Hasta La Ideas

Cardboard tubes divide up an old factory in Melbourne to create new gentlemen’s outfitters Epatant, founded by Dennis Paphitis and Lachlan Smeeton.

“We worked with the bones of this building, which was an old wire works factory built in the late 1960s and was more recently used as a bicycle warehouse,” says Paphitis. “We cleaned up and retained the original steel trusses on the ceiling and scrubbed back the concrete floors.”

The shop stocks luxury menswear and accessories including “beautiful wallets, scarves, and obscure Nordic hammers,” displayed on pegs round the walls and tables with deep cases in their tops, all made of local woods. More cardboard tubes were cut to form pendant lighting overhead.

“The building is flooded with natural light and butts onto an adjacent park so we look through to large eucalyptus trees from the saw-toothed roof,” says Paphitis. He’s also founder of skincare brand Aesop, whose stores have frequently featured on Dezeen, including one fitted out with materials from a demolished house and a kiosk at Grand Central station made of thousands of copies of the New York Times.

See more stories about Melbourne | See more stories about retail

Here’s some more information from Epatant:

We at Epatant believe that there are two fundamental categories of objects in the world: there are those that function without flourish, that soullessly satisfy and exist at the most basic level, and then there are those all-too-rare items that excite and amaze with both their form and function, belongings that sing, inspire and delight with every use.

Those objects used in day-to-day life ought to deliver the utmost pleasure and that’s why you’ll discover, in our modest Collingwood store and within the pages of our forthcoming website, a collection of these exceptional items, considered and collated so that you may explore and be amazed.

From individually selected vintage eyeglasses to superb silk pocket squares in just the right Neapolitan hues, whistles of supreme British quality to German underwear of the finest weave, Epatant’s product offer is founded on distinctive and authentic design, quality engineering and a celebration of irreverence.

Of course, what are mere objects without words? We have likewise pored over countless paperbacks, hardcovers and hours of footage to bring you a concise and carefully selected array of works from our favourite authors and auteurs. And in to this heady mix we offer some of our own words, thoughts and suggestions, reserved for those ideas and individuals we feel warrant particular attention.

And so it is that in July, 2012 we launch Epatant as a considered, intelligent and streamlined retail experience. Our collections and collaborators will evolve with the passage of time; measured against the seasons, our mood, and always tempered against the evils of mediocrity. Expect to be seduced and surprised.

The post Epatant by Dennis Paphitis
and Lock Smeeton appeared first on Dezeen.

The copper tubes that branch across the walls and ceiling of this Amsterdam barber shop by Ard Hoksbergen carry both water and electricity (though not in the same pipes).

Some channel water to the sinks but others culminate in light bulbs or hooks against a backdrop of white tiles, plywood and concrete.

Hoksbergen compares the pipes to “a giant cobweb” and says natural materials were chosen to create “a raw but warm atmosphere.”

Called Barber Amsterdam, the shaving salon is housed in a 19th-century shop in the city centre.

See an installation of pipes covering an abandoned house in São Paulo in our earlier story.

See more stories about salons | See more stories about Amsterdam

Hoksbergen was one of five graduates awarded the Dutch Archiprix for their student work in June.

Above: floor plan

The post Barber Amsterdam
by Ard Hoksbergen appeared first on Dezeen.

The elegant Leverus door handle was designed to feature extra length so that you can open the door with ease. So easy that even a nudge with your elbow will open doors! Crafted from chrome-plated metal, the handle fits into any lifestyle perfectly; just have a big enough door!

Designer: Art Lebedev Studio

–
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store – We are about more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the YD Store!
(Open Sesame was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Open Sesame!
2. Open House!
3. Big Open Love Bus

Russian studio Za Bor Architects have furnished the new St. Petersburg offices of internet company Yandex like the desktop of a computer, with pixellated backgrounds and huge icons (+ slideshow).

The offices are organised along a 200-metre-long corridor, where screens and shelves take the shape of a music play button, cursor arrows, the @ symbol and even a Pacman logo.

A printing station is concealed behind a large bulbous clock and meeting rooms are framed by ribbon-like shapes and coloured curtains.

The reception desk resembles a text box, like one where a computer user inputs their username or password.

Yandex is currently the largest search engine is Russia and the architects explain how they wanted to give guests the impression of being ”inside the Yandex search service.”

We’ve also featured interiors of other technology companies, including Google, Facebook and Skype – see them all here.

See all our stories about office interiors »

Photography is by Peter Zaytsev.

Here’s a project description from Za Bor Architects:

It is indicative that this office is to some extent a return to the roots of cooperation of za bor architects and the largest Russian IT-corporation Yandex.

