melon district in design week summer issue ckeck page 27-28

IT’S WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS

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INTERIORS

INTERIORS

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INTERIORS 04. 2008 3

Editor-in-chief: Lynda Relph-Knight

Editor: Henrietta Thompson

Art director: Ivan Cottrell

Production editor: Madeleine Minson

Interiors project manager: Magda Ashman

Project production managers: Neil Ayres and Jermaine Ivey

Publisher: Declan Gough

International correspondentsAustralia: Alison Horne China: Zijia WongJapan: Junko FuwaMiddle East: Becky Lucas Scandinavia: Mark Isitt US: Remi Abbas

Design Week• Editor Lynda Relph-Knight ([email protected]) • Deputy editor Michael Exon ([email protected])• Senior reporter Gina Lovett ([email protected]) • Reporters Emily Pacey ([email protected]),Emma Germain ([email protected]) • Editorial assistant Suzanne Hinchliffe([email protected]) • Production editorMadeleine Minson • Sub editor Martin Shelley • Art director Ivan Cottrell ([email protected])• Group art director Colin McHenry • Group advertisingmanager Vicky Adams ([email protected]) • Commercial development director Kelly Campbell • Project manager Liz Pavitt ([email protected])• Senior display sales executive Ed Swain([email protected]) • Display sales executives Polly McGillivray, Helen Richards • Recruitment managerJessica Garland • Classified sales executives EstherAdemosu, Chris Lewis, Debbie Hodgson, MoniqueNeedham, Rebecca O’Neill, Emma Williams, JamesYouern • Interiors project manager Magda Ashman([email protected]) • Production managerLouise Edlington ([email protected])• Marketing manager Joi Chuku ([email protected])• Publisher Declan Gough ([email protected])• Office manager Aminah Marshall([email protected])

Design Week Editorial and advertising – Postal address:St Giles House, 50 Poland Street, London W1F 7AX;Messengers to 79 Wells Street, London W1T 3QN.Telephone 020 7970 4000 Fax 020 7970 6730Subscriptions 020 7292 3704

Design Week accepts no responsibility for loss or damage,however caused, to material submitted for publication.No part of this publication may be reproduced in anyform without prior permission from the publisher. Printedby Pensord, Gwent NP12 2YA. Cover printed on GalerieArt Silk 250gsm, text printed on Galerie Art Silk 130gsm,manufactured by M-real, www.m-real.com, supplied bythe Publishing & Web Offset Division (020 7501 6010),a subsidiary of The James McNaughton Group,www.jmcpaper.co.uk. Registered at the Post Office as anewspaper. ISSN no: 0950-3676 Subscriptions: UK£85 for 50 issues, £162 for 100 issues, £223 for 150issues Europe £138 for 50 issues Rest of World £160 for50 issues. Audit period: July 2006-June 2007. Total netcirculation of audited issue 8850. Average net circulationper issue during period 8074

PREFACEWELCOME to the all-new Interiors magazine.

Why does the world need another design publication? To cut a long story

short – quite literally. In a profession that is near breaking point with

information overload this magazine exists so that interior designers and

architects can finally live with tidy desks and clear brains – in as much

as the creative process allows, of course.

Coming from the Design Week stable, the Interiors magazine provides you

with an edited selection of what has been going on in the world of

interior architecture and design and an informed analysis of what might

happen next. When the RSS feeds are overflowing criticism and analysis

can be all too easily drowned out, so Interiors takes the long view and –

twice a year – sifts through it all for you and presents the real-world,

realised projects for you to digest easily in one place.

Design is ultimately all about people, of course, and an international

network of correspondents – from New York to Shanghai – is crucial in

making this possible. Alongside their informed reports and detailed case

studies of the highlights, Interiors has assembled a distinguished panel

of contributors and commentators to unpick the industry’s key issues for

detailed dissection. In this issue, gallerist Libby Sellers has the last word

on the design art definition, Stephen Bayley questions the current claims

of design expertise in Hollywood, and our official office expert Jeremy

Myerson explains that the Greenest design measures are not always what

you might think.

The biannual format of Interiors also allows us to take a step back and to

analyse the industry trends that are sticking. Discussed in these pages

are where Beijing’s design scene is heading now (Beijing in bloom, page

46), and whether retailers’ current efforts to be sustainable really are

(Growing pains, page 52). Where should you look for the best practice in

guerrilla galleries and pop-up shops? Meanwhile, mass-customisation and

massclusivity are buzzwords affecting every area of manufacturing at the

moment – but how will that impact on interior design? Read what Ken

Olling thinks about it all in A personal touch, page 62.

We hope you enjoy the issue and look forward to receiving your feedback.

HENRIETTA THOMPSON, EDITOR


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CONTENTS7INSIDER

The lowdown on 50 spaces around theworld and a number of other good things.They’re not all secret (anymore), but it’sinsider knowledge you need

19OPINIONLIBBY SELLERSThe London-based design curator bemoansthe current hype surrounding the ‘designart’ tag. It’s not new, it’s not accurate andit’s not all about the money

21OPINIONSTEPHEN BAYLEYThe design critic and self-styled ‘second-most intelligent man in Britain’ doesn’t see a problem with Hollywood actorsposing as designers and architects

23OPINIONJEREMY MYERSONThe director of the Helen Hamlyn Centresays sustainable office design isn’t justabout materials and energy consumption – people are part of the equation, too

27INSIGHTMELON DISTRICTWith its rooftop terrace, swimming pooland ultra-spacious living quarters, Melon District is not your typical studentaccommodation, says Dominic Lutyens

31INSIGHTMOSSMurray Moss’s store on Los Angeles’Melrose Avenue is a departure from itsoriginal in New York, because California cancope with friendliness, says Caroline Roux

34CASE STUDYDELAY NO MALLHong Kong’s Delay No Mall lifestyle retailoutlet is designed to assault the senses. It is consistent only in that it isunpredictable, says Zijia Wong

40CASE STUDYSAYAMA FLATSFaced with a meagre budget, SchemataArchitecture decided to take a destructiveapproach to the Sayama Flats and tear theinterior apart, says Junko Fuwa

46TRENDSBEIJING IN BLOOMChina has been cultivating its own crop ofdesign talent, no longer looking to theWest for inspiration. Zijia Wong reports onthe curious mix of design styles in Beijing

52TRENDSGROWING PAINSAs companies flaunt Green offices andstores, the need for growth holds themback. Clare Dowdy argues business needsto be more creative with expansion plans

56TRENDSSHAPE SHIFTShort-lived but high-impact, brand spacesoperate under new rules in the experienceeconomy. Lucy Johnston goes in search ofbest practice in temporary interiors

62PROFILEA PERSONAL TOUCHMark Isitt meets Ken Olling, entrepreneur,innovator and pioneer of ‘platform design’,to discuss the challenges posed by masscustomisation and bespoke products

66AFTER A FASHION

There is evidence of several emergingdirections in interior design. From surveil -lance camera lighting to characterfulbookends, we pick a few choice items

74INSPIRATIONRON ARAD IT’S WHAT’S ON

THE INSIDETHAT COUNTS

The veteran designer reveals what’s on his mind at the moment – teaching, ageneral lack of time and lots of inspiration,of course


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DWS_100408_p006 31/3/08 16:36 Page 1


