesigned the dated interior of a three-story Victorian in Cowesett, Rhode Island, to suit a family of five. Chiappone returned the space to its original grandeur while adding fresh, nautical-inspired touches inspired by the home’s bay views. – Amanda Koellner

Photos Nat Rea, natrea.com

The kitchen is classic and crisp, yet kid-ready. “It can house a gaggle of kids in a small space. We added a custom banquette that is done in a bleachable, outdoor woven fabric,” Chiappone says. Between the living and dining rooms, a custom wet bar with a hammered apron sink and mahogany counter provides a separate space for adult entertainment. “Often I am obsessed with the small details. We waited months for this exceptional leather basket weave and nickel cabinet hardware—it was well worth the wait,” she adds. 1

September 2013

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THE PERFECT HUE Digs Design Company turned to Rhode Island-based Somers Painting to help it find the perfect blue hues for this Cowesett Victorian. “We coordinated with the team to preserve the historical character and integrity of the home,” owner Ryan Somers says. “This involved adding specialty finishes and, in particular, choosing the appropriate color from myriad samples.” The company’s problemsolving approach and attention to detail continues to enhance and distinguish the work of its clients.

The family room, painted a deep navy, was designed to be soothing and soft yet with hints of both sophistication and fun. “Don’t be afraid of using a saturated color in a small space,” Chiappone says. “I like doing my upholstery in the same color as the walls. It blends nicely and does not overwhelm the room.” The rooms’ original built-ins were reworked with brass picture lights, inset doors, and a custom upholstered tack board.

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The dining room revolves around a cocoa bead chandelier— which Chiappone says “takes center stage”—surrounded by a high-gloss aqua ceiling. The rooms’ blues are complemented by chartreuse accents and fabric and brass details on the mirror, chandelier, and sideboard. 3

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Design Thinking

September 2013

Notes From the Bureau

The master bedroom, for example, meets the client’s lifestyle needs in style. Its sitting room accommodates family time with a comfortable sofa and swivel glider, but adds a dash of panache—and a nod to one of the homeowner’s Canadian East Coast roots—with hints of blues, oranges, corals, yellows, and pinks. The balance of style and comfort continues throughout the home. The homeowners enjoy cooking, so function came first in the kitchen, where classic door profiles and cabinets and traditional finish details are paired with modern conveniences such as the built-in coffee maker and large gas range. A level of formality was added with a dark stained maple island. “The finishes repeated the mixed dark and light finishes in the kitchen nook for a cohesive effect,” Bunnell says.

A Family Home That Fits

For these homeowners, fit was finally achieved with Bunnell’s help—and a consistent family focus. “The homeowners realize that a well-designed space enhances their daily life, and this home is a family home for creating memories.” – Jill McDonnell

Comfort and style are the perfect pairing for a Canadian clan

n the design world, as in life, success often boils down to a single factor: fit. The Calgary home of interior designer LeAnne Bunnell’s clients wasn’t a perfect match at first. “The floor plan was somewhat grand and the high ceilings and long sight lines contrasted with the simpler lifestyle my clients had for their family,” she says. But by using the right combination of furnishings, finishes, and fabrics, the Elle Design principal made the home a better fit for the family.

Photos courtesy of Elle Design, elledesign.ca

Ontario-based Whittington Furniture manufactures custom upholstery in Mississauga, Canada. “One of the biggest perks is a 100 percent Canadianmade product, supporting Canadian artisans,” Whittington Furniture showroom manager Andrea Wilkins says. “The most important thing

is the environment here, so everything is completely custom.” Wilkins works exclusively with designers, such as LeAnne Bunnell of Elle Design, to create made-to-measure pieces from traditional to contemporary styles built from Canadian hardwood and upholstered by local artisans.

September 2013

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Speakeasy Style Inspired by the owner’s grandmother, a new L.A. restaurant channels Old Hollywood glamour

ollywood is notorious for rehashing stale ideas. But outside of the studios, old ideas are getting a fresh treatment. Ralph Gentile Architects put a new spin on Old Hollywood at the neighborhood’s new Sadie Kitchen and Lounge. From tin ceilings to chandeliers to wood paneling, the architecture was meticulously thought-out to create a speakeasystyle atmosphere.

Part Betty Crocker, part Ma Barker, Sadie embodies the spirit of the restaurant even today.

In fact, the woman after whom the restaurant was named has a bit of a speakeasy history herself. “Sadie was a real person, the grandmother of the current owners,” principal architect Ralph Gentile says. “She had a chocolate shop across the street that many speculated was a front for a speakeasy during prohibition.” Described as part Betty Crocker and part Ma Barker, Sadie, whose warmth and coziness was combined with 1920s-era Hollywood glamour, embodies the spirit of the restaurant, even today. Ralph Gentile Architects was so intent on maintaining that vintage character that they repiped the old espresso machine from the previous restaurant, famous ’90s hangout Café Les Deux, so that it dispenses beer and wine. But unlike Les Deux, which “had a bad reputation in the neighborhood,” according to Gentile, Sadie recreates its namesake’s welcoming spirit. The design and layout of the restaurant, which consists of three experiences—a parlor, a center bar, and a patio—attempts to give the restaurant what Gentile describes as an old, but industrial look. “The

parlor ceiling tiles are made of actual tin with original vintage pattern molds. The only difference is that the material starts as a micro-perforated sheet metal backed with sound-absorbing fiberglass so as to control the acoustics in the bar area.” The bar sconces also evoke the 19th century, as does the bar’s wood paneling, which protects the stained oak bar against damage from furniture and guests. Outside on the patio, the uplighted stone wall surround and string lights overhead create a cozy bistro environment. “The patio is away from the hustle,” Gentile says. “It feels like a little sanctuary.” Speakeasy style and homespun comfort? That’s just how Grandma Sadie would have liked it. – Jordan Mainzer

Patrons can enjoy the patio at Sadie Kitchen and Lounge even when temperatures dip thanks to Calcana’s patio heaters. “Architect Ralph Gentile wanted ideal comfort for patrons and was impressed with our patio heaters since they are the only product on the market that can modulate the heat output remotely to match the weather and desires of the patrons,” John Vancak, president at Calcana Group of Companies, says. “Also, he didn’t want anything to distract from an evening of

fine dining. Since our heaters do not produce any visible light or open flames, the customer experiences a heated space with out any visible distractions.” What’s more, the heaters’ flexible design allows the rooftop and sides of the patio to be open and closed as needed. “Because we produce pure heat and no light, our fuel efficiency is much greater, and our clearance to combustibles is much lower, allowing our heaters to be installed in applications that others can not.”

