Saturday, September 8, 2012

Focus on Interior Design


Words from Freshome article:

With an undeniably beautiful architecture, this family home on Portugal’s sunshine coast displays an intriguing combination of building materials shaping an elegant, almost unreal design. Created out of a collection of bold touches, Quinta Villa expresses a deep sculptural identity both inside and outside. Imagined by the acclaimed design group Staffan Tollgard, this fascinating home spotted on Afflante uses glass, concrete and stone to compose a dreamy background for a modern lifestyle. Innovation and elegance go hand in hand when it comes to creating the stunning interiors – rich textures and vibrant colors intermingle to create a dynamic design that paradoxically feeds visitors with a comforting feeling. Flooded by natural light coming from sliding glass walls, living spaces present unique design innovations that shape a perfect dream home.


Quinta Villa by Staffan Tollgard Design Group 9 Stunning Background for a Modern Family Lifestyle: Quinta Villa          Quinta Villa by Staffan Tollgard Design Group 10 Stunning Background for a Modern Family Lifestyle: Quinta Villa

 Freshome Article 
 
With the clever use of colorful accents; playful furniture design; and architectural simplicity, this Portuguese home exemplifies the work of design group, Staffan Tollgard  

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Focus on Manufacturing





In their own words:

Eventscape fabricated several custom elements for this office space of the KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)  Investment Management Company. In the elevator lobby an ornamental thin profile polymer LED light wall and ceiling is overlaid with laser cut steel panels with a multiple layer bronze finish. The hand carved, double curved wall leading into the office helps to create a space of subdued elegance.

Unique Characteristics & Project Challenges:
The feature entrance to this office was built of a thin profile acrylic light wall covered with metal panels. Each steel panel is 4 ft. wide by 8 ft. tall with half of the 32 panels laser etched, and the other half laser cut with a custom Arabic motif. Beginning as an open screen, the design gradually transforms to the etched pattern on the facing wall. Laser cutting this tessellating pattern was very challenging as the size and intricacy of the pattern required over 1600 linear feet of cutting for each panel. In order to be programmed into the CNC laser, each panel had to be cut in a series of 2 ft. sections.

Eventscape explored multiple metal finish options to achieve the desired appearance. The solution was a hand brushed black oxide over bronzed steel panels with a clear lacquer top coat.

The architects required attachment with no visible hardware and a three inch offset from the light panel. Eventscape’s engineering team devised a custom reinforced steel connection that was able to support the 300 lbs of each LED/acrylic/metal panel unit, wrapping around to the back of the unit to connect to the existing wall. The ceiling installation was engineered to accommodate the ductwork above and incorporated sprinkler heads where required.
The feature double curved wall in the lobby area was built in two sections to allow for shipping and installation, and joined on site. Fabricated of wood with a fiberglass covering, each section was almost 40 ft. long by 8 ft. tall. The challenge was creating the compound curvature out of two dimensional surfaces; calculating the geometry required to retain a flowing shape.

Owner/Developer: KAUST Investment Management Company, Arlington, VA
Design: Studios Architecture
Photography: Bilyana Dimitrova

Manufacturer: Eventscape, Inc. - Toronto Canada  

http://www.eventscape.net/index.php/site

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Focus on Design and Construction

mf_200812_05Contemporist Article 

Marc Fish design and construction of a "Nautilus" table composed of Walnut & Sycamore veneers.

In his own words:
 
Description from the designer
Nautilus was born in an environment of artist freedom: an experimental piece that has embraced modern computer aided technology and combined it with innovative constructional techniques. The layering of over 4000 individual pieces of walnut and sycamore veneer has created the logarithmic spiral found within the Nautilus shell. The proportions of the Nautilus shell never change, no matter how large their growth: these proportions follow the classical order of the Golden Ratio.  A more perfect form might not be found. This perfection commonly found in nature is often the source of Marc’s inspiration. The table has a texture which replicates the outside of the shell, created by hand carving the fluted growth patterns. Inside a satin sheen has been created which runs smoothly round into the chambered area replicated in Japanese lace paper.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Focus on Design

ICRAVE Design for a Philadelphia International Airport retail/hospitality space - Sky Asian Bistro



Wonderful blend of colors, Asian design influences, and Pizazz!

Focus on Product Design





Ziba chair 7 How to Make Auditorium Chairs Smarter : Jumpseat [Video]

Description from article published in Freshome, August 2012

Simplicity and originality define the new Jumpseat, a chair especially developed for auditoriums, perfectly blending style and function. According to the creative team at Ziba, the project is a result of the company’s efforts to maximize space. The 200 seat auditorium for company meetings and community events in the photos below couldn’t have been achieved without a clever chair design: “We named this new design the JumpSeat, in reference to the functional, fold-down seats traditionally used by workers on trains and airplanes. The seat is also a triumph of skilled craftsmanship. Rather than hide its structure and materials like an upholstered couch might, it celebrates every cut and contact. Through its thoroughly modern design and appearance, the JumpSeat highlights traditional handicraft in a way few pieces of modern furniture can. The sling-style wool seat covers were locally sewn, and attach quickly with Velcro for easy replacement and cleaning“. The cantilevered design ensures a good spine support and a proper ergonomic function.

