Design Bureau Issue 24 by Alarm Press

BLACK + BLUM DISCUSS HUMOR IN DESIGN, P. 47

2013 Design

GIFT GUIDE With awesome picks from graphic designer Chip Kidd, interior designer David Bromstad, & more! p. 35

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DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

CONTENTS Issue 24 DESIGN THINKING

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Force chris@alarmpress.com ----MANAGING EDITOR Kristin Larson kristin@alarmpress.com ----ART DIRECTOR Spencer Matern spencer@alarmpress.com DESIGN INTERNS Michael Bodor Robyn Boehler ----CONTRIBUTORS Margot Brody, Sara Driscoll, Fiona Garden, Amber Gibson, Jenna Gottlieb, Sarah Handelman, Jordan Mainzer, Jill McDonnell, Sarah Murray, Gwendolyn Purdom, Kathryn Freeman Rathbone, Lesley Stanley, Lauren Walser, J. Michael Welton ----MARKETING COORDINATOR Jenny Palmer jenny@alarmpress.com ----PRODUCTION MANAGER Lauren Carroll laurenc@alarmpress.com ----SALES & ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Tarra Kieckhaefer tarra@alarmpress.com

INTERVIEW:

Black & Blum /p47

“Design happens without knowing what is inspiring you.”

ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jill Berris, Krystle Blume, Lindsay DeCarlo, Ryan DePasquale, Caitlin Frantzen, Matthew Hord, Brianna Jordan, Moira Kelley, Katie Szafasz, Natalie Valliere-Kelley -----

– MARTIN BLUM

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Ellie Fehd ellie@alarmpress.com Shannon Painter shannon@alarmpress.com

COVER FEATURE:

Gift Guide /p35 We ask five guest curators to put together a list of the perfect gifts to delight like-minded personalities this holiday season

Black + Blum photo by Fiona Garden,fionagarden.com; gift-guide photo by Zack Burris

Brian Durance brian@alarmpress.com ----ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Gail Francis, Mindy Helm, Miranda Myers, Courtney Schiffres, Allison Weaver ----ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Samantha Slawinski sam@alarmpress.com

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.

www.sonnemanawayoflight.com U.S. and Foreign Patents Pending.

DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

CONTENTS Issue 24 THE INFORMER TRAVEL & CULTURE:

Paul Smith Exhibit /p20

ON THE COVER Photography: Chris Force Photo assistant: Samantha Simmons, samanthasight.com Model: Samantha for Factor Women Stylist: Brandy Kraft for Artists by Timothy Priano Hair/Makeup: Kerre Berry for Factor Artists On the Model: Blouse, Lanvin, $2,090, available at Ikram, ikram.com; Necklace, Jet Mous, $98, available at MCA Store Chicago, mcachicagostore.org Lamp: Anisha Grande by Foscarini, $833, foscarini.com Location: Firehouse Studios in Chicago, firehousestudios.com ----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 900 North Franklin Street Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60610 (T) 312.386.7932 (F) 312.276.8085 info@alarmpress.com

Design Bureau (ISSN 2154-4441) is published bimonthly by ALARM Press at: 900 North Franklin Street Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60610

BUREAU EXPERT:

OBJECTS & GEAR:

Daniel Clowes /p16

Designer Watches /p14

DESIGN THINKING

PLUS

Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional mailing office(s). POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Design Bureau at 900 North Franklin Street Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60610 -----

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 05 FOR THE RECORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06 DB RECOMMENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 BUREAU OF ERGONOMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 ARCHITECTURE:

ARCHITECTS & ARTISANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Defensive Design /p50

BEST NEW ALBUMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 FOR HIRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Retailers: To carry Design Bureau in your store, please call 201.634.7411. ----ÂŠ 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.

Nov/Dec 2013

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I was reading a profile on Japan’s suicide culture. There was a passing reference to a monastery’s morning rituals. The monks had to wake up, make up their rooms, and get ready in a matter of a few minutes every day. It forced them to be hyper aware of their surroundings, to be efficient. Those monks must have got everything just right. I think as designers and fans of design, we’re always looking for something that is just right. With experience and training, our sense of “right” might become refined, but instinct plays a role. Our annual gift guide presents some objects we also think get it just right. Fashion maven turned mixologist Revae Schneider shows us if you must drink champagne, you should drink it from a coupe glass. Fab founder Bradford Shellhammer points out a classic mug by legendary designers Leila and Massimo Vignelli. Designer Chip Kidd

selects some highlights from contemporary print culture (and a fantastic messenger bag). Luxury boutique owner Lindsey Segal selects some standout fashion items that represent her sophisticated badass aesthetic. And, while far from a tech nerd, I choose a Fujifilm X100S camera. It gets it right. Fantastic looks, a great feel, simple intuitive controls, and captures great images. And then, I find myself in love with a lamp. It’s a lamp I really don’t need, but damn, it’s so nice. And the light is fantastic. So, I put it on the cover. Almost everything about it is just right. And those are the kinds of objects that we like getting, and that we like giving. Happy Holidays. ----Chris Force Publisher & Editor-in-Chief chris@alarmpress.com

DESIGN BUREAU

DESIGN BUREAU CONTRIBUTORS

Amber Gibson is a writer and model based in Chicago, but traveling often. She graduated in June as valedictorian from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and was named one of People’s most beautiful women of 2013. ambergibson.com

Brandy Kraft works with Design Bureau by styling fashion features and occasionally a cover. She loves to dig up and write about the best new and outrageous fashion-design trends. Her background consists of two art schools and a lot of time in Scandinavia. Kraft currently resides in Chicago and paints in her spare time. brandykraftstylist.com

Lesley Stanley is a writer living and working in Chicago. Outside of writing about design, she also writes fiction short stories. In her spare time, Stanley enjoys volunteering at 826CHI, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center in Chicago.

Jill McDonnell is a St. Louis-based writer who has dabbled in the fields of healthcare, nonprofit, financial services, and design. By day, she works in marketing, and in her free time, she freelance writes and serves as the president of a highschool scholarship fund. jillmcdonnell.com

DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

FOR THE RECORD

FACTUALLY SPEAKING Rants, ramblings, and random info, featuring the Design Miami fair, December 4-8

Issue 24 “Not everyone has the same aesthetic eye and each their own abilities. Some of us make better doctors, artists, designers, mechanics, accountants, etc…”

KANYE & PHARRELL

— 3-D DESIGNER CATHERINE WALES, P. 10

Total visitors who hit up Magic City in support of 2012’s event (who doesn’t love a postThanksgiving beach getaway?)

DESIGN BUREAU ON INSTAGRAM

No shortage of A-listers can be spotted around the fair, including West and Williams, who party hopped all over last year’s event

31K

1,000,000+ Amount of Swarovski crystals that architect Asif Khan used to complete his installation Parhelia last year. Major names like Zaha Hadid have designed temporary structures for Design Miami. We can’t wait to see what this year brings!

Lots of color in the Klaus K hotel! #HelsinkiDesignWeek

Staff Fun in the Shutterbooth #DBturns3

A big thanks to @weddingchicks for the awesome tote bags!

Celebrating 3 years @drumbarchi

See more of our photos on Instagram. FOLLOW US @designbureaumag ISSUE 23

Building the Future “The cover of the October issue blew my mind. I love how you created a vision of the future with architecture and Google glasses.” — J.L., VIA EMAIL

ISSUE 22

The Inspiration Issue “Your Inspiration Issue continues to push the boundaries of what a ‘September issue’ is all about. Bravo.”— S.S., VIA TWITTER Comments, criticism, questions, suggestions, love letters, hate mail... We read it all. EMAIL US YOUR THOUGHTS: letters@wearedesignbureau.com

61 Number of design stores to visit in the Design District, including the brand new Christian Liaigre showroom

TWITTERVERSE: 160-character shout-outs to Design Bureau

@jessicawalsh Big thanks to @DesignBureauMag for featuring me in their latest issue @designmilk Enjoying this @kellywearstler interview in @DesignBureauMag’s special “Inspiring Interiors” book @IIDA_HQ Fabulous party @DesignBureauMag Congrats! #DBTurns3 JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT

twitter.com/DesignBureauMag

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Nov/Dec 2013

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

Design Bureau Recommends... Our staff shares a few gifts on their list this holiday season (hint: we love to receive mail)

01 Aurora Coffee Set by Verreum,

$99–210, wabnitzeditions.com

“Mini things just feel magical in general, but especially at Christmas.”—Shannon Painter, Business Development Manager

Resin Bowl by Martha Sturdy, $350–485, susanfredmanathome.com “Susan Fredman always has the best gifts for design-conscious friends and family.”—Lauren Carroll, Production Manager

Tombolo Bath Caddy, $480, vandabaths.com “I literally can’t think of a better way to relax than with a glass of wine in the bath. I must have this.” —Jenny Palmer, Marketing Coordinator

Chilote Natural House Shoes by Unison Home, $64, unisonhome.com “Cozy slippers scream Christmas time to me. Santa (...or husband), please take note.”—Kristin Larson, Managing Editor

Margot Collection by fferrone, $110–130, fferronedesign.com “This angular glassware is stylish without being overly feminine. Perfect for holiday gatherings.” —Brian Durance, Business Development Manager

04 06

Eileen Gray End Table, $399, roomandboard.com “I’ve got to rest my mug of eggnog somewhere—why not on this design classic?”—Krystle Blume, Account Manager

08 07

BeoPlay A9 by Bang & Olufsen, $2,699, shopbangolufsen.com “Speakers usually look terrible, but B&O turns them into designed objects.” —Chris Force, Editor-in-Chief & Publisher

05 08

Candle Two by Gentner, $225, gentnerdesign.com “I love this candle holder— it’s simple and celebrates the winter season beautifully.” —Tarra Kieckhaefer, Sales & Accounts Director

All images courtesy of the companies featured

Month 2013

Section

THE INFORMER News & musings from the world of design

DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

PIXELS & PRINT:

Non-Format /p15 TRAVEL & CULTURE:

Portlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lightbar /p22 OBJECTS & GEAR:

Leather Sporting Goods/ p11 FASHION & BEAUTY:

Makeup artist Julia Sieckmann /p13

FEATURED:

3-D Printers /p10

DESIGN IT, BUILD IT Part fashion, part graphic, and part industrial, designer Catherine Wales brings these creative disciplines together in Project DNA, designed using 3-D printing technology

Catherine Wales image by Christine Kreiselmaier, ckay-photography.com

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

DESIGN SURVEY 01

3-D Industrial Revolution? Though it’s not necessarily new technology, 3-D printing is being touted as the “third industrial revolution.” Here, four designers share their thoughts on the experimental medium and its future.

Janne Kyttanen

jannekyttanen.com, freedomofcreation.com Is old-world craftsmanship at odds with the world of 3-D printing?

Not at odds at all. I recently did a project in Bali among amazing wood carvers. I went there with very complex 3-D printed objects and asked whether they would be able to carve them from wood instead. I was amazed by how I had just introduced a new communication tool into their work process.

Joshua Harker

joshharker.com

What’s the craziest thing you’d like to design and create using 3-D printing technology?

I’d like to create a biological life-form…you know, print your very own designer tapeworm and eventually a herd of woolly mammoths for the backyard. They’re printing working kidneys and skin tissues for burn grafts and are working on a liver now. Why not extinct pachyderms in a few years? I’m all on board for this.

Catherine Wales product photos by Christine Kreiselmaier. All other images courtesy of the designers.

Catherine Wales

catherinewales.eu

Play devil’s advocate for a moment: What negative effects might 3-D printing have on the design world?

It might make more people feel like designers as they can create objects without having an apprenticeship or manufacturing skill. But not everyone has the same aesthetic eye and each their own abilities. Some of us make better doctors, artists, designers, mechanics, accountants, etc.

Marc Levinson

protoseyewear.com

3-D printing is said to be sparking the “third industrial revolution.” Where will this have taken us in 10 years?

At Protos, we are developing materials and processes that are aiding in the technology’s transition from its use primarily in prototyping to a manufacturing process for end-user products. In a decade, 3-D printed products will be common, heavily customizable, and manufactured locally. a

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

objects & gear

Major League Design Meet a lifelong sports fan who became a designer of handcrafted artisan athletic gear By Margot Brody Growing up in the same town as the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, it’s not surprising that Paul Cunningham knows a thing or two about the game. As the founder of Leather Head Sports, he has made a successful business of crafting premium, handstitched leather balls from his in-home workshop just a few hours from where he—and, perhaps, baseball—was born.

“Leather had always been a hobby, but that’s when I really started to work on perfecting the vintagestyle baseballs that had fascinated me when I was younger,” he says. Here, we explore his kick-ass wares. a

Cunningham has two main tanneries that he trusts to supply top-notch leather. “I use the form of the ball to showcase the beauty of the material,” says Cunningham. “A beautiful ball has to have a certain weight and texture. If not, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Since starting his in-home operation in 2006, Cunningham has introduced several high-quality, handmade balls into the Leather Head product line, including his best selling ‘Handsome Dan’ football. “I designed it to fit my hand, which really resonated,” he says. “The standard NFL-sized balls are too big for most people.”

“I’m from the mecca for baseball fans, which has been a very significant factor in my life,” says Cunningham, who worked as a photo editor for Major League Baseball Magazine for 13 years. Following that job was a brief stint as a senior craftsman at a baseball-glove company, but Cunningham soon decided to strike out on his own to craft artisan sports equipment.