INSIDER

A TREE-LOUNGE IN TOKYO COFFEE CUP CANOPIES IN KUALA LUMPURLONDON GETS FIAT FEVER BEIJING’S OLD SCHOOL ART COMMUNESFLIGHTS OF FANCY AT SCHIPHOL AIRPORT CARDBOARD CUT-OUTS FORAESOP SINGAPORE BLING THE IVY’S 18 NEW BARS IN SYDNEY SEOULTRADERS A FAT DAY IN EAST LONDON PARTIES IN THE KITCHEN SHOES ONTHE MENU AT SWAROVSKI A LIGHTING CONSPIRACY FOR TEMPLE CHURCHA KARRIERE-ON IN COPENHAGEN MACROBIOTIC TOKYOAND THEN SOME


04. 2008 INTERIORSINSIDER8

A WORLDWIDE TOUROF 50 NEW INTERIORS

1. SHIBUYA KOENDORI STOREAssistant, the design group chargedwith the interior design of Tokyo’sDesign Tide 2007, is alsoresponsible for Timberland’sinspired Shibuya Koendori Store.Taking ‘recycling and ecology’ as itstheme, the result is an indoor forestof driftwood trees from whichgarments and accessories can hang.The entire interior being constructedfrom otherwise unwanted materials– in the thriftiest fashion, evenleftover bits produced during theconstruction were not wasted –Assistant wants the retailenvironment to get Timberland’sstaff and customers thinking aboutthe wider world environment.

2. SPACE FURNITUREPerhaps Voonwong & Bensonsawfound its inspiration at the bottomof a teacup when it designed thecloud-like installation for the newSpace Furniture showroom in KualaLumpur. The striking sculpturalcanopy has been created frompolystyrene cups, and ‘plays withideas that are the current interestsof this practice, such as modularity,light and materiality’. Not as quiteas obscure as it sounds, theinstallation forms a backdrop to the collection of bone chinatableware, Setcast, by Voonwong & Bensonsaw and Asianera, thatmakes use of the material’s light-reflective properties.

3. FIATFiat’s London flagship showroom is worth a visit, whether or not youthink the beefed up newCinquecentos have nothing on the perfection of the original.Although the Marylebone storeunapologetically channels AustinPowers, and features exhaust-pipe-clad columns, it is fresh andentertaining in a way that carshowrooms usually aren’t. The space is split over two floors.The first – shag-pile carpeted – iswhere the vehicles are displayed.Upstairs an abundance of whitespace works for corporate meetings,fashion shows and exhibitions.

4. PERCY & REEDConsidering the general aptitude fora good makeover in this sector, hairsalons and barbershops have beensurprisingly slow to innovate withtheir interior design. Enter Percy &Reed, a stylish new salon onLondon’s Great Portland Street,which has a moody New-York-loftfeel, is furnished with vintage barberchairs, an original Panton ‘FlowerPot’ chandelier from the 1960s andTimorous Beasties’ wallpaper. Youcould happily sit and have themchop away at you for hours.

5. THE NEVAÏExcessively celebrity-populatedAlpine resort Verbier has welcomeda couple of new venues lately thatought to spruce up the après-skiproceedings. Coco Chalet, with itshand-painted wallpaper, white furcurtains, leather booths, crushedvelvet stools and gold leaf plasterwalls will probably keep the flashHarries happy, but for those lookingfor something a little classier, thereis an alternative. The Nevaï is astriking four-star hotel designed byarchitect and interior designerYasmine Mahmoudieh, who has ahost of five-star hotels and awardsunder her haut couture belt. A‘fusion of cutting-edge design andAlpine influences’ sees acombination of traditional wood andhigh quality synthetics, while twopenthouses each provide a spaciousliving room with fireplace, privateentrance, state-of-the-art soundsystems and a secluded terrace witha jacuzzi.

6. NEWSEUMNot to be confused with New York’srecently opened New Museum,Philadelphia’s Newseum is amuseum dedicated to thepreservation of print media, and willopen later this year. Built byarchitect Polshek, the museumfeatures seven levels of galleries andhas been created to foster greaterunderstanding of the process behindthe generation of news.

7. BLOCK 8Be warned – Beijing’s Block 8 hasdrawn comments like ‘it’s just somuch cooler than you are that at

POD ANTICS Waugh Thistleton has designed an environmentallyaware, 70-seater eatery in the heart of London’s City. Pod, on Lloyd’sAvenue, combines a fast-food outlet with an environmentally friendlymission. The sophisticated design of the space leaves much of theexisting structure untouched, only adding where absolutely necessary.A sweet chestnut-clad pod on the ground floor incorporates the kitchen,which is open to public view. The clientele is encouraged to recyclethe various elements of their meal when they have finished. One binis used to dispose of food for composting, then customers must washout their food packaging in the sink, before discarding the containersin the second recycling bin. A third bin is supplied to throw away wastebound for the landfill. Best of all are the menu and graphics, designedby Neal Whittington of Present & Correct.

OBJECT BEAUTY A recent exhibition commissioned by the MGMGallery in Oslo saw a collection of new limited edition pieces fromprominent Scandinavian design group Norway Says. The items, whichrange from solid brass candle holders to a maple-wood pepper mill,are certainly collectable, but the consultancy protests loudly at thesuggestion it is pretending to be an art collective, and explains that allthe exhibited works are fully functional. Using its usual creative process,Norway Says has taken this opportunity to research materials and pro-duction techniques without the restraints of industrial rationalism andwhat’s often perceived as the marketplace for design objects. Everyitem was uniquely crafted by Norwegian small-scale industry.

Interiors S.S 08-15:Layout 1 3/4/08 11:29

INTERIORS 04. 2008 INSIDER 9

Designers to watch� Magnus WästbergWith the establishment of hiseponymous company, the youngMagnus Wästberg is waging a war onthe over-lit, artificial office lightingwe’ve all had to live with for decades.Wästberg believes it is possible tocreate beautiful lamps that also giveout beautiful light – and has enlistedthe help of Ilse Crawford, JamesIrvine, Jean-Marie Massaud andClaesson Koivisto Rune to prove it.The results will be available to buythis summer.

� Mike MeiréLast year the German creative directorMike Meiré reconceived the basicnotion of a kitchen in a collaborationwith Dornbracht called The FarmProject. This year he is attempting todo the same with the bathroom. TheFarm Project worked as a deliberatecounterpoint to today’s ubiquitousMinimalist look with a sketch-likeimage of a farmhouse kitchen, wherehousehold goods, animals, food andfamilies jostled for space. Very well-received and already provinginfluential across the design world, itwill be interesting to see if he can pullit off again. Soundscapes – thebathroom version – was launchedduring the Cologne furniture fair.Recreating the bathroom as asanctuary of Zen calm and luxury, theinstallation involved weary fair-goersbeing supplied with saké before beingsent to lie down in a dark room to behypnotised with visuals and meditativesoundscapes. Meiré imagines thebathroom of the future might involvetrippy projections on to the ceilingand soothing beats piped throughthe showerhead.

times it becomes a tad exhausting’.The complex comprises a Spanishdiner, a Japanese restaurant and aclub. The formula of ‘something foreveryone’ should be a sure-fire hitwhen Olympics fans storm the townlater this year.

