Thursday 31 August 2017

The Househunter: Room by Room

And we’re back! Hello everyone. I hope you all had a good summer and didn’t miss me wittering on too much – don’t answer that. September is a going to be a bumper month packed with all sort of new discoveries, collaborations and styling ideas as well as things to buy for your homes,  but…

The post The Househunter: Room by Room appeared first on Mad About The House.



from Mad About The House http://www.madaboutthehouse.com/househunter-room-room-27/

Design Milk Travels to… Vancouver BC

Design Milk Travels to… Vancouver BC

Located in the southwest corner of Canada’s British Columbia, Vancouver is a diverse city that offers just about everything you can imagine – an active downtown and waterfront area, notable architecture, a bounty of public art, eclectic shops and restaurants, scenic beaches, and mountains off in the distance. The culturally rich city is easy to pinpoint with its abundance of high-rise buildings, but sprinkled throughout, there are plenty of architectural gems and design-focused spots to give your attention. This guide is a great place to get you started on your next visit to Vancouver.

PS. If you’re heading to IDS Vancouver in a few weeks, be sure to bookmark this guide and explore some of the places mentioned below!


WHERE TO STAY

Photo by Gwenael Lewis

Photo by Gwenael Lewis

The Fairmont Pacific Rim, with its mesmorizing Bocci installation out front, and its downtown location overlooking the water, this luxe hotel has an incredible collection of art by Vancouver and international artists on display throughout.

Photo courtesy of Westbank Corp.

Photo courtesy of Westbank Corp.

The Shangri-La was designed by Vancouver architect James Cheng and the hotel makes a big impact on the city’s skyline, standing at 646 feet tall. A spot out front is reserved for local and international contemporary artists to create site-specific work in the heart of an urban city.


WHERE TO PLAY

The Vancouver Art Gallery boasts a permanent collection of over 10,000 pieces of art with about 3% of the works being on view. What stands out is the fact that they’ve amassed quite a collection of works by artists from British Columbia, continuing to preserve the history of art from the region.

Photo courtesy of Contemporary Art Gallery via Travel+Leisure

Photo courtesy of Contemporary Art Gallery via Travel+Leisure

The CAG (Contemporary Art Gallery) is a non-profit public art gallery that presents 10 to 20 exhibitions and off-site projects every year that focus on contemporary visual art from local and international artists.

Photo courtesy of Equinox Gallery

Photo courtesy of Equinox Gallery

Equinox Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery that is one of Vancouver’s oldest private galleries with an ever-changing roster of works by local and national artists.

Photo courtesy of the Museum of Anthropology

Photo courtesy of the Museum of Anthropology

Just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) is not only filled with displays of world arts and cultures, but the Arthur Erickson-designed building is pretty spectacular.

Photo by Kristopher Grunert

Photo by Kristopher Grunert

Located on the water with mountains in the background, the Vancouver Convention Centre West features a 6-acre living roof, amongst the many other environmentally sustainable features, which is pretty cool to see.

Photo by James Dow

Photo by James Dow

Designed by Patkau Architects, the Beaty Biodiversity Centre is located on the University of British Columbia’s campus and houses a natural history museum, along with research labs and offices. The main exhibition hall for the museum is glass enclosed with a skeleton of a Blue Whale on display.

The Vancouver Public Library, designed by Moshe Sadie, feels a bit like the ancient Colosseum of Rome but with a contemporary spin.

Photo by Caroline Williamson for Design Milk

Photo by Caroline Williamson for Design Milk

The Interior Design Show Vancouver (IDS Vancouver) is the western version of the original IDS Toronto show, which showcases the best products and furniture from artists, makers, individual designers, and design-focused brands.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation conducts house tours for varying types of architecture in the area, like mid-century modern homes.

Photo courtesy © Knauf and Brown

Photo courtesy © Knauf and Brown

Designed by Ste Marie Art Design, Osteria Savio Volpe feels like a Trattoria in the countryside of Italy with its simple and earthy elements.

Photo courtesy of Simcic & Uhrich Architects

Photo courtesy of Simcic & Uhrich Architects

The Simcic & Uhrich Architects designed Juniper restaurant has the feel of a distillery with copper elements seen throughout the modern space.


WHERE TO SHOP

Travel-Vancouver-Vancouver-Special

Owned by architect Anne Pearson, Vancouver Special is a shop located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood that champions design-focused products, lighting, and furniture from local and international design brands.

Photo by Caroline Williamson

Photo by Caroline Williamson for Design Milk

It’s hard to miss Livingspace with its massive, geometric staircase that protrudes from the exterior of the building to welcome you. The store, which was designed by Bocci creative director Omer Arbel, showcases furniture, lighting, and accessories from top international brands in a two-level, 19,000 square foot showroom in Vancouver’s Armoury District.