Ultimate Design Gift: Print MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer Cost: From $2,199

Remember when you were in awe of the first person on the block who had that new thing called the Internet? Show them up with this consumerfriendly desktop 3-D printer by MakerBot. The unit’s sleek design, high-tech features, and accessibility put it at the cutting edge of this exploding technology. Who’s the tech-savvy genius now? makerbot.com

Images courtesy of Leather Head Sports, leatherheadsports.com

DESIGN BUREAU

The Informer

Nov/Dec 2013

Must-Have Design Book: pixels & Print

Learn From the Best Book designer Chip Kidd’s new book schools curious kids in graphic design Chip Kidd designs books. Real books. He’s created iconic jackets for the likes of Augusten Burroughs, Dean Koontz, Haruki Murakami, and Michael Crichton (the Jurassic Park dinosaur!). A charismatic and prolific lecturer—his 2012 TED Talk was one of the year’s most viewed—

SEE CHIP’S PERFECT GIFTS FOR GRAPHIC -DESIGN LOVERS IN OUR GIFT GUIDE!

Kidd’s been called the closest thing that the graphicdesign world has to a rock star. Now he’s coming for your children. In Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design, the inimitable designer takes aim at curious kids to teach the basics of graphic design, including form, line, color, scale, typography, and more. Then the dynamic, interactive book lets them put this newfound design awareness into action with 10 creative design projects like “design a logo for a cause you believe in” and “create your own visual identity.” A good cause indeed. a

PAGE 38

Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design, Workman, 160 pages, $18, workman.com

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

fashion & Beauty

Across the Universe Photography and makeup design collide in these otherworldly beauty photo shoots Julia Sieckmann’s profession seemed to be written in the stars. “When I was a kid and my mother put her makeup on, I used to sit by her and watch, and I secretly used my grandma’s makeup to try it on myself,” she says. “In 5th grade, someone told me about the job of a makeup artist, and I knew that it was what I wanted to do.” The Hamburgbased designer has done a range of work for commercial clients, but we wanted to know more about her bold artistic collaborations with photographer Viktoria Stutz.—Sara Driscoll

DB: What inspires you to come up with these concept-driven works like Glossy or Universe?

JS: As a child, I had a telescope and was fascinated by the stars and the universe. Two years ago, I started painting galaxies. I believe that we are made of stardust and are all part of the universe. That is what I wanted to express by painting a universe on a face. DB: Many of the looks you’ve created are very intricate. How long does it take for a look to be created?

JS: It sometimes takes a couple of weeks to find the

right products, colors, and materials that look exactly like you imagined it. The best example is the Glossy shoot. We had three test shoots to try out different materials until we found a gloss that perfectly served our needs. DB: Do you approach commercial work differently than conceptual work?

JS: Most of my customers book me for commercial shoots, and I enjoy that they trust in my abilities as a makeup artist. But being able to express myself through artistic projects makes my job very special. That is what I really love about my profession. a

Universe photos and retouching by Viktoria Stutz, viktoriastutz.com; makeup and hair by Julia Sieckmann, julia-sieckmann.com; model: Anna Carla. Glossy photos by Viktoria Stutz; retouching by Sandra Stanger; makeup and hair by Julia Sieckmann; model: Mandy-Kay.

DESIGN BUREAU

The Informer

Nov/Dec 2013

01 objects & Gear

WATCH MEN

Nothing against Rolex, but we like to step out in something a little more excitingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;something these big names and edgy brands are happy to help us with. a

01 104 Series by Uniform Wares, $265, uniformwares.com

02 Dressed Watch by Marcel

Wanders for Alessi, price on request, alessi.com

03 Void Watch V03B-TF

Kaobang by David Ericsson and True Faith, $233, voidwatches.com

04 W by Satoshi Wada for Issey Miyake, price on request, isseymiyake-watch.com

05 IKON by Hiromichi Konno for Skagen, $175, skagen.com

06 Block Watch by Tom

Dixon, price on request, tomdixon.net

Ultimate Design Gift: Object Dan Yeffet Lighthouse Lamp COST: $3,065

The Lighthouse lamp is constructed from individual hand-blown glass units that can be stacked to create three different heights, up to a 4.5-foot-tall floor lamp. karkula.com

All images courtesy of designers

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

Pixels & Print

Non-Format The awesome art direction, graphic design, illustration, and custom typography that Jon Forss and Kjell Ekhorn create as Non-Format is all made possible thanks to Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright Brothers, and the founders of Skype. Without phones, planes, and video chatting, the duo says they’d never be able to work so closely. After founding the studio in London in 2000 (and establishing a top-tier roster of clients, garnering numerous awards, and publishing a best-selling monograph), Forss relocated to the U.S. and Ekhorn went back to Norway. But the two are still so close they can finish each other’s sentences. a

THE BEST THING ABOUT

IF WE COULD CONVERT OUR

WORKING WITH A PARTNER

DREAMS TO GRAPHICS, THEY

WHO’S AN OCEAN AWAY IS…

WOULD LOOK LIKE…

that when we each wake up in the morning, progress has been made.

the brand-new work on our brand-new website. Coming soon. Really.

AND THE WORST THING

IF WE WEREN’T GRAPHIC

ABOUT BEING SO FAR APART IS… the lack of high fives.

DESIGNERS, WE WOULD BE…

up a certain creek without a particular implement.

IF WE COULD REDESIGN ANY CLASSIC ALBUM COVER

IF WE COULD LIVE IN

IN OUR OWN STYLE, IT WOULD

ANOTHER ERA, WE WOULD

BE… David Bowie’s Heroes.

AND IT WOULD LOOK LIKE…

the original album cover in every detail, except for the design credit.

WE’D LIKE TO CREATE A FONT FOR… you, dear reader. Just

for you.

WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE OUR GRAPHICS ON…

the silver screen.

CHOOSE… 2100. We may not

be allowed to steer our own cars anymore, but hopefully by then they’ll have perfected a truly satisfying virtual high five. PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW

THAT WE… could both be described as “cat people.” And yes, we’ve been putting out fire with gasoline. Putting out fire…with gas-oline…(repeat to fade).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Typographic illustrations for The Economist’s poster and press campaign; cover image for the April 2013 issue of Japanese advertising and design magazine BRAIN; main image for the CS6 Design Standard packaging; art direction, typography, and design of fashion newspaper for Sanahunt Luxury Concept Store, Ukraine.

All images courtesy of Non-Format, non-format.com

DESIGN BUREAU

The Informer

Nov/Dec 2013

BUREAU EXPERT

Comic Relief Looking back on a 25-year career, renowned cartoonist Daniel Clowes talks finding his aesthetic, unclenching, screenwriting, and finding inspiration in…himself

DB: Your visual style has evolved throughout your career. Was there a point where you felt you had arrived at the look you’d always wanted to achieve?

Daniel Clowes: I certainly feel at this point a sort of confidence that I can do what I want, but in the early work I was desperately struggling to get this look that I wasn’t capable of, and that in retrospect makes the work interesting because you can see how, like, my hand was clenched. I was desperately trying to get it… DB: Tears on the paper?

pite, vengeance, hopelessness, despair, sexual perversion, existential dread, adolescent ennui, crushing loneliness…not the usual stuff that cartoons are made of. But Daniel Clowes isn’t the usual cartoonist. Organized by the Oakland Museum of California, Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes is the first touring survey of his work. Surrounded by 130 original editions of his work—from the late-’80s origins of his genre-defining Eightball and the acclaimed graphic novel Ghost World to his latest The Death-Ray—we caught up with the storyteller at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in his hometown to find out what keeps him putting ink to paper. Images courtesy of Daniel Clowes, danielclowes.com

DC: Yeah, literally, it looks like that, like I was trying to get it, and now I can do that thing much more effortlessly. I realized when my son was little that he was really obsessed with trains, and I have no interest in trains, but I had to learn how to draw very specific different kinds of trains. And I thought, “If I can do that, I can draw anything.” That was sort of the moment I knew I could do this. But in the early stuff, you can really just imagine the clenched anus that I had while I was drawing it. DB: Have the stories you’ve wanted to tell evolved as your own life has changed?

DC: I can’t really answer that. I’m just trying to keep myself interested always; that’s my only focus. If you’re working on something that’s not interesting

Right: The cover of Eightball issue number 8. Clowes’ Eightball continues to be among the best-selling independently authored comics, published by Fantagraphic Books.

to you, it’s very hard to find your way to the drawing board. I really have to feel like I want to sit there and work on this. DB: What’s inspiring you these days?

DC: It used to be I could have listed several artists who were currently inspiring me, but now I feel like I’m sort of in my own little world. I’m self-generating my own inspiration—it’s just my own inner life. DB: You received an Academy Award nomination for adapting your graphic novel Ghost World into a screenplay. Do you have people breathing down your neck when you’re adapting your cartoon work into screenplays?

DC: Not as many as most screenwriters do; I think I’ve been very lucky. But that’s kind of what I like about the process because I get no feedback doing this print stuff, and it feels very lonely. You kind of start to feel like you’re losing your mind a lot of the time. It’s kind of like, “What am I doing here? I’m making up my little imaginary friends to hang out with.” I don’t have to show it to anybody. Even my wife doesn’t read it until it’s done. There’s no editorial interference of any kind at all. It’s all, for better or worse, what I do. It would probably be better if I had focus groups looking at me through a one-way mirror in a studio. a

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

Images courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, mcachicago.org

DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

LOS ANGELES. CA

BOUTIQUE SPOTLIGHT

Luxury Garage Sale

SEE LINDSAY’S PERFECT GIFTS FOR FASHION LOVERS IN OUR GIFT GUIDE!

Don’t let the name fool you: this Chicago boutique and its designer duds are way classier than any garage sale

WE LIKE WHAT WE DO. WE HOPE YOU DO TOO.

WE CREATE ANYTHING FROM LOGOS TO HIGH-RISES.

WE LIVE IN LOS ANGELES.

WE ARE A COLLECTIVE OF DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS.

You hear “garage sale” and you probably think of chipped teacups selling for 25 cents and stacks of sun-bleached National Geographic back issues. But Brielle Buchberg and Lindsay Segal’s Chicago storefront is anything but dusty boxes and uesless junk. The contemporary and vintage clothing, accessories, shoes, and handbags on offer at Luxury Garage Sale bear labels like Chanel, Hermès, Christian Louboutin, and more, with prices ranging from $30 to $10,000. “We were tired of shopping unorganized and overcrowded consignment shops, so we decided to open up one that is well edited with a sophisticated decor and feel,” Segal says. “There was also a demand from our buyers to see our product in person and try it on rather than just shop for it online.” Although they have a beauti-

PAGE 36

ful brick-and-mortar shop, Luxury Garage Sale’s consignment service also sells its gently used wares online through an eBay store and LGS’s own site, luxurygaragesale.com, where more contemporary designers like Tory Burch and Theory are up for grabs. “We really do have something for everyone,” Segal says. Ladies, shop your hearts out. a

Ultimate Design Gift: Fashion Zaha Hadid Nova Shoe Cost: $2,000

Starchitect Zaha Hadid is no stranger to designing elegant and experimental footwear, but her new kicks for Rem D Koolhaas’ United Nude brand marks the designer’s most fascinating foray into fashion yet. The innovative cantilever system she developed allows the shoe’s 6.25-inch heel to appear unsupported, and the intricate striations and sculptural form of the metallic chromed vinyl material bear a strong resemblance to the work Hadid creates in her day job designing cutting-edge buildings. unitednude.com

Top: Images courtesy of Luxury Garage Sale, luxurygaragesale.com; Above: Image courtesy of United Nude

Nov/Dec 2013

The Informer

DESIGN BUREAU

fashion & Beauty

Head In The Clouds Designer Maiko Takeda wondered what it would be like to wear a cloud, and from that simple question, her final millinery collection at London’s Royal College of Art, entitled Atmospheric Reentry, was born. We chat with the rising designer.

DB: You’ve cited the avant-garde Philip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach as inspiration for Atmospheric Reentry. Have you always been attracted to the avant-garde?

Maiko Takeda: My inspirations often come from intangible elements existing in our surrounding environment, such as smoke, shadow, and sound. Then I experiment with various materials to come up with a technique or a method to achieve such a visual effect. This is when Einstein on the Beach heavily influenced the mood and the aesthetic of the collection. It was such an amazing experience for me when I saw it in London during its revival tour in 2012. DB: When you begin designing, do you think about a person eventually wearing your pieces, or do you keep things more abstract?

MT: At the very early stage of the project, I make a mood board to visualize the “woman” I am designing the collection for and keep going back to it when I need a sort of a guide to make decisions during

the design process. It can be a collection of abstract images and not necessarily a specific person, but I imagine what she likes, does, eats, and wears and collect images to express her world in front of me. DB: How has your aesthetic evolved since you began, and where do you see your look heading?

MT: When I began at the RCA in 2011, I used to look to minimalism as well as the elegance of the ’20s to ’40s, but currently I am more interested in ’60s futurism and its space-age feel. DB: Is millinery where you intend to focus your fashion career?

MT: I love making pieces to be worn on the head because there is a lot of space above one’s head and there is so much freedom to express anything within it. However, since I studied jewelry design for my B.A. at Central Saint Martins College before, my interest is not limited to just millinery, but to push boundaries of body adornments using a range of skills that I gained in both disciplines.a

Photos by Bryan Huynh; art direction by Samuel John Weeks; model: Victoria Savory @ Storm; makeup: Carol Morley.

