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Located inside LA’s Westfield Century City shopping mall, the SKKN pop-up displays small cylindrical and spherical products on huge slabs of cement and alcoves in the smooth, bare walls. Perron-Roettinger co-founder Willo Perron says he drew inspiration from rock quarries when designing the 1,330-square-foot space, bringing in large-scale shapes meant to evoke massive chunks of raw minerals. Instead of contrasting with the products, the setting amplifies their simple, elemental forms.

If the products are a little mysterious, that’s because they’re meant to be. Perron-Roettinger created opaque containers that obscure their contents, with labels like “face cream” and “exfoliator” printed in tiny, barely legible text. The refillable containers are also housed within secondary packaging that’s textured to resemble naturally occurring materials.

“We like how it feels to hold a ceramic mug, the natural color of a clay pot, what it feels like to run your hand through sand, and all the different shades and textures of limestone quarry,” Perron-Roettinger co-founder Brian Roettinger told It’s Nice That.

Staying within the same limited gray and beige color palette, Kardashian’s SKKN Home Accessories Collection is also on display at the LA pop-up. The five-piece houseware collection aims to capture the “calming aesthetic and neutral color palette of Kardashian’s home.” All made of hand-poured concrete, the collection consists of a vanity tray, spherical storage container, waste basket, tissue box, and a canister with a lid.

“I knew I wanted to complement my skincare collection with home accessories, designed to display my products and elevate the home with modern, minimalistic elegance,” Kardashian says. “When designing this collection, I wanted to bring the monochromatic interior design elements from my home to others. I’m excited to be able to share this collection with everyone.”

The SKKN pop-up shop will remain in place until the end of the year. As stark as the interior design and products may be, there’s no confusing the store for that of any other brand. Two enormous digital displays splashed with Kim’s face bookend the space, reminding shoppers what they’re really there for: a little bit of bottled essence du nouveau riche.

Willo Perron previously designed a pop-up store for Kardashian’s brand of undergarments, SKIMS, in 2021. Located on the ground floor of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, the store was similarly smooth, beige, and low on embellishments, but drew inspiration from the hues and curves of human bodies instead of stone. The same design was repeated for a second pop-up store in Los Angeles later that year.

The post Kim Kardashian’s SKKN Pop-Up Store is Just as Greige as Her Minimalist Home first appeared on Dornob.

“Everyone thinks of the desert as monochromatic,” says Schweitzer. “But when you look carefully, there are all these amazing colors: a vivid green lichen growing on a rock, a bright red flower, and the impossibly blue sky. This compound takes those colors and builds them at the scale of man, which is bigger than the flower, but a lot smaller than the rocks.”

The Monument House is one of many multicolored homes in the park. “Following in the footsteps of Lloyd Wright’s nearby New City of Mentalphysics, this home continues a rich tradition of experimental and radical architecture in the California high desert,” says the website for Homestead Modern, the Joshua Tree rental firm currently managing the property.

The listing follows a recent renovation of the Monument House. The home’s moss-colored building features an open plan living room with comfy but modern furniture and a bright orange fireplace, with views of the desert landscape framed by trapezoidal windows and doors on all sides. These playful geometric openings are meant to mirror the shapes of the large boulders in the surrounding park. While there’s no TV here, there are plenty of books, games, and internet access to provide entertainment.

In the blue structure, a canary yellow “chef style” kitchen has all the essentials for small gathering meal prep. The dining room is equally sunny, with a table by Roy McMakin and chairs designed by Schweitzer himself. If you’d rather eat outside, you’ll have no problem dining al fresco in the home’s red-colored outdoor gazebo, complete with a propane barbecue grill.

Come nighttime, visitors to the Monument House can stargaze around the outdoor firepit before heading inside to the solo bedroom with its plush mint king-size mattress from Tuft & Needle. Or they take a dip in the outdoor hot tub (hidden in a deck) to enjoy 360-degree views of the five-acre estate and beyond. The home also includes an electric vehicle charger for any EV-driving guests.

The property location is idyllic. Located just one mile from the entrance to Joshua Tree Nation Park, the house is easily accessible while retaining a secluded feel, standing alone against a rocky hill in a valley of boulders. It’s important to note that guests are not permitted to use the rental for any photo or film shoots without advance permission. Bookings at the historic Monument House start at $299 for a two-night minimum stay.

The post Colorful Joshua Tree Monument House is Now Available to Rent first appeared on Dornob.