The first office developed for Yandex by za bor architects is in the same building of the Benois business center in Saint Petersburg, but on a lower floor. In 2008 it was a brilliant premiere published by almost all the leading architecture and design media in Russia. The project has picked up many awards.

Four years later za bor architects and Yandex had decided to repeat the success on a larger scale – Yandex Saint-Petersburg office II is almost twice as large as the previous one – it houses the entire fourth floor of the building and has a corridor about 200 meters long (total floor area 3310 sqm), but size doesn’t matter, clients wanted an “extraordinary office like no other.”

So the architects had at least two challenges – first to organize a very complex space outstretched along a central corridor axis. The second challenge was to make the office a showy and impressive.

After a long thought Peter Zaytsev, and Arseniy Borisenko, the project architects, decided to use the double loaded zoning, with meeting cells, work areas, and unusual objects located along the corridor. The unusual objects being provided with a particular function. As a result of this concept implementation, guests find themselves inside the Yandex search service: at the reception they are met by a well-known “Search” button and a yellow arrow (an unofficial Yandex logo and a significant part of the web-site).

While passing the corridors they see the familiar user name and email password input boxes, and at each step they meet symbols and icons of Yandex services, although they are not always easy to recognize as tiny pixel icons, had turned into 3D objects.

The office guests receive a unique transcendental background, the one of which Aldous Huxley hadn’t even dreamed of. Visitors find themselves both in an amazing space which architects had transformed from linear into 3D, observing the pixel objects which grew to gigantic proportions.

Thus, according to the architects conception, guests and employees of the office are involved into Yandex net services, to which they are accustomed to work with exclusively in 2D screen. That is why in some places miniature “icons”, which grew to giant size are breaking to large volume “pixels” sprouting from the walls.

Bright colors, spots scattered here and there, guide visitors through the office and cheering up the office staff.

Speaking of function, many of the major elements seem to be decorative only at first glance. The spiral elements for example are separating the informal communication zone from the corridor. The casted polymer “jellyfish” clocks contain network printers station, etc.

The project has turned out rather complex, the first thing because no one did such things before, not only in Saint Petersburg but even in Russia. Therefore, many solutions are made on the spot during on-site designer supervision.

The difficulties were not caused by 3D objects – they are made according to advertising designs technologies (their cages are filled with polystyrene foam, meeting all standards of fire and environmental safety).

On the other hand – the ceiling, build up of original “blades” was extremely difficult to install.

As Yandex offices have twenty-four-hours operation schedule, the project was provided with variety of well-developed recreation zones.

In addition to working areas and rooms, the office has a gym, cafeteria, showers, and several coffee-points.

The number of formal and informal points for negotiation, two lecture halls, and workplaces perfectly equipped with Herman Miller and Walter Knoll systems, make this office a place of attraction, fascinate visitors, and surely makes work very enjoyable pastime.

Plan – click above for larger image 

The post Yandex Saint Petersburg Office II
by Za Bor Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

The floors and ceilings are covered in the same boards in this tiny Tokyo apartment renovated by Japanese architects TANK.

The apartment in Sangenjaya originally comprised a series of small rooms leading off from a narrow hallway.

The architects removed the partition walls and placed two bedrooms and a closet behind wooden sliding doors.

The bedrooms and closet are not completely boxed in – gaps between the walls and ceiling allow light to pass through.

Lauan wood, a type of tropical hardwood, has been used for the floors, ceilings and sliding doors.

The bathroom and large kitchen are positioned on the other side of the hallway.

Another project by TANK we’ve featured on Dezeen is a Tokyo apartment with removable patches of carpet to be used as flip flops.

Photographs are by TANK.

Here’s some more information from TANK:

House D by TANK

The renovation is for a husband and wife with two kids, located near Sangenjaya in Tokyo. This project started with the problem of a very narrow hallway and kitchen and very small rooms. The clients wanted to change this. The clients and neighbours and friends joined in from the first meeting to the final one.

Plan – click above for larger image

We proposed to clear away existing partition walls and gathered the washroom, sanitary room and bathroom at one corner of the room. The clients also wanted rooms for two kids and a closet. We think of this house as one large dining room, so that is why we chose lauan wood for floor and ceiling and elsewhere is white.

Section facing kitchen – click above for larger image

These rooms are not completely separated from each other. Facing onto the hallway, we made seven doors as walls. So when these are opened, these room combine with the dining room. We hope this large dining room will gather family, neighbours and friends and make them very comfortable and happier.

Section facing bedrooms – click above for larger image

Project name: D
Architect: TANK
Construction management: TANK
Date: study, February 2012; construction, March 2012 – May 2012
Location: Tokyo, Japan

The post House D
by TANK appeared first on Dezeen.