Clockwise from top left: in the narrow streets of the old city of Corfu, house in Lefkada, St. Spyridon in Corfu, old house near the seaside in Lefkada, the main street of Lefkada, old house in Corfu.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Summer inspiration: cream
Neutral, soothing, practical: cream color
Clockwise from top left: in the narrow streets of the old city of Corfu, house in Lefkada, St. Spyridon in Corfu, old house near the seaside in Lefkada, the main street of Lefkada, old house in Corfu.
Clockwise from top left: in the narrow streets of the old city of Corfu, house in Lefkada, St. Spyridon in Corfu, old house near the seaside in Lefkada, the main street of Lefkada, old house in Corfu.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Summer inspiration - the color red
This time, inspiration comes from red: red in objects, in nature, in buildings.
Clockwise from top left: Chinese objects from the Asian Art Museum in Corfu, sunset in Igoumenitsa, the Cathedral in Corfu, house near Corfu port.
Clockwise from top left: Chinese objects from the Asian Art Museum in Corfu, sunset in Igoumenitsa, the Cathedral in Corfu, house near Corfu port.
Summer inspiration - life goes on...The color green
I decided to post photos from my holidays as groups of inspirations - from colors to textures to objects etc. First one, my favorite color, green.
Clockwise, from top left: a house from Lefkada, Chinese sculptures from the Asian Art Museum in Corfu, the dome of the Asian Art Museum in Corfu (Palace of Saints Michael & George), Chinese pediment sculptures from the museum, ruins of castle near Lefkada, pine at the castle in Parga, orange house (clad with wavy metal sheeting due to earthquakes) in Lefkada's main street, waters of Pamvotida lake in Ioannina.
Clockwise, from top left: a house from Lefkada, Chinese sculptures from the Asian Art Museum in Corfu, the dome of the Asian Art Museum in Corfu (Palace of Saints Michael & George), Chinese pediment sculptures from the museum, ruins of castle near Lefkada, pine at the castle in Parga, orange house (clad with wavy metal sheeting due to earthquakes) in Lefkada's main street, waters of Pamvotida lake in Ioannina.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Ted Noten - quirky in acrylic!
Spotted in Design Sponge:Ted Noten, whose acrylic designs are edgy and desirable.
This bag is called "Murdered Innocence":
Some pieces look lice ice-encased future fossil finds. The "Meat Bag":
There is an online shop too:loved the rings!
The "Ring For A Chess Player":
The "Design Icon Rings":
And my favourite, the "Ice Pick Bag". The choice of names is great too!
This bag is called "Murdered Innocence":
Some pieces look lice ice-encased future fossil finds. The "Meat Bag":
There is an online shop too:loved the rings!
The "Ring For A Chess Player":
The "Design Icon Rings":
And my favourite, the "Ice Pick Bag". The choice of names is great too!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Greek National Tourism Organization stand
This year's International Book Fair at Thessaloniki had Travel as a theme. The Greek National Tourism Organization of course was asked to participate. Having had a good background history with them this year, we were selected to design their stand - and I did keep the look of the stand in line with our previous work for them in Europe.
They had an island stand, all sides were open. The "back" side was looking over the hall cafeteria, not a pretty sight. So I decided to place the storage room there and use the rest of the space for the other functions. The concept of the raining postcards was used again with great effect:this time I decided to add paper boats on the floor, supposedly made from book pages, to signify the travels that one can make simply by reading a book.
Again the curtains of floss strings were used on the long sides of the stand, making a light divide between the lounge area and the hall aisles. By using them at opposite sides and on different points, I managed to create the illusion from afar that the stand had the curtains all around it.
The need of a reception at the front was a bit overwhelming for the size and position of the stand, but we framed it with the olive trees in their big planters combined with literature holders, so it looked a bit better. Have in mind that the budget was really low for this and the time from getting the green light to the show opening was 5 days. That had to incorporate all material orders, printing the graphics and the actual set up.
I will be posting photos from this stand too as soon as they come in.
