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In the first instalment of Dezeen and SketchUp’s Design Workshops, Uchronia founder Julien Sebban explains how he used SketchUp’s software to create a fictional bar interior characterised by amorphous forms and soft edges. More
Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour is hosting the third edition of Wow!house, a purpose-built showhome in London exhibiting works by international designers, as seen in this video produced by Dezeen for the interiors hub.
Designers were invited to showcase their designs in separate rooms of the house over which they are given complete creative control.
Wow!house 2024 is held at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour and features 19 rooms by international designersThere are 19 custom rooms in total at Wow!house, including a study by Anahita Rigby and a Zimmer + Rohde bedroom by Tolu Adẹ̀kọ́.
“It’s about accessing all of these creatives under one roof,” says Claire German, CEO of Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour in the exclusive Dezeen video interview.
The Home Bar was created by OZA Design and draws inspiration from Western and Eastern culturesThe Home Bar was designed by OZA Design with the aim of bringing together Western and Eastern cultures.
“We wanted the guests to come on a journey… like on the Orient Express,” said OZA Design’s Alexandre Simeray.
The Zimmer + Rohde Bedroom Suite was designed by Adẹ̀kọ́ & Co. Studio.
“We want it to take guests away from what would be the normal, expected bedroom and create something quite… unusual,” said the studio’s founder Tolu Adẹ̀kọ́.
The Zimmer + Rohde Bedroom Suite was created by London-based designer Tolu Adẹ̀kọ́”Exhibiting at Wow!House means a great deal to me personally,” he went on to explain.
“Being the first British-Nigerian designer selected to work on the space and to show the public what could be done from a small studio based in southeast London.”
The House of Rohl Primary Bathroom features a painted landscape above a circular bath tubA large circular bath takes centre stage in the House of Rohl Primary Bathroom by Michaelis Boyd, which sits within an alcove with a painted dome on top.
The Study was designed by Anahita Rigby and fuses Georgian and Japanese design principles.
The Study at Wow!house features Georgian and Japanese aestheticsRigby mentioned that she was inspired by the objects people bring home from their travels abroad.
“Falling in love with something on holiday and bringing it home and it’s your new favourite thing you put on your mantelpiece… it’s what interiors are all about,” said Rigby.
German cites the “incredible” level of detail in each room, noting that the importance of the ceiling continued as a theme throughout the home. “The designers have used it as the fifth wall,” she explained.
Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour to host WOW!house 2024
Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour has stated that the materials used throughout the home will be repurposed, or returned whenever possible, while rooms such as the Martin Moore kitchen will be re-installed in a new location after the event.
There will be a programme of events, including tours of WOW!house, open to the public until 4 July 2024.
WOW!house runs from 4 June to 4 July 2024 at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour in London. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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This video was produced by Dezeen for the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
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In this video produced by Dezeen for Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier, Philippe Starck describes the “genius” of Alessandro Mendini following the opening of Io Sono Un Drago, an exhibition celebrating the designer.
French designer Starck, who has contributed an immersive installation to coincide with the exhibition, emphasised the impact that Mendini has had on his own work, citing his sprawling approach to creativity.
“Mendini is something special for me,” he said in an exclusive video interview with Dezeen. “His brain was an atomic bomb of fantasy, with no limits.”
Starck’s installation accompanies a retrospective exhibition celebrating Mendini at Milan design week, presented by cultural institutions Triennale Milano and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.
Titled Io Sono Un Drago (I am a dragon), the exhibition contains more than 600 pieces by Mendini across his 60-year career. Mendini passed away at the age of 87 in February 2019.
Mendini was a key figure in the radical design movementThe exhibition sets out to explore Mendini’s influence on 20th-century design and architecture, particularly in his multidisciplinary approach to creativity.
“Alessandro Mendini was a key figure of the last century, not just for design but also for art and architecture because he was able to link all these disciplines and blur the lines between them,” explained Michela Alessandrini, curator for Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.
“He revolutionised the idea that design is a well-drawn object,” added Triennale Milano curator Nina Bassoli.
“He worked with design as a tool for communicating art, poetry, literature, feelings.” said Bassoli.
