Friday Five with Takashi Yanai

Takashi Yanai, FAIA is the “Y” in EYRC Architects, representing one of four partners heading up the award-winning, Los Angeles-based architecture firm. He’s been the Residential Studio Director since 2004 spearheading their single-family residence projects with his keen eye and masterful way of bringing about the relationship between man and nature through architecture. He has an ability to effortlessly infuse elements of Japanese design into that indoor/outdoor, California modern aesthetic. resulting in dream-worthy homes you’ll wish you owned. Before practicing architecture, Yanai worked in Tokyo as an editor at GA Houses where he embraced the perk of interacting with some of the best residential architects in the world. Currently, along with lecturing around the world, he’s a visiting lecturer at the USC School of Architecture, is on the A+D Museum’s Board of Directors, and keeps active in the AIA Committee of Design. When he’s not designing houses, he travels, loves photography, and keeps up a visually stunning and extremely popular Instagram account – @t_yanai. Now it’s time to see what he’s chosen to share in this week’s Friday Five.

1. The tea ceremony
There is something to be a said for a slow deliberate ceremony that is all about human interaction. My grandmother practiced and taught the tea ceremony and so what I know began with her and her tea house in Chigasaki, not far from my hometown of Tokyo. What I love about the tea ceremony is that it brings together so many things that are of particular importance to me. There is a garden aspect, an architecture aspect, an art aspect. It is about food and drink. But most importantly it is about how the focused, deliberate concentration on these things together provides a vehicle for what it means to be human, amidst nature and among other humans.

2. Photobooks
Photography was actually an alternate career for me. Before practicing architecture I studied literature and was an editor for prominent design magazine. In the end, I’m a visual person and photography is visual poetry. Especially today, photography has become a medium that speaks so broadly to people. When I seek out other creative people, it is often photographers that I enjoy meeting the most. Photobooks bring my personal creative passions together in an under appreciated medium. A photograph can be such a powerful summary statement of so many things that can’t necessarily be put into words. And photos compiled and presented in a photobook, just like how a great recording album is a sum greater than the songs, expresses something greater than can be expressed in a single photograph. Some favorites include Robert Frank’s The Americans, Takashi Homma’s Tokyo Suburbia, and Daido Moriyama’s Farewell Photography.

3. Common Projects sneakers
When it comes to my wardrobe I’ve been accused of not liking color. This isn’t true at all. For instance, I love black. And dark black. White, is a very very light black. I like to keep things basic and simple. Or as I prefer to say, essential. For instance my favorite shoe is a basic black low-top sneaker by Common Projects. I’ve been wearing out pairs of their classic Achilles Low in black for the last ten years. It is part of my architect’s uniform. Beat up and casual on a weekend with my kids or clean and scuff free at a museum board meeting. Kudos to the designers for having created an essential sneaker that would make any minimalist proud.

4. Landscape design
The further I get in my architectural design career the more I appreciate how important landscape design is in the totality of the designed environment. My work is so much about the relationship between inside and outside, about blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior space. I also love collaborating with talented landscape architects and designers. I don’t see how a house in particular can be successful without beautiful and considerate landscaping. Ironically, on weekends I find myself preoccupied with my garden rather than the house.

Enoura Observatory

5. Hiroshi Sugimoto
Along with Donald Judd and Isamu Noguchi, I’m a superfan of the obsessive compulsive art of Hiroshi Sugimoto that is all about the metaphysical contemplation of time and space. Beginning with the contemplative stillness of his Seascapes to the distilled blurry essence of masterpieces in his Architecture series, his photographs are sublime. Sugimoto has expanded his genius way beyond photography and has taken on sculpture, interiors and most recently architecture. A year ago, I would have suggested Naoshima Island in Japan to be the perfect place to take in his art, but today I recommend people make a pilgrimage to his newly opened Enoura Observatory in Odawara. There, Sugimoto has managed to bring together all facets of his blue-chip creative genius. Best of all he does it all with a dash of irony and snarky humor.