Photos by Alen Lin, alenlin.com

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Design Thinking

September 2013

COLOR YOUR KITCHEN

Cooking up a Dream Kitchen A color consultant/interior designer shares her recipe for the perfect kitchen

egin with an airy room, season with contrasting colors, and finish with a dash of signature details—that’s how interior designer and color consultant Michelle Winick whipped up the ideal kitchen for a New Jersey family’s suburban home. Here she gives her recipe for the space. – Jill McDonnell

Let me introduce myself as the fresh face of the interior design world. After studying in Florence, Italy and receiving honors at Harrington College of Design, I established Interior Spaces, Inc. as a way to deliver my creative flair to a wide spectrum of clients. They range from city dwellers to suburban families. My goal is to make sure that each client moves through the design experience in the most efficient way possible with the most desirable results. I respect my clients’ individuality, they value my work, and I take responsibility for a project well done.

Use contrasting colors.

At the Demarest estate, ebony floors and painted walls make the white cabinets and light countertops pop. With an expert’s assistance, you can increase the darkness of a wood floor by “water-popping” it or adding a coat of water to the wood before applying stain, says Winick. The technique deepens the color of the stain.

Choose finishes based on your lifestyle. 3

“This countertop is made of Calcutta marble, which requires frequent upkeep,” Winick cautions. “If you’re prone to spilling red wine, or a child’s grape juice, this might not be the best finish choice for you.”

carrie ratliff interior design consultant

“This will add light into the kitchen, and is a great way to bring the outdoors in,” Winick says. In this New Jersey home, a large window over the kitchen sink and French doors in the adjoining dining room offer views of the garden and lots of natural light that brings out the space’s colors and finishes.

Lighting is key.

Unique lighting fixtures not only set the tone for a space, but they also provide task lighting for cooking and dining. “The pendant lights hanging over the island here really add character to the space,” Winick says.

www.interiorspacesinc.net 312.756.0955

Add windows and doors.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Winick Design, michellewinickdesign.com

September 2013

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Notes From the Bureau

appearance of [our] projects is very modern, it is always imperative that they function well and are very livable,” architect James Evans of Collaborative Designworks says. “We often hear that owners feel the homes are larger than they actually are.” Inside the units, Evans made sure that there was ample natural light and views of the shared courtyard. “We located the windows in a way that maximizes light infiltration, but maintains full privacy between units,” he says. Accordingly, the two front-facing units have a similar layout and a functional core that flanks a shared wall, a design element that frees the exterior walls for windows and terraces. To bring light to the back unit, Evans created a winding sculptural central stairway in the center of the space that also acts as a light well. “Interior finishes are intentionally restrained and simple, and color and texture are introduced sparingly with natural materials,” he says. “All of the material choices were made with LEED considerations in mind and focused on durability, performance, and low impact.”

Livable Modern With a warm exterior and tenantfriendly interiors, these Houston town homes are comfortable, inside and out

“M

odern” style can mean many things—edgy, clean, and, occasionally, even uncomfortable. But at this three-unit Houston town home designed by Collaborative Designworks, modern translates to livable. “While the

The same factors informed the design of the exterior architecture. “We obviously gravitate towards a contemporary or modern aesthetic, but [we’re] really interested in the honesty of materials and how things are put together,” Evans says. “[We] selected the exterior cladding materials to provide a clear language for coding the volumes and forms of the building.” Two types of stucco finish—one an angular, painted white finish and the other an orthogonal, natural gray— are balanced by a rain-screen of natural finished redwood. “The stunning grain pattern warms up the overall appearance of the exterior.” – Emily Rosen Photos by Benjamin Hill Photography, benhillphoto.com

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Design Thinking

September 2013

Notes From the Bureau Illuminated by color-changing lighting from Traxon Technologies, 650 Fifth Avenue welcomes visitors with a dynamic glow. “We combined light sources with materials that enable Design360 to endlessly vary the effects and customize their own lighting concept,” says Clara Powell, business development manager for the company.

BY THE NUMBERS

Graphic images that are cycled every few minutes on the ceiling. “The owners of the building wanted to hire an architect and graphic designer to rethink the lobby,” Ayers says. “The animated ceiling is what makes our approach unique for the neighborhood. You’d really only find this in Times Square.” It was also important to Ayers to create an artistic environment for the building given its close proximity to the Museum of Modern Art.

650 Fifth Avenue A Times Square building gets the graphic treatment with colorful lighting and a media screen

hy turn off the lights during the day when you can get creative with them instead? That was Design360’s point of view while creating digital media displays and lighting concepts meant to draw visitors in from the street to 650 Fifth Avenue. Here’s a look at how the bold lobby graphics and color-changing LED exterior of the mixed-use commercial and retail building breaks down by the numbers. – Jordan Mainzer

Photos by Jeffrey Kilmer, jeffreykilmer.com

4 Times per year that the image content is refreshed with a new seasonal theme. For example, during summertime, the lobby display features fun imagery like seashells, popsicles, and flowers. The images also are coordinated with the time of day—warm, red-hued graphics play during the day while cool, blue-toned images are shown at night.

10 People who worked on the project, including two from Design360 and eight cooperating partners, from signage fabricators to construction workers. “It was a really collaborative environment—we worked with our parent company, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, on planning, executing, and lighting the ceiling, for instance,” Ayers says.

$11 million The impressive project budget, including lobby reconstruction and media updates. “650 Fifth Avenue competes with other retailers for pedestrian attention, but its entrance is on a side street. The owners of the building wanted to give people a reason to walk in,” Design360 creative director Jill Ayers says.

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Notes From the Bureau

Photo by Beth Singer Photographer

Traxon Technologies, together with its control brand, e:cue, is a global leader in solid state lighting and control systems providing complete, sustainable and intelligent lighting solutions. Working with our extensive partner network, Traxon & e:cue transform creative visions into unforgettable lighting experiences, elevating architectural, entertainment, hospitality, and retail environments around the world. 20 Murray Hill Parkway, Suite 210 East Rutherford, NJ 07073 Tel: + 1 201 508 1570 www.traxontechnologies.com, www.ecue.com

Office Spice A rooftop terrace restaurant and basement lounge shake up a Minneapolis work space

hea Design knows that all work and no play make for one dull office. So the marketing and design firm created a more entertaining environment at its new workspace in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm partnered with Kaskaid Hospitality to transform a 20,000-square-foot vacant commercial building into a three-story, mixed-use complex that boasts a latenight basement cocktail lounge, a hot new restaurant, and year-round rooftop terrace, in addition to Shea’s office. The building’s journey from forgotten eyesore to downtown destination began with a road trip. “We visited places like New York and Chicago with Kaskaid to research dining trends,” Shea Design principal Tanya Spaulding says. “Restaurants have become a social experience, where people go for fun. We took that knowledge and created a new concept.” The restaurant, called Union, offers several dining experiences, including a casual bar area and more formal dining room on the first floor and a rooftop terrace on the third floor. To create a space that is usable