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Nov/Dec 2013

Travel & CUlture

Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith London’s Design Museum gets inside the mind of the world-famous fashion designer in a new exhibition

Paul Smith’s first shop, which opened in 1970 in Nottingham, measured less than 100 square feet. It was so small that a faithful recreation of it could—and does—fit inside a vast museum exhibit dedicated to the now world-famous fashion

Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith is on display at Design Museum November 15 through March 9. Images courtesy of the Design Museum. For more information, visit designmuseum.org. Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith: Fashion and Other Stories, $60, rizzoliusa.com

designer. Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith is both an exhibit and a book charting the rise of one of the world’s leading fashion brands through the influences and inspirations of its multitalented founder—in all his multi-colored glory. a

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Ultimate Design Gift: Culture Genesis Art Edition ON DISPLAY: Collections selected by Sir Smith himself showcase the different stages of design and production at PS. His recorded narration reveals his thought processes, while a recreation of his office showcases the books and objects that inspire him day to day. Also on display is a selection of the unique jewelry, books, art, and antiques that set apart each boldly designed Paul Smith retail store—from the candy-pink cube on Melrose in L.A. to the “shop in a house” concept in Notting Hill.

A. Fillinger Inc.

Cost: $10,000

Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado’s eightyear global expedition to discover unsullied parts of the planet led to heart-stopping images that must be seen big to be appreciated. As such, Taschen created this two-volume, 704-page, leather-bound book that is nearly two-and-a half feet tall and 130 pounds. Behold, Genesis. taschen.com

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Nov/Dec 2013

travel & culture

Hey, Portland, Lighten Up! A Portland bar and bistro offers a boost for patrons suffering from the gloomy-weather blues By Margot Brody “We call it atmosphere therapy,” says Alex Carlson, owner of Lightbar, the aptly named Portland establishment designed to utilize the comforting properties of light in a European bistro-style setting.

Located in a 1940s building with 28-foot-tall ceilings and open beams, Lightbar is equipped with custom lights that are known to combat seasonal affective disorder, a condition common in climates with long bouts of

gloomy weather. “Many of us Oregonians, including myself, have mild forms of SAD, which makes us somewhat depressed and lethargic during the winter,” says Carlson, who worked with Portland’s Fix Studio on the design. “I realized that people would probably be more interested in receiving light therapy if they could experience it in a convivial, relaxing

environment.” Throughout the day, the color and intensity of the artificial lights are adjusted according to changes in daylight and weather. “Once it gets dark outside, the lights are turned to a particular color or pattern appropriate to the mood,” he says. “The ability to control and change the ambiance is the key to drawing a diverse crowd and creating a unique experience.” a

Recipe: D’épice Revae Schneider, bespoke cocktail creator at Femme du Coupe, gives us the perfect wintertime tipple. 2 oz Knob Creek rye .5 oz Le Sirop Gingerbread .25 oz St-Germain 2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Cocktail image by Ashley Venerable

ADD Knob Creek, Le Sirop Gingerbread, St-Germain, and bitters to an empty mixing glass, add ice, STIR for 30 seconds, and serve over large ice cube in a rocks glass. GARNISH with a flamed orange peel. Sip and enjoy!

SEE REVAE’S PERFECT GIFTS FOR COCKTAIL LOVERS IN OUR GIFT GUIDE!

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structures & Spaces

BROMSTAD SPEAKS HGTV interior-design star and larger-than-life personality David Bromstad shares his thoughts on social networking and his design inspiration.

DB: With social media in the forefront of our society, do you find yourself inspired by the so-called average Joes who aren’t necessarily in the design business?

David Bromstad: Sometimes I feel more inspired by the average Joe than other designers. The people who are making these products out of their own brain and positing on Pinterest—that’s inspiring. You’d normally never see it, and now people are posting pictures every day of their creative process, and I think it’s amazing.

DB: Has technology affected your work or what you find inspiring?

David Bromstad: There is so much out there at your fingertips that wasn’t there even five years ago with social media that it’s hard for it to not affect you—it’s a great platform. There is more you see, and more creative things in your face, so of course it’s going to get inside you. In college, I had to get all my reference material out of the library, and now everything is at your fingertips. Technology affects the creative process 100 percent. a

BROMSTAD’S INTERIORDESIGN MUST-HAVES

01 Circling Swallows Clock, $158, anthropologie.com

04 Faux-Fur Zambia Throw in Chocolate, $130, zgallerie.com

02 Gold Deer Head, $70, zgallerie.com

05 Full Wall Murals, designed by David Bromstad, custom made by Murals Your Way, from $173, muralsyourway.com

03 Edison Floor Lamp, $395, roomservicestore.com

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Travel & Culture

Traffic-Stopping Design A 27-foot fiber-optic sculpture at the W Hotel stuns passersby from the street

Del Lighting designs superior LED lighting and fiber optic lighting systems for commercial lighting, accent lighting, starfields, landscape or pool lighting. Fiber optic lighting can be used for a neon look or spot lighting that can change colors on cue. LED lighting is an energy efficient way to light up large areas with a pure white light or color changing effects.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

MADLAB designer Petia Morozov was tasked with creating something to enliven a three-story corner of the W San Francisco lobby. “We decided we didn’t just want to put an object in this space; we wanted our installation to be the space,” Morozov says. The result is Lumina, a vibrant light sculpture that measures 27 feet tall by 16 feet wide. Hand cast using clear surfboard resin and body glitter, the suspended mass features 7,000 glistening fiberoptic strands and four LED

210.590.5196 s www.del-lighting.com Lumina image provided by MADLAB, LLB

Lumina wouldn’t be the bioluminescent wonder that it is without the lighting. For this, Morozov called on Diane E. Long, president of DEL Lighting. “Petia was shooting for the moon: color change to music and everything twinkling,” Long says. Long delivered, even when it meant calling in favors to get the amount of fiber-optic cables needed for the project—all 22 miles of it! The end result is nothing short of stunning. “What was there before was unnoticeable, but Lumina is very noticeable. It grabs people’s attention, and they want to go in and just look and wonder.”

Luminators that create an array of light and color effects. “We finally unveiled it at a party, and the room was dazzling, the music was pumping, and Lumina was breathing on her own!” a

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fashion & Beauty

Eye-Catching Sensory technology turns Ying Gao’s dresses into an eye-catching experience Acclaimed Montreal-based designer Ying Gao’s creations have always been as much about technology as textiles. Now on display starting in November at the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, Gao’s already buzzed-about series No(where) Now(here) comprises two dresses made of photoluminescent threads that respond to observers by lighting up and sensually moving about. Embedded with tiny motors activated by eye-tracking sensory technology, the dresses transcend the typical functions of fashion to create a more interactive, playful experience, something Gao has long explored in her work. Fellas, now it’s OK to stare. a

Ultimate Design Gift Henk Suitcase Cost: $27,715 – $79,185

Meet Henk, the suitcase that cost more than most people’s cars. Made in the Netherlands using the same technology found in Formula 1 race cars, Henk features a carbon-fiber shell, aircraft-grade aluminum handle, and a liquid crystal polymer anti-theft cable. You fancy, huh? henk.com Photos by Dominique Lafond, dominiquelafond.com

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structures & Spaces

International Inspiration Old-world Italian meets modern design at Toronto restaurant Terroni At the crux of Toronto’s popular midtown neighborhood is the Yonge Street outpost of Terroni, the latest in the family of restaurants to pop up across Canada and the US, designed by architect Pina Petricone of Giannone Petricone Associates (GPA). She rehabbed the three-story building and reconfigured it into a wine bar on the ground floor and restaurant above. “Bar Centrale becomes a kind of salon or anteroom to Terroni,” Petricone says of the layout.

The design employs a diverse palette of natural materials—including reclaimed elm, maple, and beech wood for the flooring and leather on the banquettes—meant to reflect the homemade nature of the menu. But perhaps the most impressive nod to Terroni’s Italian heritage is the chandelier in the dining room. The white powdercoated fixture was designed to reflect the shape of the world-famous Formula One racetrack in Imola, Italy. a

PETRICONE’S MENU PICK:

“Funghi Assoluti is the ‘old faithful.’”

Lighting design in a restaurant can make (or break) its ambience. “It is like a fine piece of jewelry. It is like an accessory to the outfit, without which the outfit is incomplete,” says Filipe Lisboa, CEO of Viso Inc, which partnered with GPA to create the lighting design for Terroni and Bar Centrale. With that in mind, we like to think of the lights at Terroni as this season’s hottest accessory: the statement necklace.

Transforming Environments Enhancing Lives

Chicago

Harbor Country

Milwaukee

susanfredman.com

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HOTEL SPOTLIGHT

NYLO Dallas Comes Alive

A century-old building that once housed coffins is reborn as a hip urban hotel

experience the building,” says 5G managing partner Scott Lowe. “The design goal was to give visitors a little ‘breadcrumb’ of what was to come around the corner in the guest rooms.” Massive pillars from the building’s 1911 layout dictate room design, and much of the original building remains untouched. Original pieces of contemporary local artwork, a signature of the NYLO brand, create different experiences in each guest room.

By Amber Gibson

In the early 20th century, the five-story red-brick building on South Lamar Street housed coffins, caskets, and hearses. But after sitting vacant for more than a decade, the historic Dallas Coffin Co. building is now home to one of the buzziest new hotels in the city. Designed by 5G Studio Collaborative, the NYLO Dallas South Side hotel preserves pre-war (as in WWI) industrial nostalgia while adding eye-catching 21stcentury design flourishes, incorporating sustainable features that earned the hotel LEED Gold certification. “One of the important aspects of working with historic buildings is to give good visual cuing as you

In the lobby, a hand-strung chandelier is the focal point, along with a restored baby-grand piano covered in vibrant graffiti-style art by SONER. And a rooftop pool space and fire pit offers guests one of the best views of Dallas. It’s a discreet hangout that also attracts locals who haunt the nearby Dallas Arts District. “You can choose to be a part of the micro group you came with,” Lowe says, “or you can join the larger macro community.” a

Images provided by the designers and architects

architecture | engineering | interiors

Nov/Dec 2013

McCallum Sather Architects Inc. www.msarch.ca

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Nov/Dec 2013

structures & Spaces

visoinc.com

416 . 4 61. 8 4 7 6

PAIRING UP A husband-and-wife design team discusses the ins and outs of personal and professional partnership By Margot Brody

For the husband-and-wife design team that founded DIGBAR Interiors & Architecture, being married to the job isn’t such a bad thing. Equal partners in every sense of the word, interior designer Deborah Gregory and architect Brian Reiff have built a successful California-based practice out of blurring the line between the two disciplines. And with a wide variety of projects, from residential to commercial, in their repertoire, the two have become experts in the tricky business of creative collaboration. DB: You were married prior to founding DIGBAR. When did you realize you had an ideal professional dynamic as well?

Deborah Gregory: Our first project together was our own home, which involved renovations and additions to a 1950s ranch house. That’s when we first experienced how well we were able to collaborate and how much fun we had doing it.

RUSKII & RUSKII Twist Design: Enrico Zanolla & Filipe Lisboa for VISO

Product Specifications: telephone: 416.461.8476 | email: info@visoinc.com Connect with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/visoinc

Brian Reiff: Over the next three or four years, we realized more and more that we were kind of working on projects together anyhow, even though it wasn’t official. We truly complement each other’s aesthetic sensibilities and bring separate skills to each project. It just made sense. DB: Do you collaborate on every aspect of a project, or do you take on certain

roles in your respective areas of expertise?

DG: We review every single thing with each other along the way. Brian’s strength is in 3-D modeling. I’m finished materials, furniture, fabrics, and color composition. BR: I’m more details and specific solutions, and she’s more imagination. She’s also very good at translating my conceptual ideas into a language the clients can relate to. DB: Are there any unique benefits to working with your significant other?

DG: We know one another so well that we don’t have to explain certain things, as you might have to with other colleagues. BR: There are also a lot of common experiences we draw from when discussing ideas. DB: Is it ever difficult to leave work behind at the end of the day?

BR: The line between work and play is very fuzzy for us. Sometimes it’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s not. Work inevitably comes into the conversation, but it’s also always making us better at what we do. DG: There’s not really any turning it off. We enjoy work because we find pleasure in creating things together. a

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“This project started off as mostly finishes and furniture, which is really Deb’s department,” Reiff says. “It evolved into a lot of technical details and spatial design, so I got involved more. So it ended up as collaboration between finishing and space.”

Photo by Joshua White, JWPictures.com

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Nov/Dec 2013

Objects & Gear

Seat of the Future Jean-Marie Massaud Massaud Lounge with Ca nopy for Coa lesse

Coalesse, a company that prides itself on “crossover” furnishings, brought French architect, designer, and inventor Jean-Marie Massaud on board to create a collection that adapts to modern lifestyles. The signature piece of Massaud’s collection is the lounge chair, featuring an optional pod-like canopy made from recycled bottles. It’s equipped with a video conference screen that gives users a sense of enclosed privacy in an open setting. “There’s no (longer separate) space for work and no space for private life. It’s merging,” Massaud says. “And we wanted to do something elegant to avoid these limits and to create a better condition.” The canopy has hands-free Bluetooth capabilities for conference calls, integrated LED lighting, and a built-in desktop. Massaud says he sees it being used in hotel lobbies instead of traditional business centers or in creative office settings. “It’s the anti-office chair,” he says.

Other pieces in Massaud’s Coalesse collection include a version of the lounge without the canopy and seating that allows for mobile device cords to pass through them for charging. “Today, when we are relaxing, we are doing many things at the same time—thinking, doing some emails. So we were hoping to do something that has a lot of combinations,” he says.

