September 2011 - Design & Lifestyle Blog

The Good Residence | Residential Design

Known as “The Good House”, this minimal residence is located in Sandringham, Victoria, Australia designed by by Crone Partners. If I were to choose between an oversized residence and this one, I would definitely go for this simple yet architecturally powerful house. I for one appreciate the art of overlapping volumes, minimal use of materials and colors, and a lot of sunshine.

“Each “box” represents a distinct portion of the overall program. A sleeping / study zone, a living zone, a garage / workshop, and cantilevered above all of this, a parents retreat, complete with its own living area and secluded outdoor terrace.” Perfect….

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27 Sep ’11

Inception Chair by Vivian Chiu | Furniture

I wasn’t impressed when I first saw this chair, but when I knew that it shatters into a whole family of chairs , I found it brilliant!

“ Each chair has hand cut grooves on the inside edges of its seat frame as well as notches in the seat back. These grooves range from 1/2" wide to 1/8" wide.The mechanism works so that the pegs fit into the grooves of the chair one size bigger and slides into place so that the horizontal edge between the chair seat and back line up. The simple mechanism allows the chairs to be taken apart and put together with ease."

Vivian Chiu

Vivian Chiu is a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in the Furniture Design department. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Hong Kong, Vivian was constantly surrounded by a busy urban landscape and learned to appreciate simple forms and organic materials. An individual that likes to push herself mentally and physically, she believes in the value of hard work, a philosophy that drives many of her designs. Much of her work is a mixture of sculptural and functional, and shows her interest in the materiality of wood. Her work aims to satisfy her passion for repetitive woodworking and visual flow. She draws inspiration from artists such as Martin Puryear, Anish Kapoor, Tom Friedman and Richard Sweeney. At any given time of the week, you can probably find her working on a project in the woodshop.

20 Sep ’1121 Sep ’11

Marcel Wander Designs Collection For Marks And Spencer

It seems the new trend is creating affordable luxury , household department stores are now collaborating with famous designers and creating beautiful designs similar in style to the brand’s own designer line. After Missoni collaborated with Target, Marks & Spencer announced their collection designed by Marcel Wanders just in time for Christmas. The announcement took place yesterday at The London Design Festival 2011. The launch will take place on October 12,2011, the collection is a whole line of tableware, home accessories, make up, men’s & women’s accessories, and more.

This is the first time M&S has worked with a single designer to create a collection that spans a range of product areas encompassing food, clothing and home. Marcel was selected for his international reputation, as one of the world’s most influential product and interior designers his work is shown in some of the world’s most important collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco and the V&A in London.

Continue reading “Marcel Wander Designs Collection For Marks And Spencer”

19 Sep ’1120 Sep ’11

L’Opera Restaurant In Paris | Restaurant Design

At 6 million Euro, and three year construction time, The Opera Garnier’s first ever restaurant has opened in July 2011 becoming one of Paris’ hottest spots.The design of the project was assigned to Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes after a contest. The Phantom restaurant is located at the Opéra Garnier, more commonly known as the Paris Opéra, a 1,600-seat opera house on the Place de l’Opéra in Paris, France, which was the primary home of the Paris Opera from 1875 until 1989. The condition of processing the designs was a bit limiting since they were not allowed to make any irreversible alterations, no visible structures were allowed, and no alterations whatsoever were allowed on structure, pillars, walls or ceilings.

One of the most interesting features is the undulating glass curtain on the restaurant’s façade, sliding between the pillars.Their chairs are all from Poltrona Frau, when combined with the bench and floors, they produce a theatrical character reminiscent of the phantom of the opera which was once performed within the auditorium.

Project Info by ODBC
Project name: Phantom – Restaurant of the Garnier Opera
Client: GUMERY
Author: Odile Decq // Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes
Structure engineering: BATISERF Ingénierie
Facade consultants: Odile Decq – Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes / HDA – Hugh Dutton Associates
Building services engineering: MS Consulting
Acoustics engineering: Studio DAP
Fire security engineering: SETEC
Kitchen consultants: C2A Architectes
Project responsables: Peter Baalman, Giuseppe Savarese, Amélie Marchiset
Site : Garnier Opera, Paris, France
Program: Implement of a restaurant in the Garnier Opera
Surface: 1100 M2
Budget: 6 M€ excl. VAT
Dates: 2008 – 2011
Opening: July 2011
Digital views: Odile Decq
Realization pictures: Roland Halbe – ODBC

The Cool Hunter

17 Sep ’1116 Sep ’11

A Piece From Heaven: Massaya Vineyards In Lebanon | Travel

I can’t believe it took me this long to finally visit the restaurant and vineyards at Massaya in Taanayel, Lebanon. The funny part, is that I am originally from an area very near by and my parents live 5 minutes away, yet this summer was the first time I visit this lovely place. Upon arrival I was surprised by the number of tourists who have discovered this gem, many of which were from the GCC.

Located in the heart of the Bekaa valley, Massaya has one of the most popular vineyards in Lebanon. The name “Massaya” means Twilight in Lebanese, and due to the royal blue color of the sky when the sun sets behind Mount Lebanon, they decided to create their signature “Arak” bottle which is a beautiful elongated and very elegantly designed blue bottle. Arak, by the way, is a popular alcoholic drink in Lebanon and specially in the Bekaa Valley where anis seeds are added after the grapes are fermented and distilled; in Massaya’s case the anis seeds used are organic. The area where Massaya’s Arak is fermented is magical, you will see the photos below.

