The Norwegian studio converted the 197-metre-high skyscraper designed by Philip Johnson from a single-occupancy into a multiple-occupancy building by opening up some of the facades, adding a public garden and improving its ventilation and elevation systems.
Snøhetta had originally drawn up a more elaborate transformation plan for the building in 2017, but this was nixed by the city government. The final version scales back interventions to the building’s facade, with only a small portion of the original stone removed.
In other architecture news, Danish studio BIG released photos of its Telus Sky Tower in Calgary, Canada, which it describes as having a “feminine silhouette”. The twisting skyscraper contains both offices and residential programs, which informed its design.
Each block was designed to represent one of the migrant workers, who have reportedly died in Qatar since 2010 – the year the country won the right to host the World Cup.
The colourful designs, released by creative agency Hen’s Teeth, aim to encourage Qatar and FIFA to pay compensation to workers who have suffered labour abuses during the World Cup’s construction.
The timber pavilion, called À table, will have translucent walls surrounding a space with a low table. “In today’s changing times, this pavilion offers a celebratory space,” Ghotmeh said.
A few days later, Alessandro Michele stepped down as creative director of Gucci after being with the brand for seven years. Michele played a “fundamental part” in forging the identity of the Italian fashion house, Gucci’s parent brand Kering said.
Think of your Nespresso pod and imagine if it were just a thousand times better. I’m talking whole beans, ground and brewed on the spot, with an automated procedure occurring all within the same machine. What the xBloom does isn’t completely different from any average coffee machine, however, the method it employs and the underlying technology it uses is simply remarkable. A Tesla isn’t different from other cars – they both transport you from A to B… but one of them is just much more visually, technically, and emotionally sophisticated. That’s why we’re calling the xBloom the Tesla of coffee machines.
Designed to elegantly sit on your countertop, the xBloom is an all-in-one coffee machine that handles grinding, brewing, and dispensing all within one device. It does so in a manner that’s almost entirely automated and expertly tuned, so you really need to do nothing once the machine takes charge. Just pour the beans in, sit back, and watch your coffee get made as if a robot barista was at work. Its overall design is just sublime too, with simple geometric forms that break down the coffee machine into its separate functions, and a metallic finish that feels luxuriously pristine.
Place the Pod on the sensor pad to activate bean recognition.
Pour the beans into the grinder and place the empty pod on the Dock.
Press the Dock and let the machine take care of the rest.
The xBloom follows the pod-based model popularized by Keurig and Nespresso, but instead of having tiny metallic pods filled with pre-ground, pre-flavored coffee powder, each xBloom comes with actual coffee beans inside, measured out for a single serving. The pods are curated by expert roasters, with special coffee types from around the globe offering the entire world of coffee right on your kitchen countertop. How do you brew these pods? Well, that’s perhaps my favorite part!
It isn’t often that kitchen appliances and RFID tags ever intersect, but they do with the xBloom. Each pod comes with coffee beans inside it, but on the underside of every pod is also an RFID tag that allows the xBloom to identify the coffee type. Just tap the underside of the pod on the xBloom and it instantly sets the grind size, brew temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and even pouring style. Once the xBloom identifies the coffee, just peel the lid off the pod, add the beans to the device’s inlet, and place the empty pod in its designated holder for later.
The professional-grade grinder features 48mm Titanium Nitride coated conical burrs, allowing 20 automatic grind size adjustments perfect for pour-over (each step is as precise as 18.75µm).
Super easy to clean.
The beans enter the grinding chamber, where the 48mm conical burrs grind it to the perfect consistency. The grounds are then dispensed back into the empty pod (which also comes with its own built-in filter lining). The xBloom then automatically carries the pod from the grinder to the brewing area, almost like a robot on a factory line. It’s quite entertaining to watch as the machine literally choreographs the coffee-making process. The xBloom then introduces heated water to the coffee, brewing it right in its pod (so you don’t need a separate filter), with holes in the pod’s base letting coffee drip through right into your empty cup or glass. Unlike any coffee machine I’ve seen in the past, xBloom even possesses the ability to pour in different patterns, mimicking a straight pour, a slow spiral pour, and a rapid spiral pour based on roasters’ preference. The pouring is quite unlike any other machine, with the laminar water stream being electrostatically controlled by 4 energized electrodes, resulting in a curved flow of water that seems almost magical to look at. Moreover, the pod’s holder can even agitate the pod, helping the coffee brew more evenly. The most remarkable part of all this isn’t that it’s possible – it’s that it happens with just one simple RFID scan and absolutely no human intervention on your part.
