Category Archives: Design

Short Film Documentary: “Achille Salvagni” Is An Artistic Look At The Renowned Designer

 

Achille Salvagni DesignerAchille Salvagni is recognised as one of the most sophisticated and innovative creatives working today. His influences range from the rich heritage of generations of master designers before him, to cutting-edge contemporary design tendencies. Combining Italian craftsmanship with his passion for noble materials, Salvagni’s timeless interiors reflect his unique approach and the understated elegance of his aesthetic.

For the past 18 years, Salvagni has been at the forefront of his field, tailoring bespoke interiors for some of the most influential personalities, and commissioned to lend his expertise to prestigious international residential projects in New York, Miami, Paris and London, amongst other leading global cities. Salvagni continues to delight and surprise through his careful and considered juxtaposition of objects, materials and tones.

His London Atelier draws from a selection of now iconic pieces and places them in an intimate domestic environment allowing collectors and design aficionados to experience their craftsmanship first-hand. Using only the noblest materials — mahogany, rosewood, royal oak, laurel, onyx, bronze and gold — the works are realised by Rome’s rich collection of unparalleled artisans found in the Vatican City and amongst the cabinet makers of the Quirinal Palace. With a couturier’s approach to design, even the smallest details of the Atelier’s works are the result of an exacting attention to detail, from the patina selection through to custom door handles and hinges.

In this film, Salvagni offers an insight into the philosophy behind his works and how his Roman heritage has influenced his craftmanship.

Website: https://www.achillesalvagni.com/about/

European Landmarks: Estonian Haapsalu Episcopal Castle Gets Spectacular Renovation By Kaos Architects

From a DesignBoom.com online article:

haapsalu episcopal castle design conversion by Kaos Architects entrythe long and colourful history of haapsalu episcopal castle began when it was built in the 13th century, but since the 17th century the main castle has been in ruins. kaos architects‘ conservation and renovation has resulted in a journey along the walls and within the castle. the renovated castle invites guests to admire the castle’s structure closer and view the picturesque town of haapsalu from an unusually high vantage point. the guests now experience the medieval environment from another level. 

Consumer Issues: Many Products Designed For Older People Are Just “Brown, Beige And Boring”

From a MIT Technology Review online article:

Engaging older people in designing for older people “is a good thing,” says Smith. “Because younger people do tend to have this picture of designing things that are functional for older people, but not really understanding what makes them happy.” Presented with products that are “brown, beige, and boring,” many older people will forgo convenience for dignity.

MIT Technology Review why are products for older people so uglyIt’s a familiar tune to engineer Ken Smith, director of the mobility division of the Stanford Center on Longevity. He says one of the biggest mistakes designers make is to assume that around the age of 60 people lose interest in aesthetics and design. This can have dire consequences for products meant to help people with their health. No one wants to stick a golf-ball-size hearing aid the color of chewed gum in their ear, any more than they want to wear a T-shirt that reads “SENIOR CITIZEN.”

To read more click on the following link: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614167/why-are-products-for-older-people-so-ugly/?utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=76169117&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_dlTg24O7Cr_1b5J4cniKFvi74Dmh8Fm3nuJVTbblAB8Z3fna_Rj6WoV6M6aodqOVSJnh603-liOHFgjAr_EQEh9sVQw&_hsmi=76169117

Future Of Housing: London Architect Builds Affordable Shipping Container Project

From a Dwell.com online article:

FBM Architects Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust Container Low Cost Homes Front“The scheme provides much-needed single-person accommodations for social rent using converted shipping containers to create contemporary, environmentally-friendly homes in a desirable area near to local amenities and within walking distance of the town center,” explain the architects. The firm developed the design in consultation with local residents and stakeholders, and they previously completed a pop-up container cafe for Kingston University and volumetric student residential projects in Coventry.

London-based Fraser Brown MacKenna Architects (FBM Architects) recently secured planning permission to build eco-friendly social housing from recycled secondhand shipping containers in Aylesbury, a Buckinghamshire town located an hour northwest of London.