We arrived at the restaurant “Le Relais” which is located in the middle of the vineyard, you have to walk a bit to reach this charming place where all the food is cooked and prepared by housewives of neighboring villages. The menus are set seasonally, and the food was simple and amazing, it was a “back to basics” buffet specific to the Lebanese country side, with dishes like roasted chicken, kibbeh, freekeh, saj goodies,different types of salads, hommus and mtabbal, and many more. Even the sweets were very simple, all Lebanese themed.

Mr. Ramzi Ghosn, one of the owners and winemakers, was an amazing host who accompanied us throughout our visit making sure we had a great meal and a comprehensive tour of the vineyards, the wine reserves, and the boutique, he even explained to us how the Arak is made and how transparent and proud of their products they are. Massaya is one of the very few places where people have access to the entire place, because they have nothing to hide. Everything is of utmost quality. The barrels where the wine is stored is even imported from France from designated suppliers known for the best finishing.

Massaya export 85% of their production to the USA and Europe, their Rosé wine has been listed as one of the top 10 according to The Independent which was one of the reasons I wanted to try it during my visit. To my bad luck they were out of stock everywhere (due to high demand). I ended up trying their white wine which was lovely and appropriate with the meal and the warm weather.

These are the clay jars where the Arak is stored, such a lovely sight, the aroma of the anis seeds was overwhelming.

Massaya’s signature blue Arak bottles.

I wasn’t planning on writing much, I’s rather allow you to enjoy the photos accompanied with bits and pieces of information. I really hope you liked them.

Ramzi Ghosn is very well into social media, you can find Massaya on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to that, their blog and website are updated regularly with images, events, and historical information on wine and the Bekaa Valley. You can spend hours on the website learning about the art of wine making and its history.

I HIGHLY recommend you visit Massaya and enjoy the experience, you will be glad you did.

Thank you Ramzi for an unforgettable day, I will be visiting again very soon, that’s for sure!

16 Sep ’1116 Sep ’11

The Hollywood Hills Dream Home | Architecture

In a very exclusive area known to house properties for the rich and famous, lies this breathtaking residence. This 4,000 square foot property is located in the famous Hollywood hills and is worth almost $10,000,000. I actually think it is totally worth it. Not only does it overlook amazing views, the finishes, the furniture, and the landscaping is of the highest quality.

This residence has 4 bedrooms, five bathrooms, home theater, and a beautiful garden with an infinity pool overlooking a beautiful cityscape. Brands used were B&B Italia, Poliform (kitchen and cabinets), Gaggenau, Sub Zero, Crestron, Dornbracht faucets and Caesar stone countertops in the kitchen, Boffi accessories and fixtures, Antonio Lupi and Paola Lenti outdoor furnishings. Finishes include American Walnut floors, terrazzo, and Macassar Ebony.In addition to that, there are i-pod docks in all rooms, integrated CCTV, exterior speakers and the home theatre professional 3DLP HD projector. A beautiful art installation – “Sprout” by Nancy Braver – dominates the back yard landscape.

All extra information is listed on the property’s website. Check 9010 Hopen for more info.

Continue reading “The Hollywood Hills Dream Home | Architecture”

16 Sep ’11

When Street Art And Food Meet | Restaurant Design

In Miami, specifically Wynwood Walls Park, Tony Goldman offered the exterior of the buildings owned by Goldman Properties to international artists selected by New York gallery Deitch Projects. What was once just a warehouse, is now plastered inside out with street art of different styles and themes. Goldman’s daughter, Jessica, came up with the idea of turning one of the warehouses into a restaurant, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar. The restaurant finishes were mediocre, but the installations and transformation of the space was beautiful and well done. The restaurant is an attraction for hundreds of artists especially that Miami is popular for the Art Basel Miami Beach that takes place annually.

The difficulty in the transformation was not harming the murals specially when they were deciding where the location of the door and other major elements would be. When that happened, the artists would help out and incorporate the functional elements within the mural.

“Wynwood Walls will be getting six more murals before Art Basel 2011. But the park itself, which consists of a few repurposed tractor tires, some blacktop, and some grass, will never get any fancy landscaping. "This is Wynwood," Samson says. "We’re not going to Disneyland it up." That means no birds-of-paradise and no palm trees.”

Interior Design Magazine

15 Sep ’11

Minimalist Luxury in Cape Town | Residential Design

Designing this house had to be a very tough task. As simple and minimal as everything looks, the idea of incorporating the exterior into the interior this smoothly requires a good eye and talent. The owner wanted the entire 335 sq.m to overlook the sea, after all who wouldn’t want to take full advantage of this breathtaking view . This house is occupied by a single person who regularly has guests over, thus you can feel there are areas more public than others, yet all open and embracing the beautiful nature surrounding it. This house is located in Camp Bay, Cape Town, Africa and designed by Luis Mira Architects.

The architect used neutral materials that allowed a contrast to the very rich landscape surrounding it, thus allowing the exterior to be easily invited into the interior. Such simplicity is a perfect example of how minimal design could be so luxurious when addressed properly. Enjoy the photos below.