Design isn’t Union restaurant’s only draw. “They have a great menu,” Spaulding says. Her picks for lunch include the Baja-style mahimahi tacos, apple and shaved sunchoke salad, and the oxtail burger.

year-round, Shea added a telescopic, glass rooftop—the largest in the country of its kind—that can retract partially or fully in less than 10 minutes. That same inquisitive spirit inspired the firm to imagine a better way to work when it designed its second-floor office space. “Our intention was to support the creativity of our office,” Spaulding says. The team designed an almost all-open office plan that mixes staff from Shea’s different departments to encourage conversation. White counters that run the length of the office are the perfect spot for impromptu meetings. “It’s much more engaging than sitting in a conference room. Collaboration happens much more naturally now,” she adds. And if meetings run over into lunchtime, Union is just a floor away. “It’s a running joke that we have a bar above us and a bar below,” Spaulding says. “The restaurant has become an overflow space that we bring clients to for lunch. We can confidently say that we know what it’s like to live with a space.” a

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BEFORE & AFTER

Rebuilding Memories After her childhood house is demolished, a designer helps her mother start over with a new home

his project involves not one, but two houses, both of which have personal meaning to interior designer Carrie Ratliff of Interior Spaces, Inc. Ratliff’s childhood home was completely demolished after a crack was found in the foundation. With a clean slate to work from, Ratliff created new living quarters for her mother with timeless style and an open floor plan. – Lesley Stanley

BEFORE The original 2,500-square-foot home had barely been updated since the 1970s. “It was dark with a lot of blue and burgundy,” Ratliff says. Although the two-story house served its purpose for the family, Ratliff says its design left something to be desired. Like many houses built during that time period, its layout featured small, closed-off rooms with white walls, and an attached outdoor deck that Ratliff describes as “very flat.” The interior was decorated with a hodgepodge of furnishings and items inherited over the years. “Back then, it wasn’t much of a concern for my parents, but when [the opportunity arose to start fresh], my mom knew she didn’t have anything to lose.” The house was demolished, and construction started on the new replacement home.

“When the opportunity arose to start fresh, my mom knew she didn’t have anything to lose.” – CARRIE RATLIFF

AFTER

The spacious new 3,500-square-foot, oneand-a-half story, ranch-style home offers easy first-floor living with warm tones and a transitional French flare. “I wanted it to be sleek and rich without being tied to one

specific style,” Ratliff says. Generously sized rooms are framed in soft, curved archways and create an easy flow from one space to the next. The home’s foundation was shifted to the right of the property where it is now centered with a half-circle driveway in front. Despite the total demolition of Ratliff’s childhood home, she was intent on keeping numerous trees in the yard, and even utilized a thick line of pines as a quasi-privacy wall for the outdoor berm, which boasts natural vegetation for a calming, Zen-like feel. Back inside, Ratliff even found herself a spot in the form of an office located in the loft. “This project was from the heart because we love the property so much,” she says. “At the same time, this is an unbelievable new chapter in [my mom’s] life.” a

Photos courtesy of Interior Spaces, Inc., interiorspacesinc.net

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THE

I NS P I R

AT I O N ISSUE W

ho can say when and where inspiration will strike? It comes differently for everyone, and it’s often elusive, yet it’s the absolutely necessary first spark for any stroke of greatness. We ask five guest editors from a wide range of creative worlds—film, music, fashion, photography, and graphic design—to share what inspires them.

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The Inspiration Issue

Jessica Walsh, graphic designer — interview By Laura Neilson — Portraits by Dusdin Condren

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raphic designer Jessica Walsh’s name is associated with a few very obvious words: talented (she’s won accolades from the Art Directors Club, Print magazine, SPD, and other major industry organizations); Sagmeister (her partner at design firm Sagmeister & Walsh); and nudity (her shocking photo announcing her position as partner at Sagmeister & Walsh).

Adding to that list, one might consider including “surreal,” as Walsh’s curiosity toward the idea has been formative in her childhood, her dreams, and her work. Though she doesn’t consider herself a surrealist by trade, she does find inspiration in the wonder-filled world of the surreal, from classic examples like Alice in Wonderland to contemporary exhibitions at the Whitney.

Have you always had a predilection toward the surreal?

Yes. One of my favorite stories growing up was Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Many of the surrealists took inspiration from this story. What did you love about it?

I loved both the visuals and the story. While it may seem like a simple fairy tale, there are so many hidden underlying messages and philosophies about life within the story. I very much loved the art direction of the latest Alice in Wonderland made in 2010. I loved films such as Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, and some of the fantasy films like Labyrinth. At the time, did you see those worlds as fantasy or real?

I did understand they were fantasy worlds, but when I was young I very much believed there was more to life than we could see or understand. I thought adults just couldn’t see this, and

I WAS PRETTY SURE I HAD SPECIAL POWERS AND COULD COMMUNICATE WITH GHOSTS. while I’ve grown out of those beliefs, I do still hold onto a childlike curiosity and wonder. wHat about your dreams? Do you remember them?

Yes I usually remember them, I have been trying to keep a dream diary as they are often quite crazy… intense… beautiful. Sometimes before I fall asleep I’ll tell myself I want to dream a solution to a project. The results aren’t always as interesting as they seem while I am in the dream, but still inspire things I am doing. For a while last year I had taught myself how to lucid dream, which is where you are consciously aware you are dreaming and can control your participation in the dream.

Hand photo, smoking photo, and cover courtesy of Toiletpaper magazine; beach photos courtesy of Andrew Baines Surrealist

What have you done in your lucid dreams?

ALL SORTS OF THINGS FROM FLYING, SPACE TRAVEL, TO SEX FANTASIES. Would you consider yourself a surrealist?

Not really. I call myself a designer. That being said, I am not so interested in labeling things. Would you describe your work as surreal?

There is a surreal quality to some of the work Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done in the past, particularly the photo illustration editorials, posters, and fashion advertising work Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done.

Portrait by Dusdin Condren. Opposite, clockwise from top, images by: Imme Van Der Haak, MI-ZO, Elektrotechnique De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Bela Borsodi, Alexy Turvey

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The Inspiration Issue

This page, top image by Pieke Bergmans; bottom image, installation by Yayoi Kusama. Opposite page: design by M/M Paris

Most recently, whose artwork has had the most profound effect on you?

Probably Yayoi Kusama’s “Fireflies on the Water” installation at the Whitney, which was an exploration of infinite space. The room was composed of mirrors on all the walls, and hundreds of tiny lights suspended over a shallow pool of water.

WHEN YOU ENTERED, YOU’D SEE ENDLESS IMAGES OF YOURSELF GOING INTO THE DISTANCE.

It’s an incredibly moving experience. Yayoi’s work is so insane and obsessive, I would love to be able to enter her mind, if only for five minutes.