Photo courtesy of Provide

Photo courtesy of Provide

Provide offers a curated selection of unique decor made in a variety of materials, like ceramics, glass, wood, metal, and textiles. Open since 2007, the shop’s founders stock designs they’ve discovered from traveling around the world.

Photo courtesy of designhouse

Photo courtesy of designhouse

Located in Yaletown, designhouse has been offering modern wares to the public since 1994, focusing on high-quality, great design that’s also a good value.


FINAL WORDS

For delicious eats, check out Tacofino Gastown \\\ Kissa Tanto \\\ Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie \\\ Nelson the Seagull \\\ Mosquito Dessert

What else are we missing? Comment below with your favorite sites to stay, visit, and shop and we’ll check them out!



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/design-milk-travels-vancouver-bc/

Wednesday 30 August 2017

Float Between Heaven And Earth At The Hotel Hubertus

Float Between Heaven And Earth At The Hotel Hubertus

Taking a dip in the water is a must for anyone traveling to Italy, but rather than jumping into the ocean off the islands of Capri, why not head inland and take a swim at the Hotel Hubertus, a modern hotel nestled at the the foot of the Kronplatz in the Puster Valley of Valdaora? This new pool designed by noa* (network of architecture) gives guests the impression that they are floating between heaven and earth in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dolomites.

The pool rests in between the two accommodation wings of the hotel and has hidden edges that makes it seem like it’s a floating anthracite-colored stone blending into the surrounding landscapes. A glass front and glazed window at the bottom of the pool further reinforces the feeling of floating.

While the pool is certainly a highlight of the Hotel Hubertus, there is more to appreciate out of the water. The same native larch tree trunks that support the pool alternate in a pattern as an additional element to the facade of the hotel, giving off a contrast of old and new. They visibly divide up the building’s fluid shape that seems to mimic the topography of the landscape and also function as sun screens, room dividers and rain protectors.

The hotel also features 16 new suites, a new kitchen with restaurants and “stubens” (kind of like living rooms), a wine cellar, a fitness center, and a relaxation room with terraces boasting panoramic views of the mountainscape of an UNESCO World Heritage site, the Dolomites.

The rooms are accented with art illustrating the outdoor surroundings, miniature tree trunks, and modern furnishings.The same warm brown and cool anthracite hues from the exteriors match the interiors of the guest suites, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor.

What: The Hotel Hubertus
Where: Via Furcia, 5, 39030 Sorafurcia – Valdora BZ, Italy
How much? Rooms start at approximately $279 and are only available upon request (no online reservation system)
Highlights: While there is much to be enjoyed throughout the property, the cantilevering pool is probably the crown jewel of the hotel.
Design draw: noa* designed the Hubertus to juxtapose old versus new, modern hospitality versus untouched nature. You can see this before you enter the hotel from the design of the facade.
Book it: Visit the Hotel Hubertus



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/float-heaven-earth-hotel-hubertus/

The Dressed Cabinet Incorporates Panels of Fabric You Can Adjust to Customize

The Dressed Cabinet Incorporates Panels of Fabric You Can Adjust to Customize

Dutch design house Vij5 kicks off an ambitious goal of launching one new product every week for 10 weeks and to get things started, they’re releasing the Dressed Cabinet. Designed by Puck Dieben, in collaboration with Vij5, the design offers endless flexibility with movable fabric panels that adjust to your storage needs. Also, the pieces invite adults to play around with their furniture to achieve the look they want.

The Dressed Cabinet comes in two versions – Divide and Slide. Divide, available in a short or tall model, includes five meters of Kvadrat fabric that you thread through the slots in the metal frame to create dividers and sections as needed. Slide, which only comes in the tall version, features Kvadrat fabric that’s wrapped around the outside of the frame allowing you to slide it up and down to change where the opening is. Wooden rods hold the fabric taut and in place.



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/dressed-cabinets-incorporate-panels-of-fabric-you-can-adjust-to-customize/

Made in London: Rachael South

Made in London: Rachael South

This is the latest in our Made in London series of films about London-based makers by filmmaker William Scothern. This month’s video is about third generation chair caner and seat weaver Rachael South. Watch:

Rachael gained a first class honors degree in textiles at London Guildhall University and had a successful career as a freelance textile product designer and bespoke passemanterie designer before returning to the family business. “My sisters and I were always in our Dad’s workshop, so I can’t remember a moment when I thought I wanted to do the chair caning, it was just something that was around all the time,” she says. “It wasn’t until later that I thought, this is just a lovely craft.” She applies her own skills and knowledge to the family craft, working on both traditional restoration projects and contemporary new furniture designs.