8. SCHIPHOL AIRPORTThe new VIP centre at SchipholAmsterdam Airport is a tribute tothe golden age of travel and, giventhat the centre is only open toroyalty, ministers, state secretaries,diplomats, trade delegations and topinternational business directors, soit should be. Designed byAmsterdam-based ConcreteArchitectural Associates, the newcentre contains a separate RoyalLounge for members of the royalfamily, a press centre, a CompanyLounge, plus various receptions andmeeting rooms. The Royal Lounge ishuge, with considerable sofas, royalfamily pictures on the bookshelvesand wallpaper printed with thenational coat of arms.

9. EASTERN ART COMMUNES 1Art communes are all the rage andthe overwhelming popularity ofBeijing’s 798 District has drivenChinese artists to search for newUtopias, one of them beingCaochangdi Village. Located inBeijing’s outskirts, it was firstspotted by contemporary artist WeiWei Ai, who also designed most ofthe other compounds for galleriesthat moved in subsequently. TheWujiaochang 800 Art Space, housedin a new five-floor building in theuniversity area of Wujiaochang, isanother independent art cluster. In Shanghai, former abattoir 1933 has been revamped into anentertainment venue that is nowhome to high-end art galleries andrestaurants too. Amazingly, there areabout 75 creative clusters inShanghai, involving 3000companies and 27 000 employees,in architecture, art and fashion.

10. EASTERN ART COMMUNES 2Artists and art entrepreneurs inSingapore are taking things intotheir own hands as they venture intoOld School – so named because thecompound used to house an all-

girls’ school. The place still looks,well, old school, since the newtenants have made their offices looklike labs and classrooms. Thecompound houses guerrilla retailstore Commes des Garçons, adagency Saatchi Lab, marketingcommunications consultancyMercury Marketing and Communi -cations, photography studios andone of Singapore’s most famousfashion designers, Wykidd Song.

Over at the neighbouring hillMount Emily, another group ofcreatives has taken up residence,including glass artist Tan SockFong, sculptor Sun Yu-li, art galleryMonsoonasia Gallery, the TheatreTraining and Research Programme,landscape architecture firm Colin KOkashimo & Associates, a landscapearchitecture firm and Oakdale, avisual communications company.

11. PONTUS!Pontus! is the latest in a series ofrestaurants headed by young chefPontus Frithiof in Stockholm.Downstairs is the widespreadgourmet restaurant, and on the

ground floor is an oyster bar anddrinks bar. It’s an ambitious andsuccessful establishment, and theinterior, by Strategisk Arkitektur incollaboration with PontusFrankenstein, is pretty stunning.

12. SHUBIYA PUBLISHINGHiroshi Nakamura has turned adisused crème caramel factory intothe new premises for a publisherand book shop in Tokyo. The long,narrow interior of ShubiyaPublishing and Booksellers isemphasised with extended displaytables. The books are arranged inchronological order on a series ofdesign-classic bookshelves, witheach shelving unit reflecting theperiod of the books it contains.

13. CLARION SIGN HOTELThe Clarion Sign Hotel, whichopened during the StockholmFurniture Fair in January, wasdesigned by Sweden’s mostsuccessful architect for the past 30 years, Gert Wingårdh. The hotelis a new landmark for the city. More personal than anything thearchitect has realised before, it alsoexploits the timeless and sustainablequalities of Scandinavian designclassics. The architect’s intention isfor all the furniture to remain inplace for at least 50 years, ageingwith the hotel.

14. GIORGIO ARMANI BEAUTYNuance-Watson has launched thefirst travel retail Giorgio Armani

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04. 2008 INTERIORSINSIDER10

Beauty Boutique in Asia. The 30m2

flagship opened at Hong KongInternational Airport, an ideallocation due to its ‘diverse andsophisticated passenger mix, withChinese and Taiwanese purchasersrepresenting a considerableproportion of the luxury cosmeticsconsumers’, according to thecompanies. The brand’s firststandalone boutique in any airportworldwide, it includes Armanifashion, make-up stations, askincare corner and a fragrance bar.

15. AESOPAesop’s new signature pop-up storein Melbourne was entirely made ofcardboard, from the display shelvingto the counter tops. The temporaryfit-out was put together in five daysand designed by star interiorarchitects Rodney Eggleston andAnne-Laure Cavigneaux of MarchStudio. Although the permanentdesign was supposed to be createdin February, the cardboard seems tobe serving its purpose better thanexpected, and will stay a little whilelonger – presumably until it starts toget soggy.

16. KARRIEREKarriere – a bar, restaurant andnight club in Copenhagen’s meatdistrict – is run by artists who havemade their own art a large part ofthe social space. As a result, thevenue’s design and functions are‘artwork defined’, with the fixturesand furnishings creatively re-interpreted. Everything, includingthe tables, lamps, dance floor andbar counter, is a piece of art. ‘As anew space for the experience of art,Karriere is markedly different fromthe museum, art gallery or the localsquare with the lump of granite andiron plonked in the middle,’ readsthe brochure.

17. ARMANI GINZA TOWERA huge number of new retailpremises have opened in Tokyo inthe past six months, with ArmaniGinza Tower one of the most notable.The brand new flagship store,designed by Massimiliano andDoriano Fuksas, is not far from theiconic Sony Building and even closerto fellow luxury purveyor Dior.

Behind the striking facade are 12floors holding the complete GiorgioArmani and Emporio Armanicollections, the Armani interiorfurniture line and a private bar onthe top floor. It also hosts the firstArmani Spa, with three private roomsoffering three-hour courses that canrun up to 60 000 yen (£300).

18. THE PONDSet up for just 12 weeks over theAustralian summer, The Pond is apop-up bar that comes courtesy ofPure Blonde (the beer). Breathingnew life into an ugly urban space, aderelict courtyard and a laneway hasbeen converted with the cunninguse of plants, recycled garden pots,and those Bose speakers that looklike mushrooms. The Pond focuseson being environmentally sound andeco-friendly, and has the appeal ofhanging out in someone’s (ratherlarge) back yard. Designers offeredanyone who donated an old plantpot a free beer. Other highlightsinclude Tom Adelaide’s 27 hours oflo-fi audio bliss, a re-used silverbirch grove entry, an organic foodmenu, a crop of hops and certifiedplantation-pine furniture thatdoesn’t give you splinters. It’s alsorumoured that drinks are served inold jam jars.

19. GUCCIGucci’s new flagship store on NewYork’s 5th Avenue is also its largest.With more than 4000m2 of space,the store has had to be imaginativeabout filling it, and among otherinitiatives the interior boasts aheritage area to celebrate Gucci’sillustrious past, as well as a café.Part of Trump Towers, the storerepresents a throwback to opulence,but not at the expense of theenvironment. A considerate tokenhas been the energy-efficient lightingprovided by LED Folio throughout.

