Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2011: Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka has filled Moroso‘s showroom with mist to present his new Moon chair for the Italian brand in Milan.

Called Twilight, the installation comprised artificial smoke hanging in the air with beams of light streaming through.

More information about the Moon chair in our earlier story.

The installation is open at Via Pontaccio 8-10 until the end of today.See all our stories about Milan 2011 »

More about Tokujin Yoshioka on Dezeen »
More about Moroso on Dezeen »

The following text is from Tokujin Yoshioka:

Twilight

Nature is beautiful, yet the unimaginable energy inheres behind its beauty. Its beauty uplifts our emotion, and resonant in our heart, yet sometimes shows its threatening expression.

We have witnessed nature’s threats with our own eyes, and we have been reminded by the the importance of living with nature. I would like to think deeply about the nature and continue persuing the creation that seeks and express its elements of the beauty. With the deepest hopes in our future, I am presenting an exhibition “TWILIGHT-Tokujin Yoshioka” at MOROSO Showroom.

Creating the space with the light and the aura, I will display a new chair series “MOON.” “MOON” is the chair as if sculpted from this beautiful rounded shape of the Moon.

In this exhibition, the light reflects on the surface of the chairs and reveals the beauty of the various textures exist in the different kinds of white materials, such as plastics, and unique fabrics.

The space would remind people of the natural phenomenon, known as the angel’s ladder, and will bring visitors the celestial experience as if embraced by the natural world.

I hope the light of “TWILIGHT” will glow within people’s heart all over the world.

See also:

.

Snow by Tokujin Yoshioka	Rainbow Church by Tokujin Yoshioka	Snowflake by Tokujin Yoshioka

Milan 2011: visitors lower objects into pits of molten wax then hang them from the ceiling to solidify in this installation created by students of the Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design in Geneva at workshops with designer Matali Crasset and curator Alexandra Midal.

Called Dip in Space, the room at Tortona Design Week has a sloping floor to accommodate the vats of wax beneath, with a round wooden structure and pulley system for dipping built round each one.

The environment will change constantly as the week progresses and more parts are coated in red wax.

The installation remains on show until 17 April at Via Tortona 32, Milan. See all our stories about Milan 2011 »

See all our stories about Matali Crasset »

Photographs are by Baptiste Coulon.

Here are some more details from Head – Genève:

Third participation by Head – Genève in the Milan International Furniture Fair : the exhibition Dip in Space, a festive environment celebrating design created by its students in a workshop led by matali crasset and Alexandra Midal is to be found from 12 to 17 April in the heart of the vibrant Zona Tortona. Created during a series of workshops directed by matali crasset in 2010-2011, the exhibition Dip in Space brought together students from the Spaces and communication Masters in Design and the Bachelors courses in Fashion Design and Interior Architecture / Space Design.

Although the design generally presented in Milan is evaluated according to functional criteria, Dip in Space offers a new approach to the means of creating and standardizing space. Left to its cyclothymias, Dip in Space is divided up into two worlds : the first, with glowing red magma set above the platform, represents the mind of the designer in full ferment, while the second invites visitors to experiment, in a fun and convivial way, with the invention and production of forms. They are invited to dip supports into wax-filled containers from which they withdraw objects, each one of them unique. The forms they produce are assembled in situ to constitute a collective work in progress. A quasi-organic space, Dip in Space celebrates the plasticity of matter and the amusing creation of forms.

Throughout the exhibition, walls and objects will gradually blend together to form a single entity in which, from the clothing worn by the representatives to the cocktails served to visitors, the seating places/points and the projected images, everything combines to form a « total art work ». The continually metamorphosing environment illustrates how design is a place for individual, participatory and democratic inventiveness.

A sensorial oasis of relaxation and calm, Dip in Space offers a fun and convivial interlude amid the frenzy of Milan during Design Week. Offbeat and festive, the exhibition encourages us to reconsider the issues of contemporary design by transcending the primacy of function in favour of experience.

Dip in Space: Head – Genève with matali crasset
Torneria 3 – Tortona Locations Via Tortona 32, Milan Exhibition runs from 12 to 17 April 2011, 10.00 – 21.00

See also:

.

Double Side by Matali Crasset	Quand Jim se Relaxe by Matali Crasset	Chambre d’Ami by Matali Crasset

Faceted chocolate-brown panels line the walls of this chocolatiers’s shop in Brussels designed by Minale Design Strategy.

A triangular relief at the top of the walls gives way to a flat, regular grid further down, making way for display cases.

