The latest from Frank Gehry

I take particular interest in happenings from my old university, and today a very exciting design was unvield. Frank Gehry's latest design is for the new UTS Business Faculty building in the Ultimo Campus.

It reminds me of his 'Fred and Ginger' building in Prague.

It is interesting to see a Gehry Building with less steel. Can't wait to see 3D renders or the real thing!

Versace interior garden

Talk about bringing the outside in!

This Versace Showroom for tiles has brought 'green' into a living area in a beautiful way. I think I am more impressed by the little patch of grass then the green wall. It even has contours!

It is simple, elegant and natural.

My first Olioboard

Testing the waters... I played around for the first time with creating an olio moodboard.

The result... a little bit cluttered, but not bad scheme.

Homelife

Homelife is a home, life, garden and food website - and I think their stuff is really interesting.

I liked it so much I pulled out all my fav's and created a moodboard for fun inspiration for our new place.

Apartment Therapy

I have found this wonderful blog called Apartment Therapy which is about connecting people with the resources they need to improve their homes and then in turn lifestyles and happiness.

What a wonderful concept.

The only shame about it is all the case study homes are in America, and so therefore the resources aren't all relevant/available over here.

I'll be sure to be posting favourite excerpts soon.

Discount designer furniture

My favourite well-known replica designer furniture website is Matt Black. It has all the classics like le corbusier, Eames, Phillip Starck, Isamu Noguchi and Harry Bertoia.

Here are a couple of key items you can get for at least half price.

A fresh start

We are in the process of purchasing our first home, or to be more precise - unit. And I decided this is the perfect place to put up my findings on materials, research, methods, renovating, storage and much more as I come across them.

So to begin with my first tool I found on linkedin. I am a member of an interior design group and found out about a wonderful tool for designer, decorators and stylists - a mood board creator.

olioboard.com

I have already done my first one.

Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2010

From the 9-19th November IDEA has been hosting events throughout Sydney to celebrate the 2010 awards.

Last week they announced the winners, including the overall winner as the Hilton South Wharf, Joint Venture Architects Woods Bagot and NH Architecture. (below)

Your own space outside

A colleague of mine came accross this image and sent it to me. They were interested in the steel, but I found the it interested these artisitc forms of steel have created a sense of 'inside', outside.

The material is surprising warm because of its colour and the way it is freeform in the design, not rigid. There is a cocooning effect to it.

These are part of an installation called "Where is Architecture? Seven Installations by Japanese Architects" at the National Museum of Modern Art.

2010 Premier Export Awards

A few weeks ago I attended the 2010 Premier Export Award, where our submission won us a spot as a finalist in the 'Innovation in Export' category.

It was a short n sweet event, a note from the NSW Minister for Small Business, Frank Terenzini, a group photo of all the finalists, canapes, wine and a photo with the Minister.

“Now in its 48th year nationally, the Premier’s NSW Export Awards are acknowledged by the business community as one of Australia’s most prestigious business awards,” Mr Terenzini said.

“The perseverance of our exporters is one of the reasons why Australia emerged relatively unscathed from the global financial crisis.Throughout the GFC, exporters proved themselves to be the unsung heroes of our strong performance, maintaining market share and employment levels."

The awards night on the 28th October will reveal the winners in all categories, and should be a fun night of networking and celebrating Australia's export achievements.

The Ivy & Thorn lighting event

I went to the Ivy last night for a Thorn lighting event, which was ok. The products were only a little interesting, and nothing particularly out of the ordinary, and all the best ones weren't on display! The canapes and drinks were lovely though.

Probably my favourite light was the outdoor Milo R/I which could project images/logo/text.

On a more exciting note, I loved the decor of the Ivy. it really blurred the boundaries of interior and exterior through the use of a central atrium. Everything about it is very grand - the staircases (including the spiral ones), the dramatic lighting, the expensive furniture, the long and sleek looking bars, and it was almost overfurnished which helps people feel comfortable.

The first floor was divided into different zones for drinking, lounging etc with a variety of furniture, lighting and bars and dining. The open central area had awnings and fairy lights creating a semi transparent view to upper floors. The spiral staircase leads you up to the middle floor, which had large areas that are covered but look onto the central atrium. This is really cute because you can stand by the railing as if you are on a balcony looking outside.

The sunroon, which is where our function was held is cute with white cupboards for hanging your coat, and sweet lime green and white partitions. The high ceiling combined with full glass windows looking over the atrium give a nice view into the rest of the Ivy as well as the city lights/buildings above.

The above images are just from google, but I want to go back and get some photo's next time.