20. SINGAPORE LUXURY RETAILThe country which allegedly boastedthe fastest-growing number of high-net-worth individuals in the world in2006, now sees the opening of StRegis Singapore and two newboutiques from luxury watch retailerCortina Watch, one featuring displaywindows that can be adapted to

LIGHT OF GOD When Lighting Design International was bought in torelight Temple Church (which you may know as being one of the mosthistoric and beautiful churches in London, or you may know as thechurch in Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code), the scheme it cameup with apparently broke all the rules of lighting a church. Time thoserules were updated, perhaps, says Deborah Wythe, LDI’s senior light-ing designer. ‘Temple Church was built in the 12th century – way beforeelectricity’, she adds. The brief was to refurbish and update all light-ing to enhance the structure and LDI worked with English Heritage todesign a scheme that would not cause further damage, and which wouldprotect the fabric of the building from future deterioration. Anotherconsideration was for the lighting to be removable or hidden when thechurch is used for filming. In a complex and sensitively produced proj-ect, designers Wythe and Graham Rollins replaced the old pendantswith custom-made uplighters that sit on top of the columns, lightingup the ceiling and Gothic arches. Elsewhere, a new wooden bench andrailings were designed to conceal bespoke LED lighting and catch keydetails of the architecture, such as the gargoyles. A number of thechurch’s stunning stained glass windows were backlit from outside,drawing greater focus and casting crisp shadows of the window frameson to the internal walls.



Designers to watch� Tim PyneTim Pyne’s M-Hotel, a newadaptation of the infamous M-Houseconcept launched a few years ago, isa prefab hotel designed to make useof the many plots of land which –while unavailable for formallybuilding on – sit unused for yearswhile the owners do battle with eachother, the planners and the banks.Once a plot can be secured for justfive to ten years, a cheap steel frameis erected and the smart 50m2 flatscan be slotted in – a bit like Corb’sUnite D’Habitation in Marseilles, or a filing cabinet. The hotel can beshipped away on the back of a truck,making it a perfect solution for siteowners to earn a bit of cash, whilealso providing much-needed hotelaccommodation in town.

� Iwamoto ScottAfter recieveing widespread acclaimfor its astonishing Jellyfish House in2007, the success of the SanFrancisco-based design groupIwamoto Scott has been on a steeprise. Also in 2007 it won the GrandPrize in the History Channel’s (publicvoted) City of the Future: A Designand Engineering Challenge, SanFrancisco – a week-long competitionto rethink and envision San Francisco 100 years in the future.The group is also one of a 100 globalarchitectural firms selected by Herzog & de Meuron to design a villa in Ordos, Inner Mongolia,during 2008.

different occasions, allowingcustomers to enjoy a new shoppingexperience each time they visit. Theinaugural launch of Asia LuxuryTravel Market in Shanghai last yearis a sign that moneyed Asians aregoing places, but in case they everthink about leaving the country,Singapore’s new addition to itsChangi Airport, Terminal 3, hasbeen created to take full advantage.It has the first Guylian BelgianChocolate Café outside Belgium, thefirst Ferrari travel retail outletoutside Europe, the first Fifa Worldstore in the world, the first airportoutlet for Apple and Sony, the firstVertu airport boutique in South EastAsia, the first SK-II airport beautycabin and the first Hard Rock Caféin a major international airport.

21. BLOOM IN THE PARKMalmö restaurant Bloom in the Parkhas gone through a total makeover.In charge of the redesign has beenJonas Lindvall, one of Sweden’smost revered interior architects (of the same generation as ClaessonKoivisto Rune). After a few years outof the limelight, the makeover,which sees ergonomic Functionalisminteract with the luxury of Baroque,is getting rave reviews.

22. THE IVYThe Ivy in Sydney, a $150m (£69m)behemoth, is well on its way tocompletion. Stage one is now readywith five bars and three restaurantsopen. The one-stop party shop willbe finished in the middle of thisyear and will boast 18 bars, ninerestaurants, a 1000-capacityballroom, a 25m pool, completewith islands for bands, and achanging room/nightclub with fivemassive communal showers and itsown DJ. There will also be aselection of high-end retail shopsand a day spa that will offereverything from tattoos to botox.Hotelier Justin Hemmes apparentlywants people to feel like they’redropping over at his place.

23. CLASKAClaska, one of the landmark designhotels of Tokyo, has just reopenedafter an extensive refurbishment.Although some of the original

features remain, there are three newrooms designed by KanameOkajima, ex-product designer atIdee, under the concept of JapaneseContemporary. The new Claska willbe equipped with a multi-purposestudio for events and exhibitionsand the ‘kio•kuh’ restaurant, with anew menu influenced by Japaneseorganic and macrobiotic food. It willalso sell Claska-produced designproducts for the domestic andinternational market.

24. JIA SHANGHAIDesign hotels have hit Hong Kong atlast with young hoteliers Yenn Wongand Loh Lik Peng from Singapore.Yenn, who opened Asia’s firstPhilippe Starck-designed hotel inHong Kong, JIA Hong Kong,launched its Shanghai counterpartin 2007 and will be opening anotherone on the holiday island of Krabi, inThailand. She’s also launched Musein Singapore, after the success ofher first restaurant Graze.

25. ‘N’‘N’, formerly known as RestaurantNimb in the Tivoli Gardens, hasopened in what has always been aclassic Copenhagen hang-out.Mattheo Thun was initiallyresponsible for the total make-over,but rumour has it that he left after aclash with the owners. Apart from abrasserie, the establishment willhouse a gourmet restaurant, deli,dairy shop, bakery, small chocolatefactory, wine cellar and 12-roomedhotel.

26. GIUSEPPE, ARNALDO & SONSOne of the most anticipated newrestaurant launches in Melbourne inthe past six months comes fromMaurice Terzini (of Icebergs andNorth Bondi Italian), who, withbusiness partner Robert Marchetti,

has just opened the Roman-styletrattoria Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons.Unfortunately, it has opened at thecasino. Even though Terzini has themidas touch, it will be interesting tosee how it slots into the Melbournedining culture with this address.Slick, black walls and tables arewarmed up with earthy tileshandmade in Sicily. Three pods sitthroughout the restaurant, eachboasting its own mini atmosphereand unique music within the space.

27. UNIVERSAL STUDIOSAs travel authorities anticipate theloosening of visa regulations for theChinese after the Olympics, andwith China’s increasing wealth,neighbouring countries are prepar -ing themselves to welcome theChinese traveller. For one, UniversalStudios is building a £1.6bn themepark and resort in South Korea.Seoul, well-known for its array ofmuseums and design studios, isseeing a spurt in growth in theShinsa-dong district with the settingup of cafés, studios and galleries.

28. DESIGN BOUTIQUES IN SINGAPOREWith Singapore’s property boom,more homeowners are turningtowards customisation and aretaking pride in their own homes.New designer furniture stores havesprung up as a result and a couple,like Three3Three and Think Design,were opened by interior designers.Dutch designer Marcel Wanders alsolaunched his Moooi Boutique therelast December.

29. LAU’S FAMILY KITCHENLau’s Family Kitchen is a new littlebrother from the folk that broughtAustralia the famed Flower Drum(often voted one of the bestrestaurants in the country), butdesigned to be the affordable,everyday option. In a slick spacethat contrasts glossy timber anddark tones against industrial-chicexposed pipes, the restaurant ismodest only by comparison with itselegant sibling.