The exhibition brings together work from across the realms of art, architecture and designThe title of the exhibition comes from a drawing of a dragon by Mendini, with different parts of its body associated with different professions. Created as an allegorical self-portrait by Mendini, the image was highlighted by the curators as a representation of Mendini’s vast breadth of work across many different practices.
“[When] talking about Mendini it is quite impossible to have a clear distinction between what is art, what is useful, what is object, what is designed,” said Bassoli.
Triennale Milano celebrates Alessandro Mendini at Milan design week
The exhibition is split into six thematic sections and opens with a section titled Identikit, which showcases a series of self-portraits Mendini created over the course of his life.
Through the display of architectural models, furniture pieces, sculptures and artworks, the show explores themes such as Mendini’s architectural practice with the Atelier Mendini workshop, his experiments with postmodernism and radical design, and his research within design theory.
Mendini created an optical illusion-like installation towards the end of his careerThree installations created by Mendini towards the end of his life also feature in the exhibition, and engage with the concepts of dreams and nightmares.
Starck’s installation, titled What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini, is located in the Triennale’s Impluvium space, in accompaniment to the main exhibition.
The audiovisual installation was designed to take viewers into a sensory journey through Mendini’s mind.
The installation uses surreal visual projections and fragmented audio to immerse the viewer. Image by Delfino Sisto Legnani DSL Studio, courtesy of Triennale Milano”When you arrive in this room you receive Alessandro,” said Starck. “You receive his eyes, his face, his voice. I tried to create what I think is inside his brain.”
“What I learned from Mendini is that the real geniuses are always kind,” he added. “There are no bad geniuses. If they are bad, they are not a genius.”
The installation will be displayed until 13 October and was conceived, designed and directed by Starck.
The exhibition was curated by Fulvio Irace, with exhibition design by designer Pierre Charpin.
Io Sono Un Drago is open to the public at the Triennale Milano 13 April to 13 October. What? A homage to Alessandro Mendini runs from the 16 April to 13 October. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place throughout the week.
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This video was produced by Dezeen for Triennale as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
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Swiss homeware brand V-Zug has opened its inaugural Milan showroom, combining soft hues and natural materials with high-tech appliances, as captured in this video produced by Dezeen.
Called V-Zug Studio Milan, the showroom was designed by Italian architect and interior designer Elisa Ossino to encapsulate a “poetic simplicity” through blending objects crafted from natural materials with appliances featuring reflective surfaces.
[embedded content]V-Zug Studio Milan has opened its doors during Milan design week
The studio showcases V-Zug’s homeware products and kitchen appliances, such as ovens, cooktops and steamers, which are contrasted by furniture pieces created by Ossino in collaboration with artist Henry Timi.
According to V-Zug’s global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon, the open-plan interiors are designed to evoke a “sense of hospitality” for its visitors.
V-Zug’s minimal Milan showroom showcases its home appliancesThe space is characterised by a neutral colour palette of soft hues, which create a subtle contrast with the materials incorporated throughout the space, such as sculpted stone and mirrored surfaces.
The showroom is flooded with ample natural light emanating from large glazings, while an off-white monolithic staircase with large circular openings cuts through the space.
The showroom features sculptural objects and artworks by Ossino and TimiOverlooking the Piazza San Marco, the studio marks the company’s flagship showroom located in Italy, following the recent openings of its studios across Germany, Austria and Australia.
V-Zug Studio Milan is open to visitors from Monday to Friday during this year’s Milan design week.
The showroom’s open-plan interiors are defined by a soft colour paletteIn addition to hosting a series of talks throughout the week, V-Zug has also created a sculptural installation titled Time and Matter at Pinacoteca di Brera, which further explores the relationship between human experiences, design and technology.
See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
Partnership content
This video was produced by Dezeen for V-Zug as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Curator Lotte Johnson discusses the transformative power of textiles in this video produced by Dezeen for the Barbican’s latest exhibition.
Titled Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art, the exhibition examines how textiles have been employed to explore themes spanning power, oppression, gender and belonging.
It features over 100 works that make use of textile, fibre and thread from over 50 artists from across the globe, spanning from the 1960s to the present day.
