Highline

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This weekend I had the opportunity to visit some friends in NYC.  Knowing my passion for Interior Design, my friends all love to try to take me to the most inspiring spaces they can find.  One such place I had the delightful opportunity to visit briefly was Highline in the Meat Packing District (Little W. 12th Street).  

The Highline website describes itself as a combination of restaurant (Thai-fusion cuisine), bar, and lounge which is named after the old elevated rail structure on Manhattan’s West Side, the High Line. Additionally, the ambiance is themed around a luxury on-board dining experience with the decor attempting to evoke a cruise ship feel.  

Although this chic restaurant and lounge has been open since summer of 2004,  I still felt immediately tranced by its relevant, modern decor.  I am not quite sure where “luxury cruise ship” falls into the design of this space, but,  the sophisticated white walls and a three-story waterfall do complete a truly unique design.  A space that makes you feel like you stepped off the streets of NYC right into a hip, South Beach hotel lobby.  

Filed under: design

Posters, Posters, everywhere…

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I found this in my extensive internet travels the other day — An extensive Mid-20th Century European advertising poster collection… Here are just a few of the hundreds from the gallery

These bold, simplistic graphic posters are a continuous source for contemporary artists and illustrators.

Via the website of Illustrator and Designer Bob Staake

Filed under: art

Birds in your house

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You may remember an earlier post by Henry on the work of Maria Yasko – when he had a look at the Modular Shelving Unit — 

— Beautiful and clever pieces by young, Russian, industrial designer Maria Yasko.  Yasako suggests that her piece, “Snow bird” is a blank/canvas. When placed in the hands of a designer, artist, or any adult or  child for that matter, “Snow bird” acquires a completely new image every single time. You can take a felt tip pen or a box of paints, reimagine it as you wish and transform it’s simple white canvas into a small work of art. It is up to you to decide whether it is going to be a shelf or just a bright spot in your interior design.

winter bird by Maria Yasko

Filed under: design

Master of Glass – Dale Chihuly

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Dale Chihuly is a glass sculptor from Tacoma, Washington.

I’ll admit, I’m far from an expert on glass sculpting and what these artists are capable of.. but what Dale Chihuly magically creates with glass is really something astonishing..

I am going to share with you a number of pieces from Chihuly’s 2006 exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens. Though there are a number of newer and current installations worth checking out.

What I found most interesting in my research, was the knowledge that Chihuly no longer actually works on the glass himself. After being in a head on collision and losing an eye and dislocating his shoulder in a bodysurfing accident, Chihuly was no longer physically able of creating the likes of the following masterpieces. Instead of finishing his career there, he hired others to do the work.

“Once I stepped back, I liked the view” Chihuly describes his role as “more choreographer than dancer, more supervisor than participant, more director than actor.”

Needless to say, Chihuly’s grasp of the glass and its limitations is amazing. His sculptures can be so fluid, full of movement and energy, but he also has the knowledge to make the material more mellow and somber.

Chihuly has dozens of installations and examples of his talent along with some great videos of the process at his website

http://www.chihuly.com/

Filed under: art, design

Tiny Texas Houses

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Much has been written about McMansions and their generally detrimental effects upon the residential landscape, aestheticism, and most importantly the environment. With this in mind, it was most refreshing to stumble across Brad Kittel’s work at Tiny Texas Houses.

 

Kittel designs and build tiny houses – the largest so far being about 4 x 9 metres – through ‘Salvage Building’. Owners can choose from an enormous supply of salvaged doors, beams, and other fittings, to create a perfect tiny dwelling. They are then trucked from Texas to the owner’s property.

 

Often the tiny houses go over several storeys and incorporate lofts, higher levels and porches. While they are seriously tiny (although no worse than many student apartments in Melbourne!) they look gloriously cosy and seem to have everything you’d need.

 

There’s an interesting article in the New York Times about the trend away from larger-than-life living. 