30. NIGHTLIFE IN DUBAI 1Dubai couldn’t open more hotels,shops, bars and restaurants every23


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week if it tried. Recent developmentthe Submarine club has a notablereputation among the more arty andalternative of the city’s drinkers.Since converted warehouse clubiBO, run by design group 9714,closed down last May, Dubai’s lessmainstream crowd has been lookingfor a new home and they may havefound it here. The Submarine has aretractable roof – which seems to bea trend in the Middle East, asBeirut’s most legendary club, BO18also boasts one. Most of Dubai’sbars are located in hotels, so everytime a new one opens, a flurry ofnew bars and restaurants cut theirribbons too. One of the biggest andmost recent is Raffles Dubai, whichhas caused quite a stir, mainly dueto its extortionate prices – morethan £1000 for entry to their NewYear’s Eve party – and also for itspyramid-shaped building. The glasstriangular top contains the ChinaMoon Champagne Bar, which, withits high ceilings, bad acoustics,black shiny floors and showy throne-style armchairs, is attractingostentatious crowds.

31. NIGHTLIFE IN DUBAI 2The Intercontinental Dubai, FestivalCity, is a huge, high-end hotel withsome very exciting new bars andrestaurants. The hotel is located inFestival City, a multi-million dirhamnew mall, restaurant and marinacomplex, so its popularity willdepend on how quickly people taketo this entirely new end of town.However, already its Vista bar andAnise restaurant are rousinginterest. Anise has been designed tocreate ‘a total sensory experience’,integrating the diner into thekitchen. Food is prepared andserved from live cooking stationsaround the restaurant. Vista, bycontrast, is a large and luxuriousvenue along the creek side of thehotel, framing stunning views. Itsbar appears to be floating above thepromenade at the edge of theinfinity pool.

32. HENRY JONES ART HOTELThe Henry Jones Art Hotel in Tasm -ania bills itself as Australia’s ‘firstand only dedicated art hotel’, andfeatures a large selection of works

for sale. These are primarily bycontemporary Tasmanian artists,including graduates from the hotel’sneighbouring Tasmanian School ofArt. More than 250 original artworksare displayed throughout the 50-room hotel. The hotel has alreadywon 62 awards locally andinternationally since its opening, sothe next project from the developersis eagerly anticipated. It will be aproperty called Quamby, inAustralia’s oldest surviving colonialhouse in the northern town ofHagley. The residence will berelaunching as a gourmet golfingretreat.

33. HOTEL DELMONAWilliamsburg, NY, has been ahipster paradise for a while, butwith the opening of the HotelDelmona – Williamsburg’s first realcocktail bar – it has begun theprocess to maturation. Opened byZeb Stewart, the person responsiblefor the interior of Manhattan eateryBalthazar, the design of Delmonahas been dubbed ‘steampunk’.

34. IITTALACult Finnish brand Iittala has kindlyopened its doors on London’sRegent Street, giving many morepeople access to what has alwaysbeen Skandium’s best-selling brand.Stocking every line in production bythe tableware manufacturer, the120m2 store was designed to be anextension of the brand’s values:

‘lasting everyday design, againstthrowawayism’.

35. PROJECT HBeijing’s Project H, completing thisyear courtesy of the Spencer GreyGroup, which operates famousBeijing establishments like Alfa,Muse and Le Hugo, is alreadyclaiming to have the ‘best patio inSanlitun’. The group has beenlaunching the 1000m2 project inphases since January, and it isconfident that the currently seedySanlitun will be a new draw, includ -ing developments such as five-starhotels, Armani and LV shops.

36. BAR BOULUDThe new Bar Boulud, designed byThomas Schleesser of the DesignBureaux, consists of a long andopen passageway that resembles anunderground tunnel leading to themain restaurant. Schleesser alsodesigned the 15-seat table in theround, which was built by Aveum inMexico City and is modelled on18th- and 19th-century negocianttables where businessmen pliedtheir clients with wine.

37. LEVI’SLevi’s has established its presencequite royally in Istanbul by settingup shop in a traditional Ottomanbuilding, the interior of which wasdesigned by New Zealand architectChristopher Hall. With lightingcreated by Beirut-based PSLAB,the store features custom suspen -ded fixtures positioned on twoparallel lines, and the lights them -selves have long adjusting arms fordirecting the light where needed.

38. AFROARTAfroart, located on shopping streetNybrogatan in Stockholm’s citycentre and designed by the youngand very promising duo TAF, is bothelegant and rural. Founded in 1967by Jytte Bonnier, Afroart has alwaysspecialised in Fairtrade productsand projects from the third world,but, in 2003, when six textiledesigners took over, businessboomed. This is the second store,and the designers have done agood job with a low budget anda sustainable brief. Using local

Designers to watch� Nigel CoatesThe Head of Architecture at the RoyalCollege of Art in London is also one ofthe more ubiquitous names printed onall those Milan invitations this year.With a mischievous Scubist collectionfor Fratelli Boffi, a range for Varaschinentitled the Rollover collection, twocurvaceous leather armchairs for Frag,and a red Venetian crystal chandelier,it’s hard to know where to look.

� Tveit & TornøeThe views from its waterfront studio inan old sardine factory in Bergen areclearly inspiring, but the work beinglaunched left, right and centre byTveit & Tornøe at the moment musthave something to do with an excessof talent as well. Fresh out of collegeAtle Tveit and Lars Tornøe alreadyhave several covetable products andfurniture items in manufacture andcan’t seem to stop winning awards –the latest was the domestic UngeTalenter award in 2007. Launched inStockholm, the new Copenhagen chairfor Fora Form is a classic in themaking. Tveit & Tornøe will beexhibiting in London in September.34


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materials, and some cannyrecycling techniques, TAF usedstandard pine beams and fashionedthem into a smart display system.The shelves, hooks and displayboxes are not fixed and can easilybe moved around in the grid ofbeams.

39. STADIUMCommissioning a collaborationbetween two of Sweden’s biggestdesign players, Thomas Eriksson,and Stockholm DesignLab, sportschain Stadium has won itself4500m2 of very smart flagshipspace in Gothenburg. Going by thename XXL, this interesting marriageof architecture and graphics issetting a new standard for an other -wise quite dreary commercial area.

40. CARROTSCarrots, a boutique opened by twodaughters of a farming family(hence the name), now occupies thepremises of an old restaurant in SanFrancisco that was once used inHitchcock’s Vertigo. The storeretains many of the classic featuresof the original restaurant, featuringFrench literature interspersed withthe clothing lines.

41. ECOTo recycle the most interesting (butprobably least relevant) fact aboutthe new Eco store in west London: it was co-founded by everyone’sfavourite Mr Darcy – Colin Firth. Butwhy would a successful actor want toopen a shop in Chiswick? Becausehe cares about the planet. Andbecause Eco is the first of its kind –a store, showroom, consultancy anddestination that offers inspiration,ideas and domestic solutions forthose who want to lead a Greener life.

42. NITTY GRITTYNitty Gritty is a little Tokyo universein a residential area of Stockholm.Although the store was establishedabout five years ago, it hasexpanded along Krukmakargatanand today owns five stores. It’sinteresting to see the originalconcept, because many of the citycentre department stores are tryingto copy its pared-down, eclecticstyle (among these, allegedly, is Pub

where Nina Persson, of Cardigan-fame, art directs the third floor).