Images provided by designers and furniture brands

In our hyper-connected world, the line between work life and home life continues to blur. We caught up with three big-name designers whose forward-thinking pieces are changing the look—and functions—of office furniture. By Gwendolyn Purdow

Nov/Dec 2013

Toan Nguyen Lagunitas Lounge for Coalesse

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Toan Nguyen’s Lagunitas collection for Coalesse is designed to add “operative” function to furniture for the home, he says. For the lounge, the Milan-based designer was responding to people’s newfound tendency to perch unsupported on the edge of a couch while working on a mobile device or laptop. His solution? Cushions that rotate into a horizontal configuration to offer that lacking bolster. The seating also includes built-in electrical outlets for users’ devices. “You don’t really always need a desk,” Nguyen says. With his design, “you just have what you need to work with a small device: position, comfort, plugs, and small tables you can use on the side and in the front.” The idea of mixing personal and professional lives is something that’s already taken hold in the United States in recent years, Nguyen says, but after receiving a warm reception on the line’s European launch, the designer says the concept is now spreading internationally as well.

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Yves Béhar, Fuseproject Public Office Landscape for Herman Miller

Collaboration is the driving force behind San Francisco-based Yves Béhar’s new collection. “In theory, we could all be working from home, but the reason why people still want to go to an office is to collaborate with others,” says Béhar. “We believe collaboration doesn’t just happen in conference rooms—it happens everywhere.” His collection’s interchangeable seating, or what Béhar refers to as “social desking,” combines private and public spaces with high- and low-back chairs, desks, and group spaces. “I particularly like the overall fluidity of the sys-

tem. While very modular, there is a continuous aesthetic throughout. I also think the Social Chair is a completely new category of product: ergonomic collaborative seating.” Béhar was inspired by the working style his studio Fuseproject has adopted, opting to work and hold meetings in “all different kinds of settings”—something he thinks others should do as well. “Offices will remain relevant if they are able to stimulate collaboration and adjust to people’s needs.” a

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Nov/Dec 2013

IN THE DETAILS

Three interior designers describe their projects and processes, one inspiring feature at a time By Lesley Stanley

LGB INTERIORS Linda Burnside, the designer behind this 10,000-squarefoot Florida home, had a helping hand via her homeowner client—she’s a long-time friend and collaborated with Burnside on the project. “It took a lot of vision from the two of us, but to have a client who is good [at design] is great,” Burnside says. With their love for antiques, the duo found inspiration while shopping in flea markets and fabric houses, and together they chose the perfect pieces to complete the spacious home.

New pieces were mixed in with the owner’s existing antiques, like the area rug, and artifacts, such as the nearly 100-pound bowl atop the coffee table, which was carved from a solid piece of agate stone. One of the most challenging aspects of design was transforming the once completely white den into a cozy place to relax. “It looked like a hospital,” says Burnside, who started by painting the French doors in a dark shade to add warmth.

MARLA SCHRANK INTERIOR DESIGN The secret of this San Francisco home’s successful blend of contemporary and traditional design started before designer Schrank entered the picture. The homeowner had created a carefully curated portfolio of pages torn from magazines that captured the look of her dream home. “I was able to achieve the look through the images she presented to me,” Schrank says. “The furnishings, fabrics, palette, and lighting all grew from those conversations and images.” The 4,000-squarefoot, four-story home contains transitional pieces that add comfort and practicality. “Upholstered pieces are not so restricted and are more comfortable even though they have clean lines,” says Schrank. She gave the existing library a facelift by staining the floors and bookcases in a warm brown. The ottoman was reupholstered in coral mohair and paired with custom chairs.

Top: photo courtesy of LGB Interiors, lgbinteriors.com; bottom: photo courtesy of Marla Schrank, mschrankinteriors.com

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STEVEN VOLPE DESIGN This San Francisco home’s modern design stretches the limits of home life, much like the objects that adorn the 15,000-square-foot house. “The homeowners wanted to rethink how people live, so we took rooms that traditionally would have been used one way and instead created rooms they would actually use,” says Steven Volpe. To achieve a dynamic dining room,Volpe added conversation pieces like the uniquely curved and sloped dining table, which guides guests into the space. Although he admits that finding unique items that are also one of a kind is difficult, it’s all in a day’s work. “I just keep looking until I know this [piece] is it,” he says.

Architectural metal-work firm Reification has partnered with Steven Volpe on many projects, and Dave Holsonback says his goal is always the same: “My role is to realize the designer’s vision, to understand the effect desired and apply our skills to accomplish that end.” But that’s not to say his role is easy, and he actually finds enjoyment in the challenge. “My favorite is usually the part that presented the most difficulty. Problem solving is its own reward.”

Volpe says he “begged” designer and architect Zaha Hadid for six months to create the dining table in a matte white finish. The leather chairs by Tobias Scarpa complement the table without overpowering the overall look.

Left: Dinnerware is mounted on the familyroom walls. In fact, the 18th-century Chinese export collection was originally found in a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. “They were just so intriguing,” says Volpe, who came across the pieces at an antique show.

Right: Volpe wanted to push the boundaries of what the master bedroom could be while still bringing privacy and comfort. Your eyes can’t help but notice the limestone fireplace, which is made from a single sheet of stone, giving the illusion that it’s floating against the wall.

Photos courtesy of Steven Volpe Design, stevenvolpe.com

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2013 Design

GIFT GUIDE Giving the perfect gift to discerning friends and family takes talent and serious styleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;something we know our guest gift curators have in spades.

We asked them to put together the perfect gifts to delight like-minded personalities, and we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t resist putting in picks from one of our own.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACK BURRIS, ZACKBURRIS.COM

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

GIFT CURATOR:

Lindsay Segal As a professional stylist, she’s worked with the likes of Wilco and Lady Gaga, but L i ndsay Sega l prefers working with everyday people—albeit ones with excellent taste—best. As the co-founder of upscale consignment boutique Luxury Garage Sale, Segal has the scoop on the perfect gifts for all your fashionable friends. “ I love finding standout items that not everyone is buying or wearing—it makes owning them that much more special. Anyone looking for something that makes a statement would appreciate the items on my list,” she says.

Christian Louboutin boots, price upon request, luxurygaragesale.com

C’Mere Reality Hand Hook designed by Harry Allen, $65, areaware.com. Provided by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, mcachicagostore.org

Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel by Eric Boman, $41.50, barnesandnoble.com

Hermès scarf, $295, luxurygaragesale.com

La-Dee-Dahs handmade candies, $6.50, whimsicalcandy.com

Chanel earrings, $295, luxurygaragesale.com

Carly Michelle ring, 14K rose gold with 2.9 carats of diamonds, $8,140, danarebeccadesigns.com

Scent Sphere Tre Visi by Fornasetti, $224, sofialivelovely.com

Gold Snake necklace/belt, $150, luxurygaragesale.com

Chanel suede bag, $1,195, luxurygaragesale.com

Gift card for cooking classes at The Chopping Block, from $40, thechoppingblock.net

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Nov/Dec 2013

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

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GIFT CURATOR:

Chip Kidd Art director, writer, and designer Chip Kidd wrote the book on designing books, so we knew he’d pick the per fec t g i f t s for pr i ntobsessed graphic-design geeks out there. “Make Good Art is pure inspiration for the budding artist in your life. Vintage Magazine is extraordinary for lovers of the craft of magazines—think Flair for today. Look Both Ways has brilliant insights on design, and the Arts & Architecture Collection has lots of cool stuff. Pantone products always get the color right. Membership to the Type Directors Club is great for the typographer in your life (you know who you are). And Chris Ware’s Building Stories is the greatest graphic novel of the 21st century— and counting.”

Vintage Magazine, $25 per issue, vintagezine.com

Membership to the Type Directors Club, from $45, tdc.org

Arts & Architecture Collection cover prints, $25, artsandarchitecture collection.com

Building Stories by Chris Ware (Pantheon), $34, barnesandnoble.com

Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman (William Morrow), $10, amazon.com

Pantone messenger mag, designed by Rickshaw Bagworks for Pantone, $80, pantone.com

Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design by Debbie Millman (How Books), $25, amazon.com

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Nov/Dec 2013

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

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GIFT CURATOR:

Chris Force

“Nothing says ‘I really don’t give a shit about you’ better than a Starbucks gift card. Don't be that person.” Wise words from publisher and editor-in-chief Chris Force. Since fou nding ALARM Magazine in 1995 and DB in 2010, he's made a living out of knowing what’s cool. W ho better to offer giftgiving tips? “The Foscarini LED Anisha looks gorgeous, on or off. Nothing else like it exists (yet). There’s something rugged and beautiful about the Runwell watch, built in Detroit by Shinola. It’s masculine, yet refined. Spea king of masculine, no man should ever be caught with a dead iPhone. Who else is going to call a cab after a long of night of drinking, texting, and Instagramming? Never lose juice with the Anker Astro 3E—small enough to slide into a jacket pocket and good for about five charges. Your friends will thank you.”

Big Jambox, $300, jawbone.com

StacheBook Heritage Tweed iPad case, $225, stacheandhyde.com

Magneto table lamp by Giulio Iacchetti for Foscarini at Foscarini Spazio SoHo, New York, $602, foscarini.com, 212.257.4412

Anisha Grande table lamp by Lievore Altherr Molina for Foscarini at Foscarini Spazio SoHo, New York, $833, foscarini.com, 212.257.4412

Nespresso Pixie Steel Lines Bundle, $279, nespresso.com

Fujifilm X100S camera, $1,300, fujifilmusa.com

The Runwell 47mm watch by Shinola, $600, shinola.com

Anker Astro 3E External Battery Charger, $42, amazon.com

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

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GIFT CURATOR:

Bradford Shellhammer As one of the founders and the chief design officer at Fab, Bradford Shellhammer parlayed his natural panache for fun, colorful design into an E-commerce site with tens of millions of users. That means few tastemakers today have the kind of reach that Shellhammer has; his style touches everything from the company’s branding to the designed-in-house products it now manufactures. “These gifts are for the young at heart—for those who like to laugh, smile, not take life too seriously. They’re unexpected, colorful, bold. They’re feel-good gifts, and is that not the point of giftgiving—to make the recipient feel good?”

Wavy Pillows designed by Fab, $30, fab.com

Brillo Box Pouf by Quinze & Milan, $425, fab.com

E napkin set inspired by Anni Albers’ geometric Bauhaus prints, $18 for 4, fab.com

E bath towel by Albers x Fab, $18 each, fab.com

Mugs by Leila and Massimo Vignelli for Heller, $60 for 6, fab.com

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Nov/Dec 2013

2013 DESIGN GIFT GUIDE

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GIFT CURATOR:

Revae Schneider She traded a career in fashion for the world of mixology, but Revae Schneider’s eye for all things elegant carried over perfectly to the craftcocktail world. Her company Femme du Coupe, named after the champagne glass that was styled in the shape of Marie Antoinette’s breast (oh là là!), delivers its clients couture cocktails, mixology classes, and bar concepts— so you can bet that Revae delivers her friends some kick-ass gifts.

“I try to let everything Femme du Coupe does reflect my personal style. These items on the list complement each other and are perfectly paired to be coupled together as gifts. I have quite a few of these items—they aren’t just pretty but functional as part of my everyday life.” Your friends will thank you.

Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, $45, pierreferrandcognac.com

Nolet’s Gin, $50, noletsgin.com

Seamless yarai mixing glass, $40, cocktailkingdom.com

Orrefors Divine Champagne coupe, $65, orrefors.com

Le Sirop blueberry lavender cocktail syrup, $15, lesirop.com

Marchesa by Lenox painted camellia crystal barware, $60 each, bedbathandbeyond.com

Celestial coaster set, $32, anthropologie.com

Scrappy’s Bitters gift pack, $17, scrappysbitters.com

Monogrammed speakeasy tray, $50, potterybarn.com

Salut! flask, $28, bhldn.com

Cocktail picks in gold, $19 for 12, cocktailkingdom.com

Gold chevron paper straws, $4 for 20, shopsweetlulu.com

Chantilly cocktail napkins, $6 for 15, bhldn.com

The Global Forum for Design December 4– 8, 2013 Preview Day / December 3, 2013 Design Galleries/ Antonella Villanova / Florence, Carpenters Workshop Gallery / London & Paris, Casati Gallery / Chicago, Cristina Grajales Gallery / New York, Demisch Danant / New York, Didier Ltd / London, Erastudio Apartment-Gallery / Milan, Fine Art Silver / Brussels, Gabrielle Ammann // Gallery/ Cologne, Galerie BSL – Béatrice Saint Laurent / Paris, Galerie Downtown – François Laffanour / Paris, Galerie Jacques Lacoste / Paris, Galerie kreo / Paris, Galerie Maria Wettergren / Paris, Galerie Patrick Seguin / Paris, Gallery SEOMI / Seoul & Los Angeles, Hostler Burrows / New York, Jason Jacques Inc / New York, Jousse Entreprise / Paris, Louisa Guinness Gallery / London, Magen H Gallery / New York, Mark McDonald / Hudson, Moderne Gallery / Philadelphia, Ornamentum / Hudson, Pierre Marie Giraud / Brussels, Priveekollektie Contemporary Art + Design / Heusden aan de Maas, R 20th Century / New York, Sebastian + Barquet / New York, Victor Hunt Designart Dealer / Brussels Design On/Site Galleries/ ArtFactum Gallery / Beirut presenting Marc Baroud & Marc Dibeh, Caroline Van Hoek / Brussels presenting Gijs Bakker, Elisabetta Cipriani / London presenting Carlos Cruz-Diez, Industry Gallery / Washington DC & Los Angeles presenting Benjamin Rollins Caldwell, Volume Gallery / Chicago presenting Jonathan Muecke, Wonderglass / London presenting Nao Tamura Meridian Avenue & 19th Street / Miami Beach / USA designmiami.com

Nov/Dec 2013

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Architecture / Defensive Design

Interiors / Adobe Office Tour

Travel / Explore Iceland

Meet the man behind police force designs for Kuwait, Northern Ireland, and NYC, p50

A look inside the software giantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Utah campus, p55

Our favorite design destinations in the Nordic isle, p62

Design Thinking BLACK + BLUM The London product-design duo share their home-based inspiration and views on humor in design

Dan Black and Martin Blum outside the OXO Building in London. Image by Fiona Garden.

