Hasta La Ideas

Brooklyn-based Home Studios has filled an Italian restaurant close to Harvard University with plush booths and banquettes to introduce colour and texture to the space.

Bar Enza is situated in a prime spot on Harvard Square next to the Ivy League college in Cambridge, Massachusetts – just across the Charles River from Boston.

The project involved the revamp of an existing restaurant on the ground floor of The Charles Hotel.

To complement chef Mark Ladner’s menu, Home Studios pulled references from a range of regions and styles across Italy – from Rome’s trattorias to Milanese villas – and combined them to create interiors that feel elevated yet cosy.

Upon request of the client, the original ceilings and floors were retained. Meanwhile, brick walls were plastered and painted white to match the ceiling and to help brighten the space.

Freestanding tables and chairs were mostly swapped for soft seating, in the form of booths, banquettes and sofas covered in five different upholstery types to add variety.

The building’s zig-zag glazed facade, which brings in plenty of light, creates niches that are filled with high-top tables surrounded by curved, pale pink booths.

Forming a row through the centre of the dining area, pairs of high-backed red sofas face each other across marble tables.

Other booths and banquettes feature sage green or beige fabrics, accompanied by cane-backed cafe chairs, while bar stools are topped with red leather cushions.

“Unexpected details include plush seating, reminiscent of stately libraries and studies,” Haslegrave said. “Essentially we mixed mid-century architectural details with more traditional upholstered seating to achieve a confluence and diversity of designs.”

The service areas were kept largely intact, but custom millwork was added to refresh the materiality.

Shelving was also clad in warm woods, while textured glass and brass hardware were introduced as accents.

“The very elevated level of service meant for very specific requirements on the service area millwork and shelving,” said Haslegrave.

Time and budget restrictions meant that lighting was sourced. The selection of sconces, pendants and table lamps was chosen to create a “warm and sexy” feeling in the evening.

During the day, sheer curtains allow natural light to wash over the interior and allows the fabric hue to pop.

Home Studios’ previous bar and restaurant projects across the US include the Laurel Brasserie and Bar in Salt Lake City, The Harvey House in Madison, Wisconsin,and Bibo Ergo Sum in LA.

The photography is by Brian W Ferry.

The post Home Studios adds soft seating to Italian restaurant Bar Enza appeared first on Dezeen.

An AI art exhibition, a structure that predates Stonehenge, raising awareness about unpaid labor in prisons and more

Climate-Resistant Breadfruit Could Help Fight Food Insecurity

Many of our most consumed crops (like corn and wheat) will continue to be negatively effected by the climate crisis, leading to food insecurity for many, but scientists believe that the humble breadfruit could be part of the solution. High in fiber and rich with various minerals and vitamins, breadfruit (which is native to the Pacific Islands) is a starchy seedless fruit that is also super-resilient. “Once established, typically after around five years, a breadfruit tree can tolerate drought and extreme heat much better than other staple starchy crops,” writes Shea Swenson of Modern Farmer. It is a fast-growing perennial plant and can live up to 80 years—producing fruit for up to 50 years. The fruit is often prepared in similar ways as potatoes, making it a very real candidate for a staple ingredient moving into the future. Read more at Modern Farmer.

Image courtesy of by xuanhuongho/Shutterstock

“Except For Me” Campaign Raises Awareness About Unpaid Labor in Prisons

Part of the Abolish Slavery National Network, End The Exception is a coalition of 80+ organizations “including criminal justice reform, civil rights and labor groups” that are working to end slavery and involuntary servitude within prisons. The name exists because of an exception clause in the 13th Amendment that continues to exploit incarcerated people in the US “as workers, paying them nothing to a few dollars a day to perform jobs ranging from prison services to manufacturing or working for private employers where the majority of their pay is deducted for room and board and other expenses by the jurisdictions where they are incarcerated.” This month, they launched the Except For Me campaign to raise awareness of the issue and encourage people to sign a petition that will be delivered to Congress in the hopes to abolish the exception. As prison reformer Johnny Perez says, “Slavery by any name is wrong. Slavery in any shape or form is wrong.” Find out more about the movement at The Guardian.