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/friday-five-with-takashi-yanai/

I Spy Boråstapeter – Scandinavian Designer Wallpaper

Most of us have a Pinterest board or two dedicated to Scandinavian inspired homes. You do don’t you? And most of those homes will be light and open spaces with white walls, pale wood and a clean aesthetic. But (and you might already know this), Scandinavian designers do and have done pattern down the ages too. Boråstapeter Scandinavian Designers 11 collection is a timeless collection of designs that typifies Scandinavian wallpaper design. Our Nordic cousins are well known for filling their interior spaces with things inspired by nature (wouldn’t you if you were confined to the indoors for months at a time?) and their pattern designs are no different. All of the patterns in this collection have a natural, colourful and imaginative touch that make them a perfect compliment to the understated, classic and contemporary Scandinavian interior decor scheme.

Berså

Berså is a rhythmical design of stylized leaves loved by the Swedish. First used on Stig Lindberg’s popular chinaware in the 1960’s and considered an iconic design in Swedish homes. On the wall, Berså has a clean, retro feel,with a fresh bold look that would work really well for many rooms in the home. As well as adding a pop of colour and Scandi style.

Aurora

Aurora wallpaper is a Lisbet Job design. Grand, bold, and yet supremely elegant. A floral wallpaper with cow parsnip and natural meadow flowers against a dark backdrop which makes the colours pop off your walls. It was originally designed in 1956, but still works beautifully in modern homes and for anyone with a love of nature.

Arne

This Arne patterned wallpaper features a dainty, undulating design featuring small triangles and semi circles which form a braided pattern. It exudes a cosy and subtle pattern to any interior design decor and will work in many styles of home with it’s soft graphics and subtle hues.

Poème D’ Amour

This pattern was first displayed and exhibited in 1947, and was then made into a dress for managing director, Astrid Sampe . It’s a playful design on a soft pastel background and will create a soft and dreamy back drop to your interior decor with it’s gentle beauty and restful feel.

Rabarber

Rabarber was designed by Gocken Jobs and is a lush, rich pattern in deep bold colours. It features gorgeous frilly rhubarb, dew cup, dainty viola, monkshood and ferns, and is one of her most loved designs. A rich array of colours, shapes and flora is the perfect way to bring our love of flowers and nature indoors, and to adorn our walls with a burst of glorious plants.

About Boråstapeter

Nature is a never-ending source of inspiration for Boråstapeter. That’s why they have a genuine concern for the environment. The state-of-the-art factory outside the Swedish town of Borås is their production centre, where old-fashioned printing methods live alongside new and efficient manufacturing processes. They only use water-based dyes and adhesives and the paper they use as raw material is sourced from one of the world’s most environmentally-friendly paper mills with a re-planting programme.

Boråstapeter wallpapers are available in the UK via Cloudberry Living.

 

You Might Also Like

WEST SWEDEN AND THE DESIGN SHOPS OF GOTHENBURG

AN ORIGINAL 1920’S CALIFORNIAN BUNGALOW WITH A SCANDINAVIAN MAKEOVER

NEW: CAPTIVATING FLORAL WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM FARROW & BALL

 

The post I Spy Boråstapeter – Scandinavian Designer Wallpaper appeared first on Dear Designer.

from Dear Designer https://deardesigner.co.uk/i-spy-borastapeter-scandinavian-designer-wallpaper/

Christmas Gifts for the Urban Jungle Lover

There’s nothing nicer than giving and receiving gifts that are personal. We all know someone who loves to create an urban jungle in their home and it’s a trend that’s just growing and growing (pardon the pun). And even those of us who like the look but don’t have a one green finger out of ten (or is that 8), there’s no excuse. Ignore the copper plant mister in the gift suggestions below – it’s just for decorative purposes – because all of these beauties are faux. And better still, you don’t have to struggle to keep them alive until Christmas day.

This post does contain affiliate links. If you decide to buy anything featured you won’t pay any more, but Dear Designer’s will receive a small commission to help keep this blog up and running.

