HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

The post HAPPY NEW YEAR appeared first on Mad About The House.

from Mad About The House http://www.madaboutthehouse.com/happy-new-year-2/

Best of 2016: Editors’ Faves

This might be the hardest task we editors do all year long because we generally really love what we publish! That said, Jaime, Gregory, and I did our best to pull just three of our favorites (some of us, >>JAIME<<, just couldn’t narrow it down!), many of which didn’t make it into the end-of-the-year or top 10 best posts. Take a look back as we revisit them now.

Jaime’s Faves

It was too hard for me to pick just three so here is a mix of stuff I did that I loved doing, and posts I loved:

This 112-Year-Old Company Is Making Enormous Tables for Apple Campus 2 (above)
I appreciated hearing the story behind these massive tables!

Pablo’s UMA Sound Lantern: A Visual Journey
It was such an honor to create this labor of love video for Pablo for their UMA Sound Lantern.

A Lighting Collection With Endless Combinations
I absolutely love the possibilities of this lamp, and I enjoy the Scandinavian-meets-Memphis design.

You Say Dutch, We Say Design!
I had a blast curating IDS Vancouver’s Dutch Exchange—what a talented group of designers. More here.

Design Milk Curates The Milk Stand Popup Shop at ICFF 2016
Meet The Milk Stand 2016
The Milk Stand was such a success this past year and I felt very lucky to be working with so many incredible people.

Favorite interiors:

Work: Masquespacio’s Own Design Studio — dream office

Home: A Weapons Factory in Budapest Becomes a Home — dream home

And here are a few I loved because of their “cool factor”:

Making Weather Adds Atmospheric Atmosphere

Driftscape: Traveling Untethered

Caroline’s Faves

A Renewed Classic Eichler by Klopf Architecture
Eichler homes are housing perfection to me and when someone, like the architects at Klopf, lovingly restore and renovate them it makes my heart even happier.

Audi Connected Mobility Concept Car Hides an Electric Longboard In Its Bumper
This combines my love of Audi cars with my love of skateboarding, so it’s like an answer to all my design fantasies.

EarthRoamer

The Coolest Modern RVs, Trailers and Campers
I’ve wanted an EarthRoamer for about 10 years and I’m keeping that dream alive until it happens! There’s something about the idea of being able to hop in a vehicle and just driving to any destination knowing you have somewhere comfortable to sleep that night.

Gregory’s Faves

Pablo’s UMA Sound Lantern: A Visual Journey
Biased, since I participated in small part, and the video came out beautifully!

Dusen Dusen Designs Modular, Magnetic Wallcoverings for Visual Magnetics
After interviewing Ellen for the Microsoft Surface post, I’ve become a big fan of the designer and the human being (lovely person).

Design Milk Travels to… Hong Kong
Made me want to return for another visit and representative of our new travel channel.

from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/best-of-2016-editors-faves/

Barcelona-Based Startup Gets Unconventional Digs

Barcelona-based startup, Typeform, was growing by exponential bounds resulting in them running out of office space. They found a new 2000 square meter (approx. 21,527 square foot) venue but the interior didn’t work for the company’s unconventional needs. That’s where Lagranja Design came in. Since they operate as a small community of multicultural and talented individuals, they wanted their new modern office space to convey that and most definitely it does.

Right of the bat, they installed a bar at the reception area, which is outfitted with beer taps and food, making every employee happy I’m sure. The space invites the employees to have breakfast when they arrive, a beer on their way out, and as a place to gather as needed.

Live plants were incorporated throughout, helping to add fresh air for everyone working. In total, there are 810 plants, which are kept alive by a gardener there.

Meeting rooms are distinguished by color making it easy for everyone to know which room to go to.

Massive co-working table sits under a metal frame that holds various green plants and lamps by Lagranja Design.

A tiered, semicircular space hosts presentations and group meetings.