Image courtesy of End The Exception

Physicists Build a Wheel that Rolls Uphill

University of Amsterdam’s Corentin Coulais and University of Chicago’s Vincenzo Vitelli, along with their collaborators, invented a wheel that seemingly defies physics. Dubbed “Odd Matter,” the wheel—comprised of six small motors tethered together with plastic arms and rubber bands—wiggles and gyrates to travel uphill. This writhing enables the wheel to adjust to difficult terrain despite not having any cognizance of the environment. It’s a phenomenon founded on “odd elasticity,” a property that describes how a material, once stretched or squashed in one direction, does not engender a reciprocal reaction in the other. As such, when the material undoes a deformation, it contains excess energy, allowing it to travel uphill. Scientists coupled this property with robotics, outfitting a chain of modules with a motor, sensor and microcontroller, so that each module would not respond reciprocally. This thought process combines physics and robotics to generate collective behavior in robots that are crafted from simple parts obeying simple laws. Odd Matter is just one of the latest innovations from this “Robophysics” space. Learn more at Wired.

Image courtesy of Corentin Coulais

Rare Diamond Suggests Earth has Oceans’ Worth of Interior Water

Below the Earth’s surface there is a layer known as the mantle, a mostly solid zone of the planet’s interior that is notoriously difficult to understand because humans have only been able to dig around seven miles deep. This is what makes a newly discovered diamond mined from 410 miles below the surface in Botswana so rare and significant: it contains inclusions (materials trapped inside the mineral during formation) from the mantle which suggest that the planet has a soggy layer that holds more than an ocean’s worth of water. Scientists attribute this to the diamond’s ringwoodite, a mineral commonly found in the transition zone that separates the upper and lower mantle. Its presence alongside other minerals suggests “water may exist deeper into the Earth than scientists previously believed, which could further our understanding of plate tectonics and the mysterious deep water cycle.” Learn more at Popular Science.

Image courtesy of Tingting Gu

Researchers Create Flying 3D Printers

In partnership with Imperial College London, Swiss research lab Empa has created flying 3D printers to aid in the construction of tall buildings and with repairs in hard-to-reach areas. The printers are affixed to drones that can carry small amounts of material to deposit in a designated location, a system informed by the collaborative work of bees. Their technology, called Aerial Additive Manufacturing, relies on a buddy system where one drone does the printing and the other scans the results to check and correct for accuracy. “The technology offers future possibilities for building and repairing structures in unbounded, high or other hard-to-access locations,” says professor Mirko Kovac who led the research. “Next, the researchers will work with construction companies to validate the solutions and provide repair and manufacturing capabilities. They believe the technology will provide significant cost savings and reduce access risks compared to traditional manual methods.” Read more at Core77.

Image courtesy of Nature Video

National Gallery of the Faroe Islands Dedicates Exhibit to Midjourney AI Art

With the exhibit Imagine the Faroe Islands (on view 29 September to 30 October), the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands becomes the first international arts institution of this caliber to dedicate an entire exhibition to AI art. The 40 digital pieces on display were produced by feeding prompts into the artificial intelligence art generator Midjourney. These human-made prompts tasked the generator with portraying the Faroe Islands in the style of various historic artists who never had the opportunity to visit the remote archipelago. The ultimate goal of each artwork is to help viewers understand the majesty of the island chain. Learn more about the clever exhibition through the National Gallery’s video on Vimeo.

Image inspired by Vincent Van Gogh 

7,000-Year-Old Structure That Predates Stonehenge Discovered

In the Czech Republic, archeologists discovered a 7,000-year-old circular structure from the Neolithic period that is believed to have been constructed between 4,900 BCE and 4,600 BCE. This is 1,000 years before the construction of Stonehenge and several thousand years earlier than the Pyramids of Giza. Measuring 180 feet in diameter, the structure—called a roundel—may have been built by people from the Stroked Pottery culture who lived in farming villages in Central Europe. The role roundels played in the Stone Age, however, is still a mystery. One theory is that “it could have been used as an economic center, a center of trade. It could also have been a center of some religious cult, where rites of passage or rituals connected to the time of year were performed,” says Miroslav Kraus who led the excavation team in Prague. Read more about the roundel at ARTNews.

Image courtesy of Institute of Archeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

The Community Conclusion to Damien Hirst’s NFT Collection “The Currency”

Launched in July 2021, The Currency is an NFT collection by Damien Hirst in collaboration with international art service HENI. It comprises 10,000 NFTs—each of which corresponds to one of the artist’s spot paintings—which could be traded in for the physical artwork. 4,851 token holders of The Currency opted to keep their NFTs, leaving their corresponding paintings to be exhibited and then burned by Hirst at the collection’s conclusion on 22 September in London. Many of Hirst’s token holders and fans attended Newport Street Gallery, uniting long-time art lovers with beginners and online friends who connected through Discord but had never met in real life. As Artnet’s Vivienne Chow observes, “A sense of excitement was shared widely by the participants here. Many greeted each other in person as if they were long-lost friends, seeming to represent the spirit of ‘community’ widely touted in NFT culture.” Learn more about it at Artnet.