 

Where to Buy

Artificial Mixed Succulent Trough / Mist Sprayer / Orla Kiely Large Ceramic Hanging Pot / Industrial Iron Shelf & Hooks / Artificial Lemon Tree / Artificial Ficus Tree / Succulent in Glass Lantern with Handle / Trio of Concrete Plant Pots / Individual Clay Pots In Metal Hanger / Potted Artificial Trailing String of Nickels Plant / Bloomingville Flora Terrarium Gold Pendant Lamp / Faux Monstera Cheese Plant Leaf / 3 Artificial Green Amaranthus Sprays / Succulent in Gold Pot / Extra Large Vence Planter / Rustic Wooden Plant Stand / Tall Monstera Plant.

 

You Might Also Like

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: ALL THAT GLITTERS

THE FERM LIVING PLANT BOX – A MULTI-PURPOSE PIECE

SCANDI INSPIRED CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS FROM COX AND COX

 

The post Christmas Gifts for the Urban Jungle Lover appeared first on Dear Designer.

from Dear Designer https://deardesigner.co.uk/christmas-gifts-for-the-urban-jungle-lover/

Design Milk Travels to… The Sea Ranch

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to Design Milk’s catalog of travel guides, our sights have veered toward urban design capitals around the globe. That creativity, commerce, and culture tends to congregate in cities offers no surprises to the global citizenry of design. But there’s a particular wilder section of Northern California, just a 100 miles north of San Francisco, we believe worthy of the venture – The Sea Ranch – a time capsule community stretching across 10 miles of pristine California coast. Representing a stunning confluence where California’s forest meets its mercurial partner of the Pacific, The Sea Ranch is an elemental experience, one affording those with an ardor for modernist architecture to witness how designers and the elements can work cooperatively toward modernity and sustainability.

Photo: Gregory Han

---

WHERE TO STAY

Barbara Stauffacher’s iconic ram’s horn logo for The Sea Ranch Lodge. Photo: The Sea Ranch Lodge

Our introductory accommodations to this ragged and rugged section of the Sonoma coast was offered by the Sea Ranch Lodge. We stayed in one of the nineteen rooms, each offering occupants a mesmerizing view of the turgid ocean (the best rooms also presenting a view of the surrounding fields that take on a golden hue as the native grasses dry).

There’s a feeling the Lodge is quietly awaiting its next chapter, ripe for a renovation and a refresh to welcome another generation into its weather worn comforts.

Room numbers painted in supergraphic proportions. Photos: Gregory Han

Photo: Sea Ranch Lodge

Note, the Sea Ranch Lodge is closed for the winter, but reopens this spring in March 2019. According to the general manager, the property will now follow a seasonal schedule – a reasonable decision considering winters here can thin out the population.

Photo: Gregory Han

The Timber Cove Resort is only half an hour drive down from The Sea Ranch, but somehow the property feels a world apart from The Sea Ranch. Tamed, but not sedate, the resort is an attractive boutique alternative for guests who aren’t yet ready for the full Sea Ranch experience.

The Timber Cove Resort’s main lodge and rooms imagined by husband and wife design duo, Cortney and Robert Novogratz, are done up in a contemporary interpretation of cabin-coastal architecture. Photos: Timber Cove Resort’

Even if you’re not staying at Timber Cove Resort, it offers a great daytime drive destination, with a short hike along the hotel’s wind-worn sandstone perimeter overlooking the ocean offering plenty of opportunities to fill your Instagram Stories feed, followed by a place to grab a decent bite/drink.

Architectural buffs can rent the 1968 built Hines House, designed by William Turnbull Jr. – winner of the 1970 Sunset AIA Home of the Year.

Seasoned visitors up this way often find a favorite home rental they’ll return to year after year. Vacation rentals in the area are plentiful, with many lining the coastline, but even more clinging against the backdrop of cypress and redwood trees along the surrounding hillsides. Ranging from the cozy to the grand, the multitude of listings on Airbnb, VRBO, and Grand Welcome rentals reveal the seasonal nature of the community (in other words, there seems to be a lot more rentals owners than full-time residents). Availability can fluctuate through the seasons, so it’s always best to reserve far ahead of your visit to secure the most choice rental.

