“This is one of the most famous chairs in the world, and it’s so disconnected from its original heritage,” Concepcion told Curbed. She learned that it originated at the Bilibid Prison in Manila in the early 1900s, where it was made by incarcerated people. “I literally just stopped in my tracks. This was such a strong cultural symbol. How could I not know about its history?”

A graduate landscape architecture student at the time, Concepcion was seeking historical references from her own culture that she could incorporate into her designs. She found herself magnetically drawn to the classic woven rattan Peacock chair (seen here in a version by Kouboo) with its high, round back. Featured on dozens of album covers by artists like Al Green, James Brown, and Drake, the chair also famously appeared in a portrait of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton.

“To me, it’s about more than designing a collection; I’m inventing a style,” Concepcion says. “Within Asian culture, there is a hierarchy of whose history gets recognized, who gets to have cultural heritage, and who gets to sponsor diplomatic engagement because of their cultural heritage. The Philippines has been left out of that. Because of colonization and assimilation, there has been a loss of direct connection between our Indigenous past and where we are today. My dream is to bring visibility to our story.”

The tale of exactly how the chair came to be designed and manufactured in a Philippine prison is a fascinating one. The country was already known for its long tradition of basketry made of rattan and bamboo, but the popularity of rattan furniture that first exploded in the early 20th century is a product of American colonialism. Furniture — particularly chairs — was not common in the Philippines, where floor-sitting was the norm.

Chinese and European colonists occupying the country at the time wanted chairs, and actually believed that getting prisoners to make them would help “civilize” them. The throne-like Peacock chair made its design debut at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and quickly captured the public imagination. In the United States, people saw it as a symbol of exotic foreign royalty. It has remained a part of the cultural consciousness ever since, and helped drive a renewed interest in woven cane design in recent years.

With her RECLAIM collection, Cheyenne Concepcion pays tribute to the Peacock chair’s cultural history as well as the broader traditions of Philippine weaving. The beautiful four-piece collection includes the Doña Lounge Chair, the Coco nesting table set, the Lolo mirror, and the Anak Totem sculptures.

For the Doña, Concepcion lowered the height of the Peacock chair, gave it a more relaxed posture and brought in accents of wood, brass, and steel. The bronze-tinted smoked mirror has a tropical vibe with its loose strands of cane streaming out like fringe. The collection truly feels like a new paradigm for tropical Asian-Pacific design, and a lovely nod to the feminine art of weaving.

The post Cheyenne Concepcion Reclaims the Philippine History of the Iconic Peacock Chair first appeared on Dornob.

What have homes looked like in America since the first mass arrivals of European colonists in the 1600s? Every era has its own influences based on global trends, the cultures of people who moved to particular regions, and the current events of the day. Now, American Home Shield (AHS) has visualized ten of the most popular styles we’ve seen over the past 450 years of American history. A series of renderings transforms the same home again and again, from the simplicity of early colonial designs to the artsy influences of Modernism.

Cape Cod (1600s – 1950s)

As the name suggests, Cape Cod style originated in the Massachusetts colony, and its particularities revolve around the harsh New England coastal climate. It’s known for a steep roof that easily sheds rain and snow, a central chimney serving a large hearth that warmed the whole house, and a rectangular shape, with cedar shingles on the exterior. It fell out of favor by the 1800s, so most of the original Cape Cod homes were renovated beyond recognition or demolished long ago. What we see today is mostly the product of a Cape Cod revival that started in the 1920s and exploded just after World War II.

Georgian Colonial (1690s – 1830)

One of America’s most consistently popular styles, Georgian Colonial spread across the entire country. It’s admired for its classic proportions, symmetrical design, and a lack of unnecessary ornamentation. Clean lines and shapes provide most of the appeal, with just a few flourishes here and there around the windows, doors, and fireplaces. They were mostly modeled after English estates with influences from classic Greek and Renaissance Italian architecture, and typically feature paired chimneys and windows in rows of five.

Federal (1780 – 1840)

Born in the wake of America’s independence in 1776, Federal style reflects a desire at the time to shrug off European and British influences in favor of a uniquely American aesthetic. Some iconic examples include Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate, the White House, and other government buildings built in that era. Just as the country’s leaders looked to Ancient Greece and Rome as models for government, architects chose elements from those historical styles as Federal influences, as seen in the columns and colonnades.

Greek Revival (1825 – 1860)

The fascination with Greek culture continued into the 19th century with the Greek Revival style, which we can clearly see in the designs of plantations in the South, state capitol buildings, churches, and urban row houses built at the time. Colossal Greek temple-style fronts with Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns and details make these houses easy to identify.

Italianate (1840 – 1885)

Though no less grand, Italianate style represented a somewhat more relaxed approach to architecture. Nearly always two stories or taller, these homes featured low-pitched roofs, wide overhanging eaves, large decorative brackets, tall narrow windows with arches or curves, wrap-around porches, and sometimes even a cupola or tower. It’s meant to capture the informal yet picturesque character of Italian farmhouses.

Queen Anne (1880-1910)

British influences came barging back into the country during the Victorian era, when Americans just couldn’t resist the ornate stylings of Queen Anne architecture. And who could blame them? Drawing from upper class and royal British style, what we commonly call “Victorian” architecture today is known for its turrets, gingerbread trim, complex interior layouts, steep roofs, bay windows, and decorative flair inserted at every opportunity.

American Craftsman (1905 – 1930)

Often referred to simply as “Craftsman,” this style arrived along with a wider cultural backlash to the Industrial Revolution, as people began to prefer handcrafted elements in favor of anything mass-produced. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which also included decorative arts, interior design, and landscape design, it was widely used to create bungalow-style homes from local natural materials. The over-decorated look of the Victorians was out and simplicity was in, and houses in this style featured thick square columns, overhanging eaves, and low-pitched roofs.