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“You only become truly original when you can make associations with things or products that are completely outside of your realm.” –Martin Blum

Portrait by Fiona Garden

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Left: A look inside the Black + Blum design process. Note the architectural influence of the High and Dry dishrack. Right: Many of their products imbue whimsy to design, including this cute little chap entitled Reading Light, which, just as the name says, is a light...that is reading. “By adding a light-hearted element to the design, it means it can appeal to a wider audience and not just be tailored to the serious design market,” Black says.

BY SARAH HANDELMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY FIONA GARDEN

Daniel Black and Martin Blum may be responsible for that iconic, shelf-size fellow named James the Bookend, but they were never just designers. Their London-based product-design company Black+Blum also acts as its own client, which means the team not only reacts to briefs; they set them. But in the highly saturated field of homeware design, the pressure to innovate is high, and inspiration doesn’t simply happen. “I don’t actually think there’s ever a direct inspiration for a product,” says Swiss-born Martin Blum. “Inspiration is about living in an observant kind of way. In London you’re getting an overdose of impressions. Design happens without knowing what is inspiring you, but you have an awareness that you’re always being stimulated.” With a Thames-facing office inside the historic OXO Tower—a converted industrial building on the Southbank where London’s creatives call home—Black and Blum seem to have a

sixth sense for inspo-troves in the world’s “swinging city.” “When we first moved to the OXO Tower, we were just three people,” Blum says. “It’s amazing having all of these other creatives around you, whether they’re jewelry makers, fashion designers, graphic designers, silversmiths, or artists. We were working on a piece using ceramics, and [working here] you can go and ask a ceramicist for advice. It’s a very nice launch pad. You can draw on all of the inspiration and expertise of these people while being a small company.”

For these guys, no product is off limits: lunchboxes, water bottles, and even polar-bear-shaped ice-cube trays are fair game. “We have a better chance of creating fresh design because we have the freedom to design any kind of product we want, in any kind of area,” Blum says. “The Bento Box was clearly an inspiration from Japan. We wanted to find a way to celebrate lunch a little more like the Japanese do while applying our own kind of language to it.” And whether it’s a lightbulb with legs climbing a wall or a wall hook “husband and wife” waiting to hang your towels, Black + Blum’s products bring a much needed sense of whimsy to the industry. “We often give our designs an element of humor and personality,” Black says. “This might be in the shape, or even just the name of the product.” But he’s quick to point out that this lack of seriousness doesn’t mean they sacrifice serious quality. “We never allow the fun element to override the actual

functionality of the product. When function is secondary to humor, then a product becomes a ‘gadget,’ and we never want our designs to be considered like this.” The past couple of years have seen the duo make an international mark on the world of design, thanks to breakout products like the Eau Good water bottle and the High and Dry dishrack. But what’s ahead for the designers in 2014 is somewhat of a mystery. When asked, Black remains pretty tight lipped. “We are continuing to expand our lunchbox range, and we are also working with more recycled and natural materials, which is really exciting. Sorry that we can’t give away more. All I can say is… watch this space.” However, we can be assured that whatever their creative minds churn out next, it’s sure to have an element of their home base infused in the design. “London allows certain things to be a bit wackier. You can be offbeat. People will have time for that and appreciate it.”a Product photos courtesy of Black + Blum

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DEFENSIVE DESIGN Three new buildings around the world that are reimagining the style of public-safety institutions When working on sensitive projects like these, it’s important for an architect to be able to rely on his or her collaborators. Fortunately, R. Anthony Fieldman had a partner in Joseph DelPozzo, senior vice president at WSP Group. The men have worked together on many projects throughout the years, including the New York Police Academy. “Anthony understands buildings and how they work, so our team worked very closely with the architectural team to make sure all details were addressed,” says DelPozzo. This helped the teams achieve LEED certification on the project. “Our teams worked together to achieve a highly sustainable building.”

BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

Government buildings are known for their cutting-edge security, but not traditionally for their cutting-edge design. But architect R. Anthony Fieldman of New York-based firm RAFT Architects says that’s changing. He brings us inside his work for the New York, Northern Ireland, and Kuwait police training facilities. Images by R. Anthony Fieldman

DB: Your firm is behind the design of New York City’s new police academy, Northern Ireland’s Desertcreat Joint Services Training College, and the Kuwait Police Academy— all government law-enforcement facilities. Were there parallels between the projects?

R. Anthony Fieldman: Yes— an emerging awareness that buildings that represent the safety of a community are as important as the cultural institutions that used to get the bulk of the architectural

dollars, such as museums and libraries. The New York Police Department is the largest municipal police force in the world. The Desertcreat College in Northern Ireland is one of the most tested police forces in modern European history, emerging from 40 years of conflict with the IRA. And Kuwait wanted to make the police force itself more robust, and also represent their ability to defend safety. So what these all share is that they’re very visible, and the governments’ investment in CONTINUED J

Nov/Dec 2013

Photo by Kitti Homme

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Lorem Ipsum Omnim qui comnistis molorpore nonectatis esciet iuntorest

Congratulations RAF T Architects It is a pleasure to work with you

UNITED BY OUR DIFFERENCE

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Kuwait Police Academy The Kuwait campus is based on traditional planning principles that result from Kuwait’s specific climate. The structure has very deep-set windows and puzzled façades that are based on a traditional abstraction of calligraphy because in Islam, it is against the religion to represent anything figural, there is in its place a legacy of celebrating geometry and calligraphy.

New York City’s New Police Academy

Northern Ireland’s Desertcreat Joint Services Training College

In New York, the architecture reflects one of the world’s largest and toughest cities. As such, the design for the new NYPD police academy is a decidedly urban campus with a very dignified, strong architectural language to reflect the size and complexity of the city. Fieldman created a fiveacre canal that runs through the 35-acre site using a combination of bio filters and constructed systems to scrub the storm water before it enters Flushing Bay. The filtration system essentially cleans the community’s water and alleviates the overloaded storm-water system, which was one of the major concerns for the community.

them to create world-class architecture is a symbol of the importance of that service they provide for their communities.

(CONTINUED)

DB: How would you say that the idea of more transparency and public image plays into your design?

RAF: It plays heavily into it. For me, my approach to architecture becomes doubly important when I’m creating a community icon, like a public-safety facility. It needs to draw

Because of the perception of which side of the religious community the police stood on, the Desertcreat Joint Services Training College had to be embraced by the entire community. It reflected the one thing that all Northern Irish have in common: a love of a mature heritage landscape. Fieldman created architecture that amplified the landscape and improved its biodiversity, creating what will be the world’s first carbon-neutral campus, including a partnership between the college and its community to farm ‘coppice willow’ that will generate bio-mass heat energy for the campus.

on the latent and very specific cultural values of its people. DB: On the other hand, these facilities would still need to have those traditional secretive qualities, too.How do you incorporate those into your design?

RAF: Within the campuses, there are areas that are either interior or screened off where certain types of sensitive training occurs. In the case of the

New York Police Academy, it’s an eight-story-tall tactical village where there’s a one-to-one scalemodel recreation of New York City, complete with subway, banks, and delis, for example. Training happens within it so they can control the environment.With Desertcreat College, we created a training village that mimics their community, but again it’s screened from the public. In Kuwait, it’s essentially a mock desert environment.

DB: Do you get the sense that this is the way these types of facilities will continue to evolve?

RAF: Security has become a core part of anybody’s conversation in any community globally, and the fact that we have all the information and access to know what’s going on everywhere, I think, just heightens the need for an appropriate cultural response for the buildings that are housing people who protect and serve. a

Images by R. Anthony Fieldman; Desertcreat Training College rendering by Mike Kane

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Nov/Dec 2013

Office Tour

CREATIVE OPTIMIZATION Innovation oozes from every colorful corner of software giant Adobe’s sprawling Utah campus Not wanting to obscure stunning views of Utah’s surrounding landscape, the designers expanded the building’s layout, used floor-to-ceiling window walls, and captured enough natural light to illuminate the entire space without any electrical lighting.

PHOTOS BY ERIC LAIGNEL

On a wall filled with purple three-dimensional computer mice at Adobe’s new office complex in Lehi, Utah, a single mouse sets istelf apart. “We left one white to remind people that you have to be different, you have to be willing to stand out,” says

Cory Sistrunk of Rapt Studio, the firm brought on to tackle the interiors at the 280,000-square-foot space. That Rapt followed the same mantra in its design choices is apparent in every last detail: from the office’s cantilevered basketball court jutting toward the adjacent freeway

to the Jackson Pollack painting that wraps around the glass reception area. “The design brief from the beginning was to break some rules and remind people about innovation and creativity and give them a sense of not just what product they develop, but

also what creativity they enable in their customers,” Rapt’s David Galullo says. With four themed stories, a collaborative feel, and conference rooms dedicated to innovators of all sorts, Rapt and building architects WRNS Studio put imagination front and center.

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Adobe incorporated Omniture, the Utah web-analytics company it recently acquired, and its culture into the space with details such as sports statistics and other analysis in conference rooms dedicated to iconic figures like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.

The concepts of typography and printing appear frequently. “Instead of painting walls flush to the edges, there’s the idea of printers registering the plates as they get going,” Sistrunk says. “So we intentionally let these paint blocks kind of slip and misregister.” Above and left: The design team used the Pantone color system as a navigation tool throughout the building’s workspaces, as well as an exterior aesthetic feature. The different shades shine as ribbons of color to cars on I-15.

The high-tech company housed its servers underneath the ground-floor atrium’s floor, harnessing the heat they produce to generate a radiant heating system, one of many sustainable features in the LEED Gold project.

Rapt enlisted L.A. street artist El Mac to create a mural of a young girl drawing in the office’s atrium. “There’s this kind of glowing aura that’s coming from where the pen hits the paper,” Sistrunk says. “I think that’s really the symbol of what’s driving Adobe’s success today.”

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Public Space Renovation

ONE COOL SCHOOL Education mixes with smart design

One priority for L&V was for each of the 25 classrooms to have access to natural light, which proved to be a challenge with the concrete buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior areas. The solution was to create a skylight system that Abdel-Ghaffar coined â&#x20AC;&#x153;light wellsâ&#x20AC;? because each well digs 12 feet into concealed ceiling space.

BY LESLEY STANLEY :: PHOTOS BY WELDON BREWSTER

L+V Architects is a Los Angeles based firm with over 25 years of experience designing a wide variety of project types including: t $VTUPN 4JOHMF 'BNJMZ )PNFT t )JMMTJEF 1SPQFSUJFT t .VMUJ 'BNJMZ #VJMEJOHT /FX $POTUSVDUJPO t &EVDBUJPOBM 'BDJMJUJFT

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2332 Cotner Avenue, Suite 303 West Los Angeles, CA 90064 310.914.5577 / www.LVARCH.com

Long gone are the days of the one-room schoolhouseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buildings are smart, green, and innovation-based, including KIPP LA Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East Los Angeles charterschool campus.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because the building is located in a dead spot in the city, we felt the remodel had to be energetic and activate the area,â&#x20AC;? says senior architectural designer Tarek Abdel-Ghaffar.

KIPP, or Knowledge is Power Program, is a non-profit network of 141 schools across the country, including the facility designed by L&V Architects, Inc. The firm transformed a 24,000-square-foot former auto-repair shop into a spot for topnotch education.

Bright and familiar primary colors were used to excite and stimulate students, while a multi-functioning space like the rooftop parking lot becomes a tricycle racetrack during school hours. The assembly room, which has become the heart of the building, is also a

Images provided by L&V Architects, Inc.

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Residential Design

Kipp East LA School’s 8 Sustainability Components: 01 The building is constructed

Disappearing Act These Colorado homeowners can see for miles, but good luck spotting them in this cleverly designed mountainside residence

from renewable materials

02 HVAC system is a VRF Zoning System by Mitsubishi (CITY Multi System) that utilizes inverter and expansion valve technology which yields a more efficient system

03 Cool roofs utilized throughout 04 Located parking on rooftop to allow for more landscaping, which reduces the heatisland effect

05 Natural day lighting is used

through out to cut down on the use of artificial light during daytime hours

06 High-efficiency double-

pane low-E glazing is used throughout

07 Deep-inset windows were

utilized, which provides for indirect light to enter the space without the heat gain associated with direct sunlight

08 Shading elements are

used on the southern and western façades to reduce solar heat gain

general-purpose area that serves as a cafeteria and auditorium. And design and creativity mix on the side of the building, too, where sound-insulated glass windows gain attention at the start of the day thanks to an imaginative addition. “The idea was to create this dancing musical note design that appears to go across sheet music so students are excited to go to school and be in the space they are in,” Abdel-Ghaffar says. Creative problem solving for a good cause—a true education in design. a

BY LAUREN WALSER

It’s tempting to call the Stealth House invisible, but at 10,000 square feet, it’s more like what New Yorkbased architect Walter Chatham calls an “elephant under the tablecloth.” Designed by Chatham, the two-story house perched high above Aspen, Colorado, was built for a private art collector who wanted a family-friendly house that took advantage of the site’s panoramic views, without interrupting the natural beauty of the mountainside. “We wanted to make something that would disappear as much as possible,” Chatham says. By burying the house in the hillside and creating a low roofline with deep overhangs to prevent glare from the windows, Chatham minimized the home’s visibility.

