Mondrian SoHo, Morgans Hotel Group’s third Mondrian and debut hotel property in downtown Manhattan, opened this week. Morgans selected Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, the visionary behind the re-imagined Mondrian Los Angeles, to create Mondrian SoHo in collaboration with the company’s in-house design team.
Noriega-Ortiz’s design for the hotel draws inspiration from Jean Coucteau’s 1946 romantic French fantasy film “La Belle et la Bête.” A powdery French blue color palette unifies the hotel interior and a custom carpet adorned with a rose vine design provide entryway to the jewel-box guest rooms, whose interiors features large dramatic mirrors, 10-foot ceilings and floor-to ceiling windows. No decorative art is hung in the rooms as the views are intended to be adornment enough and set the tone and scene for the guest. Continue reading “Morgans Hotel Group Unveils Mondrian SoHo” »
How will this much gum inspire you? That was the question posed by The Martin Agency to a group of seven young sculptors, in an effort to promote Mentos’ new large gum bottle using social media. Each sculptor was given as much gum as they wanted. Some sculptors chose to chew each piece before sculpting, and others used food processors to grind the gum. The results ranged from classical busts to a gum octopus and two of the sculptures also featured in magazine print ads.
On the occasion of the next Milan Design Week (April 12 – 17 2011), Aliantedizioni will present for the first time Cup-puccina borosilicate glass, stackable cappuccino cup and saucer designed by Alessandro Loschiavo. Cup-puccina was created for all the lovers of this tasty drink and also to all the people that use it as a pretext for a ‘deserved’ break or for a chance meeting. Both cup and saucer are shaped via the hot working of transparent cylindrical semi-finished components. As known, borosilicate glass is perfectly able to sustain major temperature changes, is microwave safe, fit for frequent washes in the dishwasher and completely recyclable.
Society 27, a collaborative group of young designers have created ‘Shoe Model No.1′ with packaging specifically for the release of the sneaker, designed by Archabits.
The seamless plywood box incorporates brand and product information that is directly applied to the surface of the box. the two pieces slot into each other and house a window, graphically cut from the back of the box to reveal what is inside.
Housed in a former office building revamped by architect Karl Dudler, designers Delphine Buhro and Michael Dreher have spiced things up, imbuing Dudler’s pared-down minimalism with inspiration from the hotel’s fashionable next-door neighbor, the new German headquarters of Levi Strauss. In a nod to the close working relationship between the hotel and clothing label, Buhro and Dreher incorporated elements of American popular culture into their design, which, like a good pair of worn-in blue jeans, is timeless and comfortable. Continue reading “25hours Hotel Frankfurt Tailored by Levi’s” »
Brimming with images and insightful text, this unique book is the benchmark reference on what is arguably the most influential and important furniture brand of our time. It reveals in unparalleled detail how Charles and Ray Eames as well as a talented team of designers worked to create pieces that still top bestseller lists. The book describes the key role played by the Eames Office’s own development and perfection of production processes for its designs as well as the significance of its relationship with manufacturers. By documenting the creation and spread of these landmark furniture designs, this book also tells the story of how modernism became established in homes and offices throughout the world.
The stylish city of Helsinki, Finland is about to showcase its design acumen during their sixth annual Design Week. With 11 days of events, this year’s theme is storytelling. Along with open studios, design markets, workshops, fashion shows and art installations in shop windows, there’s an event called Pecha Kucha Night. Named after the sound of chatter in Japanese, Pecha Kucha Night gives a group of specially selected speakers a mere 20 seconds to narrate 20 images of their design work. Continue reading “Helsinki Design Week 2010” »
The Archive Series by David Garcia Studio, Denmark is a collection of pieces that investigate space and books and the traditional relationships that humans have to books.
Archive I is a weight balance library, the readers chair is elevated in proportion to the amount of books in the shelves.
Archive II is a circular library for the nomad book collector, allowing the user to step inside, and walk away with half a ton of books.
Archive III is a censored book stand, the books close suddenly if anyone approaches the reading stand.
Archive IV challenges space and weight, by hanging from the ceiling. a wooden cylinder, 3 meter in diameter and 3.5 meter high, suspended from above, serves as a sitting area and as an archive for books and music in its inside. the visitor encounters a quiet space for conversation, and in the center a rope ladder takes the curious to a level above, a micro lounge room, where one can look out into the crowd. From the outside, the introvert character of the structure hides the human body, only revealing feet at floor level, and the heads of visitors that climb to the top. More information here. Continue reading “The Archive Series by David Garcia Studio” »
The Page is a prototype E-reader concept by designer Jae Kim that uses a semi-transparent e-ink screen to display image and text. The project aims to find a more appropriate way to interact with newspapers in a digital context. The concept marries the affordability of print and online newspapers into a new device. For starters the E-reader folds into segments much like newsprint, allowing it to be spread out on a table, or folded up neatly on the train. This differs from other E-readers, which invent a new format that strays from the original. Beyond the product design Kim also designed a flexible grid system that allows users to see content in a broad way like in the newspaper, while also being able to directly interact and alter content like on the web.
