Slow → articles tagged with interior

Menno on Freunde von Freunden

We have been friends with Berlin-based everlasting source for inspiration Freunde von Freunden since its inception, so it was a great honor to be featured as one of their Workplaces visits in the Summer of 2014. Yesterday marked another great Freunde von Freunden moment for us, as we were very proud to see our close friend (and Tenue de Nîmes partner) Menno van Meurs as the latest addition in the series that focusses on the work environment. Shot by our friend Jordi Huisman and interviewed by CreativeMornings host Margot van der Krogt, Menno opened up both the doors of his home and the epicenter of the Tenue de Nîmes operation located in the far West of Amsterdam; sharing his passion for denim, vintage design and all those other things that get better over time, in other words: 'the good things in life'. Forming the firm fundament of Tenue, both as the shaping inspirations that have formed us and subsequently in the curation and creation of everything being released by and under the Tenue de Nîmes label. [ Continue reading ]

The New Bohemians

In 'The New Bohemians', the Los Angeles-based designer Justina Blakeney defines the New Bohemians as creative individuals who are boutique owners and bloggers, entrepreneurs and ex-pats, artists and urban farmers. They embrace free-spirited, no-rules lifestyles and apply that attitude to all areas of their existence, including their homes. With little distinction between work and play, the new boho home often includes an office, art gallery, showroom, photography studio, restaurant, or even a pop-up shop. 'The New Bohemians' explores 20 homes located primarily on the East and West coasts. Exclusive interviews with the owners, 12 DIY projects created by Blakeney and inspired by objects found in the homes, and a "Plant-O-Pedia" offer insight into achieving this aesthetic. In addition, each home is accompanied by an Adopt-an-Idea section that offers general decor, styling, and shopping tips for easy duplication in your own home. [ Continue reading ]

The Winter Loft

On the 20th of December, just before Christmas, Amsterdam-based The Playing Circle celebrated its second edition of their fascinating concept named The Loft. Where the first edition, last summer, was to be found on the the fifth floor of the Cristofori building located on the Prinsengracht, for their Winter edition they found a lovely location in the Vaudeville theater on the Singel in the heart of the Dutch capital. New within the whole concept is an online webstore where all of the products on display in the fully furnished apartment, which has the feel of somebody actually living there, are also for sale. It is The Playing Circle’s ambition to create a whole new home-retail experience in which one walks into an apartment which thoroughly will feel like someones home, but instead of just being able to marvel at it, now everything the eye meets is actually for sale. And we have to say; this second edition shows even more promise than last summer's debut, so make sure to see it in the coming days before it closes on the 4th of January, or when not in the position see the beautiful curation of products online. [ Continue reading ]

The End of Sitting

We have been writing, indirectly, about the beautiful space at the Looiersgracht 60 in Amsterdam, which is a new project space for contemporary art, design and architecture, when they first opened their doors for De Gevonden op Marktplaats Salon earlier this year. The last few weeks the space has been hosting another incredible project named 'The End of Sitting', which closed last weekend. The project is an installation at the crossroads of visual art, architecture, philosophy and empirical science. In our society almost the entirety of our surroundings have been designed for sitting, while evidence from medical research suggests that too much sitting has adverse health effects. RAAAF [Rietveld Architecture-Art Affordances] and visual artist Barbara Visser have developed a concept wherein the chair and desk are no longer unquestionable starting points. Instead, the installation’s various affordances solicit visitors to explore different standing positions in an experimental work landscape. The project marks the beginning of an experimental trial phase, exploring the possibilities of radical change for the working environment, reminding of the aesthetic of fashion designer Rick Owens and  the work of architect Daniel Libeskind. [ Continue reading ]

Paul Smith Seoul

In 2009 Paul Smith opened this incredible store in Seoul, South-Korea, which still is one of the most interesting designs we've seen in a long time. Considering the fact that the store is located in Seoul's densely built Gangnam-gu district, Paul Smith has succeeded gracefully in making a lasting imprint within the urban environment. The extraordinary shape of the building is open to all interpretations, depending on the unique perspective of each customer or even by-passer. The suggested figure, intended to create different stories depending on people`s perspectives and interpretations, was actually the result of a design that was constrained by legal regulations and the ever-demanding Paul Smith, who at times must have driven the architects, Chanjoong Kim of the Kyung Hee University and Taek Hong of The__System Lab, insane by being just as demanding as the state's strict rules. The result is nonetheless or because of these extremely difficult preconditions an incredible building, reminding of the work of the master Antoni Gaudí or even the Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout. Unfortunately the store is now closed, but its beauty and story remain. [ Continue reading ]

