The first snowfall here in a couple of years and the countryside has ground to a halt, with winter making its presence felt once more both indoors and out. A day spent snowed in reinforces my awareness of everyday life’s clutter: these fabulous felt baskets in tones of cool ivy and charcoal grey suit today’s mood perfectly….
With stiff sides, the baskets hide much from view, and I love the contrast stitch detail. Sold as a set of three, £52 from Nordic House.
Combining both the best of both old and new design processes, Swedish wallpaper design house Sandberg has drawn on a wealth of archive material – both their own and sourced from Sweden’s rich architectural and design history – to create their first digital wallpaper collection.
Launching this spring, Arkiv includes fifteen different highly detailed patterns: pictorial designs of trees and chairs; buildings (in particular the Nordic Museum) and architectural elements such as doors; as well as maps, Japanese woodblock prints (highly popular in 19th Century Sweden), and digitally reproduced images of popular Sandberg designs and sketches:
From the top: Justus, Gunnars Stolar, and Nordiska Museet from Chaper One: Architecture, Arkiv collection, Sandberg
From the top: Georg, Tang and Botanica from Chapter Four, Sandberg Archive, from the Arkiv collection by Sandberg
Top: Hiroshiges Regnskyar and below, Eishi, from Chapter Three: Japanese Woodblock prints, from the Arkiv Collection by Sandberg
My favourites are these two, with their very different but equally calming tree motifs:
Top: Carlsbergs Trad, and below: Eden, both from the Arkiv Collection by Sandberg
[All images, Sandberg]
The Arkiv collection launches this spring; visit Sandberg for detailed global stockists information.
Dutch artists Haas & Hahn are currently campaigning to raise funds for their latest art collaboration: to transform an entire favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with paint. Previously, they’ve worked with members of the local communities in the city to create street art on the walls and surfaces in parts of the city’s slums, and now they’re embarking on their most ambitious project yet.
An impression of how the finished favela will look, above, and how it looks today:
Haas & Hahn’s first project, Boy with Kite (2006, Vila Cruzeiro), transformed this concrete neighbourhood:
In 2010, the team worked on this colourful, ambitious project, a square in the Santa Marta community. Together with 25 locals who were trained and hired, the project took one month to complete, and has turned the area from a no-go zone to a tourist attraction:
[images: favela painting, designboom]
This latest huge, many-year project has it roots firmly in the community; from gaining approval for the painting (this means travelling through the favela, door to door), Haas & Hahn will work with local people, training them in the skills of plastering and painting, so creating neighourhood jobs alongside the creation of the public artwork. Basic human needs are also being addressed: simply by including plastering in the process, these handbuilt houses will have better longevity, temperature and moisture control. They’ll need headquarters, paint supplies, and huge amounts of funding, though their initial target is a restrained $100,000.
Do use a click to visit Haas & Hahn’s Kickstarter and Favela Painting sites to help with the fundraising and view more of their work.
Continuing my love of blue and white, (see previous posts here, here and here) I’ve just come across this new concept by Japanese design studio nendo, which has worked with Gen-emon to create a new series of porcelain tableware. Gen-omen is one of Japan’s most respected and long established traditional porcelain kilns, and nendo has taken some of their classic motifs, from small florals to geometric shapes; keeping the signature (and much loved) blue/white colour combination but playing with scale and the elements of the patterns to reintrpet the designs for today’s living:
[all images, Designboom; products by nendo and gen-emon]
By playing with the possibilities of pattern to plain; blue on white to white on blue, and using traditional motifs, the porcelain is beautiful both individually and as an eclectic group of several pieces. From plates to bowls, pots to spoons, this collection is definitely on my wish list!
As I mentioned before here, London buzzes with festivals and high profile events in September, and visitors in town for London Fashion Week and the London Design Festival can also participate in The Mayor’s Thames Festival, which starts today and runs until Sunday 15 September.
This year, the events and performances of the Thames Festival have been re-focused to concentrate on celebrating the River Thames itself, and one which caught my eye is the film Portrait of a River by Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen. You can get a glimpse of his thoughtful, dramatic style with these stills:
[All images, copyright Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen]
From the military helicopters which gather, then seem to swarm, above the city, to the golfer oblivious to the river beyond, Larsen’s film depicts both the people and the places who define the river, and shows how the Thames is both a place of serious industry, and a place where many relax.
You can view Portrait of a River daily from noon till 9.30pm on a huge outdoor riverside screen near Oxo Tower Wharf. For more information and events happening during the Thames Festival, including the Great River Race, visit Thames Festival.
I’m still loving the summer months and definitely not wishing the warm temperatures away, but now I’m starting to think about September, when London goes completely design crazy.
Unmissable events include interior design trade shows, from the all-encompasssing Decorex to the cutting edge 100% Design and the London Design Festival which includes, amongst other events, Tent London in the east and Chelsea Design Quarter events in the west. The festival takes place at locations throughout the city from 13 September to 10 October, and this dramatic installation is one of the highlights:
[Endless Stair, by dRMM with AHEC, image Cityscape via London Design Week]
The Endless Stair will be located just outside the Tate Modern, making this part of London’s South Bank even more worth a visit.
Constructed from hardwood (the structure is sponsored by the American Hardwood Export Council, and created by Architects dRMM) the M.C.Escher-inspired installation will be open to walk up and along during the day and can be admired, illuminated, at night time.
September’s looking to be a busy month, design-wise: I can’t wait.
A quick pop into the Heals Autumn/Winter press launch to preview their designs for the coming season, and design lovers are in for a treat: in the autumn Heals will unveil a completely new lighting department in their flagship West End store, filled with stunning lamps made from a huge variety of diverse materials and in all shapes and sizes, from breath-taking flowing jelly-fish style pendants, to patchwork standard lamps and glowing chairs, as well as a fabulous selection of accessories from ceramics to textiles:
These delicate ceramics with their dip dye caught my eye:
The jelly fish light had everyone gasping in amazement:
….quite lovely and surprisingly relaxing to watch as it ebbed and flowed….
There were lots of glass pendants – some with a decorative trim:
One for me: I do love coloured glass vases and bottles:
Fabulous cosy textiles:
Individual patchwork lamps:
…. and a modern-day kitchen chair: one for the most important diner in the house: …
I’m also particularly excited about the work Heals are doing with Out of the Dark – this fantastic charitable social enterprise recycles and revamps salvaged furniture, simultaneously training disadvantaged young people in craft, DIY and work skills. Check out this fab coffee table, below – and do click on this Out of the Dark link to find out more about this inspirational project.
[All products from Heals, all photographs Find the Details]
Which designs appeal to you most? The products will be in Heals stores and online in the early autumn and beyond. Until then, enjoy the summer! Jx