Filed under: design

The wonders of tape – ‘Forty-Eight’ by Rebecca Ward

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I recently stumbled upon the website of Rebecca Ward — Rebecca is an artist from down town Austin, Texas who has exhibited a number of creative, linear works, by utilising the original beams, columns and angles of any given space, usually strung together with a very colourful palette of plain old tape. “I have always been drawn to its unique textural qualities… When using tape, rather than leaving evenly-placed two-dimensional lines upon a wall, I expand upon the material’s sculptural potential and bring these installations into a third dimension.” Her installations are ‘inherently architectural,’ and all ‘site-specific’ No two exhibits are the same. Each site goes through a series of detailed measurements before each installation to properly assess the use of patterns and shapes. “Ideally these patterns are numerically symmetrical or somehow numerically balanced, producing a dialogue between line and space.”

I Got in touch with Rebecca to find out more about an exhibit in Houston Texas — a splash of colour down an otherwise ordinary staircase.

The piece is named ‘forty-eight’ and was commissioned by Box 13 artspace

I soon learnt that the colourful display was not in anyway random, but instead was loosely based on the age old concept of the golden rectangle

Here are Rebecca’s thoughts on the installation.

“When I began investigating the Box13 space, I wanted to plan my installation according to the laws of the golden rectangle.The aerial view of the staircase seemed to have a shape that would work with the golden spiral. Ultimately, it was too difficult to make every piece of tape and every linear gesture adhere to the very specific laws of the logarithmic spiral, but I think the end result still has its basis (somehow and somewhere) in phi. I guess I kind’ve ended up making my own rules about balancing proportions in a rectangular space.”

A huge thanks to Rebecca for sharing her thoughts and work with us.

For more information and equally stunning installations visit..

Rebecca Ward

Filed under: architecture, art, design

Nature and Nosigner

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‘Nosigner’

 

“In an age with tons of artificial things around us, I feel many people desire to have real things that provide them with experiences from nature.” 


Fluoflo, 2008

Originally studying to be an Architect, the Japanese industrial designer who goes by the alias ‘Nosigner‘ clearly found his calling beyond the composition of a building.  Nosigner has been recently featured in all the latest design shows and magazines – getting rave reviews for his forward thinking installations and product designs.  The works created by the designer has a flowing theme, using nature as the inspiration behind his projects.  The use of nature is just part of Nosigner’s overall goal to increase awareness on  global issues relating to the environment and waste.  

The origination of the name ‘Nosigner’ and and in-depth discussion of his projects was featured in an interview for this months issue of Metropolis.  Check out the article here. 

Spring Rain

Pokkari, 2007

Luminaire composition of feathers. 

Rebirth, 2008

Luminaire composition of hollowed egg shells.

Filed under: design

101!

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WOW! In just a few short month, Design Tavern has racked up over 100 posts — 

I thought this would be a good oppourtunity to introduce the new contributors to Design Tavern! Each bringing a fresh and unique view to the pages of DT!

Natalia Sliwka – 
Natalia is a graphic designer, originally from Poland, but now living in LA — She blogs over at www.nataliasliwka.com — Like Design Tavern her site offers her own findings and thoughts on all Art, Architecture and Design. She plans to offer Design Tavern an insight into Polish art and culture.. can’t wait!

 Here is an example of some of Natalia’s very own work Named ‘Fly Away‘

 

Melinda Crimp – 
A fellow Melburnian.. Melinda currently works as a project editor in a publishing house, as you’d imagine, she has a keen eye for book design — She also has a keen eye for interiors, photography, furniture design, Illustration and also floral design. “I wanted to extend my creativity while nurturing my enthusiasm for all things design-related”, says Melinda when asked as to why she felt compelled to contribute to Design Tavern. 

Samantha Sirzyk – 
Sam is currently attending Washington Uni in D.C. where she is completing her masters in Interior Design. You can see some of her own work and web findings over at her blog www.prettylovelythings.com — I have asked Sam to give Interior Design specifically a little more spotlight on DT.. So Stay Tuned!

In her most recent post Samantha investigates 16th century art and architecture revival in a spread by Annie Leibovitz.

Visit the About page to see the girls’ own introduction. 

And if you would like to join the Design Tavern family ! (it’s great! really!) then give me a yell via the Contact page

Filed under: design, general