The unnamed singer purchased a three-bedroom apartment in a 25-story Foster + Partners complex on the banks of the River Thames, and though it had amazing views, it was basically a blank slate full of way too many beige surfaces. He wanted its interiors to be more engaging than the city outside, a perfect setting for parties full of movers and shakers. It also had to be substantially different from his other home, a converted barn in the countryside.

The artwork, itself a tight closeup on Bowie’s face, is a collage-style portrait with a faceted geometric effect. Its soft tones of blue, gold, and the dark red shock of hair provided the mood and the base palette for the space. Though the inspiration is retro, the designers still wanted the apartment to feel contemporary, so they started by ripping out the old wood floors and replacing them with marmoleum, an eco-friendly natural material that’s easy to clean. This new surface is covered in a custom pattern, with black and pale blue shapes dancing across an off-white background.

“The open and adventurous nature of the brief allowed for a bold use of color and form,” the designers explain. “Sculptural, flowing shapes echo the curved lines of the architecture, while bespoke-made pieces such as a coral-colored drinks cabinet add moments of surprise. The lively design vernacular carries through the whole apartment, including a glittering sequined toilet (complete with disco ball) that plays David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ on a loop.”

With a bathroom as eccentric as that, the rest of the apartment had to have its own elements of delight. They come in the form of unexpected shapes and colors, like the triangular bookshelves in the living room, a graphic rug, and new kitchen tiles in a bold grid pattern. In fact, bold geometric patterns are virtually everywhere in the home, including the wallpaper, curtains, and headboards in the bedrooms, a series of custom black-and-white closet doors, and additional wall art.

“The principal bedroom was a really difficult shape as well,” Gordon adds. A bed takes up most of the room’s footprint, so the designers framed a custom headboard directly against the wall. “Its curve mirrors the shape of the room, as do the bedside tables.” Both are a rich, deep red, since “monochrome always brings a room together,” as she explains.

The oversized green velvet sofa is custom (naturally), as is the dining table, which is ringed by Noom’s Gropius chairs in a mouthwatering shade of orange. The inside of the bar cabinet echoes that color in a slightly softer hue. Fun shapes like Sella Concept’s Ladies Pond stools in the blue-gray shade of “Jesmonite” carry the abstract sculptural feel through each room.

Ultimately, the apartment does feel like a space that would make David Bowie proud. Check out the singer’s own slightly more subdued personal taste with a glimpse of the New York City apartment where he lived before his death in 2016, which sold for $16.8 million.

The post This Wild David Bowie-Inspired London Apartment Does the Late Singer Proud first appeared on Dornob.

The editorial-style presentation of the collection speaks to Arjé’s background as a cult-favorite luxury fashion brand. Much like a fashion spread in Vogue, the ultra-realistic setting conveys an aspirational ideal as well as a gorgeous backdrop for the rugs and a selection of artisanal furniture and decor. While it’s fair to say that the fictional home is itself a bit of a scene-stealer, there’s no way to ignore the two striking rugs at the center of the collaboration. Designed by Arjé founders Bessie Afnaim Corral and Oliver Corral and produced by Nordic Knots, the rugs aim to merge “old-world richness with contemporary minimalism.” The collection is part of their new venture, Arjé HOME.

Anchoring the serene living room, “Family” is a plush wool rug with a three-dimensional geometric pattern on the surface. From afar, it almost looks like it was cut from stone, but anyone stepping on it would delight in its softness. The designers envision it as a calming aerial landscape in antique ivory, with a soft cut-pile that creates a high-low illusion of puzzle work.

The second rug in the series, “Face,” is inspired by the idea that home isn’t defined by a physical place, but rather the concept of home we find and carry within ourselves: “one that comes from a deeper source, as warm as the light from the sun itself.” Its rich goldenrod tone offers just the right pop of color that can make an otherwise-neutral room sing. Handmade of shaggy wool, “Face” is available in a variety of sizes starting at $1,095, just like “Family.”

“Our parallel creative worlds, with all the combined elements of our diverse backgrounds — Mediterranean, Turkish, Spanish, Scandinavian — fused into a collection of hand knotted wool rugs that grounds us and explores that sense of place in finding home,” says Arjé, adding that “We were inspired by the warmth and movement of light, and the play of touch and texture. The abstract perspective of Cubism influenced form, and we looked to ancient, organic motifs to complete our unique symbolism – representing the Arjé eye and the knot of Nordic Knots.”