Photo: Gregory Han

Photos: sweetsearanch

One of our favorite home rentals in the area is a property with an arboreal personality protected from the elements – the Sweet Sea Ranch. Furnished with modern amenities and decorative details sourced from Modernica, Eric Trine, and Poketo, the house with the sweet name is a restorative salve for the soul. We spent days exploring the coastline and tossing horseshoes on the property, with impromptu nighttime strolls illuminated by the stars and moonlight before falling asleep accompanied by the relaxing relaxing percussive crash of the ocean in the distant.

Notable mentions: Moonrise \\\ Harmony House

---

WHERE TO VISIT

Imagine Gandalf’s hat enlarged into architectural proportions. That was the first thought that popped into our head while walking up to The Sea Ranch Chapel, “a non-denominational sanctuary for prayer, meditation, and spiritual renewal” that welcomes visitors 365 days a year, from sunrise to sunset.

Photos: Gregory Han

Designed by James Hubbell and completed in 1985, the structure’s whimsical exterior characterized by its sweeping shingle roof hides a tranquil and Arabesque interior decorated in stained glass and an Italian inspired floral mosaic floor. The term “craftsmanship” is often thrown around willy-nilly today, but stepping inside this wee chapel evokes a profound appreciation of the intimate care Hubbell Studio and sculptor/carpenter Bruce Johnson put into nearly every detail welcoming contemplation.

Photo by Gregory Han

The beauty of The Sea Ranch is resoundingly obvious, but its history can remain a silent mystery for first time visitors. “Who built that house?” “Why is that roof covered in sod?” “What are these flowers growing here?” Local Margaret Lindgren’s 2-hour guided walk, The Sea Ranch Architectural Tour, can offer answers to all these questions and anything more tickling your curiosity. Knowledgeable in the region’s flora, fauna, and geology in relation to the history of the architecture of Sea Ranch luminaries like Joeseph Esherick, Charles Moore, and William Turnbull, a couple of hours in the hands of this knowledgeable guide will impart a deeper and lasting appreciation where humans and nature cohabitate so gracefully.

The Ohlson Recreation Center, designed by Berkeley firm Moore Lyndon Turnball Whitaker. Photo by sweetsearanch.

The Ohlson Recreation Center is one of three activity centers situated in The Sea Ranch (the other two being the Del Mar Center and Moonraker Recreation Center, the second worthy of a visit for the Barbara Stauffacher painted supergraphics adorning the interior if you can gain entry), serving residents and rental guests accompanied with a pass. We think it’s the coolest rec center in the country (world?), and even without an entry pass, it deserves admiration for its mimicry of the interplay between the forest and the ocean.

Notable mentions: Bowling Ball Beach \\\ Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve \\\ Condominium 1

---

WHERE TO SHOP

Photo: Placewares

The Sea Ranch is a secluded and small community, with the nearby town of Gualala primarily serving its residents and tourists in the dining and grocery departments. Shopping here is mostly limited to the practical, and if you’ve traveled this far it’s likely your plans for escape  the  so don’t expect to dedicate an entire day to retail therapy.

But there is one store worth dropping into for the modern design lover: Placewares. Design enthusiasts and Placewares owners. Shev Rush and Kevin Lane, have stocked the store guided by their keen eye for vintage pieces, timeless modern wares from the likes of iittala, Marimekko, Heller, Chemex, Alessi, Normann Copenhagen, Bodum, and Chilewich, alongside some choice contemporary designs.

Contemporary products like these Fruitsuper Soap + Sponge Stands sit alongside unique vintage offerings, like these 1950’s Danish woven Hanging wall rugs. Photos: Placewares.

Placewares also hosts an adjoining art gallery, one extending their spotlight beyond local talent and toward artists, designers, and craftspeople spanning the entire Golden State. The store hints of the next chapter of The Sea Ranch, one honoring the region’s storied artistic, craft, design, and architectural past, but also looking toward a future inviting new figures inspired by the locale.

