super contemporary

there is an increased movement by designers to think of the public and less of the individual as a consequence of environmental design. super contemporary, a new exhibition at the design museum in london has commissioned 15 of London’s leading creative minds to design something that improves life in the city, inspired by the city.

Here are a few of the design proposals:

lamp-post chandelier by thomas heatherwick - 'the design maximises drama, creating spacial experiences that work for passers by on an intimate scale and produce a grand, impressive effect'.

installation of the lamp-post chandelier.

new london bunny bin by paul smith - when someone approaches the bin a sensor on the hoop reacts and the rabbit's ears flash.

paul smith sitting with his bunny bin.

rain it in by paul cocksedge - 'following the fact that an electric charge attracts water, cocksedge experimented with controlling rainfall - imagining a london with rain-free pavements, bicycle guards and stadiums'.

thames pin by kit grover - a symbol shaped like the river Thames that is also a desirable object in itself.

the super contemporary exhibition will take place at the design museum in london from 03 june 2009 to 04 october 2009. check it out at http://www.designmuseum.org/ .

invention licious

i'm a sucker for great design. i am just kicking myself because i think these are amazingly thought out and so well-designed...i shoulda come up with these pieces.
hope you enjoy them as much as i do!

orgone lounge by marc newson.

librolounge by todd bracher. just relax and read a book.

alberto colonello’s design for Boffi: the on/off Kitchen shown in the the 'off' position.

alberto colonello’s design for Boffi: the on/off kitchen shown in the the 'on' position. soooo sleek, futuristic and barely there.

bloom ottoman by todd bracher

alufelt chair by marc newson.

designilicious

one of the reasons i started this blog about design is that it makes me stop and focus for a moment about the parts of design which really matter to me: how the space, light, color, texture and scent of a space makes me feel. I love a calm, harmonious, well-balanced space...and i truly believe that this type of space affects all aspects of our everyday lives.

my designs are influenced by objects, images, people and experiences which surround me. i actually hear, taste, feel and smell something about these influences, and they usually create a feeling so evocative that the feelings permeate my thoughts and my designs.

i live in a very linear world, where my designs stem from grids and symmetry...this provides the structure and balance to my designs. however, once the structure is in place, i like to break up the rigidity with whimsical and asymmetrical forms.

lately i have been adding inspiring images to my image notebook. here are a few which really spoke to me. i hope they are also some type of inspiration for you.

nostalgic

i wanted to give a shout out to my very talented hubby. here's a photo he took a couple of weeks ago. how lucky we are to live in such a photogenic city! hubby is out of town...but this photo he took keeps me company while he's away. hope you have a photogenic day.

chandel icious

lately, something about a chandelier makes me happy. I love the way the light reflects and refracts from the crystals. i love the symbolism behind what a chandelier signifies--everything luxurious and grandiose. i also love the ornate and decorative forms which chandeliers come in. i was in a drawing mood...so i decided to draw a couple of interpretations of chandeliers. just something i felt like doing between deadlines (like i had nothing else to do).

enjoy!

going...and going...and going....

i've been going and going...and that's why there is a lack of posts on my 'design' blog. but here's one about my ache-y back...and ridiculously high-heels (the cause of my ache-y back).

and i promise there will be more design in my design [blog].

to all those who keep going and going and going....here's to you. may you too have more design in your design... and may your favorite shoes be the cause of your ache-y back.

sculpt ilicious

Balloon Dog (Blue), high chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating

Chainlink, polychromed aluminum, galvanized steel

Cracked Egg (Red), high chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating

Balloon Dog, oil on canvas

we went to the LACMA yesterday....yes, i am proud to say that my children are officially members of the museum!

the museum is always so inspirational to me. i come back completely revitalised and so eager to keep the creative process moving. i've been thinking about the work of one very iconic american artist jeff koons.

koons' re-creation of very banal objects seems, at first glance, very cynical...especially when koons himself states that his works have 'no hidden meaning'. then what, jeff, are you trying to do by taking this mundane object (we would rather throw away) and monumentalizing it? i came to the realization that in fact his work is full of meaning.

marcel duchamp once stated, "The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act."

the meaning in koons' vibrant and gleeming installations are all about the meaning WE as the viewers decide to give it. to me they talk about impact, juxtaposition of unexpected materials, and the risks an artist is willing to take.

i hope you enjoy these pieces as much as i do. and, whether or not you enjoy them, i hope that you will get to experience them in reality...in the way that you choose too.

invitations only...

i believe the clothing isn't the only part of a fashion show which makes it successful (alright, i'll admit it is an important part).

however, i always judge my books by their covers...and i think the same applies to fashion shows. i judge them by their invites. here are some of the fun invites from this year’s autumn/winter 2009 men’s collections in paris and milan during fashion week.

Number (N)ine's invitation

Dior Homme's invitaion

Maison Martin Margiela's invitation

Gucci's invitation

Louis Vuitton's invitation

Hermès' invitation

Alfred Dunhill's invitation

Prada's invitation

John Galliano's invitation

here....

have a little happy...from me to you! xxx

education of an architect

i miss my university days...

i miss my university days...

not the gruelling all-nighters spent in our university's architectural studio sipping vending machine coffee at 3 am while trying to figure out if i should fabricate a portion of my design at full scale in the ladies room with my welding tools or out of some exotic wood at 1/4" = 1'-0".

not even the nights when i was so exhilarated from being awake for the 3rd night straight without even going home to shower that, in an effort to entertain my studio mates and myself, i would jump on my drawing board and start dancing to i will survive and strutting to i'm too sexy which i would blare from my cassette tape player full-blast (eventually my studio mates had to take all my tapes and hide them).

i also don't miss building an entire floor above my desk in studio which was equipped with all the essentials to melt my freshly farmed bee's wax (a staple in many of my projects)..because i felt that i didn't have enough room to do my projects in. eventually we had to take it down because the university chair deemed it as a fire hazard.

no...in fact, what i miss most about my architectural schooling is my ability to believe that everything is possible and that design has unlimited possibilities. there was no right or wrong way to do, think, believe or build anything. i loved where my thoughts would take me. i had envisioned the most fantastical designs...so far out...so unheard of...and soooo everything i imagined architecture to be.

as i sit at my desk designing custom moldings for the worlds wealthiest people....i am looking through one of my many sketchbooks from those days and remembering why i am here today... this one is from my year-long study at the academy of fine arts in vienna, austria.

i miss those days...but i wouldn't trade them for the amazing days i have now.

cyclicious

my hubby proposed to me during a 600 mile bike ride (in 5 days) in colorado. either he was delirious (and proposed)...or i was (and accepted). either way, the bicycle holds a dear space in my heart. both hubby and i are glad for our temporary delirium during that trip.

i had to dedicate a space on my new blog to a bicycle...and this image actually makes me smile. thought i'd share it with you. this photo was taken in tokyo.

life is like riding a bicycle: in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.

~Albert Einstein