Art Deco + Art Moderne (1920 – 1945)

More works of sculpture than conventional architecture, Art Deco and Art Moderne homes make use of materials like concrete, stucco, and glass to craft appropriately artsy structures with unexpected shapes and details. Art Deco is associated with more ornamentation, geometric shapes, and zigzag patterns, while Art Moderne houses often had flat roofs, horizontal grooves or lines in the walls, asymmetrical facades, and glass-block windows.

Ranch Style (1945 – 1980)

Apparently, Americans like their homes the way they like their salad dressing. Ranch is one of the nation’s most enduring and popular styles, partially because its simple single-story designs were so cheap and easy to build. Ranch houses typically have large open spaces inside, with galley kitchens, low-pitched gable roofs, brick exteriors, and large double-hung windows.

Prefab (1945 – Present)

Often called the architectural style of the future, prefabricated homes revolutionize the construction process by building most components offsite in a factory. That means homes can be built faster and with less noise, waste, and impact on the building site, often using modular components. That modularity makes it easy to create stacked configurations in clean, simple shapes, typically clad in low-cost and durable exterior materials like corrugated aluminum.

The post See How American Houses Evolved Over the Last 450 Years first appeared on Dornob.

Interior design, though not immune to trends and influences in popular culture, fashion, and beyond, also has its roots in forever-iconic designers that paved the way for modern aesthetics as we know them. Below are some of the most iconic designers of the 20th century, each known for pushing the boundaries and creating some of the most pervasive and enduring design trends we see in our homes and public spaces today.

Dorothy Draper

One of the most well-known icons in the design world, Dorothy Draper is a pioneer of unique style and early innovation. Abandoning the stuffy, Victorian-era look that was so ubiquitous in 20th-century public spaces (think ornate, bourgeois, classical shapes and furniture that we would now associate with museum pieces), Draper instead chose an updated style that focused on bold, vibrant colors and patterns, including her signature black-and-white checkered flooring. Styled as “Modern Baroque,” Draper’s design concepts were born in the roaring 20s and are still a source of inspiration well into the 21st century.

Jean-Michel Frank

French interior and furniture designer Jean-Michel Frank used minimalism as his springboard for design inspiration. The creator of the classic Parsons table – a modernist square table that is as ubiquitous as it is deceptively simple – Frank was known for his works throughout Europe and the United States. His use of stark, simple colors married with clean lines and lush materials were especially favored by the likes of Cole Porter and Elsa Schiaparelli. Unfortunately, Frank’s career was cut short by his death in 1941. However, his influence is still widely felt today in most modern design trends.

Mario Buatta

Larger than life and known as the “Prince of Chintz,” New York native Mario Buatta is renowned for bringing the classic English country house (and all its accoutrements) to the United States. Naturally, Buatta passed down his own bolder interpretation of that concept, evoking bigger, brighter versions that became immensely popular in the 1980s and 90s – and they’re still go-to’s for design inspo today.

Elsie de Wolfe

Elsie de Wolfe, aka Lady Mendl, is considered by many to be the earliest pioneer of interior design (she’s often credited with inventing the entire profession). Growing up in a Victorian-style home that she considered claustrophobic and cluttered, de Wolfe was inspired by her trips abroad in the late 19th century. Heavily influenced by both French interiors and her background as a stage actress, she soon set about producing all kinds of bold, light, and eclectic prints and concepts. A prolific designer known for decorating everything from Hollywood mansions to luxe French villas, de Wolfe was also a best-selling author. Talk about a true design icon!

Tony Duquette

A student of Elsie de Wolfe, Tony Duquette was himself a creative powerhouse who was a Tony-award winning costume and set designer before embarking on his successful career as both a jewelry and interior design master. Grand, bold, luxurious, and maximalist to the extreme, Duquette became one of the leading designers in the United States and Europe through his bold, modern interpretations of sumptuous classics heavy on texture and color. One only needs to look at his Beverly Hills estate Dawnridge to get a taste of the designer’s flair for the dramatic.

To truly understand the breadth and depth of the most enduring design concepts, it’s important to look backwards as well as forwards. While designers like Frank Lloyd Wright continue to be important influences in contemporary design, there are many other important designers who have helped paved the way with their inventive, innovative styles that challenged the traditional norms of what we now think of as “interior design.” Without these visionaries, the field wouldn’t be the ever-changing, evolving, and forward-thinking mix of classic and modern masterpieces that it is today.

The post 5 Iconic Interior Designers Every Decor Lover Should Know first appeared on Dornob.

A new video from UK bathroom supply store QS Supplies illustrates 500 years of “evo-loo-tion” in 90 seconds flat. Starting in the year 1520, this brief history of the bathroom tracks major developments like sewer systems, running water, toilet paper, and the introduction of matching accoutrements. Though this UK-centric history is limited to the Western world, ignoring earlier advancements of sewer systems and bidets across the globe, it’s still an interesting glimpse at how this essential space has changed over time.

1520-1620: You Only Bathed Alone if You Were Fancy

For much of human history, people had little choice but to embrace their natural funk in between rare visits to a public bath, and it wasn’t uncommon to relieve yourself just about anywhere outdoors. The whole reason perfumes were developed (and considered a luxury) was to combat the general stench of body odor and human waste in the streets. If you were among the upper classes, you at least had a scented handkerchief to hold to your nose when necessary, and by the 16th century, you might have been lucky enough to have a bathtub at home, too.

During this period, the wealthy enjoyed freestanding wooden bathtubs filled with water heated in a cauldron, often placed near a fireplace for warmth. Castles were newly equipped with “garderobes,” which were basically upper-level turrets with holes in the floor that emptied into cesspools, moats, or just the ground. A jug and basin were used to wash your hands afterward.

