Indice dei contenuti per September 2013 in Dwell

As our lives evolve, so too should our domestic spaces. We find new objects, we welcome new additions to our families; we expand or contract our living environments depending on budget, time, or other everyday challenges. For many of us, negotiating between possibilities and constraints is not easy. But for a lucky few who possess a unique sense of utility and function, the prospect of renovating, redecorating, or building anew is not daunting but exhilarating. Of course I’m speaking of designers, people who make it their business to refine the world around us. For this issue dedicated to designers’ own homes, we made a distinct effort to focus not only on interior designers and architects, but also on people working in the realms of landscape, industry, technology, and product design.…

Anders Hviid His love of architecture, design, and capturing images of creative people at work and play made Anders Hviid a natural choice to photograph designer Morten Bo Jensen’s inspired family nest (“Great Danes,” p. 88). Says the Copenhagen, Denmark–based photographer: “I showed daughters Merle and Anine how to operate my Hasselblad camera. With the camera on a tripod, they went crazy shooting each other, like they were fashion model and photographer.” José Mandojana Born to Argentine parents, photographer José Mandojana studied at the Art Center in Pasadena and is currently based in Seattle. When he’s not working, Mandojana can be found building forts with his three-year-old, pulling espresso, or bicycling. He shot the Vancouver, British Columbia, residence of designer Omer Arbel (My House, p. 69) and the foundry where…

“Paper architects” frequently dream up futuristic visions for the built environment that never transcend theoretical discourse. In his thousands of drawings, architect and artist Paolo Soleri (1919–2013) envisioned structures that supported a way of life more in tune with the ecosystem than the contemporaneous resource-consumptive culture. “His genius lay in his artistry and imagination,” says Claire C. Carter, an assistant curator at work on a series of Soleri exhibitions at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. “He reached beyond social conventions in order to imagine a world that encourages culture, art, and craft and brings people closer to one another and closer to the natural world,” Carter explains. Other architects explored high-density megastructures, but Soleri took the concept further by defining the social system of people living within his “arcologies”—a…

Until a few years ago, Loretta Gargan had spent her entire career as a landscape designer creating outdoor havens for other people, without a proper yard to call her own. But don’t feel sorry for her: She never felt deprived. “I’ve always interpreted a feeling of nature wherever I am, no matter the context,” she says. “Even putting big branches in a vase or arranging rocks—that’s enough to make me happy. It’s not about the space; it’s about envisioning what you can do with what you have.” That vision served her well six years ago, when she and her partner, the artist Catherine Wagner, first visited the one-bedroom shack in Marin County, California, that would become their weekend retreat. The house and land were sorely neglected. “Things were growing hap-hazardly…

From the outside, an unassuming 1942 cottage overlooking Vancouver’s harbor is an unexpected place to find Omer Arbel, a designer known for his experimental, amorphous creations for the Canadian furniture and design company Bocci. But inside the 2,600-square-foot home he shares with his girlfriend, musician Aileen Bryant, and a collection of exotic pets, Arbel’s rich imagination and exuberant love of objects are on display. Here, he takes us on a personal tour. “I have a casual approach to prototyping that involves our day-to-day life. I am always tinkering, and I have lots of transformers to run electricity through things, but Aileen lives with me now, so I have to be respectful. Before she moved in it was like a total madhouse; now I can’t pour concrete in the kitchen. It…

Project: R+F Apartment Architects: De Poorter Holdrinet Interieurarchitecten Location: Bellem, Belgium Not many people, when faced with a derelict former cattle-fodder factory colonized by pigeons, would immediately embrace it as their future family home. Yet interior architects Renaud de Poorter and Femke Holdrinet, invited by a friend to buy a share of the space in the village of Bellem, Belgium, saw the potential of the unloved building immediately. “It was like a concrete box, with hardly any windows,” recalls Poorter. “But with so much space, the potential was clearly there.” “You had to believe in it,” adds Holdrinet. “And we did, even though our family and friends thought we were crazy to touch it.” It helped that the couple; son, Milan, 12; daughter, Oona, 10; and Parson Russell terrier, Ibbel,…

