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architecture interiors design fashion
THE WARRIOR ISSUE R E NE G A D E A R C HIT E C T F R A NK G E HR Y D E SIG NE R S A R O U ND T HE W O R LD R E F L E C T O N 20 20 S O UT H A F R I C A N D E S I G N ER R I C H M N I S I UN A P O LO G E T I C A LLY C E LEB R A T E S H I S H I S T O R Y A N D H E R I T A G E T H R O UG H F UR N I T UR E AND FASHION D E SIG N D ISP A T C H F R O M SE A T T L E
DOWBUILT ARCHITECTURE / mwworks PHOTOGRAPHY / Kevin Scott
JUDGING PANEL
JUDGES CATEGORIES
JONATHAN ADLER
ARCHITECTURE commercial
PRODUCT DESIGN lighting, furniture
ARCHITECTURE residential
PRODUCT DESIGN other
INTERIOR DESIGN commercial
FASHION apparel, shoes, accessories
GABRIELE CHIAVE KATHRYN GUSTAFSON INDIA MAHDAVI THOM MAYNE BRIGETTE ROMANEK
INTERIOR DESIGN residential LANDSCAPE DESIGN commercial LANDSCAPE DESIGN residential
GRAY CATEGORIES
WILD CARD open category STUDENT open category
DESIGN FOR GOOD
Project or product that has made a positive impact through design on a humanitarian, community, or environmental issue. THE LEGACY AWARD
This lifetime achievement recognition is reserved for a designer based in the Pacific Northwest.
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AUGUST 27
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Winning projects will be featured in GRAY magazine No. 61, ‘The Legends Issue,’ released during the GRAY Awards Party. PUBLICLY ANOINTED
Winners are revealed during the GRAY Awards Party and celebrated with the type of fanfare typically reserved for royalty and rockstars.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
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NO 5 9 :
THE WARRIOR ISSUE
12 . M A S T H E A D 18. B A C K S T A G E P A S S
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DESIGN DNA
3 5. F I E L D N O T E S
5 7 . F A S H I O N
Designers across the globe share lessons learned in 2020.
40. F I R S T L O O K
H&M’s newest designer collaboration, a book celebrating women in design, Muller Van Severen for HAY, and more.
42. D E S I G N D I S P A T C H
Seattle: The Emerald City’s design scene is shining bright.
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With his daring aesthetic, South African designer Rich Mnisi unapologetically celebrates his history and heritage through furniture and fashion.
64. C O L L A B O R A T I O N
Ceramist Simone Bodmer-Turner transmutes her biomorphic sculptures into wearable art for a jewelry collaboration with AGMES.
ON THE COVER
South African fashion designer Rich Mnisi draws from his heritage to create fantastical collections of clothing and furniture. By Rachel Gallaher See page 57
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68. C H A N G E M A K E R
The Alternative Limb Project reimagines prosthetics as works of art, while coaxing viewers and wearers alike to reconsider the limits of the human body.
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FEATURES
L AST CALL
75. B E T T E R W I T H A G E
95 . C O N C I E R G E
At 92, renegade architect Frank Gehry is turning to social- justice-focused projects and staying busier than ever.
88. M E E T I N G O F THE MINDS
An inspired conversation about social equity in architecture between Toshiko Mori and Pascale Sablan.
Exceptional places to relax and unwind, from Mykonos to Seattle to West Hollywood.
1 0 8 . T R A N S P O R T
Transportation tech blurs the line between bike and car.
1 1 0 . A G E N D A
Top picks for happenings on the international design scene.
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MASTHEAD
WA R R I O R
Publisher Shawn Williams EDITORIAL
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ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS
The following design firms are among the best in the world, and are included here on an invite-only basis. We are proud to call them our partners. Consider them first for your next project. To learn more about each firm, visit graymag.com
BjarkoSerra Architects bjarkoserra.com
Designs Northwest Architects designsnw.com
First Lamp firstlamp.net
GATH Interior Design gathinteriordesign.com
Atelier Drome atelierdrome.com
babienko ARCHITECTS pllc babienkoarchitects.com
Baylis Architects baylisarchitects.com
BC&J Architecture bcandj.com
Eggleston | Farkas Architects eggfarkarch.com
Evoke International Design evoke.ca
Guggenheim Architecture + Design Studio guggenheimstudio.com
H2D Architects h2darchitects.com
Hoedemaker Pfeiffer hoedemakerpfeiffer.com
Hoshide Wanzer Architects hw-architects.com
Minarik Architecture minarikarch.com
Mutuus Studio mutuus-studio.com
skylab skylabarchitecture.com
Steelhead Architecture steelheadarchitecture.com
Tyler Engle Architects tylerengle.com
Uptic Studios upticstudios.com
Hyde Evans Design hydeevansdesign.com
Janof Architecture janofarchitecture.com
SCOTT | EDWARDS ARCHITECTURE LLP seallp.com
SHKS Architects shksarchitects.com
Stephenson Design Collective stephensoncollective.com
Studio AM Architecture | Interiors studioamarchitects.com
Works Progress Architecture worksarchitecture.net
Workshop AD workshopad.com
BACKSTAGE PASS
L AUREN GALLOW (“Seattle,” page 42; “Made in Translation,” page 62) is a writer, editor, and marketing consultant working in the fields of architecture, art, and design. She holds a master’s degree in art and architectural history from UC Santa Barbara. She is currently the editorial chair of Seattle-based design nonprofit Arcade.
HEIDI MITCHELL (“An Extension of Herself” page 68) is a writer and editor covering design, tech, culture, people, and places. Mitchell has held positions at various publications, including Rolling Stone, Travel + Leisure, and most recently, as editor-inchief of Town & Country Travel. The native New Yorker has lived in Chicago for five years.
MICHAEL WILSON (“Meeting of the Minds,” page 88) is a Brooklyn-based editor, writer, and the author of How to Read Contemporary Art: Experiencing the Art of the 21st Century (Abrams, January 2013). He has also curated exhibitions at venues including Site Gallery in Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Additional Contributors Hiroshi Abe John Bartelstone Simon Clemenger Becky Dann Anastasiia Duvallie Ralph Gibson Haris Kenjar Omkaar Kotedia Noelia Molteni Alonso Zander Opperman Andrew Pogue Brandon Scott Herrell Ricardo Simal
M The new Olympic Bar holds court in the center of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel lobby. See story, page 100.
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eeting architect Shannon Suess at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel for an evening cocktail felt like a great return to pre-pandemic life. It was my first in-person, work-related meet-up in more than a year, and as we sipped our drinks and chatted about the lobby and bar renovation—Shannon is an associate principal at MG2, the firm that served as the architect of record for the project—I watched her watching the hotel guests and bar patrons as they moved around the space. She admitted that this was one of her favorite parts of a project: returning after its completion and observing the interactions that happen in and with a newly finished structure. Another entertaining story from behind the scenes: There was a point at which MG2 knew that it had been chosen for the renovation project, but the announcement was still under embargo. So, Shannon would show up at the hotel with a tape measure in her purse and attempt to surreptitiously take measurements around the lobby at moments when things weren’t busy! —Rachel Gallaher, deputy editor, GRAY
COURTESY FAIRMONT OLYMPIC HOTEL
CONTRIBUTORS
WA R R I O R
A Century in the Making 271 High-Rise Condominiums Arrive to Seattle’s First Hill in Early 2023
An Elevated Lifestyle
Extraordinary Conveniences Paired with Simple Luxury Designed to reflect Seattle’s relaxed and refined style in a modern way, Graystone honors a neighborhood of legacy and global newcomers.
Reimagining an Era of Sophistication A First Hill landmark in the making, Graystone is located on a rare parcel that commands balcony vistas of the city, Elliott Bay, Olympic Mountains, Lake Union, and Mt. Rainier. A front-row view that has inspired a city and still endures today, is available from every point on the rooftop.
A Century in the Making The Graystone name has historical significance. Its namesake, Graystone Manor, opened in 1907 on First Hill and was one of Seattle’s most sophisticated residential hotels and social clubs. Today the Graystone is reimagining that bygone era.
The Stimson family estates in Woodinville are now home to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. The Stimson-Green home on First Hill is now a treasured venue for special events. DODGE/KREISMAN Collection. From the book ’Tradition and Change on Seattle’s First Hill.’.
First Hill
Little Manhattan First Hill still retains much of its ’Little Manhattan’ aesthetic championed in the early 1900s that made it Seattle’s most fashionable address. It could be considered Downtown Seattle’s Nostalgic Upper Eastside. The neighborhood enjoys a historical significance derived from its uphill locale. It was Seattle’s first neighborhood for industrialists, pioneering families, judges, and mayors. It was home to Seattle’s Bohemian community, and introduced the concept of residential hotels where middle class, young professionals could live affordably close to shopping and entertainment. Just walk the cobblestone streets and see the neighborhood’s patina in the window of every museum, boutique, gallery, famed dive bar, acclaimed restaurant, and ethnic bakeries. Many locally owned for generations.
Live among centennial trees, historic buildings, and cobblestone streets.
In 1909, Harlan Thomas, the architect for Hotel Sorrento was the first in Seattle to place the main dining room, sunroom, tearooms, and roof garden on the top floor to showcase the views of the Puget Sound and Olympics.
Columbia Hospitality, the largest luxury boutique hospitality management firm in the Pacific Northwest, will serve as the exclusive management and concierge for residents. Imagine being greeted each day by an attentive concierge, who knows your preferences and anticipates your needs. Residents will enjoy recommendations and reservations for restaurants and cultural experiences, package acceptance, coordination with preferred vendors for pet care, home cleaning, laundry service, and other convenience requests such as welcoming business guests to the co-working lounge and business center.
Graystone Club: Live the Legacy
A Concierge Lifestyle
But such curated living doesn’t stop at your building.
The Lodge at St. Edward Park Washington Athletic Club Enjoy singular membership advantages with Seattle’s only 5-Star Platinum Club, a city landmark of its own class and reputation. Family and friends of Graystone residents can stay in one of the Inn at the WAC’s boutique guest rooms or stylish suites at member rates.
Only Graystone residents will have exclusive benefits at the Lodge at St. Edward State Park, a Daniels Real Estate property. Enjoy the amenities of a national landmarked hotel nestled in 365-acres of old growth forest with walking and biking trails, along the shores of Lake Washington. Your new backyard offers outdoor fitness or relaxation, a day at the spa, an intimate dinner or weekend brunch curated by Chef Jason Wilson, a James Beard award winner. Only 30 minutes from your future home.
