Design Considered #03
Floating hotels vs man-made islands, over-edited interiors and a design world-first from Japan.
#01 - Opening Thought
After stalling during the pandemic, Dubai’s World Island Project development is, according to the Financial Times, getting back on course. Learning this, my mind has been turning to wild man-made things that have ended up in our oceans. Popping a floating hotel on the Great Barrier Reef, accessible only by ferry, chopper, or seaplane, is one pertinent example. In 1988, it appeared to be a perfectly fine thing to do. It was conceived by an enterprising Aussie father-and-son team, built in Singapore, and, I’m assuming - towed!? - to Australia's best-known natural wonder. You can read the whole depressing tale of how this floating Four Seasons wound up as scrap metal in North Korea on CNN here. The point I’m trying to make today is that I hope we won’t be reading similarly sad stories of what became of luxury homes built on Dubai’s man-made islands in a few decades’ time, but I fear we probably will.
#02 - Words From The Editor
I recently bought a good-looking interior design book with a decent intention to read it though I don’t have a great track record with regard to this. I made my way through to the end - it was 97% photos. Sadly, the stunning homes presented on its pages didn’t resonate with me despite their incredibly plush furniture and beautiful architectural details. As I read, I could feel the interior designer behind the book mollycoddling the photographer as the homes were being documented. The trace of real human life was stripped out in favour of a too-good-to-be-true depiction of domestic design bliss. This is not uncommon when the commissioned talent documents clients' homes, whose tastes inevitably clash (despite said client shelling out a truckload of cash in the first place for the work). When it comes to making ‘the book’, the image controller can pull the personality from home - taking out kids’ toys and dubious yet well-intentioned newly-bought design additions. The storytelling then ends up feeling staged and soulless.
What I did find intriguing, however, was the prevalence of neatly arranged design coffee table books as decorative elements in every home. These tomes, strategically placed by the interior designer, seemed to serve as symbols of good taste rather than sources of meaningful content in the homeowner's life. They added to the aesthetic, but were they truly enriching reads? As someone who sometimes flicks through the nice-looking material on my shelf, now is my time to shine. Here are three interior design titles that are both good-looking and good to read that might have served a better purpose in these flawless homes.
Ilse Crawford - A Frame for Life - This is a bible for good interior design is as rich in insightful text from the British design doyenne as it is in sumptuously shot project photos from Felix Odell and others.
Terence Conran - The House Book - Fork out for the 1976 first edition, or take the dated cover sleeve off the more affordable 1999 ‘New’ successor title and enjoy a minimal hardcover container for the world’s most masterful instructional book on designing a good home.
Beams at Home 1 & 2 - Most of us don’t live in homes as grand as the ones we read about in our homes books. Beams at Home gracefully exposes apartment life among Japan’s coolest people, where more practical points of small home set-ups are exemplified - from perfect shoe storage solutions to the most manageable pot plants.
#03 - Design Selection
Last week, design journalists worth their salt went to Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design, many on the annual press tour of what’s being dubbed the ‘new Salone Del Mobile’ (good read). Yet perhaps the summer’s most thoughtfully designed release was coming to market many miles away at the little-known-beyond-Japan Interior Lifestyle Tokyo event. Here, Ishinomaki Laboratory introduced the “Maker Pack” line, which was made in collaboration with Karimoku Furniture. Led by designer Keiji Ashizawa, Ishinomaki Laboratory is a brilliant Japanese initiative born in the wake of the nation’s 2011 earthquake disaster. After enlisting creative and manufacturing talents to help rebuild efforts, furniture has continued to come from the brand through collaborations with renowned global design talents. Flat-pack at its finest, the Maker Pack has engineered a number of these collaborations into practical self-assemble pieces for the home. The work appears to be only available in Japan, but anyone interested in splitting the container cost with me to bring Ashizawa’s (1) Koba Sofa, Norm Architects’ (2) 105 Lounge Chair, the (3) AA stool by Torafu Architects and the (4) Obon Chair (also by Ashizawa) to Europe let me know!
#04 - For Your Consideration
Staying in the world of timber furniture design, the wonderful wooden winners of Vietnam’s Hoa Mai Furniture Design Competition have been announced. This initiative connects Southeast Asian makers with American hardwood.
Another creative competition worth entering (for those suitably skilled with a camera) is the Belmond Photographic Residency. The LVMH-owned hospitality player is increasingly celebrated for its tasteful brand storytelling, and this prize signals a proper commitment to championing culture.
Dubbed by the publisher as the “unsung hero of the built environment”, wayfinding is the form of graphic art explored in Place Press' new book Straight Forward. Designed by London’s DNCO, it launched this week.
Another great graphic treatment can be enjoyed by viewing a Paris Men’s Fashion Week tie-up with High Snobiety and French newspaper Le Monde, which featured a city guide, a tasteful print campaign and some must-have merchandise.
Finally, Alexander Skarsgård and sustainable construction—an impossibly dreamy combination! This new podcast from Skarsgård, Swedish non-profit Norrsken Foundation, and Spotify beautifully (and hilariously) highlights innovative solutions for our planet’s problems.
#05 - Through The Lens
“Photographing the pavilion was surreal,” photographer and former architect Alexandra Timpau tells Design Considered about her experiences shooting this cosy shelter designed for a particularly bucolic Prague resident’s garden by BYRÓ architects. “It is in a quiet green oasis hidden within a busy city, making the transition into that realm feel almost unreal.” She says the most surprising moment of the shoot came when it started to rain, and the smart translucent facade was closed, providing a magical shelter as the sound of raindrops hit the roof. “Documenting the pavilion felt like stepping into the owners' passion for the natural world, and I hope the images convey their contagious enthusiasm for nature and the subtle architectural design that supports it.”
Wonderful newsletter Nolan, much appreciated