A weighing scale built into the pod holder detects how much water’s still in the pod. This prevents the xBloom from accidentally overfilling the pod and having water spill over. Different grinds filter coffee at different rates – a coarser grind lets water pass through faster than a fine grind, and the xBloom can detect that by weighing the pod. It then automatically controls the water’s dispensing rate to ensure there are absolutely no mistakes. Water filters through the pod right into your cup or glass below, leaving you with a fresh cup of coffee. The pod, which now contains your used coffee grounds, can easily be lifted out of the xBloom and disposed of elegantly.
It should come as no surprise that xBloom’s design team consists of tech veterans including ex-Apple product designers. With the level of sensitivity to design, detailing, and user experience, the xBloom literally turns a coffee machine into a luxurious ritual that is bound to delight absolutely any coffee drinker. The device is simply a piece art that houses technical magic underneath, echoing exactly the kind of sophistication seen in Apple’s own products.
The user experience is put at the absolute forefront – there are no buttons, knobs, wires, or even as much as screw details visible on the device. It looks as if Jony Ive sculpted the machine with his own hands. The xBloom’s interiors use high-quality parts, relying on suppliers who also supply to Apple and Tesla. The pods are expertly curated with a wide variety of coffee bean types, and each pod is made of sugarcane and bamboo fiber, so you can discard it in its entirety (with the coffee grounds) and not worry about generating plastic waste (the RFID tag is mostly biodegradable too, being made from paper with very small traces of aluminum). Maintaining your xBloom is remarkably easy too, with a pop-out magnetic cover that collects any stray remnants of ground coffee from the grinder.
The xBloom stands at 16.9 inches tall, like a slick, metal Obelisk. It comes in two colors, Obsidian Black and Silver White, with a 700ml water reservoir inside its main chamber, letting you brew almost 3 cups of coffee on a full tank. While the true mark of xBloom’s excellence is its ability to automate the entire process for consistent, expert results every time, each xBloom also comes with a smartphone app that allows you to play with the brew settings, creating and saving recipes that are unique to your taste, preferences, and mood. The xBloom starts at $449 for early-bird backers, with 32 pods included along with the machine. Once depleted, you can either buy more pods through xBloom or get the reusable dripper cup that’s compatible with Kalita Wave 155 filters.
I remember when the lockdown was first announced and everyone began scrambling to figure out how they’d work from home. WFH as a product category absolutely spiked in the past two years, and even though people are returning to office, they’re carrying a part of their individual personality back to work… because that’s how they were productive at home. The boring standard white cubicle is dead, and we’re now in the era of individualized workspaces. This means having productivity tools that give YOU the right sense of focus and bring out the best in you. In our series of specialized gift guides this year, this gift guide focuses on your workspace, with tools that boost your productivity, help you stay organized, help you create content, and even a few nifty and fun toys to add a little frolic to your workspace! Consider this the best personal gifting and Secret Santa idea guide ever!
1. Moft Z Sit-stand Laptop Desk
Designed to be the world’s thinnest laptop stand, the MOFT Z is a 4-in-1 invisible sit-stand desk that can be propped up at 25°, 45°, and 60°, or elevated to a height of 10 inches. Winner of the Red Dot Award 2020, the MOFT Z is a lightweight and versatile solution, that allows everyday laptop users to maintain a flexible and comfortable posture throughout their workday. Just a little larger than a sheet of A4 paper, and almost half an inch thick, the compact laptop stand can accommodate 22 pounds of weight, which is pretty impressive, considering the 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs 4.7 pounds. Its origami-inspired Z-shaped structure ensures that it is super easy to open and close, and allows you to seamlessly transition between a sitting and standing desk while offering ergonomic angle adjustments. Affordably priced, the MOFT Z is the only portable desk that you can grab like a magazine, and create a flexible work setup with, wherever and whenever you feel like!
