Belgian design studio Fou de Feu has created two collections of ceramics including vases shaped like soap bubbles.
Fou de Feu‘s most recent collection Forms No Figures features decorative objects and a lamp, which combine lightly glazed ceramics and honey maple wood.
“This collection was inspired by industrial forms you find in old factories,” said designer Veerle Van Overloop. “Because these are originally made from wood, I decided to combine it with the ceramic.”
The wood is used to create the base and a rim around the ceramic shade of the simple lamp.
The decorative items come in a range of similar shapes. Some have wooden tops while others have wooden bottoms.
A few of these pieces have a small hole in the top so they can be used as candle holders or vases.
Fou de Feu has also crafted a collection of unglazed ceramic vases that look like combinations of soap bubbles, called Life’s a Bubble.
These round vessels are all a slightly different shape and either black or white.
This L-shaped wooden house by Dutch studio Pasel Kuenzel Architects sits at the water’s edge on an artificial island in Amsterdam.
Rotterdam studio Pasel Kuenzel Architects designed the family home in Grote Rieteiland, one of six islands that makes up the man-made archipelago of Ijburg, east Amsterdam.
Each residence on the group of islands is allocated a similar-sized plot and shaped by strict scale and massing guidelines.
For this house, the architects created a rectilinear building with a three-storey tower on one side and a small courtyard at the entrance.
“Within a strict and complex set of urban rules [we] succeeded to develop a plain and sober urban villa that is unique in its reduced design and compelling in its materialisation and level of detailing,” said the architects.
White-painted wooden boards clad the house’s exterior, interspersed with windows that extend right to the edges of the facade.
A monochrome colour scheme dominates the interior, which accommodates a large open-plan living area on the ground floor and bedrooms and workspaces inside the tower.
Sliding doors provide access from the ground floor to a waterside garden, while the master bedroom opens out onto a large roof terrace.
Close and compact are the residences lined up along the waterside of Grote Rieteiland, an artificial island in Amsterdam’s hip neighbourhood Ijburg.
Within a strict and complex set of urban rules pasel.kuenzel architects succeeded to develop a plain and sober urban villa that is unique in its reduced design and compelling in its materialisation and level of detailing.
The building is a composition of a horizontal plinth for living and a vertical element comprising workspaces, bedrooms for the kids, a master bedroom and above all a tremendous roof terrace. Due to a 12m wide glazed facade on the south side the main living area relates directly to the water. The house grants access via a patio facing the street and marking the threshold between public and private.
The unusual materialisation of white painted raw timber boards of Douglas fir underlines the compelling power of simple things.
Architect: pasel.kuenzel architects Team: R. Pasel, F. Künzel, F. Pocas Client: Private Location: Amsterdam, NL Date: 2009-2013 Size: 307 m2
On this model buttons and dials sit in recessions on the top of the camera so they lie flush with the surface, and the shell is perforated to create a fine mesh.
“Leica represents the confluence of precision engineering, world-class lens technology and design principles which elevate both function and form,” said Ive. “Designing this very special camera for the (RED) Auction has been a privilege for myself and Marc, and its sale on 23 November will generate funds so critical to the fight to end AIDS.”
“With nearly 1000 prototype parts and more than 725 hours of manufacturing time, the winning bidder will own a piece of exquisite imaging history,” added Newson. “The attention to each and every detail of this camera – from its outer shell to the magnificent optics – will delight a collector who appreciates the absolute pinnacle of craftsmanship.”
Here’s some more information sent to us by Sotheby’s:
Leica Digital Rangefinder Camera Designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson to Join More than 40 Rare and Exceptional Objects in (RED) Auction at Sotheby’s New York
Money raised through the (Red) Auction will go Towards the fight against Aids in Africa.
A truly unique Leica Digital Rangefinder Camera designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson will join more than 40 other rare and diverse items in the (RED) Auction on November 23rd 2013. Based on the Leica M, the camera will be auctioned to raise money for The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Hundreds of models and prototypes were made in the development of The Leica M for (RED). The body and lens ultimately being machined from a custom engineered alloy. Presented with a perfectly textured anodised aluminium outer shell, the traditional leather waist, synonymous with Leica, has been replaced with a laser machined aluminium body. More than 21,000 hemispheres create a new and extraordinary aesthetic, while a total of 561 models and nearly 1000 prototype parts were made during the 85 days it took to create of this incredibly special camera.  Delivering an uncompromised photography experience, the camera features a full-format CMOS sensor, high performance processor and new Leica APO-Summicron –M 50mm f/2 ASPH lens.
Jony Ive said, “Leica represents the confluence of precision engineering, world-class lens technology and design principles which elevate both function and form. Designing this very special camera for the (RED) Auction has been a privilege for myself and Marc, and its sale on November 23rd will generate funds so critical to the fight to end AIDS.”