The exhibition explores how artists have used textiles to express their lived experienceThe exhibition is designed to challenge the perception of textiles being solely domestic or craft practices and instead features textile works that relate a story of resistance and rebellion as well as pieces that present narratives of emancipation and joy.
Johnson explained that textiles offer a meaningful medium to express personal and political issues due to their tactile nature and intimate connection to daily life.
“Textiles are one of the most under-examined mediums in art history and in fact history itself,” Johnson said. “They are an intrinsic part of our everyday lives. When we’re born, we’re shrouded in a piece of fabric. Everyday we wrap ourselves in textiles,” she continued.
“They’re really this very intimate, tactile part of our lives and therefore perhaps the most intrinsic, meaningful way to express ourselves.”
Feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Birth Project depicts birth as a mystical and confrontational processThe exhibition is structured into six thematic sections. The first, called Subversive Stitch, presents works that challenge binary conceptions of gender and sexuality.
The section includes feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Birth Project, which vividly depicts the glory, pain and mysticism of giving birth, as well as a piece from South African artist Nicholas Hlobo, which, despite initially appearing as a painting, is made using ribbon and leather stitched into a canvas.
Another section of the exhibition is titled Bearing Witness, which brings together artists who employ textiles to confront and protest political injustices and systems of violent oppression.
Artist Teresa Margolles creates collective tapestries that trigger conversations on police brutalityIncluded in this section are tapestries by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles that commemorate the lives of individuals including Eric Garner and Jadeth Rosano López.
Garner was an African-American man killed in 2014 by NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put Garner into a chokehold during arrest. López was a seventeen-year old-girl assassinated in Panama City.
Margolles used fabric that had been placed in contact with the victims’ deceased bodies and collaborated with embroiderers from their respective local communities to create the tapestries.
The Wound and Repair sections includes work from American artist and activist Harmony Hammond’s Bandaged Grid series, in which layered fabric is used to evoke imagery reminiscent of an injured body.
Tau Lewis’ fabric assemblages offer new narratives of black historiesWhile violence and brutality are key themes examined in the exhibition, it also showcases how textiles can be used to create narratives of hope. The final, most expansive section of the exhibition is titled Ancestral Threads, which encompasses works created to inspire a sense of optimism and reconnect with ancestral practices.
“This section not only explores artists processing exploitative and violent colonial and imperialist histories, but also celebrates the artists who are re-summoning and relearning ancient knowledge systems to imagine a different kind of future,” Johnson explained.
Canadian multimedia artist Tau Lewis’s work titled The Coral Reef Preservation Society is a patchwork assemblage of recycled fabrics and seashells including fragments of textured denim.
The work pays homage to the enslaved women and children thrown overboard in the Middle Passage, the historical transportation route used during the Atlantic slave trade. These women and children have been reimagined as underwater sea creatures to transform the narrative into one of regeneration.
Vicuña revives the art of the quipu in her installation Quipu AustralA large installation by Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña titled Quipu Austral is situated towards the end of the exhibition. The installation takes the form of billowing ribbons hanging from the ceiling.
Vicuña references quipu, a form of recording used by a number cultures in Andean South America. Quipu was a ancient writing system which used knotted textile cords to communicate information.
Resolve Collective reimagines role of institutions in Barbican installation
Other sections in the exhibition include Fabric of Everyday, which explores the daily uses of textiles, as well as Borderlands, which examines how textiles have been used to challenge ideas around belonging.
These sections feature works such as Shelia Hicks’ colourful woven bundles and Margarita Cabrera’s soft sculpture cacti crafted from reclaimed US border patrol uniforms.
Mexican-American artist Margarita Cabrera uses reclaimed border patrol uniforms in her work”We hope that people might come out of this exhibition feeling invigorated and moved by the stories of resilience and rebellion embedded in the work but also hope and emancipation,” Johnson said.
“I hope that the show might inspire people to pick up a needle and thread themselves and use it to express their own lived experience.”
The show is a partnership between the Barbican and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and was co-curated by Barbican curators Johnson, Wells Fray-Smith and Diego Chocano, in collaboration with Amanda Pinatih from the Stedelijk.
Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art is at the Barbican Centre until 26 May 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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This video was produced by Dezeen for the Barbican Centre as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
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Electronics brand LG OLED has collaborated with American street artist Shepard Fairey to exhibit digital versions of his artworks in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.
Called Peace and Justice, the installation is being presented at Frieze art fair in Los Angeles and features select works by Fairey that address global issues while advocating for positive change.
Dezeen has produced an exclusive video for LG OLED
Fairey was directly involved in the design of the installation space, which features a reimagined version of his 2018 piece Damaged Wrong Path Mural.
Other works presented at the exhibition include Fairey’s 2023 Swan Song print, a reflection on the state of the environment, as well as a piece titled Make Art Not War, echoing the 1960s anti-war slogan “make love, not war.”
The video explores artworks reimagined by Shepard Fairey for Frieze Los AngelesFairey is the founder of OBEY Clothing and is widely known for his Hope portrait of Barack Obama – which was widely circulated during the 2008 US presidential election campaign – as well as a series of posters called We the People that were released the day before the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017.
The LG OLED Art initiative invites artists to exhibit digital versions of their works using LG OLED TVs.
The exhibit includes Fairey’s Damaged Wrong Path Mural with added digital elementsEach pixel in the OLED TVs emits its own light and can be controlled individually, creating an emissive display that was designed to produce accurate colour reproduction.
The LG OLED TVs currently on show at Frieze Los Angeles aim to accurately express the prominent red tones in Fairey’s artwork.
The LG OLED Art installation is on display at Frieze Los Angeles until 3 MarchLG OLED Art has collaborated with over 27 artists from around the world, including Anish Kapoor, Barry X Ball, Damien Hirst, the late Kim Whanki and Kevin McCoy.
The photography is by LG Electronics.
Frieze Los Angeles takes place from 29 February to 3 March 2024 at Santa Monica Airport. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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This article was written by Dezeen as part of a partnership with LG OLED. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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Father and son architect duo Luís and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade explain how they furnished Lisbon’s Art Legacy Hotel entirely with Moooi products in this video produced by Dezeen for the Dutch furniture brand.
Lisbon practice Rebelo De Andrade designed the interiors of the five star Art Legacy Hotel, located in the Baixa-Chiado district in the city’s centre.
The hotel is notable for its exclusive use of Moooi products and rooms with bold primary colour schemes.
Art Legacy Hotel is a five star hotel in Lisbon”Hospitality is always about image and stories,” said Luís Rebelo De Andrade, founder of the studio, in the exclusive Dezeen video interview. “We wanted the guests, when they come to this hotel, to have a completely unexpected experience.”
“So, we proposed to our client that we make a hotel with only Moooi products, to give it a very strong identity.”
IDEO designs Pallana suspension lamp with adjustable ring lights for Moooi
Moooi’s products were used throughout the hotel, including carpets, furniture, lighting, wall coverings and art pieces.
“Moooi is everywhere in the building,” said Tiago Rebelo De Andrade, who is partner and principal architect at the studio and Luís Rebelo De Andrade’s son. “When you enter the hotel, all the colours, all the textures, all the furniture from Moooi helps us to tell a different story in every floor.
Rebelo De Andrade furnished the Art Legacy Hotel entirely with Moooi productsThe project is a renovation of a historical office building. Alongside overhauling the hotel’s interior, Rebelo De Andrade also redesigned its facade.
According to Tiago Rebelo De Andrade, Moooi’s blend of modernity and classical references suited the studio’s approach to designing the hotel’s interiors.
“Moooi is classic but in a way that can also be modern,” he said. “It’s a modern-classic building.”
Art Legacy Hotel is a renovation of a historic building in Lisbon’s centreLuís Rebelo De Andrade decided to partner with Moooi on the hotel’s interiors after visiting the brand’s Museum of Extinct Animals exhibition at Milan design week in 2018.
Each room in the Art Legacy Hotel has either a blue, red, yellow or green colour scheme, with matching wall coverings, furniture and tiling in the bathrooms.
“When I first met Moooi’s products, I felt that it uses a lot of primary colours,” he said. “So I used primary colours in a very strong way in the hotel. They are colours that provoke you.”
Moooi’s lighting, furniture, wall coverings and carpets are used throughout Art Legacy HotelIn the video interview, the duo also discussed their working relationship.