The N.B.K. Residence 2 by Bernard Khoury

Located at the ninth and last level of a building in Beirut, Lebanon, this tremendous three storey apartment is articulated by architect Bernard Khoury through an independent structure capping the building. Structurally, the apartment only shares the building’s vertical circulation core, as well as the perimeter along which its two peripheral walls lie. Beyond the ninth level, the structure of this residence becomes autonomous. The result is what resembles an independent house placed atop a building. Virtually situated on the former demarcation line which separated east and west Beirut, this apartment opens up onto the hell of its city, placing it neither east nor west but in between. Whereas usual preference for Mediterranean roof apartments is to turn their backs on the urban fabric in exchange for a sea view, this apartment is oriented toward the city, taking advantage of the setbacks imposed due to the surrounding projects defining its entire periphery. The result is a thrilling mixture between futurist, reminding of a giant robot, lines combined with a way more classical interior due to the use of wood making it a true gem within the heart of Beirut. [ Continue reading ]

Our Current Obsessions Nº 1 – NOIR

Last Friday was a very special day. After a lot of hard work over the course of the last couple of months we were finally able to open a next chapter in the AS&Co universe: a tactile space that will be open for the public named Our Current Obsessions. The new space, which also houses the studio, can in many ways be seen as a direct result of what has been created online since the eruption of Another Something in 2009, but with more focus in its purpose. Our Current Obsessions will hybridize the traditional concept of an art gallery with a retail-space, always based around one particular theme in which we will take a deep-dive both off- and online. Located right at the mouth of one of Amsterdam's main canals, it is a little dream come true that finally our love for the ‘beauty of cultures’ can be touched and shared in the analogue world. [ Continue reading ]

WorkOf

Since its foundation in January of this year New York-based WorkOf is changing the way interior designers and consumers connect to independent, locally made home décor by creating a go-to source for direct access to the nation’s independent designers and makers. Founders Charlie Miner and John Neamonitis saw that interior designers wanted an easier way to source independent design, and consumers were interested in furnishing their homes with locally made home décor but neither had a reliable destination to source these pieces and therefore they created the digital platform to provide in this service. Since its launch in January the start-up has grown to include over 40 designers and makers with more than 300 home design objects. During NYCxDesign this last spring, WorkOf debuted the inspirational WorkOf Apartment. Using close to 40 pieces from their partnered designers, the whole apartment installation introduced products from Calico, Souda, Eskayel and Vidi Vixi, among several others, resulting in an amazing overview of their catalogue which is now also offered online. [ Continue reading ]

Koya No Sumika by mA-style architects

The Makinohara, Japan-based architecture firm mA-style finished the design of this extension for a young couple's house next to the main family home in Yaizu last year, but we still find this one of the more elegant designs we have seen in a long time. The house that was extended is an one-storey Japanese-style house with an area of approximately 200 m², a very common house seen in rural areas. The house is large and has many spacious rooms where the whole family can gather and socialize, but the young couple wanted a new quiet space that would ensure them a private area. A simple extension would enable them to seclude, but the connection with the main house might get lost which they wanted to prevent. Therefore, by utilizing the functions for living in the main house, the extension is designed as a minimum living space pursuing distance without losing contact, very in line with the complexity of delicate Japanese social interaction and inherent serenity. Above all it's a space of stunning beauty one sees rarely. [ Continue reading ]

Yuriko Takagi by The Selby

We really like this series by the always inspiring Todd Selby in which he portrays the beautiful Tokyo studio of the visionary Japanese photographer and fashion designer Yuriko Takagi. In signature Selby-style every little detail that is worth seeing is highlighted in the recognizable colorful photographs of the light studio of Takagi. The Tokyo-based is best known for her studies of the human body and ethnic elements used in in fashion photography combines earthly Japanese serenity with folkloristic souvenirs from all her worldwide travels, from dolls and masks to a rather large collection of garments. And even her history as a fashion designer is still reflected by the Singer sewing machine which seems to not get a whole lot of action anymore though. Yet another highly inspiring photographic story by The Selby. [ Continue reading ]

Freunde von Freunden Workplaces

We have a long history (and friendship) with German interview-magazine Freunde von Freunden, and therefore finding Joachim's interview online this morning almost feels like coming full circle. After first writing about Freunde von Freunden as early as 2011 and for instance creating the Another Someting x FvF mixtape in 2012; it is clear to say that it is a very special honor to be part of the Freunde von Freunden Workplaces profiles. On a sunny Saturday some weeks ago, Felicitas Olschewski and photographer Jordi Huisman visited the new studio at the edge of Amsterdam's city center in the historical Nieuwmarkt area - almost feeling like a little village within the village of Amsterdam - in which we find ourselves in a beautiful spot right at the mouth of what becomes the Herengracht canal. The conversation starts at the beginning of Joachim's career, dropping out of art school, the love for collecting, favorite projects that were created over the years and finally the exciting projects that lay ahead. [ Continue reading ]