The great thing about the pandemic ending is that we can now ditch those annoying zoom calls and meet and greet our clients again. The bad thing is that we didn’t use those two years to brush up on our French, German, or any other foreign languages. However, the folks at Timekettle have you covered. Meet the Timekettle M3, a pair of TWS earbuds that will actively translate up to 40 languages for you and as many as 93 accents! The M3 takes your average pair of TWS earbuds to the next level. It comes with ANC and dual-mic noise reduction for your voice, but the M3’s most impressive feature is its ability to translate languages in real-time. It relies on the world’s leading translation engines (DeepL, Google, Microsoft, iFlytek, AmiVoice, Hoya) and even on Timekettle’s own engine to quickly translate audio with 95% accuracy. The M3, which comes with a split-case design, can be used in 3 modes (Touch, Listen, and Speaker) to cover a wide range of uses, from having one-on-one conversations or just listening to lectures, podcasts, news coverage. The M3 are IPx4 water resistant and last for 7.5 hours on a full charge, with another 25 hours of battery when used with the charging case. There’s an app that helps with translations too, while also letting you control the M3’s EQ settings.
Click Here to Buy Now: $108$149.99 (25% off for Prime Members + Additional 5% discount with coupon code “YDESIGN22”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!
3. Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Projector
The Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K is the most compact 4K laser theatre you’ve ever seen! The Nebula Cosmos will unleash a whole new level of brightness on your home entertainment – that is the power of 2400 Lumens. It has been equipped with the Laser Forge Image Engine which is powered by lasers, and features ALPD 3.0 software, which is quite interestingly used in professional theatres! It boasts a true color accuracy of 100% Rec. 709. The laser features a compact form and an ergonomically curved top handle that allows you to carry it wherever you go, and transform any space into a movie theatre. It also showcases a Seamless Autofocus, which produces instant image clarity, so you can spend more time engaging and enjoying your favorite content! You can link up the Nebula Cosmos with your portable power station. It is most compatible with the Anker 545 Portable Power Station (PowerHouse 778Wh).
The SuperCalla is a one-of-a-kind magnetic charging/ data cable! It looks similar to most cables, except for the fact, that at certain intervals, it has magnets around it. These magnets will organize your cables, and ensure they stay that way, with the help of magnetic attraction. The different cables can be coiled in a circular pattern, put together in a zigzag, or wound up the way you would typically organize cables. Just make sure the magnets align and the SuperCalla has the innate ability to stay organized whether in your pocket, backpack, drawer or even on your suitcase. The magnets allow you to easily open the cable out, using as much as necessary, therefore keeping your drawer, bag, and general workplace as neat as possible. SuperCalla comes in two sizes – 3 feet and 6 feet. It is available in two color options – black and white, and also looks really fun to fidget with!
In our offices, where we are surrounded by artificial materials, how do you connect to nature? While the most common answer is plants, having a plant can be a messy business. We bring to you the Zen Ball – made from genuine volcanic stone that has been shaped into a sphere, this desk device is an ASMR tool and a fidget toy, all in one. In a day filled with notifications that come at you from every side, pick up the Zen Ball to center yourself, give yourself a moment to breathe and refocus your energies, so you are acting rather than reacting. As an added value, you can drop some essential oil onto your ball and spin it for an added aromatic experience. Hold it, spin it, smell it or use it to calm yourself in stressful situations, this modern office must-have can be your reminder to stay in the moment.
The Revopoint MINI transforms objects into 3D models with a 0.02mm precision! The Revopoint MINI transforms 3D printing into an easy, accessible, and economical process, allowing you to bring your 3D model dreams to life. It works fast and accurately, with up to 0.02mm precision and a point distance of 0.05mm, which simply means it will be able to scan even the smallest and deepest parts of an object. It is primarily designed to be used in your hand, giving you the freedom to control the direction and speed of the scan, especially with a stabilizer that keeps the scan steady even if your hand isn’t. You can also just set it on a table with the built-in tripod. It has been amped with binocular blue light technology to project ultra-high resolution structured light, as well as a high-resolution dual-camera system, and an intelligent algorithm to ensure the scanned model is extremely detailed and precise.
Its unconventional design aside, what BetterBack does goes far above and beyond what any ergonomic cushion or chair can do. By hooking to your knees, the BetterBack perpetually keeps your lower back in the right position, preventing you from hunching. It’s a simple device that can be worn pretty much whenever or wherever you find yourself sitting for long hours – whether you’re in front of a laptop, the TV, sitting in a flight for 3-4 hours, or even at a game. The harness looks sort of like a slingshot, attaching to your knees and pulling your torso forward so your spine is in the right position. It instantly causes your back muscles to relax, your spine to realign, and your internal organs to feel more free given that they aren’t getting cramped by you hunching over! The BetterBack comes in various sizes that can adjust to fit pretty much any adult.
