If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): interior design

Showing posts with label interior design. Show all posts

The San Lorenzo North Showcase Villa with Marble Tiled Pool at Quinta do Lago by de Blacam and Meagher.

Sleek, modern architecture marks the design of this stunning Showcase House by de Blacam and Meagher Architects that sits on a golf course in Portugal's Quinta do Lago, one of Europe's finest luxury resorts.

Yesterday I shared with you 36 photos of the spectacular exterior landscaping, incredible wrap-around swimming pool and glass-walled garage at 1201 Laurel Way, a spec home designed by the boutique architecture firm of Whipple Russell that is on the market for $36 million. The home is so impressive and I have so many images, I had to break it into two posts.

For an independent study, Jung Hwan (Albert) Son, a senior communication design student at Parsons the New School for Design, decided to create and brand a hip and trendy hotel - inspired by the Helvetica font. Below are the elements he designed for his concept of the Helvetica Hotel.

Room keys, signage, wall clocks and stationary:

Toiletries, hangers and minibar items:

The clean sans serif font has been a favorite of designers since its inception, used for many recognizable logos and even inspiring a full length film.

History of Helvetica:
The Helvetica font was developed by Max Miedinger with Edüard Hoffmann in 1957 for the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland and quickly became an international hit in the graphic arts world. With its clean, smooth lines, it reflected a modern look that many designers were seeking. At a time when many European countries were recovering from the ravages of war, Helvetica presented a way to express newness and modernity.

“First learn a proper trade.” These were the words with which Max Miedinger’s father put an end to the debate on the future career of his 16-year-old son, who longed to become a painter. Instead, in the autumn of 1926, Miedinger junior began an apprenticeship as a type setter with the Zurich printing company Jacques Bollmann. Four years later, he knew for certain: “I want to be a designer, not spend the rest of my life fiddling with columns of type in galleys”. Evening classes with Johann Kohlmann at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts confirmed his interest. Finally, in 1936, Max Miedinger was able to put his talent to professional use – as a typographer in the advertising studio of the Globus department store chain. There, over the ten years that followed, he created posters, newspaper advertisements, the corporate lettering and printing for in-house use.

above: just some of the brands that use Helvetica for their corporate identity (image courtesy of typophile.com)

Once Helvetica caught on, the typeface began to be used extensively in signage, in package labeling, in poster art, in advertising—in short, everywhere. Innumerable corporate logos such as those of Lufthansa, Bayer, Hoechst, Deutsche Bahn, BASF and BMW use the font. Inclusion of the font in home computer systems, such as the Apple Macintosh in 1984, only further cemented its ubiquity.

above: the poster for Gary Hustwit's documentary about Helvetica.

In his own words, designer Albert Son says "Essential theme of the branding is based on the visual attributes of the typeface, which is neutral, clean, simple. As it is most beautiful when it is by itself, focus of the overall branding was on keeping everything simple and clean in terms of typography as well as use of colors. While reinterpreting essential hotel products in 'Helvetica' way, the brand also introduces bunch of unconventional items in a range of categories."

Albert Son on Behance

Books, DVDs and other Helvetica related items:

Unusual and Beautiful Area Rugs Combine Art and Faux Cowhide.

Designed by Young & Battaglia with artwork by Chiara Fersini and Chad Wys, these beautiful and unusual hide area rugs are made in England.

This 6,800 sq. ft home is a collaborative effort between by architect Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects, and interior designer/ furniture designer Garret Cord Werner. The home goes by a couple of names depending on with whom you speak. Olson Kundig refer to it as The Pavilion House, while Garret Cord Werner calls it The Lake Washington Shores Art House. Regardless of the name, the breathtaking structure merges the exterior & interior spaces to provide a seamless environment with the northwest landscape.

Outside spaces mimic the interior in function: living area with fireplace, kitchen, dining area, expansive lawn, long terrace.

The Lake Washington Shores home was designed for entertaining and especially displaying the client's extensive northwest art collection. Reclaimed Mahogany woods, nickel plated steel sections and cement were used throughout the whole house to create a unified atmosphere with an elegant yet comfortable finish.

The house showcases art from various Pacific Northwest artists such as Cris Bruch, Kenneth Callahan, Rob Snyder , Dennis Evans, Nancy Mee, Lino Tagliapietra, and Catherine Eaton Skinner to name a few.

Olson considers those who worked on the home also to be artists: interior designer Garret Cord Werner, lighting designer Brian Hood and landscape architect Charles Anderson.

"I lived near the water a long time, but I never felt it until here," says the homeowner of this Bellevue home designed by Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects. "It's all about floating and dreaming," says Olson.

The dramatic center pavilion is the focus of the architecture displaying a grand thirty-five foot long dining table by Garret Werner that floats on two pedestals. The table, which can seat 40 people, was engineered and constructed out of reclaimed mahogany wood and nickel plated steel sections and may be disassembled to provide a flexible party space.

Flanking the center pavilion is a floating living room over a reflecting pond and a media room family area at the opposite end with kitchen and bar. All the cabinets were designed by Garret Werner for the home. In the center console in the entertainment room, a projector comes up from inside to project across into the media room.

Custom furniture designer by Werner fills the comfortable living areas.

Working in collaboration with Jim Olson, the master bathroom floor plan was redesigned from initial floor plans and was transformed into an inside-out experience.