Maruwakaya by Fumihiko Sano

We really like this project by the Tokyo-based architect Fumihiko Sano, located in the Taito-Kut district of the Japanese capital, which was named En yu-An. The eye pleasing light space functions as the salon and showroom for Maruwakaya, a company which produces monozukuri, meaning craftsmanship or art of design and manufacturing, that links traditional crafts to Contemporary art. The central piece in the space is an eye-catching long narrow counter made from tremendous Japanese cedar, which is augmented through the appliance of lintels, sills, and pillars. The diverse arrangement of the lintels and the pillars in the room aims to make visitors unconsciously sense the variation of the space. Yet the structure does not affect the existing surfaces of the space, it is simply placed inside the room, without being fixated to the walls, floor and ceiling, giving the space a very unique and organic aesthetic and feel. [ Continue reading ]

The Loft

Today the Amsterdam-based The Playing Circle will celebrate the official opening, or housewarming like they address it themselves, of its latest interesting project called The Loft. On the fifth floor of the beautiful Cristofori building located on the Prinsengracht a fully furnished apartment has elegantly been created in which everything one finds in it is for sale. From design furniture, the vintage accessories, the books on the shelves, to the plants one finds in The Loft: if you like it you'll take it home. The Playing Circle's ambition is to create a whole new home-retail experience in which one walks into an apartment which thoroughly will feel like someones home, but instead of just being able to marvel at it now for one whole month everything the eye meets is actually for sale. [ Continue reading ]

Where They Create: W+K London

We are honored to give a little preview of  a new Where They Create story by our friend Paul Barbera. It features the London office of creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, which shows a lot of character, but also the large size of one of the leading offices worldwide. The inspiring ongoing Where They Create series documents creative working spaces from all around the world through the lens of Paul. With Where They Create, the Australian photographer found a way to turn his inherent voyeurism into a form of anthropological research. Looking for absurd and hidden elements within the seemingly normal, Paul enters the studios of international creative people: artists, art directors, architects, designers, stylists  and captures all the details of their personal stories and artistic processes. His curiosity, naturalness and good eye for interiors, together with his ability to transmit emotions and warmth make his project unique and constantly inspiring. From the need many creatives have to transform their offices into intimate spaces, almost like home, keeping things close to be able to create their workspace will almost alway show a lot of personality. Others could work anywhere, travelling with the bare essentials as Paul does, but everybody, even if for a while, leaves personal traces, aspects that don’t pass unnoticed, laying there to be caught by Paul. [ Continue reading ]

Acido Dorado

In 2010 the Los Angeles-based architect Robert Stone finished his creation of something spectacular and totally unexpected on the fringes of the Joshua Tree National Park, boasting with every ingredient to amaze its spectator. Down a lonely stretch of dirt road Stone constructed this crazy amazing property, next to the sister project in all-black Rosa Muerta or 'dead rose', which both clearly show the architect's unique courage and vision and possibly even megalomania, as some have argued. With a very surreal aesthetic the project that was named Acido Dorado, which translates to 'golden acid', is a glamorous larger-than-life golden palace that shimmers like a mirage and transforms inside and out throughout the day, with the changing light exemplifying the intrinsic quality of every noble metal: to shine brightly. [ Continue reading ]

Hut on the Corridor

The latest work by Japanese architect Tsubasa Iwahashi is truly extraordinary. For the project named 'Hut on the Corridor' Iwahashi, who previously created the beautiful Folm Arts beauty salon in the Osaka prefecture, was asked to renovate the corridor of eleven office units on one floor of a building in Osaka's Nishi-ku district. This resulted in a garden-inspired project, in which the architect and his team created a common area where employees can take a time out from their work. The centerpiece of the concept is a wooden hut in the middle of the space, which can be used as a meeting area or a quiet relaxation zone. The hut has only three walls with people stepping inside by walking around to its rear, it has no windows, but a large skylight which ensures enough enlightenment in the area without opening up the space for by-passers. There is a small peephole in one corner of the hut, revealing the feet of anyone walking by, giving the people in the hut total peace and privacy without being totally cut off. [ Continue reading ]

Kolmio+LIM

Yet another amazing project by Yusuke Seki. This time situated in Japan's second largest city Osaka, the inspirational designer created a immaculate store for nail salon Kolmio+LIM. Completed in September 2013 as an expansion of the popular Less Is More (LIM) hair salon, Seki incorporates elements inspired by the services and name: 'kolmio' means triangle in Finnish. The first element in this approach is the color palette: based directly on the tones of human skin and nails. Other design features are inspired by the layering process of painting nails: an opening in the impressive wooden zigzag wall; a pattern used regularly on nails, lets natural light into the main space, while groups of three stools, three mirrors and three beauty chairs are all direct references to the salon’s name. The beautiful space evokes a sentiment of relaxation through its overall serene, minimal aesthetic which fits a salon perfectly. [ Continue reading ]