1620-1720: Chamber Pots and Slight Tub Upgrades

A hundred years later, many people in cities were doing their business indoors. Now in widespread use, the chamber pot introduced a lot more convenience, whether you had an outhouse or not (but it was supposed to be for number one only). Wealthier people moved on to commodes, which were boxes with a seat and lid covering the chamber pot to reduce odors. Tubs also became more common at this time due to concerns about catching diseases in public baths, but the inconvenience of hauling and heating water meant you had to at least share the water, if not the tub. Many bathtubs from this period were also lined with steel to help keep them warm longer.

1720-1820: The Advent of Mirrors

No longer just for essential bodily functions, bathrooms started to become private spaces for grooming and preening in the 18th century. Instead of keeping their tub, chamber pot, and jug in the living area, people started confining these items to their own spaces. Commodes became common, and in 1775, a watchmaker named Alexander Cummings invented the S-pipe, the prelude to the modern flushing toilet. One of the most significant developments during this period was the increased affordability of mirrors, which were previously very expensive to produce.

1820-1920: Sewers, Running Water, and Toilet Paper

This is the time when bathrooms started to look like something we’d recognize today. Governments decided to get a handle on the public hygiene situation, building sewer systems and running water pipes to most urban homes. That meant the average person could have a flush toilet, a sink, and a bathtub, with water typically heated by a boiler in the basement. Rich people’s bathrooms grew more ornate than ever, with chandeliers, gilded fixtures, exposed pipes, and a nifty new invention called toilet paper (though frankly, we’d probably all be better off if the whole world embraced bidets instead).

1920-2020: The Bathroom as a Self-Care Refuge

Over the past century, bathrooms have become one of the most important rooms in our homes, typically second only to the kitchen in terms of how much money and care is put into their design. Water heaters and electricity transformed them into hallowed spaces where we can preen for hours on end with a full expectation of privacy. Nowadays, smart technology is taking luxury bathrooms up a notch by remembering our preferences for temperature and water pressure, automatically adjusting the lighting, displaying digital information on our mirrors, and even heating the toilet seat.

It’s wild to think of what bathrooms might look like in another 100 years, isn’t it?

The post From Chamber Pots to Smart Toilets: See 500 Years of Bathroom History in 90 Seconds first appeared on Dornob.

UK-based bathroom retailer QS Supplies has taken some of these paintings and brought them to life, giving them a whole new sense of realism. Translating six scenes into digitally rendered environments, they let us envision these painted spaces as if we could walk right into them, taking new inspiration from their designs. Some are ordinary, others strikingly ornate – one is even the scene of history’s most famous bathroom assassination.

“Whether you want a bathroom for solo spa sessions, sensual encounters, or simply to murder a French revolutionary, history’s finest artists are way ahead of you with the mood boards,” the company writes. “Who better to turn to for bathroom renovation ideas?”

Each work is presented on the QS Supplies website as an interactive sliding image between the original painting and the digital rendering (shown here as separate images). Some elements are left exactly as they were originally envisioned, while others have been altered slightly to show contemporary equivalents.

Carl Larsson’s Bathroom Scene – Lisbeth (1909) is among the most Instagram-worthy of the bunch, and it’s directly translatable to desirable contemporary style. The painting depicts the artist’s daughter Lisbeth drawing a bath sometime in the late 19th century within the Arts and Crafts home decorated by Larsson’s wife Lilla Hyttnäs. We just have one question: where can we buy that beautiful brass tub filler? “You’ve got to love that tub and vintage-style exposed pipes,” QS writes, “and if walls a shade of ‘creativity green’ never go out of fashion, how about a Scandi-style sauna underfoot?”

Perhaps most divisive of all is the re-imagination of the 1935 painting simply titled Bathroom by Perkins Harnly, depicting a Victorian bathroom with paneled wood walls, a velvet chair, a Chinese-style painted folding screen, and a gold-embellished toilet. If you’re a maximalist, you probably love it. Otherwise, it’s…a lot.

As promised, QS has also included a portrayal of the death of French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat at the hands of Charlotte Corday in this series. Jacques Louis David’s version, featuring Marat slumped over in the tub in the middle of writing a letter, is more famous, but in terms of bathroom design, there’s less to work with. Here we have Edvard Munch’s more colorful interpretation. “It’s not the jolliest bathroom, then. But the use of marble adds a grandness and cleanliness to the scene. The terracotta tiling feels very European, and the curved doorway softens the austere scene.”

Check out the rest on the QS Supplies website, and get more bathroom inspiration from these modern master bathroom designs.

The post Bathrooms from Famous Paintings Recreated as Realistic Digital Spaces first appeared on Dornob.

Though it may be invisible to some, racial segregation, separation, and violence form the framework of the American built environment, and Reconstructions unveils it and then casts it aside to make room for more just and poetic alternatives. Calling themselves the Black Reconstruction Collective, the exhibition’s participants envision interventions for 10 cities, including Oakland, Syracuse, and Miami, at times imagining alternate pasts that might have led to an altogether different present. What if, for instance, Black Americans had been able to participate equally in rebuilding the nation after the Civil War? What if we didn’t collectively view architecture and our built environments through the lens of Eurocentrism? What might Black communities have looked like without the racist practice of redlining?

Emanuel Admassu, Germane Barnes, Sekou Cooke, J. Yolanda Daniels, Walter Hood, Mario Gooden, Felecia Davis, Olalekan Jeyifous, Amanda Williams, and V. Mitch McEwen have each created a new architectural concept for spaces of various scales: kitchen tables, porches, sidewalks, neighborhoods, and even entire cities. These urban spaces become “sites of resistance and refusal, attempting to repair what it means to be American.”