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The Inspiration Issue

Kenna, Musician/Philanthropist — Interview by Laura Neilson — Portrait by Frank Ishman

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or Grammy-nominated musician and activist Kenna, storytelling isn’t just a form of art—it’s an almost involuntary form of existing. Sometimes he’s the voyeuristic outsider looking in on supposed narrative, and other times he’s the main character, surmounting

challenges and writing the next chapter as he goes—but always sharing. Earlier this year, he led a group of friends and fellow performers on his second climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for his global clean water initiative. Not surprisingly, every picture tells a story.

I’m one of those people who’s always people-watching, and admittedly always trying to figure out what those people across the room are saying to each other. It’s almost voyeuristic. What my p.o.v. is in that moment, is what I want to capture. My eyes are telling the story. It doesn’t necessarily have to be true—it’s what I see it to be.

There’s a photograph of my dad and me in Ethiopia in the village where my dad was born, and where he suffered from drinking the water—it was this weird, disgusting, turbid puddle of water that he drank from. And for him to have lived there for so long and for us to dig a well literally 50 yards from where my grandfather tried to dig a well 50 years ago— that was the most important moment of my life. That picture just sizes it all up.

I BELIEVE THAT SUCCESS HAS MANY FATHERS. So even if we get some place and we’re successful, it wasn’t just me. It’s me, and many people. So I’m kind of a reluctant leader because I want everyone to be part of that journey and experience part of that success. I don’t want people to feel like I’m leading them. But at the same time, someone has to lead.

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I’M AFRICAN, SO STORYTELLING IS A WAY OF LIFE. MY DAD IS A GREAT STORYTELLER, SO I WAS RAISED IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.

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Some of the images I really love are when I took on the role of a leader. Maybe I was good at it, maybe I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, but at least I attempted and tried to support the people who were there with me.

Some people have palettes, like colors or themes that draw them in. For me, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m interested in framing, and how something comes to life. The action thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involved in it is more important than the actual aesthetic of the image. To me itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really about the fluidity of that happening and telling a story.

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The Inspiration Issue

Alex Karpovsky, actor/director — Interview by Kristin Mccracken — Portrait by david brandon geeting

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lex Karpovsky has been settling into the indie film fringes for the past decade, writing, directing, and (usually) starring in his own features like Red Flag, Rubberneck, and Woodpecker, and acting in like-minded New York films like Tiny Furniture, Gayby, and Sleepwalk With Me. Later this year, he’ll appear in the Coen brothers’ Cannes

hit Inside Llewyn Davis. With his breakout role in Girls on HBO, Karpovsky has come to epitomize the current northern Brooklyn gestalt: understated, individualistic, a little neurotic, and nerdy, but in the best possible way. Karpovsky moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn in 2004, making his home in the Polish neighborhood of Greenpoint just a few blocks from the coffee shop that his character manages on Girls, and he finds no shortage of inspiration in the outer borough.

THE UNIFYING THEME FOR THINGS THAT INSPIRE ME MIGHT BE PEACE, CALMNESS,

AND SOLITUDE. THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WILL PROBABLY NEVER LIVE IN MANHATTAN AGAIN. I HAVE HIGH-LEVEL SUSTAINED ANXIETY: I LIKE OPEN SPACES AND I DON’T LIKE TO BE CROWDED. SO MANHATTAN FELT DENSE AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC. I LIKE A LITTLE ELBOW ROOM, A LITTLE QUIET, AND BROOKLYN OFFERS THAT.

I REALLY LIKE MY NEIGHBORHOOD, GREENPOINT. I LIVE NEAR

MCGOLRICK PARK—A POLISH PARK WITH AN OLD-MEN-FEEDING-PIGEONS FEELING. I’M AN OLD MAN AT HEART. I LIKE CHAMOMILE TEA, MY SLIPPERS. I JUST MOVED INTO A NEW PLACE. IT’S ON THE QUIETEST STREET AROUND. I HAVE A VERY SMALL, PEACEFUL BACKYARD WITH A TREE IN IT. DID I MENTION THAT IT’S QUIET? I’M A BIG BIRD-WATCHER. THEIR COLORS ARE VERY VIVID AND MAJESTIC, I LOVE BIRDSONG, AND I LIKE THE HUNT OF LOOKING FOR AN ELUSIVE BIRD. UNLIKE A LOT OF OTHER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND HOBBIES, THERE’S NOTHING TO PHYSICALLY WALK AWAY WITH; IT’S VERY EXPERIENTIAL. THERE’S SOMETHING VERY RELAXING ABOUT THAT. SO I LOVE PROSPECT

PARK BECAUSE OF ALL THE BIRDS YOU CAN FIND

THERE. I WRITE AT HOME, BECAUSE I HAVE TO PEE LIKE EVERY EIGHT MINUTES, AND IT LOOKS WEIRD TO BRING YOUR LAPTOP TO THE BATHROOM WHEN YOU’RE WORKING IN A COFFEE SHOP. I’M ALSO PICKY ABOUT MUSIC, LIGHTING, TEMPERATURE, AND A LOT OF PLACES DON’T HAVE AGAVE NECTAR. I ACTUALLY LIKE CAFÉ GRUMPY A LOT—IT’S ONE OF THE FEW PLACES I COULD CONCEIVABLY WORK AT, BUT I THINK IT’S WEIRD BECAUSE MY CHARACTER WORKS THERE.

PETER PAN BAKERY

IS A REALLY GREAT OLD-SCHOOL POLISH DOUGHNUT SHOP IN GREENPOINT, WHICH HAS BEEN AROUND PROBABLY SINCE THE 1420S. I’M WAIST-DEEP IN DESIGNING MY APARTMENT. I’M GOING TO A LOT OF SALVAGE

YARDS AND ANTIQUE/JUNK

STORES, LOOKING FOR STUFF THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT OF CHARACTER. I’M LOOKING FOR AN AESTHETIC, COHERENT GESTALT: A LOT OF DARK WOOD, PROBABLY MID-TOLATE ’40S, JUST AFTER THE WAR. BRUISED BUT FUNCTIONAL. I PRETEND THAT I’M A HANDYMAN, SO I FEEL LIKE I CAN FIX THINGS, AND USUALLY I JUST END UP NOT CHANGING TOO MUCH. BUT I TRY TO. I’M GOING TO STAIN SOME WOOD AFTER THIS.

I get inspired being near the water. I really like Red Hook for that reason. There are cobblestone streets, salt in the air, and I find it dreamy and romantic. One of my favorite bars in New York is Sunnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, which is old and weathered by the sea. It looks like a little old shanty bar you might see in New England. On Alex Karpovsky: Cardigan sweater and boots by John Varvatos, johnvarvatos.com; v-neck sweater by J.Crew, jcrew.com; jeans by Simon Miller, simonmillerusa.com. Styling by Lexyrose Boiardo. Groomer: Yuco Kokita. Shot on location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Brooklyn map by neighborwoodmaps.com. Sunnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar photo by Chris Goldberg.