Honoring the First Hill connection, residents will have curated winery experiences with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Enjoy access to exclusive wine maker dinners, personalized concierge service for your wine locker, and entrée to seasonal friends and family Cellar Case sales, an opportunity to stock your own cellar with exceptional wines and new releases.
Benefit from unique access and pricing to award-winning resorts, renowned golf courses, legacy hotels, celebrated spas, and acclaimed restaurants managed by Columbia Hospitality.
Expand Your Backyard
PENTHOUSES Floor 30
HIGHRISE Floors 16-29
MIDRISE Floors 7-15
LOWRISE Floors 3-6 CO-WORKING LOBBIES WATERFALL PARK
A One-of-a-Kind-Opportunity
ROOFTOP AMENITIES
Own Your Home With over a thousand rental units currently under construction on First Hill, Graystone is the only new residential high-rise where you can own your home.
Double Equity Presales at Graystone provide the opportunity to lock in preferred inventory at introductory pricing with just a 5% earnest money deposit and a closing deferred until early 2023, allowing the preparation and sale of an existing home into a future market.
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A landmark in the making, Graystone stands tall in front of: 1: Harborview Medical Center (inspiration for Grey’s Anatomy TV Series) 2: Amazon.com’s first Headquarters (previously the Pacific Medical Center) 3: The majestic Mt. Rainier
See Yourself Living at Graystone
Tall ceilings and operable window walls are paired with timeless materials with an emphasis on organic elements like wood and stone in both light and dark finishes. Every material and system was carefully selected with quality and health in mind, meeting Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) standards.
Your Future at Your Fingertips In keeping with Seattle’s pioneering culture, Graystone has elevated the 3D tour experience. View the Graystone App from any browser on any device and explore the building and its skyline surroundings with dimensional accuracy. All details from the building’s architecture have been integrated to create photorealistic renderings with the specified appliances, fixtures, and finishes for each unique floorplan. See actual views taken with drone photography and furnished residences by Graystone’s interior designer Robin Chell with furniture available as a turnkey solution from Inform Interiors, and original artwork for sale licensed through Foster White Gallery.
Jump seamlessly between floorplans, dollhouse view and 360 panoramas.
Own at Graystone The Graystone offers an inspired collection of studio, one-, urban one-, two- bedroom flats ranging from 500 – 1,200 sq. ft, with introductory pricing from below $500,000 to over $1.6 million. Four exquisite two-bedroom plus den penthouse homes expand to 2,250 sq. ft and start at $3 million.
Buildings Should be Good Neighbors PAUL THIRY
Designed to be Singularly Residential Your entrance is a grand, two-story lobby that wraps around the parklet, with two lounge areas that lead to separate elevator bays for the mid and high-rise homes. The second floor is designed as a comfortable extension of your home with a co-working lounge and flexible private meeting rooms. Upstairs, residents and guests will enjoy penthouse living for all with indoor and outdoor spaces curated for entertaining as an extension of your living room. In total, your home expands to more than 20,000 sq. ft. of amenities.
With a grand staircase from the lobby, let the concierges lead your guests to the second floor’s fireplace den or meeting room for a proper business reception.
A fitness center and board room overlook the tranquil waterfall park creating a biophilic connection to nature. Art is integrated throughout the building.
Paul Thiry is known as “the Father of Architectural Modernism in the Pacific Northwest“ (Wikipedia) and had his office on the corner of 8th Avenue and Columbia Street for over fifty years. Thiry is best known for his work as supervising architect of the Century 21 World’s Fair, and the design of iconic landmarks such as the Arena at Seattle Center, the first MOHAI Museum, and the Frye Art Museum, whose renovation was Daniels Real Estate first project, also on First Hill. Thiry was quoted saying that “Buildings should be good neighbors“, in the context of “decorum“ in architecture, a term best described as “that which is proper, suitable“, appropriately dressed for the occasion. LMN architects, selected as architects of Graystone in 2016 (the year they won the national AIA Firm of the Year Award), made sure to honor his legacy with a building so elegantly suited to its neighborhood that it pays homage to his quote. Daniels Real Estate has dedicated a parklet to Thiry’s memory on the corner where his office once existed, and worked with Hewitt Architecture to create a waterfall park that helps the city retain stormwater while creating a soothing sound for the neighbors around it.
Taking care of your beloved pet is now an amenity, with a separate green area and appointed pet wash to avoid muddying up your home.
Always Exceptional Never Ordinary
Three Decades Restoring the Core and Shaping the Skyline of Seattle
FRYE ART MUSEUM
THE MARK
Daniels is one of the most acclaimed development firms in the Pacific Northwest, considered a leader in high-rise living and historic preservation. Daniels has gathered award-winning architects and designers to ensure that Graystone is a legacy building of its own making.
STADIUM PLACE
STARBUCKS CENTER
Upward and Beyond Enhance your lifestyle beyond your home via Graystone lifestyle partners, which have defined their industries and contributed to the legacy of our region. Prospective homebuyers are able to enjoy unparalleled amenities and opportunities even before occupancy in early 2023.
Live Uphill
DEVELOPMENT BY
MARKETING BY
TheGraystone.com 206.717.5000
Offered by 800 Columbia Project Company LLC. Seller reserves the right to change the product offering without notice. E & OE.
INGA SEMPÉ, DESIGNER, © SOFIA SANCHEZ AND MAURO MONGIELLO
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New and noteworthy in global design.
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FIELD NOTES
LESSONS LEARNED The past 18 months have presented the world with a barrage of unforeseen challenges, the effects of which we will grapple with for years, if not decades, to come. The cultural and economic consequences of the global pandemic and social justice reckonings hit the design industry, but architects and designers held strong, supported one another, and produced inspiring work across a broad range of disciplines. GRAY reached out to 10 studios in the creative community to ask them what they learned in 2020, and which lessons they will take with them as the world begins to reopen and reconnect.
“The line between a physical and virtual meeting has almost completely faded, which also means that the threshold for enlisting an architect from another country and collaborating internationally on projects has become significantly lower. In the past year alone, we have started projects in Los Angeles, New York, and Mumbai, without ever having met the client in person. The fact that these projects were able to take off virtually offers interesting opportunities for moving toward a hybrid model that allows us to realize the most beautiful physical projects around the world while working in an almost completely virtual way.”
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COURTESY DIETER VANDER VELPEN ARCHITECTS
DIETER VANDER VELPEN, DIETER VANDER VELPEN ARCHITECTS
ANDRÉ FU, ANDRÉ FU STUDIO
“I used to travel very regularly prior to the pandemic, which was a great source of inspiration to me. I found travel incredibly valuable, as it allowed me to assimilate the authentic essence of the places in which I was designing projects, and to interact with clients firsthand. Having witnessed the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry, I would like to see hotel design that is prepared for the new normal: deliberately designed to allow customers to feel confident and safe, but without losing a sense of luxury and community.”
COURTESY ANDRÉ FU STUDIO; KELLY HOPPEN, CBE, ©VENNI; ESTUDIO PERSONA
KELLY HOPPEN, CBE
EMILIANA GONZALEZ AND JESSIE YOUNG, ESTUDIO PERSONA
“It’s OK to take time if we need to, the creative process doesn’t respond to any particular agenda or show, and resilience and compassion are key to keeping our collaborative studio thriving.”
“After the last year, what I’ve learned is to not change my routine. I got up every day and went to the gym at home, got dressed as though I was going to work, and went to my study to work remotely. Keeping a state of mind that was organized and that felt somewhat normal helped enormously. I also learned that anything is possible, but you have to be open to change and adaptation or it simply won’t work.” »
“ I ALSO LEARNED THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.” —KELLY HOPPEN, CBE
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—ALAN MASKIN, OLSON KUNDIG
KIMBERLY DOWDELL, HOK
“The past year taught me the importance of consistent and clear communication in the context of leading remotely. While I was president of the National Organization of Minority Architects and no longer able to visit members and partners, I found strength in being able to connect digitally with weekly messages and webinars. Even at my studio, the thoughtful daily messages sent by our managing principal somehow softened the uncertainty we were all experiencing in the grips of the pandemic. People rely on leadership most in times of greatest challenge. Thus, being a steady and vocal leader is vital when silence would be especially unsettling.”
ALAN MASKIN, OLSON KUNDIG
JOHN AND WONHEE ARNDT, STUDIO GORM
“It’s OK to let go. Sometimes timing doesn’t work out for certain projects. We are a small office and have a family. With the uncertainty around the pandemic, we learned to focus our limited time on the projects that we really care about, choosing ones that are enjoyable, meaningful, and that allow us to learn new things.” 38
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“This past year has taught me the value of two diametrically opposite ways of working. Ordinarily, I thrive when I’m in Olson Kundig’s design studio, solving a problem with three or four other people who are smarter and more creative than I am. In that modality, I just know what to do. Last year, while working alone in a small, poorly heated room, I had to adjust. I started a new ritual of getting up before sunrise to momentarily turn off the noise of politics, disease, sadness, and longing . . . and I’d just draw. It was a creative outlet and way to explore solutions and possibilities and I clung to that like a life raft.”
COURTESY HOK; © YVES SUCKSDORFF; STUDIO GORM
FIELD NOTES
“I STARTED A NEW RITUAL SUNRISE TO MOMENTARILY OF POLITICS, DISEASE, . . . AND I’D JUST DRAW.”
OF GETTING UP BEFORE TURN OFF THE NOISE SADNESS, AND LONGING OLIVIA LAM, LIV DESIGN STUDIO
“People are resilient. Having a strong team will be key to your long-term success, allowing you to be robust amidst uncertainty. I’m truly thankful to be working with a team that’s so passionate about design and everything we do here at LIV Design Studio. Our shared passions for interior architecture, technology, and design helped anchor us together when we were forced apart.”
COURTESY LIV DESIGN STUDIO; SAFDIE ARCHITECTS; INGA SEMPÉ
JARON LUBIN, SAFDIE ARCHITECTS
INGA SEMPÉ, DESIGNER
“The last year has taught me that this big event isn’t enough to get a big change into people’s mentalities. The first day after the first lockdown, people were queuing in very long lines to enter low-cost fashion brands in Paris’ main streets. One tries to relate fashion to design, but the rhythm for the [cycle of] creation and consumption is very different. I always try to work with quality brands—the biggest takeaway is that my projects have taken even more time, as factories were slowed down or totally stopped.”