A beautiful combination of art and algorithm, the Sisyphus Mini gives you the joy of owning your personal kinetic sculpture! Named after Sisyphus, a character from Greek Mythology condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down, the Sisyphus table turns that story into an artistic experience. The table comes with a sand chamber, and a steel ball that rolls around, creating valleys in the sand. A magnetic system under the sand chamber helps guide the steel ball, moving it in a series of hypnotic patterns that get increasingly complex with time as the ball moves across the sand, creating its elaborate design. The MINI comes with variations of a hardwood construction and a glass top, allowing you to place objects on it, although it’s best left undecorated, so you can admire the gorgeous designs that get created on it. There’s a ring of LEDs built into the Sisyphus’ rim too, which keeps the pattern illuminated even in the dark. Place Sisyphus MINI in your office where you can focus and work or add it as a table top decoration to your cabin – wherever you keep it, these mesmerising
Eilik has the personality of a Tamagotchi in the body of EVE from WALL•E. The tiny little robot stands on your tabletop, letting you interact with it through voice commands and touch, while it responds, reacts, and engages back with you to make your day a little more fun! Unlike most robots that have an air of emotionless superiority, Eilik actually does the opposite. It’s a robot with a personality and a heart. With its dynamic display for a face, Eilik actually responds and reacts to how you treat it. Ignore it long enough and it’ll sulk, pat it on the head or tickle it and it’ll smile. Lift Eilik off the ground and it gets scared of heights, give it food (a magnetic little food-shaped object) and it feels satiated and calm! The best part, however, is when two or more Eiliks come together! Place two Eiliks near each other and they play, tussle, and have adorable interactions with one another. Introduce more Eiliks and you can even get them to sing Christmas songs as they dance and wave their arms about! Talk about an emotionally advanced robot!
The DUET MAX is the must-have dual-screen laptop accessory that every heavy laptop user needs to boost their daily productivity! The large laptop monitor features a 14.1-inch 1080p display, high brightness of 300 nits, and small bezels, creating the ultimate immersive second-screen experience. It even boasts an ‘Eyecare Mode’, which minimizes blue light, and its impact on your eyes. What really makes the DUET MAX truly revolutionary, is the fact that it is not simply an ordinary extra screen for your laptop…it’s the kind of extra screen that’s always attached to it! You can swivel it out whenever you want. It can be mounted onto any laptop and oriented on either the left or right side, depending upon your comfort. Its auto-rotate feature enables you to intuitively adjust its orientation based on the placement of the screen. In a world where multi-tasking is the norm, and WFH culture means we need to work 10x more efficiently, the DUEX MAX is a boon because a single screen is simply not enough anymore!
The Xiaomi 13 series is already on the horizon, but the Chinese smartphone giant has got some unfinished business to do with its 12 series. Case-in-point, an attractive limited-edition version of the already released Xiaomi 12T Pro.
What makes it worth everyone’s attention is the Danish Arsham influence. The dazzling smartphone in collaboration with the New York-based artist is a true reproduction of the iconic “fictional archaeology” by him. To be precise, a finish of bronze crystal clad in a rusted green patina.
For understandable reasons, there are no protuberant crystals on the back panel of the device. The printed gems and traces of the patina on the Xiaomi 12T Pro Daniel Arsham Edition have a convincing shimmer when the phone is tilted in any direction. The convincing glamor of the back side is matched with the theme and icon packs of the user interface. The live wallpaper replicates the rear’s magnetism for a 3D look, making it a one-off smartphone to show off.
According to the artist, the phone will fulfill its intended function, and after its life act as a sculpture for the owner to sport on the living room shelf. Two decades down the line, the device will exhibit “sculptural propositions of obsolescence and natural erosions.” As per Xiaomi, the limited-edition gadget is created with the intent towards an “imagined future of digital dematerialization.”
Talking about the technical specifications of the phone, they are unchanged from the top variant of the normal version. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, gets 12GB RAM and has 256GB of storage. The rear camera module having the same distinct patina look houses the 200-MP primary shooter. 120W charger for the 5,000 mAh battery should keep the device juiced for all your binge-watching and gaming sessions, given it can charge the battery in just 19 minutes.