Hellenic Chamber of Hotels stand
Since I have no photos yet of this project, I will post the renderings. I did this last April in Athens, at the Tourism Panorama Exhibition, for the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels.
The stand was a bit difficult as it was like a wide corridor, front and back open and sides closed. Plus, it had a hall column near the back open side. This immediately fixed the position of the storage room. This is a view from above:
Having solved that, the rest was pretty easy as layout was concerned:they needed a reception area and a lounge area, so that was achieved with placing a divider near the front of the stand. The problem was the concept - how to present the Chamber to the visitors?
Since the exhibition takes place in the spring and is mainly focused on Greek visitors getting info for their vacations in the approaching summer (Greek are notoriously late at booking their holidays), we decided that the concept would be the sea. How to achieve that in the corridor?
I used the length of the stand to my advantage:on the long side, a series of tall panels was raised, each having a small flat screen at the front, punctuated by a bubble light fixture above it. All screens would show the same clip on a loop, sea waves gently crashing on the beach, with the appropriate sound as a background soundtrack to the stand, to make people feel relaxed and welcome. The floor below enforced this with a special inlaid showcase of sand and pebbles for the whole length of this installation:
The divider was covered on both sides with excellent graphics designed by my talented colleague Zoi Gazilla, that enveloped it with the sea and its symbols:dolphins, sea horses, ships etc. The lounge area was particularly enhanced with this . You felt like you were sitting on an island terrace in the Aegean Sea.
The client loved it and did not make a single change. We incorporated some tourism photographs in the graphics at the back of the stand and also the logo of the client combined with the sea graphic in a sign on the storage room walls, as I wanted to keep things a bit minimal. It worked well at the show too - even competitors gave me compliments for the stand!
When I get real photos of this, I will post them for comparison - although the renderings do look almost exactly like the finished product.
The stand was a bit difficult as it was like a wide corridor, front and back open and sides closed. Plus, it had a hall column near the back open side. This immediately fixed the position of the storage room. This is a view from above:
Having solved that, the rest was pretty easy as layout was concerned:they needed a reception area and a lounge area, so that was achieved with placing a divider near the front of the stand. The problem was the concept - how to present the Chamber to the visitors?
Since the exhibition takes place in the spring and is mainly focused on Greek visitors getting info for their vacations in the approaching summer (Greek are notoriously late at booking their holidays), we decided that the concept would be the sea. How to achieve that in the corridor?
I used the length of the stand to my advantage:on the long side, a series of tall panels was raised, each having a small flat screen at the front, punctuated by a bubble light fixture above it. All screens would show the same clip on a loop, sea waves gently crashing on the beach, with the appropriate sound as a background soundtrack to the stand, to make people feel relaxed and welcome. The floor below enforced this with a special inlaid showcase of sand and pebbles for the whole length of this installation:
The divider was covered on both sides with excellent graphics designed by my talented colleague Zoi Gazilla, that enveloped it with the sea and its symbols:dolphins, sea horses, ships etc. The lounge area was particularly enhanced with this . You felt like you were sitting on an island terrace in the Aegean Sea.
The client loved it and did not make a single change. We incorporated some tourism photographs in the graphics at the back of the stand and also the logo of the client combined with the sea graphic in a sign on the storage room walls, as I wanted to keep things a bit minimal. It worked well at the show too - even competitors gave me compliments for the stand!
When I get real photos of this, I will post them for comparison - although the renderings do look almost exactly like the finished product.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Cut - a hair salon!
Today I am happy to post the photos of the Cut hair salon, a project done by two young Greek architects, Elina Karanastasi and Sofia Vyzoviti: the matrix_g.sea team. Although they both tend to work more with urban design and architecture, they do side projects like this - lucky for us! The hair salon is in Larissa, one of the biggest cities of Greece and birthplace of Elina.