The 3D rendering by Préaud represents Bessie Afnaim Corral and Oliver Corral’s dream home. They worked with the architect to bring every detail to life, exemplifying their vision of understated luxury representing a blend of global environments and emotion. “We visualized our rugs into their own not-quite-of-this-world setting,” say the Corrals. “Just as the rugs are simultaneously cozy, strong, and refined, the Arjé x Nordic Knots HOME crosses all realms of season, location, and aesthetic. It is the warmth of an olive grove in the south of Spain, and the coolness of the Swedish archipelago. It is in this space that we saw our collection come to life, taking us into the next chapter of Arjé HOME’s continuous journey.”

The furniture and other details seen throughout this fantasy home are available on Arjé’s website, including those show-stopping Noah sofas, the Enzo shearling chair, and the Zig-Zag vessels.

The post Surreal Home Shows Off Arjé x Nordic Knots’ Luxe Rug Collection first appeared on Dornob.

The homeowners in Loughton, Essex were looking for “a space for modern day living and a stronger connection to their beautiful garden.” The original main floor had three rooms crowded in the back of the house: a constricted kitchen with dated fixtures, a tiny living room with no windows, and a dining room extension added in the 1980s. The bottom floor sat a full three feet above the exterior ground, with just one steep staircase granting passage to the back garden. Very little light made its way into this downstairs level, thanks to a large nearby outbuilding that blocked many of the existing windows.

After demoing that outside structure, the architecture firm solved the limited space problem by extending out the back exterior wall at garden level, connecting the addition to the current interior with three wall-to-wall stairs to and an overall open concept. The kitchen was also rehoused in the new ground-level addition, providing direct physical and visual access to the beautiful green spaces around it.

Natural light now streams in through three unique and ingenious windows and doors. The custom-made archways and the U-shaped window balance each other in geometric harmony. From the outside, it almost looks like the glass shapes spell the letters “n-n-u,” the name Studio Jayga gave this design.

The “nnU House” window is set into the wall, creating a perfect resting seat for enjoying the outdoor splendor while also taking advantage of the indoor climate. The top of the window extends above the ceiling line, jutting into a skylight and allowing even more light in from above.

The kitchen island takes its cues from the rounded windows, curving around in a gentle oval and further softened by a ribbed lining of cylinders around its base. Elsewhere, a comforting green envelops the wall of cabinetry, bringing the outside in. It complements the playful, multi-hued terrazzo stone backsplash and countertops.
The rest of the eating area is filled in with neutral floor tiles and crisp white walls, creating an airy space for gathering and working.

The connected living room is framed in on one side by tall, natural-colored timbers that outline the separate space while still offering clear sightlines to the kitchen. Birdseye maple flooring laid in chevron patterns draws the eye over into this area.

The outside of the addition was covered in timber charred on-site in the ancient Japanese style of “shou-sugi-ban,” giving the siding a cultivated and aged look.

Studio Jayga Architects was founded by Abul Mahdi, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who got his start building a village clinic in Bangladesh. Perhaps that experience influenced the studio name, which comes from a Bangla word meaning “place.”

“We believe that the spaces we inhabit should have a sense of place; this means that architecture should engage with its social and physical context to create a sense of belonging and community,” the company website says. “We believe that good quality design can benefit and improve people’s lives significantly.”

The post UK Kitchen Addition Takes Geometric Design to the Next Level first appeared on Dornob.

Now, Soliver is introducing her vivid brand’s first collaborative collection, a partnership with the American Prize for Design laureate Karim Rashid. The small collection continues Sosomo’s penchant for integrating the craftsmanship and creativity of rug weaving with bold colors and flowing compositions. And Rashid’s creative eye also shines here. A perfect pairing with Sosomo’s existing aesthetic, “the amorphous, intertwining forms create a liquid-like, fluid pattern that speaks of softness, minimal yet sensual and warm for any interior,” he recently said when speaking of the upcoming collection.

And Rashid’s vision has certainly found the perfect palette, as Sosomo’s craftsmanship and handmade aesthetic soften his usual propensity for more sharply defined shapes with a digital edge. Here, Rashid’s curvy, geometric shapes and eye-poppingly vivid colors are given an added warmth when paired with the homey, richly-made Sosomo rugs.