“Over the past year, I have observed how significant the break has been away from the typical work ritual and how fluid our design process has become. I am much more comfortable now reaching out for short and informal conversations and sketch sessions with my collaborators, which is contrary to the previous world in which there was a certain formalism to setting and attending proper meetings. Also, according to my wife, I’m an angry typist.
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FIRST LOOK
New and noteworthy.
WO M EN’ S WO R K
Name an influential female designer from the past 100 years and chances are, she’s in the pages of Woman Made, a forthcoming title from Phaidon. Slated for release at the end of September and authored by Jane Hall, a founding member of the London-based, Turner Prize–winning design collective Assemble, this tome celebrates women’s influence on
industrial design. Featuring more than 200 names from around the globe—from Aino Aalto and Ilse Crawford to Edith Heath and Hella Jongerius—Woman Made offers insights on each designer’s contributions to the field and spotlights a product for which she has become known.
Seventeen years ago, Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M launched its first high-design collaboration, with Karl Lagerfeld—talk about an entrance. In the nearly two decades since, the company has partnered with dozens of brands in the elite fashion ranks, including Comme des Garçons, Stella McCartney, Balmain, and Alexander Wang. This September, H&M is releasing its newest crossover collection, a collaboration with Tokyo-based independent luxury label TOGA. Founded in 1997 by Yasuko Furuta, TOGA has gained critical acclaim and a devoted international fan base for its effortlessly cool, gender-neutral pieces with a fierce edge. Offerings range from dresses and skirts in bold floral and gingham prints to reversible bomber jackets, loungewear, and hybrid-material trench coats. The detailing for which the brand is known spans the spectrum too, from classic tailoring to the surprise of a bead-embellished pocket.
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PHAIDON; COURTESY OF H&M
STR E E T CH IC
ED GE A PPEA L Danish design brand HAY has a handful of collaborations debuting this fall, but the one that stands out—for its playful use of form and color—is a creative crossing with Belgian artist duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, founders of Muller Van Severen. The pieces in the Arcs collection (launching August 16), which include wall sconces, shades, vases, and candleholders with distinctive scalloped edges, are crafted from steel and available in an array of colors. The Two-Colour Tables (available in November, in both rectangular and round forms) have steel tube legs and tops crafted from Valchromat, a composite material made from wood fibers colored with organic dyes. Simple lines and vibrant shades bring an air of Scandi-cool to these everyday items.
COURTESY HAY; © SIMON MENGES
R EV I V I NG M I ES
The Nationalgalerie—a modern art gallery in Berlin—is known for its collection of early-20thcentury work from masters including Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and Gerhard Richter. But for design lovers, one of the museum’s buildings is every bit as attractive as the art it holds. Neue Nationalgalerie, a steel-and-glass icon of 20th-century architecture, is the only building in Europe designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe after he immigrated to the United States. Built between 1963 and 1968, the gallery is reopening this August following an extensive restoration by David Chipperfield Architects. After nearly 50 years of use, the building required functional and
technical upgrades—air-conditioning, artificial lighting, security, and visitors’ facilities— which the architects were tasked with incorporating while maintaining as much of Mies’ original design as possible. Upgrades to the building’s envelope included improving insulation, replacing glazing, and repairing the steel frame of its distinctive canopy. “The Neue Nationalgalerie is a touchstone for me and many other architects,” architect David Chipperfield says. “Seeing behind its exterior has revealed both its genius and its flaws, but overall, it has only deepened my admiration for Mies’ vision.” —Rachel Gallaher h
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DESIGN DISPATCH
INTEL
THE EMERALD CITY’S DESIGN SCENE IS SHINING BRIGHT. By Lauren Gallow If city dwelling is life in the fast lane, then living in Seattle is akin to moving at warp speed. For most of the 2010s, this was the country’s fastest-growing city, thanks in large part to the rapid expansion of the tech industry that calls it home. The birthplace of Microsoft, Amazon, Zillow, and Expedia, to name but a few, Seattle is a veritable hotbed of high-speed innovation, and not just in the digital realm. The city’s design scene is flush with pioneering idealists who forge their own paths, often drawing on the lush natural environs of the Pacific Northwest for inspiration. The geography of snowcapped mountains, moss-laden forests, and glimmering lakes attracts folks with a sense of wanderlust and adventure, which spills over into the realm of design. Seattle creators like to go their own way, embracing the risk of trying new things, but with a healthy dose of modernist restraint. Here, a list of five trailblazing designs and designers lighting up the local scene. »
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ANDREW POGUE
Integrated landscape and architecture firm Wittman Estes is expanding the concept of landscape in Pacific Northwest design with projects like Aldo Beach House, located in Hood Canal, Washington. A transformation of an existing 1940s beach house, the project doubles the livable area while sensitively embracing the regional waterfront ecology.
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Architect: Olson Kundig Builder: Dovetail Photos: Aaron Leitz
DESIGN DISPATCH
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EXPERIENCE
WITTMAN ESTES
The concept of merging architecture with nature may be de rigueur in Northwest design today, but Wittman Estes stands out as an integrated landscape and architecture firm doing things differently. “Both Jody [Estes] and I started out as landscape 46
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designers and have a deep love of nature,” says founding principal Matt Wittman, who, alongside Estes, leads ground-up construction and landscape projects for the firm, including a design for one of the city’s first new office building to be
constructed post-COVID-19. For their Duwamish Crossings proposal, Wittman Estes speculated on a human-centric, multimodal replacement for the failing West Seattle Bridge, which closed in 2020. Linking cultural sites and restoring
ANDREW POGUE
parts of the Duwamish River, the design exemplifies Wittman Estes’ belief that in order to meet the moment, designers must broaden their definition of landscape. Says Wittman, “Landscape is the in between, the around, the beyond.
It is the void that includes our surroundings and where space begins. In art theory, this is called the ‘negative space.’ In this space, the world of landscape begins, where movement, light, shadow and the unknown can happen.” »
Epitomizing Wittman Estes’ holistic approach, Yo-Ju Courtyard House features integrated architecture, interior, and landscape design by firm principals Matt Wittman and Jody Estes. Located in a suburban neighborhood, the property nevertheless manages to welcome the natural environment inside via a strategically placed courtyard.
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SEE
Perhaps Seattle’s best-kept interior design secret, Heidi Caillier maintains a low profile despite her pitch-perfect interiors that effortlessly merge modern and vintage—perhaps because of her untraditional entry point into design. “I actually have a master’s
degree in international public health,” says Caillier, who started a design blog as a passion project 12 years ago and never looked back. Since launching her eponymous studio in 2014, the designer has steadily built a portfolio of
residential and commercial interiors that deftly walk the line between traditional and contemporary. Caillier’s must-follow design rule? “Every room needs at least one piece of vintage,” she insists. “The patina helps the design feel lived-in, and they
often end up being pieces that clients keep forever and pass down to their children.” Caillier’s deep love of history and period detail lends her interiors an authoritative yet modest elegance—traits also embodied by Caillier herself.
HARIS KENJAR
DESIGN DISPATCH
HEIDI CAILLIER DESIGN
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HOUSEWRIGHT GALLERY
best in international design. Part furniture showroom, part antiques shop, and part art gallery, Housewright offers a tastefully curated assemblage of bespoke home goods sourced
from artisans in Belgium, Brazil, and everywhere in between. Reflecting Hoedemaker Pfeiffer’s art-forward design philosophy, the shop hosts a rotating series of art exhibitions in its
airy new space in Seattle’s industrial-hip Georgetown neighborhood, giving design treasure-hunters even more to love. »
COURTESY HOUSEWRIGHT
Launched in 2018 by Tim Pfeiffer and Steve Hoedemaker of Seattle architecture and interiors firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer, Housewright Gallery has become a Northwest destination for the
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Locals often speak of the “Seattle freeze,” a reclusiveness that manifests in a standoffish demeanor—and in the understated fashions created by Northwest designers. When Colombian designer Luis G. Vélez launched his apparel and sneaker brand, Guillermo Bravo, in late 2018, he wanted to shake things up. “I felt there was plenty of room for people with an authentic voice who were trying 50
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to do things differently,” Vélez recalls, and with that, Guillermo Bravo’s off-kilter and subtly subversive sensibility was born. Riffing on Seattle’s techforward ethos, the brand features androgynous puffer jackets, shorts with magnetically detachable pockets, and a particularly quippy spin on the fisherman’s vest with meticulously ruched pockets. And don’t forget
the fashion-forward sneakers, which Vélez peddles to the masses at Corre, a new boutique he launched with fellow designer Shadia K’David in the quiet, tree-lined Madrona neighborhood. Through it all, Vélez is driven by the personal power that fashion can foster. “Growing up as an insecure Latino kid, I’ve long explored how clothes can be like armor,” he says.
BRANDON SCOTT HERRELL
GUILLERMO BRAVO
STAY
LOTTE HOTEL SEATTLE
COURTESY LOTTE HOTEL SEATTLE
As Seattle’s newest luxury lodging, Lotte Hotel serves up a rare dose of opulence to Jet City. When setting up shop for its first West Coast outpost, Korean hotel group Lotte zeroed in on a ZGF Architects–designed, zig-zagging high rise in the heart of Seattle’s downtown business district. The modern tower is adjacent to the Sanctuary, a 1908 Beaux Arts building that was formerly home to the city’s oldest congregation, the First United Methodist Church, and now functions as event space for the hotel. Lotte’s 189 guest rooms feature modern European-inspired interiors, which the hotel group preserved after taking over the property in late 2020. h
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RESOURCE FURNITURE + GRAY
HIDDEN TREASURES IN THE EMERALD CITY
RESOURCE FURNITURE, THE BRAND KNOWN FOR LUXURY, ITALIAN-MADE WALL BEDS AND TRANSFORMABLE COMPLEMENTARY PIECES, continues
Why choose Seattle for your new showroom? Seattle is a design hub that we have always wanted to be a part of, even in the earliest days of Resource Furniture. It makes sense from a business standpoint, as we’ve seen high demand for our products in the region for some time. The city boasts some of the smallest microapartments in the United States and consistently ranks among the top metro areas investing in highdensity housing. Our transforming furniture naturally lends itself to small apartments, though it adds flexibility to spaces of any size. What will visitors discover here? It’s one of our largest showrooms to date, and twice the size of our spaces in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.! We have the most unique and comprehensive collection of wall beds anywhere in North America, including wall beds with integrated furniture pieces such as sofas, tables, storage systems, and more. Visitors 54
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will also be among the first to see our brand-new wardrobes and our new Giro transforming table. We also offer a working design station and resource library. What does Resource Furniture offer that no place else does? Our collection of transforming and multifunctional furnishings is unlike anything else available on the market. Clients come to us from far and wide to add flexibility to their homes, whether that’s by adding a hideaway home office for remote work, carving out extra sleeping accommodations for guests, or transforming a studio apartment to function more like a two-bed room residence. We offer unique, beautifully designed solutions that simply couldn’t be achieved with conventional, static furniture. But our transforming furniture isn’t just functional. It’s designed with aesthetics, longevity, and sustainability in mind, and every piece in our collection is built to last a lifetime.