V. Mitch McEwen’s proposal develops a fictional version of New Orleans founded by freed slaves, now known as the city-state of Republica. Interwoven bamboo structures rise from intact wetlands in place of all the concrete, levees, and oil rigs for which the real city is known. Similarly, Olalekan Jeyifous’ concept presents an optimistic vision of New York built atop the ruins of the real city.

Walter Hood’s “Black Towers/Black Power” makes the influence of early Black designers and architects on Oakland, California more overtly visual with abstracted totem-like structures. The MoMA website explains that, “Paired with statements that formed the Black Panthers 10 Point Program, the towers are gathered in the gallery evoking active bodies, gesturing, their connectivities revealed through enigmatic structures, fluid transparency, and undeniable presence.”

Here’s a snippet of the collective’s manifesto. Read it in full and view each project at MoMa.org.

“A nation constituted in conflict with its own ideals would need to be reconstructed before it could be fully constructed. It would need to go to war with itself and win, then reconstruct itself differently. This is not rebuilding but reconstructing to the core of governance, citizenship, history, infrastructure, and the distribution of land. Paradoxically, the people who did the constructing and must now do the reconstructing are likely to be the same — laborers in one instance and authors in another — designers of this nation and of themselves.”

“We reject the boundaries established by nation-states, challenge the spatial manifestations of anti-Black racism, and encourage creative agency and liberatory practices. This collective portal unites activists, scholars, architects, artists, and organizers across time and space. With this commitment to Black freedom and futurity, we dedicate ourselves to doing the work of designing another world that is possible, here, where we are, with and for us.”

The post MoMA’s New “Reconstructions” Exhibition Spotlights the Intersection of Racism and Architecture first appeared on Dornob.

The ship could no longer be steered in the storm, and as the story goes, the captain intentionally beached it on the shoreline, allowing all 330 sailors, officers, passengers, soldiers, and others onboard to escape safely. Within a few months, it was overtaken by 23 feet of sand with a high clay content, effectively preserving it in place. It has remained there ever since, and it’s still in remarkably good condition.

ZJA proposes transporting it back to Amsterdam without ever lifting it out of the water, working with industrial movers to excavate it from the seabed, load it onto a specially designed underwater dock, and sail it over 250 miles back to its home country. There, the 131-foot-long vessel would remain submerged as a capsule-like steel and glass museum called “Docking the Amsterdam” is built around it. A white domed canopy made of tensile fabrics would be visible above the surface, covering walkways that grant visitors overhead views of the wreckage.

The underwater areas of the museum let visitors see the ship close-up from enclosed glass chambers, taking in details like the wine, textiles, and silver bullion that still remain onboard. They’ll also be able to watch as archaeologists carry out work on the ship. The exhibit would include displays that highlight the “complete story” of the ship, including the Dutch East India Ship Company (VOC)’s involvement in the slave trade.

“Visiting this venue is like entering a theater that stages the investigation in progress and engages the public with the discoveries the divers and researchers do inside the wreck,” says ZJA. “The ‘Amsterdam’ is a treasure chamber that shows us how financial resources, information and technology, cultures, politics and violence, trade and globalization, innovation and exploitation merge.”

ZJA hasn’t yet determined the best location for the museum, but they’re confident that the coast of Amsterdam will be a more safe and stable environment for research on the wreck than its current location, where the tides have begun to damage the ship.

“The urgency of the project is twofold,” the architects told Dezeen. “Firstly, the ship was constructed by the VOC. Today’s perspective on the history of colonialism, the slave trade, and international trade makes reassessment and discussion essential. Secondly, the wreck is now in a place with a huge tidal range, [and] the currents that accompany this are eroding the wreck.”

The firm set 2025 as the target date for the opening, as the process of transporting the ship is expected to take several years. The project was commissioned by the Docking the Amsterdam Foundation and is led by Amsterdam city archaeologist Jerzy Gawronski.

The post Amsterdam Museum Built Around a Glass Tank Containing a Shipwreck first appeared on Dornob.

Since that time, wallpaper has evolved and changed, going through a nearly constant metamorphosis to keep up with changing preferences. HomeAdvisor, a one-and-done marketplace for finding local home services, recently created a visual summary of wallpaper’s history as a nod to its importance in interior design. The study outlines wallpaper’s many stylistic transitions and provides a visual snapshot of the trends over the centuries.

Beginning in the 1500s, wallpaper became a more affordable option than the decorated tapestry previously available, making it more accessible for the standard home owner. No longer a product exclusively for the elite class, designs centered around the block style, coming in large squares rather than today’s ubiquitous rolls. At the end of the century in 1599, a Guild of Paperhangers was even established in France. These craftsman developed wallpaper with higher-quality prints and faster production options. Then came the layering of different materials, such as flocked wallpaper, made with a dusting of powered wool. During this time, makers began gluing squares into rolls for a design that repeated across the wall.

The 1700s saw wallpaper design gain popularity in America, while the British saw the government implement taxes on the already common product. At the same time, the Chinese were focused on the luxury market, painting unique designs rather than mass producing prints.

In fact, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution of the 1800s that wallpaper entered the realm of mass production. The first wallpaper printing machine rolled out lengths of the stuff, making it even more affordable for the general public. Patterns began to vary widely, offering a range of designs for the consumer. Natural elements were still popular, but geometric art and ornamental prints found an audience, too.

Print options continued to expand in the 1900s, ranging from bold to plain, and wallpaper became available at virtually every price point. In addition, it had become more durable and less likely to fade.

Even in the past 20 years, wallpaper continues to receive the love of designers and homeowners looking to create a unique vibe for their space. This project by HomeAdvisor provides a very modern digital look at a historical design element by creating a scrolling backdrop to a standard room. This allows the viewer to see how 12 different wallpapers darken, cheer, and transform the same space.