Standouts series include two incredibly colorful creations that are like a Skittles ad come to life — candy-colored confections intricately overlapping and morphing into multi-dimensional shapes that are almost psychedelic in their construction. For example, the “Ikona,” itself described as a “blobular formed rug,” features a scalloped edge rimmed in dark blue and vivid purple, colors that perfectly complement the more abstract amorphous shapes at its center. The fluidity of these shapes gives them a sense of movement, an undulating quality whose design contains some of Rashid’s self-confessed favorite icons: “time, body, love, fluid, and blobism.”

A second example, dubbed “Likuid,” is, by contrast more ‘traditionally’ shaped, comprising a deceptively simple white, square creation full of Rashid’s go-to color faves. Bright, burnt orange, complex crimson swirls, and deep, lemony yellows are offset by light blue highlights and splashes of purple that add to the rug’s retro 1960s appeal. The rug’s texture also contributes to its acute sensory stimulus, featuring different pile heights (a detail found in many of Sosomo’s rugs), the overall impression is one of three-dimensional depth and fullness.

Shining a light on local craftsmanship and Dominican creativity through brightly-colored geometric designs, the artisanal rug brand is ready to reach a global audience with its new collaboration with Karim Rashid. A veritable treasure trove of psychedelic swirls undulating against the richly-weaved pile creates a lava-lamp like sensation of movement; further highlighting the brand’s already established oeuvre of colorful compositions, highly harmonious hues, and ingeniously inventive designs that aim to spread the message of Dominican craftsmanship and creativity to the world in a refreshingly retro way.

The post Soranyi Soler’s Collab with Karim Rashid is Full of Retro Rug Appeal first appeared on Dornob.

While some forms of land art are more permanent, others are fleeting, but the movement itself isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s as popular as ever among contemporary artists looking to make their mark on the natural world, and Simon Beck is one such artist.

A cartographer by trade, Beck’s no stranger to mapmaking. Known for his impressive geometric snow art, he’s currently embarked on plotting much larger works in the mountains of France.

For over a decade, Beck, has created intricately beautiful artwork on otherwise-untouched snow, often walking for up to 12 hours a day to realize his complicated visions amid the wintry, sometimes inhospitable landscape. Carving a path with nothing but snowshoes and a ski pole, his works are the epitome of fleeting land art. Often disturbed by wind, weather, and human interaction, the geometric shapes can also look different when viewed in full sun versus partial shade, early morning versus twilight – but they’re best appreciated when viewed from above.

And the designs are certainly anything but random. Beck’s attention to detail and intricate planning is a testament to his cartography chops. Every step is planned out, and every piece is conceived on paper before he ever steps foot outdoors. Fittingly enough, the initial stages are plotted in map form (one millimeter on the page is equivalent to one step on the field).

Once plotted, Beck heads out to football-sized areas of untouched land, where he spends hours bringing his vision to life across the snowy fields. But the results are anything but bleak. Sprawling, ambitious, and starkly beautiful, the intricate pieces are almost unsettling in their juxtaposition with their surroundings. It’s an almost uncanny effect, as if the world’s largest snowflakes have fallen back to Earth.

Though Beck’s dynamic land art was put on hold over the past couple of years due to COVID-19 restrictions, he’s back at it now, working hard to create geometric gems that transform snowscapes into magically imaginative works of art.

The post Map Maker Simon Beck Creates Gigantic Geometric Gems in Snow Fields first appeared on Dornob.

As Buckminster Fuller himself explained, the tetrahedron represents “the minimum system of the Universe, and it turned out to be, then, omni-triangulated and we found that structures are always triangulated. Structure meant triangle and triangle meant structure, there were no other stable polygons. Therefore, the tetrahedron turned out to be the minimum structural system of the Universe.”

The tetrahedron is Fuller’s model of the simplest three-dimensional geometric system that can be used as the basis for other shapes, like his famous geodesic domes. He called this “cosmic logic of the structural mathematics strategies of nature,” which he spent much of his life studying and defining under the name “Synergetics.” In the case of Bow House, the tetrahedron helps to create a stable base for the cabin, takes full advantage of the small plot of land, and gives it an interesting silhouette.

“Casa Proa (Bow House in portugues) was designed by Atelier Marko Brajovic by a creative process inspired in triangular modulations on different scales and a tree house typology,” the architects say. “The 6x6x6 meters of equilateral triangular volume was installed at Praia do Rosa beach in Paraty (Brazil), located between a Mango tree, the traditional colonial house, and a major rock on steep waterfront terrain. The triangular geometry redundancy on the floor plan and section, as well on the tetrahedron roof system, promotes both structural and perceptive strategy. The architecture organizes a compact living space modulated in further sub-triangles and creates a visual pattern as much in the space and finishings.”