The key word for the design process was the proposed name for the hair salon, "Cut". The narrow rectangular space was wrapped in a plasterboard envelope and eleven movable synthetic leather panels interspersed inside it to simultaneously create the areas needed for the salon to work and at the same time unite the space into one. Horizontal and vertical lighting cuts signal a succession of functional units. The synthetic leather panels were cut in eleven different patterns that work with gravity and combine designed and random optical filtering.
The whole feel is sci-fi meets Vogue - Peter Lindbergh must do one of his famous alien photo shoots here soon!
Check their blog for more photos of this space and to see their work - the ladies are very talented!
The key word for the design process was the proposed name for the hair salon, "Cut". The narrow rectangular space was wrapped in a plasterboard envelope and eleven movable synthetic leather panels interspersed inside it to simultaneously create the areas needed for the salon to work and at the same time unite the space into one. Horizontal and vertical lighting cuts signal a succession of functional units. The synthetic leather panels were cut in eleven different patterns that work with gravity and combine designed and random optical filtering.
The whole feel is sci-fi meets Vogue - Peter Lindbergh must do one of his famous alien photo shoots here soon!
Check their blog for more photos of this space and to see their work - the ladies are very talented!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Ecology starts at home: Healthy Child Healthy World
Once upon a time there was a loving couple who had a wonderful child, their life's blessing. When they lost her at age 5, fro ma rare form of cancer, after trying to cope with their enormous loss, they started wondering if they could do something to help other children avoid this fate. This is the way CHEC (Children's Health environmental Coalition) was founded in 1991 by Jim & Nancy Chuda and Olivia Newton-John, their dear friend and Colette's godmother. Since then many years have passed and lots of things have happened regarding making home a safe and healthy environment for children. CHEC is now called Healthy Child Health World, and continuous to help parents understand the world they bring their child into and how to make it a safer place environmentally. With a special focus at home and the dangers lurking in it for children's health, it strikes a sensitive chord into every parent's heart.
Their website is a wealth of information and knowledge about many things regarding the environment and children. It is separated into six main categories:
1. Food and nutrition
2. Baby care
3. Prevention
4. Non-Toxic and Natural Products
5. Hazards and Threats
6. Sustainability and Lifestyle
They even have a blog, which is a very interesting read. You can donate for their cause and enlist in their mail list to receive periodical updates by normal mail or e-mail. Your children will thank you for it.
All photos courtesy of Healthy Child Healthy World
Their website is a wealth of information and knowledge about many things regarding the environment and children. It is separated into six main categories:
1. Food and nutrition
2. Baby care
3. Prevention
4. Non-Toxic and Natural Products
5. Hazards and Threats
6. Sustainability and Lifestyle
They even have a blog, which is a very interesting read. You can donate for their cause and enlist in their mail list to receive periodical updates by normal mail or e-mail. Your children will thank you for it.
All photos courtesy of Healthy Child Healthy World
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Frame your plants:Teracrea's TV
Teracrea is an Italian company, with the mission to produce plants and nature into interior architecture. Their alternative pots and planters are innovative and have great design. They have invited a number of various designers to come up with "greenery that organizes the space around it".
TV is a wall frame that comes with a U section to hold soil and plants. made from rotationally moulded polyethylene, it can come with an optional internal fluorescent tube, becoming a light fixture too. It is designed by Fabio Bortolani.
Photos courtesy of Teracrea
TV is a wall frame that comes with a U section to hold soil and plants. made from rotationally moulded polyethylene, it can come with an optional internal fluorescent tube, becoming a light fixture too. It is designed by Fabio Bortolani.
Photos courtesy of Teracrea
Monday, June 04, 2007
Dirk Winkel: a star in the making?
Dirk Winkel is a young designer who just graduated from the University of the Arts, Berlin. His homage to the great icons of 20th century design as stackable, cheap, plastic objects, makes them even more desirable. Somebody snap up the rights for manufacturing!
From Design Milk.
From Design Milk.
For Amalia...
This one is for Amalia…
"Every patient has the right to being respected and maintaining his dignity."