Image courtesy of Vivienne Chow

Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning. Hero image courtesy of National Gallery of the Faroe Islands

Clashing colours, statement furnishings and mismatched patterns feature in this lookbook, which rounds up ten flamboyant interiors that embody the maximalist aesthetic.

Maximalism is a style of art and design that rejects the rules of minimalism. Instead, exuberance is celebrated and anarchic use of pattern, colour and texture are encouraged.

According to Claire Bingham, author of the book More is More, the style can be attributed to the Memphis Group – the 1980s design and architecture collective known for their bold postmodern creations.

However, as demonstrated by this roundup, maximalism continues to make its mark today, as designers apply the aesthetic to the interiors of our homes as well as to public spaces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing brutalist interiors, walk-in wardrobes and colourful living rooms.

Hotel Les Deux Gares, France, by Luke Edward Hall

Contemporary pea-green walls stand in stark contrast to chintzy wallpaper and soft velvet sofas in the rooms of the Hotel Les Deux Gares in Paris.

According to its designer Luke Edward Hall, the aesthetic is intended to be “anti-modern” – harking back to a Paris of the past.

Find out more about Hotel Les Deux Gares ›

Casa TEC 205, Mexico, by Moneo Brock

The bright-coloured works of Mexican architect Luis Barragán informed the look of this maximalist-style home in Monterrey, designed by architecture studio Moneo Brock.

Inside, striking wallpaper prints are juxtaposed with geometric tiling and colour-blocked walls, such as in the kitchen and dining room where a large floral mural takes centre stage.

Find out more about Casa TEC 205 ›

Rookies, Germany, by Stephanie Thatenhorst

Designer Stephanie Thatenhorst challenged the conventional look of healthcare facilities when designing this kid-friendly optician in Munich.

Intended as a “noisy, wild and unique paradise for children”, it marries a bright blue carpet with geometric wall tiles, U-shaped neon lights and display areas covered in apricot-coloured fabric.

Find out more about Rookies ›

Schiphol airport lounge, Netherlands, by Marcel Wanders

The flamboyant rooms of the Schiphol airport lounge were all given a distinct look when renovated by Marcel Wanders, a creative best known for his uninhibited maximalist style.

Among them is an animated seating area that references canal houses in Amsterdam. Its finishes include wall panels resembling giant stained-glass windows and a cartoonish lamp that mimics a street light.

Find out more about Schiphol airport lounge ›

Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, USA, by Kelly Wearstler

Interior designer Kelly Wearstler teamed local art and textiles with one-off vintage details when creating the eclectic interior for Austin Proper Hotel and Residences.

This includes the hotel‘s drinking establishment, which occupies a room with high ceilings covered in decorative wallpaper. Below, a cobalt blue-painted bar sits against low stuffed armchairs, chunky wooden tables and stone plinths.

Find out more about Austin Proper Hotel and Residences ›

Annabel’s, UK, by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio

This dim hallway features in London members’ club Annabel’s, which was recently overhauled by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio to make visitors feel as though they have been “transported somewhere else”.

Similarly to the rest of the building, the corridor features clashing animal prints across all its surfaces and is overlooked by a sculpture of a gorilla on a seat – just one of the fanciful features hidden inside.

Find out more about Annabel’s ›

Mondrian hotel, Qatar, by Marcel Wanders

Marcel Wanders also applied his signature maximalist style to the interior of the Mondrian hotel in Doha, which is filled with mismatched patterns and oversized furnishings.

Among its standout spaces is the swimming pool on the 27th floor. Crowned by a floral-patterned stained-glass dome, it features bulbous white seating, a tactile grass-like bridge and monochrome tiling.

Find out more about Mondrian hotel ›

Studio Job office, Belgium, by Studio Job

Studio Jobs’ founder Job Smeet describes his maximal self-designed home and office in Antwerp as being “like a visual assault”.

Encased by an exposed concrete shell, it comprises a central gallery space, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms – one of which clashes paint-splattered walls with shark-patterned wallpaper, a maze-like rug and spaghetti-print bed sheets.

