I came across this Exhibition Design by the German Studio D'Art and was taken back by the simplistic effectiveness of the scheme. The wall is scattered with a series of sprayed white boxes that differ in size creating an undulation texture to the wall that gives the impression of staggered extruding. The company's branding is presented on these undulations in black circular stickers that stands out on the white wall. The area was divided into different zones. Part exhibition of products displayed in acrylic boxes. An information area for those who required more info on the company and its doings and finally a meeting area where representatives and potential clients can talk and discuss terms. The seating adopted is a laminated matte white bench style seating that has a beautiful black trim to the chamfered edges.
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This restaurant design by Stuttgart based designers, Ippolito Fleitz Group, is an eco inspired design that takes elements of forest life and nature to create a contemporary and minimal dining space. The bespoke built in seating is upholstered in what appears to be in faux brown leather and is contrasted by neutral white cheeks that make the upholstery the prominent texture. The leaf green walls and vinyl graphics that depict forest landscape scenes tie in with the autumnal coloured upholstery to give an overall natural feel to the Interior space. This theme extends to the exterior of the restaurant where vinyl graphics of trees and woodland creatures create a mystic yet inviting feel from the street side. The circular mirrors within the Interior also carry on the forest theme with sand blasted motifs that add an element of intricacy to what is usually a mundane material. The timber effect walls are a material metaphor for woodland, the pendant light shades and painted walls represent the green of leaves, and the neutral white tables stand out amongst the browns and greens. My opinion on this design is split. From a designer's point of view I admire the contemporary clinical feel of the space. The edgy and angular features give a sense of masculinity, whereas I find the white tables very hospital chic. From a visitor's point of view I wouldn't feel comfortable, it lacks a sense of homeliness and comfort, it's a McDonald's on the Rivieria with a tidy budget. I want industrial features an open fire and seating that comforts me as opposed to ones that are continually reminding me that I should leave in 10mins or so because my backside has gone to sleep. I'm split...
Hallo und herzlich willkommen German Design Monat!
You may have guessed from the title, and if you can understand the German above, that we are moving slightly East of the Netherlands and focusing this month on the wonderful world of German Design. Stay tuned for lots of new Designers, old Designers and everything weird and wacky from Germany and again we hope to make more International friends along the way. ‘Gossip about me, but don’t tell them the truth. Make them believe something bigger’ Just one of the many poems that inspired the Dutch creative team of i29 Interior Architects for this school in Amstelveen in the Netherlands. These were poems inspired by school life full of highs and (mainly) lows. Written by Dutch Poet Erikjan Harmens who then converted these poems into 'carpets of text' onto the matte white floors and concrete slab walls The vinyl black letters are a stark contrast between the neutral floors and create areas of interest that divide the Interior up into workable zones. This juxtaposition of colours continues through into the feature furniture using the modern day classic 'Chair One' by Magis. This colour scheme gives a sense of sophistication along with the vast areas of open space. The typical grid ceiling features converge into a flat matte white plastered ceiling which eliminates the standard feel of quickly built, poorly made school environments. It all blends together in a cohesive fashion. I for one would feel inspired and happy to have gone day in day out to a school like this. We are so used now to seeing these vast academy schools with bright colourful interiors that are psychologically used to evoke a certain concentrating and calming reaction. This adult colour palette is therefore a welcome introduction to the norm. It is however not so pretentious and beyond its years that you can't have fun in the space. The picture above shows the divide of the staircase which is split for a circulatory purpose and equally for a rest, sit and relaxation area. Sitting on public stairs is traditionally a bit of a faux pas, but here it is the social norm. Interiors are seldom seen as a 'you should look but not touch' but we should encourage interaction and the break of social boundaries especially within educational environments. The school corridors have a sense of purpose and this image shows the play on one point perspective as a means of guiding yourself down the corridor. The half exposed and half unexposed grid ceiling again relates to this contrast in mood and expression. There is a sense of contemporary honesty to this Interior that is undoubtedly modern but is almost embarrassed by it, and therefore feels the need to expose the 'nitty gritty' parts beneath.
www.i29.nl/ My quest to find a fantastic Indie Dutch band is now complete. This catchy little number will grow on you. Guarantee you will be whistling this whilst walking down the street and singing it in your head. It's mellow, unassuming and authentic. Listen and Enjoy.
