Futureland

Amazing renderings from by Olalekan Jeyifous. A lot of personality, and I'm curious about how they were created.  Says "digital media on paper".  I first thought it was watercolor, which I'd like to get back into, if I ever had the time. Kudos, anyways.  P.S. "The Furies" series on the Vigilism website (linked)  is great.  Reminds me of a graphic novel meets old school architecture book.

Oh to be a fly in that dust cloud...

It just so happened that the dust cloud descended on this year's Salone del Mobile.  A bad sitch for those inspired designers and enthusiasts stranded in Milan... but then again they've got some intriguing company.  All this gets me excited for NY's design week(s)... just got my ICFF badge.  A few highlights from abroad- Formafantasma, Humberto & Fernando Campana for Nodus, Studio Job, Droog, & Ingo Maurer.

moco loco, designboom

Rectilinear? Don't even.

The Holon Design Museum, Israel's first design museum, by architect Ron Arad.  It has its grand opening this month.  Seeing some Gehry & FLW?  Is it now the norm to visit museums to see the exterior instead of what's on display inside?  If so, I'm not opposed.  Because nonetheless, its still new to me.  Those colors are stunning.  As long as it doesn't distractingly creep inside, which in this case, it doesn't:

The first exhibition is called "The State of Things" and displays a hundred objects by designers who are impacted by contemporary issues.  I love that they've thrown some humor in with issue categories like Mutant Remix, Social Anxiety, and New Essentialism.  Also Maarten Baas is one of the designers, along with several other notables.

On another note, I kind of reached a milestone this week with my first company business cards.  Yay!

In Italia Ancora

Dan Colen's Karma show at the Massimo de Carlo gallery in Milan.  Helped with production ealier in the year.  Many more pics after link!

Party Hard

An amazingly whimsical house just built in Ibiza by Andres Jaque Architects.  The ultimate party house for the ultimate locale- no wonder it's called the House in Never Never Land.  Here's an excerpt of the initial proposal the firm wrote, which I think captures the unbridled atmosphere of the island:

"It explores the way that the design of the material systems used as a basis for every day experience can help us allow this to happen in different areas; in the island’s environmental richness; in the quality standards of European cities; in the hedonistic tradition of Santa Monica’s suburban swimming pools; in the ‘extreme happiness’ related to electronic music and synthetic drug consumption; in nudism and naturism; in fleeting romance; in spontaneous sunset parties, in the fluctuations in the property market or in retirement plan."

I'm drawn to the theoretical/conceptual aspects of design, although its easy to get swept up with over-analysis.  With this place, I feel like the house really reflects the environtment.  Chaotic, free-spirited, semi voeuristic, a little over the top at times, and plenty of hidden places to make bad decisions.  I'm losing it over carefree way the house sprawls down the site, especially the trailing staircase in the backyard.  Definitely more fun house than beach house, but nevertheless, I'd love to experience it in person.  

BKLYN DESIGNS 2010

The BKLYN Designs site launched this week (too cool for vowels).  It's a show where local Brooklyn companies exhibit their work.  This will be my first year going, so I'm pretty excited.
My company is heavily involved this year, including an installation with reclaimed furniture.  Details later, but the hunt for said furniture led us to an incredible smörgåsbord of random objects in a seven-story building in downtown Brooklyn two days ago.  I wish I had pictures, so I"ll try to describe.  As the landlord- who was nice enough to donate a lot of stuff- led us through the floors, it got more and more interesting.  Things, everywhere.  Some of the things inside were: stacks of windows,  two sky blue velvet Louis XIV armchairs atop a pile of thirty or so other chairs, a six foot glass and concrete bird feeder, carnival stuff including a carousel horse and vintage scale, a cupcake factory fragrantly making miniature cupcakes, several notable Knoll chairs, and artists creating mechanical sculptures in neon and gold.  Needless to say, I was overwhelmed, but it made for an interesting Tuesday.

Ghost Ctd.

This just in - for me at least - Tokujin Yoshioka is launching a line of polycarbonate furniture in Milan during the furniture show.  He's designed an installation for the Kartell showroom.
The best part?  It's called The Invisibles!
More food for my transparent furniture fantasy life...

Get LOST

Oh, I love these, courtesy of the Future Mapping Company.  It's like those topographical wall maps from grade school, but so much cooler.

London- aqua, champagne, & apple.

London-  emerald, silver, & blue.

World- pine, coral, & gold.

World- blue, emerald, pink, & yellow. (W)

Rainy Day Rowhouse

Pint-Sized.

Spring spring spring spring spring SPRING!
The other night I was eating dinner in the Lower East Side, and had these small burgers that you dip in cheese fondue.  I know.  Now I've seen what they call "sliders" before, never ordered, but these bad boys were adorable!  We're talking quarter-sized.  It was one of the most entertaining meals I've had in a while. 
And I got to thinking, what makes miniature things so interesting?

Maybe it's the cute factor, or just the surprise of scale.  It reminds me of making models in school, which reminded me of my old dollhouse.  Perhaps the whole allure of the dollhouse, and the miniature, is that you just feel powerful being so much larger than the objects?  Whatever the case, whenever I have a kid, guy or girl, it's gonna get a dollhouse.  Mine was purple and lavender, two stories, classic Victorian-style.  My aunt made it for my sister and I.  I tried unsucessfully to carpet it and made several chests of drawers using matchboxes because I read about them in The Borrowers. 

Some new dollhouses and furniture-  (I hope you squeal just a little bit.)

(Weburbanist, Daddytypes, Makezine, Furniture Store Blog, Metro UK, Inhabitots)