(Greek law, article 47, L.2071/1992)
"Quacks should be the exception, you guys, not the norm…"
(Amalia Kalyvinou , 1977-2007)
Since the age of 8, Amalia Kalyvinou started having pains. Despite her numerous visits to doctors and several admissions to hospitals, no-one managed to diagnose her in time with the benign neurinoma of her lower extremity, which was the actual diagnosis at that point. 17 years later, Amalia was told that the neurinoma had transformed by then into a malignant tumour.
For the next 5 years, Amalia not only had to fight with the cancerous disease and amputation, but also with a corrupt Greek National Health System: it ignores (by choice) the ongoing patient-to-doctor bribery and insists on time-consuming bureaucratic methods and practices. Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Amalia had to face the financial exploitation by doctors that stood opposite to rather than by her side. On top of her pain, she had to endure the greediness of private clinics and the exhaustingly long waiting queues of the health insurance system, in order to get legal approval for some ridiculously low financial compensation.
Amalia passed away on Friday, May the 25th, 2007. She was just 30 years old.
Before dying, she managed to document her experience and share it with us in her blog http://fakellaki.blogspot.com/. The promising literature graduate named in there each and every one of the doctors she had to bribe, praising at the same time the ones that honoured the Hippocratic Oath. Her testimony moved thousands of people that stood by her side all the way to the end.
"Amalia's main aim was to tell her story, so that she could awaken as many people and as many consciences as possible. She mainly wanted to show that there are ways to resist not only the self-regulation and authority of dishonest and heartless doctors, but also the bureaucrats of the Health System."
(Dikaia Tsavari & Georgia Kalyvinou – Amalia's mother & sister)
According to the Greek law, it is considered a major disciplinary offence for the doctors of the Greek National Health System to:
"Accept bonus and especially any compensation or property grant, for any medical service provided.”
Amalia Kalyvinou fought for things that are taken for granted in a modern European country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Greece. Continuing Amalia’s effort where she left off, we protest in public and we demand:
* THE STATE TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP BRIBERY AND THE INEQUALITY BROUGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.
* THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE SO AS PATIENTS STOP FALLING VICTIMS TO TIME-CONSUMING BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.
* THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ENSURE STRICTER CONTROL ON THE RELATION OF DRUG COMPANIES – MEDICAL SERVICE.
* FULL UTILISIZATION OF CURRENTLY ABANDONED HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. CONTINUOUS AND COMPLETE SCIENTIFIC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES.
* CREATION OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, TO SPEED UP PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
LET’S END THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ONES THAT GOVERN, WHO PREFER TO ALLOW DOCTORS TO BE BRIBED BY THEIR PATIENTS, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM WITH A DECENT SALARY.
* NO MORE BRIBERY
* NO MORE BUREAUCRACY
* NO MORE LIES
WE DEMAND FREE AND EFFICACIOUS HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL.
Next time you’ll have to bribe a doctor, just don’t. Choose instead to make a donation. Amalia’s last wish was to contribute to the -under construction- Oncological Centre for Children. (Elpida foundation, tel no 0030210-7757153, email: info@elpida.org,
Bank accounts: National bank of Greece, account no 080/480898-36, Alphabank account no 152-002-002-000-515. Please remember to quote that your donation is “for Amalia”)
INTERNET MOVEMENT OF AMALIA’S FRIENDS
"Every patient has the right to being respected and maintaining his dignity."
(Greek law, article 47, L.2071/1992)
"Quacks should be the exception, you guys, not the norm…"
(Amalia Kalyvinou , 1977-2007)
Since the age of 8, Amalia Kalyvinou started having pains. Despite her numerous visits to doctors and several admissions to hospitals, no-one managed to diagnose her in time with the benign neurinoma of her lower extremity, which was the actual diagnosis at that point. 17 years later, Amalia was told that the neurinoma had transformed by then into a malignant tumour.
