Sunday, February 27, 2011

Amwaj, Ebru and the Letter A.

The  word 'Amwaj' in arabic means literally translated: 'Waves of Emotion'
I was so amazed to learn a single word could mean so much. Take a look at the following images and see what the wave can translate into:

This beautifully wavy-lined marble called Arundel can be sourced from Ann Sacks:



this amazing marble is called Pantano:


which reminds me alot of Ebru; the ancient art of  Paper Marbling as seen below:




also, the wave translated into the following furniture pieces by BookHuo







and these stools by Harry & Camila

as well as their vases:





and well this had nothing to do with the beauty of the wave, but just a beautiful way to make use of the A-frame: a home reno in Bruges by Room &Room Architecture:













Friday, February 25, 2011

Shipping Containers..

Did you know that Shipping Containers can be used for more than moving your furniture overseas?

Shipping Containers are abundant and inexpensive, one can even order a Container online , they come in sizes 20' or 40', you can expect a price of about $1500 to $3000 per container (transport cost extra).

Containers are being used to create homes, office buildings and sports facilities around the world, and are becoming a popular alternative to traditional construction.

Just imagine, because of their construction they are extremely durable against seismic activity, how great would that be in a country that is prone to earthquakes? In the images below, the architect has cut out openings for windows, doors, and created an amazing home-- the ultimate reuse from an economical product into a durable shelter. Can you imagine what could be done with such an abundant, affordable item--maybe for housing in underpriviledged countries?? Clemson University, School of Architecture's Doug Hecker thinks it could be, and has come up with some ideas on how to create it. Rensselear Polytechnic Institute has also jumped on the bandwagon- their Architecture students created a mock-up emergency medical facility for possible use in a places like Haiti.








This is an artist's residence by Urban Space Management that was installed in only 4 days:

cove park

and this medical facility was designed also by Urban Space Mgmt.

Pinchin Street

as well as this Sport Facility in London, England

Dunraven Sports Hall

Here's a video describing Rensselear's Architecture students container mock-up:


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New Products!

I've recently discovered a wonderful site called re: Modern that has these great environmentally friendly items for home or office that can be purchased online:

Check out this Accoustic wall paneling, which not only will add a lot of texture to a wall, but will also help absorb sound.


or these Sculptural Wall Tiles that also give texture and color at an extremely affordable price:



This light fixture is just fantastic, the shade comes fully flat and you just bend the portions you want to create your own custom shade- It's called the Bendant...get it, 'bend'-ant:



Bendant Hanging Light



This modular wall is called the Nomad, made from recycled double-wall cardboard, it can be adjusted however high or wide you want to create a division from one room to another.



Also, check out these clever products from DesignJOO a designer whose created pieces really reflect a beautiful mind:



Flash drive glasses!




This adjustable sofa, The V-Two, can be pushed together and pulled apart depending on your space requirements.



Alright, go ahead, put me on a pedestal-- as long as it's DesignJoo's very comfortable looking, Honey Bee Stool..




And when you can't figure out what to wear, United Nude has these amazing shoes whose texture is based on low resolution scanned images, here's the Lo Res:




and these fabulous heels were designed with Charles and Ray Eames in mind:

Eamz




Sunday, February 20, 2011

Designer Focus: Karim Rashid

Karim Rashid has it all: furniture, lighting, interior design, and even fashion.  He takes his unique aesthetic and applies it in every possible way. On one side there is a fun lack of subtlety in his creations and bold use of colour (especially pink!). On the other side his products are streamlined, amorphic and his interiors take material manipulation to a new level. I wonder how it's possible to be so involved with so many aspects of design, from tile to wallcovering, textiles to tennis shoes, and apparently one can book him as a DJ too..

--To summarize, I really enjoy looking at the world of Karim Rashid, his site has much more than what I am showing now, you will see wallcoverings, carpets, and tiles that all relate to a manifesto he has created, of poetry in design and technology to fuel it.--


Here are some examples of Rashid's work:

Lighting :








Furniture:

























Fashion:





And his interior design:
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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Lit from Within..

Lamps. I used to watch the TV Series Heroes only because of the lamps they kept changing for every episode. A lamp is truly one of the best indicators of what kind of personality you are housing in a space. Think of the idea of people who put on a lampshade at parties...they're drunk enough to let their true self show--

Take a look at the following image of Lamps I've found and tell me what it tells you about a person who uses this source of illumination:





Giuko1 Table Lamp by Itre




Retort Lamp by Style Garage



Binic by Foscarini





Glass Jug Table Lamp


Glass Jug Lamp by West Elm


Estiluz M-5807 Infiore Table Lamp & Estiluz Table Lamps | YLighting

M-5807 Infiore Table Lamp by Estiluz




Anastacha Table Lamp, Lamps & Terzani Anastacha Table Lamps | YLighting


Anastacha Table Lamp by Terzani


Bokka Table Lamp, Bokka Table Lamps & Kundalini Bokka Lamps | YLighting
Bokka Table Lamp by Karim Rashid