2007 TOP-20 Countdown - Open invitation to party!

I'm a bit behind posting the countdown due to a trip abroad (more about this on a later post) so I will continue right away. First though an idea that came to me during a discussion with another countdown blogger and a dear friend, Elafini: since I'll be in Athens for the weekend, why not all the participating 2007 Top-20 countdown bloggers join Elafini and me in Nixon, on Saturday, after midnight. We can talk about music, enjoy the great environment and music (by none other than Makis Papasimakopoulos) and have lots of fun! Let me hear what you think!

"Next time I'm going to Nixon!"

Aids Day 2007 stands in Athens

Sometime in November, we got a request to design a stand for the AIDS Day, to be set up for the Minstry of Health in Athens, in the two most central squares of the city, Syntagma and Omonia. We were supposed to construct it as well, but as their budget was lower than our offer, they just bought the design and made it with another company. Below some photos of the final stands, in Syntagma first:


The quality of the construction was not up to our standards but we had no control over it. Plus the ribbon shape is far from my original design (and I do not think it was difficult to make it like that, see at the end of this post for my original drawings).


And the back of the stand in Syntagma:


Here is the Omonia stand, same design as above:


Another view:


I found the colour (supposedly red) too fuchsia for what it was supposed to be - kind of like a cosmetics advertisement instead of the bloody red AIDS color it was supposed to be - if any of my Athenian readers saw this live, let me know how it looked up close.


And here is the original design - I leave the comments to you (the final graphics were no ready when I did the renderings, so what you see here is my work too).


Another view:


I was very happy to see this realized: it feels like my small contribution to the fight against AIDS.

2007 TOP-20 Countdown - No.18

Best albums of 2007 - No.18

MIKRO - Restart


This Greek group comes from my home town, Thessaloniki. Incredibly talented and very successful in Greece, they have managed to sustain an enviable career and release record after record of brilliant pop-electronica. They have their own personal style and know how to please their loyal fans - like me. This record is no exception. Without being avant guard or trying to sound like the most current trends, their songs speak directly to you, making you get up and dance. This record is full of joy, like a summer party you do not want to end - it has everything in it : dance, joy, remembrance, nostalgia, sadness. My favourite track is Afti I Poli (This City), a bit nostalgic and with a slight melancholy feeling running through it, under the dance beat. Another one is Lullabies, with it's dreamy soundscape and Ria's seductive vocals. They even have five English-lyric tracks inside, a first for them, making it easier to sell outside the Greek confines. It may not be an important record for some but it is for me. So enjoy Afti i poli below:



And Lullabies (sound only) here:



Worst albums of 2007 - No.18

Take That - Beautiful World


After a ten year gap, they re-emerged. Why? For them the reasons are obvious. For our poor ears, not so. Plus they do not have Robbie with them. Plus they adopted the Blunt look (gruff, unkempt, intellectual). They have grown up. Not their music though. So they might as well go back to hiatus mode. We can live without them all right.

2007 TOP-20 Countdown - No.19

Best albums of 2007 - No. 19

Candie Payne - I Wish I Could Have Loved You More


One of the loveliest surprises this year. The Liverpool born Candie Payne released her first album this May full of enchanting pop diamonds. Her retro styling of the sound (aided amongst others by Mark Ronson), belies at first hearing the darkness hidden within. Pounding drums, soaring vocals, fragile lyrics, with a sadness creeping all around that is only making me love her more. Many of the songs touched me on a personal level too, further securing her a little place in my heart. If you like Dusty Springfield, Portishead and brilliant pop music, give her a try. You will not regret it. In her own words: "These songs are trying to communicate the thoughts and feelings that go through your head, the things that you might not be ready to say out loud yet". I could not agree more.
Two clips from this lovely lady, below is "I Wish I Could Have Loved You More"



And the Mark Ronson produced One More Chance.



Worst albums of 2007 - No.19

James Blunt - All The Lost Souls


The gigolo/troubadour of the international celebrity circuit, James Blunt is so exquisitely marketed that he could just release a record of sighs and whispers and it would hit the charts instantly. Predictable and slickly produced, the record manages to make one yawn from the beginning to the very end, incorporating every trick in the market one can think of. I hope that there will be no song from this album to match the saturation of "You're Beautiful", but I think it is only wishful thinking. Avoid at all costs. And please someone hand him a razor and a comp.

World Aids Day: Don't Forget!