For the next 5 years, Amalia not only had to fight with the cancerous disease and amputation, but also with a corrupt Greek National Health System: it ignores (by choice) the ongoing patient-to-doctor bribery and insists on time-consuming bureaucratic methods and practices. Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Amalia had to face the financial exploitation by doctors that stood opposite to rather than by her side. On top of her pain, she had to endure the greediness of private clinics and the exhaustingly long waiting queues of the health insurance system, in order to get legal approval for some ridiculously low financial compensation.
Amalia passed away on Friday, May the 25th, 2007. She was just 30 years old.
Before dying, she managed to document her experience and share it with us in her blog http://fakellaki.blogspot.com/. The promising literature graduate named in there each and every one of the doctors she had to bribe, praising at the same time the ones that honoured the Hippocratic Oath. Her testimony moved thousands of people that stood by her side all the way to the end.
"Amalia's main aim was to tell her story, so that she could awaken as many people and as many consciences as possible. She mainly wanted to show that there are ways to resist not only the self-regulation and authority of dishonest and heartless doctors, but also the bureaucrats of the Health System."
(Dikaia Tsavari & Georgia Kalyvinou – Amalia's mother & sister)
According to the Greek law, it is considered a major disciplinary offence for the doctors of the Greek National Health System to:
"Accept bonus and especially any compensation or property grant, for any medical service provided.”
Amalia Kalyvinou fought for things that are taken for granted in a modern European country. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Greece. Continuing Amalia’s effort where she left off, we protest in public and we demand:
* THE STATE TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO STOP BRIBERY AND THE INEQUALITY BROUGHT IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.
* THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE SO AS PATIENTS STOP FALLING VICTIMS TO TIME-CONSUMING BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES.
* THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO ENSURE STRICTER CONTROL ON THE RELATION OF DRUG COMPANIES – MEDICAL SERVICE.
* FULL UTILISIZATION OF CURRENTLY ABANDONED HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE. CONTINUOUS AND COMPLETE SCIENTIFIC TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES.
* CREATION OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM, TO SPEED UP PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
LET’S END THE HYPOCRISY OF THE ONES THAT GOVERN, WHO PREFER TO ALLOW DOCTORS TO BE BRIBED BY THEIR PATIENTS, INSTEAD OF PROVIDING THEM WITH A DECENT SALARY.
* NO MORE BRIBERY
* NO MORE BUREAUCRACY
* NO MORE LIES
WE DEMAND FREE AND EFFICACIOUS HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR ALL.
Next time you’ll have to bribe a doctor, just don’t. Choose instead to make a donation. Amalia’s last wish was to contribute to the -under construction- Oncological Centre for Children. (Elpida foundation, tel no 0030210-7757153, email: info@elpida.org,
Bank accounts: National bank of Greece, account no 080/480898-36, Alphabank account no 152-002-002-000-515. Please remember to quote that your donation is “for Amalia”)
INTERNET MOVEMENT OF AMALIA’S FRIENDS
Video: This one is for Amalia... (English version on YouTube) - Watch it - spread it!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
For inspiration
This is one of the best US Vogue covers (May 2007) in a while... the colors, photography, models (finally models are again on the cover), setting and clothes are all perfect. This photo is an inspiration in so many ways.
Photography courtesy of Conde Nast/Vogue US. Photographer: Steven Meisel. Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman. Hair: Garren for Garren NY/L'Oreal Paris. Make up: Pat Mc Grath for Max Factor. Set Design: Mary Howard Studio. The models' names are on the pic, click on it to see a bigger version. Any bets as to who will really be a supermodel? (note that the tag line on the cover says top models, not super models...).
Photography courtesy of Conde Nast/Vogue US. Photographer: Steven Meisel. Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman. Hair: Garren for Garren NY/L'Oreal Paris. Make up: Pat Mc Grath for Max Factor. Set Design: Mary Howard Studio. The models' names are on the pic, click on it to see a bigger version. Any bets as to who will really be a supermodel? (note that the tag line on the cover says top models, not super models...).
