Hasta La Ideas

The president of the United Nations General Assembly’s office has received a makeover with furniture by Danish designers Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm (+ slideshow).

The Republic of Fritz Hansen has donated several pieces to the space currently occupied by Mogens Lykketoft, who comes from Denmark.

Lykketoft heads the General Assembly, which comprises all 193 members of the United Nations (UN) and provides a forum to discuss a spectrum of international issues.

The Danish brand‘s gift includes four Swan chairs by Modernist designer and architect Arne Jacobsen. Designed in 1958 for his SAS Hotel in Copenhagen, the chairs have organically shaped arms and backs upholstered in leather.

A high-backed version of Jacobsen’s Oxford chair – first created for St Catherine’s College at Oxford University in the UK – sits behind the president’s desk, while a curved plywood Series 7 chair with metal legs and armrests can be used by visiting dignitaries.

Pieces by fellow Modernist Poul Kjaerholm also feature in the office. They include his modular PK31 sofa and armchair, the wood-topped PK51 desk and glass PK61 coffee tables.

The office is located in the UN headquarters in New York, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and completed in 1952.

Coincidently, the new furniture comes from the same time period that the building was designed.

It sits in the low-rise conference building, between the Trusteeship Council Chamber designed by another Dane, Finn Juhl, and the Economic and Social Council Chamber by Swedish architect Svem Markelius.

It has access to a balcony that runs the length of the building, which overlooks the East River and Long Island City on the opposite bank.

However curtains are often closed across the floor-to-ceiling windows due to security concerns.

“It’s an office where, during 10 days of the General Assembly last year, 90 heads of state and foreign ministers from across the world came to this office,” said Lykketoft, who has hosted guests including Barack Obama, the pope and Oprah Winfrey over the past year.

The intention is for the new furniture to lighten up the space, which previously featured dark pieces typical of Middle America.

“I really dreamed about changing the dark, heavy, ordinary UN furniture here with something as delicious as this,” said Lykketoft.

Another factor when choosing the furniture was making sure it looked good against the protected wood panelling around the office, which was a gift from Australia.

Lykketoft only has a couple of weeks left to enjoy his new office – Peter Thomson from Fiji takes over the year-long presidency later this month.

“To have a really beautiful Danish imprint on this office for the future,” said Lykketoft, “it will give a glimpse of the best of Danish furniture design for anyone coming inside the president’s office in the future.”

The post Fritz Hansen kits out UN president’s office with mid-century Danish furniture appeared first on Dezeen.

This single family home built by Robert Gurney Architect outside Washington DC takes cues from its many Mid-century Modern neighbours (+ slideshow).

The four-bedroom residence is located in the neighbourhood of Glen Echo, in the state of Maryland.

“This community boasts an unusually high percentage of contemporary and Mid-century Modern houses relative to most Washington DC suburban neighbourhoods,” said Gurney.

The new construction was completed 2015, atop a steep incline that leads down to the Potomac River. “The house is positioned along the ridge of the sloping site and oriented toward distant river views,” said the firm.

Visitors enter through the centre of the home into a small foyer. In this space, a wood-and-metal staircase leads to the floor above.

The eastern portion of the ground floor contains a two-car garage, bathroom, home office and storage space. A floor-to-ceiling window in the lobby allows guests to peer through the house to the back yard.

To the west, the architects included a double-height living space that connects to the kitchen and dining functions.

“The house is organised around a two-storey living space with an open floor plan that integrates a high-ceiling volume, with intimate spaces adjacent to the double-height space,” the architect said.

The living room’s expansive glazing overlooks the surrounding forest and river below. Operable sections of the glass allow the occupants to step outside into a generous backyard.

In addition to containing the bedrooms, the upper floor features a secondary lounge space that is visually connected to the living room below.

The eastern extremity of the property is occupied by the master bedroom, complete with a large en-suite bathroom, a fireplace and a private exterior terrace.

Three bedrooms occupy the other portion of the longitudinal upper volume. Each is generously sized, and contains its own bathroom.

The exterior massing delineates the various interior functions. Two distinct cladding types reinforce these variations.

The home’s public areas are clad in wood siding, while private rooms are contained in volumes that are finished with blue-grey panels.

Inside, a dark concrete slab runs throughout the house, and was installed for energy efficiency reasons.

“The concrete is stained dark with the goal of increasing the potential solar gain and storage,” said Gurney.

Other projects in and around the US capital include a residential extension fronted by a series of metallic rods and a music recital space made to resemble a Japanese tea house.

Photography is by Anice Hoachlander.

The post Mohican Hills House by Robert Gurney Architect overlooks the Potomac River appeared first on Dezeen.

Tomorrow is the start of Glemseck 101, a motorcycle festival in Germany with an emphasis on custom rides. If you live in Europe and want to see unique designs on two wheels, you could do a lot worse than Glemseck. And here is what will surely be one of the most unusual bikes in attendance:

The bike’s called the EASY, and it was put together by Berlin-based repair shop Urban Motors. The engine is from a 1964 Jawa 350, a Czech-made motorcycle that, in its heyday, was something like the two-wheeled VW Bug for Eastern Europe in terms of popularity.

This is no high-performance machine–it’s got a single drum brake on the rear wheel only–but more of a design exercise. It’s got no lights or blinkers, and I can’t even tell if the thing has any form of suspension whatsoever. And the rider’s position doesn’t exactly look comfortable.

But darn if it ain’t purty.

The minimalist bike will be competing in a 16-team sprint at Glemseck. With a 350cc-engine racing against competitors of up to 1200cc’s, a win isn’t exactly guaranteed. But it’s sure to be in good standing for the other award, where a panel of judges as well as the public will vote on the best-designed bike.

And that may be the point. “Those who sprint slowly,” Urban Motors’ Peter Dannenberg told Bike Exif, “are seen longer!”

A few years ago Ancho Reyes hit the market and became an instant cult classic—a game-changing spicy liqueur that drinks beautifully on its own, and goes along swimmingly with other spirits including its cousins, tequila and mezcal. With much anticipation……

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Yash est un street artiste suédois qui réalise de nombreuses fresques, principalement dans la capitale du pays. Son style coloré et rêveur se focalise sur des personnages et sur des animaux, qui sont d’ailleurs fréquemment associés dans la même oeuvre. Découvrez ses coups de pinceaux précis et imaginatifs ci-dessous.