ABOVE: The new Giro transforming table
creates an l-shaped desk or seamlessly folds flush into its modular storage system. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The Tango Sectional with vertically-opening queen wall bed. Flip-down desk from the Turati customizable storage collection.
Is the showroom open to the public as well as to the trade? Yes! We’re open by appointment to both, and we’re open on Saturdays. Tell us a great behind-the-scenes story about the company or Seattle showroom. I got my start as a design consultant for Roche Bobois’ Seattle showroom. I eventually made my way to New York City, where I worked for Resource Furniture. Since then, the company has evolved into the leader in the transforming furniture market— but it has always been my dream to return to Seattle. The opening of our latest showroom at the Seattle Design Center is a sort of homecoming for me—a dream come true, in fact! ❈
COURTESY RESOURCE FURNITURE
to provide space-saving solutions for an elevated lifestyle. This month, the company, which offers a holistic approach to creating a beautiful, functional, fully furnished home, is opening a new showroom in Seattle. Launched in 2000 in New York City by Steve Spett and Ron Barth, Resource Furniture initially served as a resource library for the trade. In 2007, after they began carrying pieces from Clei, a line of Italian wall beds, the founders pivoted to focus on multifunctional furniture. Fourteen years later, Resource Furniture offers 25 product lines (all designed and manufactured in Italy) through nine showrooms across North America. GRAY visited with Resource Furniture’s vice president of sales and design, Challie Stillman, who oversees showroom sales, brand development, and the overarching design of each showroom, to talk about the new Seattle space and the brand’s unique offerings.
“Our transforming furniture isn’t just functional. It’s designed with aesthetics, longevity, and sustainability in mind.”
resourcefurniture.com NEW
Showroom in the Seattle Design Center
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GLOBAL DESIGN EXHIBITION AND SYMPOSIUM
EXPO TALK | One of the most
recognized industrial designers of his generation, Stephen Burks joined GRAY on IG Live to chat about his inspiring career and his advice to emerging designers.
ONGOING / ONLINE
Enjoy a curated collection of noteworthy product showcases, videos, and live, topical conversations. DETAILS: graymag.com/expo
COURTESY STEPHEN BURKS MAN MADE
CONNECTING THE WORLD TO DESIGN.
Hank Drew is a Seattle-based advertising and editorial photographer with more than 30 years of experience—if we’re counting the first ten years as a kid with his grandfather’s 35mm. Hank’s passion for finding beauty from behind the camera is still as strong as ever. Specializing in product photography for fashion and beauty advertisements and editorial images for magazines, Hank has clients including Nordstrom, REI, Starbucks, Amazon, Phillips, and Marios, and his editorial work has appeared in GRAY and Seattle Metropolitan, among others. hankdrew.com
“IT’S THE THRILL OF DISCOVERING THAT THERE IS NO SUBJECT THAT CANNOT BE MADE ENGAGING.”
DESIGN DNA
ZANDER OPPERMAN
The concepts and creatives shaping our lives.
South African fashion designer Rich Mnisi has an adventurous, exploratory approach to his work.
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DESIGN DNA
FASHION
THE BOLD EXPLORER
With his daring aesthetic, South African designer Rich Mnisi unapologetically celebrates his history and heritage through furniture and fashion. By Rachel Gallaher RICH MNISI’S CAREER BEGAN WITH A PERSONAL CHALLENGE. Growing up
in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a family of educators, he felt pressured to pursue a field that provided stability and security—and his mother made it clear that she didn’t think fashion fit that bill. “She wanted me to choose a career path that was essential and not ‘frivolous,’” Mnisi says. “Eventually, I convinced my family that I could make [a career in fashion] work, and as soon as my mother said ‘yes,’ that I could study fashion, I was on a mission to succeed.” Mnisi attended the London International School of Fashion (now Stadio) and graduated in 2014. A few months after graduation, while he was showing a collection at MercedesBenz Fashion Week in Johannesburg, his mother conceded that he had been right. Through hard work, sheer talent, and endless passion, her son was becoming a successful fashion designer. That year, he was honored with the African Fashion International Fastrack Young Designer of the Year award. In 2015, Mnisi founded his eponymous, contemporary multidisciplinary brand, debuting the Unthinking collection, an amalgam of genderneutral pieces with strong silhouettes (bell-bottom pants, long jackets and skirts) reminiscent of ’70s-era fashions, but done in materials like pleated metallics and dark denims that kept the looks fresh. In subsequent collections, Mnisi inched toward his current aesthetic, which is a bold and joyful celebration 58
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of pattern, shape, and bright color. A scroll through his Instagram feed is a reminder that fashion is more than the creation of garments, it’s a process of storytelling; an investigation (and expression) of the self. From animal prints and citrus-toned checked suits to bell-sleeved dresses, layers of tulle, and exaggerated shoulders that are the definition of power dressing, Mnisi’s work is an announcement that he, and whoever wears his clothes, is here. “I create from a place of confidence,” Mnisi says. “I grew up a very shy person and once I started getting into fashion, it became an outlet for me to be able to explore this other side of myself. It was almost as though it was my alter ego showing up and showing off.” Mnisi also uses his designs, and the campaigns that accompany each collection, to celebrate the heritage of various African tribes (Mnisi is a member of the VaTsonga tribe), incorporating shapes, colors, and patterns inspired by the history and culture of his native region. He also takes inspiration from his family. His current collection, Ku Hahama, is inspired by a dream his mother had about a snake. “My entire family is terrified of snakes,” Mnisi says with a laugh, “but when my mother told me about this dream she had and how beautiful the snake was in the dream, I started thinking about the idea of duality and how beauty can come from pain and pain can come from beauty.” Mnisi explored this idea further in his first full furniture collection, which launches on September 23 and is an extension of Ku Hahama. »
RICARDO SIMAL
A look from South African fashion designer Rich Mnisi’s Spring/Summer 21 collection, Hiya Kaya. The designs were inspired by an appreciation for the women of the VaTsonga tribe, specifically Mnisi’s mother.
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Mnisi is known for his daring use of color and pattern. The Hiya Kaya campaign was photographed in various locations throughout South Africa.
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RICARDO SIMAL
A celebration of the strength and beauty of the women in the VaTsonga tribe, the Hiya Kaya collection draws on Mnisi’s heritage, turning its essence into wearable art. »
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FROM TOP: A look from Mnisi’s 2021 Ku Hahama transseasonal
collection, which was inspired by a dream his mother had about a beautiful snake on her back; the dream led Mnisi to contemplate the concept of duality: light and darkness, dreams and nightmares. A shot from the Ku Hahama campaign.
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In 2018, Southern Guild—a South Africa–based furniture and design group with a gallery in Cape Town— asked Mnisi to design a chaise and a stool that complemented his NwaMulamula (meaning “the Guardian”) runway collection, named for his late great-grandmother. The new furniture line, Nyoka, presented through Southern Guild, will include rugs, a chandelier, chairs, chaise lounges, and more. “The chandelier was the scariest part for me!” Mnisi says of the complicated bronze-and-resin piece. Collaborations with several regional artisans were crucial to Mnisi’s process and further his mission to promote craft and South African handwork in his practice. As a result, he says, “this collection feels like the most important thing I’ve ever done.” Mnisi will be putting out a fashion collection this fall but is staying tight-lipped about it. What he has revealed is that he is no longer interested in subscribing to the traditional Eurocentric fashion seasons. “I’m designing for Africa, so it makes sense to design for the people who live here and the way that they wear and use clothing,” he says. His design approach is similarly nonconformist. “I used to be anxious that being a designer meant that you had to design a certain way,” he says. “Sketch, post the drawing up, look at it, refine . . . but that doesn’t always work for me. Sometimes I design by writing out outfit descriptions in Excel, other times I’ll be inspired by a song and just start sketching. I only recently came to terms with the idea that there isn’t a set way of approaching the design process.” Whatever Mnisi is doing, it’s working. In 2019, he was named Emerging Designer of the Year at Essence’s Best in Black Fashion Awards and inducted into the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2019. “I find that a looser approach allows for things to happen naturally,” he muses. “You can really develop your aesthetic when there are no restrictions around you.” h
SOUTHERN GUILD
Furniture designed by Mnisi for Southern Guild, a South Africa–based furniture and design group with a gallery in Cape Town. Titled Nwa-Mulamula, the collection is inspired by Mnisi’s late great-grandmother.
