Hasta La Ideas

Contract magazine has named Joey Shimoda (pictured) its 2013 Designer of the Year, praising the Los Angeles-based architect and designer for the “quality and breadth of his design work, his ability to transform the mundane, his consistently strong client relationships, and the respect he garners in the profession.” With the motto “extra superfino,” 13-year-old Shimoda Design Group has completed projects ranging from interior architecture to “building rejuvenation” for clients such as Steelcase, Rolex, and MTV Networks.

Also honored this morning at Contract‘s 34th annual interiors awards, held at New York’s Cipriani 42nd Street, was Michael Graves, who received the 2013 Legend award for lifetime achievement. (Graves is a past Contract Designer of the Year, having clinched that title back in 1981.) Among the projects that bested the competition in 13 categories are INNOCAD’s Vienna office for Microsoft, complete with gleaming silver slide; the Bentel & Bentel-led transformation of the public areas in the Grand Hyatt New York; Rockwell Group’s Untitled restaurant at the Whitney; and Wuhan Pixel Box Cinema, a pixel-themed, 95,000-square-foot movie theater in Wuhan, China, designed by One Plus Partnership.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

If you’re not familiar with the work of Kimou Meyer, a.k.a. Grotesk, we recommend checking out his excellent 2010 monograph. But even those of you who have never heard of the Brooklyn-based graphic designer ought to appreciate a recently-launched edition he has created for Case Studyo of Ghent, Belgium.

Limited to an edition of 23 (after Jordan, we hope) plus four artist proofs, “6FT – 6IN” is a baller lamp that is distinctive for its “blocky sneaker feet, as not only a signature Grotesk output, but also a design incubation decades in the making.” Contrary to the height given in its name, the lamp measures 75cm (30 in.), or just under half the height of Mugsy Bogues, it’s clearly intended to be a table lamp, featuring a cylindrical abat-jour set on skinny “string bean” legs are more Kevin Durant than LeBron. These minimalist components serve to underscore the unexpectedly playful base, featuring a classic Bulls color scheme.

Last week, I took issue with the plain rectangular box that served as the packaging for Taylor Simpson’s MONIKER bicycle handlebar concept. Here, it serves as a remarkably felicitous concept: the custom packaging for “6FT – 6IN” resembles a giant shoe box—it’s hard to tell from the photos, but I imagine it’s upwards of three feet long—executed in custom screenprinted wood. It’s a veritable triple-double of brilliant design: ten points for style, ten points for substance, plus another ten for packaging.

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To our British readers: We Americans like stealing your TV shows, like we did with your language, and we use both of those things differently over here. So most of us don’t know who Ella Henderson is, since she was only on your version of “The X Factor” before you fools voted her off early.

Anyways this morning, footage of Ms. Henderson was released showing her playing a rather crazy-looking piano that was designed by…the Peugeot Design Lab.

We’d written before that France’s PDL was looking to stretch their design muscles, but had no idea they were tackling something this complicated, less than a year out of the gate. (They didn’t do it alone, they worked in conjunction with piano maker Pleyel, but still.)

And to our French readers: You guys don’t have to worry about us stealing your language, ’cause we can’t pronounce those freaking R’s.

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For the wine enthusiast looking to get serious about keeping bottles, but lacking the space at home to do so, off-site storage can provide a handy, well-managed solution. Even those with the square footage and disposable income to install a temperature-controlled catacomb in their own home might still miss…

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Transitioning from a BlackBerry to an iPhone or any other touchscreen phone has you craving for the soothing comfort of the bubbled keypad. I had a hard time getting used to the silky feel of a virtual pad but now that I am accustomed to it, an alternative like the Bubble Phone concept has a great appeal. Imagine getting best of both the worlds; touchscreen on one side and raised keypad for the addicts. Good going!

Designer: Seunggi Baek

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(The Bubble Touch was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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2. Bubble Wash For Hands
3. Better Than Bubble Wrap Says Mother Nature