“With nearly 1000 prototype parts and more than 725 hours of manufacturing time, the winning bidder will own a piece of exquisite imaging history. The attention to each and every detail of this camera – from its outer shell to the magnificent optics – will delight a collector who appreciates the absolute pinnacle of craftsmanship,” said Marc Newson.
Dr. Andreas Kaufman, Chairman, Leica, said: “We loved the collaboration with Jony and Marc. Their design sets a new and unprecedented standard in modern photography. As the only one ever to be produced, and boasting their unrivalled aesthetic, this Leica camera will truly create its own historic category when it goes under the hammer this winter.”
The fundraising auction comes as the war against AIDS faces a critical battle: to deliver the first AIDS Free Generation since HIV was diagnosed 32 years ago. In 2003, new childhood HIV infections peaked with more than 1,500 babies born with HIV every day. For only 40 cents a day, mothers can be treated to prevent transmission to their unborn children, and just over 900 babies are now born daily with the virus. By 2015, that number can be almost zero.  Highlights from the sale will travel to London in advance of the sale before the entire collection goes on public exhibition in New York beginning 18 November. Learn more about the second (RED) Auction through our Twitter hashtag #REDatSothebys. Additional highlights and details to be revealed over the next several months.
In this movie filmed by Dezeen, London Design Festival deputy director Max Fraser summarises the aims and key themes of last month’s Global Design Forum series of talks and discussions.
London Design Festival deputy director Max Fraser
Global Design Forum is held annually over two days as one of the key events during London Design Festival. “What we’re trying to get to is the core of how design can help make the world a better place,” says Fraser in the movie. “We’re trying to eke out some of the issues that are affecting design right now.”
Peter Saville (right) in conversation with Peter Morley
From left to right: Alexei Orlov, Carmel Allen, Jaime Hayon and Ross Lovegrove
“We’ve tried to encourage a mixed variety of speakers,” says Fraser. “We wanted to invite people from different parts of industry to come together to debate issues and hopefully disagree and provoke each other, then see if there are any ideas that can be implemented or if there are any new processes or techniques that can change the way that the business of design is done today.”
From left to right: Michael Young, Francis Stevens, Justine Simons, Guta More Guedes and Ben Page
Beijing studio MAD has revealed new photographs of its hotel shaped like a giant horseshoe at the edge of Taihu Lake in Huzhou, China (+ slideshow).
The Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort comprises a pair of matching 27-storey towers that are connected on the upper levels to form a smoothly curving arch across the water.
Ma Yansong of MAD designed the building for the Sheraton hotels chain, which was responsible for the interior fit out. A total of 282 guest rooms are contained inside, while additional villas and guest facilities are housed within several accompanying buildings.
Some rooms are already available, but the building will officially open in December – read more about the project in our earlier story.
Twenty architects and designers including Zaha Hadid and David Adjaye have designed and constructed dolls’ houses, each integrating a feature that would make life easier for a disabled child (+ slideshow).
Referencing a dolls’ house that British architect Edwin Lutyens exhibited in 1922, the brief asked each team to present a unique design on a 750-millimetre square plinth, which could then be sold at auction.
FAT worked with artist Grayson Perry on its entry, which takes the iconic form of Erno Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower building and adds an assortment of colourful openings.
London studio Guy Hollaway Architects based its design on a jack-in-a-box toy, creating a simple house with an inflatable pavilion concealed inside.
A jigsaw puzzle provided the cues for houses by Studio Egret West and Make Architects, who created models that can be assembled in different configurations.
Coffey Architects created the heaviest structure, building a concrete house with rooms that can be removed like a classic shape-sorter toy.
Architectural modelmakers AModels and designers Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan also took part. Their entries included a treehouse filled with models of Elvis and a house on stilts above a coral reef.
Here’s some more information from Cathedral Group:
Twenty of the world’s best architects and designers build a dolls’ house for kids
On the 11 November 2013, 20 of the world’s best contemporary architects and designers will present their version of a dolls’ house in an exhibition and auction at Bonhams in aid of KIDS.
The project has been curated by Cathedral Group Plc, an innovative and forward-thinking property developer and is inspired by the dolls’ house that Edwin Lutyens designed for The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1922 – using a very traditional children’s toy to display the very best of modern British architecture, craftsmanship, art and interior design.
Participating architects and designers include: Adjaye Associates, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, AMODELS, Coffey Architects, Dexter Moren, DRDH Architects, dRMM, Duggan Morris Architects, FAT Architecture, Glenn Howells Architects, Guy Hollaway Architects, HLM Architects, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, mae, Make Architects, Morag Myerscough & Luke Morgan, James Ramsey RAAD Studio with Lara Apponyi, shedkm, Studio Egret West and Zaha Hadid Architects.