Interior Landscaping

This website defines 'interior landscaping' as:

What is interior landscaping? Interior landscaping is the practice of designing, arranging, and caring for living plants in enclosed environments. Planterra calls this 'interior landscaping' even though land is not literally being reshaped. 'Interior landscaping' is an appropriate term because indoor environments contain plains, angles, and horizons that are softened, accentuated or altered by the addition of plants and planters-thus landscaping the interior. Similar to outdoor landscapes, interior landscapes provide spaces with ornament, color, sculptural elements, focal points, and an overall pleasant environment.

In the trade, interior landscaping is also known as plantscaping and interiorscaping. Interior landscape firms will use one of the three terms or a combination. While interior landscaping is an accurate description of this specialty, plantscape and interiorscape are words that were invented at the birth of the interior landscape industry to define the trade. Plantscape and interiorscape may have originated in the early 1970s as the name of interior landscape companies but have since then become generic phrases that describe the specialty.

Academics and authors tend to be aligned with one term set with their own definition. Richard Gains, AIA the author of Interior Plantscaping (1977), says he uses the term plantscapes to "differentiate from interior landscape office planning." Gains' plantscape definition is restricted to plants within enclosed structures. Nelson Hammer, ASLA author of Interior Landscapes: An American Design Portfolio of Green Environments (1999) features gardens inside buildings defined as 'interior landscapes'. Interestingly, Paul Cooper landscape architect and author of Interiorscapes: gardens within buildings (2003) extends his definition to include gardens that are "open to the air, as well as gardens that, although not contained by the architecture, are intrinsic to it." 'Interiorscape' is also the name of a trade magazine for the interior landscape community. In contrast of the tendency to favor one term, the cover of Interiorscape magazine bears the slogan "interior plantscaper's most read, most awarded information source since 1981." While the definitions differ, Interior landscape, plantscape, and interiorscape are synonymous.


Check them out - http://www.planterra.com/interior_landscape_resources_5.php

Some more

Here are some more pics of the previous post.

These are from this cute new website I found called Etsy where they sell handmade and vintage clothing, jewellery and homewares.

Home and office ideas

I adore these...

So cute, fun and interactive. I like the bold contrasts of colour and the natural feel of the elements (bird, tree, vine etc). What a lovely way to bring the outside inside in a fresh and modern way. No mess, no maintenance.

And the good thing is its applicable to every room. Bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, nursery, lounge and dining. You can pick a theme and carry it, or apply different ones to highlight certain rooms.

Ecesis - CSM new product

Wow, end of financial year has made work crazy! I suppose busy is always good in an economic climate like ours.

This is only a quick post to show a new product I found. Its a multi-purpose indoor partition that will add a little 'outside' inside. How vibrant and lively would you feel sitting near one of these - I think it would brighten my day. My only concern is how well the plants survive and how much maintenance they need. However working in a landscape architecture firm I'm sure the guys here would know which plants to use!

So much going on

It is so exciting to see that there are so many conferences, seminars and events on at the moment for design. Quite a few are in melbourne unfortunately which makes it hard to get to, as well as a lot are during business hours.

However I have found two events I am interested in attending - Lightsource and First Thursday.

First thursday is on once a month and is a networking event in Sydney. Each month their a upcoming artists showcased, interesting speakers, networking and drinks and canapes. Its $60 but appears to be well worth it, especially for a graduate designer like myself.

Lightsource is an event for commercial and retail lighting technologies and new ideas. Its free for trade members and only $10 for public. It runs over thurs-sun so gives everyone the opportunity to pop by.

Designing for environments

This project is fabulous. Designed by Productora this project is located in Chihuahua, Mexico. I love the way the building has very clear lines of where it sits in the landscape. Yet, it has a real sense of flow from the external landscape into the the interior. It feels like a natural progression from the front lawn to the design of the building. It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

I also am impressed with how they have considered the local climate, landscape and conditions so that it would be a pleasant home to live in. Firstly and most obviously - the fact that it is built into the hill means that the temperature inside will drop several degrees, making it more pleasant for a climate like mexico. They have used the roof design and the angles of the sun to create natural awnings for balconies, instead of it being an after thought. They have positioned the rooms thoughtfully to maximise natural light in the living areas.

Im looking forward to seeing more like it.

ConnectED 2010

I want to go.

I was so excited when I found out about this conference a week or so ago. However with my new job I can't get the time off to attend! what a shame.

ConnectED is an international conference on design education, and how lucky are we that the 2nd ever one is in Sydney, our backyard.

I have been particularly interested in the design of educational spaces over the last year or so. So much so that my university major project was a multipurpose learning centre for secondary students. Schools should be designed more like universities and workplaces. Features such as breakout spaces, common areas with various spaces to conduct individual or group informal learning, meeting rooms that simulate real life business, multimedia points easily accessible and wireless internet. Students find it easier to apply themselves to their learning when they take ownership of both the tasks and the environments in which they inhabit.