Tweets @wwwjonesyca: Love love love the illustrations by Oriana Fenwick in [the May 2013 issue of] @dwell. @CheeseCip: @dwell, thanks for new ideas! My husband, our two cats, and I share 480 sq. ft. in #DC. We’re always looking for new ways to maximize space. @mood_kids: @dwell, fantastic collection of products. You have just inspired some new purchases. @Stottle: Thank you, @dwell, for introducing me to my new favorite Tumblr: architecture ofdoom.tumblr.com. @jflynnfoto: I might have to sign up for a Pinterest account for this: “@dwell: Check out all things #prefab on our #Pinterest.” @EVDimmig: The Dimmig House now subscribes to @dwell which means more reasons never to leave my home. TWITTER: Follow us… Looking for more modern design in between issues? Follow the Dwell team on Twitter. @dwell Dwell…

When Dwell visited designer Omer Arbel at home for this issue (page 69), photographer José Mandojana captured him at work on his 19 series for Bocci. The objects explore the process of sandcasting, which the designer explains is a “very conventional way of making metallic objects imprecisely.” The shape of the lava-textured overspill around the bowls varies from piece to piece, owing to the open pour of the liquid copper-brass alloy. That rough halo of alloy contrasts with the inside of the bowl, which is polished to a mirror-like finish. Arbel says, “This is the first series of objects [for Bocci] that has very little function. Mostly they exist for some sort of emotional response.” bocci.ca dwell.com/omer-arbel Head online for more behind-the-scenes images of designer Omer Arbel in his Vancouver…

Architects often prod their clients to take chances, but there are some lines that few are willing to cross, like candy-colored kitchen cabinets playing off walls made from particleboard. But architect Janet Bloomberg, of the Washington, DC, firm Kube Architecture, became her own willing guinea pig when she and her husband, Sean, purchased a Charles Goodman–designed home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Bloomberg gutted the interiors to make way for her vision of industrial Pop art. “The big, important things to me are materials and color,” she says. “I wanted to make a happy kitchen.” Departing from all the “wood kitchens” she designs for clients, Bloomberg had her cabinetmaker craft laminate cabinets from Abet Laminati in shades of pale green and turquoise—her favorite hues. “In the shop, they were calling these…

Project: House in Tousuien Architect: Suppose Design Office, suppose.jp Location: Hiroshima, Japan Daisuke Tokuyama told Japanese architect Makoto Tanijiri that he wanted a light-filled home for his family of five—a tall order, considering his narrow property in Hiroshima was boxed in on three sides. To creatively solve the problem, Tanijiri skipped conventional walls altogether and wrapped the entire three-story steel structure in polycarbonate plastic. “We were able to mix categories that are usually separate,” says Tanijiri. “Walls became windows and windows became walls.” Thanks to its translucent envelope, the house glows firefly-fashion at night and is so “superbright” during the day that Tokuyama says he rarely turns on a light. The milky-white, one-and-a-half-inch-thick plastic sheets provide other benefits, too. Tanijiri says they’re strong, easy to handle, and as effective at…

Project: Viking Pencil Factory Loft Designers: Kristina May Olsen and Morton Bo Jensen Location: Copenhagen, Denmark In the land of hygge—Denmark’s trademark cozy aesthetic—the Islands Brygge present a challenge. In a former industrial area on the eastern bank of Copenhagen’s harbor, the buildings are set far apart, creating wind tunnels and an isolated feel. Yet in Brygge’s urban loft buildings, the heavy industrial machinery has moved out, and new life has taken hold. For a certain type of enterprising city dweller—particularly if that city dweller is a problem-solving designer who works just around the corner—the old structures make an irresistible domestic canvas. Morten Bo Jensen, the chief designer at Vipp—whose headquarters are located in Islands Brygge—and his partner, graphic designer Kristina May Olsen, bought a loft space in the former…

The product-packed Modern Market section of Dwell just got even better with a fresh look and an innovative crop of new modern designs. In this highly shoppable section, you are guaranteed to discover that one unique item or special gift that makes you feel at home in the modern world! For more products and services, visit Modern Market Online. modernmarket.com Stone Forest Pebble Collection Natural materials. Contemporary design. Kitchen | Bath | Garden What if small, smooth river pebbles got realy big and became fountains, seating, and bath sinks? Toll-free 888-682-2987 stoneforest.com Modern Mailboxes Home or Office by box design usa Create curb appeal for your home or office with modern mailboxes. We have a range of letterbox solutions to meet your style and function. We are the North American…

