Maarten Baas might have designed some of the coolest time pieces in decades but I don’t see them on my bedside table. The Grandfather clock, for instance, wouldn’t fit and it’s actually kind of creepy. This Sonoro sleek black box on the other hand…
A bunch of new hotels have opened (or soon will open) all over the globe…here’s 3 of my favourite. Well worth checking out for a little interiors inspiration.
1. W Barcelona. W anything is a good thing. I love this hotel chain. This new one is Western Europe’s first W (33rd all up). Architect Ricardo Bofill designed the building – part of a push to energize the port area of Barcelona. The interiors look rather tame, but terribly tasteful.
2. The Crosby Hotel. OK OK I know it hasn’t opened yet – but it will. So very soon. And Kit Kemp does a great job with her interiors of this Soho hotel. It’s the Londoner’s first foray into the US. Kemp has a way with colours and textures – I love the black walls below with that crisp white bed. For more read The Independent’s interview with Kit Kemp here.
3. Maison Moschino. This Milan hotel will open … soon (the website says October and it is taking bookings). Looks amazing.
Australian design store Top 3 By Design just got these lovely cubby houses in – they were launched in Milan this year by Magis. Very cool. They remind me of a Dubuffet sculpture (bottom).
Better late than never. The New York Times finally jumps on the Milanese bandwagon. It was worth the wait. They corralled one of my most favourite photographers- Todd Selby to document 12 designers who are under 40 and made a splash at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair. Numbers always frame a story beautifully, don’t you think? We had covered a few of the designers in Belle – Sayaka Yamamoto and Boaz Cohen, BCXSY and Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, Raw-Edges. But there were faces I hadn’t seen before. It’s always interesting to connect a person to their design. I like Maarten De Ceulaer’s (above) stack of leather suitcases much more now that I’ve seen what he looks like. He’s a 25-year-old graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven. I saw the makeshift wardrobe at ICFF and was taken by its sculptural quality and its fine detailing. But seeing the designer and how young he is makes it even more impressive. Also one I will keep an eye on is Philippe Malouin. Ingenious shelving – it’s the George Nelson bench meets Home Depot (below).
Sometimes I find myself ignoring some good stuff because it’s cheap. Cheap doesn’t always mean junk. I was reminded of that reading about IKEA’s foray in Milan on Inside Out magazine’s new blog. The magazine’s editor, Karen McCartney, is an old friend of mine and we had talked about how best to take magazines online. I like what they’ve done with Inside Out. I know the constraints they were working under and I think the newsy immediacy of it feels just right. It carries the brand cleanly online in a very simple way.
But back to IKEAThey launched a new PS collection in Milan this year and it’s great. I can’t wait for it to be in store here. See just a small taste below.
MILAN: New from Zaha Hadid. Genesy floorlamp for Artemide. So very her…via Dezeen.