Freunde von Freunden Apartment

Today, Vitra and our favorite online interview magazine Freunde von Freunden have started a fascinating new collaboration, in the form of an apartment in the centre of Berlin. The 'FvF Apartment by Vitra' on the Mulackstrasse 26 offers a glimpse into the world of the Vitra living collage and visualizes Freunde von Freunden’s conceptualization of urban living. The house is fully designed for the digitally oriented generation, for whom creativity, sustainability, and mobility are more important than status. Based on the common styles and experiences of Vitra and Freunde von Freunden, the FvF Apartment offers the necessary space to examine what this group of people is looking for in their home. At the same time offers the Apartment a platform for innovative products from friends and fellow partners (including New Tendency, Aesop and Paper & Tea) and will be available as an apartment, for events and for presentations. [ Continue reading ]

Infinity Bamboo Forest

This beautiful passage in a public annex building in Wuxi, China, was designed by Prism Design and has been recently opened to the public. As the main building, where the passage leads to, has a concept based on Japanese culture, Prism wanted to use the image of a full-grown bamboo forrest prominently in the space, continuing the reference to traditional Japanese design and culture. The project had limited budget, time, and space within the annex building, causing Prism to take on a minimal approach in its design. Inspired by the concept of visual infinity they decided to create the illuminated passage of twenty meters, using only a limited amount of the total space and creating a clear focus on their enhancement to the space. As the rest of the room is dimly lit the beautiful passage "seeks to extent to infinity in a finite world." [ Continue reading ]

Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten-gai

Yusuke Seki designed this beautiful retail space named Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten-gai for a 300-year old traditional Japanese fabric producer's store in the Tokyo's midtown shopping complex. 'Shoten-gai' refers to a traditional shopping street, located within the centre of a (small) town, which one finds throughout Japan. However, the faces of these shopping areas have changed significantly over the years, with large drugstore chains and convenience stores replacing the local artisans. Inspired by the original shoten-gai and with the intention to recreate its charm, Seki designed a new type of market place; which is more suitable and competitive within modern life, but with a traditional character. [ Continue reading ]

Aēsop Kyoto

Tokyo-based studio Torafu Architects recently completed the Kyoto store for our favorite cosmetics label Aēsop. Once again it is of the highly inspirational quality we've become used to when it comes to Aēsop stores. Located in the central shopping district of Kawaramachi, the beautiful space consists of two levels; a retail and small lounge area on the ground level, and a gallery space on the upper floor intended for social interaction. The original building structure was key in the design by Torafu as they wanted to keep it as intact as possible. Creating a beautiful raw and industrial aesthetic, exposed concrete and irregular wall surfaces have been preserved and integrated into the overall design. [ Continue reading ]

Studio Toogood for Hermès petit h

We are still amazed by the work of Studio Toogood, when they collaborated with Hermès for their petit h collection, at the end of last year. Hermès petit h was established in 2010 as a series of products using the brand's offcuts and rejected stock, which proved to be a highly inspiring concept for designer Faye Toogood. The entire ground floor of the flagship Bond Street store was dedicated to a custom-designed interior that acted as an antidote to London West End slickness. The created aesthetic for the store reminds us highly of the work of Anish Kapoor and is one of the more daring designs we witnessed within the field of (luxury) retail spaces. [ Continue reading ]

Aether Store SF

We really like the latest collaboration between AETHER and Paris-based designer Thierry Gaugain, who also was involved with the creation of AETHERstream, in the realization of their first-ever stand alone retail store. The store, named AETHERsf. will be located in San Fransisco's Hayes Valley. The construction will be made out of three 8‘ x 9.6‘ x 40’ shipping containers and is the combined work of Gaugain, envelope a+d, and AETHER's founders, Jonah Smith and Palmer West. [ Continue reading ]

Freunde von Freunden Workplaces

We really like the latest focus point in the visual guidance through the world of creativity by our friends Freunde von Freunden. In Freunde von Freunde Workplaces the intention is capturing the individual, their strengths, their motivations and specifically their work environments in the broadest sense of the word. Rendering intimate impressions that specifically illuminate the creative working environments and lifestyles as shared by the selected friends in the spotlight. By expanding the focus beyond the homes of their friends, Freunde von Freunden Workplaces aims to dig deeper into the lives of those sharing their story.  [ Continue reading ]