In the same spirit as the Edwin Lutyens dolls’ house, the architects and designers have been challenged to work with their own artist, designer and furniture-maker collaborations to make the end products even more special. Among other collaborations FAT will be working with Grayson Perry and Studio Egret West with Andrew Logan. Each dolls house – which will fit on a 750mm x 750mm plinth will also include a unique feature to make life easier for a child who is disabled.
Cathedral Group has pledged to raise £100,000 for KIDS to support their valuable work. KIDS is a UK charity supporting disabled children, young people and their families. They run home learning programmes, specialist nurseries and crèches, short-break programmes for disabled children and a series of inclusive adventure playgrounds. They offer a wide variety of services to parents of children with disabilities and programmes for siblings of disabled children and young carers.
A Dolls House has been kindly sponsored by Bonhams, Alno, Marley Eternit, Greenberg Traurig Maher, Realise Creative, Development Securities, Quatro PR, ING Media and Cadogan Tate.
News: women are the world’s “fastest emerging market” and will transform the design of everything from products to interiors, according to a leading design strategist.
“What’s the fastest emerging market?” said Tim Kobe, founder and CEO of Singapore-based Eight Inc. “It’s not China, it’s not Brazil, it’s not India, it’s not Indonesia. It’s actually women.”
“Globally, women are probably the greatest growth opportunity,” added Kobe, who has developed design strategies for companies including Apple, Virgin Atlantic and Citibank.
“One of the things that we’ve seen with the companies that we work with is that traditionally the brand really focuses on the functional aspects, and to a large degree thats really targeted towards a male’s sensibility and behaviour,” Kobe said.
“But as women become more and more influential in the marketplace, so places like hotels and airlines and retail have to shift towards more of an emotional brand ideal versus a functional brand ideal.”
Kobe made the comments in an interview following a discussion on luxury design at the Inside Festival, chaired by Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.
Also taking part in the discussion was Paul Wiste, Asia Pacific regional director of development and design for luxury resort group Jumeirah, who spoke of the growing importance of women travellers to the luxury resort chain.
The group recently introduced women-only floors at some of its Middle Eastern resorts, anticipating demand from Saudi women. “But it’s been completely booked out by groups of Western women,” he said.
Sadie Morgan of dRMM: “Women are the next big thing” Main image: Tim Kobe
Architect Sadie Morgan of London practice dRMM, another Inside festival speaker, agreed with Kobe’s comments.
“I think women are the next big thing,” she said. “Women are now much more self-possessed, we have the ability, we are professionals, we have the money and my goodness do we have the energy.”
Five years ago it was the pink pound,” she said, referring to the emergence of gay consumers as an economic force. “Women are the next big spending power.”
“We are absolutely fired up, our generation, and we want spaces that reflect our needs and our preoccupations. People building hotels, retail, housing have to start responding to a much more feminine community.”
In 2009, women controlled an estimated 27% of global wealth, worth $20 trillion, according to a 2010 report by Boston Consulting Group. The figure has been rising by 8% per year and will soon outstrip the combined economies of India and China. The number of women in the global workforce doubled between 1980 and 2008 to 1.2 billion and continues to grow, while their earnings are catching up with those of men.
Kobe said that the growing influence of women would improve design. “I think we’re going to see a lot more work in that area, where people are actually focusing on the female customer and delivering an experience that’s actually better for everyone,” he said. “Women tend to have a different set of sensibilities and I think its going to change all of those categories.”
Kobe said he is working with hospitality industry clients who have already identified this shift and are starting to redesign hotels around the needs of women as a result.
“If you look at the way most hotels have been set up, it’s for male business travellers,” he said. “There’s the typical bars, there’s the typical location, there’s the fundamentals of the experience that are there to cater to the male business traveller.
“When that becomes a female business traveller, the ways that you interact with them, the kinds of experiences that they’re looking for, the issues of sanitation, all of these components that are part of the hospitality experience have to be considered differently and that’s changing the way people think about creating a new type of experience.”
Kobe said he believes the design of interiors and products “will start to shift” as a result of the emerging female market. “We do a lot of retail that’s targeted towards women,” he said. “But if you look at hospitality and airline travel, [those] products and services will naturally have to follow suit.”
Morgan said: “Girls are so much easier and so much more full of life and energy and they need environments that aren’t too stuffy, and that are much more relaxed. If we are going to a hotel or a space that we’re paying to stay in we want to make sure that it responds to what we want and not what our husbands want.”
She added: “Our husbands are not paying for us any more. We’re paying for ourselves.”
This small white building on the edge of the Danube River in Vienna was designed by Austrian studio Share Architects for use as a holiday home or party venue.