Find out more about Studio Job office ›

Esme Hotel, USA, by Jessica Schuster Design

In an overhaul of the boutique Esme Hotel in Miami, New York studio Jessica Schuster Design opted for saturated tones and sculptural furnishings to “create an artful collage of bohemian grandeur”.

Among its decadent spaces is a mahogany cocktail bar that is encircled by fringed stools and sculptural pendant lighting, set against a checkered floor and a wooden ceiling.

Find out more about Esme Hotel ›

Polychrome House, Australia, by Amber Road and Lymesmith

Pops of bright primary colours feature in every room of this 1960s house in Sydney, which was recently renovated by studio Amber Road and colour consultant Lymesmith.

When extending the ground floor, the team introduced an open-plan living space with graphic paved floors modelled on aerial photographs of the surrounding terrain, which contrasts with white-painted brick walls that are partly covered by an abstract mural.

Find out more about Polychrome House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing brutalist interiors, walk-in wardrobes and colourful living rooms.

The post Ten maximalist interiors that are saturated with colours and patterns appeared first on Dezeen.

In a world where sustainability is running on everyone’s mind, and the consumption of fossil fuels is quite literally looked down upon – Electric vehicles have been slowly and steadily taking over the world! Electric vehicles ditch the age-old fossil fuels and instead run on large traction battery packs which are in turn powered via charging equipment. They may not run on engines, but they still manage to be sleek, swift, and powerful. And, we’ve curated a collection of EV designs that we felt were the best of the lot! From an electric train with a transparent panoramic roof to a MUJI x Honda electric bike – these innovative and groundbreaking automotives promise to be the future of urban commute and automobiles!

1. The Caracat

Made with pleasure and commitment to give users demanding a safe, livable home they can take everywhere including on water; the Caracat is meant to realize the dream. The vessel knows no bounds: it can with equal ease tow behind your vehicle on land and instantly go far into the seawater to let you spend a night or two with ease. This is deemed possible by the extending pontoon system (hulls) onboard, which creates a stable 3.7m wide footprint on water and electronically tucks up to 2.5m for an effortless tow on land.

2. The WAYRA EV-03

The WAYRA EV-03 electric cruiser motorcycle is a 100 percent no gimmick concept that’ll please every kind of rider – be it a cruiser enthusiast, performance lover, or off-roading fanatic. WAYRA EV-03 is a bike high on personality, created keeping in mind the heritage of fat-bikes and cruiser-length bikes, while also having those minimal eye-catchy modern touches to create visual appeal. The presence of café racer aesthetics can also not be denied owing to the low-slung rider positioning. The element of drag racing is evident courtesy of the stretched rear, but the high ride height gives off that dirt bike racer vibe too.

3. MINI Electric Concept

This concept design of a future MINI builds on the deep-rooted status of the brand without going overboard. The MINImalistic design of the original is apparent and thank god the original dimensions have not been tinkered with. Transportation designer Roman has created the MINI in the cool EV avatar as his personal study project. The car gets nifty alterations to completely change the perception of a classic four-wheeler. There’s a sense of airiness to the interiors with the pillar size reduced and the sunroof more dynamic to liven up things.

4. The Muji Honda MS01 Electric Bike

Meet the Muji Honda MS01 electric bike inspired by the MUJI H-Type bicycle. The black and white theme on this one is a testament to the MUJI’s mellowed-down styling – in fact, the company’s artistic director Kenya Hara did most of the design bit of the bike himself. All the equipment and power of the MS01 come from the house of Honda. It is a very balanced collaboration, resulting in this minimalist two-wheeler ideal for city rides and beyond.

5. Meyers Manx 2.0 Electric Dune Buggy

The original beachcomber, Meyers Manx, is making a comeback as a hot electric dune buggy, and we can’t be more excited. This time around the four-wheeler will come fully assembled and not as a kit car. It’ll come in two battery variants– 20kWh and 40kWh capable of hurling it to 150 and 300 miles respectively. The compact shape and weight of only around 1,500 lbs – 1,650lbs make possible this impressive range on a single charge. According to makers, the 40kWh version having 202 hp is capable of going from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

6. Toyota bZ4X

The bZ4X sits on a bespoke electric vehicle platform named e-TNGA in Toyota-speak which was co-developed with Subaru (for their first-ever EV – the Solterra) as was the drivetrain. With the bZ4X, two models are being offered at launch: the front-wheel-drive, single motor, entry-level model, and the four-wheel-drive, twin motor flagship. Similarly sized to the RAV4, the electric SUV’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer while its height is 2 inches shorter. Its exterior looks are edgy, sporty, and futuristic, which at first glance, come across as stylish and well-proportioned.