In addition, the team put together a clickable carousel gallery as a quick view of wallpaper printing techniques ranging from 1530 to 2009.

Only time will tell what the next innovations in wallpaper design will bring to rooms across the planet, but one thing is certain: if we look 500 years into the future, wallpaper will still be a tool in the standard decorator’s kit.

The post HomeAdvisor Peels Back 500 Years of Wallpaper History first appeared on Dornob.

The debate rages on about whether allowing the statues to remain means we are honoring those leaders’s outdated beliefs, but now there’s also a new question at hand: when the statues fall, what exactly do we do with them?

For some international insight, we can look to a sculpture park in Russia called Muzeon, also known as the Fallen Monument Park. It began with a single statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet Union’s feared secret police, whose likeness was pulled down by protestors in 1991 and dumped in a vacant lot. Soon after that, other historical figures were taken down and added to the statue graveyard. It wasn’t long before fun, contemporary statues representing fairy tale characters and literary figures (taken down for myriad reasons) also started being added to the mix. Today, the once vacant lot has officially become part of the famed Gorky Park, where citizens stroll, picnic, and nap.

It seems that Russians feel the statue cemetery represents the deeper, darker parts of a history peppered with regime changes. For a time, rage and desperation had the country erasing remnants of communism altogether, but once the Soviet Union fell, new hardships and everyday life took the steam out of the movement, and the statues were mostly left alone.

Although Russians recognize that these leaders did unconscionable acts, they don’t feel the history can or should be erased entirely by destroying the statues that represent previous eras.

“It’s one thing what statues mean when they are in conspicuous sites, in main squares and big streets,” says Masha Lipman, a political analyst who has studied Russia’s changing relationship to its monuments. “It’s quite another thing when statues like that are collected among many others in a park.”

One historically relevant example is the pink granite statue of Stalin, standing tall with a broken nose as a result of its original dismantling. In an anti-Stalin statement, an installation of 282 stone heads in a cage by sculptor Yevgeny Chubarov symbolizes the Soviet dictator’s countless victims. Chubarov donated the work to Muzeon on the condition it be displayed right next to Stalin. Together, the juxtaposing works tell a story of a history that can’t simply be erased by destroying one statue.

“I consider these sculptures to be part of our history,” says Artyom Golbin, a park guide and historian. “The history of Russia — and any other country — has different periods, some of them bad, some of them good. Still, we have to remember them, and these sculptures are an important reminder of Soviet times.”

“The Russian experience should give some food for thought to those who are engaged in toppling statues in the U.S. these days,” adds Lipman. “Fighting with symbols of the past does not necessarily help solve problems of the present.”

The post Russia’s Fallen Monument Park Gives a New Context to Toppled Historical Statues first appeared on Dornob.

“If you were to reconstruct the house, you’d cover up some of the most interesting parts,” says architectural conservator Matt Webster, a Menokin Foundation Advisory Council Member. “With glass, we can actually see how an 18th-century building comes together.”

The foundation sees this approach as “revolutionary,” connecting the past to the future in “relevant, daring ways.” The Neo-Palladian home, which stands on a 500-acre property, is one of the best-documented 18th-century houses in America. The conservationists had an original presentation drawing dating to 1769, an extensive Historic American Building Survey from 1940 including photography and 20 sheets of drawings, and a number of research reports and historic images to go off while completing the project.

About 80 percent of the mansion’s original materials have survived, including its sandstone exterior and 1,000-plus pieces of intact interior woodwork, but it did start to deteriorate a bit during the 20th century when it fell into a period of neglect. In the 1960s, a tree fell on the house, destroying half of it. The house was pretty much totally in ruins by the time the Menokin Foundation received it in 1995, at which point they covered it with a steel canopy. Their experts have spent the last 18 years developing a plan to save it and make it available to scholars, preservationists, and enthusiasts for continued learning and inspiration.

In June 2020, construction began on the new glass portion, which is expected to be completed in 2023.

The project’s official website explains that “The Glass House Project, the only initiative of its kind in the world, will preserve the remaining portions of the 1769 house and replace missing walls, floors, and sections of the roof with glass. The glass serves not merely as a protective covering for the fragile original structure, but as part of an integral whole that brings the house back to life. The use of glass as a structural element, blending seamlessly with the 18th-century stone, brick, and timber is a tour de force of design and engineering. This fusion of technology and mission embodies the Menokin Foundation’s commitment to innovation in design and historic interpretation.”

“While traditional restoration methods cover evidence of the human story that historic structures present, the transparent design of the Glass House Project emphasizes the deconstructed architectural elements of the building and provides a literal window into the lives of those who built, lived, and worked at Menokin. Fingerprints are visible in the handmade bricks, marks of hand tools are etched on the timbers, and the successes and failures of the builders are revealed.”

“Views of the surrounding landscape through the glass walls will continually connect visitors to the pristine natural environment and the traces of the tobacco plantation where generations of enslaved laborers once worked. This interplay of interior and exterior, historic past and modern-day design, allows a layered and complex look not only at the house but also the people who lived on the site over the centuries — the Rappahannock, the English settlers and the Lee family, and the people who were enslaved at Menokin.”

The preservationists see this last part as a crucial element in telling the tale of Menokin. The home’s importance lies not only in its past but in its ability to connect historical injustice with contemporary issues, telling the stories of the plantation’s enslaved laborers and the Rappahannock people, who lived on the land for centuries and gave “Menokin” its name.

Part of the project will include a new pavilion made of translucent agricultural fabric built above the archaeological footprint of an 18th-century field slave dwelling, which will glow at night in memorial to those enslaved residents who literally built and maintained the property, making it what it was and what it remains today.

The post Glass House Project: Ruins Preserved With Transparent Addition first appeared on Dornob.

