2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

Residential Starchitects on the Rise in New York

I wanted to make quick reference to a fun article in this week's Sunday New York Times called "Nice Tower! Who’s Your Architect?".  It's about the new trend in residential New York "starchitecture". I still haven't made up my mind if it's a blessing or a curse to have residential developers finally realize it might be appealing to have an avant-garde world renowned architect design their building. It's appealing because I always find it challenging and exciting when people like Frank Gehry press physical space to their limits. It's unappealing because, as an unknown architect, I have fewer chances to break into this upper crust of design stars. If you only choose a brand name designer then how do the young guns move up?

In the last five years more than a dozen have been completed; maybe a dozen more are scheduled to break ground this year. They range from soaring, elaborately decorated towers by international celebrities like Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry to smaller but equally ambitious architectural statements by lesser-known talents like Mr. Denari.

Beautiful chairs at Cribcandy

               

The site Cribcandy is my very last great discovery.  If you don't know it, is like a browser of household design or like a virtual store window.  They select the best pictures that Internet can provide and put all together, including the original link.   So,  is a easy way to find very good pieces.

I've made my own selection here, but you can find many more if you go directly to the category "chairs" from the site.  And, off course, you will find whatever you want in the other categories.

I hope you enjoy my list.  ¿Which one is your favorite?

1) Tete-a-Tete Rocker, by Laurie Beckerman.

2) Doonut, by Branex Design.

3) Scandia Junior Stackable Chair, by Hans Brattrud.

4) Botticelli, by Interior Internet (seller).

5) Get Bent,  by Alexandre Berthiaume.

 

designboom: dining in 2015

designboom's 'dining in 2015' competition results are in and i am just floored.
the competition rules (i should know, i entered and then faltered to find time with travel, work, etc. to actually send in my entry) were to re-think and re-design the way we [will] dine: how we go about this activity at work, at home and during travel. there were other guidelines, such as sustainability and recycled materials and just how our eating habits (how, what, where) and the act of eating in general (with family, on the move, alone) may/may not change according to how the way we live may/may not change in the future. it was an awesome competition and brain-storm exercise (giuseppe and i came up with about 10 ideas while, go figure, cooking one night).
check out the winner(s) and also some honorable mentions and shortlisted entries...i can only imagine how fantastic the entries that didn't make it on this list were as well, it seems like everyone had their creative thinking cap on for this one. i am personally looking forward to many exciting and creative dining adventures in the future (and really cool things to buy for the kitchen in a few years)!

ooooooooi, moooi!!!!

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!

DesignGuide.tv Brings Cutting Edge Design in Easily Digestible Video Chunks

In my ever expanding quest to find quality videos of cutting edge designs and designers I've stumbled upon the work of a website called designguide.tv. It's really not clear as to who produces these videos, but from what I can gather the videos are made by a guy named Robert Andriessen. Robert (as I will call him because his last name I've butchered) is the founder, apparently of yet another intriguing design site called the Young Designer's Network found at www.ydn.nl. YDN, for short has a very ambitious mission statement:

YDN Young Designers Network is a platform for young talented         designers where they look for inspiration, gain new contacts, and share         experiences they’ve had when coming in contact with real life jobs.         We’re creating a bridge between companies and designers, making         communication as clear as possible from both perspectives. YDN aims to         include as many disciplines as possible to get the broadest view and         openness.

It appears that YDN has also fostered several design events and even published a magazine, although the magazine looks as if it is no longer in print. But probably the most interesting bit of content produced by Robert so far is his videos at some of the most interesting and insane design events. These events include the opening of a Droog event I've included above called "Dry Tech" to a very exciting look at the graduating exhibition of Design Academy Eindhoven, one of the world's premier design schools. It is these unfettered and almost behind the scenes looks at events I've only imagined going to that will make in European (and especially Dutch) design lover slobber over.

• For the easily digestible good bits of video, I've also collected my favorite videos of designguide.tv (here). Look for all the posts titled Revver.
  

Another Tokyo Design Week in the Books

The Tokyo Design Week, which basically runs from October 31st to November 4th, is so hard to keep track of and massive that you wonder how anybody makes it to these events. Not to mention, Tokyo Design Week is only a few weeks after the gargantuan London Design Week.

The week has so many big events that's hard to describe, but the simple fact is that two of the events are not to be missed. First, there is Design Tide:

With Tokyo once again in the grips of Autumn, it is time for the third Design Tide Exhibition, which this year has its main site in the auditorium next to the National Stadium.   This historic complex was constructed for the 1964 Olympics and now 40 years on it will play host to a jamboree of design. The continued ideology behind Design Tide is, the necessary things in life, based on this the exhibition will show work from the fields of interior, products, graphics, fashion and art.

The event is broken down into tons of mini design events. The main event is called Tide Think whose theme this year was "Play  = Communication". The range of designers chosen for this area don't fall in the god or goddess category, but thy are pretty damn clever and worth a look. The major Design Tide diversions include an incredible design shop among other areas. For a break down of who attended, check out these links:

• Tide Think
• Tide Exhibition
• Tide 'Super' Market
• Tide Project and...
• Tide Extension

Phew! And the fun does not stop with Design Tide. Along comes 100% Design Tokyo along with Tokyo Designers Week to dilute your precious hours. This multi-pavilion event includes a real mish-mash of fun stuff that appears to have absolutely no curatorial structure. Pavilions include items from the avant garde to traditional Japanese wares to autos. Pavilions include:

• "Container Ground"
• 100% Design Tokyo
• BlickFlang

among tons and tons of other stuff. But if that's just too much to wrap your brain around, many websites including mocoloco and core77 have distilled this down to a few really great posts.