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DESIGN DNA
COLLABORATION
MADE IN TRANSLATION
Ceramist Simone Bodmer-Turner transmutes her biomorphic sculptures into wearable art for a jewelry collaboration with AGMES. By Lauren Gallow Photographed by Anastasiia Duvallie
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THIS PAGE: The sterling-silver Simone necklace
evokes the amorphous forms of Simone BodmerTurner’s stoneware sculptures in wearable art. OPPOSITE: Since launching her ceramics studio in 2018, Bodmer-Turner has gained a cult following for her primordial clay forms, like this Untitled piece, which plays with depth and negative space. »
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COLLABORATION
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or sculptor and designer Simone Bodmer-Turner and jeweler sisters Morgan and Jaclyn Solomon, a cross-disciplinary collaboration was kismet. “Jaclyn and I both independently loved Simone’s work,” says Morgan, who cofounded New York–based AGMES with her sister in 2016. “Right before the pandemic, we were struggling to define our next collection. I was sitting at my kitchen table when a message from Simone popped up. I looked up and saw a vessel [made by Simone] on my shelf that Jaclyn had gifted me, and immediately I knew she would be perfect [to collaborate with].” With that, the trio set off to translate Bodmer-Turner’s primordial-yet-modern, casual-yet-commanding ceramic forms into jewelry. “We kept coming back to the idea of wanting to create wearable sculpture,” recalls Bodmer-Turner, who studied with communities of ceramists in Japan and Oaxaca before launching her studio in 2018. “I have such a visceral reaction to Simone’s pieces,” Jaclyn says. “We wanted to make sure we did her work justice.” The result is a line of 18 styles in 18-karat gold vermeil and sterling silver, including earrings, necklaces, brooches, and a particularly striking ring whose weighty, sensuous curves evoke dripping, melted metal. Recasting their typical design process along the way, the Solomon sisters encouraged Bodmer-Turner to sculpt in the materials she felt comfortable with. “Morgan and Jaclyn sent me wax and carving tools, which I tried to use, but I got so frustrated I begged to use clay!” laughs Bodmer-Turner, who used the wax to form the Turner ring and Bubble Hoops but returned to clay to create the small sculptures that comprise the other shapes in the collection. As happens in the best creative partnerships, the collection nudged everyone into new artistic frontiers. “Working small is much harder than you’d think,” BodmerTurner says. “This collaboration cracked open a door for me—the transference to a new medium or scale is scary, but it gave me the confidence to trust myself.” h 66
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
The Long Diane earrings evoke dripping metal and are shown in sterling silver with a freshwater pearl drop. The Baroque Bodmer earrings are in gold vermeil with a baroque freshwater pearl drop (a pearl with an irregular, non-spherical shape). The Gertrude pendant is shown in gold vermeil with an ivory, self-tying cord.
“I’M DRAWN TO JEWELRY AS A COMPLEMENTARY MEDIUM TO MY CLAY PRACTICE BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING YOU GET TO CARRY OUT IN THE WORLD WITH YOU, AS A SMALL OBJECT.” —Simone Bodmer-Turner
“I LOVE THE RING, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS TRULY SIMONE’S CREATION, BUT BECAUSE I CAN LOOK DOWN AT MY HAND AND ADMIRE THE SCULPTURE I’M WEARING. IT’S ART ON MY FINGER.” —Morgan Solomon, AGMES
The chunky, sterling-silver Turner ring is one of the first pieces Bodmer-Turner designed for the collection. Its form was inspired by two favorite vintage rings in the sculptor’s personal collection, which she had picked up over the years during her travels.
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CHANGEMAKER
AN EXTENSION OF HERSELF Sophie de Oliveira Barata’s Alternative Limb Project reimagines prosthetics as works of art, while coaxing viewers and wearers alike to reconsider the limits of the human body.
The Alternative Limb Project was commissioned to create a train-themed limb (seen here on dancer Welly O’Brien) for the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum in Darlington, England. The installation and performance piece The 20:45 to Lover’s Rest was dedicated to railway workers and passengers who suffered the loss of limbs while working and traveling on railways.
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OMKAAR KOTEDIA
By Heidi Mitchell
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I
magine a person missing an arm. Or a leg. Or a hand. Perhaps you picture that person wearing a prosthetic—one that is flesh-toned to “blend” with their skin. Artist Sophie de Oliveira Barata imagines something quite different. Although she has never personally required a prosthetic limb, the former design student, who studied at the London School of Fashion, has visualized endless ways to replace the body parts that extend from our torsos. De Oliveira Barata’s passion for turning functional prosthetics into intricate works of art began when she was working the traditional British role of tea and coffee lady in a hospital near her school. There, she witnessed a crisis-management exercise, for which a makeup artist had created realisticlooking wounds. “It got me thinking about working in special effects,” recalls London-born de Oliveira Barata, who went on to hone that talent while pursuing a career in film. Eventually, she transitioned to a firm that fabricates traditional prosthetics, which she calls “the ultimate challenge” because mimicking the human body without camera tricks takes time, talent, and patience. During this time, de Oliveira Barata met a young girl who wanted to customize her prosthetic leg with cartoons, and the trained effects specialist welcomed the opportunity. “I’m a child at heart and I love to be playful and challenge people’s expectations and stereotypes,” de Oliveira Barata says. The unique design opportunity spurred a new trajectory, and she eventually left the prosthetics firm to launch her own venture, the Alternative Limb Project, in 2011. Her mission: “to bring life and soul to a prosthetic, to highlight what’s there as opposed to what’s missing.” In 2012, de Oliveira Barata created three works for the Science Gallery London’s Spare Parts exhibition, which invited a diverse range of artists to create works using prosthetic limbs » 70
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A view of the in-progress, train-themed limb commissioned by the Head of Steam, Darlington Railway Museum in Darlington, England.
THE ALTERNATIVE LIMB PROJECT
CHANGEMAKER
DESIGN DNA
OMKAAR KOTEDIA
Commissioned for the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony, the Crystal Leg was designed by the Alternative Limb Project’s founder, Sophie de Oliveira Barata, with direction from British singer-songwriter, performance artist, and model Viktoria Modesta. The latter wore the Swarovski-crystal-encrusted leg during the ceremony.
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FROM TOP: Cuckoo, a limb carved from cherry
wood and incorporating a working cuckoo clock, was designed for dancer Welly O’Brien and is featured in a dance film by the Candoco Dance Company. The Materialise Arm was created for British fashion model Kelly Knox and comes in two halves—the top half is designed with interchangeable sections that relate to different aspects of Knox’s personality. The Anatomical Leg was designed for Ryan Seary, an ex-serviceman for explosive ordnance disposal.
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BECKY DANN; SIMON CLEMENGER; OMKAAR KOTEDIA
CHANGEMAKER
as their canvases. Around that time, de Oliveira Barata saw model Viktoria Modesta on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong, with her prosthetic leg in full view. “I read about her story of struggle and of taking control of her body through amputation,” de Oliveira Barata says. “I thought she was bold, brave, and beautiful.” Inspired, the artist contacted the model, and the pair collaborated on five limbs, ranging from the Spike—a fierce homage to power-dressing made of fiberglass, steel, and high-gloss lacquer—to the Stereo Leg, which is crafted from engine and stereo parts and embellished with chains, jewels, and crystals. Modesta’s wearing of the Swarovski-crystal-encrusted Crystal Leg at the 2012 Paralympics helped bring global attention to a crucial form of human augmentation that had historically received little recognition. Like human bodies, no two of de Oliveira Barata’s pieces are the same; the artist has never been interested in churning out a slew of similar designs. Instead, her process is driven by each client: first, understanding his or her aesthetic and functional desires, then finding the right partners, artisans, materials, and platform (film, performance installation, photography) for each project. It can be a long journey, sometimes taking up to one year from brainstorming to completion. “Creating unique one-off pieces with a specific individual in mind is transformative,” de Oliveira Barata says. “Empowering the wearer and inspiring the wider community to challenge the norm and appreciate our differences is my mission.” h
OMKAAR KOTEDIA
Model Kelly Knox wears the Synchronised Arm, which uses internal electronics to take a reading of her pulse. The prosthetic’s wrist then ticks in time to Knox’s heartbeat, giving the design a kinetic element.
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Fearless nonconformists blazing new pathways and challenging industry norms.
The Experience Music Project (now the Museum of Pop Culture) in Seattle was founded by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and designed by Frank Gehry.
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guitar, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is one of Gehry’s most controversial buildings. OPPOSITE: Architect Frank Gehry in 2015.
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THIS PAGE: Designed to look like a smashed
BETTER WITH AGE At 92, renegade architect Frank Gehry is turning to social-justice-focused projects and staying busier than ever.
TOMMASO BODDI
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“FRANK IS AN UNSTOPPABLE MAN, A TRUE VISIONARY. THESE IDEAS THAT HE WAS TELLING ME, AND NOW I EXACTLY AS HE SAW IT IN HIS HEAD BACK THEN. THE EVERY INCH OF THIS BUILDING.” —GUSTAVO DUDAMEL, LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC
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WHEN WE FIRST CAME TO THE SPACE, HE HAD ALL STAND IN THE SPACE, AND I SEE THAT EVERYTHING IS GENIUS AND GENEROSITY OF FRANK RUNS THROUGH
One of Gehry’s most famous designs, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The exterior comprises more than 12,000 steel panels, no two of which are exactly alike.
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t’s a well-known bit of architecture lore: A young Frank Gehry sits on his grandparents’ kitchen floor, building complex cities out of wood scraps, with his grandmother Leah Caplan helping to organize and design the miniature infrastructure. Those irregularly shaped blocks—purchased by Caplan by the burlap sackful at a woodshop down the street from her Toronto home—and encouragement from his family provided the original impetus for some of the world’s most beloved, and polarizing, buildings of the past 100 years. According to the 2015 biography Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry, by Paul Goldberger, when Gehry first considered a career in architecture, he often recalled those times on the kitchen floor, describing them as “the most fun I ever had in my life. I realized it was a license to play.” In a sense, Frank Gehry is still playing with blocks. Though they are larger and more expensive these days, the joy of creation they provide hasn’t diminished over the past eight decades. At the end of June, a 27-acre multidisciplinary art and cultural campus commissioned by the LUMA Foundation (a nonprofit arts organization focused on independent, contemporary artists) opened at the Parc des Ateliers in Arles, France. Rising from the center of the site is a twisting, geometric, Gehry-designed tower finished with 11,000 stainless-steel panels that look like metallic LEGOs. The faceted exterior is punctuated by protruding windows, and, according to the architect, was inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s famous Starry Night painting (which he completed nearby in 1889), while the cylindrical glass base from which it rises takes its cue from Arles’ Roman Empire– era amphitheater. The structure is an architectural power move, and clashing opinions of it emerged 80
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online and via social media as soon as the renderings were released. It’s a very Gehry creation, with its look-at-me façade, eye-popping angles, and use of art as inspiration. It’s easy to feel a sense of wonder when taking in the tower, which engages the imagination as it taps into a youthful spirit of creativity often lost as we age. This embrace of emotion and enthusiasm—the permission to have fun while designing, and to not take oneself, or the process, too seriously—imbues Gehry’s work with intangible qualities that create surprise and delight as they propel his designs into icon territory. “The sense of play is inherent in all of us,” Gehry says. “It’s how you learn as a child, and it’s been proven that play is pivotal in the development of our brains. For me, that sense of play is about curiosity and about listening. I used to talk about it like the cat with the ball of twine— [the idea of] following the ball as it unravels without expectation of where it will take you. With design, I always start with the functional aspects of the building. I spend a lot of time making sure the areas are precise and the relationships of the rooms are functional and that we have respected the zoning codes and the client’s budget. Being rigorous in the early stages frees you up to play in the later stages. It’s an important balance between the two.” Known for his visionary work (his design for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain, which opened in 1997, is credited with shifting the entire approach to the architecture of museums), the Pritzker Prize–winning Gehry, who credits art and artists as an overarching influence, has pushed the architectural canon more than any other living architect. His portfolio of hundreds of projects includes an innovative line of cardboard furniture, museums on nearly every continent, the exemplary Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and »
“IT IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS ACCESS AND INFLUENCE TO USE THEIR POSITION TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITY AND A BETTER SOCIETY FOR ALL.” —FRANK GEHRY, GEHRY PARTNERS
RAMONE SPELT
Gehry’s design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, was a groundbreaking achievement in modern architecture. The museum is an international draw for tourists, who come not just to view its art collections, but to see Gehry’s remarkable achievement.
