Inspiration

Blurring lines can be a messy business, but some do it well. Sebastian Errazuriz would be one of the skilled few. Born in Chile and based in New York, he dances between art and design like he dances between two continents. His exploratory and experimental work can be found in New York’s Museum of Art and Design, the Mint Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santia...

Romain Guillet and Louise de Saint Angel, the Parisian duo behind STATUE, use design to reinvent objects and spaces in unexpected ways. They chose STATUE as both the name of their design studio and as their mascot due to its architectural, artistic, decorative and epic attributes. The pair often takes antiquated objects and profoundly revives them. Despite their acousti...

A staple of architecture for centuries, the facade has a long history as a decorative element of both private homes and public buildings. Facades play a clear decorative role, with new facades frequently being used to “dress up” existing houses, but they can also contribute to the energy efficiency of a building. As energy becomes a greater concern, the facade has adapt...

Mother Nature presumably did not have art in mind when creating the bright colors and patterns of our feathery friends, however feathers are natural masterpieces. They insulate against the weather, make flight possible, provide camoflage and also serve as decoration to lure potential mates. Washington artist Chris Maynard has recognized the inherent beauty of feathers an...

We don’t want to speak to soon, but it seems to be warming up. The trees are in bloom and our vague memories of the sun are becoming more vivid. We may not have completely shed our winter skin, but we can’t help but dream of sunscreen, barbecues and swimming pools. The last frost may not have yet thawed, but we’re already compiling our wishlist of poolside lounging mater...

This small creation by the Japanese design studio is nothing complicated, but it works extremely well. A simple and fun idea that yet perfectly sums up nendo‘s philosophy of thinking out of the box, while remaining innocent and childlike. This set of paper blocks was created as an insert for a Japanese lifestyle magazine. It consists of a series of flat paper forms print...

Brazilian specialist of wood sculpture, Henrique Oliveira is back with a new sensational piece or, rather, a new multisensory piece. Presented in Frankfurt, at the Schirn Kunsthalle, this wooden cave confuses the visitors’ sensations by playing with their senses. Entering the small doorway, the visitor looses track of the actual exhibition space, and gets sucked into thi...

Inspired by traditional African tribal masks, Amsterdam-based conceptual designer Lisette Appeldorn created her own contemporary interpretation with Raster. A minimalist rendition of various animals, including a fox, bear and crocodile, the masks are made from thin plywood. The designer used different folding techniques to create 3D geometric forms and patterns (that inc...

Staying power is a particularly rare thing. Collections of tables, chairs and mirrors slip in and out of our memories like dreams. Even the biggest sensation of the year frequently becomes a vague imprint mere months later. What determines a design’s ability to mark a generation? Universal appeal? Exclusivity? Luck? Perhaps all of the above, but a handful of designers...

Rebecca Louise Law is a British artist that has been working with flowers for 17 years. In addition to several large-scale installations, she has worked on visual merchandising for brands such as Hermès, Mulberry and Cartier. Her most recent installation, entitled ‘The Flower Garden Display’d 2014′, was commissioned by London’s Garden Museum for the current exhibition ‘...

Bare naked wood. We can’t get enough of it. Wood needs no paint, varnish or dressing up. It’s beautiful in its most raw, natural state. But don’t confuse raw with rustic, wood needn’t be reserved for backwoods cabins. That’s why we’ve dug up ten houses that have stripped away artifice and emphasized the best of this natural material. Let’s get naked! Open House by Joh...

Studio Fludd is a creative collective based in Venice, Italy. Consisting of Matteo Baratto, Caterina Gabelli, Sara Maragotto, and Valeria Sanguin, Studio Fludd is inspired by alchemy and named after the alchemist Robert Fludd. Recently, the collective hosted the first in a series of GELATOLOGY workshops. Being lovers of gelato, we were keen to learn more. Essentially, t...

“Go home with the idea, not the object!” The Studio Formafantasma design duo could not have uttered a more fitting statement for their current exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Titled Prima Materia, the show surveys the plenteous work of Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. Indeed, in the span of their relatively short career, t...

Innovative social design lab Studio Roosegaarde has unveiled their illuminated bike path in Nuenen, Netherlands. Inspired by the art of Vincent van Gogh, who lived in Nuenen between 1883 and 1885, the swirling patterns of the kilometer-long Van Gogh-Roosegaarde Bicycle Path use special paint that charges in daylight and embedded LEDs powered by a nearby solar array. Stud...

The Temporary Museum for New Design opened its doors just yesterday at Superstudio Più. We zipped around this space bursting with all sorts of new design. While it can be tough to break into the design realm or to push forward a new concept, we were captivated by several pieces. The wide range of products kept us on our toes and a display of fun art linked design areas t...

With the summer well underway and holidays coming up (or already here, if you’re lucky!), you might want to run away from your daily routine – forget about the stress, the noise and the pollution. But beware, just running away will lead you nowhere – that’s why we’re here to help you find your summer retreat! Yeta Log Cabin by Lab Zero If you really want to hide in...

If prefabs are fabulous, containers are pretty cool too. It’s funny to see how in a few years, containers then prefabs have taken over the architectural world. These simple and economical construction methods have provided an answer to our growing need for adaptable and quick architecture. One country that has shown such need over the last few years is China, so it is no...

Kids may not have all the fun, but adulthood can definitely be a drag. Fortunately for the 18+ crowd, playful design is on the rise, and some of our childhood favorites are being revamped and revisited . So, in honor of the weekend, let’s take a few moments to indulge our inner child. And who knows? You might find some early holiday gift ideas!