Cor-ten steel, dark brown stucco, and thin-sheet copper also help it to blend into its surroundings. Obscuring the house was one challenge. Maximizing the views from the inside was another. “The trick was arranging the house so that it could take in the full view, which I did by curving it,” he says. Chatham arranged for principal rooms to look out onto the valley, while others like storage and utility spaces are against the hillside. “You don’t get

the entire view in every room, but you get some of it in all of the rooms,” he says. Chatham credits its owner, who he says had the vision and aesthetic sense, to ensure his house was a hidden oasis. “The world is filling up with ‘look-at-me’ buildings standing with other ‘look-at-me’ buildings. I don’t think people have thought this through like they should.” If they did, he adds, they might realize that sometimes, good design can be hidden in plain sight. a

Photos by Deb Cota, deborahcotaphotography.com; photos by Walter Chatham, wfchatham.com

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Right: The tropical influences of Bali can be heavily felt throughout this California residence. Far right: In addition to the Indoneisan influence, the homeowners wanted to emphasize their contemporary art collection.

Architect Profile

California Dreamer Surf, sand, and sunny locales inspire SoCal architect’s West Coast designs

BY GWENDOLYN PURDOM

When Carlton Graham starts on a new residential design, the Laguna Beach-based architect asks his clients to give him the project address so that he can visit the site alone. “Before they tell me anything about the site or their ideas, I just want to walk the property myself and see what kind of feeling I get,” Graham says. “When I walk around, what strikes me with a clear head, without any of their thoughts?” It’s just one way Graham, of firm Graham Architecture, lets the California environment dictate his work. “I

get a lot of clues from the site, the location, the views, the climate, the topography, the terrain, and the colors,” he says. Architecture wasn’t originally Graham’s ambition—the Austin native wanted to be an artist. But by his college years, the combination of art and business seemed more and more appealing to him. Today, Graham says he taps into that artistic inclination daily within his work: “It’s like making real 3-D sculpture that you can walk inside of.”

Bali House and Bay House photos by Aaron Leitz, aaronleitz.com

The palette Graham uses has been described as “warm modern,” but he says it entirely depends on the all-important setting and the client. For homeowners enamored with their travels to the island province of Bali, Graham incorporated Indonesian-style accents. Design choices for a property perched on a coveted and (almost unheard of in Southern California) beachfront double lot played up the house’s rare location. One client even shared the architect’s passion for art,

traveling the world often to add to her extensive collection. So Graham drew up plans for what he calls the “Art House,” which includes a ten-foot-wide, seventy-foot-long gallery that stretches the length of the house and skylights overhead that illuminate the client’s rotating pieces. Yet for all its ocean views and sunshine, Graham says not every SoCal influence on his work is a welcome one. With some of the strictest building codes in the country, the state’s properties are often CONTINUED J

Photos by: Deborah Cota

280 E. Cody Lane | Basalt, Colorado 81621

553 16th Ave | San Francisco, CA 94118 | p 415.307.3191 | f 415.751.7171 email mschrankinteriors@gmail.com | www.mschrankinteriors.com

p (970) 927-1161 | f (970) 927-3374 | e sales@harrimanconstruction.com

www.harrimanconstruction.com

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The design of this Southern California home reflects its environs: cool, sophisticated, and relaxed. Large windows reveal stunning bay views while the interior reflects a natural palette of materials such as limestone and mahogany.

tethered to acceptable heights, lot-coverage requirements, and other guidelines. “Because of the density and the earthquakes and the mudslides and all the stuff that we have, so many of the buildings here are generated by the building codes,” Graham says. “The building starts to take shape on its own in terms just based on the raw footprint of what can be built on a given property.”

(CONTINUED)

Even with these limitations, Graham says he still finds inspiration in his California community every day. The region’s distinct indoor/outdoor way of life drives designs that feature massive sliding doors, open living areas, and screenless windows. The ocean’s proximity has also fueled entire projects. “Our climate is so mild, so benign, and the bugs are so minimal that it, coupled with these beautiful ocean and mountain views, allows us to design architecture that truly opens itself to nature,” Graham says. “That’s really what drew me out here.” a

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“It’s like making 3-D sculptures you can walk inside of.” –Carlton Graham

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Nov/Dec 2013

Design Destination

Hot in Iceland Come for the black-sand beaches and blue lagoons; stay for Reykjavik’s hip design scene. Here’s some of our favorite spots to hit on your journey.

SHOP KRAUM More than 100 Icelandic designers have products featured here, the country’s first shop dedicated to local design wares. Housed in Reykjavik’s oldest standing building, built in 1762, visitors can pick up Icelandic wool clothes, leather bags made of tanned fish skin, boots made from horsehair, and classic wood stools. A favorite among guests is jewelry featuring lava stones from one of the island’s many volcanoes.

By Jenna Gottlieb; All images courtesy of the venues listed

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STAY

4. KEX HOSTEL Located in an old biscuit factory near the harbor, KEX has a little of everything: private rooms and dorms for 142 people, two guest kitchens, a gastropub, a heated outdoor patio, and an old-school gym. Concerts often take place in the main lounge area, which is decorated with vintage maps and classic Eames chairs. Locals are just as likely as tourists to grab a beer and check out a new band in this comfortably designed space.

VISIT 1. BÍÓ PARADÍS

Cinephiles must stop by Reykjavik’s only independent theater, a handsomely designed space that regularly features new art-house releases, classic Icelandic films, and documentaries, shorts, and experimental films from around the world. Before heading into one of the four screens, come early to pick out a record to play at the café.

2. REYKJAVIK ART MUSEUM The museum is spread across three locations in buildings that are as unique as the collections they hold. The waterfront Hafnarhús, built in 1939, is home to a permanent collection by pop artist Erró and frequent host to concerts in its multipurpose hall. The Asmundarsafn, meanwhile, collects the sculpture work of the late Ásmundur Sveinsson in a fascinating building he designed as a mash-up of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian pyramid architectural styles.

SHOP 5. PARK DESIGN SPACE

EAT 6. GRILL MARKET 4

3. HARPA CONCERT HALL The harbor’s stunning concert hall has the international design community buzzing. Harpa’s glass façade is based on a geometric principle in two and three dimensions. Designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson with Henning Larsen Architects and Batteríið Architects, the Mies van der Rohe Award-winning structure frequently creates kaleidoscopic reflections of the city and surrounding landscape. Although it is home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, it has also seen performances by rock, pop, and hip-hop acts, ranging from Tony Bennett to Frank Ocean.

Iceland’s first art gallery dedicated to product design opened its doors in 2010. Visitors can get a taste of local arts ranging from poster designs to models made from fish bones. Each exhibition lasts for two months, and designs are then stocked and sold. Shop owner and curator Sigríður Sigurjónsdóttir is always on the lookout for new and innovative artists to feature along with Reykjavik staples like wool designers Vík Prjónsdóttir.

The food is local, the interior rustic-luxe, and the building site steeped in history. Located on the site of a 1920s cinema, the building that houses Grillmarket may be classic art nouveau on the outside, but the interior boasts luxury against a backdrop of rustic decor. Natural wood tables and floors adorn the dining room, creating a quintessentially Scandinavian atmosphere in which to savor Hrefna Rósa Sætran and Guðlaugur P. Frímannsson’s menu, which seeks to infuse creative culinary arts with Icelandic ingredients. a

DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

Notes From the Bureau

McCallum Sather

NEW HOME FOR HAUSER The family-owned furniture brand gets a sharp new headquarters in Toronto Street-side window displays at Hauser Company Stores’ new showroom reveal brightly colored chairs mounted on the wall and a setting for what looks like it will soon be a chic outdoor dinner party. The displays are a part of what is attracting both the young and hip shoppers, as well as those looking for more conservative pieces to the new Merton Street flagship. “This was an opportunity to be in a more urban setting and offer more compact, modern furnishing tailored to the young professional,” says principal architect Drew Hauser of firm McCallum Sather in Hamilton, Ontario. He should know—the company is owned by his cousins and sisters. As service is the crux of any flagship store, particularly in an age when online shopping is rapidly replacing brick-and-mortar stores, the layout of the new showroom allows for seamless interaction between customers and staff, as well as ample opportunity for people to experience the furniture. The primary retail showroom is located on the ground floor of the building and basement, while the second floor serves as a CONTINUED J Images provided by Banko Media and McCallum Sather

PROJECT DETAILS FROM DESIGN PROFESSIONALS

Custom Railz & & Stairz Stairz Design, Design, Manufacture, Manufacture, Installation Installation

Bedford Park , IL Bedford Park , IL

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773.592.7210 773.592.7210

customrailzandstairz.com customrailzandstairz.com

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Notes From the Bureau

contract office for visitors and local designers to host lunch and learns.

(CONTINUED)

“Trying to build a flagship store on a tight budget is a challenge,” Hauser says. “We had pretty good bones in the older building, but simple things like color and the building envelope details were dated.” To keep costs low, all the lighting is LED, and the masonry was simply painted over to allow for easy color updates. The floors were built with durability in mind, sealing the concrete on the lower level, and using vinyl on the ground floor and sustainably harvested wood upstairs. “We created a very richly layered space, in the quality of space, light, and how it showcases product,” Hauser says. He seems to have done something right, as Hauser notes that sales have been up since the store’s opening. “The use of skylights, increased ceiling height, more showroom space, and more efficient shipping and handling facilities have increased sales by more than 10 percent,” he says. Sounds like good design runs in the family.– Amber Gibson TACKarchitects

BANK ON IT An architecture firm turns bank design into a more hospitable experience Transforming a trip to the bank from feeling like a task to that of a high-end hospitality experience was what principal Jeff Dolezal of TACKarchitects had in mind when he began work on Access Bank in Omaha, Nebraska. “Our design solution attempts to introduce elements like flat-screen TVs, coffee, and comfortable seating, along with more progressive forms not typically used in traditional bank archetypes,” he says. These progressive forms include undulating walls, which Dolezal worked on with a digitalfabrication shop using a CNC milling machine to bring the 3-D drawings to life. Dolezal’s design also features warm walnut ceilings and wall accents, and a cool palette of grey ceramic tiles and polished accents, making the space feel clean and modern. As time goes on, Dolezal sees these unique elements in more bank facilities. “I think aspects of hospitality [design] are creeping into modern bank facilities because they are trying to recapture the customers who now do their banking online,” he says. For now, you’ll just have to head to Omaha’s Access Bank to surround yourself with modern money environs.–Jill McDonnell All images courtesy of designers

Nov/Dec 2013

Notes From the Bureau

DESIGN BUREAU

Atmosphere Design Group

DOCTOR’S OFFICE NIP/TUCK An architect with high-end retail design credentials sculpts a New York City surgical office for its elite clientele With little background in healthcare design, Louis Loria of Atmosphere Design Group may have seemed like an unorthodox choice to revamp a plastic-surgery practice on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. But the architect says his team’s experience with luxury retail stores like Louis Vuitton and Gucci was actually a perfect fit. “Luxury retail is very in line with plastic surgeons’ dynamic with their clients,” Loria says. “Because let’s face it: it’s all about image, and people want to look good and feel good.” That high-end aesthetic PROBLEM SOLVING: manifested itself in the ofTurning problems into fice’s contemporary focal opportunities was the points, namely a central name of the game on this column and reception medical-office project, and desk. “The problem was the column that bisected that it had a big column the office’s waiting room that was close to the front was the main challenge for entrance,” he says. Rather Atmosphere Design Group. than view the column as Loira called on Vladimir a problem, Loria saw it as Kuzmin of YPK Enterprise his design’s centerpiece, to help solve the equation. encircling it with float“We transformed the I-beam ing ribbons of steel and with the striking compound glass to give the structure curves of the mirror-polished movement and interest. stainless steel, stretching and twisting from out of the He incorporated a similar floor and into the recessed look on the front desk ceiling,” he says. using horizontal metalCarefully placed lighting lic wood. “It’s different, within the steel encasement but it’s still in the same also enhanced the column, language,” Loria says. creating a glow that appears “So there is a really nice to originate from within the dynamic play between center. And the sculpted that desk and the column.” curves of Kuzmin’s steel-fin Loria and his colleagues creations served as design kept the rest of the office cues for other elements in furnishings, including the office, including the mill- custom recessed lighting work of the reception desk. and Mondrian-inspired “All these elements combine wood paneling, simple in a seamless way to produce and clean to complethe overall effect.” ment the statement pieces without competing with them. Though the space was meant to be playful, Loria says conveying a sense of medical expertise was equally important. “We wanted to create a space that said this is a forward-thinking discipline,” Loria says. “They’re very cutting edge with the work that they do, so we wanted to reflect that in the design and still have people feel that it’s very professional.”–Gwendolyn Purdom Photos by Nisha Varkey, atmosphere-dg.com