Xiaomi is going to sell only 2,000 units of the Xiaomi 12T Pro Daniel Arsham Edition for a price tag of 899 Euros (approximately $930). Sadly, the eye-candy device will only be available in the European market starting December 16. The pre-orders will start December 5, so you better grab one, if it already tingles your inner geek. The phone can also be bought at the two-day sale during the launch in Berlin.
Founded by first-generation Indian American Michelle Ranavat, RANAVAT is inspired by self-care and devotion to rituals in India. The brand’s new Regenerative Veda⁴ Bond Complex Shampoo is a sulphate-free, bond-strengthening formula designed to increase hair’s resistance to breakage while softening it to the touch. RANAVAT also donates 1% of the proceeds to Desai Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on women and children.
For her studio Mad Brooklyn, artist Jacqueline Tse uses a piping bag to create pet portraits out of clay slip. The intricate ceramic is then spray-painted with underglaze using an ombre technique, creating an inventive commemoration of furry friends. With customization options to craft individual pets and a wire hook in the back for hanging, Tse’s unique work is a thoughtful gift for animal lovers.
Hand-cast from a real silkworm cocoon, this brass locket from Hudson Valley-based K/LLER COLLECTION (helmed by Katie deGuzman) is a nature-inspired accessory crafted to keep tiny trinkets safe and close. Hanging from a blackened brass chain, it’s a charming take on a traditional locket with a slight punk rock edge.
In this age of consumerism and materialism, there is a tendency sometimes for us to feel like we’re the products instead of just being a consumer. We see a lot of works of art, from movies to books to actual pieces of art, that speak to the fact that we are both the ones that consume and that we are being consumed as well. Did you ever think that this can be reflected in a chair that is both functional and artistic in its form and aesthetic? That’s what the CNVYR series from a Seoul-based designer and studio is all about.
Designer: Woojin Park for 1//plinth Studio
Those metal seats at the airport waiting area are not made to be the most comfortable and are not the prettiest as well. They serve a function which is to let us sit and wait for our flights so there’s really no need to make them look good. This CNVYR series reminds me of those metallic, cold seats but this time, there’s some aesthetic behind it and there seems to be an underlying message as well. You get a sense of sitting on a combination of conveyer belt and airport seat that is both stark and comfortable.
Aside from the tongue-in-cheek reference to consumerism, these conveyor chairs are also modular. You can refigure the detachable steel parts to create a seat for your needs or that which feels most comfortable. You will be able to place the steel pipes and different angular components in different positions. The conveyor belt material will also be tested in terms of flexibility for the modular design that you choose and also for the actual person sitting in the chair.
The chairs can also be combined to create a couch, which is what reminds me of airport chairs. The product renders show off dark blue and green colors for the conveyor textile in keeping with the minimalist and stark aesthetics. As I usually go for warm and comfortable-looking furniture in my house, I would probably not get one, but that’s just me. I can understand the appeal of these CNVYR chairs especially for those that prefer this kind of look.
With Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach set to begin next week, we’ve rounded up a series of must-see installations and events, from a tequila tasting room designed by Tatiana Bilbao to a Virgil Abloh exhibition put on by Nike.
Running during Miami Art Week, Design Miami is a yearly festival that attracts designers and enthusiasts worldwide.
The event coincides with its sister festival Art Basel Miami Beach. Both of the primary showrooms for the events will be sited on the Miami Beach Convention Center grounds, with a variety of satellite events, performances and galleries showcasing work in the area.
“I think it really is part of this overall equation of establishing Miami as an important contributor to go global cultural dialogue,” said Craig Robbins, the real estate developer and art collector who co-founded Design Miami in 2005.
He has since gone on to help develop Miami’s Design District. “There’s always been so much connectivity between Design Miami and the design district,” Robbins told Dezeen.
“Jerome Barnes has done this amazing installation that you can see throughout the [design district], so there’s going to be a lot of energy around art and design this week, and of course, it will continue through the year.”
At the dedicated Design Miami pavilion, a variety of talks and exhibitors will take place from 30 November to 4 December including a panel discussion with Didero, American musicians A$AP Rocky and Erykah Badu, architect Gaetano Pesce, artist Daniel Arsham and others.
Tequila company Casa Dragones has outfitted a tasting room in the Collectors Lounge of Art Basel. Mexican City-based architecture studio Tatiana Bilbao Estudio lead the design of the space, where visitors can sample the tequila.