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the undulating exterior of Seattle’s MoPOP; the Gehry-designed tower on the LUMA Foundation campus in Arles, France, is covered in 11,000 stainless-steel panels and punctuated by protruding windows. »
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CHUCK SCHUG PHOTOGRAPHY; 400TMAX
FROM LEFT: A hidden stairwell along an exterior wall of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles;
© ADRIAN DEWEERDT
“WITH DESIGN, I ALWAYS START WITH THE FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS OF THE BUILDING. I SPEND A LOT OF TIME MAKING SURE THE AREAS ARE PRECISE AND THE RELATIONSHIPS OF THE ROOMS ARE FUNCTIONAL AND THAT WE HAVE RESPECTED THE ZONING CODES AND THE CLIENT’S BUDGET. BEING RIGOROUS IN THE EARLY STAGES FREES YOU UP TO PLAY IN THE LATER STAGES.” —FRANK GEHRY, GEHRY PARTNERS
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ABOVE: The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. BELOW: Gehry’s Der Neue Zollhof complex in Düsseldorf,
CHARLIE MARCOS; 35007
Germany, comprises three buildings with punched window openings on the exterior façades.
COURTESY GEHRY PARTNERS, LLP
his own Santa Monica residence, built in 1978 using an assemblage of glass, plywood, corrugated metal, and chain-link fencing to encase an old Dutch Colonial. It was an experiment in humble materials that started the early-career architect on his ascent to global acclaim. Like many labeled “genius,” Gehry has seen his share of controversy. After he designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a phenomenon dubbed “the Bilbao Effect” entered the design lexicon. The idea suggested that cultural investment coupled with radical architecture would help uplift cities both culturally and economically. Suddenly, the great race to hire Gehry and other “starchitects” to design institutions was on. But there’s a fine line between uplifting communities through infrastructure and gentrifying the areas in which vulnerable populations live. A New York Times article published in April 2021 notes public concern over Gehry’s involvement with the River Project— a current effort, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, to revitalize a 51-mile stretch of channel that was paved over in 1938 to prevent flooding— citing fears that a gentrifying effect could drive out the very people the project claims to serve. Gehry has tried to assuage these fears, and his track record of nonprofit involvement, attention to social-justice projects, community engagement, and interest in youth arts programming contradicts notions of the architect as a heartless gentrifier or greedy developer. Earlier this year, Gehry joined the board of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz (a nonprofit education organization that offers talented young musicians college-level training from acclaimed jazz masters), and he is currently designing housing for homeless veterans in LA. The Gehry-designed Children’s Institute, a center in LA’s Watts neighborhood
Gehry’s first project in Europe was the Vitra Design Museum and factory, completed in 1989.
that focuses on helping children and families who have experienced trauma, is slated to open in the near future. And six years ago, Gehry and activist Malissa Feruzzi Shriver founded Turnaround Arts: California, a branch of the national Turnaround Arts program started by former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011. The nonprofit brings arts education to the state’s neediest schools. “All of my architectural life, I have spent time in elementary schools that are suffering,” Gehry says. “I have volunteered over the years to go into classrooms to try to energize kids through art.” One of Gehry’s latest undertakings, which aligns with his passion for encouraging the artistic pursuits of the next generation of creatives, is the Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) Center. Set to open on August 15, the adaptive-reuse project will house the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s youth-focused educational arm. Gehry was brought on to transform an existing 18,000-square-foot former bank building into a 25,000square-foot facility that will expand
the existing YOLA program to serve up to an additional 500 students annually from the surrounding community. It was also an opportunity for him to collaborate with the LA Phil’s music and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel, once again. The pair previously collaborated in 2012, when the architect designed the sets for the LA Phil’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni opera, and Gehry considers Dudamel a close friend. “It’s been a joy for me to work with Gustavo to create a place where young people can learn and express themselves through music,” Gehry says. “I know how important it is to create a place where students feel comfortable, secure, and welcomed. That was one of the keys to this project. The other was to design a center that gives young people a world-class instrument. We’ve made a space that has the same stage dimensions as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, because that’s what these kids deserve.” »
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inspired. And neither is Gehry, whose firm is currently at work on projects in LA, Paris, Toronto, Cabo San Lucas, Berlin, and Taichung, Taiwan. “I love my work and the clients that I am working with,” he says. “The most valuable lesson: Don’t give up.” And as for those kids with big dreams and artistic drives? Gehry is passing along the mantle of compassion and creativity, optimistic that his interests and values will live on, and not just through the buildings he’s designed. “I hope that [the next generation of architects and designers] puts themselves into their work passionately and does their best on every project, no matter the size,” he says. “I hope that they learn all aspects of
the craft of architecture relentlessly and diligently before seeking publicity. I hope that they do not succumb to the forces trying to dumb down and minimize the profession. I hope that every day, they try to bring art back to the profession, and I hope that they use their talents to make the world a better place for more people, in whatever way they can.” h
The Judith and Thomas L. Beckmen YOLA Center, Inglewood, California.
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JWPICTURES ©LA PHIL
“This is the realization of a beautiful dream that started 12 years ago: to create this space for young people to have access to beauty,” Dudamel adds. “It came from an idea that was born many years before in Venezuela, when maestro José Antonio Abreu created [the music education program] El Sistema with the belief that music should be an essential tool for social change in society. To me, this is a place of inspiration, transformation, and beauty. This building is truly a physical manifestation of our mission to change young peoples’ lives through music.” Though more subdued and straightforward than some of Gehry’s work (no sweeping curves or experimental forms), the space is no less
© FRANK O. GEHRY; PHOTO: JOSHUA WHITE, COURTESY GAGOSIAN
FRANK GEHRY, Fish on Fire (Los Angeles I), 2021. Copper, stainless-steel wire, and LED lights, 43 x 24 x 24 inches, 109.2 x 61 x 61 cm.
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MEETING OF THE MINDS An inspired conversation about social equity in architecture between Toshiko Mori and Pascale Sablan. Written and edited for length and clarity by Michael Wilson
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o the casual observer, architects Toshiko Mori and Pascale Sablan seem to occupy different realms of the architectural world. Mori has four decades of influential projects under her belt—her innovative use of new materials and technologies is underpinned by a thoroughgoing attention to historical context and design tradition. Her eponymous New York–based firm has worked across a broad range of cultural, institutional, and residential contexts, and it recently produced master plans for major clients including the Brooklyn Public Library and the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. Past projects include a school building in Senegal designed in collaboration with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and its sibling nonprofit Le Korsa, and Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake’s first freestanding boutique in the United States. At just 38, Sablan is one of only 315 licensed female Black architects in the United States today. She joined Adjaye Associates this year, having previously designed at FXFOWLE Architects and S9 Architecture. Working closely with the National Organization of Minority Architects, she combines her architectural practice with advocacy work, paying particular attention to issues faced by women architects and architects of color, and prioritizing teaching and mentorship. Although Mori and Sablan have diverse backgrounds and belong to different generations, they share a 88
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fierce commitment to understanding and engaging with the communities in which they work. Often, this involves taking a critical look at the assumptions, conventions, priorities, and lingering biases of their profession and insisting—sometimes in the face of stubborn resistance—that it must change with the times. From Sablan’s curation (in collaboration with AIA New York’s Center for Architecture) of the 2017 exhibition SAY IT LOUD, in which she showcased the work of 20 minority architects, to Mori’s longstanding advocacy for female architects (in 1995, she became the first woman to earn tenure at the Harvard Graduate School of Design), each woman’s contributions to the field combine a deep passion for people with the skill of placemaking to produce spaces that are the epitome of human-centric design. In this, longevity—achieved not only through functional design and solid construction, but also through consideration of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of their work—is a central consideration. GRAY paired up these two industry powerhouses, and a passionate and wide-ranging exchange ensued, in which Sablan posed some characteristically searching questions to Mori to tease out some of the ways in which architects might better listen and give voice to the needs and concerns of those they serve and, in doing so, transcend what she describes as their “villainous” reputation. »
FROM LEFT: Pascale Sablan is one of only 315 licensed female Black architects in the
COURTESY PASCALE SABLAN; RALPH GIBSON
United States today. Originally from Japan, Toshiko Mori, the founding principal of Toshiko Mori Architect, has been practicing architecture for four decades.