This is an awesome design (Finishing Touch, May 2013)! I love anything with floor-to-ceiling glass that exposes the indoors to the outdoor elements and the raw industrial materials. Brad Seifert Sent via Facebook Editor’s Note: Architect Georg van Gass expertly and artfully designed his Johannesburg, South Africa, prefab cottage to tread lightly on its landscape. See more images of the project in our Prefab special issue. dwell.com/prefab-issue The published letter of Christine Brooks drew my attention (Letters, June 2013). I agree that Dwell’s focus seems to have shifted from the architectural-construction side to a focus on decoration. The answer given to Brooks doesn’t provide insight as to whether or not the editorial staff agrees with her and why. Maybe it has to do with the change in editor-in-chief and a…

In 2009, designer Aino-Maija Metsola heard that one of the highly coveted artists’ studios at Suomenlinna, a former military stronghold located in the Finland Strait, was available to rent. She immediately applied. “It’s great luck if you get one,” recalls Metsola, who beat out many other applicants and now lives on the island with her husband, graphic designer Georgi Eremenko, and their dog, Turo. The apartment is one big open space with thick walls, high ceilings, and a view of the sea. Their neighbors are all creative types, including a movie director, a costume designer, and a painter. “We have a lot of parties; it’s a really nice environment,” explains Metsola, an in house designer at Marimekko, whose recent line for the company, the Weather Diary, is inspired by her…

A Weight Here large candelabra by KiBiSi B Parallel candleholders by Desu Design C Walk of Flames candelabra by Frederik Roijé D Agnes table candelabra: 3 candles by Lindsey Adelman E Candlesticks by John Pawson F Esag candelabra by Carlo Trevisani G No Early Birds candleholder by Per Söderberg H Sprue candelabra by Fort Standard I Abbracciaio Candleholder by Philippe Starck J Kubus 4 in Copper by Mogens Lassen Weight Here large candelabra by KiBiSi for Menu $110 14.5" H x 8" W A polystone finish that resembles concrete updates the classic form. Cast-iron candleholders nod to historic artisanal techniques, but they have a utilitarian feel that’s of this century. store.menudesignshop.com Parallel candleholders by Desu Design $148–$170 23” H x 1.75” W x 1.75” D 15" H x 1.75" W…

Like her line of fashion, housewares, and furniture, Irish-born designer Orla Kiely’s four-story, 3,000-square-foot home in southwestern London, is vibrant, warm, and layered with pattern and color. “I know what I like and what works for me,” she says. The interiors could be none other than Kiely’s—nearly every room is festooned with her signature prints—yet it’s more than just a one-note samba, thanks to her careful consideration of how each element plays off the others. Kiely honed her eye studying textile design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and knitwear design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 1997, she established her eponymous company. Now her pieces are available at retailers like HD Buttercup, Target, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie. Alongside designer Susan Minter and architect…

Project: Peter’s House Architect: Craig Steely Location: San Francisco, California I rarely went to the Peter–Craig design sessions,” says Jan Moolsintong, a mechanical engineer, “but I imagined them to be very intense and animated.” Peter, in this case, is Peter Russell-Clarke, her husband and an industrial designer, and Craig is Craig Steely, one of San Francisco’s premier residential architects. “For some reason, I always pictured things like foam core or cardboard flying around Craig’s office during these sessions, and you don’t really want to get in the middle of two excited artists when they are in the groove doing their thing late at night anyway.” Whether any architectural models sailed across the room as Steely and Russell-Clarke mapped out what would become the couple’s four-story house, which skims the edge…

Architect Reinhold Andris has lived in his house in southwestern Germany since 1998. Fifteen years on, the structure remains emblematic of his modernist perspective. “It’s a very open architecture,” he says, noting the near-invisible steel frame and pervasive use of glass. Unlike the traditional stone houses in the neighborhood, Andris’s home feels lightweight, thanks in part to the split-level plan and spatial fluidity. “When the sun moves through the house, it creates thousands of different situations of light,” he explains. “It’s still interesting to me.” The 2,152-square-foot abode is one of the 100 houses profiled in the new book The Architect’s Home (Taschen, 2013), which also includes the residences of Arts and Crafts virtuoso Charles Rennie Mackintosh, high-modern master Alvar Aalto, and contemporary practitioner Werner Sobek. The houses represent a…