The holidays are coming faster than a high speed train, but you’ve still got time to decorate! We’re not in love with the idea of a red and green explosion, so we decided to seek out some options. We’ve selected ten holiday decorations that we think will make the season just as jolly while stepping a little bit out of the holiday mold.

German-born, New York-based artist Markus Linnenbrink embraces color with open arms. In fact, the vast majority of his work is spent examining color and its impact. But he didn’t always throw himself wholeheartedly into the rainbow abyss. He even used to be a little frightened of color. We find this reassuring in lieu of the overwhelming sense of panic we feel when simpl...

British artist Steve Messam is known for his striking, temporary landscape installations. Most recently, the artist completed PaperBridge, a crimson footbridge made from 20,000 sheets of paper. Currently open to the public, the bridge spans a babbling brook in the Grisedale Valley of England’s Lake District. Two footpaths lead up to the bridge on either side, making it l...

Andrés Jacque, who won the Silver Lion for the best research project at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, has won this year’s Young Architects Program of New York’s MoMA PS1 for the COSMO water purification system. The PS1 series, which offers emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and construct temporary outdoor installations that provide shade, se...

Colorful buildings, dizzying backdrops and fragmentary examinations of ordinary objects are what set photographer Hayley Eichenbaum’s images apart. Her Instagram account brings to life an imaginative color palette complete with birds-eye-views, unexpected juxtapositions and dynamic scenery. In one photograph, which depicts the mixed architectural styles of a blue buildin...

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is showing a solo exhibition in his home country for the very first time at Galleria Continua in Beijing. Curated by Cui Cancan, the exhibit fills the gallery as well as the adjacent Tang Contemporary Art Center. The ambitious project consists of a meticulous rebuilding of the historic Wang Jiaci, the Wang Family Ancestral Hall of the Ming period...

For the second installation of our Dutch Design Week favorites, we’ve chosen to focus on the crazy cool lighting designs that were making Eindhoven a brighter place. Enjoy! Fresnel Suspension Lamp by Dirk Vander Kooij Dirk Vander Kooij’s golden lamp could have descended from the heavens, but it’s actually made from recycled CDs and metal. The lamp gets its shape an...

With Bentley Elements, the British luxury automotive brand Bentley has launched a series of artistic collaborations imagined by creative directors Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of the agency Campbell-Rey. Each year, the company will commission a new piece that represents the brand’s values and illustrates elements of the car’s construction. The first installation de...

Commissioned by Perrier-Jouët House of Champagne, Phare No. 1-9 is a new light work from London-based designer Simon Heijdans. Unveiled at Design Miami, the installation reinterprets the design principles of Art Nouveau that are so dear to the Perrier-Jouët brand. It consists of nine hand-blown glass vessels that are partially filled with transparent liquid and suspended...

The kitchen is evolving. All of the essentials are still there, but modern kitchens have gone to the next level with materials, ergonomics and aesthetics. Designers are bringing back natural materials and using technology to create bring never before seen materials into the kitchen. Stand alone and modular kitchens are becoming a design staple, and integrated kitchen acc...

Design Miami begins on Wednesday, and ArchiExpo will be interviewing a whole host of interesting characters, including Bastian Bischoff of Humans since 1982. The Stockholm-based designer will be presenting new work at the Victor Hunt Gallery. Smaller versions of their piece “A million times” will continue the exploration of clocks as something outside of simple practical...

As tradition stands, IMM Cologne annually nominates a new designer to create a “house in a house” in the Pure Village hall. A grandiose space of 240 m² welcomes furniture, colors, materials, lighting and accessories by the chosen Guest of Honor. This year they welcomed architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu from Neri&Hu Design and Research Office based in Shanghai. The de...

At last year’s Design Miami, we were captivated by the beautiful and perplexing light installation from champagne house Perrier-Jouët and designer Simon Heijdans presented. This year, Perrier-Jouët has commissioned a installation from Vienna-based design duo mischer’traxler that also leaves visitors scratching their heads. ‘Ephemerā’ is the first in a series of work tha...

In an ideal world, work would be so much fun that extra hours would feel effortless. Unfortunately, the majority of us spend our weeks slogging through until Friday. Depressing? Perhaps. But we’ve rounded up a few objects that may not necessarily make work more fun, but their convenient multiple functions will definitely make it easier. Islands by Jordi Blasi Islan...

For this year’s London Design Festival, the American Hardwood Export Council and Benchmark Furniture have sponsored the Wish List: What I Have Always Wanted, a project that brought to life the wishes of ten iconic designers. Fashion design legend Paul Smith’s wished for a garden shed and worked with custom furniture designer and maker Nathalie de Leval to create the 3...

Equip’Hotel opens its doors in Paris tomorrow with a plethora of products for the hospitality industry. We thought we’d celebrate by spotlighting to our favorite part of the hospitality industry: the good ol’ bar. Except we’re taking it to the next level. Everyone likes a tipple from to time, and ambiance may not protect you from spilled beer and your fellow obnoxiously ...

For last October’s Science Festival, French photographer Romain Giusiano was able to capture an unusual performance. During the visit of a waste processing plant, comedian and dancers started interacting with the extraordinary venue, exposing the plant from a brand new angle. The photo shoot resulted in a series of almost surreal images. But the interesting aspect of Gi...

New York artist Karen Margolis has a profound fascination with the inner workings of the mind. Her art, through a beautiful and almost obsessive repetition of circles, is actually a calculated expression of human psychology. Circles of shadow, color and absence map out the thoughts and feelings flying through our gray matter. Drawing upon her background in psychology,...