IN with Ingo Maurer

Porca Miseria! 1994

L'eclat joyeux 2005

German-born Ingo Maurer is one of the most prolific and respected artist/designers working today. Fascinated by what he calls the “magical and mystical” properties of light, Maurer constructs luminous atmospheres that play with traditional concepts of color, brightness, and shadow. Since 1966, Maurer has created more than 150 different lights and lighting systems and designed lighting for diverse international venues, including fashion runways, public buildings and monuments, and private commissions. Maurer uses unexpected materials and found objects to create light, and he is a pioneer in the usage of new lighting technologies.
http://www.interiordesign.net/id_article/CA6513687/id

Cappellini Sydney Dedece showroom

Contemporary Classic Icons
"The most prestigious Italian design company", as defined by the Financial Times, has products in the permanent collections of the most prestigious contemporary art museums in the world, from MOMA in New York to the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and in international design shows.These products are exhibited as examples of what is contemporary, iconic, avant-garde and experimental. http://www.cappellini.it/indexf.htm

Farnsworth house

Talk about understanding your environment!


You want modern, take a letter.


Colour used in appropriate fashion, how novel!

Notice how the kitchen remains somewhat hidden


Perfect!



The Farnsworth House, built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951 and located near Plano, Illinois, is one of the most famous examples of modernist domestic architecture and was considered unprecedented in its day.This house remains a monument to modernism, there isn't much to say, it speaks for itself, however I've got a few quick words. Modern does not mean beige! Modern does not equal trendy, this house is as relevant today as it was when it was built! Modern does not exclude pattern, notice the perfect balance between the starkness of the house and the nature that surrounds it. Modern is a beautiful and very sensitive aesthetic, that is butchered daily; in fact I can't think of a movement that is more misrepresented and misunderstood.

Dellis Cay

This project on the southwestern shore of a previously uninhabited island in the Turks and Caicos chain will cover 35 acres with a beachfront Mandarin Oriental hotel and residences. It will mark the first phase of development on the 560-acre island, with other projects planned for the future. Owners of the residences — 24 one- to four-bedroom units in the hotel building, 54 one- to three-bedroom units in nine other buildings nearby, and 17 free-standing villas with five to six bedrooms — will have the option of placing their properties in a revenue-sharing rental program. There will be 25 suites in the hotel to add to the residences offered for rental. This part of the overall development is designed by Piero Lissoni, the Italian architect and designer, with Asian elements. The residences will feature large terraces and balconies, and there will be four restaurants, infinity-edge pools, tennis courts, a beach club and shops. The spa will be built suspended over a lake, and it will have an outdoor pool for water massage treatments.http://www.delliscay.com/

JBK Gallery

Tea pot

Tea pot

Gorgeous, Gorgeous

"The Manhattan Series"

We often look for items to accessorize our homes without really focusing on their process or intent. Often decorative objects seem empty and feel like clutter without adding to the feel of the home. A space should speak of its owner, should tell his story, and accessories are a great way to help get that story across. Truth be told, it’s quite hard to be discerning; although it’s such a design conscious world there is a whole lot of junk out there. That being said, every so often one comes across a great artist who produces beautiful things like Jeroen Bechtold (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). Have a look at some examples of the really cool ceramics he produces (the Manhattan series are by far my favorite).

When I saw his work in Amsterdam a few years ago, I had to be sedated. I thought the stuff was out of this world! I kept trying to buy a few pieces but it was impossible (the shop was always closed), but that’s neither here nor there; perhaps you’ll have better luck buying online. I will say this, the internet does nothing for these pieces, they should be seen in person. www.jbk.nu

Frank Stella

Frank Stella is famous for saying of his artwork: "What you see is what you get." This sentence became the mantra of minimalist artists of the 1960's and established Stella as one of the pioneers of a new art movement that stressed the reduction of the image to its most basic elements of colour, shape and design. From an interior design perspective, his work is strong enough to carry as space to the end, as it did for http://yabupushelberg.com/ in the Princess of Wales theater for the Mirvish brothers in 1991.

Speaking of Black and White...

The Night Hotel in New York, situated near Time Square in the city center, is a prime example of good, current design. Vikram Chatwal & Mark Zeff, pulled inspiration from black and white feature films of the twenties, and transformed this Gothic-style building into a place of incredible luxury, to pay tribute to the throbbing vitality of the New York nights. Detailed with Bang and Olufsen electronics, state of the art materials and finishes, every square inch of the hotel was thought out, designed and executed with perfection. Worth a try! Alain

http://www.nighthotelny.com/
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/page.asp

"Rococo: the Continuing Curve, 1730-2008"

Moooi's Club chair

Moooi's "Chandelier"

Moooi's Fixture

Traditional Rococo pattern

Should you happen to be in New York any time soon, be sure to catch this beautiful exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. You will be shocked to find that Rococo never really left the scene since its origins in 18th century Paris.

From its inception, exuberant, organic, and sensuous rococo style has inspired subsequent revivals and new movements.As rococo's influence once again gains momentum, Cooper-Hewitt invites scholars Laura Auricchio and Paul Greenhalgh, to discuss the social and cultural histories behind rococo in eighteenth-century France and its revival in Art Nouveau at the end of the nineteenth century.