FBM Architects Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust Container Low Cost Homes Cut Away View

The project is the latest effort by the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust to provide “quality affordable homes” to people in need. So far the nonprofit has developed over 7,000 affordable homes, and it hopes the green-roofed cargotecture homes will serve as an inspiring and replicable model for future development.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.dwell.com/article/gatehouse-road-shipping-container-homes-fraser-brown-mackenna-architects-a7afdd43?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily%20dose&utm_content=featurehed_6&utm_medium=email&utm_source=postup&utm_campaign=&list=1

Future Of Housing: Are Prefab Homes Delivered (Free) By Amazon An Answer To The Affordable Housing Shortage?

From a CityLab.com online article:

Allwood Eagle Point Prefabricated House interior On Amazon
Allwood Eagle Point | 1108 SQF Cabin Kit

Is there a future for Amazon’s mail-order housing market? There is now a wide range of DIY home kits from multiple third-party sellers available on the site, ranging from bare-bones cabinettes to a two-story container house and even a pre-fab modular home for $105,000. They’ve enjoyed a deluge of media coverage, and curious Amazon users are peppering manufacturers with questions. And the market is certainly ready: With solo living on the rise and a deepening nationwide housing shortage, demand for smaller, cheaper places to live is sure to grow in the coming years.

North America’s affordable housing shortage could serve as the same economic rationale for Amazon’s mail-order house business. As housing prices skyrocket in places like Los Angeles and Boston and developable urban land becomes increasingly scarce, an affordable build-your-own-house kit could be just the fix for many households. (And since the company is often blamed for boosting real-estate prices in Seattle and now Northern Virginia, it might be karmically appropriate for Amazon to get in on the solution side to the affordable housing crisis.)

Amazon listing for Allwood Eagle Point house:

https://www.amazon.com/Allwood-Eagle-Point-1108-Cabin/dp/B00LYGIEU2/ref=pd_sbs_469_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00LYGIEU2&pd_rd_r=57851efa-26b4-41a6-87ea-d317aae84072&pd_rd_w=Tu7el&pd_rd_wg=kzayz&pf_rd_p=1c11b7ff-9ffb-4ba6-8036-be1b0afa79bb&pf_rd_r=4YF61YGPKTMACBM6G7Z5&psc=1&refRID=4YF61YGPKTMACBM6G7Z5

To read more click on the following link: https://www.citylab.com/perspective/2019/08/tiny-house-order-amazon-kit-diy-how-much-cost-zoning/596350/?utm_source=newsletter&silverid=%25%25RECIPIENT_ID%25%25&utm_campaign=citylab-daily-newsletter&utm_medium=email

Future Driving: Smart EQ Fortwo Cabrio Electric Drive Is “Fun-Filled, Quirky Open Air Experience”

From a DesignBoom.com online article:

smart fortwo cabrio electric 2020 interiorthe result of its energetic design, both on the exterior and interior, ensures the smart ‘fortwo cabrio electric drive’ is fun-filled and quirky yet stylishly typical of the brand. at a size of 2.69 meters in length, 1.66m in width and 1.55m in height, the model delivers agile functionality for city mobility, even turning circles in less than 7 meters. however this time, smart has provided all this whilst offering electric economy with accelerating power and a fresh, open-air driving experience.

smart fortwo cabrio electric drive test: from weaving between bustling city streets to winding down swiss country roads, designboom test drove the smart ‘fortwo cabrio electric drive‘ around geneva, switzerland, and the surrounding area. in just 12 seconds ‘the roof opens.. and you can cruise almost silently through the city’, says dr annette winkler, head of smart. the folding soft top becomes a complete convertible with removable roof bars, combining an open-air element to smart’s already notoriously fun driving experience. the openness of the car’s design enables the driver to feel ‘the fantastic acceleration get right under your skin.

To read more click on following link:

 https://www.designboom.com/technology/smart-fortwo-cabrio-electric-drive-test-07-05-2017/

Future Of Housing: Trim Studios 100-Sq. Foot Home Is “Hideaway Of Dreams”

From a Dwell.com online article:

Trim Studio 100 sq foot house kitchenFor Trim Studio, the design requirements were simple and straightforward: a living area, kitchen, wood-burning stove, bathroom, bedroom, patio, log storage, and an outdoor shower. The challenge, however, came with the square footage restrictions: the home could be no larger than 100 square feet, and no taller than 16 feet high.  

