Hasta La Ideas

Architect Ariel Claudet has introduced a network of copper pipes to an otherwise simple studio apartment in Paris, to help it stand out on Airbnb.

Shakers Studio is located in Saint-Germain-de-Prés, near the Seine, in a 17th-century building that was once home to Eiffel Tower architect Gustave Eiffel and geographer Elisée Reclus.

After struggling to meet the rising rent for the historic property, the owner – a retired sociologist – decided to make it available for short-term lease through online platforms including Airbnb.

But he was worried that it wouldn’t stand out against the competition, so he approached local architect Ariel Claudet to carry out a refurbishment of the compact 22-square-metre space. He asked that the interiors be kept largely neutral but feature some sort of unusual detailing.

Claudet suggested running a series of copper pipes along all of the studio’s walls.

As well as concealing the home’s electrical cables, the pipes can be used for hanging up ornaments, household items and other items. They can also easily negotiate the property’s uneven surfaces.

The idea is based on the traditional peg rail – a hanging system developed by the Shakers, where simple hooks are attached to lengths of wood. This system allows clothing, tools and lightweight chairs to be hung up when not in use.

“I did not try to replicate their system literally, but abstracted the essence of the idea,” explained Claudet.

Founded in England in the 18th century, the Shakers are a religious sect recognised for their ascetic lifestyles, and matching minimalist attitude towards interior design and furnishings.

Their pared-back aesthetic continues to be a point of reference for designers – Pinch based its Rodan coffee table on the appearance of Shaker storage boxes, while Gabriel Tan created a three-legged stool inspired by traditional Shaker designs.

Claudet chose to use copper rather than wood, as these pipes are easy and cheap to source. He asked construction workers not to wear protective gloves during the installation, so that their fingerprints would give the copper a naturally aged patina.

“As a standard plumbing material, copper pipes and fittings are very easy to find, handle and install,” he said.

“Owing to its colour and conductance property, copper is also the warmest of all metals. Most remarkably, copper has the poetic quality of showing off its history when it ages.”

The arrangement of the copper piping was drawn up on site so that the architect could work around the home’s various quirks.

“The kitchen space stands as a good example: next to the sink, the horizontal tube has to descend vertically and divide into two smaller parts for the bathroom and kitchen light switches,” Claudet added.

The rest of the apartment is painted white and decorated with a handful of monochromatic artworks made by Claudet.

Bare light bulbs feature at several points along the copper pipes, to illuminate key areas such as mirrors.

Photography by Cyrille Lallement.

The post Copper pipes create storage solutions for Paris studio flat by Ariel Claudet appeared first on Dezeen.

The remarkable Tilt not only serves as a beautiful case for the iPad Pro 9.7″ and the Apple Pen, it also doubles up as stand, quite like Capra’s iPhone Wallet/Case/Stand. Made from felt, a material that feels great to the touch as well as wonderfully protects the iPad (periodically cleaning the screen too!), the Tilt case/stand comes with a leather flap and 4 fasteners (don’t worry, they don’t touch the iPad). The interesting bit is that the fasteners double up as a lip against which one can rest the iPad, folding the felt case into a prop-up stand that lets you rest the iPad at a slight angle, perfect for placing on your lap as well as on a desk. What’s more, the case fits the Pencil in as well, which rests against the width of the iPad perfectly. A well-crafted product with a premium feel and absolutely clever thinking!

Designer: Hardgraft

As an editor, sometimes you’re faced with a strange quandary. What if a design is interesting, potentially ground-breaking, but disagrees with you visually? The DS X E-Tense conceptual vehicle is fabulous no doubt, and makes some remarkable promises. My problem, however, is with its approach to symmetry… or rather the lack of it.

Designed for a world in 2035, maybe the E-Tense’s asymmetrical body will probably be much more welcomed then, but with my current sucker-for-symmetry, Wes-Andersonian sensibilities, I’m finding it hard to look past. Maybe you can convince me otherwise!

The E-Tense’s asymmetrical build results in the car looking absolutely different from the left and the right. The Asymmetry translates to a front and back that aren’t bilateral, but rather in a 75:25 ratio. This deviation from balance creates an imbalance in the interior space, allowing for a cockpit and a passenger seat that are separate units with separate functions. The cockpit is styled much like that of a racecar, with an open top and a fitted seat that sports a reclined lumbar, keeping the car’s CG low. The passenger’s side remains closed, giving you the thrill the driver experiences, although in a more secure/cocooned yet ventilated environment and a reclining massaging seat. With a glass canopy above you, and an electro-chromatic glass floor beneath you that turns transparent as you drive, the E-Tense is an experience designed for an adrenaline rush.

The car comes with an additional third seat at the back, allowing three people to travel together, or even two, with the car running in autonomous mode, powered by IRIS an AI personal assistant that takes the form of a hologram and tends to the vehicle’s functions. The E-Tense comes with an all-electric drive, powered by two motors that sit near the front wheels. The car drives in two performance modes, with a Road mode giving you an output of 400 horsepower and a Circuit mode pushing the car’s limits to 1000 horsepower, allowing both driver and passenger to savor the exquisite performance of the suspension engineered by DS Performance, the technical team behind DS’s Formula E programme.

Visualized for a time period 17 years away, a lot can change. For starters, we may just colonize Mars by then, so imagining a world with an evolved car aesthetic that treats asymmetry as a much more sensible direction isn’t that hard. Giving two completely different and tailored experiences to the driver and the passenger seems like a decent enough reason to opt for a design that is more divided than balanced. Thoughts?

Designer: DS Automobiles