Design Folio - New Zealand’s leading design magazine

Sir Miles Warren

Claire Sullivan - Tuesday, April 07, 2009

As a Christchurch girl I have always admired the work of one of one of New Zealand's great architects Sir Miles Warren. His early work was prolific in my childhood neighbourhood, looking at these images reminds me of home. The Forbes house above, designed in 1976 is an excellent example of enduring modern architecture that was so rare for this time. The Christchurch Art Gallery is currently celebrating the work of Sir Miles Warren in an exhibition Miles: a life in architecture. The exhibition runs to 14 June 2009.

www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Recessionary DIY

Claire Sullivan - Monday, April 06, 2009

Belgium based design studio tovdesign have some fantastic design ideas on their website that appeal to our current obsession with all things recessionary. The Kraftwerk chair is constructed using simple and cheap materials all found at your local hardware store. For a mere 7 Euro you can order the plans and guidelines required to make this masterpiece, another $30 NZD (estimate) for the construction materials......showing off your design prowess to your mates - PRICELESS! www.tovdesign.com

Diamond Chair

Claire Sullivan - Sunday, April 05, 2009

Scandinavian furniture manufacturer Houe have put British young designer Benjamin Hubert's Diamond Chair into production after seeing his prototype at the Cologne furniture fair earlier this year. Thus proving that the 25 year old designer, who's been the UK design industry's "one to watch", has a bright future ahead of him. It's also proof that opportunities still exist for young designers with global manufacturers on the hunt for the new and notable. www.benjaminhubert.co.uk

Crystal fusion

Claire Sullivan - Sunday, April 05, 2009

The Swarovski Crystal Palace at the Milan Salone is always a must visit exhibition, and it looks as though this year will be no exception. French designer Arik Levy has collaborated with the 3D effects specialists MGX to create what looks like the antithesis of the usual sparkles on display. Design Folio will be on the ground at the Milan Salone, keeping you updated daily on our finds. We'll look forward to giving you more details about this interesting exhibition. More details on our Milan agenda to follow.

Window Shopping - Design Denmark

Claire Sullivan - Friday, April 03, 2009

My favourite showroom find this week is the Stingray rocking chair at Design Denmark. Designed for Fredericia by Thomas Pedersen, the chair seat resembles an undulating Stingray moving across the ocean floor. Design Denmark have a stunning black ash wood version in store, with a wide range of other seat options including leather available. www.designdenmark.co.nz

Happy Birthday Mr Gehry

Claire Sullivan - Thursday, April 02, 2009

Canadian born architect Frank Gehry has just celebrated his 80th birthday. Gehry is undoubtedly one of the greatest "Starchitects" of our time. He has successfully exceeded the bounds of contemporary architecture to create an inspiring new wave of structural artistry that has changed the way public buildings are considered, and paved the way for following generations lead by the likes of Zaha Hadid. Happy Birthday Mr Gehry! Our world is an amazing visual symphony because of you.

Hella Cool

Claire Sullivan - Wednesday, April 01, 2009

If you happen to be in Paris anytime soon a visit to Gallerie Kreo would be well worthwhile. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius (who's profiled in our latest issue of Design Folio) is exhibiting some new and quite simply outstanding work. Jongerius is renowned for her unique ability to create personal and meaningful work that considers the relationship that people will have with an object. " If you create products that have real meaning for people, they are likely to last longer because they will want to keep them."

The Frog Table, Turtle Coffee Table and Artificial Vases above are all part of the new collection. Locally you can admire the work of Hella Jongerius at Cite where you'll find pieces she has designed for Vitra.

www.galeriekreo.com

www.citeltd.co.nz

Herzog good

Claire Sullivan - Tuesday, March 31, 2009

One of my favourite architectural practices Herzog de Meuron are set to impress again when their new residential tower in downtown Manhattan is completed in mid 2010. With a height of 57 stories the building's external structure brings to mind a rather precarious game of Jenga. The Tribeca neighbourhood is not known for its high rise buildings, so this masterpiece will no doubt stake a well deserved claim and afford the residents incredible views across Manhattan and beyond. All 145 unique residences will have their own enviable outdoor space, but the icing on the cake has to be the mirror sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor, that rests ever so precariously on the ground floor.

simple inspiration - kimono

Claire Sullivan - Monday, March 30, 2009

If only all offices felt this peaceful. This seems like a space that no matter the owner - it would always be clean, with a gentle breeze passing through. Japanese designer Nosigner found inspiration for his own office interior in Sendagi, Tokyo from a traditional hagoromo (feather robe) kimono.

The feather curtain covers a vast majority of the space, carefully hiding the shelving units whilst remaining beautiful to look at. The interior is also furnished with Nosigner products including the Pokkari hanging light and Arborism table.

www.nosigner.com

Stairway to heaven