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Notes From the Bureau

Nov/Dec 2013

Modern Edge Design

SECOND NATURE A run-down Milwaukee home gets a second chance from a daring interior designer For interior designer Stephanie Quinn of Modern Edge Design, the renovation of this exposed ranch-style Milwaukee home was one project that almost wasn’t. “When I first pulled up and saw the home, I pulled back out of the driveway and said, ‘No way,’” Quinn says. “The house was literally caving in and cracking in half.” After another look, she had a change of heart. “The whole place felt enchanted,” she recalls. But the gut renovation that followed was hardly a fairy tale. The home’s basement foundation and roof were irreparable and had to be replaced. And inside, Quinn found that structure was made from non-standard-sized lumber and had to be taken down to the studs. Despite all of this, Quinn still kept her vision intact. “I could see the end result before we started,” she says. Quinn got her happily-ever-after home by implementing some impressive changes. She installed eco-friendly cork and bamboo flooring, West African Zebra wood cabinetry, and a second-floor kitchen overlooking the backyard. She says her passion for renovation helped her carry out the transformation: “I love a challenge, and this house certainly was one.”– Sara Driscoll Yangki Wallcoverings and Fabrics

TRANSCENDING WALLPAPER From its Bay Area design studio, Yangki hand-paints one-of-a-kind wall coverings with a little wabi-sabi on the side Yoshika Alexander puts all her energy into Yangki’s handmade wall coverings—literally. “When I paint, that is my Zen moment,” she says. “I can put my mind into the stage of emptiness that leads me into some type of unexplainable blissful joy.” Since 1989, Yangki has been producing handpainted wall coverings that combine natural materials. Alexander infuses an influence of Japanese minimalist aesthetic wabi-sabi. The papers are crafted by hand from beginning to end using no machinery, and aside from three patterns that use a template for layout, all of the designs are drawn freehand. “This work is labor intensive, but we are extremely grateful to have clients who understand it’s one-of-akind beauty.”a Wallpaper photo by Tim Nehotte Photography; interior design by bstylehome.com; JADO and Porcher, American Standard Brands, americanstandard.com

Nov/Dec 2013

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Nov/Dec 2013

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DESIGN BUREAU

180 Degrees Design + Build

DESIGNING TO BUILD Design and construction is all in a day’s work for James Trahan Fed up with the poor caliber of construction work he noticed early on in his architecture career, Phoenix-based James Trahan decided to add contractor to his title and opened his own firm. Here, Trahan explains his design process, project choices, and what he and his team are doing when they’re not on the job (hint: it involves barbeque). DB: Why did you decide to establish a designbuild firm as opposed to a more traditional architecture firm? STONE COURT VILLA: Composed of 24,000 individual pieces of Mexican travertine stone carved into nearly 290 different sizes, the Stone Court Villa’s exterior walls are a complex masterpiece of design. “It was kind of like building a pyramid,” says Trahan, who served as a contractor and began the early stages of the project six years before its completion this year. World Wide Stone Corporation/DBA Authentic Durango Stone provided all of the materials and finishes on the project. “One of the homeowner’s requirements was to have a design that would look good for 1,000 years,” says Frank Cunningham at World Wide Stone. With research, they found that Grecian structures with cubic walls were not only structurally sound, but also still in style today. “It is a completely unique and classic-looking structure. It will still look in place in 100 years, in 500 years, in 1,000 years—people will still appreciate this design.” Although vast in size (it measures in at 23,000 square feet), the residence, designed by West Hollywood-based firm Marwan Al-Sayed Inc., possesses tranquil and calming resort-like qualities, much like the Amangiri Resort in Southern Utah that inspired the homeowners.

James Trahan: We were spending all this time and effort on designing, and then the quality of work performed by contractors was not very good. We realized we had to figure out how to do a better job. Over the past decade, our work has revolved around a collaboration of doing our own design and building, and fabricating for other architects. As far as the typical architecture or construction firm—we blur the lines between the two. DB: What do you try to achieve with your work? JT: We try to create architecture that is so simple that when you walk into our projects, whether we designed or built it, you experience something simple and peaceful. DB: Projects aside, we hear you and your team have special talent… JT: Our chicken wings are absolutely great. We created our own wing sauce and even developed a cage for the hibachi grill that allows us to flip 75 wings at a time. It’s a good release—from all the stress in the world. –Lesley Stanley

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Notes From the Bureau

Mary DeWalt Design Group

MAKING A HOUSE A HOME Model home merchandiser Mary Dewalt’s tips to bring buyers in—and keep ’em coming DB: How do you bring a space to life? MD: Contrasting colors are a great way to create drama and interest in a space. For instance, if the walls are dark, then we would select a lightcolored fabric for the drapes and white mats for the artwork. DB: Do you tailor designs to the location? MD: What we’re really noticing is that because of design websites, magazines, and HGTV, and since we’re becoming a more transient country, we are no longer seeing so many regional preferences. Because of these influences, consumers are also much more in tune with good design than ever before.– Jill McDonnell Kim Scodro Interiors

LAKEFRONT LIVING Soothing views and rich pops of color turn this prewar lakefront condo into an instant classic Combining two condo units in a nearly centuryold building into a present, peaceful place was no easy feat for interior designer Kim Scodro. Drastic changes were needed in order to create a more modern, functional space. So Scodro started with the most important BEDROOM LINEN DESIGNS: place—the kitchen. “In Scodro sourced the blue the 1920s, they only had and gold bedding from the small, narrow kitchens Designers Linen Source as people ate primarily showroom in Chicago. in the dining room, so “Kim likes to use different we took three rooms and textures, patterns, and made a larger kitchen,” colors, and on this project, we Scodro says. used the wonderful bedding by Home Treasures,” says And the scenic yet tran- company owner Jodi Ruggeri. quil views from the condo Ruggeri and Scodro have served as inspiration for partnered together on many Scodro’s color scheme. projects. “She’s one of the “Every room in the condo most talented designers I’ve looks out onto the lake, so had the pleasure to work it was important to keep with,” she says. a peaceful color palette with the view. However, I added in some rich pops of color,” she says. With Scodro’s keen eye, she transformed a glamor-less space into a cool, classic, and current place —with a color palette to match. – Sara Driscoll All images provided by designers and architects

Nov/Dec 2013

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Sterling Wilson Design

COZY DESIGN IN CHICAGO Interior designer Diane Sterling Wilson creates an indoor oasis for her clients Chicago’s brutal winters are the stuff of legends, but Diane Sterling Wilson leaves the gloomy wintery colors outdoors at this Winnetka home. Tasked with creating a warm environment, Wilson used soft colors and subtle detailing to create a comforting space. “We felt it was important to infuse color without detracting from the room’s architecture and layout,” she says. In the kitchen, she complemented the detailed millwork with sage green walls. Other details include a wet and wine bar, a walk-in pantry, and a baker’s pantry with receding doors, helping her client entertain and have impromptu gatherings with ease. Now, even when the freeze finally thaws, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave this luxurious home for long.–Jill McDonnell SKP Designs

SUITE STORY A busy interior designer with a young family creates her own en suite lakeside escape With a busy schedule and two kids, interior designer and creator of SKP Design Sondra K. Phillips needed a place to escape her hectic dayto-day of life. Given her resources and design savvy, she created her own space at home by adding DESIGN DETAILS: a second-level master Bryan Hammel of Hammel suite to her Crooked Lake, Construction was the conMichigan house. tractor tasked with bringing Phillips’ vision to life. This “Having two kids means meant imbuing the suite their things are everywith the zen-like quality she where. A whole floor to was after. “The thing that yourself gives you an gives this suite its retreat escape from everything,” feel is the fireplace and tub she says. “Our goal was to combo, along with the place- make the master suite as ment of the windows to give meditative and relaxing that great lake view,” he as the spas we’ve gone to says. Sounds like a design on vacation.” mission accomplished. The new suite includes vaulted ceilings, a custom headboard, and a Juliet balcony, which showcases the focal point and inspiration for the space. “Of course a great view of the lake was a priority,” Phillips says. A three-sided fireplace completed the relaxing experience. “You can see it from the tub, the bed, and seating area,” she says. A cozy (and kid-free) environment, indeed.– Sara Driscoll All images provided by designers and architects

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Notes From the Bureau

James Collins Architecture

FRENCH ARCHITECTURE REVIVAL Architect James Collins reinterprets a classic style for his American clients French-Norman homes first came of age in America in the 1920s, as architects sought to bring the beauty of French rural cottages to the States. When James Collins’ client wanted to transform a vacant lot in Greensboro, North Carolina into a French-Norman masterpiece, the architect also went the extra mile (literally) to transform her vision into reality. Collins traveled to Philadelphia to take measurements of the Herman Cone residence, built in 1936 by William Holleyman Architects, which served as the prototype for his client’s new residence. To give his client’s home a feeling of authenticity, Collins applied a lime wash to the brick, waited for it to dry, and then carefully removed it. “The process was returned numerous times to build a layered patina to achieve an aged look,” he says. A confluence of eras and destinations can be seen in the home’s interior, from the dining-room ceiling’s molding pattern reminiscent of English Jacobean homes, to the living room Makassar ebony with stainless-steel horizontal-striped wall cabinets and shelves that are Art Deco inspired. French doors in the living room help bridge the gap between the past, present, and possibly even the future. “We used durable building materials, so this building will be here for the next 100 years,” Collins says.– Jill McDonnell Derrick Architecture

PLANNING MAKES DESIGN PERFECT Proper preparation pays off for architect Christopher Derrick on an Illinois home It may have taken 14 months for Christopher Derrick, architect and founder of Derrick Architecture, to plan the design of this roomy Glen Ellyn, Illinois home, but he was able to make each space just right. “The clients were very concerned about the progression and flow of the home,” Derrick says. “Our lengthy planning paid off, and we were able to accomplish that flow in our plans and execution of the design of the home.” It started with the interior square footage—all 8,300 of it. “How the clients live and interact determined what kind of space they needed,” he says. Thus he created larger rooms with lots of open space. “The clients like to entertain, so they wanted to be able to have CONTINUED J All images provided by designers and architects

Nov/Dec 2013

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Nov/Dec 2013

Notes From the Bureau

DESIGN BUREAU

a lot of people congregate in the same open space together.”

(CONTINUED)

Although there are many open spaces, the home has a whopping 54 rooms in total, including a mudroom and a breakfast room with a cathedral ceiling and large timber beams. “One of my favorite rooms in the house is the wife’s office,” Derrick says. “It’s in the heart of the home, but it’s still very private and functional.” But a home this size wouldn’t be complete without a complementary outdoor space.“In all my designs, there is an aspect of creating outdoor/indoor spaces so we can enjoy the outside of the home as much as the inside,” Derrick says. “What the homeowners wanted fit that philosophy perfectly. Their outdoor patio became a perfect extension of the house for entertaining outside.”–Sara Driscoll Aspen Leaf Interiors

PAINTING WITH TWO BRUSHES Marcio Decker explains his dual passions As a founder of California-based Aspen Leaf Interiors and an exhibiting artist, Marcio Decker knows that painting and interior design are not disparate pursuits. He explains how they complement, and even inf luence, each other. DB: What is the difference in your approach with a blank canvas versus an empty room? MD: With both, you just can’t be afraid. Both are there in front of you, ready to be worked. You must have the excitement and the drive to just go in and fearlessly design or paint, to organize the space. DB: How does your painting influence your interior designs, and vice versa? MD: Both require spatial coordination, and both must be very carefully put together. If you see a color that is out of place on a painting, it can damage the whole experience. And it’s the same in design: a piece can spoil an entire room. DB: Do you find it difficult to balance the two practices? MD: They fulfill different parts of me. With interior design, I have obligations to my clients. I use my tastes, my knowledge, and my training to deliver the room or house that they want. When I’m painting, it’s all my emotion and energy. It’s a language that I’m creating. I have complete freedom.– Lauren Walser Garwood Dean photos by Nicholas Rab Photography; Decker Fine Art photos by Justin Majeczky, varient3.com

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Nov/Dec 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

Back to the Future A Houston homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s midcentury design gets a modern update PHOTOS BY ERIC LAIGNEL

DESIGN BUREAU

Architecture Eye Candy

rchitectural designers Kelie Mayfield and Erick Ragni didn’t have to look far for inspiration on their Banks Street Residence project. Their client’s previous home already conveyed the clean lines and modern sensibility they were looking for. So for their new house, the design just needed a contemporary update. Riffing off the homeowners’ midcentury Case Study house, the Houston-based duo of Mayfield and Ragni Studio had their starting point. “A big part of the driver [on this project] was to bring out a new, more modern interpretation of that style of living,” Ragni says. The two-bedroom residence, which was built with studio space that could easily convert to additional bedrooms, had classic-modern touches like walnut kitchen paneling and large window walls. Exposed-concrete floors and other design choices brought the house up to date. To deliver the quiet privacy the homeowners requested without comprising the property’s openness, the architects cut out the clutter.

Ragni and Mayfield concealed mechanical systems behind a wall and kept other “ceiling and wall acne,” as Ragni coined it, as minimal as possible with creative engineering, relying on lessons learned in retail and commercial design projects. “We want our clients to come home to feel relief from the stresses of the hectic life we all lead,” Ragni says. And as for the homeowners’ original midcentury home? For Mayfield it ended up providing more than inspiration: she and her husband purchased the property and are now enjoying living there themselves. a

A flatscreen TV seamlessly blends into a built-in bookshelf to avoid from adding to the clutter or “wall acne” as Ragni and Mayfield put it.

Nov/Dec 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

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Architecture Eye Candy

Nov/Dec 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

DESIGN BUREAU

The home is environmentally responsible thanks to the latest in window and wall insulation, moisture management, and reflective roofing. And the use of recycled wood and exposed-concrete flooring, along with landscaping that uses native Texas plants, aids in reducing the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall impact on the environment.