Today is World Aids day. Be informed, be careful, be loving, be caring. We can beat this!

2007 TOP-20 Countdown - No.20

A dear friend, Gone4sure, had a brilliant idea: he invited bloggers that are passionate about music to join him in a countdown of the best and worst albums of the year. Everyone who has joined has to post one album in each category each day, starting today, until December 20th, when everyone's top-20 No. 1 album will be posted. Then a tally will be made and the collective results will be published by Gone4sure in his blog.
So starting today, among the regular postings, you can watch the countdown take place. If anyone wants to see the other participants' countdown, I have placed a list of the participating blogs on the right. Enjoy:

Best albums of 2007 - No. 20

Kylie Minogue - X

The Ice Princess of pop strikes again. Kylie's new album barely made it to the list, bumping out another lady off my list. Why? Because, contrary to my expectations, She has released a brilliant collection of songs, amazingly pulling off the feat of being credible. With production credits split between "veterans" like Richard Stannard and Guy Chambers and "fresh" faces like Calvin Harris, the Freemasons and Bloodshy & Avant (the Swedes behind Britney’s "Toxic", X does a great job of matching big hooks with forward-thinking production tricks.



For the pop lovers, her first single, "2 Hearts" and the disco extravaganza "Wow" will be favourites. Her music does not sound dated though: "Speakerphone" and "Nu-di-ty" are prime examples of the fact that she and her producers have crafted a thoroughly current and fresh sound for her. In a nutshell, she sounds like Roisin Murphy's glamorous and optimistic sister.
-The artwork is totally 80s inspired. Not much of a surprise given current trends, but it is a bit disappointing. If you have seen Olivia Newton-John's Soul Kiss single covers, you will recognize the inspiration, along with the infamous Patrick Nagel paintings.


Worst albums of 2007 No.20

Michael Buble - Call Me Irresponsible


He looks cute, has a nice voice and some of the most experienced people in producing to help him make records. How can he make a blunder? Well, easily. Releasing record after record of bland crooner material, he did an even worse thing this year: killing standard after standard originally performed by such legends as Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton and Johnny Mercer to name but a few. The video included below is the only song that barely stands above the rest, with Boyz II Men accompanying him on vocals. To sum up the record: boring, bland, forgettable.

Enter Sandman

A dearest friend and blogger, Elafini, asked me to participate in a fun game between bloggers: where would you like to see the name of your blog? Well, for starters, my favourite comic of all time:

Then another Sandman hero comic:

Even a famous song/cd by Metallica:

I guess everyone of a certain age knows The Mr. Sandman Chronicles Song:

And this tug boat cruising down the Mississippi river is not a bad idea either:

And finally an episode of a favourite tv series:

So let me invite to play, in my turn, Maryam, Indiktos, Enteka, Meniek and Museum Eyes (especially you just in case you start blogging properly!).

Lounge chair and ottoman, Charles & Ray Eames 1956

We interrupt our regular program (i.e. the cinema/design posts) for my all time favourite chair, now in a new edition:


The Eames Lounge Chair, the ultimate example of superior quality and luxurious comfort since 1956, is now available in light-toned wood, polished aluminium and white leather.


This new interpretation of the Lounge Chair was achieved by Vitra in close cooperation with the Eames Office and Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. With its light, fresh appearance, the white version of the Eames Lounge Chair once again demonstrates the lasting relevance of this furniture classic.


The off-white leather cushions are paired with light-toned plywood shells and a polished aluminium base. All additional details - including zippers, backrest spacers and glides - are made out of light-hued materials to create a harmonious overall appearance.


In this new colour palette, the Eames Lounge Chair becomes a centrepiece in light-coloured interiors with a bright, summery ambience. Parallel to the new version, of course, the classic Lounge Chair in black leather and rosewood veneer will continue to be available.

All photos courtesy of Vitra.

Film & Interior Design part 2 : Gattaca (1997)

A film that has influenced me (and lots of other people) very much since I first saw it is Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997). A visually powerful film, with an equally powerful message, it stuns the viewer from the very beginning and does not let up until the very end.


Eschewing visual effects, Niccols presents a dystopian version of the future. Not resorting into gimmicks and hi-tech gadgets, instead the film has a look that can be described as a combination of the 50s (see the car below for example) and 90s design: sleek but not glossy, modern but not futuristic, minimal but not bare.