According to the company, the design will feature a rounded pink terrazzo bar studded with marble and glass, a chandelier made of Casa Dragones bottles and an art-deco-inspired mirror to evoke “the feeling of being in a ‘cantina,’ a traditional Mexican bar”.
1 to 3 December, Art Basel Collectors Lounge, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach
The installation “will envision the vehicle as shaped by mist and light while illustrating its harmony with its environment”, Lexus said. It is the architect’s first public installation for Miami Art Week.
30 November to 4 December, ICA 61 NE 41st Street, Miami
In collaboration with VA Securities, American apparel brand Nike will launch an exhibition celebrating the work of designer Virgil Abloh at the Rubell Museum.
Focusing on the long-standing collaboration between Abloh and Nike and the resulting Nike division, Architecture, the exhibition will also introduce a sneaker made in collaboration between Abloh and Nike called The Terra Forma.
1 December to 4 December, the Rubell Museum, 1100 NW 23rd Street, Miami
Photo courtesy of Arca
Works by Alicja Kwade and Kelly Wearstler for Arca
Miami-based materials company Grupo Arca will showcase works by Polish artist Alicja Kwade and American designer Kelly Wearstler at its showroom in Miami.
Kwade will show an installation made from colourful marble spheres outside, while Wearstler will showcase her Nudo collection, featuring 16 pieces of furniture.
“Our presentation with ARCA is an expression of what binds us together as the world converges in Miami to celebrate art and design,” said Wearstler.
Appliance company Kohler’s WasteLAB division has teamed up with artist Nada Debs to create a custom hammam spa at Design Miami. The three-room structure was constructed using hand-made tiles designed by Debs and WasteLAB.
“Having the opportunity to design a modern hammam at Design Miami truly embodies the sentiment that well-being transcends all culture,” said Debs, who will also participate in a panel discussion during the festival.
30 November to 4 December, Miami Beach Convention Center, South Beach, Miami
Architect Germane Barnes was commissioned to create an activation for the Miami Design District. Rock | Roll features a number of interactive chairs, displayed throughout the neighbourhood, which draw on the costumes of Miami Carnival.
The installation will include a giant dome and Barnes will hang wind chimes up throughout the neighbourhood.
“Rock | Roll is an ode to the joyful spirit that persists in Miami’s Black communities – a spirit of self-care that is so perfectly embodied in Miami Carnival culture,” said Barnes.
A few of the pieces will also be on view outside of the Design Miami tent.
November 2022 – Spring 2023, Miami Design District, 140 NE 39th Street, Miami
Image courtesy of Pilar Zeta
Future Transmutation by Pilar Zeta for W South Beach
Artist Pilar Zeta has created a sculpture in the garden of the hotel W South Beach featuring a portal and a series of steps that lead to a large sphere and pyramid.
“The aesthetic and spatial compositions weave together several temporalities – past, present and futures to come – and are rooted in ancient architecture,” said Zeta.
30 November to 4 December, W South Beach, 2201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
The photo is by Matteo Canestraro
Come Stai? by Gaetano Pesce for Bottega Veneta
Fashion company Bottega Veneta will show a collection of chairs by Italian architect Gaetano Pesce at Design Miami and in its showroom in the Miami Design District.
Designer Daniel Arsham will be among the 30 exhibitors showing at the Row, a showcase of metaverse designs brought to “real life” via 3D projection mapping.
The exhibition will also feature works by Misha Kahn, Andrés Reisinger and Alexis Christodoulou.
1 December to 3 December, 3925 North Miami Avene, Miami
Image courtesy of Dolce and Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana Casa
Fashion company Dolce & Gabbana is set to present a series of design objects at its Miami location in partnership with Luxury Living Group.
“The patterns of the Collection’s themes come to life on furniture, mise en place accessories, textiles and decorative objects that evoke a story of love and hospitality, passion and beauty, and the art of living one’s daily life,” said Dolce & Gabbana.
28 November to 4 December, 50 NE 39th Street, Miami
Designer Craig Barrow has transformed the interior of a warehouse in Miami for a music event put on by web3 company Refraction DAO.
The installation and music event will occupy a warehouse in Little Haiti in Miami where there will be panel discussions during the day and music at night, before moving over to the Frost Science Planetarium on 1 December.