Friday, May 25, 2007
Reminder:2Modern contributor posts
Just to remind you that I am contributing to the 2Modern blog once a week. My two latest posts are here and here - completing the walk in modern Oslo. I hope you enjoy them.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Architecture as a reflection of cultural identity
A while ago, on one of my posts, a friend commented: " What if anything do you think a people or nation's choice of architecture says about their cultural identity?"
I think this is an intriguing question, worthy of a Ph.D. I will post my initial thoughts about this and maybe we can start a lovely discussion on this.
First of all, the nation's choice of architecture is not always, if ever, the choice of the people. Public buildings designs are usually picked without any kind of approval of the people. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, just mention it. So the design of a public building is either the choice of a specially appointed committee that hopefully is made of people relevant to the subject at hand or the choice of the head of a public organization or holder of a civic office.
For example, the new Town Hall by architect Tassos Biris and his late brother Demetrios, in my hometown of Thessaloniki is a nondescript building built in the worst possible place, chosen by the appointed committee without people's consent. Whether it reflects the citizens' cultural identity? I think it does. If people really cared about it, they would have protested it being built. They did nothing of the kind. And in a city in need of a modern architectural identity, it is a gravely missed opportunity.
Public buildings are a chance for the state or city or municipality, to show their power, position in the world, affluence. Take as examples the huge monumental National Library of France in Paris, built by François Mitterrand. Or the now standard procedure of hiring star architects to built important landmarks in cities that may even change their cultural identity, not reflect it. Case in point: the Bilbao Guggenheim museum. And don't tell me Bilbao was a mainstay of modern architecture and style when Gehry was picked to do that museum there. But it happened. The town people had done the right thing. And see where they are now.
Private buildings on the other hand are the choice of the owner, in collaboration with his architect. Grand scale private buildings or small adobes, if designed by an architect worth his salt, will be an accurate reflection of the owner filtered through the eyes of the architect. Therefore they will reflect his culture, tastes, personality, identity. It will also reflect the public taste of the times - building styles change throughout the ages. It also reflects people's lifestyle: People have different needs in Oslo than in Thessaloniki. The problems begin when the local authority's regulating offices are issuing regulations that hamper any chance of building beautiful and functional housing projects, forcing instead the people to build huge blocks of cement to make a quick buck. See what Greece suffered from maligned building laws and regulations from the 50s onwards.
So, as the future archaeologists examine the ruins of our civilizations, what will they make of our public and private buildings? Will they marvel at our now modern wonders of architecture? Will they laugh at the awful apartment blocks and housing projects that fill many cities around the world? Will they preserve beautiful samples of architecture like this wonderful summer house of Mies Van de Rohe?
I think this is an intriguing question, worthy of a Ph.D. I will post my initial thoughts about this and maybe we can start a lovely discussion on this.
First of all, the nation's choice of architecture is not always, if ever, the choice of the people. Public buildings designs are usually picked without any kind of approval of the people. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, just mention it. So the design of a public building is either the choice of a specially appointed committee that hopefully is made of people relevant to the subject at hand or the choice of the head of a public organization or holder of a civic office.
For example, the new Town Hall by architect Tassos Biris and his late brother Demetrios, in my hometown of Thessaloniki is a nondescript building built in the worst possible place, chosen by the appointed committee without people's consent. Whether it reflects the citizens' cultural identity? I think it does. If people really cared about it, they would have protested it being built. They did nothing of the kind. And in a city in need of a modern architectural identity, it is a gravely missed opportunity.
Public buildings are a chance for the state or city or municipality, to show their power, position in the world, affluence. Take as examples the huge monumental National Library of France in Paris, built by François Mitterrand. Or the now standard procedure of hiring star architects to built important landmarks in cities that may even change their cultural identity, not reflect it. Case in point: the Bilbao Guggenheim museum. And don't tell me Bilbao was a mainstay of modern architecture and style when Gehry was picked to do that museum there. But it happened. The town people had done the right thing. And see where they are now.