I think there is so much to discuss and contribute about these types of spaces. It is not a simple solution but one that is definitely evolving. I am already seeing the design of informal spaces in schools and the exploration of the relationship between inside and outside spaces - extending the learning experience into its neighbouring landscape. I look forward to future conversations with likeminded people, and i'm disappointed it won't be this june 28 june -1 July. Lets hope I can download some notes from the conference.

Playing with light

Speaking of BKK Architects. I stumbled across this project of theirs called the 2Part House. I really like the way they have played with angles, orientation, storage and beautiful natural materiality. I want a lounge with a bookshelf like that! Imagine how comfortable it would be in that space. Warm from the use of natural timber and sunlight streaming in, light and airy from the windows on different aspects, spacious because of the high ceilings and good use of space and storage.

These pockets of light allow for an open yet private environment. It also means you don't get too hot in the summer, but you stay warm and appreciative of the light in the winter.

There is also something very pleasing to our mind and soul about rhythm in the environments we occupy. Rhythm in the lines created by sun streaming in through windows spaced evenly across a space, rhythm in the materials used, rhythm in the position of beams, doors and furniture. Subconsciously we feel at ease when we walk through a space that has features such as these.

Exploring landscape and boundaries

This week in Australian Design Review, I saw the article on the Boundary House, designed by BKK Architects. Wow, what a fantastic piece of design! - exploring the definition of boundaries, fluid connection of spaces, pod like accretions* and the relationship between inside and outside spaces.

It is so inspiring to see this kind of design. They have thrown out the definition of what a house should be, square, box-like, with a lawn, and made extensions that extrude to make more connections between not only each space but each space and its surrounds. My only complaint would be the view from the street. The architecture contrasts the old with the new, but the front view is let down by the landscape and facade. It is the perfect opportunity to subtly suggest this house is not ordinary, but it looks 'normal'. I guess the advantage is you are in for a surprise!

*Accretions. Definition: an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent

For the full article click here

More info on One Less Stress (OLS) & Lisa Mitchell

Further to my last post, here is the event video.


Lisa Mitchell OLS event Vox Pops

One Less Stress | MySpace Video

And the lisa Mitchell video promoting the night.

Lisa Mitchell Event and Interview

One Less Stress | MySpace Video

Out n about

This week I attended an exclusive concert for Lisa Mitchell, sponsored by the Neutrogena "One Less Stress" Campaign and supported by MySpace. A friend of mine got us tickets through her job at MySpace and it was held in the oh so fabulous Victoria Room, Darlinghurst.

It was lots of fun! How could it not be, with a free cocktail on arrival, oyster canapes, a live performance by Lisa Mitchell (only 2m away) and goodie bags on the way out.

The interviews being done around the room about the "One Less Stress" campaign gave a bit of background to the event and Lisa's performance was so good, she has a cute head move when she sings. It was pretty squishy, probably because everyone wanted to be near Lisa during the performance. But I think we pushed the Victoria Room to its capacity.

Now to talk about the Victoria Room, I wish I had taken some good photos of it. It has this gorgeous modern british colonial/victorian design. Like I said, it was hard to see much because of the amount of people, but the large pendant lighting, ornate room dividers, high quality furniture upholstery, lamp shades and plants scattered around as well as the general ambience from the lighting resulted in a sophisticated and energetic space.

I will definitely be returning. Probably for high tea next time!

New Design courses at UTS

As a UTS graduate I am interested in keeping up to date with what is going in UTS DAB (Design Architecture and Building) .

I just saw a post from UTS that this year 2 new degrees have been launched in the design field.

- Bachelor of Sound and Music Design

- Bachelor of Design (Photography & Situated Media)

It is interesting to see how it is branching out into new areas of design.

This new direction should be well received as it is just in time for the NIME 2010 Conference, hosted by the University of Technology Sydney.

Getting the juices flowing part 2

I love this one! It is what every kid wants. Probably every adult too!?

Getting the juices flowing

A friend of mine emailed me some of these great examples of creativity. I thought I would post the ones that I particularly liked, and even better - I'll try and find out who created them.

I think my favourite is the pizza cutter. Nothing to do with interior design, but extremely user friendly.

New beginnings

I am an Interior Designer, and I've just got my first full time job. Where? Can you guess? A Landscape Architecture firm. Some might think it's quite a bit different and an odd choice. But I am interested to see what I learn. I am hoping to ask questions and seek answers.

What is the link between interior and exterior? and how can we push the boundaries of its current perception?

Questions:

• What can I learn from working with exterior experts?
• What is it I have to offer landscape projects?
• Is there a way we can combine what we know and create something new?

And along the way I hope to have some fun. I can learn about the latest products and services in design, attend some design events and parties and document my findings right here.

Let us begin...