“My son, he provokes me,” said Luís Rebelo De Andrade. “We had to educate ourselves on how to work together.”
“I offer my experience, he offers his youth in projects,” he continued. “So I think it’s a good mix.”
Rebelo De Andrade used primary colour schemes in Art Legacy Hotel’s rooms”It’s difficult because it’s a father and son relationship,” added Tiago Rebelo De Andrade. “We are always arguing, but at the end of the day, we drink a bottle of wine so that we can make peace with each other.”
Other recent projects from Moooi include the IDEO-designed Pallana suspension lamp, made up of adjustable ring lights, and the rope-like Knitty Chair designed by Nika Zupanc.
The photography is by João Guimarães.
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This video was produced by Dezeen for Moooi as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.
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Texas studio Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has designed the common areas for a 50-storey residential high-rise building in Austin, as shown in this exclusive video captured by Dezeen.
Called 44 East, the building is located east of downtown Austin in the Rainey Street Historic district. The firm designed the interiors of the building’s common areas, which take cues from its natural surroundings, particularly the neighbouring Colorado River.
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has designed the interiors of 44 East
The practice enhanced the space using colour and texture, layering vintage and custom furnishings to create a relaxed and inviting ambience.
Curved surfaces and light colours are incorporated throughout the space, with poured concrete terrazzo floors incorporated to pay homage to the gravel of the nearby riverside trail.
Curved surfaces and light colours are incorporated into the lobby area of 44 EastThe interior is characterised by the use of soft shapes and natural materials throughout the various spaces, including on the eleventh floor, where pastel hues complement subtle architectural details.
The outdoor swimming pool features a series of pebble-shaped islands, with a partially-covered patio inviting guests to relax outside and enjoy the views of the river.
The eleventh floor features a circular outdoor swimming poolOn the thirty-seventh floor, a large moon-like pendant light is suspended above a plush circular sofa.
The higher vantage point offers scenic views of downtown Austin, and features jewel tones and darker materials intended to complement the Texas skyline at dusk.
The thirty-seventh floor features darker tones to complement views of the Texas skyline44 East was developed by Intracorp, while the tower and unit interiors were designed by Page and landscapes designed by DWG.
The interior design of the common spaces is one of the latest projects by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, which is based in Austin and Houston.
The company recently completed its self-designed Austin studio, which is adorned in wood-and-fabric lined walls and industrial details, to accommodate its growing team.
The photography is by Chase Daniel.
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This video was produced by Dezeen for Michael Hsu Office of Architecture as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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This exclusive video produced by Dezeen features The Perch, architect Nicole Blair’s elevated house extension in Austin, which was designed to maximise living space.
As its name suggests, the structure is perched just two feet above the roof of the existing home to minimise disturbance to the residence below.
Blair clad the guesthouse in weathering-steel panels and added wood-framed windows provided by Windsor Windows & Doors. The Burnt Pumpkin colour of the windows was selected to complement the Corten-steel exterior.
The structure spans 660 square feet and consists of an irregularly shaped steel volume supported by four columns.
The assembly of the steel structure took place offsite, in order to minimise disruption to the mature vegetation on the premises and reduce on-site material storage.
The wood-clad windows were provided by Windsor Windows & DoorsThe architect designed the interior of the guesthouse to have a bright, airy atmosphere and adorned it with colourful accents.
It features wood flooring supplied and installed by local company Artisan Hardwood Floors, which was complemented with pink cabinetry and exposed plumbing fittings throughout the home.
The materials used for the wood flooring were a mix of pre-finished plain and rift-sawn white oak, along with excess wood recycled from a larger project by the company.
The wood flooring was supplied and installed by Artisan Hardwood FloorsThe first floor of the guesthouse encompasses an open-concept kitchen, living room and dining area with compact footprints and vaulted ceilings for an increased sense of space.
The upper level includes a room facing the street and another overlooking the backyard, designated for use as a guest bedroom and a hair salon for one of the hairstylist owners.
The photography is by Casey Dunn.
Partnership content
This video was produced by Dezeen for Windsor Windows & Doors and Artisan Hardwood Floors as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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