Freshome Article 

Monday, July 30, 2012

Focus on eye of the Photographer


Photo from "Harp" series,
   by Julia Anna Gospodarou, Athens, Greece

In her own words

I'm an Architect who loves to take photographs and a photographer who loves to build. Who's prevailing? Well, sometimes the first, sometimes the second, and sometimes they just make peace and live happily together :)
You can find me (both of us actually) in Athens, Greece when I'm  not somewhere else, chasing the beauty of the world.
......

I like beauty. All kinds of beauty ...seen, heard, written.
I like contrasts ...light and dark, silence and noise, stillness and dynamism.
I like playing and discovering.
I like languages. All of them. I like the civilizations, the places and the people behind them.
I like ...no, scratch that! ...I adore music.
I like studying people, understanding their strengths and sensibilities.
I like => love  to travel.
I like to mold  matter into shapes, I like to turn sensations into photographs, I like to dive into the music of each moment that I happen to be a part of.
Last but not least ...I love Manual Mode.

...and I like to make fun of it all, once in a while.

Link: Profile of Julia Anna Gospodarou

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Focus on the Arts



In his own words, fine art from

Craig Royal - Fine Art Photography

I'm an award winning visually impaired fine art photographer / photo artist.

I have a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University where I concentrated in woodworking / furniture design. I received a professional fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in 1983 after graduating from VCU. Over the years I have shown work around the country in group shows. Along with furniture I have also produced award winning mixed media sculpture. Since 2007 I have turned to digital photography as a creative outlet and have exhibited work locally and nationally.

My interests in subject matter for photography are varied. From nature to architecture and objects and their potential for abstraction, to a conceptual perspective that explores the human condition.

My vision loss is due to a congenital form of optic atrophy. My peripheral vision is blurred (20/400 corrected) and the central vision is obscured by a white blind-spot. I use a 4x monocular to do photo editing. Photography is more than a form of artistic expression but also a visual aide that allows me to revel in the exquisite detail that surrounds us.

If you have vision loss don't lose sight of the beauty of life. If you have lost sight of the beauty of life you are truly blind.

"Art is the plank after the shipwreck, that saves someone..."
---Constantin Brancus

Friday, July 27, 2012

Focus on Design with Pattern



Queen Victoria Building, Sydney

Photography by Mykal Hall
















Brilliant geometry and patterned composition -
Architecturally complex and comfortable at the same time

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Focus on Design & Manufacturing



Giles Miller Studio article


Giles Miller Studio design focus on texture and pattern for interior surfaces:


Reflective surfaces, with repetitive shapes and textures are cleverly arranged to develop appealing patterned surfaces for a variety of applications. Shadows and edges are used to exemplify 3-D surfaces, artfully and playfully balanced, creating attractive designs and graphics for Interior applications.
The Studio designs and manufactures innovative products for various surface applications and types of design projects. Customization for specific client needs drives the Studio's creative process to create exciting new and unique uses of its products.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Focus on Design and Manufacturing




Zenza Lighting 9 Beautifully Intricate Lighting by Zenza

Zensa Accessories is a Dutch lighting and accessories company, inspired by Egyptian design & artisan techniques.  Beautiful handcrafted lighting fixtures and home accessories are featured.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Focus on Manufacturing


 
Greypants Ingenuity

Remarkable re-use of cardboard, modern technology, and ingenuity. Graypants, an innovative and passionate Design & Manufacturing firm, has used their creative juices to find practical uses for discarded materials and generic manufactured products.

With the accuracy of the laser and the application of clever design & and Architectural disipline, this energetic firm has de-constructed and re-constituted common materials into sound artful products for practical use.

Layering of milled layers of corrugated cardboard, assembled into globes of various spherical shapes and proportions, this remarkable team has opened up avenues of design and manufacturing. Layering of these materials reveals subtle visual textures, patterns, and surface variations.

With clever utilization of layered components, cut from plywood sheets, Greypants has designed practical furniture assemblies for everyday use.

Greypants products: http://www.graypants.com/products/

More about Greypants - See how its done Video: http://vimeo.com/23006816

Monday, May 28, 2012

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Focus on Project



Designed and manufactured by Water Studio, Culver City, CA

This 22 foot tall copper water wall was built for a private residence in Corona Del Mar, CA

Measuring 22 ft. tall and 11 ft. wide, this two story water wall was designed to follow the arc of the main curved wall in the grand room of a contemporary home. Water cascades down the entire textured copper wall surface and falls into a bed of polished river rocks. A series of underwater lights illuminate the wall from below and accentuate the water patterns as they form and fall from above. The water wall is a prominent and dynamic feature of the home, serving as the backdrop for the grand stairway.

Source-Book Water Studio Gallery: 20 Years of innovation in water feature design

Friday, May 11, 2012

Focus on Detail


























Images from our newest Source-Book gallery;
with plays on 
texture, color, shape & contrast