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PASCALE SABLAN: Growing
up, I loved my name, Pascale Sablan (SaintLouis), because it didn’t reveal my gender or my race, but last year I realized how problematic that was. Now, I often introduce myself as “an African American female architect.” In discussions of diversity in the profession, many words have been used to describe us: minority, BIPOC, diverse. What language do you use to define and introduce yourself? I come from an earlier generation, but my name is like yours in that no one can figure out my gender from it. And because of my profession—architect—and my position at Harvard—professor—I’ve often been called “Mister Mori.” I’m still a rarity in a largely white, male, wealthy, and elite profession, but I never thought about it like that as a young person who just wanted to do what she wanted to do. There’s a danger in my generation, as a woman especially, that one is labeled. All I wanted to do was disrupt that, so I never chose to identify myself until recently. Marginalized communities have such rich cultures that we miss out on a lot by excluding them. Diversity is essential for longevity. TOSHIKO MORI:
But diversity alone won’t solve all the injustices within the profession. I know many architects of color working in large firms who do highend work. But inclusivity is also about economic background. PS:
The idea of social sustainability that you’re working on and my interest in architectural tradition are both about involving people. We need to think about how to teach students to involve communities in their work. TM:
I’ve said that projects that ignore community in favor of aesthetics become sculptures rather than works of architecture. They’re statements from a point of view that disregards reality, or they become part of the built environment that’s oppressive. What is our definition of success? Are we thinking only about aesthetics, or also about the process and what it represents? When we talk about which projects are winning awards, are they all evaluated according to profit margins, or do PS:
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they use architecture to heal rather than to harm? Sometimes advocacy feels like philanthropy, like you’re making a sacrifice, when in actuality you’re trying to enhance the profession. Yes, the value system has to change. An architect’s clients are the people who use a building, not just the people who pay for it or profit from it. So when we design a school, for example, it’s little kids who are the clients, and you have to listen closely to them to find out what kind of environment would make them want to study. Architects are fairly neutral in that sense, so we’re in a position to bring up voices that aren’t otherwise heard. TM:
I remember going to one studio crit[ique]: The students presented their site investigation research and I asked them what they’d learned about the community. They couldn’t answer. I told them they’d be surprised to hear how willing the community would be to engage with them, but also that architecture is an exclusive language, and when you don’t speak a language, you can’t participate in the conversation. We have a responsibility to translate that language so it’s not out of reach. Little kids of color know what architecture is, and it’s generally a negative. It’s the person who comes in and designs a project “for” a community that generates construction, debris, detours, problems. And then, when the project’s revealed, it’s a signifier that they and their families can no longer afford to live there. Why would a young kid aspire to be part of that villainous system? We need to start making architecture that’s reflective and aspirational. PS:
I take students to places they haven’t been before to get them out of their comfort zone. They have to understand those places by speaking to people and understanding how they live. To break away from stereotypes, it helps to bring them to different communities, different geographies, different economic situations. We can build a new typology but we have to train the next generation so they don’t fall into the same traps. » TM:
RIGHT: Sablan interned
JOHN BARTELSTONE; HIROSHI ABE
at Aarris Architects while the firm worked on the design for the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City. BELOW: The Brooklyn Children’s Museum rooftop pavilion, designed by Mori.
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That leads into my next question. “For every injustice in this world, there is an architecture that has been designed to facilitate and perpetuate it.” This quote from architect and activist Bryan Lee Jr. led me to reflect on my responsibility for the creation of architecture that hurts and oppresses. It also inspires me to now take a stance against participating in the design and construction of certain typologies. Was there a time when you were asked to do something in direct opposition to your values? How did you work through that? PS:
Oh, I refuse to design prisons. Absolutely. I don’t think we have a right to judge, punish, or criminalize another person. What if that person tried to judge you? Why don’t they have that right? There’s an inequality built into the system, and it’s so harmful. Prisons make people commit more crimes. The architecture of the prison is absolutely a wrong typology and a wrong social system. We can come up with an alternative system, but society has to change. TM:
PS: I
take a similar stance. I leveraged my position on the AIA New York board to help draft a statement asking the profession to step away from designing any place with a cage, and to lean into new typologies like restorative justice. The expansion of prisons is a method of creating a slave workforce—every time you build a prison, you’re creating an opportunity for groups to lobby for new rules and new offenses. Committees that specialize in jails— “justice committees”—talk about introducing more natural light, better materials, brighter colors, and so on, but when it gets down to construction, most of those beautifications get value engineered out. These changes don’t address the oppressive nature of the typology at its root. And in New York we have borough-based jails, planned with the idea that families wouldn’t have to travel so far to visit, but that’s not justice. It’s a typology that’s against my values, and it’s part of the profession’s responsibility to explain why we need alternatives. The funny thing about architects is that, by and large, we are still a profession with a conscience! But we do have to speak up. TM:
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PS: There’s
also an argument that has been made about police becoming involved in territorial disputes. In the past, if you and a neighbor had a problem, you had to work it out. But then that became part of the purview of the police, and they began deciding which bodies were allowed in which spaces. That allowed more opportunities for the police to say, “You don’t look like you belong here.” I was an intern at Aarris Architects when they won the African Burial Ground National Monument competition. During the excavation of the site for yet another federal building, the remains of African descendants were discovered. The Howard University team came in, carefully extracted the remains, and studied them off site while the city commissioned the monument design competition. There are an estimated 20,000 African remains in the Manhattan area (a map is inscribed on the side of the monument to show the extent), which means that when the excavations were done to accommodate the foundations of federal buildings, remains were likely discovered, but the structures were built there anyway. The city was literally built on the backs and the bones of our ancestors. So, when I think about architecture that harms, it’s also about the neglect of milestones in the history of a space. Like, what is this space where Trayvon Martin was murdered? What is that now? Is there a plaque? Is there something that holds the history and the hurt that happened there? Or where George Floyd was murdered? Are we supposed to just walk past as if nothing happened? The same thing’s happened with indigenous communities, with Chinese laborers. The [United States] has a short but extraordinary history of oppression—and it’s still occurring now. One recent case was around the tenure of Nikole Hannah-Jones [an investigative journalist known for her coverage of civil rights in the United States] at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which the board tried to not approve. TM:
PS: The
design profession has a long history of disregarding diverse people and their spaces. How do you see the role of BIPOC designers,
“ARCHITECTURE IS AN EXCLUSIVE LANGUAGE, AND WHEN YOU DON’T SPEAK A LANGUAGE, YOU CAN’T PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO TRANSLATE THAT LANGUAGE SO IT’S NOT OUT OF REACH.”
—PASCALE SABLAN, ADJAYE ASSOCIATES
community groups, and practitioners in changing this narrative? How can the design profession at large support the change, and where does the ultimate responsibility lie? What’s so wrong is that this responsibility is handed back to the BIPOC community and becomes a burden. It should be the responsibility of the majority white community, and of larger institutions. You can’t just “empower” marginalized communities and have them clean up the mess you’ve made! Educated communities tend to think that they aren’t racist, but there’s extensive unconscious bias. TM:
There’s also an awareness of privilege and an unwillingness to let go of that. While I appreciate that those who’ve been marginalized now have a voice, the responsibility [for them] to then solve all the problems is where I feel like we’ve tasked them with too much. Adjaye Associates told me that advocacy was part of my day job; I’d never even realized that was a possibility before. PS:
We have enjoyed privilege at the expense of others and often it’s unearned. It breaks your heart when you think about this country and how it’s been built on the blood, sweat, and tears of populations. TM:
[Architecture firm] Concordia in New Orleans hires community fellows; the paid position allows someone from the community a seat at the table while design decisions are being made. As a professor, can you describe your process of community engagement and how you teach it to your students? If you imagine equity in communities that are underserved, what does that future look like? PS:
project about back doors. She had realized that in all these institutions, it was the back door that faced the community; the front door faced nothing and just became an image of power. These are the kinds of questions that the current generation is really interested in. An important job for architects is to educate communities and clients so they are informed and can participate in making the right decisions together to improve the quality of lives. Renee Kemp-Rotan, an urban planner in Alabama, talks about community engagement as not just surveys or inviting people to board meetings, but as an opportunity to offer resources to the communities we are impacting. She also emphasized the importance of trust-building; therefore whatever their responses may be, those answers are valid and should be addressed and handled with care. As a profession, we’re thoughtleaders, problem-solvers, and synthesizers of complex information, and these are all things that we can offer the community. Community engagement should be about longevity, from concept development through documentation, construction, and post-occupancy. TM: The question is, how can we break up the bureaucracy so that a community’s voices can be heard more directly? The process is subtle, but eventually, a community should feel “this is ours.” This is where we have to push it—toward a sense of pride and a sense of ownership. h PS:
I teach students who are assessing a site to analyze from the point of view of potential: to ask who the community members are, what the demography is, and who they’re designing for— it’s not the people who are making the money, but the people who will be using the building. And there’s the question of how you design to engage the community in terms even of the location of entry. One of my students [Rachel Coulomb] did an interesting TM:
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LAST CALL
COURTESY KALESMA MYKONOS
One more round of inspired design.
The suites of the Kalesma Mykonos, designed by architecture firm K Studio, with interiors by Studio Bonarchi, spill down a hillside overlooking the beach of Ornos Bay. The forms are built with lime-washed stone, a traditional local construction material.
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Exceptional spaces to eat, play, work, and stay.
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By Rachel Gallaher
KAL ESM A MYKONOS The architects behind the new, luxury suites-only hotel, positioned to optimize views of the sun’s path through the sky, used traditional Myconian architecture to guide their design.
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Built on a hill to capture views of sunrises and sunsets, the resort’s communal spaces include a bar, pool, and restaurant.
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he sun-drenched Greek island of Mykonos is known for its dazzling blue waters, seafood-forward cuisine, and rich history. So, when architect Dimitris Karampatakis of Athens-based K Studio set about designing the 25-suite hotel Kalesma, he relied upon the island’s Cycladic architecture to inspire his design. Karampatakis and his team placed the hotel’s communal areas—restaurant, pool, bar—atop a hill, then scattered the suites down a slope overlooking Ornos Bay. “The idea was to have a very social, communal core centered around celebration,” Karampatakis says, “and when you go back to your suite, you enjoy a more private moment—it’s the same duality as in a village.” Each suite has an entrance courtyard with a shower, indoor and outdoor sitting areas, a bathroom with a tub overlooking the Aegean Sea, and a heated pool with an infinity edge. Athens-based Studio Bonarchi oversaw the interior design, creating serene spaces with a harmonious mix of textures, colors, and materials. “Myconian tradition, local history, and the aloni, the old threshing floor, were sources of inspiration for the style,” says Vangelis Bonios, the design firm’s principal. “This unique origin inspired me to create an elemental dialogue between the exceptional surroundings and the interiors. An amalgam of tradition with contemporary design elements defines my interpretation of the Cycladic style.” »
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FROM TOP: Studio Bonarchi created interiors with
neutral tones, minimal furnishings, and an emphasis on materiality. The palette includes dark wood and Greek stone.
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“The beauty of the whiteness that characterizes the traditional Cycladic architecture is the real protagonist,” says Vangelis Bonios of Studio Bonarchi. “It creates a calming monochrome background. Whitewashed walls together with sandblasted stone floors in earthy colors and dark wooden ceilings create an ideal canvas for the interiors, in a way that allows the blue color of the sea to stand out.”