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The Inspiration Issue

Jennifer Missoni, Actress

—

interview By Kristin Larson

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Portrait by Matthew WIlliams

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ou might not be familiar with Jennifer herself, but you certainly know her iconic family. With a last name like Missoni, it’s never been easy for her to fade into obscurity—not that she’s ever wanted to. “I always knew I wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl,” she says, now living out her childhood dream in New York City. Although fashion is her family’s business, she acknowledged early on that it wasn’t her chosen form of creative expression. “I never was passionate about fashion and design and textiles in that way.” Yet she has been, and continues to be, inspired by her family. A tight-knit crew (pun slightly intended), the Missonis embody the classic Italian lifestyle: food, wine,

and lots of family fun. “I was always so happy to see my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, and my father doing interviews or receiving compliments from strangers.

I AM SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS FAMILY AND WATCH THE COMPANY GROW AND EXPAND.”

There’s a very special piece I found at the factory in Italy. It’s a small round bistro table that was made in 1985, the same year I was born. The fabric is from Collezione Missoni Tessuti per Arredamento and has seven coats of polyester resin over it as a varnish. It’s my favorite piece because it’s so old and so personal.

SUMIRAGO, 1980 MY DAD AND MY GRANDFATHER AT WORK. SO BEAUTIFUL. SO INSPIRING.

u Sardegna, 1998 My dad, my brother and I. This was a really fun day. We were all at my grandparents’ house in Sardegna for a photo shoot.

Missoni 35-year anniversary, 1988 My dad always makes everything fun. Anything we do together, he makes it fun and inventive. I love this picture because it really captures that playfulness and joy! My uncle Vittorio is the one eating the dessert.

New York City, 1989 This was such a fun family trip! We all went to New York together from Italy.

This is from the same New York trip. We did everything together on that trip. All those special things you can do in New York City that feel larger than life when you’re a child. It’s amazing how vivid some of those memories are.

Varese, 2011 I was having dinner with my dad at our favorite restaurant Trattoria Bologna. he took this picture, which has become one of my favorite pictures of all time.

v Campi Di Vegonno, 1987 This really represents my childhood in Italy. I remember always feeling free outside.

w New York City, 1994 My mommy. Isn’t she beautiful? I always loved showing her off at school because all the boys thought she was so hot!

People often think that I grew up in America because I have no Italian accent when I speak English. But that’s because my mother is American. She grew up in New York and was modeling during college and ended up in Milan, where she met my dad. I lived in Italy until I was 19.

Mauritius, 1996 I love this photo of my mom and my brother and sister. It’s so beautiful. Every time I look at it I feel happy.

The Inspiration Issue

1980S ONE OF MY GRANDFATHER’S BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGS. I COULD LOOK AT IT FOREVER.

There’s a sense of grace that my grandparents always carry within them wherever they go. I strongly feel that they passed it down to their three children. Grace is not something you can be taught in my opinion. It’s something you’re born with.

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Frank Ishman, Photographer — interview By Kristin Larson — Photography by Frank Ishman

REF LEC TION F

or photographer Frank Ishman, reflection is an integral part of his creative process. In many ways, it drives his creative process. Whether he’s reflecting on his childhood memories of watching Taxi while shooting a portrait of Danny

DeVito, or he’s focusing on putting the camera down and connecting with his subject, reflection is a constant thread that runs throughout Ishman’s work. Here, in words and images, are his reflections—on his childhood, his profession, his city, and himself.

One of the reasons why I paired the shot I took with Ben Stiller with an old contact sheet from when I was a child actor is because I used to love going to get these shots done—I loved having someone step in front of the camera, looking through the viewfinder. There’s just something about seeing images in that way; for me, it starts to pull that reflective process, gets me thinking about where would I be, what I would I be doing if I were still acting.

WOULD I BE STRUGGLING?

It kind of puts me in his or her shoes, especially if I’m shooting anyone that has any kind of celebrity status.

I LOVE ANTICIPATING THINGS. Right there, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m reflecting on what I know the image should look like based on everyone else that had walked through that smoke. I saw her walking down the street, before the steam was coming out in little spurts. It was lightly raining, so I just leaned up against the post and waited for her to cross.

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The portrait of Danny DeVito.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT HIS CHARACTER. I can see in his eyes—and I know he would hate me saying this—but I automatically go back to the days when I was young and was watching Taxi. I usually never get nervous working with someone, and he was very nice and personable.

This is Danny Simmons, Russel Simmons’ brother, a great art collector/curator in New York. When I get to be his age, that’s what I want to be. He’s into comics, goes to the conventions, he’s a collector. He’s just such a little kid at heart. That’s the mindset that I never want to leave.

I ALWAYS WANT TO BE A KID AT HEART.

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The Wide World of Starck Why Philippe Starck’s specialty might just be designing everything INTERVIEW BY MATTHEW HORD

f it seems there is no project Philippe Starck wouldn’t tackle, it’s because it’s probably true. “I never had any career path, therefore my scope of creation is wide,” he says. The product designer, inventor, architect, and all-around design luminary has amassed a portfolio filled with everything from baggage to boats, high-end hotels and bars to experimental concept cars and wind turbines. Yet he didn’t actually set out to become a designer. “I was never interested by design or architecture.

PORTRAIT BY THOMAS BILANGES

I was raised with the idea that the only noble way to live was to be creative and live out of it if possible.” Broad, colorful, and filled with brilliant chaos, Starck has created an empire based on understanding human interaction with the world we live in—and how he can improve it. “Whether bad or good, everything that bears my name comes from my brain, drawn with my pencil and on my tracing paper (especially made for me).” Here, CONTINUED

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From left: V+ Volteis by Starck electric car, The 10th anniversary Louis Ghost chair for Kartell, Elise wastebasket made from plant-based plastic, Parrot Zik wireless headphones. Opposite page: Mama Shelter hotel, Istanbul

“DESIGN IS MY

POLITICAL

” WEAPON

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RS TQ RS TQ RS TQ RS TQ RS TQ RS TQ

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Matthew Hord: If you weren’t interested in design itself, what made you get involved in it?

Philippe Starck: I never understood society; I felt invisible. I decided in order to understand society and to exist, [I would] create objects that were also means of expression to pass on a message. Design is my political weapon. And then I had to formalize all that as we live in a society with contracts and rules.

MH: From home goods to hotels, you design quite a diverse range of projects. With such breadth, how do you find a specific focus or concentration?