The architects also drew inspiration from traditional South American treehouses in designing this dreamy beach retreat. Though the cabin is on stilts rather than getting its load-bearing support from the surrounding trees, its perch on the slope just above vegetation like tropical flowers and palm trees creates a similar effect.

The main sleeping room is in the center of the cabin, looking straight out from the “prow” toward the ocean. The kitchen is tucked behind it, and in the two triangle points on either side are an entrance and a bathroom. The edge of the wraparound terrace serves as one big bench, so you can sit anywhere you like and look out at the forest, the water, or the hills on the other side.

Furniture custom-designed specifically for Bow House fills the interiors, including curtains made out of local shrimp fishing nets and wall lamps made of traditional bronze boat drains. It’s details like these that make it feel like a one of a kind getaway infused with the flavor of its unique Costa Verde location.

The post Tetrahedron Treehouse Peeks Out of the Trees Like the Prow of a Ship first appeared on Dornob.

The owners of this 1,065-square-foot two-bedroom apartment facing a forested hillside clearly aren’t risk-averse. They trusted the youthful architects and interior designers of 000 Design to craft a home bursting with personality, incorporating unexpected materials, clashing patterns, vivid colors, and most of all, fun. From the moment you walk in the door, you know you aren’t in an ordinary apartment.

The designers decided to throw out conventional ideas about how the feel of a home should be different from that of a business. Why not incorporate elements you’d normally see in high-end retail or commercial design instead of intimate residential spaces, if it results in a space that still feels relaxing and inspiring?

“With the development of internet and society, people spend more time living and working at their own dwelling,” says 000 Design. “We are willing to change the stereotype of a residence space which originally should be only cozy, warm, and relaxing. We hope this apartment also shows an impression of passion, fashion, and visual impact, [giving] a different attitude of the lifestyle with more freedom and maybe a little more [angst].”

An abstract mosaic of red, pink, yellow, blue, and white hexagonal tiles unifies the entire home, surrounding the main entrance and continuing inside the primary bedroom on several walls and ceilings. The small size and random patterns of this mosaic are contrasted by larger, more minimalist square white tile on the floor and on the walls of the bathroom. Out in the main living space, another tile motif in black, white, and gray brings a sense of geometric order to a balcony overlooking the landscape. Large glass walls and crystal-clear furniture keep the visual emphasis on the pattern and the view.

Careful editing is a big part of what makes the “Live & Fun” apartment a success. What the designers left out is just as important as what they brought in, leaving blank spaces for the eye to rest before moving on to the next chaos of color. In the hallways and living areas, smooth white surfaces are augmented by pale wood built-ins offering storage space, tables, and benches. The kitchen and dining nook are cut into two expanses of white built-in cabinetry, each one bedecked in neon colors for a striking jewel box effect. The lack of cabinet hardware helps the space feel clean and orderly.

And let’s not forget the ceilings, because the designers sure didn’t. Most noteworthy is the mirrored ceiling that visually elongates the common living spaces, augmented by lighting contained within red, green, and yellow acrylic boxes. A metallic ceiling surface perforated with thousands of tiny triangles complements the tile and doubles as a unique light source.

The post Colorful Tile Mosaics Brighten Up a Modern Chinese Apartment by 000 Design first appeared on Dornob.

The Fibonacci House is a tiny 3D-printed house that gets its name by following the famous Fibonacci sequence in its spiral form. Currently in progress near the company’s headquarters in British Columbia, Canada, the house was built with their Laticrete 3D Printing Mortar M68 concrete printers, boasting both a compact footprint and enough head room for a loft in order to sleep four people.

To build it, the company used two main classes of printing mortar: a slow-drying one that’s strong enough to support subsequent layers above it before fully curing, and another one with a drying accelerant added so it can dry faster. The second type is kind of like a concrete-based glue, allowing Twente to print overhanging structures and bridge gaps between parts, all of which were printed off-site in a controlled environment where the printers can be protected and work 24/7.

The house was divided into 20 parts and shipped to the location, where the pieces were assembled. The walls aren’t load-bearing in their own right, but the system includes columns and shear walls to hold up the exterior. Each piece is dual-layered for thermal insulation. The house isn’t complete just yet, but when it is, we expect to see some more photos of its unusual form and how the walls look inside.