Trim Studio 100 sq foot house bedroomKris and Ali visited the site and, as Rodrigo Munguia, principal of Trim Studio, tells it, “immediately fell in love with the property.” Dubbing the site and house Ohana (meaning family in Hawaiian), the couple knew they wanted a cabin that spoke to the wooded area and took advantage of the property’s magnificent views. Particularly exciting for Munguia was the fact that they also wanted to have their wedding on the property, and planned to start their lives together at Ohana as a married couple.

To take advantage of the astounding views that extend beyond the Strait of Georgia to the cityscape of downtown Vancouver, Trim Studio oriented the home so that it faces northeast. Ohana, or Galiano 100, is outfitted with large, oversized windows and floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors so that the space feels larger than its 100-square-foot footprint.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.dwell.com/article/galiano-100-trim-studio-c1145e1a

Future Of Travel Trailers: Happier Camper HC1 Is Pure Lightweight, Vintage Modular Functionality

From a Curbed.com online article:

Happier Camper HC1 2019The fiberglass trailer is cute-as-a-button with a large rear hatch, wide entry door, and classic fender design. Available in a plethora of colors (like Pacific blue, Bishop red, Topanga turquoise, and Mojave sage), the two-tone paint job only adds to the adorableness of the camper, as does a port window on the door. It’s a trailer that makes people stop and do a double take, and a welcome break from the tired swoopy graphics found on most RVs.

The HC1 is easy to tow and weighs only 1,100 pounds dry, meaning it can be towed by most vehicles (but always check your own vehicle’s tow weight). Mounted leveling jacks make setting up camp easy, and our family of two adults and two kids spent more than a few minutes exploring the trailer, ohhing and ahhing over the various components.

 

https://vimeo.com/210854717

To read more click on the following link: https://www.curbed.com/2019/8/14/20805586/rv-camper-travel-trailer-review-happier-camper

Kitchenware Of The Future: “DuoPot” By That! Inventions Brews Both Coffee And Tea Stylishly

From a ThatInventions.com online posting:

That! Duo Pot for Tea and Coffee PhotoThe DuoPot’s premium glass body, pure and clear, is a new kind of visual sensation, while the clean chiseled stainless steel inside exudes sophistication and chic.  Together, they emanate a quiet beauty that incites love at first sight.  But the flippable filter design is really what all the raving is about, with its ability to brew coffee or tea with a simple twist of the wrist!  No more hassles with switching your drinking apparatus.  No more headaches with finding yet more storage space!  Delight your life with ingenuous design and lose yourself in the joy of making that perfect cup.

That! Duo Pot for Tea and Coffee Photo

THAT! Inventions, the kitchenware company that consistently amazes, recently introduced yet another pleasant surprise: a glass pot that brews coffee… and tea!  With an elegant, clever design that beguiles and delights, it brings a brand new level of convenience and fun to anyone who love both coffee and tea.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.thatinventions.com/blogs/news/that-duopot-enjoy-a-life-on-the-flip-side-where-you-can-have-it-both-ways

Future Of Hotels: Moxy NYC Chelsea Features “Stripped-Back” Chic Design, “Zany Bars” & Space Saving Affordability

From a Dezeen.com online review:

Moxy NYC Chelsea Hotel Full ExteriorGuests are able to check themselves in at the Yabu Pushelberg-designed reception behind the flower store – forming part of the Moxy’s stripped-back approach to hospitality. Desks hang down from the ceiling while neon signs flash slogans related to flowers.

As with the Moxy Times Square, the firm’s design uses custom furnishings to make the most of the limited space. Each room features built-in wooden beds, which range from king, queen, double and bunk beds depending on the layout.

Chairs and tables can be folded away and hung from wooden wall pegs, which are also used to hang clothes in lieu of cabinets. Additional storage drawers are slotted underneath the beds.

Yabu Pushelberg and Rockwell Group have created a mix of floral and zany bars, restaurants, workspaces, and space-saving bedrooms inside this New York hotel.

Developed by Lightstone, the 349-room hotel is the latest outpost of Moxy – a subsidiary of hospitality company Marriott that aims to be affordable without compromising on style.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nycos-moxy-nyc-chelsea/

Moxy NYC Chelsea Check In

To read more click on following link: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/12/moxy-nyc-chelsea-hotel-rockwell-group-yabu-pushelberg/#/