PS: Whether it is a toothpick, an airplane, a mega yacht, or a chair, I use the same philosophy: To think of the profit of the final user, and to start from the highest vision that shall lead to an ethic and may give birth to a project. It is the same process for all my work.

MH: Does your range make it difficult to hone in on your aesthetic?

PS: Actually, I was never concerned by aesthetic or any cultural trend, but now I am even more radical. I never try to show any talent, I just try to be deeply friendly.

MH: With all that you’ve designed and worked on, is there anything that sticks out as your favorite?

PS: Because of unexpected obstacles, the result of a project in architecture is never as satisfying as the result of product design can be. Reaching 70 percent of satisfaction in architecture is a miracle. Getting 95 percent of satisfaction in product design is conceivable. Therefore, I would say the Zik headphones. MH: How involved are you in the creative process? CONTINUED

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(CONTINUED)

PS: In the Starck production, all that is good is designed by me, and all that is bad is also designed by me. Alas, I am not able to delegate. And of course, being a control freak, I am obliged to check out everything until the last bolt.

PS: I am faithful in love as in work. I always work with the same team, as much as possible. It becomes a declaration of faith.

MH: Since your projects are so unique, are there designers that you keep around for tried and true execution on Philippe Starck designs?

PS: My projects are spread all over the world: A lot of my furniture editors are based in Italy, some in the U.S. I have some

MH: Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re such a global force. Is there a place or area that you prefer to work, or someplace that inspires you?

architectural projects in South America, some in Asia. But as for where I work, it is mostly in remote places in the middle of the sea or the forest where I have simple cabins: in my oyster farm in the Southwest of France; in the tiny fishermen island of Burano of the Venice Laguna; on the island of Formentera facing the infinite sea. I remain, with my wife Jasmine and our baby girl

Justice, far from cars, far from the mainstream of thinking, to stay fresh and bring new ideas, new concepts that come from within me. a

Uncle Jo and Arak chairs for Kartell. Opposite page, clockwise from left: Le Paradis du fruit restaurant in Paris, Zenith sur la lagune chandelier for Baccarat, the Port Adriano marino in Mallorca, Spain

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Ionna Vautrin With a decade of experience under her belt, France’s next big designer is striking out on her own. And she’s moving in one direction only: forward.

BY SARAH HANDELMAN PHOTOS BY FRANCOIS COQUEREL

onna Vautrin calls herself lucky, but she should give herself more credit. The 33-year-old French product and industrial designer has spent the past 10 years working for design’s elite, creating shoes for Camper, appliances for world-renowned architect George Sowden, and chairs with the Bouroullec brothers. But she is a rising star herself—one with a career that has been a long time in the making. “When I was six years old, I started spending time in a ceramics workshop. I suppose I set my career way back then,” she says with a little laugh. Today, Vautrin is forging ahead at the helm of her own small studio, making her way with grace, charm, and an extremely honed sense of how to make objects appealing—as proven by her massively successful creation for Foscarini, the Binic lamp. Although Vautrin may be grateful for where her career has taken her, she has clearly done most of the steering. Sarah Handelman: So much has happened for you in the past couple of years: awards, recognition, and many new, big-name clients. But I’d like to start from the beginning. Tell me, why did you become a product designer?

Ionna Vautrin: Before university, I had to choose between cooking and design. I chose design. The two are both creative professions, both working with materials. I think I chose design because… I don’t know. I just don’t know. When you CONTINUED

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are young, you choose something, but you don’t know why exactly. The day I had my diploma, I really didn’t realize that in 10 years I would be where I am now. I didn’t imagine it to be this way. It is better than what I was dreaming. Now I think of my life as ‘before Binic’ and ‘after Binic’ [Vautrin’s latest lamp from Foscarini].

so nice. They are serious and professional, but also a family. I now exclusively design lamps for them, but they give me a lot of freedom, and there is always a dialogue through each step of a design.

SH: How so? Tell me about the ‘before.’

IV: The challenge is the everyday. We are a little staff: We are two, and the problem is the question of time. Can I say yes to everyone, follow the quality for every project, and do all of the administrative tasks of running a company? I’m really lucky—I’m quite young, I have a lot of work, but I’m afraid to disappoint people. More people are watching every new project I’m presenting. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s also interesting. I’m learning a lot about myself and the possibilities.

IV: I worked for 10 years for other people or studios—in Spain, in Italy, in France. But while I worked for them, I always spent my evenings and weekends working for myself. During the time I was in Italy, working for George Sowden, and I met so many people like me. We were young and had come to Italy to learn the profession by being a part of different studios. In 2004, we organized an exhibition called ‘Indust We Trust,’ which used rapid prototyping. This was really new at the time, and the exhibition made a well-received echo. From that exhibition, I began to work with other editeurs like Industrial and Tools Gallerie. All of this collaboration was born in Italy while I was working for someone else. I developed Binic in the evenings when I was working for the Bouroullecs. SH: You spent a significant amount of your early career with Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. What was that experience like?

IV: I worked as an assistant for them for five years, and I learned a lot. In the beginning, I was just looking for a job, and I sent my CV and portfolio freely. I didn’t know them personally, and I was so lucky because, normally, when they take on a new assistant, they already know them in a way. I think in this kind of profession you can easily find yourself working for lunatics, but that was never my experience. The Bouroullecs gave me a lot of responsibility and confidence. They work in a way that mixes old and new school: a lot of hand-prototyping and machines for model-making, alongside 3-D industrial prototyping, and that was important to learn. They gave me a lot of tools to develop my own studio. I had gotten to work with big brands, including Vitra, Kartell, and Alessi, and I had confidence with myself and what might happen.

SIDEBAR PHOTOS COURTESY OF IONNA VAUTRIN AND FOSCARINI

SH: Now, you’ve designed products like the Foscarini Binic Lamp under your own name. How did this collaboration change things for you?

IV: They had been familiar with my work through the Bouroullecs, and they were looking for someone with a new eye; something more feminine, round, generous. When they asked me to propose an idea, I proposed a lot of ideas, and they happened to like Binic. But at this point, I wasn’t recognized, so for Foscarini, it was a risk to take somebody like me on—I was a nobody. Foscarini changed my whole life. The collaboration allowed me, economically, to have my own studio, to take on an assistant. And working with a company like Foscarini is

SH: What are the challenges of having your own studio?

SH: Many of your designs have quite animated, almost anthropomorphic qualities. Does character play into your work?

IV: I don’t know why, but a lot of my projects are personified. Little statues become little characters. Every project begins with a referential search. Binic is a windsock on the boat. The mirror, called Cyclops Ardent, draws inspiration from the French ‘witch’s eye’ and African statues by using convex mirrors to create a sense of someone looking out from the other side. The projects may not make reference to something specific, but they help people recall something for themselves. SH: How does the idea of intimacy and relationships drive where you situate yourself as a designer?