Located on the city’s Grand Place, the Maison des Maîtres Chocolatiers Belges sells chocolate by ten master chocolatiers.

Minale Design Strategy also created the branding and identity for the shop.

More stories about retail on Dezeen »

The information that follows is from the designers:

A chocolate jewel case for chocolate gems

From outside, one is drawn in by the originality of this boutique.Once past its glass entryway, the Maison des Maîtres Chocolatiers Belges strikes the senses of the visitor with its bold singularity. The single floor-to-ceiling chocolate color treatment of this triangular space definitely stirs emotional response.

The three dimensions of the space suggest a chocolate quarry, out of which the shop has been hewn,» explains Samuel Dubech, interior designer for Minale Design Strategy. On the walls, one notes diamond-like facets in their upper and lower zones, which visually «melt» into the floor and ceiling. The chocolate «raw materials» give way at midpoint to perfectly aligned chocolate squares from which extend glass display shelves.

The interior design echoes the transformation process of crude rock from the quarry: from the rawness of the space to the refinement of the displayed product.The orthogonal feel of the store’s two display walls offers a well-defined showcase to resident artisans. Each is provided with a dedicated space for his or her portrait, career path, birthplace and personal quote. On the floor, carved join-lines link the lower points of the wall to the straight edges of the central units that seem to push up from the floor.

Also treated to a lick of chocolate brown, they are equipped with a retro-lit glass plate to highlight the products of the Maison des Maîtres Chocolatiers Belges. They become an exhibition zone according to the events of the year. Visitors can sample pralines and more than ten varieties of hot chocolate on site.

At the center of this triangular space lies the exposition zone of the Master Chocolate Makers. Presented in a unified fashion (photo, brand, quote…), they display their creations on glass shelves, a material that echoes the precious quality of the products on show.

At the heart of a chocolate quarry

The visitor penetrates a chocolate world from top to bottom, like a chocolate quarry out of which the shop has been carved. A raw material, as if shaped by the artisan. The intrinsic character of the space is relayed by its «diamond point» design, which, under the play of careful, precise lighting, offers subtly graded chocolate tones, and creates a unique experience for the visitor. Guaranteed pure chocolate !

At the back of the store, floor and wall melt in a «waterfall» of melted chocolate. Near the counter, to the left, the fudge-hued wall turns to milky white, thus introducing the white chocolate theme that continues upstairs. The second floor «atelier» is where the Académie du Chocolat will meet and where more «scientific» demonstrations will take place. All the Maison’s architectural elements were custom designed and made to measure.

Both awards are testimonials to the importance of design in today’s consumer market, concludes Gwenaël Hanquet. A design carried through to the smallest details creates a kind of harmony that literally transcends the concept to reveal its strength. These distinctions are also proof that design is not the reserved domain of big chains; it is within the reach of all those who want to make their point of sale a living, breathing space capable of creating emotional response, while measuring up to exacting standards of profitability.

Creating emblematic brands in France, Benelux and abroad, Minale Design Strategy is a corporate and retail identity specialist.

An independent agency with offices in Paris, Brussels, London, Rome, Moscow and Brisbane, Minale Design Strategy advises businesses, property investment companies, mass-market chains, and retailers in areas of market strategy, name and brand creation, merchandising, and commercial space design.

The agency currently accompanies networks such as Delhaize, Colruyt, Multipharma, Côte d’Or, Brico, Century 21, Luxus, Conforama, Carestel

See also:

.

Godiva Chocoiste by Wonderwall	Confiserie Bachmann by HHF Architects	Kiosk at SCP by Michael Marriott

Singapore based architects Studio SKLIM created built-in platforms, seating and storage for this renovation of an office in a post-war building on the outskirts of Singapore.

Created for an IT and multi-media company, the office has been designed to retain the exisiting light fittings, ceiling and walls.

The interior includes a raised meeting space with storage space beneath.

More Chinese architecture on Dezeen »

More offices on Dezeen »

Photographs from Studio SKLIM and Jeremy San

The following is from the architects:

Thin Office
@ Jalan Besar, Singapore

CLIENT : Kido Technologies
PROGRAM : Interior Refurbishment (Office)

AREA : 120 m²
CONSTRUCTION COST : Confidential

STATUS : Completed
DESIGN ARCHITECT : Studio SKLIM

KEY PERSONNEL : Kevin Lim
MAIN PHOTOGRAPHY : Jeremy San
TIME PERIOD : 2010

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

“Work is where you are, work has become a state of mind.”
Paola Antonelli, curator of MoMA’s dept of Architecture and Design  – 2001 exhibition “Work Spheres”.