Private buildings on the other hand are the choice of the owner, in collaboration with his architect. Grand scale private buildings or small adobes, if designed by an architect worth his salt, will be an accurate reflection of the owner filtered through the eyes of the architect. Therefore they will reflect his culture, tastes, personality, identity. It will also reflect the public taste of the times - building styles change throughout the ages. It also reflects people's lifestyle: People have different needs in Oslo than in Thessaloniki. The problems begin when the local authority's regulating offices are issuing regulations that hamper any chance of building beautiful and functional housing projects, forcing instead the people to build huge blocks of cement to make a quick buck. See what Greece suffered from maligned building laws and regulations from the 50s onwards.
So, as the future archaeologists examine the ruins of our civilizations, what will they make of our public and private buildings? Will they marvel at our now modern wonders of architecture? Will they laugh at the awful apartment blocks and housing projects that fill many cities around the world? Will they preserve beautiful samples of architecture like this wonderful summer house of Mies Van de Rohe?
Friday, May 11, 2007
First post at 2Modern Design Talk blog!
You can read my first post at 2Modern Design Talk blog here.
It is about the recent Oslo trip, I hope you like it. More from that trip at 2Modern Design Talk next Thursday afternoon.
It is about the recent Oslo trip, I hope you like it. More from that trip at 2Modern Design Talk next Thursday afternoon.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Muji heaven
During my short trip to Oslo, I found Muji products in the amazing House Of Oslo mall. I bought some of their scented tin candles (one in jasmine and the other in tuberose, which was the hit of the shop - only two were left):
And also got this recycled material cute bunny for my goddaughter:
I pretty much wanted everything they had there but my budget was not able to afford it, although the prices were not too much above the ones in other european cities - have in mind Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
And also got this recycled material cute bunny for my goddaughter:
I pretty much wanted everything they had there but my budget was not able to afford it, although the prices were not too much above the ones in other european cities - have in mind Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in Europe.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum - Modern Art
The Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam is temporarily housed in a nondescript old office building near the Central Station. Inside only temporary shows can be seen, while the new expansion is being built and the old building renovated. There is a great secret though - a lovely restaurant/cafe situated on the 11th floor (hence named 11) which becomes a club in the wee hours of the evening. From the very high ceiling hang 4 huge Algues curtains, giving it a unique note.
The collections when I visited where very interesting, some of the works even design related like the above rotating metal/light installation called Counter Composition by artist Germaine Kruip. "a mirrored mobile that takes its form from the construction of a painting by Theo Van Doesburg. This mobile changes the composition of Van Doesburg into a reflection, which perpetually projects through the gallery. Activated by an artificial light, its reflections move through the space in the opposite direction of the natural light and shadows directed from the windows. Based on the principals of De Stijl, the original painting attempted to find forms through which universal truth could be grasped. Here that 'universal truth' is animated not as a contained truth but as a constant movement that is nothing but a reflection of its own surroundings." This one was part of the Just in Time – Proposal for Municipal Art Acquisitions Exhibition, which was asking the question: who defines what is acceptable as art for a museum to buy? See below how it looked after a while:
There was also a weird chandelier by Cerith Wyn Evans. "The so-called 'chandelier' pieces that are a perfect example of Wyn Evans Trojan Horse strategy in which he disguises radical content by way of tremendous elegance. Altogether the chandeliers form a personal canon of literature from the last century including poems, letters, short stories, philosophy, etc. The texts are transmitted through Morse-code pulsing though the light bulbs of the chandeliers".
The artwork above was part of the Vincent Awards exhibition. Andrei Monastyrski was another artist shown there. This work was a bit interactive, in the sense that you could walk inside the installation, on the flour covered floor, and your steps on it became part of the artwork.