Hoping to shine a spotlight on Reich’s under-recognized skills as a designer, the Mies van der Rohe Foundation recently launched the second phase of a grant program set up in her name. The foundation previously set up a research grant along the same lines, and the resulting exhibition by Laura Martínez de Guereñu, “Re-enactment: Lilly Reich’s Work” still occupies the Barcelona Pavilion (designed by Reich herself), where it will remain on display until July 15th, 2020. Specifically, the research-based exhibit represents Lilly Reich’s influence by reconstructing two display cases similar to the ones she designed herself for the International Exposition of 1929. It also transforms the spatial experience of the pavilion by reclaiming its connection with Reich’s work on the Noucentista Palaces of Montjuïc.

The Foundation has previously stated that “the results of the first-edition research show the need to continue studying the person and work of Lilly Reich: the Lilly Reich Grant of Academic research will insist on deepening the knowledge and dissemination of this essential figure in the history of modern architecture.”

The Mies van der Rohe Foundation has a special reason to honor this particular designer, since she worked in a partnership with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe on several notable projects in the past, including the aforementioned German section of the 1929 World Exhibition in Barcelona. The two also collaborated on the acclaimed Tugendhat House in Brno, Czech Republic and, perhaps most notably, the masterpiece of modern architecture that is the Barcelona Pavilion.

Marking the 135th anniversary of Lilly Reich’s birth (June 16th, 1885, Berlin), the second edition of the Lilly Reich Grant for equality in architecture is focused on high-school aged students in an effort to encourage further research into the designer’s life and work.

“We are thrilled to present the new call of the Lilly Reich Grant for equality in architecture, and we are especially happy to include the teenage community in this fight for equality through research and knowledge,” says the foundation’s Executive Director Anna Ramos.

A total of five grants will be awarded with a cash value of €300 each, with winners also receiving bibliographical or educational material worth €200 for the educational center of their choosing. Each winning project will also be published on the official FMVDR website.

The brief regarding the project reads: “Lilly Reich Grant for Senior High School Students Research Projects focuses on the study, dissemination, and visibilization of contributions to architecture that have been unduly relegated or forgotten, or carried out by architectural professionals that have received discriminatory treatment, and that promote equal access to the practice of architecture worldwide.”

With any luck, grants like these will continue inspiring youth, encouraging an interest in the history of design as a foundation for the future, and honoring equality within all professions.

The post Mies van der Rohe Foundation Launches New Research Grant in Honor of Lilly Reich first appeared on Dornob.

The year was 1935, and times were unstable. Hitler was rising in power, and tragically, we know what that led to for many Jews and other minorities, including a 32-year-old rare book curator who was fired from his job in Germany based purely on his heritage. With nothing more than two steamer trunks in his possession, Otto Bettmann fled to the United States.

The cargo he deemed important enough to haul across the ocean was not personal belongings, but rather photographs and negatives he felt compelled to preserve for future generations. That ocean crossing marked the beginning of a long journey for these images, an assemblage that, by the end of the century, grew into one of the largest collections of iconic photography in the world.

Bettmann did much more than preserve the images he had taken on his trek across the Atlantic. He also turned photo collecting into a business, first advertising for photos and then later licensing images to major publications such as LIFE and Time. The collection first took shape with Bettmann and staff photographers capturing iconic images of economic downturns, political events, concerts, and wars.

Fast forward to 1995 when Bill Gates bought the Bettmann collection, to which Bettmann remarked three years before passing, “he now owns the history of everything.”

Over the next six years, the fluctuations in New York temperature were beginning to take their toll on the pictures. In order to preserve them, Gates had the vast collection moved into a 220-foot deep limestone mine located one-and-a-half hours outside Pittsburgh. At the same time, Gates also put up a digital paywall to further protect the work.

To complete the journey, the collection was sold to Visual China, who promptly gave photo licensing rights to Getty, a widely recognized video, image, and music archive. Of course, this transfer of ownership had no physical effect on the 11 million images nestled beneath the surface of the Earth, where they remain temperature controlled and protected by armed guards.

Originally a mine that supplied Pittsburgh’s steel mills, the limestone structure where the collection is held is part of a labyrinth of corridors referred to as Iron Mountain. The cool environment creates ideal storage for the sensitive photographs, many of which date back to the origin of photography itself. Some of the most delicate examples are even stored in a special refrigerated section of the mine.

“There is a 5,000-square-foot space consisting of what we call ‘classic library finding aids,’ such as card catalogs and microfilm readers, as well as modern archival technology, including scanning equipment and state-of-the-art software,” says archivist Stauffer. “We also have a 5,000-square-foot cold-storage archive containing all of the multimedia content.”

In addition to natural preservation, the mine also offers natural protection from human damage. In fact, the secure location even houses confidential government and private records. Two archivists, Leslie Stauffer and Sarah Kubiak, actively maintain the collection, donning winter wear to stay warm in the frigid environment.

“Since we maintain the temperature inside the cold-storage archive at a constant 37 degrees [Fahrenheit], we often wear hats, coats, and gloves year-round,” says Kubiak. “While the cold temperature can be physically challenging for us as archivists, it is of the utmost importance to preserve the visual history of the late 19th and 20th centuries.”

Although not every image in the Bettmann collection has been uploaded to the digital world, many are instantly recognizable. Countless others continue to be cared for but may not ever see the actual light of day, despite being lovingly cataloged for prosperity.

The post The Bettmann Collection: The Story of How 11 Million Photos Were Put 220 Feet Underground first appeared on Dornob.

The Rise of the Half-Bathroom

These days, it’s hard to imagine living in a city where raw sewage flows straight from homes and businesses into the streets. Prior to the 1850s, most people blamed foul odors and evil spirits for spreading disease (though early forms of scientifically sound germ theory were proposed and ignored as early as 1025 by Persian polymath Ibn Sina). Advances in microscopy confirming that microorganisms are passed person-to-person and through contaminated drinking water finally led to a sanitary reform movement, establishing the basis of indoor plumbing.