IV: So much of design is minimal and hard in formalities. When I see these projects, I can’t imagine me, with them, at home. At home, we want to have something warm, and I’m working towards that, in playful colors, round shapes, and a positive message. I’m not really cerebral or serious, so I want the objects I design to communicate something simple, sympathetic, and generous. I am perhaps more comfortable with little objects because it’s easier to approach a round, small shape. It’s an object you can touch everyday, and develop an intimacy with it.

Ionna’s Big Ideas Brought to Life Along with Binic, Vautrin has also designed the Chouchin and Doll lamps for Foscarini. The three lamps pick up on her signature fondness for abstract memories and round shapes, making them instant Foscarini classics and unmistakably Vautrin.

BINIC Vautrin breathed some serious life into the windsocks that hang off of boats. By molding the windsocks’ pyramidal form and bright colors into a plastic lamp, Binic classically captures the sea and surf with its playful design.

CHOUCHIN Chouchin reinterprets the paper Japanese lantern into a family of three hanging fixtures. As opposed to Binic, whose plastic frame required more industrial processes, Chouchin’s production is much more artisanal. Each light is made by one blow of white glass, which is then painted in Vautrin’s signature spectrum of colorful hues.

SH: The possibilities certainly seem endless. What are you dreaming up next?

IV: Something? Everything? A new radio for Lexon, and a stylus, too. Toys for Moustache, and more lights. I am thinking about more space, but I don’t want to have a big studio. I prefer the closer ambience. I think it’s easier to see all the details of the project, and to control all that’s happening. If you’re on the exterior or management, you can tell people to do this, and that, and that, but you can’t control all of the detail. My assistant works on a lot of the projects, and without her it would be a disaster, but I want to continue to be ‘in’ every project and not out. I want to be part of the family. a

DOLL Vautrin drew inspiration from the demure antique oil-burning lamps and the big personalities of Japanese Kokeshi dolls to develop a lamp that utilizes both artisanal and industrial processes in its production. “Considering the different materials, it’s sort of a perfect fusion between Binic and Chouchin,” she says.

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Columns

September 2013

BUREAU of ERGONOMICS

BETTER LIVING (AND WORKING) Through Design Can furniture increase productivity? Can you really ‘age in place’? Certified Ergonomist Dr. Rob Tannen offers insight into interiors issues at work and at home

I know that ergonomics focuses on issues such as physical comfort and fatigue, but can it also help me be more creative at work?

One might assume that having a more comfortable and efficient workspace would lead to greater productivity by increasing focus and reducing distractions. Jan Dul of the Rotterdam School of Management has studied the relationship between ergonomics and creativity. Dul has created a checklist for measuring the creative potential of work environments that includes factors related to interior design and building design. Not surprisingly, effective furniture design and windows providing natural light and views to the outdoors are aspects that are considered to contribute to a more creative work environment. Keep in mind that other forces such as business culture will also have an influence, which is ultimately a combination of organizational dynamics and physical design.

Have a question for Dr. Rob? email letters@wearedesignbureau.com

Illustration by Donovan Foote

I’ve heard the term ‘aging in place’ a lot these days— what exactly does that mean?

The Center for Disease Control defines aging in place as ‘the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.’ In the context of interior design, it means accommodating occupants’ physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities and disabilities. This often follows a universal design approach. For example, a home

renovation might include wider doorways, or light switches with larger touch points to aid accessibility. Although we associate these sorts of attributes with existing disabilities, a greater number of designers are addressing these proactively with younger clients looking toward the future. In some cases, the universal design approach might also be the aesthetically preferred option, as in the design of walk-in showers. a

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interior architectural design

i design around the continual collection that is our happiness

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September 2013

Columns

DESIGN BUREAU

IMAGE, STYLE, DESIGN

The Inspiration of Nature You don’t have to be Mies or Wright to take design cues from the natural world BY STEVEN FISCHER

rowing up, I spent a couple of summers at a camp in Vermont where we lived in nature for two glorious months each summer, hiking the Green Mountain State, staying in open-sided cabins, even showering outside in the crisp morning air. It’s been many years since my youthful camp days, but I still find myself inspired by the natural world, as have many notable designers.

Take Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater house, with its incorporation of water and the outdoors, to the hollyhocks seen in many of his buildings’ stained glass—all are testaments to nature’s influence on his work. And Mies van de Rohe brought nature into the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois. Although the house is seen as a modernist masterpiece, could you imagine the difference it would have if it were placed amidst a crowded urban setting? It wouldn’t be nearly as effective or inspiring. Nature has been influential outside of architecture. It actually has a great effect on how we make decisions and how we view ourselves. For the longest time, I struggled to put together complementary color combinations, especially with my clothing. A purple and

WHEN YOU’RE WALKING THROUGH THE WOODS, CONSIDER THAT SOMEONE DESIGNED THE TRAILS.

blue shirt with red shorts didn’t quite pass muster with the self-proclaimed fashion police in my life. But what I came to learn was that if I see colors together in nature, then they would be acceptable in my own world. Wearing orange? Pumpkins have orange and green, so I know they will work together. Green and yellow, two of spring’s most prominent colors, definitely will mesh. Although somewhat counterintuitive, I know black and pink work because of the dark hued tree trunks with pink cherry blossoms—a great look.

And although we think of nature as, well, natural, most of our experiences with nature are designed. Landscape architect Jens Jensen designed many spectacular spaces in which to enjoy nature. Even when you’re walking on a trail through the woods, consider that someone designed the trail, most likely to provide ease of passage and to take advantage of spectacular views. So, while we owe much inspiration to nature, we have shaped the natural world to reflect on our own self-image. a

Steven Fischer is Director of Image, Style & Design Studio and Lecturer at Northwestern University. For more information go to imagestyledesign.com. Illustration by Donovan Foote

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Columns

September 2013

ARCHITECTS & ARTISANS

Inspired by Venice Schooled in Charlottesville and trained in Italy, Thomas Woltz is redefining New York’s landscape BY J. MICHAEL WELTON

resh out of undergraduate school at the University of Virginia in the late 1980s, Thomas Woltz leapt at the chance to teach architecture at the school’s summer program in Vicenza.

By summer’s end, he had secured a job with an architect in Venice. There, the absence of traditional landscape—of trees, shrubbery, or ground cover—shifted the trajectory of Woltz’s career. “Living

in Venice led gradually to the realization that this mineral world was a ‘landscape,’” says Woltz, now a principal at firm Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW). “I realized that an urban landscape is as

satisfying as the forest and fields of my youth.”

Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Although Woltz grew up in rural North Carolina, it was the magic of the Venetian streets and canals that influenced him most. “I had the epiphany that landscape architecture actually starts the moment you walk out the door,” he says. He returned to Charlottesville, studied architecture and landscape design in graduate school, and earned his degrees in both. One of his professors was landscape architect Warren Byrd, whose firm he joined in 1997. Woltz eventually returned to Venice, the land that had inspired him to change his career path, to design the courtyard and gardens at Peggy Guggenheim’s former home, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal.