Photos by Albert Font.

from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/typeform-headquarters/

Best Home Furnishings Posts of 2016

We shared a little bit of every kind of dream-worthy home furnishings posts you could imagine this past year. Who didn’t dream of sleeping in a car as a kid? Because, we found one even adults can enjoy. Want a private place to take naps? Got it. A clever recycling bin? We covered that, too. Take a look at the most popular home furnishings posts from 2016.

10. DIY Machines That Recycle Plastic into Objects
Recognizing the abundance of plastic waste, Dave Hakkens designed DIY machines that will help turn unwanted plastic into usable objects or raw materials.

9. Offcuts + Resin Combined to Form New Furniture
By combining resin and wooden offcuts, HATTERN makes modern stools that produce almost zero waste during production.

8. A Limited Edition, VW Bus-Inspired Kids Bed
Circu launched a magical, limited edition, VW bus inspired bed for children that comes complete with a bed, sofa, TV, fridge, and desk.

7. Get Knotty With These Cushions from Knots Studio
Full of bright colors and funky textures, these decorative, knotty cushions and stools from Knots Studio are guaranteed to be conversation starters.

6. A Comfortable Workstation with Everything You Might Need
A workstation that brings together everything you need to get your work done – a comfortable seat, tabletop, storage, ottoman, and an electrical outlet.

5. RE.BIN: A Modern Recycling Bin
RE.BIN wants to steer you away from unsightly recycling bins to use a stylish alternative like theirs, which resembles a paper grocery bag.

4. Self-Sustaining Ecosystem Lets You Grow Plants in Windowless Spaces
Mygdal is its own self-sustaining ecosystem where it mimics sunlight causing plants to perform photosynthesis – meaning, it requires no work from you.

3. Make the Most of a Small Space with this Multifunctional Loft System
A 500 square foot urban condo needed more function so a pre-fabricated loft that packs a multitude of functions into its compact design was created.

2. An Inflatable, House-Shaped Bed (in a Bag!) for Guests
Ca.Mia, designed for Campeggi, is an inflatable bed that also offers your guests privacy. As the bed inflates, the shape of a small house begins to appear.

And the most popular home furnishings post of 2016 is…

1. This 112-Year-Old Company Is Making Enormous Tables for Apple Campus 2
Apple partnered with tablemakers Arco to create 18′ long tables that will serve as a focal point for collaboration inside Apple Campus 2.

from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/best-home-furnishings-posts-of-2016/

FUTURE CRAFT: Japan + Thailand Edition

Worlds collide between California, Japan, and Thailand in the epic convergence that was FUTURE CRAFT Japan + Thailand. This two week field research trip and exhibition brought together students from ArtCenter College of Design in California and Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan to envision opportunities for design with a social impact on the design community in Northern Thailand.

The purpose of the trip was to think about the intersection of handcraft and digital technology, natural material innovation and traditional Thai craftsmanship. The results of their work was then exhibited at Tama Art University in Tokyo.

The two-week trip allowed students to explore local crafts like weaving, metal, lantern-making, natural fiber & wood craft. The program was driven by new applications of eco-fiber and Lanna craft techniques.

Penny Herscovitch & Dan Gottlieb, Associate Professors, Environmental Design Department at ArtCenter College of Design said of the project:

The Future Craft Thailand studio challenged students to create designs that extend Northern Thai craft traditions to global markets, create value for artisan villages, and innovate with renewable natural materials. The exhibit at Tama Art University Tokyo showcased the Future Craft Thailand furniture, lighting & home goods with a dramatic backdrop of shadow projections of Thai crafts.

Collaboration across cultures is the heart of Future Craft Thailand. Design student teams from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA and Tama Art University in Tokyo co-create together with Lanna craftspeople in Northern Thailand, thanks to our partnership with the Lanna Culture & Crafts Association and support from the Thai Ministry of Industry.

