Villa Metamorphosis

dramatic New York state home is shrouded in symbolism....

Architecture

Villa Metamorphosis

March 8th, 2010

Located near the world famous site of Woodstock, 100 miles north of New York City, Ben Ryuki Miyagi’s dramatic renovation of a 1960s home employs what the architect describes as ‘The Landscape of Geometric Mythology’ and was “designed as if a series of mysterious objects from (an) unknown planet have landed on this peaceful landscape with a story to tell”. There’s certainly unique architectural symbolism on show here, with more than a little Asian influence from the Japanese architect, and with additional structures surrounding the villa such as the ‘House of Solitude’, ‘Sky Mirror’, and ‘Tower Gate’, it’s clear that the landscape of the site as a whole is as important to the designer as the home itself. Challenging, unique and, well, frankly more than a little frightening, Villa Metamorphosis is a true one-off – and if you stumbled across this property on a pilgrimage to the famous site of Woodstock, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that acid is responsible for what you see before you….

Klein Bottle House by McBride Charles Ryan

origami inspired super-home is the ideal holiday retreat....

Architecture

Klein Bottle House by McBride Charles Ryan

March 1st, 2010

Seems like another week, another inspirational dose of architecture from Australia’s capital of cool, Melbourne… albeit it that McBride Charles Ryan’s mathematically designed Klein Bottle House is a one and half hour drive from Australia’s second city, nestled between the tee-tree and the sand dunes of the Mornington Peninsula. Based upon the rather over-whelming model of the ‘Klein Bottle’, developed by topological mathematicians – yeah that’s enough education for today – this rather lavish holiday home is the kind of outrageously designed property that people in the ’60s thought the future would look like and, well, we sure wish it did. Laden with international awards, the Klein Bottle House is a refreshing reminder of how thinking outside of the box, literally, can deliver truly inspired results….

360° Lamp by Pavel Sidorenko

brilliantly simple lighting concept from Estonian designer....

Interiors

360° Lamp by Pavel Sidorenko

February 26th, 2010

We’re loving the simplicity of this lamp shade from Estonian designer Pavel Sidorenko. Designed for Adensen, a fledgling furniture manufacturer founded in Valga on the border of Latvia, the 360° Lamp comprises simply of one sheet of plastic, mirrored on one side, allowing the shade to interact with the light to your own requirements, offering supremely stylish flexibility…..

The VitraHaus

the design giant's rather special new German home.....

Architecture

The VitraHaus

February 25th, 2010

Founded in Germany, 1950 as a family company, the now Swiss owned design giant, Vitra, have manufactured design classics from the likes of Charles & Ray Eames and in 1987 launched their highly coveted Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany… the fantastically unique building being Frank Gehry’s first European work. Seemingly taking a lead from Gehry’s iconic design, their stately new super-showroom, also located in Weil am Rhein, is a series of traditional house style structures elegantly stacked upon one another, designed by the talented Swiss architects behind Munich’s sensational Allianz Arena, Herzog & de Meuron. Housing a café, design museum shop and their entire Vitra Home Collection, the VitraHaus is the perfect place to be inspired by the staggering amount of inspirational design products that Vitra offer… in fact, being located just steps away from their world famous design museum, it’s the perfect place to just come and be inspired… full stop.

Merchant House by Søren Rose Studio

wonderfully Danish renovation of 18th century home....

Interiors

Merchant House by Søren Rose Studio

February 24th, 2010

Famed for their groundbreaking, über-stylish Milk Desk, Søren Rose Studio’s delightfully sophisticated renovation of a 1770 Danish home is one of the most simple, yet brilliantly effective, interior works we have seen in sometime. Using bold colours for each room, reflecting “the different purposes the apartment has served over time”, the strikingly simple, and so typically Scandinavian, interior is refined, elegant and overall, so respectful to the history of the building, thanks to the fusion of retro and purpose built contemporary furnishings….. this is truly the sort of calm, sophisticated space in which we would love to spend our days….

Vík Prjónsdóttir Blankets

elegant wool blankets from Icelandic design collective...

Accessories

Vík Prjónsdóttir Blankets

February 18th, 2010

With blankets dedicated to Sea Eagles, hidden worlds and Michael Jackson, you know that Icelandic design collective Vík Prjónsdóttir have a propensity for the absurd, especially given their famed ‘Beardcap‘. Captivated by nature and with a fervor for local culture and materials, Vík Prjónsdóttir showcased their latest collection at the recent Stockholm Design Week, a range of beautifully diverse blankets made from 100% Icelandic wool, and each telling a tale of folklore and emotion.

Postcarden, Mini Living Gardens

quirky, original, beautiful, oh, and we've got six to giveaway.....

Toys

Postcarden, Mini Living Gardens

February 18th, 2010

Seeking an innovative solution to bring lasting enjoyment to an age old gift, the greeting card, London based designers, A Studio for Design, decided to… erm, well… put a garden into a postcard!?!? Yes, bordering on the unhinged it may be, but entirely charming it is too, as the conventional element of the card remains intact – it’s postable, has space for a written message, and features a lovely little images – yet the ‘Postcarden‘ also comes with seeds, instructions and a pop-up garden plot that will grow and keep for 2-3 weeks… successfully achieving their desired extent of it’s enjoyment lifespan. Taking the shape of three distinctly British environments, the Postcarden is available as a city, a botanical gardens and a charming allotment, all printed in Wales by ‘Ethical Packaging’, with the seeds also sourced within the UK.

Postcarden Giveaway
we’ve got 2 of each design to giveaway…..
Tomorrow’s weekend edition of our bi-weekly newsletter will contain our exclusive ‘Postcarden Giveaway’… if you’re not already signed up then you had better click here right away…..

Archipod

the garden shed gets a luxe makeover....

Toys

Archipod

February 17th, 2010

Tucked away in the corner of your suburban garden like the bastard offspring of a traditional garden shed and a lunar landing module, the Archipod is a whole new reason to work from home. Centered around the concept of removing the tie between work and home, the Archipod allows for an external working space without the cost, bureaucracy and inconvenience of building an extension or out-building. Of course it’s not just your office you could set up in your ‘pod… it’s an ideal space for a mini recording studio, a rather luxurious playroom for the kids, or perhaps just loading with tools and acting as a designer replacement for your shed… whatever you do with it, you’ll have endless hours of fun watching the neighbours reaction to the wooden spaceship that’s taken up residence in your cabbage patch….

Culture Label