She was just 14 when she learned to cane chairs – a process that brought her closer to her father. “My dad sat me down and showed me how to do the caning of one little nursing chair and then kept bringing me more chairs to do,” she says. “That was a whole other way of having a relationship with him.”

Her father learned chair caning from his father, Michael South. “My Grandfather lived in Ladbroke Grove and he would walk up to Kensington and he would wait for people to bring broken chairs to him and he would fix them. [Today] people seem much more interested in sustainability. The beauty of caned furniture is that it’s actually designed to be reused and recycled. We can repair it and make it as beautiful as it was when it was first manufactured.”

Rachael finds fulfillment in both the sense of history and the potential longevity of her work. “When someone commissions me to restore a piece of furniture, it should be good for another generation,” she says. “Pieces of furniture are little time capsules. I might be caning a chair that’s been caned four, five, six times before. I like being a part of that chain through time.”



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/made-london-rachael-south/

Poilu Vases Are 3D Printed with Implanted “Hair”

Poilu Vases Are 3D Printed with Implanted “Hair”

While doing research on materials, Paris-based Studio Bold created a collection of 3D printed vases where “hair” is implanted during the printing process with the hope of bulking up the shape. The studio created a code made up of “coordinates between the logic mathematics to the logic generated by nature.” What resulted was the Poilu Vases, a series of three vessels printed with vegetable-based fibers, like bamboo, coconut, and wood, giving them rows of looped “hair”, almost like loops on a rug.

Each vase – Blond, Brun, and Roux – is numbered and signed in limited editions of 8 (+ 2AP + 2P) and are available via Aybar Gallery.



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/poilu-vases-are-3d-printed-with-implanted-hair/

Don’t Wait Another 20 Years to Check Out This Eclipse: BeoVision Eclipse TV

The following post is brought to you by Bang & Olufsen. Our partners are handpicked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.

Don’t Wait Another 20 Years to Check Out This Eclipse: BeoVision Eclipse TV

Smart technology: Sometimes it makes us feel more connected, but often, it can be isolating. Personal connections are more valuable, and more necessary. Bang & Olufsen, the modern design brand synonymous with high-quality sound and aesthetics, has recognized that smart technology should also help us come together. Movies, television, and the viewing experience are ways in which we can connect—from family movie night to romantic date night (even “Netflix & chill”)—these are all ways we experience and enjoy technology, together. And, even if we’re not in the same room, the shared experience of viewing popular shows, movies or televised events and experiencing the emotions and excitement that go along with it, also creates a shared humanity. So, what does this have to do with B&O?

They teamed up with LG Electronics to create the BeoVision Eclipse, the first TV they developed together in their new partnership. Bringing together LG’s OLED TV technology, which delivers high contrast and a dynamic moving picture experience, and Bang & Olufsen’s attention to design and high-quality sound, this TV is a luxurious package that looks to deliver a superior experience. Take a look:

The tag team of Bang & Olufsen and LG really put the pedal to the metal when it comes to attention to detail both in terms of operational perfection and aesthetics. The sleek, slim design that Bang & Olufsen is known for hasn’t been compromised here, with a screen that continues beneath the SoundCentre punctuated by a simple stand. This is definitely a Design Milk-approved TV that will fit in nicely with your modern decor without detraction. Let’s talk for a moment about that stand: it’s motorized! Yes – that means that you can move the TV around on the floor with the push of a button and adjust it to whatever position you’re in, whether sitting on the couch, watching from the kitchen counter, or laying in bed. If that’s not your jam, though, you can still mount it on the wall. If that wasn’t enough customization, you can even choose from aluminum or colored fabrics for the speaker.

Aesthetics aside, it also functions beyond the traditional viewing capabilities: it is a smart device. With LG Electronics’ webOS 3.5 platform, you can access everything from Netflix to Amazon to Spotify and even audio AirPlay and Bluetooth streaming.

To complement the BeoVision Eclipse, the BeoLab 50 rst loudspeaker (born from the BeoLab 90) is a sophisticated and powerful companion. Enhancing the cinematic experience with acoustic lens technology, beam width control and active room compensation.

For ease, a single remote, the BeoRemote One BT, can be used to operate everything. You can customize the remote with shortcuts, personal content, and even store access to various sources.

BeoVision Eclipse will be available in both 55” and 65” at Bang & Olufsen European retailers in September 2017. Learn more at bang-olufsen.com.



from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/beovision-eclipse-tv-and-sound-system-lg-bang-olufsen/