Fun and fabulous new lighting from Perch! The sunny Zooey Chandelier will bring the sunshine inside, match with either a Hans Wall Sconce or a Frida Desk Lamp for a complete look! The alluring Perch Birdfeeder and Lunchbox Birdfeeder will have a full flock in your yard in no time! And the original and adorable Early Bird and Black Bird Pendant Lights fit in anywhere.
The Dubai design scene is booming, much like everything else here, and with the new opening of Traffic Gallery in the Al Barsha area of Dubai, the buzz from all the excitement is deafening. Not only are they having a FAB sale during May (first come first serve basis), with designers such as Droog, Magis and Tse & Tse being represented, but they have these awesome items from the Campana Brothers.
Warning: these are almost too cool.
Fernando and Humberto Campana are inspired by South American street life and successfully create vibrant, energetic & colorful unique pieces from found objects such as scraps of wood and fabric off-cuts. Coming from Brazil, one with a degree in law, the other with a degree in architecture, these brothers are establishing worldwide presence from Boston, USA to now, the UAE.
...and one for the kiddies!!!
Great new products by new vendor Parametre by 3form now on 2Modern! Hot new Hexa, Mega, and Quad are innovative 3D textile systems for dividing up rooms and spaces in a non-invasive and eco-friendly way.
New on 2Modern: Droog! Different and fun, Droog's products are wide-ranging; from Doorbells to Swings, Tablecloths to Parasols. Based in Amsterdam, Droog prides itself in "creating innovative concepts that change perspective."
MVRDV, the Dutch architectural firm based in Rotterdam (the name of the firm is made up from the initials of the partner's last names, Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries) has made a name " shaping space through complex amounts of data that accompany contemporary building and design processes". One of their latest projects is Gyre, a shopping mall in the very exclusive neighbourhood of Omotesando, in Tokyo, Japan. In fact, they are the first Dutch architects to build a project in Tokyo. And they succeeded in making a shopping mall look equally interesting as all the design boutiques surrounding it, like next door's Dior flagship by Kazuyo Sejima.
At first, the project was no more than a façade project. But it turned out to be more than that, much to the company's pleasant surprise. The corner location (the crossing of Omotesando and Cat Street in Tokyo) made this an extremely interesting challenge, combining the big flagship-laden main thoroughfare with the trashy shops of the area's back streets. So the building is not directed only towards Omotesando, but opening up towards all sides, with larger brands nestled on the ground level and smaller ones located towards the third floor.
Earthquake regulations, financial and commercial reasons made it all the more difficult to implement the team's initial ideas, like having bigger cantilevers for the balconies or placing the escalators and elevators outside of the building. Having in mind that this was a shopping mall and not a flagship boutique, the architects designed the building with the intention of opening it up to visitors and connect it to its surroundings. Instead of focusing on material, like so many of the façades in Omotesando, this one goes for colour, movement of people and sculpture. Instead of the white pure Dior building next door, we have black, rough edges here. The building was clad in 160 X 800 mm glossy ceramic tiles, with 18 different patterns (including those placed inverted in the façade), thus avoiding repetition.
The building's shape is based on a concept of five boxes rotating on a spiral, both as a symbol of the flow of shopping people and as a gesture towards other building of the area, like Fumihico Maki's original Spiral Building or Tadao Ando's spiral in Omotesando Hills. The cantilevers generate roof terraces, accessible by spiralling stairs. The long staircases along the façade make it possible to climb in a fluent motion from the street level to the top storey.
© 1993-2006 MVRDV. All rights reserved.
Co-architect Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo. Photography by Rob 't Hart.
Continue reading "Gyre, a shopping mall that looks anything but one" »
Can't wait for Spring? Neither can notNeutral! Hot new products are bright and outdoorsy. New Triton 1 and 2 Throw Pillows take the fun Triton Tray pattern and remixes it. Season Wallcandy Arts join the ranks of the Transport and Count Wallcandy Arts. Great for the patio, Triton and Season Hurricanes light up the night. And everyone's favorite, new City Plates!
Fun new and eco-friendly products from Gus! New Jasper Cube is a soft felt ottoman that can go anywhere! The Vintage Swing Arm Lamp is the perfect lighting piece for your loft or studio. And nifty organic plastic Basket, Trays, and Bowl are a refreshing change of pace from the norm.
The new Gucci flagship store is opening on February 8th in New York City. It will be Gucci's largest store and the company's greatest architectural endeavor to date. To enter a contest to win a limited edition Gucci bag and to take a virtual tour of the store, check out their Gucci Loves NY website.
Glossies are a favorite in Dubai, with magazines from all over the world finding themselves tucked away on all the racks and shelves, laid out on tables for free, exposing really great global information: lifestyle to art, interiors and architecture, cars, money, news, property, fashion, make-up, nightlife, it never stops.
One of my favorite ones to check out is called Location, and it focuses on design, interiors, graphics, art and architecture. And, most often, I can find it for free, which helps with the pull! But more than anything, I always learn about some new designer, shop, boutique, artist or website.
In Location this month, there was an article on designing an interior for the Lounge Lover, focusing on, well, loung-y feeling decor, furniture, accessories and colors. And there was my great Location find: moooi. Their headquarters are in the Netherlands, but they have taken over much of the world, covering Europe, non-Europe and everywhere in between.
I went to the website, and OMG! First, you just have to check it out. Just watch the little guy on the bike and then tell me you didn't just want to see what else was going on in the moooi world.
Their slogan line is: design is the unexpected welcome. And what an unexpected welcome they are.
In the collection, they carry whimsically modern and off-beat seating, lighting, accessories, storage, tables, etc. With designers like Marcel Wanders, Anthony Kleinepier and Ross Lovegrove visual delight is beyond compare. In addition, there is news, events, their catalogue and more importantly, projects they have done. Just too cool.
Check out a few of my many, many faves of this exquisitely creative group...ooooooooi!
Check out the new lamps for '08 from Luzifer! The I-Club collection is now complete, with the I-Club Wall, I-Club Floor, and I-Club Table Lamps. The Icon collection has grown as well with new Icon Wall and Icon Pendant Lamps. All new Guijarro Wall Sconces are a fun and different take on the classic Gea Wall Sconces. And the new Link Pendant Lamp comes in 3 beautiful sizes to fit any need.