43. GIANOGiano offers the kind of homelywelcome that is becoming morecommonplace in New York eateries.The part modern, part old-worldrestaurant is named after theRoman god Janus, while the two-faced interior provides a modernentry that segues into somethingmore rustic. The personal connectionoffered by the chef to guests adds tothe old-fashioned eatery feel.Keeping with the homely epicureanfeel is Bobo in New York – using aWest Village brownstone as abohemian European-style dinnerparty setting. Fending off anyaccusations of bad acoustics, thenoise is apparently part of theambience – the voices of the guestsworking with the interior to give thesense of a raucous dinner party.Complete with lopsided floorboardsand paintings of aristocrats, the stageis positively 19th century France.

44. MAC PROThe much awaited, fabulous, 557m2

MAC Pro space in New York occupiesan entire floor at 7 West 22nd Street.Comprising a retail/studio and full-blown training area, as well as an‘experimentation facility’ for make-up, its dramatic, open layout isdedicated to the professionals. Thereis a mixing station where they canhone their skills and test samples, areference library of magazines forserious research and a photographystudio for recording the results. Thereis also a separate training area, akitchenette and bathrooms withshowers.

45. APRIL77Fashion and record label April77has opened a retail space not farfrom the company’s headquarters inParis. In a circular space that callsto mind a turntable with dark vinyl-look floors and shiny steel beams,the metaphors are not subtle, but itstill works. Vintage radios are dottedaround the displays as well, just incase anyone doesn’t immediatelyget the link. Designer BricePartouche allegedly tapped interiorsguru Steven Thomas after reading a

book on Biba (the 1970s retaillegend that Thomas also designed).

46. THE KITCHENMany private parties begin and endin the kitchen, so Berlin-basedarchitect And Off decided it wouldalso be an innovative theme for theinterior of a private club in Stuttgartcalled, unsurprisingly, The Kitchen.Using a classic 1950s kitchen forthe basis of the design, thearchitects covered floor, walls andceiling in tiles. Intermittently,certain tiles were then extrudedfrom the wall and used to disguisethe sound system, as well as tocreate a chandelier and supportrandom pieces of fruit.

47. SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZEDTrailblazing its way as one of themost innovative design brandsaround, Swarovski established itsnew concept – SwarovskiCrystallized – earlier this year.Housed over two floors (420m2) inpart of the former Dickins & Jonesdepartment store on London’s GreatMarlborough Street, Crystallized isa place where customers can go toassemble their own cut-glasspieces. The showroom, designed byVirgile & Stone, is defined bythousands of miniature transparentdrawers, each containing a differentshape, size and colour of cut glass,forming the perimeter along twosides of the shop. For addedpanache, peacock feather-coveredblack sculptures are set atop anumber of internally lit blackdisplay cases in the middle of thestore. Upstairs, the Lounge featuresa long, white table steeped in whitecrystal drops, and laid for aglittering dinner (where apparentlyshoes – placed on each dinner plate– are on the menu). Shanghai andNew York are set to receive similaroutlets later this year.

48. B&B ITALIAB&B Italia reopened its Londonflagship showroom in SouthKensington with double the windowsand more than 330m2 of extrafloorspace. B&B Italia’s originalLondon showroom, when it openedin 2001, was the result of acollaboration between John Pawson

and Antonio Citterio. To mark thenew extension, B&B Italiacommissioned award-winninggardener Stephen Woodhams tocreate a striking Italian gardenconcept inside to coincide with thelaunch of its first Outdoor collection– Canasta, designed by PatriciaUrquiola, and Swell Seating and1966 Collection by Richard Shultz.

49. KK OUTLETWith their finely tuned radar for thebizarre, passing Hoxtonites aresuccessfully being lured into thenew KK Outlet, set up byAmsterdam-based communicationsagency KesselsKramer. The Fat-designed premises in London’sHoxton Square advertises dolphinmeat and falafel, alongsidecommunications services and bookson a kebab-shop-style board abovereception, and comprises a bookshop and gallery along with thegroup’s offices. Fat, which was alsoresponsible for the KesselsKrameroffice (a church in Amsterdam), hasnot held back. The interior-equivalent of a caricature of achildren’s TV presenter is cartoon-surreal, but it certainly commandsattention.

50. ADOUR ALAIN DUCASSEThe Rockwell Group’s redesign ofthe Adour Alain Ducasse wine barand restaurant at The St Regis NewYork sees a number of innovationsraising the perfectly tweasedManhattanite eyebrows of itsclientele. Inside the landmarkBeaux Arts structure, the space isentered via a Makore wood portaland leather-wrapped vestibule,along which the bar is ‘comprised of a sculpted bronze base topped off by parchment goatskin’. Wine, glasses and carafes sit onbronze-framed glass shelving, whilenext to the bar a vertical screen ofhand-blown glass spheres issuspended on bronze cables. Andwhy not? Perusing the wine list iswhere it gets interesting though –using multiple projectors withmotion sensor technology, thesommelier takes thirsty customersthrough a computerised projectedmenu activated by touching the bar top.

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INTERIORS 04. 2008 OPINION 19

LIBBY SELLERS BEMOANS THE CURRENT HYPEAROUND THE ‘DESIGN ART’ PHENOMENON. IT’S NOT NEW,IT’S NOT ACCURATE, AND IT’S NOT – DESPITE WHAT YOUMIGHT HAVE HEARD – ALL ABOUT THE MONEY

THE IRONY in my questioning the ‘design art

phenomenon’ is not lost on me. As curator-

turned-design dealer, I’ve seen both sides of the

limited edition cast bronze coin and am, I guess,

part of its currency. Rather than encouraging the

hype, my concern is with questioning the

misnomer of ‘design art’ and the suggestion

(accusation?) that it is a bandwagon on to which

designers, dealers and collectors are all jumping.

Coined in 1999 by Alexander Payne, design

director of Phillips de Pury, the term ‘design art’

grew from a need to differentiate the fine arts,

the applied arts and the design arts – that is,

functional objects produced since the Industrial

Revolution. For a brief period the auction house

employed the term to describe a type of design

that shared the traditionally perceived tenants of

art (autonomy, exclusivity and expressivity), but

subsequently it has dropped the ‘art’ and concluded that this is

‘design’, albeit one facet of it.

In 2005, the academic and critic Alex Coles published his

interpretation of design art through an investigation into artists

working with design typologies. This spin on the term discussed works

from Henri Matisse’s interiors for Rockefeller’s town house to the more

recent fabric designs Takashi Murakami conceived with Marc Jacobs.

Neither Phillips de Pury nor Coles are under scrutiny here. My gripe

is with the subsequent appropriation of the term as a catch-all phrase

for both 20th and 21st century objects that sell through gallery or

auction environments, or for objects that seem more conceptually

challenging than the designs readily available on the high street.

Like many within the industry, I’m uncomfortable with the

negative connotations and applications of the term, particularly the

implied displacement of design as a marginalised sector of the art

industry. It is also disheartening that the merits of this sector are

primarily calculated through the prices fetched. Rarely is an article

published on design art in which record-breaking prices aren’t

mentioned in the opening paragraph. I’m certainly not innocent of

this. Surely in an era in which the effects of globalisation and

homogenisation are debated daily, and when advanced production

techniques are liberating designers from the traditional

designer/manufacturer relationship, there is scope for an assessment

of the role of limited edition design beyond its monetary value.

While I question the undertones of the term design art, I am often

listed among the handful of dealers in London who are

commissioning and promoting this ‘new market’. And therein lies the

other half of my concern – the suggestion that this market is new.