Wooden Bottles by San Francisco woodworker, Duncan Oja at Placewares Gallery. Photo: Placewares

Notable mentions: Twofish Baking \\\ Red Stella \\\ Bowling Ball Beach

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despite its utopian architectural legacy, The Sea Ranch has remained a mostly under-the-radar destination thus far. Attribute that to its distance from most major cities and the somewhat arduous, though scenic, drive required to get there. And maybe that has been for the best, preserving much of the peaceful respite the locale offers both locals and the few visiting modernist design pilgrims.

Photo: Gregory Han

That might all change after the upcoming SFMOMA exhibition set to open on December 22, 2018. The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism will feature the works of architects, landscape architects and graphic designers like Charles Moore, Joseph Esherick, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, William Turnbull, Lawrence Halprin, and Al Boeke, complete with a full-scale architectural replica.

The Sea Ranch will imprint memories everywhere your gaze falls. Photo: Gregory Han

If you’ve traveled to The Sea Ranch and have any favorite spots or  recommendations for first time visitors, let us know below so we can share (and also check it out ourselves the next time we’re up there).

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/design-milk-travels-sea-ranch/

The Lexon Prisme Speaker Angles Into Any Corner

Rechargeable Bluetooth speakers have become an audio trope of sorts, with an assortment of shapes and sizes that mostly all appear and operate with notable similarity. Which makes designer José Lévy’s Prisme Bluetooth Speaker for Lexon especially a welcome departure for its glamorous and adaptable take on portable, rechargeable audio.

The Prisme charges to full capacity in 4 hours using a supplied USB cable, with 10 hours of playback

The triangular length of Lévy’s extruded aluminum is inspired by the shape of its namesake (but takes on the appearance of a Toblerone box in its golden hued option), perforated across its length for audio output via 2 x 5W + 4 passive drivers and designed to operate in both vertical and horizontal orientation. Vertically wall-mounted, the speaker tuck into corners as a discreet presence, offering the option to connect two Prismes to a single source for stereo Bluetooth 4.1 output.

The Prisme is one of several products designed by José Lévy for Lexon’s SALT (Sound And Light Tools) collection.

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/lexon-prisme-wireless-speaker/

It’s Quite Clear: Society6’s New Acrylic Trays + Boxes Add More Art to Your Life

Whether you need a catch-all tray to corral all your knick-knacks or just serve up some holiday drinks, Society6’s recently launched acrylic trays are a unique way to do it. With Society6’s collective of independent artists, these trays are a way to add more art in your life in an unexpected form. They come in two sizes, small and medium, with the latter including hand holes for easy carrying. An eco-friendly UV topcoat keeps the artwork from fading and the included feet help avoid creating scratches on your surfaces.

For smaller items, Society6’s new acrylic boxes are a perfect storage solution for the random things in your life that you still need a designated place for, like Q-tips, jewelry, or coins. For the holidays, instead of regular paper boxes, use these to double the gift-giving!

To get you started, here are 10 acrylic trays + boxes that caught our eye:

Good Vibes Acrylic Box by Tricia McCosh

banana leaves Acrylic Tray by Grace

Straight Geometry City 1 Acrylic Box by Mareike Böhmer

door in the desert Acrylic Tray by Madeline Martinez

Monochrome 01 Acrylic Box by The Old Art Studio

Island Paradise Acrylic Tray by nileshkikuuchise

Modern Scandinavian Multi Colour Color Curve Graphic Acrylic Box by Season of Victory

free mind Acrylic Tray by Marcelo Romero

Abstract Geometric 01 Acrylic Box by The Old Art Studio

Colorful Geometric Pattern Acrylic Tray by Patterns and Textures

In an ongoing effort to support independent artists from around the world, Design Milk is proud to partner with Society6 to offer The Design Milk Dairy, a special collection of Society6 artists’ work curated by Design Milk and our readers. Proceeds from the The Design Milk Dairy help us bring Design Milk to you every day.

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/quite-clear-society6s-new-acrylic-trays-boxes-new-ways-add-art-life/