And the Award for the Best Dutch Interior 2012 Goes to... Drents Museum by Erick van Egeraat.10/23/2012 Came across this today on a feature dezeen.com are doing with their coverage of Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. The best in Dutch Design was announced yesterday and I was very interested in the winner of the Interior category. I was intrigued by its overtly clinical feel. There is a sense of cleanliness about it. As if you should be wearing hazmat suits that get sprayed down whilst you walk through pressurised chambers. I can't say whether I like it or not. I know that museums capitalise on attention by having neutral walls and letting the objects of desire protrude in all of their glory from this neutrality, but it just seems too precious. There are areas though that really excite me. The contrast of the overtly white surroundings diverges well with PAR timber beams and roof trusses and gives me that sense of character that I didn't feel I was getting from a lot of the other stills. I like refinement but albeit refinement that doesn't hide too much away. I like Interiors with blemishes, exposed brick walls or beams with all of their imperfections and glory. The exterior is a biologically friendly dream that seamless sculpts into the undulating contours of its surrounding. It doesn't extrude above the ground at any great height, it optimises the lower floors to minimise on visual impact to the surrounding Dutch vernacular buildings. The uninterrupted transition between the old museum facade and the new museum is one of joy. It blends together superbly and is a fine example of the current trend of the old playing nicely with the new. This is no more than apparent in the recently opened, and heavily publicised, Stedelijk Museum. To read more on this building see Dezeen's fantastic blog entry...
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/10/27/drents-museum-by-erick-van-egeraat/ Part Industrial Designer part Artist, Jolan Van Der Wiel is causing a stir with his experimental and creative furniture. The creative process sees a machine consisting of high powered magnets supported by weights, and a metallic mixture that attracts to the magnets and hardens. The video below (by Core 77) explains the process by Jolan himself. The fascinating process sees a twisted, unconventional and awkward end product that each has its own individual twist to it. Not one is ever the same and therefore in a relatively simple process you get a bespoke piece of furniture. His most notable piece is the 'gravity chair'. The images below (Core 77) are just stunning. More Information on Jolan can be found at: jolanvanderwiel.com/
Dutch Design Week is upon us and will see the best examples of Design from around the world and the Netherlands come together in Eindhoven. We will be focusing a bit more on some of the Designers at the forefront of the Design week in closer detail in coming posts. The show boasts an impressive collection of 1,500 Designers showcasing work from an eclectic range of subjects ranging from Industrial Design to Spatial Design. For me one of the most intriguing aspects of the show will be the 3D print cafe (pictured above). This gives visitors the chance to bring along a plastic bottle and recycle it into a new product like a piece of jewellery or a small household item. This quirky idea will spread the ever increasing popularity and functionality of the 3D printing era. My predictions are that the next age will be the 3D printing age as opposed to the age of the Internet in the previous generation. The more that this fascinating technology can strike a chord with the general public the better. For those of you who are lucky enough to be going or live nearby, a Google map is below to show the location of the 3D print cafe. Dutch Design Week runs from 20-28th October throughout the city.
For more Information Visit: http://www.ddw.nl Lost in Space by Dutch Indie band, Ghost Trucker, is a psychedelic acid trip through space. A slow tempo, sci-fi style synths in the background and an equally weird and wonderful video, creates 3:42 of chilled out pleasure. By far one of the best Indie bands from the Netherlands I have come across to date. Dutch based Designers, Most Architecture, have created a fantastic temporary space using a material that not only possess structural qualities but is widely available. The whole office interior was constructed from recycled crates that are sporadically and strategically placed to form work desks and even a feature staircase. The space is divided into areas that include an entrance area, general work areas and a presentation room. The presentation room is divided by a series of glazed screens with mullions that match the neutral colour scheme of the internal walls. I find this design an excellent example of how flexible materials can be. All it takes is some imagination and creative thinking and by letting the crates dominate the space in contrast to the white walls, means that you can have a high end interior for a low end price. The chocie of furniture used also highly compliments the Interior ambiance, especially the Herman Miller office chairs which are extremely comfortable and excellent for maintaining a good posture. For more information please visit: http://www.mostarchitecture.com/
or: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/11649/most-architecture-brandbase-pallet.html |
Designer. Did a blog. Starting blog again. Early Thirties. Like Food. Like Drink. Like Music. Like travelling. If you like this blog get involved, comment and send me a story or a product, lifestyle, or way of life to promote.
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