While tapping on a laptop in a cafe has become the ubiquitous platform to begin “work”,  the need for a permanent work environment for any office is still necessary in the long run.  Perhaps what has changed since the advent of  “coffee offices” has been the increasing need for flexibility within a sedentary work sphere.

The program brief was for an office space shared by an IT company and a multi-media setup.  Located in a refurbished postwar building right in Singapore’s CBD outskirts, the space was long and narrow with split levels, offering the possibility of a raised space.

Throughout the long and narrow office, the ceiling and wall conditions were left unaltered as much as possible, along with the existing light fixtures.

The designed space was to reflect the ethos of the companies: Flexibility, Technology and Creativity.  The office space was  loosely organised into 8 clusters namely: the Boss Boxes, Long Work Top , Discussion Table, Welcome Mat, Sanitary & Storage, Recharging Point, Twist Platform and Multi-media Corner.

Each of these clusters were arranged around an open plan configuration with the exception of Sanitary & Storage to allow a multifarious overlap of working trajectories.

The flexible working environment was kept in mind with the possibility of hot-desking, informal working clusters and also semi-private cubicles.  The Boss Boxes were an option for more privacy as some work required a certain level of seclusion.

Technology is a crucial aspect of any modern day office and the ease of being “connected” to either an internet network or a power source was one of the concerns of the client.  The fluctuating size of the workforce also meant flexible working spaces which could be contracted and expanded to fit the demands of this office.

The result was the “Long Work Top” which incorporated an ingenious power strip of  data points, power supply and telecommunication points to be accessible at any location along this table, expanding the number of workstations from 6 to 10 in a few minutes!

This single piece of stretched work surface became part of a greater string of furniture transforming from table top, reception seating, storage and finally  to pantry space.

The Twist Platform was a raised meeting pod that capitalised on the higher ceiling to incorporate storage beneath.

The geometry of the subtly twisting space was driven by sightlines, privacy and anthropometrics.

The unconventional form in an otherwise sleek and straightforward office space added a dynamic backdrop to the Recharging Point and provided privacy to the independent operation of the multi-media setup.

The giant overhead light fixture was a final touch to the suggestion of this event space

The essence of this “Thin Office” was a desire to remain anonymous and to provide a blank canvas for various work scenarios and possibilities.

This “thinness” was translated from the basic organisation of spaces which opened up a central thoroughfare for circulation, light and natural ventilation, through to the furniture details which celebrated the geometrical state of being folded, suspended or twisted.

See also:

.

Redhill Apartment by Studio SKLIM	WOW Sendai by Upsetters Architects	Brandbase Pallets by Most Architecture

This pharmacy in Athens by Greek studio KLab Architecture has a branching facade and green panels suspended from the ceiling inside.

Designed to resemble the structure of a tree, the interior also features green perspex cabinets and white lacquered display furniture.

More medical architecture on Dezeen »

The information below is from KLab architecture:

Pharmacy-Cosmetics store – Koukaki – Athens

In one of the oldest neighborhoods of Athens close to the new Acropolis museum KLab architects were commissioned to create a new pharmacy-cosmetics store on the ground floor of an apartment building.

Our approach was to create a context within the certain context that existed. The scenario of a pharmacy come out of nature contributed to the idea that nature coexists with technology innovation to create pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. As response to that we exposed a tech-nature environment a lab within the nature within the city.

Branches as a dislocated shadow phenomenon of the adjacent trees create and protect the façade and the products from the heat and the sun. Like trees holding the old apartment building, disassociate the urban typology to create an eye catching façade.

In the interior emphasis was given to the ceiling and to the exposed concrete columns that represent the forest.

The reception desk follows the concept and becomes the center of the store.

Perspex and white lacquered shelves designed by Klab create a unique display atmosphere.

A metallic stair leads to the lower level a lab area where prescriptions are been produced and an office space.

Alternatively the area can be used for seminars and larger items display space. The stairs wall is being engraved with plaster and lighting creating plant morphing shapes.

KLab architecture

Konstantinos Labrinopoulos principal architect
team: Kostis Anagnostakis, Mark Chapman
Area: 300m2
Koukaki, Athens, Greece

See also:

.

Bar Guru Bar by KLab Architecture	House in Andros by KLab architects	F-zein offices by KLab architects