7. Nano

Crafted out of Rolex steel (904L) and polished in an attractive silver finish, the scooter is laden with a lasting impression. The makers have created two separate versions of the electric ride– Nano variant that maxes out at a top speed of 45 km/h and Nano+ model capable of going at 75 km/h. The range on them is the same as they both clock 60 miles on a full charge of the 4.2 kWh battery juiced up in just four hours. The all-metal finish of the electric scooter exudes luxury in the glossy silver hue and the makers are rightful in portraying the Nano as an object to behold with the eyes. The front section is covered completely in the body frame molded out of a single piece of metal.

8. Model M

Model M is designed keeping in mind the tight urban spaces, hence, the detachable handlebars make complete sense. The electronic kickstand makes the ride easy to park without any hassles. When it comes to adventure escapades, Tesla Model M has your needs covered. Right where the fuel tank of traditional bikes is, there is a detachable bag with its own battery that powers the lights and the multimedia system. The bag comes with its own start/stop system that acts as an anti-theft mechanism.

9. The Citroën La 2 Deuche Concept

Dubbed the Citroën La 2 Deuche Concept, this cheeky mini car has a sense of airiness to it. Retro DNA of the vehicle is visible in the section over the wheels, the headlights, and the accordion-like retracting rooftop which turns it into a convertible. According to Jean the styling is picked from the simple lines and silhouette of the inspiration – particularly the Charleston version. The rest of it has the more modern profiling – especially the side profile and rear. Those taillights and the wheels do give off the futuristic vibe, and as far as the exterior goes, it ends there.

10. AIRSCP

This electric train comes with a two-tiered seating system, offering the ability to carry more passengers per trip. The AIRSCP’s design, however, isn’t like your average train. It comes with a sprawling cockpit for the driver, complete with a wide windshield and a display on the top that lets people know where the train’s headed. People enter the train through doors on the sides and can either be seated on the lower tier or head to the upper tier for a more immersive experience.

The post Top 10 electric vehicles of September 2022 first appeared on Yanko Design.

The company’s smallest speaker yet, the Marshall Willen still promises to pack a punch with a 2-inch driver, two passive radiators, and IP67 water and dust resistance. Armed with the signature amplifier-inspired faux-leather finish, this palm-sized speaker goes wherever you go, and can even be strapped to yourself, your bag, or random poles to create a unique hands-free soundscape.

Just about as small as a slice of regular bread (that’s the best size comparison I could come up with), the Marshall Willen is the company’s tiniest portable speaker ever made. However, the UK-based audio tech giant doesn’t want the Willen’s size to be its main talking point. Instead, the company is focusing on what the Willen can do, in spite of its tiny footprint.

Designer: Marshall

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Like all of Marshall’s portable speakers, the Willen is focused on letting you carry your music wherever you go. However, measuring just 4-inches tall and 3.96 inches wide, the Willen is just the ideal type of compact, and can slip right into bags, backpacks, and even jacket pockets.

With its iconic guitar-amp-inspired design, the Willen lets you carry your love for audio around with you. It weighs a mere 0.68 lb (310 grams) and comes with a rubber strap that lets you secure it pretty much anywhere. On the inside, the Willen houses a 2-inch driver powered by a 10W amp, and two passive radiators that help deliver the punch of a much larger speaker. There’s no WiFi connectivity or voice-command compatibility on this one, but given its size and price, that would really feel like asking for too much.

The Willen comes in two colors – a classic black and a hipster cream, with a single brass multifunctional knob on the top right that lets you control volume and playback as well as accept/reject calls. A built-in rechargeable battery gives the Willen more than 15 hours of playback, while IP67 water and dust resistance mean the Willen isn’t afraid of being near a pool, on the beach, or in light rain.

The Marshall Willen comes with Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity and even boasts of an Android/iOS app to help fine-tune your audio to perfection. In fact, one of its more impressive features is its ability to pair with other Willen speakers in what Marshall calls a ‘Stack Mode’. This effectively allows you to build your own soundstage, giving you power in numbers, and letting you turn the small 4-inch mono wireless speaker into something much more immersive and enjoyable…

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The post Marshall’s latest Willen wireless speaker is a palm-sized powerhouse of sound first appeared on Yanko Design.