Thursday, July 9, 2009

The design of the Grid House


The Grid House is a beautifully designed and constructed, deeply thought of house blended with the lush surrounding landscape. Designed by Brazilian Architectural Firm Forte, Gimenes, & Marcondes Ferraz. I'm in love that something so geometric has been put into this beautiful environment and blends in very well, speaking of the wood, the open grid plan, the format of the house is just amazing. The interior furniture could be much better, but as of now, I'm just admiring the architecture of it all..


Read the article about it here. via contemporist

Who said DIY can't be pretty?







Not Maison Martin Margiela.. during his show in the Artisanal Fall 2009 Collection. Yes, recession is still here but hopefully its getting better, we need not to speak too soon.
The message of this show was DIY. You can do anything yourself, and it CAN be pretty, not overly messy or chaotic, unless beautifully chaotic of course! Inspiration? Anything! Materials? your local hardware store, or any other place that you can find materials and morph them into something uniquely creative made by you.


via, today and tomorrow

Kimonoesque



For a Japanese-Kimono statement furniture in the room, the Kimono Chaise lounge and Hakama Chair & ottoman by Kimono New York speaks..designed by designer William Gordon, and manufacturer Walter P.Sauer. A contemporary form of furniture in a traditional japanese fabric made from Nishijin silk Obi. Such delicate work and long labor time to create this fabric, really brings out its beauty.

Kimono New York, a company in NYC that is dedicated to promoting the use of the kimono and oni textiles for furnishings and decor.

Kimono New York


via

Thursday, June 25, 2009

AndeL's Hotel



More and more boutique hotels are getting hip and better than some five star hotels..From the design, to the service, and more. It just gives off a different feel. But this is no boutique hotel, its Andel's Hotel in Łódź, Poland. Its the fourth designer hotel from Andel's chain but the first 4-star deluxe design hotel in the area. With 278 rooms and suites, great conference areas, located on the grounds of the Manufaktura Art and Culture Center, its a brilliant melange of quirky modern interiors designed by Jestico + Whiles. Located in what was a former textile mill, once the place of Polish textile magnate Izrael Poznanski, following strict orders of historic building preservation, its gives off this lofty historical industrial feel with the exposed brick walls, the cast iron and steel around the place, combined with modern designs, creating a unique experience for hotel guests.


via

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Seeing RED


Bushido - A recently opened Restaurant/Bar/Lounge in Bahrain (the previous place of the Blue Elephant Restaurant). It's a chic trendy Japanese inspired setting featuring samurai armors in floating glass cages, with refined ornaments, and a majestic concept. The food combines traditional "Robata" and "Fusion" cuisine in this elegant restaurant that's rich in atmosphere and ambiance.
Feel like reading a book? A book of Fashion? Fashion A to Z: An Illustrated Dictionary by Alex Newman and Zakee Shariff is it. With more than 2000 entries, and up to 240 pages, this book fills a gap in the market for an affordable, accessible and up-to-date guide to fashion terminology.

Temperley London and The Rug Company has collaborated together to create this vibrant new Nepalese Rug, Ophelia, by Fashion designer Alice Temperley, along with other handmade cushions. It's a hand-knotted 150 knot, Tibetan Wool rug. The Rug Company is located at City Center Bahrain.

This oversized bell lamp is a new creation by Italian lighting manufacturar Axo Light, which is great for use in large spaces. It comes in other different colors.


The Volant Armchair by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola for Moroso. It's made out of Alcantara, an extraordinary non-woven textile that has tactile qualities of leather. It's finished off beautifully with a hand printed motif in vivid red and small series of smock embroidery also in red, contrasting the beige base and breaks for a brief moment the repeating rhythm of the pleats.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Do-It-Yourself Creativity! Seriously!

A boot becomes a vase, a trowel to serve sushi, a rope becomes a fruit basket, a chain becomes a stool..you get the idea. Something strange yet simple and very creative, just one thing, you can do this on your own! Change do-it-yourself objects and make design objects of them: inspired from creative designer Herve Van der Straeten.

Herve Van Der Straeten currently draws models for the manufacture of Sevres vase and works on the opening of the design art gallery of Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah in Dubai.


A pair of wellington boots is used as a vase. Fill it half up with some water and add in some pretty roses or any flower to your liking. It would be beautiful if you contrasted the colors of the flowers with the boot color.


Tired of your old lamp? What you can do is take some copper tubes, and bend it to create a modern shape. Once you put it next to a traditional gilded framed mirror, it looks beautifully chaotic.


A useless chain can become a stool, it just needs some cleaning, some welding, and some painting and you're done. Place it next to a velvet Louis XVI settee, to look unusual.


A rope can be braided to become a fruit basket. Choose a bold color, but please no tacky stripy patterns, it will just counteract the effect.


When friends come over for some sushi, get creative by not serving the sushi in plates, but in trowels.


The bread basket just got interesting. Take a shallow open container, bolt in some wheels, and you have your own bread basket cart. If you have a mini shopping cart, it'll look good.



Gallery Van Der Straeten
11, street Ferdinand Duval, 75004 Paris.
Tel.: 01 42 78 99 99

photocredit: CMF

Remember Lego?



Back in the days, it was great playing with LEGOs, and I always thought it really fuels your creative juices to come up with the most abstract ways of creating/building something, from a funky house, to a dinosaur, etc.. I was amazed when I saw these and thought what a creative way to use LEGO bricks to cover holes in the walls! Dispatchwork is a project by artist Jan Vormann, now located in Berlin, he did this previously in Bocchignano (a village near Rome), and Tel Aviv. With some helpers, he filled in World War II bullet holes in a building of Humbold University, and some other walls around town. You can go for a great walk around Berlin looking for LEGO patched up walls. He also has a exhibiton at Jarmuschek + Partner gallery until June 13th.


Jarmuschek + Partner
Invalidenstrasse 50/51
Halle am Wasser
10557 Berlin
Tu-Sa 12-18 h
+49 (0)30 28599070


via

Playing with the Lines


It's something that you don't see in facades of modern buildings, yet it kind of reminds me of our traditional wooden Bahraini windows.

The colorful aluminum panels on the main facade is giving off such a light-hearted fun feel, that shows you can really do anything to the facade to make it more attractive and welcoming. Step Up on fifth provides homes, support services, and rehabilitation for the homeless and mentally disabled.. located in downtown Santa Monica, California, designed by Pugh + Scarpa Architects. The custom-made water jet-anodized aluminum patterned panels gives off a rythmic contrast to the other side of the building with its asymmetrical horizontal openings. The building is a great success of the articulation of elements.



via

Monday, May 18, 2009

Visual Poetry


I was just in awe when I saw these!! Words are merely not just words..they speak, dance, play, move us in so many different directions. They are alive..and tell us such amazing stories as these sculptures do by designer Ebon Heath. His visual sculptures just makes us stop and admire how words could be so powerful in our world today..at the same time looking at them feels like time has stood still for a mere moment or two. Creative no? Imagine if he did it all in arabic?! Ahh..B E A U T I F U L !




photocredit: yatzer