This work below is probably from Monastyrski but I cannot remember. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
The collections when I visited where very interesting, some of the works even design related like the above rotating metal/light installation called Counter Composition by artist Germaine Kruip. "a mirrored mobile that takes its form from the construction of a painting by Theo Van Doesburg. This mobile changes the composition of Van Doesburg into a reflection, which perpetually projects through the gallery. Activated by an artificial light, its reflections move through the space in the opposite direction of the natural light and shadows directed from the windows. Based on the principals of De Stijl, the original painting attempted to find forms through which universal truth could be grasped. Here that 'universal truth' is animated not as a contained truth but as a constant movement that is nothing but a reflection of its own surroundings." This one was part of the Just in Time – Proposal for Municipal Art Acquisitions Exhibition, which was asking the question: who defines what is acceptable as art for a museum to buy? See below how it looked after a while:
There was also a weird chandelier by Cerith Wyn Evans. "The so-called 'chandelier' pieces that are a perfect example of Wyn Evans Trojan Horse strategy in which he disguises radical content by way of tremendous elegance. Altogether the chandeliers form a personal canon of literature from the last century including poems, letters, short stories, philosophy, etc. The texts are transmitted through Morse-code pulsing though the light bulbs of the chandeliers".
The artwork above was part of the Vincent Awards exhibition. Andrei Monastyrski was another artist shown there. This work was a bit interactive, in the sense that you could walk inside the installation, on the flour covered floor, and your steps on it became part of the artwork.
This work below is probably from Monastyrski but I cannot remember. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
Netherlands: Amsterdam - NEMO
One of the most impressive places in Amsterdam (maybe in the Netherlands) is the NEMO museum. Why named NEMO? "NEMO means ‘nobody’. People visiting NEMO believe themselves to be in no man’s land, where fantasies suddenly seem to become real." from the museum's website. It was designed by Renzo Piano and was finished in 1997. The material covering it is oxidized copper, with a technique called "standing seams", one as old as the use of copper itself. The copper facade, which measures approximately 6,000 square metres, was assembled in less than six months.
NEMO is like a submarine emerging from the sea, or a huge whale, or a ship sinking. It is positioned at the very end of a road tunnel going under the sea, effectively hiding it from everyone! It is a science museum geared towards children (adult children too, :-)). Unfortunately I did not have much time there so I did not enter, only saw it from outside. I love their motto: Forbidden Not to Touch! In the summer, the roof is transformed into a city beach with a cafe nearby. You have to pay to enter the museum but the access to the terrace is free.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Covertex stand
These are photos of the stand I designed for the company Covertex - they make bed linen in Greece, which they also design themselves - some of their collections are wonderful.
I used my favorite color - lime green - on this, as it matched their collection colors well. The imitation bed was their idea - it suited them better than real ones, which they also use in the back. I would have preferred a more minimal approach but the costs had to be kept to a minimum, so, for their budget, I think they got a really nice and functional stand.
I will be helping them organize their first shop in the next month, but not design too much there, unfortunately, as it will be based on the already existing showroom. I hope to post some of their stuff online, the designs and colors are very good. Their quality is great too and with their price range, a steal.
I used my favorite color - lime green - on this, as it matched their collection colors well. The imitation bed was their idea - it suited them better than real ones, which they also use in the back. I would have preferred a more minimal approach but the costs had to be kept to a minimum, so, for their budget, I think they got a really nice and functional stand.
I will be helping them organize their first shop in the next month, but not design too much there, unfortunately, as it will be based on the already existing showroom. I hope to post some of their stuff online, the designs and colors are very good. Their quality is great too and with their price range, a steal.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Top Design Bedroom online
I did the bedroom too - it is so annoying to work with so limited choice of colors and samples but then again, a good exercise! Again, click the title to see it.
Top Design Living Room online
BravoTV had a reality show called Top Design, with interior designers competing in various assignments. We do not get that in Greece but the website is fun and has a quirky feature: online design of a space! You can choose between a living room and a bedroom and have a go! The furniture and color swatches are not all to my liking but I gave it a try and here is the living room I designed (click the title to see it).
Let me know what you think... I will try and make a bedroom next.
Let me know what you think... I will try and make a bedroom next.
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