Eventually, this led not only to running water and toilets in most homes, but also half-bathrooms, as the importance of hand washing became well known. Popularized in the early 20th century, these “powder rooms” offered a place for guests and delivery workers dropping off items like milk, coal, and ice to wash up.

The War on Dust

With growing awareness of germs came a certain level of germophobia. By the late 19th century, dust was believed to carry disease, so all the plush surfaces associated with the Victorian era began to fall out of favor, including the use of textiles in bathrooms. Heavy drapery, wall-to-wall rugs, and wooden cabinetry were replaced with materials like tile, porcelain, and linoleum, which were much easier to clean and sanitize. White surfaces became especially popular for public spaces, since you could spot any dirt and grime on them at a glance. Freestanding storage furniture like armoires were suddenly regarded as dust collectors, leading to the creation of closets and other built-in storage spaces.

Light and Air as Medicine

Belief that light and fresh air can help cure disease has been widespread around the world for centuries, influencing architectural trends for buildings like tuberculosis sanatoriums. One common feature was the “cure porch,” in which patients rested on beds and recliners within glass-enclosed decks. Modernist architects like Le Corbusier took cues from these institutions, envisioning whitewashed, hygienic homes where “there are no more dirty, dark corners.” His own highly influential works, like Villa Savoye, heavily featured indoor/outdoor spaces and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. It’s easy to see how the large windows, balconies, and porches of contemporary homes evolved from here.

Changes We Can Expect in the Future

The current coronavirus pandemic will undoubtedly teach us a lot about aspects of architecture and interior design that need to change, both at home and in public spaces. It’s clear that we need a lot more accessible-to-all public restrooms all over the country, perhaps with some kind of automatic disinfecting process built in. We might finally see the end of the ubiquitous open office design, too, with more employees working from home and in slightly more isolated work spaces — great news for people who find communal setups distracting.

And whether you find it convenient or alarming, smart technology will likely be considered more important than ever. Expect to see a lot more doors, light switches, elevators, and thermostats activated by motion, voice, or smartphone. Innovation in antibacterial surfaces and air-filtering ventilation systems will almost certainly get a boost, too.

This period of “stay at home” orders by state and local authorities has many people reevaluating their living spaces, weighing the pros and cons of large, open spaces versus smaller, private rooms. Over the next decade, we can expect to see more experimentation with creative home layouts offering more privacy and separation, working more outdoor spaces for gardening and relaxation into urban housing, and otherwise supporting the feeling of home as sanctuary from the outside world.

The post The Lasting Influence of Pandemics on Interior Design first appeared on Dornob.

Throughout it all, kitchen design has evolved based on trends and needs. What once was a rustic and functional part of the home, is now a vital space for entertaining, gathering, and food exploration. Of course, other rooms in the home have also undergone changes with the introduction of things like indoor plumbing. But the kitchen has perhaps seen the longest list of innovations in the form of appliances, structural requirements, and interior design.

Interested in tracking this unique evolution, the creative team at HomeAdvisor recently did a deep dive into the past 500 years of kitchen design. They then put together a digital compilation of all the changes they observed over that time.

For accuracy, the HomeAdvisor team worked with noted historians Sara Pennell, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Greenwich and author of The Birth of the English Kitchen, and Nancy Carlisle, Senior Curator of Collections at Historic New England. They then began with a kitchen in England circa 1520, moving to America as the new world evolved and bringing the interiors all the way into modern times.

The first example is a 16th-century Tudor manor kitchen (1520-1620), whose cold stone walls are counterbalanced by the warmth of the multifunctional fireplace. Cast iron frying pans and a quintessential cauldron above the fire show the nature of cooking during these times, while ceramic pots, the primary means of storage then, line the shelves. Nearby, a wooden trough functions as a bread-making station.

Next, the 17th-century Late Stuart-era kitchen (1680-1720) boasts improvements in overhead candle lighting, storage, and display options. Teacups grace the space as afternoon tea becomes more common, and a cast iron coal gate makes the hearth more efficient to use. Another new device called a mechanical roasting jack was set up with a series of pulleys and weights that would automatically turn the spit inside the hearth, freeing up the cook for other tasks.

With the 18th-century Colonial Williamsburg kitchen (1720-1780) comes another light fixture upgrade and the advent of tile flooring, along with newer hearth features such as a swinging iron crane used for supporting Dutch ovens and other cookware.

The 19th-century Victorian-era kitchen (1870s) features the very obvious addition of modern cabinetry used for storing food and other cooking implements. Another innovation is the wood or coal-burning stove as a replacement to the traditional hearth. Not only is this form of cooking infinitely more efficient, but it also spares the cook from stooping over the fire. The kitchen sink was another enhancement of the century, although it still wasn’t the critical component it is today. Ceramic is still the storage option of choice, although much of it is now housed inside the cabinets.

In the 20th-century fitted kitchen (1960s), electric appliances and other conveniences finally enter the scene. An electric refrigerator offers storage for perishable goods, and the gas range modernizes the cooking experience. Plus, new materials for counter and floor coverings make the space easier to clean. Even small appliances such as toasters and coffee pots change the face of the kitchen during this time.

Jumping into the 21st-century designer kitchen (2020), we see ultra-efficient and streamlined design coupled with copious entertaining and gathering space.

Check out a visual compilation highlighting all 500 years of kitchen design with HomeAdvisor’s official video on its evolution.

All photos and videos courtesy of HomeAdvisor

The post HomeAdvisor Looks Back on the Last 500 Years of Kitchen Design first appeared on Dornob.