The duplex Jerome (Jude Law) lives in is part of a bigger housing complex. From the entrance, one can see that the references to the past (50s as the ideal trip to nostalgia and pure American dream maybe?) are everywhere-see the doorbell Uma Thurman and Loren Dean are about to ring.


Inside, one can see immediately the basic materials characterizing the design: bare concrete, metal, wood, glass. Using materials and lines similar to the house we saw in my previous film post here, the talented production designer manages to convey a completely different feel, look and atmosphere-see the entry hall and living room below:

...and the other side here, with the beloved Barcelona chair, stool and day bed by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe:


The main element defining the space here is, once more, the stairs. A graceful curved staircase, going down to the main quarters, in wood and metal, it steals the scene every time it is in a frame.

Naturally the director uses it for beautifully shot scenes such as this:


The stairs of course resemble the DNA helix: no accident, as the film centres around a society that discriminates people based on their good genes.


The interior design immediately gives away the character of the owner: much as in The Island (see here), the house betrayed the sleek, hard, soul-less, ambitious character of the owner, here it shows us how, even though beautiful looking and armed with almost everything he could wish for genetically, instead he really is empty inside, a life without meaning, without spirit or dream. Check the empty spaces, the completely empty walls, minimal accessories, warm but drab colours. This is no happy place.

Downstairs is even more bare and bleak than upstairs: the real guts of the place versus the façade the visitor sees when entering. Again bare concrete, combined with an industrial setting, using mainly metallic furniture, looking like a medical laboratory.


We can see metallic furniture everywhere...Ethan Hawke uses a table as a recliner:


...and while stainless steel details betray modern times, the glass of the doors is treated with a period 50s texture.


The one constant is the use of a warm reddish wooden parquet floor and the lovely design furniture: check out the Mies Van Der Rohe MR chaise longue here...


...here...


...and here...


The bedroom interior looks a lot like a 50s one - check the drawers and the light fixtures on the wall.

The bathroom looks like it came out of the 5os to, but it also has a slightly modern feel.

Even the vacuum cleaner is vintage-looking:

Credits for the design:

Production Design by Jan Roefls.

Art direction by Sarah Knowles.

Set decoration by Nancy Nye.

Film & Interior Design part 1 : The Island (2005)

As promised, this is the first of many posts celebrating interior design in films, as a tribute to the 48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The first film is a fairly recent one. The Island (2005, Michael Bay director) stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson as clones living on a remote island, waiting for their fate. The interiors of the house where the "original" Ewan character lives (in total contrast to his clone) are spectacular.


Lots of big empty surfaces, combinations of glossy and rough, matte materials, shades of black, grey and steel is the overall feel of the house. The bare concrete effect overall (seen also in other sets of the film) is one of my favourites. An impressive staircase with singular massive steps jutting out of the wall is the main attraction of the living room area.

The living room area has massive windows, minimal furniture (as all over the house) and impressive accessories.

There is a big (stone?) table nearby, it looks like a dining room but it could be an extension of the kitchen counter doubling as a table. We will see the dining table later on.


Everything inside has been picked very carefully to match the overall set. The art director did a wonderful job with this. Look at the trophy and the boat model...

...or the car model in a wall opening. Bare concrete seems to be everywhere.

It also shows up here, the view is from the stairs further up the house, going onto the second level. This whole thing looks like a minimalistic fireplace without the fire.

The dining table is black (surprise!) with the classic multi-light fixture in a linear setting above it.

There is of course a large book case, seen at the back of the photo...

...and closer here...

No bachelor pad would be complete without a high-tech media centre.

Going upstairs, we can see the bedroom, decorated in a romantic way, a bit strange for a bachelor pad, with a very impressive curtain.

There is also a modern walk in closet, with backlit walls. I could not get a decent capture of that. There is also a nice sideboard in the bedroom.

The corridor upstairs is without a rail, making it extremely un-safe...

The upper part of the stairs is more typical modern...

...with the bottom part in total contrast. I can never figure if it is the same staircase, changing after the first flight of steps, or there are two stairs in the house.

The kitchen is in steel and stone, making it very industrial looking and sleek.

Finally the garage is bare and minimal, with light incorporated into the wall and floor. The car inside looks like a million bucks.

And the credits for all this excellent work:

Production design by Nigel Phelps

Art Direction by Jon Billington, Sean Haworth and Martin Whist

Set Decoration by Rosemary Brandenburg