House & Garden magazine closes

On a sad note this morning, Conde Naste Publications annouced yesterday the closing of one of our country's oldest magazines, House & Garden. Since 1901, they have been the source for modern shelter design and sparked the onslaught of dozens of other interiors magazines in the years to follow. This comes as particularly upsetting news to me and other daily readers of Grace's blog, Design*Sponge. Fellow blogger, and my personal inspiration for entering into this field, Grace has been working for H&G over the past two years while still avidly maintaining her personal site Design*Sponge Online. Our thoughts go out to Grace, and to the entire House & Garden team as they say goodbye and look for new beginnings.

Modern vs. Contemporary

There is a little debate going on here that I thought I would throw some commentary on:

http://2modern.blogs.com/2modern/2007/10/2008-dream-ride.html

What is the definition of MODERN vs the definition of CONTEMPORARY?

MODERN: from the dictionary:

adjective:
Characteristic or expressive of recent times or the present; contemporary or up-to-date: a modern lifestyle; a modern way of thinking.

noun:
One who lives in modern times.

So...by definition, anything that is of current time, is modern. So isn't everything contemporary then modern because it is of "modern time"...aka "now"? Well, no, not really...because just because it is "new", doesn't mean that it is "modern".

 

Why is it that classic "modern" design is defined by some as "modern" and new design is considered "contemporary"?

 

Is the term "modern" forever frozen in mid 20th century?

 

(Eames Rocker)

CONTEMPORARY: from the dictionary:

adjective
1. Belonging to the same period of time: a fact documented by two contemporary sources.
2. Of about the same age.
3. Current; modern

 

Blu Dot Buttercup Rocker

Now I am confused..."modern" is listed under "Contemporary" and "contemporary" is listed under "Modern".

 

Now..."Modernism" of course is something a bit different. That term often refers to the movement from traditional forms within the art, design, architecture and literature during the 20th century.

 

Is it fair to say that "Modern" should be the phrase that refers to any contemporary design that is moving away from traditional forms of design? If that is the case, when does the old guard of "Modern" become more stale and traditional and the new designers of current times become more "Modern" based on the definition?

 

I guess there will always be "Classic Modern" defining the innovative design from the past and "Modern" which refers to "Contemporary Modern" design of now (and the future).

 

There it is. My 2 cents.

 

A

Invitation To Vote for your Favorite Design Blog Site!

Calling all Design Blog addicts!
Stan and Kus, over at TheHomeRejuvenationBlog are conducting a poll and they need your input!

Vote for your favorite Design Blog. Your opinion matters so take a moment to follow the link on their site or send them an email at: homereju@gmail.com to let them know your choice!
Thank you!-Deanna

4 Influences of Contemporary Dutch Design

For the past few weeks, I've been writing a the Design Crack series on contemporary Dutch and  British Design. I've sort of haphazardly touched on several young designers that fall in this genre, but I have not really provided any base with which to appreciate their designs. But, rather than write a long post on the history of Dutch Design, I thought I would leave you with 4 influences of contemporary Dutch design and leave some links for you to explore.

De Stijl

Like most other western countries during the early 19th century, the Netherlands was going through a great revolution in art that geared towards a more mechanized world. Their particular brand of abstraction can best be characterized by the work of Piet Mondrian and Gerrit Rietveld in a movement known as the De Stijl. Even 100 years after the begining of this movement, their influences can still be felt today.

Philips

Philips is one of the world's largest consumer electronics companies. It has been innovative in so many fields that it would be hard to make a short list, however the most obvious innovations came in CD technology of the 1980s. Philips is a pretty amazing company because it has not only innovated in fields of chemistry and physics, but also in the field of design. They are the true innovators of what I would call integral design where you bring a number of disciplines together to solve a problem. Their open eyed approach and their huge scale has lead to the creation of this unending stream of talented designers. I urge you to take a look at the link I've provided. You will certainly discover a new side to this company.

OMA

OMA is an architecture and design research firm based in Rotterdam and founded by Rem Koolhaas. The firm, and Mr. Koolhaas' work, has always pushed the boundaries of what architecture is about. Before Koolhaas, buildings were more or less simply style skins slipped over whatever function a user needed. But since OMAs practice started, architecture, particularly in the Netherlands, has realized architecture can derive its form purely from a deep seeded psychological need. In other words, OMA really studies what a client needs and does before a form can be derived rather than a client telling them what they want like " I need a door there" or " I need a window here". To be more specific, OMA will completely track and understand the psychology of a client as a means to derive the architectural form. OMAs bold design style has lead to influence the schools in the Netherlands and the U.K. into a much more personal look at how to solve design problems.

Droog

Droog is sort of a design amalgamation. It's a products company, a collective, an art center, and a state of mind. Nearly every top designer from the Netherlands has been commissioned to work for Droog. Because of its amorphous quality Droog is hard to characterize, but if I were to some up their style in one word it would be "clever". The wit of their projects is sharp and pun laden. And I think it's this infectious, humorous, cleverness that attracts so much talent to Droog.

I hope this extremely quick touch on the influences of Dutch Design was useful!