In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence (discovered by Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci) is formed by adding numbers so each one is the sum of the two preceding ones, starting from 0 and 1. When you tile squares whose side lengths are successive Fibonacci numbers, like 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13 and 21, you can form a spiral closely related to the “golden ratio” by drawing circular arcs connecting the opposite corners of the squares. The sequences appear frequently in nature, like the arrangements of petals in a flower. It was also frequently used in Renaissance architecture.

Twente Additive Manufacturing’s Fibonacci House design aims to do two things: show off what their 3D printers can do, and demonstrate a new way of building that reduces excess material consumption. It’s their first full-scale building, but the company has already pulled off a number of other cool projects, including stairs, bridges, planters, decorative window grilles, and an outline of a Kootenay Salmon that will serve as the mulch barrier for a new playground in B.C.

Prefab construction can be significantly more eco-friendly than on-site construction because each piece is precision-cut to avoid waste; the materials are stored out of the weather; the construction process generates less noise, dust, and site disturbances; and building times are usually much shorter. 3D printing could potentially revolutionize the process, but the use of energy and resource-intensive concrete as a primary material isn’t ideal, so hopefully some more innovation is on the way in that department, too.

The post Spiraling 3D-Printed Tiny House Inspired by the Fibonacci Sequence first appeared on Dornob.

Mathematical patterns are all around us — they’re just not always immediately apparent. Take a closer look, and you’ll see that everything from the petals on a wildflower to the layout of bricks in a wall have their own mathematical underpinnings. In the case of architecture, geometric patterns can make all the difference in how a space looks and feels.

Most buildings have standardized rectilinear floor plans, but that’s not always the best approach. For this house in Osaka, lead architect Yo Shimada created a tessellated geometric pattern and then splayed it out slightly to make it just a little bit irregular, shaking it up and giving it a more dynamic feeling. The result produces a multitude of spaces within the two-story house, all set at angles from each other, with the spaces between them filled in with skylights or else left open to the air to form tiny courtyards.

The clients requested a home that would allow their family to enjoy each other’s company, but also have plenty of small areas for individual activities. The architects explain that they wanted to literally think outside the box for this project — or at least subvert the way a box is typically used. By slightly turning the corners where walls intersect, they say, our spatial awareness suddenly becomes complicated, making us feel like the limited space has greatly expanded.

Math helped the architects reach this conclusion. They started by experimenting with small-scale models, taking twelve 2.895-millimeter squares and connecting them to each other with a rhombus made of two triangles. Looking at the diagram of the floor plan, you can identify these twelve squares as rooms in the home — but by gradually turning each one, the architects also introduced six interstitial spaces to the overall layout. These rhombus areas were left undefined for free use.

The team adds: “The structure is made of wood, and each square plan is simply supported by pillars, resulting in a peaceful interior despite its unique form. The design of this house has a simplicity similar to ‘a cross inside a square’ plan used in old houses. Each part, while representing a different quality, is also compatible and expandable, and there is possibility for various circulations to emerge. This house is filled with autonomous spaces that can accommodate changes in lifestyle; it is a crystalline labyrinth where the spaces are repeatedly reflected into a prismatic figure.”

The post Mathematical Floor Plans: A Tessellated Modern Home in Osaka first appeared on Dornob.

“Interchange Pavilion,” created by Studio Mark Fox, is located in the city’s South Eveleigh district, a recently revitalized commercial neighborhood that encompasses several co-mingling train track lines.

Studio Founder and Director Mark Fox took his inspiration from the meeting of these many paths. He says the art is “an idea of convergence: of track convergence, of journeys’ convergence, of stories. The project really started with a concept around the rail switch, [it] being a potentiality of moving from one track to another.”

The pavilion is an “interchanging, diverging, and then coming together again” of wood, metal, and concrete that arcs upward in curved, geometric waves. Along the ground, steel bars mimic train tracks that overlap and spread out toward the sky before angling back to touch each other once more at the zenith. The ends of the wooden railway platforms feature artistic but practical benches where passersby can rest while being subliminally asked to contemplate how their own path in life junctions with others all around them.

None of those wooden planks were individually curved or bent anywhere along the arcs, creating an extra challenge for the design studio to “divide up something that is twisting in such a flamboyant way but to…position the timber exactly where it needs to sit so we get a continuous flowing form,” says Fox.