In their documentary In Event of Moon Disaster, the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality attempts to inform the public about deepfakes, also known as computer-based misinformation. The artsy film is set in a living room circa the late 1960s and tells the highly familiar story of the first moon landing…only this version pretends the Apollo 11 astronauts were unable to return home to Earth.

The Purpose

Since the 2016 election, the subject of deepfakes has garnered more attention with each passing day. While many still don’t believe they exist and that everything they see and hear on the internet is real and true, more and more people are becoming skeptical of what is presented online. Newer technologies are adamant about finding and exposing the frauds, with politicians frantically trying to keep them in check. MIT’s film is simply aimed at showing how deepfakes are done in the first place — and how to tell what’s real and what’s not.

The Presentation

Audiences for the film are seated on vintage furniture bordered by three screens, including a classic 60s-era television set. The screens play an abridged collection of classic footage from NASA, taking the audience on a voyage from the launch into space and then to the moon landing.

Suddenly, the middle television switches to Richard Nixon in the Oval Office reading an emergency speech written for him by his speech writer, Bill Safire, “in event of moon disaster” if for some reason the Apollo 11 astronauts are unable to return to Earth. The clips obviously do not replicate real events, but were created by combining video of a genuine Nixon speech, original recordings by a Nixon voice actor, and new artificial intelligence tech.

The Techniques

To reconstruct this stirring composition that never happened, the MIT group used deep learning techniques and the contributions of a voice actor to fabricate the voice of Richard Nixon, producing a mock speech in collaboration with the Ukrainian-based company Respeecher. They also contracted with Israeli company Canny AI to employ video dialogue substitution techniques to study and duplicate the movement of Nixon’s mouth and lips, thereby perfecting the images of him reading the fake speech from the Oval Office. The ensuing video is exceedingly credible, stressing the potential of real deepfake technology in today’s world.

Why This Event

The research team decided to produce a deepfake of this particular historical event for a number of reasons. First, space is a widely cherished topic, which makes it more likely to appeal to to a broad audience. The piece is also apolitical and less likely to estrange people, unlike other government-related conspiracies. They also felt that since the 1969 moon landing is an event widely received by the general public as actually having happened, the deepfake elements would be obvious.

The Proposed Takeaway

In Event of Moon Disaster patently provides information about what is achievable with today’s technology, with the objective of raising public awareness and the ability to recognize half-truths in the form of deepfakes. This information is included in newspapers written particularly for the MIT installation, which describe in-depth how the piece was made, how to identify a deepfake, and the most up-to-date efforts in the works to spot algorithmic deception.

“In Event of Moon Disaster” premiered on November 22nd at the International Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as part of the IDFA DocLab program. If you didn’t get a chance to attend, don’t worry: MIT is also developing a web-based version of the installation that’s projected to go live in spring 2020.

The post MIT’s Artistic Documentary “In Event of Moon Disaster” Dives Deep on Deepfakes first appeared on Dornob.

History is in the details, as seen in the simple yet striking designs of Dutch furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld. A collection of Rietveld’s furniture pieces, gathered and appreciated by the Housden family for decades, recently went to auction with renowned auction house Christie’s. The collection not only represents the time in which it was crafted, but also their creator’s longstanding appreciation for professional creative design.

The first piece in the collection grabbed the attention of Brian Housden and his wife Margaret during a trip to The Netherlands in the 1950s. Housden, also an architect, was visiting Rietveld’s landmark Schroder House in Utrecht when Barbara commented on the “Red Blue” chair she was sitting on. Rietveld then gave it to her as a gift.

Although working mostly as an architect during that era, Rietveld had created many furniture designs during the late 1910 and early 1920s, even starting a furniture factory before also becoming an architect. Always having the vision of his furniture being mass-produced instead of individually crafted, Rietveld’s designs were aimed at simple construction rather than ornate or complicated features that would be difficult to reproduce. The results turned into pieces like the Zig-Zag chair, Schroeder occasional table, and Elling sideboard, of which the Housdens’ daughter remarked, “The sideboard was always in use, a vital piece of furniture for storing crockery, napkins, and glasses in the cupboards, and the surface areas were used for cutlery, small vases, mats, and the much-used cheese bell.”

The Housdens made their own impact in the architectural world after being influenced by their visit to the Schroder House, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the time of their visit, Brian was working on designs for his own family home, which was also influenced by the bold statements he saw at Madam Dalsace’ home in Paris, The Maison de Verre. This culmination of design ideas became the blueprint for one of the first Brutalist-style buildings in the UK, at 78 South Hill Park in London.

The friendship between the designers resulted in the Housdens receiving 14 pieces of Rietveld furniture, all of which were scattered throughout the original house and adored by the family for decades. The couple also collected many more pieces over the next several years.

Tess Housden, daughter of Brian and Margaret, worked with Christie’s to prepare for the auction following the passing of her parents. She had many stories to share regarding the history of the furniture both before and during the time the family owned it. Rietveld designed his furniture with the intention that it would be used rather than preserved, and Tess reports the family did just that, stating: “After school, we would sit on the Berlin Chair to do our homework, as it had a large, flat armrest that could accommodate exercise books. I remember our dad often sat on the Red Blue Chair to watch television, smoke his pipe, and read the daily paper. I would definitely say that this piece of furniture was the most used. This was ‘his’ chair.”

Tess adds: “‘The importance of the furniture came from the fact that our father was very proud of his friendship with Gerrit Rietveld; in many ways, Rietveld was instrumental in encouraging our father to be bold and adventurous with the plans of the house he was to build in South Hill Park. In this same way, the furniture Rietveld designed for the house also became a key part of our time there, and I cannot think of our time growing up in the house without these pieces.”

The post Striking Gerrit Rietveld Furniture Pieces Go Up for Auction first appeared on Dornob.