Located on the West Side, it’s the largest remaining vacant slice on the island to be developed—a sprawling, dense, mixed-use project stretching from 10th Avenue to the Hudson River. The skyscrapers will climb to 1,000 feet; 12 million square feet of space are planned.

More recently, NBW won a competition to design 14 acres of parks and open spaces at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, where five tall buildings soon will rise, designed by Bill Pedersen of Kohn Pedersen Fox, David Miller of SOM, and

J. Michael Welton writes about architecture, art and design for national and international publications. He also edits and publishes an online design magazine at architectsandartisans.com, where portions of this column originally appeared.

It’s the perfect opportunity for a designer whose star clearly is rising to share his talents on a major stage. If he gets it right, we’ll see a delicate appreciation for scale and proportion— learned at Jefferson’s “Academical Village” and refined in Vicenza and Venice—with designs filtered through a modernist’s spare and reductive lens. His work often seems to embody the best of both worlds; if he can harness it all successfully here, the city will bask in a new kind of glory. New Yorkers will see the results in just a few years; some estimates indicate a completion date as soon as 2016. a

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September 2013

THIS ISSUE’S BEST ALBUMS

DESIGN BUREAU

Presented by

ALARMPRESS

TY SEGALL

01/

Sleeper (Drag City) A ny on e wh o ’s seen Ty Segall live knows his ability to quickly turn any song into either a lightning-fueled scream-fest or a sludgy, feel-good head-banger. But what happens when you unplug him? Sleeper, apparently. Comprised of mostly acoustic tracks, Segall’s new album journeys into a quieter weirdness, exploring the side of his 1970s-rock influences that

were more ballad-prone. The material remains on par with the best of Segall’s back catalog and has the same crunchy chord progressions and soaring vocals, except that it occasionally features (gasp!) string arrangements. And though Sleeper isn’t as crusty as Twins or as raw as Slaughterhouse, it’s a fresh, delightful album highlighting another side of an artist who’s constantly tweaking his sound—as all good artists should. [BG]

TRUE WIDOW

FUCK BUTTONS

JULIANNA BARWICK

Circumambulation (Relapse)

Slow Focus (ATP)

Nepenthe (Dead Oceans)

02/ Texan “stonegaze” trio True Widow takes the slow-cooked approach, and with its third fulllength, it offers a 45-minute hunk of melancholy rock drones, amplifying low-end tones enough to rattle any set of speakers into submission. Circumambulation doses out guitar and bass that drip with reverb and fuzz, while vocals from guitarist DH Phillips and bassist Nicole Estill shine through the melodic sludge like beacons. With each track’s rumbling guitars running into the next, Circumambulation maintains a similar feel throughout. True Widow, however, does well to distinguish tracks, from the classic thump of “Creeper” to the metallic muck of “Trollstigen” to the male/female interplay on “HW:R.” [BG]

03/ Slow Focus is another step in the evolution of UK electronic duo Fuck Buttons—able to make eight-plus minutes of buildup and release pass in the blink of an ear. “Brainfreeze” works from a thumping beat, with textured and swirling synthesizers creating a beautiful, semi-industrial soundscape; “Year of the Dog” follows by pairing a Blade Runner-esque melody with nightmare-ish shrieks and a film-score choir effect. The rest twists and turns between electronic effects, body-moving beats, and alternately poppy and progressive passages. Slow Focus might be the best electronic album of 2013. [SM]

04/ Creating her music almost entirely out of overdubbed and looped vocals, singer/songwriter Julianna Barwick is able to achieve a profound and resonant style. Her ascendant voice, particularly en masse, takes a celestial quality and can resemble high-pitched woodwinds, organs, or keyboards. On her third full-length, however, that voice is accompanied for the first time by guest musicians. Produced by Alex Somers of Sigur Rós in Reykjavik, Iceland, Nepenthe bears Barwick’s hallmarks but also features string ensemble Amiina, guitarist Róbert Sturla Reynisson of Múm, a choir of teenage girls, and occasional piano chords. Inspired by her Icelandic journey, Nepenthe is perfect music for serene surroundings. [SM]

02/

03/

04/

05/

06/

07/

QUASIMOTO

ZORCH

RABBIT RABBIT

Yessir, Whatever (Stones Throw)

Zzoorrcchh (Sargent House)

Rabbit Rabbit Radio, Vol. 1

05/ Stones Throw veteran Madlib is a hip-hop producer so prolific that he has his own squeaky, helium-pitched, blunt-smoking alter-ego. Quasimoto is that man—the bad character that says what Madlib won’t—and he’s one of the weirdest and most fun experiences in underground rap. It’s been an eight-year wait for this, his third studio album, which was constructed from rare, out-of-print, and unreleased tunes. Just as before, Madlib alternates the pitch-shifted rhymes with his normal deep delivery, dropping lyrical dirt over funky and soulful samples, synth squiggles, and rap beats. Yessir, Whatever is an old-school offering—a fitting introduction for newbs as well as more Lord Quas to love. [SM]

06/ The debut album from Austin duo Zorch is a work of ecstatic, schizophrenic dance music. Frenetic keyboards, drum beats, and onomatopoeic scat singing fill every possible crevice—yet amidst the ruckus, the group creates tracks that could spread like wildfire across any dance floor and turn even the most curmudgeonly concertgoer into a bouncing fool. Matching the energetic synth melodies and bubbly gang vocals, the beats are a highlight of the record—both the African-influenced percussion and the masterful machine-gun drumming. These rhythms, seemingly indefatigable, offer a refreshing analog backbone to the keyboard work without hogging too much of the spotlight. [BG]

07/ Each with boundary-pushing credits a mile long, wife-and-husband tag-team Carla Kihlstedt (Tin Hat, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, 2-Foot Yard) and Matthias Bossi (SGM, The Book of Knots, Skeleton Key) are one of those consummate couples—the kind of musical pairing that belongs together. Rabbit Rabbit Radio, Vol. 1 is a collection of their collaborative tunes, created for an audio/video subscription service, that’s full of omnivorous, risk-taking pop. The album’s first single, “Curious One,” is a fitting representation of its diversity—built around a head-nodding groove, bouncing upright bass, glistening pizzicato plucks, deep distortions, and, of course, Kihlstedt and Bossi’s harmonized vocals. [SM]

Scott Morrow is the music editor at ALARM Press and author of This Week’s Best Albums, an eclectic weekly series presenting exceptional music. Visit alarm-magazine.com for more. [BG] Brandon Goei [SM] Scott Morrow. Photos courtesy of the artists.

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September 2013

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