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Nov/Dec 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

At Home in Nature A stunning landscape and striking home design complement one another in Illinois BY AMBER GIBSON :: PHOTOS BY MICHELLE LITVIN

Nov/Dec 2013

DESIGN BUREAU

Architecture Eye Candy

Nov/Dec 2013

Andrew Otting, president of landscape-design firm Scott Byron & Co., led the charge on the project’s outdoor vision. “Our goal was to link the architectural design of the house with the natural beauty of the site,” he says. “With the amount of glass, the idea was to bring nature into the house and make it feel like you were living outside. We looked to frame views to the newly developed prairie and long vistas. And the depth of the front property allowed us to create a journey through the property that was visually stimulating at each turn.”

ocated on an expansive site northwest of Chicago, this modern manse features a neutral palette of stone and wood that seamlessly blends into the surrounding trees, flowers, and prairie grasses. “The design of the house engages with its landscape,” says principal architect Dirk Denison of firm Dirk Denison Architects. The collection of single-story pavilions is housed under an undulating roof plane, which connects the natural surroundings to the home’s unique composition. “This home was designed for the ease of living,” Denison says.

“That allowed us to be playful with the ceilings, lifting them up, capturing natural light, and bringing in the views. Outdoor courtyards separate the private areas of the home from the primary social

space, a combined living room and dining room. “The rest of the house is more intimately scaled, modest, and welcoming to friends and family,” he says, referring to details like a cozy nook with a fireplace and an outdoor lounge in the garden. As access to the natural surroundings was integral to the design, Denison made sure it was easily accessible in even the most surprising spaces. “In the stone wall, we set this eye-level-height window so you can take in the whole view of the living room, dining room, and, most importantly, the view out to the property.” a

A neutral palette of natural materials complements the landscape outdoors. Fostering a connection between the landscape and the architecture was integral to the project. Denison designed the home so the outdoors were never far away, no matter where one is inside the home.

Nov/Dec 2013

Architecture Eye Candy

DESIGN BUREAU

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Nov/Dec 2013

BUREAU OF ERGONOMICS

The Good, the Bad, & the Gift of Ergonomics It’s nearing the end of the year and time to clean out the BoE mailbag. Dr. Rob Tannen answers two questions that represent the best and worst in ergonomic design.

What’s considered the most ergonomically beneficial product of all time?

Since there are several ways of defining ergonomics, this question can be answered in different ways. If we interpret “ergonomic” from its Greek roots, translating into “laws of work,” then the most valuable development is probably the commercialization of the electric motor. By providing affordable and reliable power to the masses in the form of powered tools, appliances, and devices, the time and effort for a myriad of tasks has been greatly reduced. Ergonomics may also be defined in terms of anthropometrics, or fit with the body. While there are highly specialized devices such as prosthetics and medical implants, the closest a typical person will come to a custom ergonomic solution may be earphones. Although expensive, earphones can be ordered based on molds of the internal anatomy of each of your ears for a near-perfect (albeit expensive) fit. Emerging technologies that will allow us to interface with technology via the brain may cause us to redefine ergonomic effectiveness in terms of the fluency and seamlessness of the mind-body connection. Have a question for Dr. Rob? EMAIL: letters@wearedesignbureau.com Illustration by Donovan Foote, donovanfoote.com

What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked as an ergonomist?

Several years ago I was contacted by a car dealer who asked if I thought it was okay to switch the positions of the brake and accelerator pedals in a car. Apparently, it was a request from a customer and the dealer was considering it seriously enough that they sought me out to ask. I’m not sure why the customer had asked for this unusual foot control arrangement, but it may have had to do with a particular physical situation (e.g. a two-footed driver

with a weak left foot). Given the potential legal/risk ramifications, I suggested that they did not do this. Even if this worked for one particular driver, it would create the opportunity for an accident if anyone else were to drive the car. The dealer agreed that it was not a smart thing to do, but wanting to make the customer satisfied thought it best to check with an “expert” first. I guess sometimes it takes an expert to give a person some common sense. a

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Nov/Dec 2013

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ARCHITECTS & ARTISANS

Designed for Good Looks and High Speed NCMA Mounts the Largest Porsche Exhibition Ever in the U.S.

BY J. MICHAEL WELTON

Steve McQueen’s original Porsche Speedster (left) and Janis Joplin’s psychedelic 356C model are both on display (along with 20 others) at the North Carolina Museum of Art’s exhibition, Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed, on display in Raleigh through January 20, 2014.

O SOME DESIGN AFICIONADOS, a classic Porsche might be the ultimate holiday gift. But if there’s less than a snowball’s chance that Santa will deliver one to your garage this year, take heart:

There’s a major Porsche exhibition going on right now at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh. With 22 models, including Steve McQueen’s Speedster and Janis Joplin’s psychedelic 356C, it’s the largest and most diverse Porsche exhibition ever mounted in the U.S. Also on display: some of the earliest Porsches ever made, designed by the man who founded the company that is still run by his descendants. An engineering genius, Ferdinand Porsche was also a pragmatist.

He first set up his design consultancy in Stuttgart in 1931 and began to build tractors and Volkswagens for the German people, at Adolf Hitler’s request. “He was not political,” says automotive journalist Ken Gross. “He took on assignments as they were given.” By 1938, he began to build something radically different: a rearengine, air-cooled speedster in an aerodynamically efficient, teardrop shape. It was designed to run an over-the-road race from Berlin to Rome. Three of the Type 64 race cars were created.

Then came World War II and an assignment for a combat tank that would be known— and feared—as the Tiger. But it wouldn’t be enough to win the war for the Nazis. Toward the conflict’s end, Porsche, wary of Allied bombing, would move his facilities to the relative safety of Gmund, Austria. There, he got back to designing speedsters. “By 1947-48, he’d built 51 or 52 cars,” Gross says. A post-war automotive legend was born. Porsche began to race his 1600 cc and two-liter autos against traditional, water-cooled, front-engine cars from Ferrari, Austin Healey, and MG. The little Porsches emerged triumphant in their class. “They were giant killers,” he says.

“Part of it’s because at endurance races like Lemans, Porsche proved it could go the distance against larger displacement cars.” Porsche by Design: Seducing Speed is co-curated by Gross, who’s the former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and the NCMA’s own Barbara Wiedemann. “You can see what started in 1938, and how it evolves today—and stays true to itself,” Gross says. Joplin’s 356C model and McQueen’s Speedster might be priceless icons now, but you can see them both, plus 20 more designdriven classics, for just an $18 admission fee. Plus airfare, of course. a

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. Portions of this article originally appeared there.

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Nov/Dec 2013

THIS ISSUE’S BEST ALBUMS

Presented by

NINE INCH NAILS Hesitation Marks (Columbia) After a four-year hiatus, Fans more inclined toward the naked aggression Nine Inch Nails returns of Downward Spiral-era NIN may bristle at the with an album that re- buzzy pop punk of “Everything” or “Satellite,” with its Electric Slide-ready chorus. But in truth, flects the laundry list of Trent Reznor’s life changes since he’s been away: marriage, par- “Hesitation Marks” is less of a departure and more enthood, an Oscar-winning film score, and a new of a continuation of the straightforward radio band, How to Destroy Angels. Hesitation Marks rock of With Teeth in 2005 and the stripped-down sounds like Pretty Hate Machine’s uncharacter- direction of 2008’s The Slip. A defanged NIN? istically happy bookend: synth-heavy and fully Perhaps. But also a NIN that isn’t living in the past. [KC] embracing its pop sensibility.

FELIX MARTIN

DEER TICK

VOLCANO CHOIR

The Scenic Album (Prosthetic)

Negativity (Partisan)

Repave (Jagjaguwar)

02/ No, you’re not seeing double…you’re hear-

03/ Negativity, the fifth album from alt-country

04/ Wisconsin’s Volcano Choir may be an out-

ing double as well. Venezuelan guitarist Felix Martin is responsible for a multitude of doubletakes thanks to his instrument of choice: a selfdesigned 14-string guitar (essentially, two guitar necks in one). With virtuosic finger-tapping talent, he performs progressive rock and metal with jazzfusion overtones and elements of funk, world music, and even tinges of video-game and circus music. The Scenic Album, Martin’s second album and first for Prosthetic, is another diverse affair yet still a contemporary to Animals as Leaders and other prog-metal bands. [SM]

rockers Deer Tick, is named for its sense of self. The band has produced a record that basks in a whiskey-soaked darkness cast by a looming desert night. The Providence band was experiencing a difficult time during the recording process, and this thematically colors the songs. Opening track “The Rock” is an ambiguous ballad, with violence and loving bliss intertwining, as picked reverb fades into howls from singer John McCauley. Elsewhere the band trades in Americana for tracks with more than a little early Springsteen in them, most notably “Just Friends.” [LE]

fit known to most as “the guy from Bon Iver’s abstract side project”—and, with its glitchy, experimental debut, that would would have been an apt description in 2009. But a lot has changed since then, and Repave, the second full-length from Justin Vernon and his beloved Collections of Colonies of Bees cohorts, yields a product that sounds more like a legitimate band and less like a recording project. The sonic palette remains abundant with angular keyboards and not-so-organic sounding loops, but it’s evident that the band paved a most sincere path for this album. [DHC]

HBS

JEL

WASHED OUT

In Deep Owl (Self-released)

Late Pass (Anticon)

Paracosm (Sub Pop)

05/ HBS’s In Deep Owl is the solo debut of Sound-

06/ Seven years have passed since the last solo

garden bassist Ben Shepherd, the man behind some of the band’s better deep cuts, including “Head Down,” “Half,” and “Ty Cobb.” The 11-track LP was begun in 2009, before SG’s ballyhooed reunion, as an acoustic album—a letter from a musician who had “personally disappeared” from the music world. However, with the addition of a few great rock drummers—Matt Cameron and Matt Chamberlain—Shepherd transformed the album into something diverse and raw, drawing shades of Mark Lanegan and Morphine in the process. [SM]

LP from Jeffrey “Jel” Logan, the hip-hop producer extraordinaire, part-time rapper, MPC maestro, and co-founder of iconic indie-rap label Anticon. But that time hasn’t meant a hiatus for one of the more distinctive producers in the genre, and Late Pass is vintage Jel: hand-performed boombap beats, moody and kraut-rock-ish samples, and his laid-back delivery of half-rapped, halfsung, effect-coated vocals. Going for quality over quantity, the album is only eight tracks— but they rumble and entrance with deceptive simplicity. [SM]

07/ On Paracosm, his second LP, Ernest Greene (a.k.a. Washed Out) makes overt nods to summery good-time vibes in direct and intentional contrast to his 2011 full-length debut, Within and Without. By Greene’s own description, Within and Without was suited for nighttime indoor activity, while Paracosm reflects his embracing of being outside in the beautifying light of day. At points, he even uses samples of birds and what sounds like people frolicking by water as if to set the scene. Nonetheless, if Greene envisioned this new material to be more inviting, its density also ensures that it takes longer to digest than his previous work. [SRK]

This Issue’s Best Albums is compiled from ALARM’s This Week’s Best Albums, an eclectic weekly series presenting exceptional music. Visit alarm-magazine.com for more. [KC] Keidra Chaney [DHC] Dustin H. Currier [LE] Lincoln Eddy [SM] Scott Morrow [SRK] Saby Reyes-Kulkarni

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DESIGN BUREAU

Nov/Dec 2013

FOR HIRE DESIGN TALENT FRESH ON THE MARKET

FOR HIRE: Ellen Winston Print definitely ain’t dead to this graphic-design student…she’ll take a cool layout over an app any day. And that worked out well for us—she’s our intern!

What type of design work is your specialty? I’m crazy about editorial design. Some people argue that print is dying, but I’m obsessed with it. Printed pieces are a lot more impactful because they’re things that you can save for a long time, while digital designs (such as websites or apps) are more temporary. There are also so many components that go into editorial; it’s similar to a puzzle in that you have to figure out how to combine them while maintaining a consistent style. Who are some of your influences? One person that stands out is Greg Samata. After attending a talk of his, his views and attitude toward design really helped shape my own, and his “go get it” mentality has stuck with me ever since. Describe your aesthetic. The words “clean” and “elegant” come to mind. While my design process is actually quite messy and involves lots of quick sketches on Post-its, I always make sure that everything I include on the final product has a purpose. In your wildest dreams, what would you like to design? I’d love to design a piece that makes people stop and think for a second on a large scale, like Sagmeister’s The Happy Show. Whether it challenges the way people view an issue, evokes certain feelings in a crowd, or simply leaves a lasting impression, I would just love to know that something I designed positively affected someone else. Why should someone give you a job? I’m extremely grateful to have found something that I’m so passionate about and that I enjoy doing so much, so I am very dedicated and hardworking. I work really well in group settings, yet I know when to assume a leadership position.

RESUME SNAPSHOT: Ellen Winston EDUCATION University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, 2014

WORK EXPERIENCE ALARM Press Design Intern, 2013

FROM TOP: Ellen’s Modern No.9 typeface; a project called “Dripping,” which

demonstrates the typeface’s fluid characteristics; a museum gallery guide created to help navigate a large exhibit; a tribute to type, which includes a short history, type examples, and Beatrice Ward’s “The Crystal Goblet.”

Ellen Likes: Gruyère cheese, French bulldogs, sushi, stickers, city lights, anatomical heart illustrations, art shows, statement jewelry, trinkets, glass San Pellegrino bottles

Business Insurance Magazine Freelance Designer, 2011-present

IMPULSE Magazine Designer, 2013-present

Are you a design student or recent grad? Are you interested in being featured in For Hire? Email forhire@wearedesignbureau.com

Ellen Dislikes: Her gluten intolerance, clutter, milk chocolate, scary movies, spam mail, ink smudges

Wanna hire Ellen? Check out her website: ellenwinstondesigns.com

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