Perhaps a more appropriate description might

be ‘renewed’, for there are many parallels

between what we are witnessing now – both

from designers and collectors, and other

significant moments in design history.

Also criticised for attracting the attention of a

wealthy clientele, the Arts and Crafts Movement

of the late Victorian period emerged at the

beginning of a serious economic recession and

towards the end of a century in which efforts

were being made to address what were seen as

the devastating effects of industrialisation on

the design and manufacture of goods.

It was never suggested, implicitly or

otherwise, that machine production and

commercial manufacture were the enemy or

should be abandoned. Instead, the 19th century

movement sought to elevate the status of the

craftsman and give due recognition to the individual through a

reappraisal of the role of the applied arts in society as a whole.

This liberal approach saw like-minded patrons commission entire

environments – fine art, architectural features and furnishings – with

consideration for the gestalt, or the unified whole. Similarly, the

patrons of today’s market are seeking considered collections of both art

and design – collections that go beyond what’s on their walls or plinths,

to their physical surroundings. Even the Modernists, the arbiters of

machine manufacturing and standardisation, created objects in small

runs or that were beyond the capabilities of the contemporary

manufacturing technologies. Eileen Gray, the Irish-born, French-based

architect and designer, sold her own prototypes alongside those of her

peers in her Parisian gallery in the 1920s, while Charles and Ray

Eames designed pieces that often relied on handcraftsmanship or were

too organic in form for industrial production. Then there are the

examples of the designer/makers during the 1980s and 1990s who,

lacking the support of the international manufacturers, could only

realise their designs in small editions sold through galleries. Witness

early examples of work by Ron Arad, Marc Newson and Tom Dixon.

Like all creative activities, there are good designs and bad. Free

from the constraints of industrial production and mass-marketing,

designers today are being offered opportunities that increase the

possibility of producing the latter. But this market is also encouraging

the exploration of materials, processes and theories that will hopefully

produce the former and, for this, it should be encouraged. •Libby Sellers is a design curator based in London, largely

responsible for the current obsession with design art because of her

Grandmateria exhibition

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STEPHEN BAYLEY DOESN’T SEE A PROBLEM WITHHOLLYWOOD ACTORS AND POP STARS POSING ASDESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS. PERHAPS CELEBRITY ANDCREATIVITY ARE BOTH JUST EFFECTIVE MARKETING TOOLS

I FELL in love with the gorgeous goddess Fame,

but ended up on a one night stand with the

disgusting slut Celebrity. Or so they say.

Fame is to architecture and design what

brand value is to soap: if patiently acquired,

if based on a fundamentally sound product that

works and has, over time, delighted the

consumer, then fame is precious and lasting.

It is like a fine, mature wine: subtle and

complex. Fame can’t be rushed. Celebrity is an

alcopop: easily acquired, bright, trashy and not

worth lingering over. Then there is the hangover.

We are at a curious historical moment when

architecture, design, celebrity and brand are

chasing each other, not altogether attractively.

The distinguished Massachusetts Institute of

Technology Press has published a book (by Anna

Klingmann) where architecture, once thought to

be the mother of the arts, is described as ‘an effective marketing

tool’. Today’s corporate clients don’t want Alberti’s proportions.

Instead, they require morphic expressionism that photographs well,

what Tom Wolfe called ‘kerbflash’. This is architecture as blink-

graphics: a shape, a colour, a profile, a bulk that makes an

immediate impression. You can find a superlative example in

Munich: architect Coop Himmelblau has built BMW-Welt, an

apocalyptically effective marketing tool for the car manufacturer.

But it builds the architect’s brand as well. Who is the celebrity here?

Brad Pitt has been at it. A Business Week article in 2005 showed

the actor in Frank Gehry’s studio. It was Gehry who designed the

bodega in Pitt’s Normandy-style Beverly Hills chateau. And Pitt is said

to have had a hand in Gehry’s attention-getting design for a deluxe

high rise on the Hove seafront in Sussex. To research celebrity

architecture, the following year Brad and Angelina visited Frank Lloyd

Wright’s Falling Water, his 1938 house for the Kaufmann department

store family. Unfortunately for his otherwise impeccably Green

credentials, Brad was shuttled from the airport in an SUV and

returned to it in a Rolls-Royce. Be that as it may, if you Google ‘Brad

Pitt Gulfstream’ the first reference is not to the preferred private

aircraft of the very rich but to an architectural project in New Orleans.

This is Make It Right, announced in last year’s love-in of the liberal

elite, The Clinton Global Initiative. Thirteen architects, including

Adjaye Associates and Shigeru Ban, have been invited to design eco-

intelligent houses on stilts to replace houses that weren’t on stilts, thus

devastated by Hurricane Katrina floods. Pitt donated $5m (£2.5m) to

this high-concept salvage in the poor Lower Ninth Ward. Thwarted

architectural ambitions have dominated his psychology: tectonic and

morpho logical metaphors feature in his disc -

ourse. Explaining the swap of lissom Aniston for

buxom Jolie, Brad said that, like architec ture and

design, love is ‘sometimes changing shape’.

Brad is responding to peculiar circumstances

not just at home, but abroad. If architects and

designers can become celebrities (as Norman

goes global and Gehry lends his name to Tiffany

jewellery) then – surely – celebrities can return

the compliment and become architects. Habitat

sensed this several years ago with a ‘Very

Important Products’ promotion where television

and sports personalities designed household and

personal accoutrements. Three years ago Lenny

Kravitz, a funkster nearing retirement as his

polite middle-class sexiness paled before the

brute ghetto carnality of rap, became a designer.

At the end of last year his Florida Room opened

in the painfully hip Delano Hotel. Appropriately, this was during the

prepos terous international conga-line of self-loving neophiliacs that is

Art Basel Miami Beach, a celebrity billionaire boot sale of pseudo-art.

Kravitz’s hotel lounge was, inevitably, described as iconic.

He’s not alone in jumping the species barrier. Kylie Minogue has

‘designed’ bed linen, though if this was in the same sense that

Norman Foster designed the sensational Millau Viaduct (engineered

to stay aloft by the less celebrated Michel Virlogeux), I can’t say.

The rush of actors, musicians and models to become architects

and designers is partly a consequence of de-skilling. It used to be

difficult to design buildings as you had to know about technical

things. Now we have people to do it for us. Architecture and design

used to be about problem-solving, now they make their own problems.

Ask any engineer who has had to make a Zaha Hadid design stand up.

If you can squiggle it, consultants or expert systems can make it work.

Lenny can squiggle. He says, ‘I want to do architecture, but I’m not

an architect’. I wanted to make a hit single, but I’m not a musician.

Some recent US research showed that the share price of large

corporations moved in the opposite direction to the chief executive’s

media profile. The better-known the boss, the more the business

sucked. Something similar is happening with architecture and

design: Philippe Starck may be the most celebrated designer ever,

but his lasting influence will be minimal. Truth is, designers are at

their most influential when most obscure: ask Virlogeux.

Novelist John Updike said, ‘Celebrity is a mask that eats the face.’