Muang Kung Ties
Lori Nishikawa (ArtCenter, Product Design)
Himawari Takaura (Tama, Ceramics)
Creating value for Muang Kung—a Lanna ceramic village—with a collection of 3D tiles that brings their traditional handcraft to contemporary interiors.

Warmth of Nature by BubuKoko
Busarin Chumnong (ArtCenter, Product Design)
Kou Wenyi Xiang (Tama, Product Design)
The Warmth of Nature project gives new life to water hyacinth−an invasive weed that pollutes Thailand’s waterways−to bring warmth into urban life with modular partitions. A highly invasive species, water hyacinth poses a significant ecological, economic, and biological threat to Thailand and tropical regions around the world. Warmth of Nature’s material innovations reimagine water hyacinth, taking full advantage of its properties to create a line of products including foldable modular partitions, acoustic panels, wall lighting, and tactile floor mats. Warmth of Nature offers the abundant, renewable resource of water hyacinth as a sustainable alternative to hardwood veneers often used for architectural surfaces and fiberglass or foam used for insulation; it supports the Thai economy by bringing value to an invasive species which is currently burned or discarded; and it provides income to Thai villages who can harvest and create products with this weed.

CloseKnit Lounge Seating
Kairi Nishimura (Tama, Product Design)
Michelle Sugeng (ArtCenter, Environmental Design)
Inspired by Lanna bamboo hat making, CloseKnit lounge seating embraces Thai culture’s sense of community. The seat’s wire frame provides a structure for artisans to handcraft natural materials, such as woven bamboo or cushions made from water hyacinth or Thai silk.

Open Hand Lighting
Hinako Kawasaki (Tama, Textile Design)
Anna Meddaugh (ArtCenter, Environmental Design)
Elevating banana fiber craft in Phayao, Thailand with elegant handmade lighting, radiating magical warmth while envisioning a sustainable future livelihood. The design team worked with craftswomen from the village of Baan Pa Fang, to preserve their fiber craft traditions, envision new applications for this renewable local resource, and keep the means of production within the hands of the makers.

Re-Generate
Arisa Nakayama (Tama, Media Arts)
Emily Nyburg (ArtCenter, Environmental Design)
Xiaoyi Xie (ArtCenter, Product Design)
Re-Generate envisions a new brand of products to promote the evolution of Lanna craft for the next generation of makers and buyers. Re-Generate’s lounge and floor seating is made from hand-woven water hyacinth.

Sum Rap Thai
Brittany Lydster (ArtCenter, Product Design)
Baku Shunwen Mo (Tama, Graduate Woodblock Printmaking)
Sum Rap Thai transforms agricultural byproducts into organic, compostable tableware for considered edible experiences, inspired by Thai foodways. This project aims to positively affect environmental systems, re-imagining new applications for Thai water hyacinth and bio-plastic; providing compostable ship-flat alternatives to disposable tableware; as well as supporting Thai artisans communities.

Woven Stories
Mathew Simon (ArtCenter, Product Design)
Ayuri Tsunoda (Tama, Product Design)
Weaving the storied traditions of Chiang Mai’s rich textile culture into playful and contemporary flatpack furniture. A digitally milled plywood frame provides structure for Northern Thai artisans to hand-weave cord into suspension for the seat, and to create unique color and textile cushion patterns.

The program faculty were Penny Herschovitch & Dan Gottlieb – Environmental Design (Art Center), Charles Tsunashima and Hayakawa Kazuhiko (Tama Art University in Tokyo).

Students included:
Busarin Chumnong – Product Design
Rae Chye – Environmental Design
Hae Jun Eum – Environmental Design
Brittany Lydster – Product Design
Anna Meddaugh – Environmental Design
Emily Nyburg – Environmental Design
Mathew Simon – Product Design
Michelle Sugeng – Environmental Design
Xiaoyi Xie – Product Design

from Design MilkDesign Milk http://design-milk.com/future-craft-the-japan-thailand-edition/