The shape of the sculpture was vital to its aesthetic, according to Fox. “Interchange Pavilion” lies in a courtyard between multiple high-rise office buildings and needed to be geometrically beautiful from every sight line, even from above. The 1,100-square-foot installation incorporates 15 tons of glass reinforced concrete (GRC), 1,400 pieces of Australian hardwood, and 820 feet of stainless-steel ground rails, all supported in a 1,650-piece aluminum structure weighing over 14 tons.

Fox and his team used cutting-edge technology in all aspects of the concept. The wood was sliced by computer-controlled cutting machines, the GRC molds were twisted by robotic axis mills, and the aluminum was digitally fabricated. He notes that “Interchange Pavilion design and building technologies are pushed to their limits to build what might have been an unbuildable form in another era.”

The undertaking was commissioned by Australian property group Mirvac and curated by cultural center Carriageworks as part of a larger public art initiative in the South Everleigh community. The aim is to “engage with the rich histories of Eveleigh and Redfern [train station] and create distinctive contemporary urban Sydney experiences.” Previous participants have created red gum slab abstractions inside an office complex, a smiling rain cloud on a building façade, and even a city park treehouse.

Fox, a senior lecturer in Art Processes and Architecture at the University of Sydney, is also well-known for his 2017 “Interloop” work, which fashioned the historic wooden escalator steps of Wynyard Station into an undulating coil on the ceiling over the modern moving stairways. He was intrigued by the mission of the Interchange Pavilion project, however, to meld art with architecture. “That challenge of combining something that is solely about form mixed with something that has to be a functional requirement, was really quite exciting,” he reveals, adding that “it is a connection to geometry, which then in turn ideally [leads] to transmission of ideas around the previous stories, previous histories of the site.”

The post Converging Outdoor Rail Art Points to Sydney’s Radiating Future first appeared on Dornob.

New Brussels-based creative practice Cobra Studios has based its whole postmodern aesthetic on these contrasts. Their debut furniture collection, “SOLIDS,” takes inspiration from the look of Roman architectural ruins, reimagining them through a filter of bright colors, minimalist shapes, and sculptural functionality.

Founders Kenny December and Hugues Delaunay traveled to Rome to study the city’s magnificent ruins before working on the collection. Delaunay in particular has been fascinated by them since childhood, and what interests him most is the way these relics of another era of humanity have remained the same while the modern city sprouted up around them.

In “SOLIDS,” the columns and crumbling walls of monuments like the Roman Forum are simplified into pure resin cylinders, spheres, rectangles, and discs resembling hard candy. Varying in size and translucence, these shapes pierce through sheets of frosted acrylic. The designers wanted them to have a certain brevity and playfulness despite the rather serious source of their inspiration.

They explain that “the mix of heavy, solid legs and a thin, soft top evokes a feeling of comfort and clemency. The supporting elements are so present that they pierce through the table tops, marking the presence of what lays underneath. Their presence organizes the tables. The top that used to be an element of priority, becomes merely a connecting piece. This ancillary function is emphasized by the matte, chalk finish.”

“The designs seek for contrast. The supports are heavy, yet transparent. Colorful yet cold. Hard, yet so soft. The distinct volumes can function as singular elements, but they decided to stay connected. The intersecting and contrasting pieces, free-standing, will hit their mark in any interior.”

The “SOLIDS” collection consists of coffee tables, side tables, dinner tables, and complementary lamps, with names like “Cicero,” “Priape,” “Santa Maria Dei Clarici,” and “Otho” after Roman churches, gods, and generals, all in shapes that “affirm the graphic design.” The floor lamp features a cylindrical glass shade supported by a thin three-legged stand, casting a green light on each of the tables.

Cobra Studios was born when architect December and scenographic designer Delaunay needed a new dining table for their apartment, and subsequently decided to make the perfect one themselves. Bringing their diverse skills and talents together, the duo experimented with materials and shapes to find their own defining aesthetic and identity.

“Hard shapes need to collide with soft touches. The pieces need to be minimalistic yet very decorative. Every piece needs to withstand time and art movements. Cobra Studios tends towards creating a world of its own, a certain form of light living, naïve but such fun.”

The designers also told Wallpaper that they’re playing with natural materials like terracotta and stone for their next collection, so we may see an interesting pivot from the synthetics of “SOLIDS.” Whatever they come up with, there’s no doubt it will be fresh and creative.

The post Geometric Glass Furniture Inspired by Roman Ruins first appeared on Dornob.