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O LY M PI C BA R AT T HE FA I R M ON T OLY MP IC Seattle’s Fairmont Olympic—the historic downtown hotel that opened in 1924—is ushering in a fresh new era. In April, after months of construction, the finished first phase of a multi-part renovation was revealed: a newly reconfigured lobby with the striking, Art Deco–inspired Olympic Bar taking center stage. Local architecture firm MG2 served as the architect of record on the project, while Barcelona-based design firm Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio (LRV) carried out the interiors program. The two creative forces collaborated to craft a glamorous space that feels contemporary but still respects the original architecture and history of the building. “We’ve been in the Seattle area for over 50 years, living, breathing, and deeply entrenched in the history and nuances that have defined our city’s architecture,” says architect Shannon Suess of MG2. “Our primary focus and obligation were to uphold and preserve every intricate detail contributing to the Fairmont Olympic Hotel’s historic heritage, local significance, and landmark status.” » 100
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FROM TOP: Barcelona-based design firm Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio
designed the interiors for the renovated Fairmont Olympic Hotel lobby and Olympic Bar. The original woodwork was preserved to maintain the historic spirit of the space. OPPOSITE: Various seating areas offer guests different experiences of the bar, from intimate tables for two to sofas that welcome larger groups.
COURTESY FAIRMONT OLYMPIC HOTEL
“THE INSPIRATION WAS THE DESIRE FOR THE FAIRMONT OLYMPIC TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY ITSELF AS A MEMORABLE DESTINATION AND HOME BASE FOR THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY AND VISITORS ALIKE.” —SHANNON SUESS, MG2 GRAY
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Now divided into various seating areas—long, undulating sofas upholstered in jewel-toned velvets, high-top tables tucked into private corners, brass-framed chairs that stand out against the marble-topped bar—the transformed lobby offers a rich combination of colors and textures that complement original carved wood casework, columns, and balcony railings. Bookshelf-lined walls hold curios that nod to the hotel’s history (antique books, blackand-white photographs), and curved-back furniture pieces play on the room’s structural arches. Towering above the bar is an industrial-looking custom kinetic art piece designed by LRV and engineered by Fuhtah Engineering and Prototypes. “The spark for this [art piece] came from the original hotel logo: a ship, still visible on an elevator in the lobby,” says Lázaro Rosa-Violán of LRV. “We never wanted to build an actual ship in the bar, but we wanted to use elements and materials from the nautical world, such as poles, ropes, wood, and sails. With all these elements, we designed an art piece that brings movement to the lobby, casting dynamic shadows on the vaulted ceiling.” »
The new Olympic Bar holds court in the center of the lobby. The design team of Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio and MG2 aimed to seamlessly integrate the space with the existing infrastructure, making it feel as though the bar has always been there. A rich mix of materials and textures gives the space a cosmopolitan air.
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ABOVE: At Pause Studio in West Hollywood, curvilinear wood-slat walls are inspired by the work of sculptor Richard Serra. OPPOSITE, FROM TOP: Shades of blue used throughout the space enhance the calming vibe. Treatment areas are grounded by
minimalist décor and offer guests flotation therapy, infrared sauna therapy, IV vitamin therapy, and more.
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MEIWEN SEE FOR PROJECT M PLUS
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PAUS E ST U DI O After stepping through the doors of experiential wellness studio Pause’s newly opened second location, patrons might forget that they’ve just left the sidewalks of West Hollywood. Between the science-backed rejuvenation treatments— flotation therapy, infrared sauna therapy, IV vitamin therapy, and more—and the transformative design, undertaken by local architecture firm Project M Plus, it’s easy to drift away into an escapist daydream. “The original [Pause] location in Venice has a California beach-shack vibe,” says Cleo Murnane, cofounder and creative director at Project M Plus, “so for the second one, we envisioned a more premium experience. We kept the light, airy, and organic feel, but drew inspiration from Mediterranean coastal destinations.” The new studio’s minimalist architecture and brand-forward color palette in shades of blue nod to the surrounding upscale neighborhood and reinforce a calming spa experience. A large lobby features curvilinear, satin-finished woodslat walls (a detail that’s repeated throughout the studio) that are, according to Murnane, “inspired by the work of [sculptor] Richard Serra. The forms and the play of light naturally guide visitors through the space.” Walls are surfaced with plaster and Roman Clay (an eco-friendly plaster finish) to provide subtle texture and are decorated with indigo-dyed artwork and handmade ceramic sculptures, vases, and wall sconces. In the hallway, a hanging piece by MQuan Studio is made from indigo stoneware discs; its desert tones complement a waterinspired wall accent painted a deep inky blue. Elsewhere, the earthy tones of textiles and furnishings enhance the calm, and pieces from the Citizenry—a retailer that partners with international artisans to create ethically crafted furniture and accessories—have simple lines that blend with the surrounding décor. Treatment rooms feature custom vanities, terracotta flooring, zellige tile imported from Italy, and acoustic panels—made from recycled wine corks—in organic shapes inspired by Sahara Desert sand formations carved by the wind. » GRAY
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Earthy tones and mixed wood finishes add depth to the soothing space. “With a design theory rooted in biophilia, the effect is meant to be relaxing, tranquil, and connected with nature,” says Cleo Murnane of Project M Plus.
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ABOVE, FROM LEFT: A water-inspired wall accent is framed by hallway walls finished in plaster and Roman Clay (an eco-friendly plaster finish). The treatment rooms have custom vanities. BELOW: Sierra chairs from Croft House embody laid-back California cool.
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TRANSPORT
EASY RIDER
With the launch of its electric Model 1, Civilized Cycles introduces transportation technology that blurs the line between bike and car. By Rachel Gallaher
AFTER FIVE YEARS OF DESIGN, development, and
testing, Brooklyn-based Civilized Cycles has released the Model 1 electric bike—the world’s first e-bike with self-leveling air suspension that adjusts to the weight of passengers and cargo. The brainchild of Zachary Schieffelin, who founded Civilized Cycles in 2016, the Model 1’s function-driven form is meant to
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provide a smooth, steady trip. “Most other folks are putting motors on a regular bicycle and calling it quits,” Schieffelin says. “We see the opportunity as being much larger: We’re creating a new class of vehicle engineered around broader consumer needs and behaviors.” Blending the functionality of a cargo bike with the
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flexibility of a passenger cycle, the Model 1 has a bespoke hydroformed aluminum frame that can hold two passengers, and panniers that expand to carry up to four fully loaded grocery bags. The patented automated rear suspension system uses an onboard compressor, air spring, and sensing-and-control logic to match the weight on the bike, delivering a smooth,
comfortable ride. Any time the weight changes significantly, a simple push of a button will reset the suspension to its optimal function. “Our goal is to show what is possible in this class of vehicle,” Schieffelin says, “and to prove that our green future is not a sacrifice, it’s an upgrade.” h
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GRAY’s top picks for events, fairs, and happenings on the international design scene.
AGENDA
SEATTLE DESI GN FESTI VAL AUG 21–22 | SEATTLE
CHI CAGO A RCH ITE C TU R E BIE N N IAL SEPTEMBER 17–DECEMBER 18 | CHICAGO
Embracing a collaborative, community-led design approach, the fourth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, this year titled The Available City, will present transformative possibilities for vacant urban spaces that are created with and for area residents. Led by artistic director, designer, and educator David Brown, the multi110
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month event will employ talks, build-outs, exhibitions, and events to confront, and create a dialogue around, the often-opaque process of city design and development, and propose alternative, more inclusive design processes. Biennial programming will take place across digital platforms and throughout Chicago neighborhoods
with happenings and installations that activate community gardens, decommissioned schools, and storefronts, in addition to vacant lots. Participating design studios include Borderless Studio, Norman Teague Design Studios, architect Negin Moayer of BNMO Design, and Open Architecture Chicago. »
TREVOR DYKSTRA; COURTESY OF CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL / ROGER SHERMAN, 2014
Seattle Design Festival, the city’s annual celebration of architecture and design, is back this August with a free outdoor event. Presented by Design in Public with the theme “Emerge,” the two-day event will be held in Lake Union Park and will focus on community, creativity, and reconnection. The always-popular Block Party will consist of interactive built design installations (participants include MG2, Johnston Architects, and Olson Kundig), as well as pop-up design activities and experiences for all ages and abilities. Festival highlights include walking design tours with Seattle Architecture Foundation, printmaking, home-built-boat races, a site-responsive performance set in Freeway Park, and more.
Design Connects
The IDS Vancouver official offsite program of curated live events is taking place in and around Vancouver, BC from Sept 30-Oct 3, 2021. IDS Vancouver is proud to present this exciting program that continues to prove their investment in and love of the West’s design industry.
Interior Sept 30-Oct 3 Design 2021 Show Vancouver IDSVancouver.com
Wonderment Offsite at IDS Vancouver 2020 by LM Studio & Studio Block, Presented by Green Theory Design
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Salone del Mobile, Milano 2019.
SU P ER SA L ON E
SEPTEMBER 5–10 | MILAN
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work from hundreds of international brands will be showcased in thematic exhibitions. The fair will also feature distinct zones for panel talks and speaker presentations, lounges for meetings, food courts, and areas for lounging. Attendees will be welcomed at the entrance with an installation of 200 trees, provided by Forestami, that will be relocated to Milan’s metropolitan area after the fair. h NOELIA MOLTENI ALONSO
Supersalone, the new event being held under the banner of Salone del Mobile and curated by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, will celebrate the resilience of the international design community throughout the past 18 months. For many brands, the September happening will mark the first opportunity in more than a year to show their products at a physical event. Working with a team of collaborators, Boeri has proposed a fresh format inspired by the idea of a large design library, in which
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of Practice Hospitality join host Brandon Gaston In the Design Lounge at High Horse in the Bidwell Marriott.
THURSDAYS AT 4PM PT / 7PM ET Pour a beverage and join us IN THE DESIGN LOUNGE, where we’re mixing business with pleasure over swanky cocktails, casual conversations, and some fun and games. Host Brandon Gaston visits with guests for an inside look at what drives their creativity, innovation, and success. Cheers! DETAILS: graymag.com/in-the-design-lounge
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: GRAY Magazine Presents
AUG. 12 | SEATTLE To mark the launch of this issue, GRAY will bring the magazine to life with an immersive, improvisational experience. For one night only, the creative community will come together to celebrate the accomplishments of designers and the ideas featured in the latest edition. Subscribe to our e-newsletter for details and ticket info. DETAILS: graymag.com/enewsletter-subscription
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