29 December to 30 December, 220 Northeast 59th Street, Miami
The first of what the company says will be a yearly event will “join together with the Art Basel team, the leadership team from Surfrider, gallerists, Miami locals, city officials and art enthusiasts from around the world for this inaugural local cleanup effort”.
10 am to 12 pm, 28 November 2022, 18th Street Beach, Miami
Image courtesy of Cosentino
Dreamcloud by Nina Magon for Cosentino
Spanish materials company Cosentino will present a sculpture by interior designer Nina Magon during Miami Art Week.
The installation will use eight slabs of stone from Cosentino, as well as lighting elements by Studio M Lighting.
From 2 December at Cosentino Miami City Center, 3898 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Design Miami 2022 takes place from 30 November to 4 December 2022. See our Dezeen Events Guide for information about other architecture and design exhibitions, installations and talks.
Studio Wasabi Architecture and Satoshi Kawakami Architects have created a home and artist residency in Tokyo for Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, founder of the arts foundation Casa Wabi in Mexico.
Occupying a corner plot in the Sendagi district of Tokyo, Casa Nano 2.0 is a renovation of a postwar house constructed in the late 1950s.
Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi has unveiled a home and artist residency in Tokyo
“The house has a very simple facade system to protect the windows, a system called amado, where you can slide some metal windows and close them when there is a typhoon,” said Studio Wasabi co-founder Rafael Balboa.
The 68-square-metre home has a simple facade with a gabled roof and ridges that jut out to create small awnings.
The home renovated a post-world war two home in Tokyo
“For the exterior, we only applied one material – which is called Excell Joint – so it looks similar to the original house in order to make it more natural and coherent with the neighbourhood,” said Balboa.
Studio Wasabi worked with Satoshi Kawakami Architects to completely revamp the interiors for use as an extension of the Casa Wabi artist residency in Puerto Escondido, Mexico or as a home for founder Bosco Sodi and his wife interior designer Lucia Corredor.
The home’s original cedar beams were maintained in the redesign
After sponsoring 13 Mexican artists in the original Casa Nano at another location, Sodi needed more space and decided to move the residency into a larger space – Casa Nano 2.0.
The architecture studios worked with Sodi and Corredor to open up the space, creating an open-concept kitchen, adding furniture and moving the original staircase.
In order to open up floorplan, the architecture studio included a floating staircase
The first floor of the two-storey, cedar-framed structure is concrete, and the second storey’s floor is made of cedar.
The designers and construction company Washin Architects kept all of the old cedar beams and columns, as well as the windows from the original house to preserve the essence of the original building.
The original windows were maintained
“For us, it was also very important to be able to have blackout windows so we kept the original pocket metal windows of the facade of the old house to be able to close the windows completely,” explained Corredor.
The team had to move the original staircase to open up the ground floor, so a floating steel staircase was placed against the wall at the middle of the structure, suspended from the existing beams.
There are three living spaces on the second floor
“This house, besides being part of the art residence of Casa Wabi, was designed to fit our family needs,” said Corredor.
Storage space was another important factor in the design process, so the architecture studios created a shelf unit that hangs from the existing beams that stretch around the entire house.
A shelving system surrounds the home
On the second floor, three separate spaces were included to accommodate a family of five. The primary bedroom has a simple layout and connects to a small terrace.
A central living area has a bench with a small reading nook and the seating area was furnished with a vintage French sofa from the 1950s and an old wood table from a local flea market.
The spaces are divded by sliding panel doors
The bunk bedroom at the end of the second floor was built for the kids or as another area spot an artist in residence and has access via a ladder to a small outdoor terrace.
The three spaces are divided by Japanese paper sliding doors with overlaying glass thick enough to maintain privacy and let the light flow into the space.
Read:
Five Casa Wabi pavilions include Álvaro Siza ceramics studio and Kengo Kuma chicken coop
The doors and built-in furniture as well as the ceiling of the second floor were made using Lauan wood.
Corredor used furniture from the previous residence and items that were locally sourced to furnish the home.
“We brought all the furniture we already had in the former Casa Nano,” she said.
“Like our old wood table that we found in the flea market in UENO and our beloved Noguchi lamp to give warmth and light to the space.”
The home’s exterior blends into the style of the neighbourhood
Casa Nano 2.0 will continue with its residency program, inviting four Mexican artists every year, each for a period of one month.
“Japan has been life-changing for the artists that have been already,” Sodi said.
“As it was for me when I was invited to an art residence in Tokyo almost 20 years ago.”
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