A restaurant located quite far from Japan, in Lisbon, Portugal, honors these traditions in a very unusual way: through symbolic architecture. The Ajitama Ramen Bistro by JCFS Architects contains a gorgeous wooden trellis installation featuring a repeated motif of egg shapes. Located in a newly refurbished building on a block that dates back to the early 20th century, the bistro occupies a prominent position on a street corner, and the illuminated installation can be glimpsed from the doorway not long after dark.

The trellises are meant to recall the kind of complex wooden construction that’s often seen throughout Asia, commonly hand-crafted with an emphasis on the craftsmanship of the joinery. The architects explain that to them, the trellises symbolize the determination, rigor, and precision of the Japanese people. The egg shape, on the other hand, is pure comfort.

JCFS hoped to represent a duality between Eastern traditions and their Western interpretations, elegance and informality, softness and structure. The wooden framework is geometric but sculpted into ovoid shapes, sometimes stretching down vertical surfaces for a sense of continuity and envelopment. The design of the space would be serviceable enough without it, but the installation truly transforms the interiors.

The design team explains: “The Ajitama Ramen Bistro is a restaurant fruit of the dream and ambition of two friends in love with this traditional Japanese dish. After their visit to Japan, their long friendship was reinforced by this passion, the search for the most authentic ramen of Lisbon. Unlike many countries in Europe, the Ramen in Portugal was until a few years ago an unknown concept. The two friends, not being satisfied with the existing offerings, decided to venture into their own project together.”

“When JCFS was challenged to develop the [concept] for the restaurant, the egg – ‘the Ajitama,’ is present in everything that is the most beautiful, tasty, and memorable, and that we keep in memory when eating the ramen of these friends, [making it] the generator of all the construction of the idea for this place.”

“The repetition and interpretation of the egg gesture is projected in these facilities, [the] counter, [the] bathrooms … the result is a mixture of sensations in which the neons of the facade transport us to the crazy streets of Tokyo. The suspended wood, sculpted in the form of an egg, confers a lightness to the space, leaving us the sensation of having no end and in which the sky has no limit. The counter makes us remember the Japanese meal in its natural habitat, in which we visualize the chef to cook the beautiful delicacy.”

Is anyone else suddenly craving a hot bowl of fresh ramen?

The post Egg-Shaped Wooden Trellises Hang from the Ceiling of Lisbon Ramen Restaurant first appeared on Dornob.

With fifteen surface planes, the Workstation Cabin has a sculptural look that’s part alien spaceship, part biomimicry. It perches lightly on the land with its black metal legs, offering one wall that’s entirely glass, one window, and one generously sized skylight. It’s basically an instant extra room for your house with no construction or remodeling required, acting as a private retreat that’s both insulated and soundproof.

Budapest-based Hello Wood notes that during this global pandemic, having a private, quiet workspace that’s close to home is more important than ever. And since the interior is so versatile, you could use it as a home office during the day and convert it to a sleeping space by night, changing its usage as your own needs shift.

“When designing the concept, our main goal was to create a highly functional space,” say the designers. “The quality of the space is not given by the huge size, but by its complexity. We believe that for those who adapt a minimalist lifestyle, it isn’t a challenge but a pleasure to spend their time in a practical space. The interior is insulated, therefore easily adapting to the changes of the seasons. You can enjoy the comfort of a private room during winter, and you don’t have to suffer the heat in summer, as the air conditioner can be hidden in a built-in bench. An electrical outlet ensures that you can charge your laptop, phone, and establish a Wi-Fi connection.”

“The cabin gives you the extra room you always wished for. The playful form that brings to life the illustrations of our favorite childhood storybooks was inspired by nature. The Workstation Cabin brings you closer to the outside world. The cozy interior is characterized by wood panels, and the huge windows let natural light in. Last but not least, our main goal is to meet the needs of the present and achieve a more sustainable future: due to its low energy consumption and environmental focus, building a small house is more environmentally friendly than building a house with traditional technologies and non-renewable materials.”

It’s great to see so many prefab backyard office pod designs taking chances architecturally with unusual shapes that are hard to integrate into full-scale residential projects. Some previous examples include the round shingle-covered “People Pod” and the pleasingly curvilinear shell-shaped “Shoffice.”

Hello Wood Studio is known for its unique custom-made, temporary, and prefab installations, including their series of Hello Wood cabins, architectural pavilions for festivals and events, pop-up facilities like bars and kitchens, and smart public furniture that integrates amenities like chargers and lighting into sinuous wooden benches.

The post Workstation Cabin: Geometric Backyard Pod by Hello Wood first appeared on Dornob.