Share Architects positioned the Bathing Hut at the water’s edge, creating a two-storey space with a kitchen and living area on the lower level and a sleeping deck above with an entrance leading out to the street.
“The Bathing Hut was conceived as a micro villa with full amenities and is a private chill-out oasis within an otherwise dense urban context,” said the architects.
“It is easily reachable from Vienna so you can even use it in the summertime during lunch breaks or as an alternative residence, and otherwise as a weekend retreat and for parties on the lake,” they added.
Constructed from reinforced concrete, the building is clad with white aluminium composite panels on the facade and roof. One edge appears to have been sliced away, leaving a row of angled windows that face up towards the sky.
The all-white kitchen features a floating counter that can be used for preparing food or dining.
Sliding doors lead out onto a wooden deck and jetty, offering a mooring point for boats.
A wooden staircase runs alongs the side of the house and leads directly from the street to the river.
The bathing hut was conceived as a micro villa with full amenities. Located on the waterfront of the Old Danube, but still in the centre of Vienna (Austria), it is a private chill-out oasis within an otherwise dense urban context.
Coming from the street, the property is accessed through a large sliding gate that leads to the top terrace of the very compact arrangement. An open-air staircase along the side facade takes the visitor 3 meters below.
On this level the main terrace open to the Old Danube, and the double-height, main living room can seamlessly connect to the outdoor space through a sliding facade.
Inside, a suspended gallery offering wonderful views over the water is used as a sleeping deck. Under the gallery there is place for the bathroom and the adjacent open kitchen.
In the rear of the house under the overlying top terrace place was found for a storage. A wooden floating deck, illuminated at night, offers the possibility of a boat mooring.
Dezeen promotion: furniture, product and spatial design entries are now being accepted for the Interieur Awards 2014.
Bar Maison. Main image: Black Bar
Held in conjunction with design event Biennale Interieur 2014 in Kortrijk, Belgium, the awards are presented in two categories.
BEBar
In the Object category, designers are asked to create a product that will improve daily life. One Grand Prize-winning design will receive €2500 and be exhibited alongside twenty other successful designs exhibited at the show.
BEBar
For the Spaces category, designs for one of the multiple bars to be installed at next year’s Biennale Interieur are requested. Five winners will each receive the €10,000 value of production budget to realise their designs at the event and will be able to team up with brands to augment this figure.
Box Bar. Photo by Rudy Beyens
The deadline for the Object category is 30 April 2014, while Spaces category entries must be submitted by 30 January 2014.
Vase&Leuchte by Miriam Aust. Photograph by Jan Köhler
For more details and to register your entries visit the Interieur Awards website. Images show previous Interieur Award winners and bars designed by Granstudio for Biennale Interieur 2012.
Here’s some more information from the organisers:
Call For Entries: Interieur Awards 2014
A rare chance for designers and architects to work with Biennale Interieur’s international design jury including (below, from left): Lina Kanafani, Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, Lowie Vermeersch, Matylda Krzykowski, Philippe Grohe, Rolf Hay, Francesca Sarti and Robert Klanten.
The Interieur Awards is an essential part of the Belgium-based Biennale Interieur programme, established in Kortrijk in 1968. This competition has achieved a strong international presence as a launch pad for young designers thanks to an influential internationally acclaimed jury and direct access to design manufacturers and producers.
Dot Porcelain Table by Miriam Liebana and Marcial Ahsayane
Many established designers started their careers at Biennale Interieur; it was at Interieur that a young Maarten Van Severen was spotted by Vitra, which in turn lead to a very beneficial collaboration for both. More recently, the Belgium duo, Muller Van Severen (one half Van Severen’s son, Hannes, and one half Hannes’s partner Fien Muller) were commissioned by Interieur to realise one of the Biennale’s Project Rooms – to international acclaim. Their work was shown as part of Designs of the Year 2013 at the Design Museum, London.
Object catergory winner 2012 by Zascho Petkow
The Biennale is far from a big, over-hyped design fair. It is known for high quality content, a balance of commercial and cultural happenings, a loyal, established industry following and a small, but perfectly formed nature, due in part to the easily accessible location in Belgium.
Acciaio series by Max Lipsey
Biennale Interieur takes place from 17 to 26 October 2014. The Interieur Awards 2014 calls designers, architects, artists and creatives to submit their entries in two distinct categories:
Objects
Create a new object that is relevant to our living environment and helps us improve daily life. Deadline: 30 April 2014
Spaces
Create a cutting-edge bar concept for the Biennale Interieur 2014. Deadline: 30 January 2014
The Jury will select winners anonymously.
Biennale Interieur exhibition 2012. Photo by Wouter Van Vaerenbergh
The dining chair is constructed from a soft moulded shell with bent plywood legs. It is available in either leather or pure wool and can be customised on request.
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