He should have said ‘facade’. •Stephen Bayley is a design critic and commentator. His own website

also bills him as the second most intelligent man in Britain

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JEREMY MYERSON SAYS SUSTAINABLE OFFICEDESIGN IS NOT ALL ABOUT CONSIDERED MATERIALS ANDLOW-ENERGY LIGHT SOURCES – PEOPLE HAVE TO WANT TOWORK THERE AS WELL, DON’T FORGET

I RECENTLY paid a visit to the Greenest

office building on the planet. Melbourne

City Council’s CH2 facility is a ten-storey

structure that sets a new world standard

in sustainable design.

Its architect, Mick Pearce, best known

previously for studying termite ecology in to

design an office building in Zimbabwe without

air-conditioning, has really pushed the Green

envelope in Melbourne to avoid any wasteful

energy consumption.

On my tour of the building, on a typically hot

and dry Australian summer’s day in February, I

marvelled at the intent from top to bottom –

from the wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and

solar panels on the roof, to the vertical planting,

shower towers that collect rainwater and chilled

ceiling panels which absorb heat.

CH2 wears its sustainable credentials on its sleeve. In exterior

form, it is demonstrably an icon of Green awareness in office design.

But, as I wandered around, I couldn’t help wondering if the building

will be as socially sustainable as it is ecologically correct. The wavy

concrete ceilings, so essential to natural air-cooling, make for a

gloomy interior ambience, especially when combined with dim, low-

energy light sources. In fact, the whole workplace has a feel more akin

to an underground car park than a busy office environment.

In such conditions, the spark of social animation so essential to

the best-designed offices is too readily extinguished. The somewhat

sparse human presence on the work floors of CH2 told its own story.

Many employees clearly don’t find the environment conducive to

hanging out with colleagues. And, when low energy use is set

against low occupancy levels, the Green exemplar is immediately

called into question.

I am sure that, in time, CH2 will fix its initial interior design

teething troubles and add meaningful social dynamics to the clever

way in which it recycles air and water around the building. But

therein lies a tale that will perhaps, inevitably, lead more office

design professionals to make the assertion I’m making – that the

most sustainable offices are not necessarily those that put a wind

turbine or a solar panel on the roof, but those that use space and

time most efficiently to guarantee high occupancy levels.

The more intensely we people existing office space, the more

efficient the use of energy to heat and light that space, and the

less the need to build additional space. At a time when it is

begin ning to dawn on opinion-formers that the office

property sector is far worse than the airlines when it comes to

wasting energy and polluting the planet, this

message cannot be ignored.

Anonymous office architects and developers,

whose buildings boast occupancy rates of

less than 30 per cent, and whose lights burn

bright through the night, illuminating whole

cities, have avoided airline-style direct action

from the environmental lobby up to now.

But such anonymity cannot be guaranteed

any longer.

What this means is that, in the rush to

build more sustainable offices, all those

consulting experts on space efficiency, who

coined that phrase in the late 1990s, are back

in business, albeit on a new Green ticket.

Making sure that density of occupation is

achieved throughout the working day is a

devilish design exercise that combines the

disciplines of mathematical modelling, space planning and facilities

management in ways that few organisations get right on their own.

Designers like Andrew Chadwick of Chadwick International,

who introduced the first really sophisticated space-time efficiency

models in places like Andersen Consulting a decade ago, are now

warming to the theme of organisations being Greener by the simple

expedient of using space more intensively.

Last time around, the drive to reduce the property footprint of

organisations was a pretty brutal affair. Loosening the grip of

employees on ‘owning’ their own space, to achieve higher densities

of occupation, was achieved by highly directed means in the late

1990s. Hot-desking, accordingly, became a dirty word.

This time around, Chadwick concedes that the move from

allocated or owned office space to bookable or informal space

should be more gradual and, dare we say it, more organic. It should

be accompanied by less of a Taylorist flourish and more of a nod in

the direction of creating a proper, shared sense of place. In other

words, office interiors must be seen to be socially sustainable by the

people who use them.

All of which brings me back to Melbourne’s CH2 office building.

Here is a scheme that visibly signals its ecological sustainability to

the people who use it, but fails to deliver the interior comfort,

quality and buzz that will create a truly sustainable social

community. When it comes to office interiors, saving the

environment means much more than thermal gain, air-conditioning

loads and shading strategy. •Jeremy Myerson is director of the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn

Centre and acknowleged expert on workplace design

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INTERIORS 04. 2008 INSIGHT MELON DISTRICT 27

By Dominic Lutyens� With the possible exception of the super-sized rooms of

an Oxbridge undergraduate, student accommodation brings

to mind depressing, insalubrious digs. But a new seven-

storey student accommodation complex in Barcelona

called, exotically, the Melon District (just don’t refer to it as

a hall of residence) is challenging this preconception.

Designed by Zurich-based architect Gus Wustemann in

collaboration with Barcelona communications agency

Animal, it is set to open in September, and is more luxe

than louche, more chic commune than Kafkaesque rabbit

warren.

Located, glamorously, in Barcelona’s central Poble Sec

area, the building was originally designed by architect

Elanch y Concha, but Wustemann was responsible for the

interior design. It contains flats, some long-stay, some

short-stay, each with ten rooms accommodating nine

students altogether, all of whom have their own bedroom

with en suite shower. There is also a single and a double

studio flat. Reinforcing this idea of communal living is

Melon District, Barcelona, Spain

WITH ITS ROOFTOP TERRACE, SWIMMING POOL AND ULTRA-SPACIOUS LIVING QUARTERS, MELON DISTRICT IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL STUDENT ACCOMMODATION BY A LONG WAY

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04. 2008 INTERIORSINSIGHT MELON DISTRICT28

an ultra-spacious ‘lounge’ (per flat) with an open-plan

kitchen and dining area, as well as a roof terrace with a

swimming pool. In addition, there is a reception, ground-

floor café and parking lot.

This emphasis on the communal is partly the result of

consultation with prospective students. ‘They said they

would like living rooms,’ says Wustemann. ‘So the social

aspect is very important.’

Melon District is not luxe in the fashionable, Boho-chic

sense, so forget aubergine banquettes and chandeliers.

The brief was to create ‘a new low-budget student

accommodation’, which partly explains why it is fitted out

with no-fuss, utilitarian materials – white polyurethane for

floors, walls in concrete or covered with backlit

polycarbonate panels,‘bought off-the-peg from builder’s

warehouses’. But there is another reason for this: clearly,

Wustemann has a thing about spit ’n’ sawdust industrial

materials, which he deems more right-on than ‘bourgeois’,

polished surfaces. Certainly, surfaces as defiantly

unfinished as those on the ceilings of Melon District’s

bedrooms would be unacceptable by the standards of,

say, your typical Chelsea Harbour interior decorator.

But some of Wustemann’s rhetoric is naive. He earnestly

equates these stripped-down surfaces with ‘authenticity’

and ‘purity’. Yet their studied ruggedness is part of a highly

mannered, long-established architectural idiom which first

came into vogue in the 1970s, the chaotic, unfinished

aesthetic of Frank Gehry’s home in Santa Monica (built in

1978) being a seminal example of this.

Wustemann’s point is that taste is subjective – ‘There

is no such thing as beautiful or non-beautiful,’ he says.

Yet strangely conflicting with this admirable democratic

philosophy and Functionalist aesthetic is a Romanticism,

even a spirituality. The lounges’ walls are painted Russian

icon gold because they are the ‘heart’ of the building. He

calls the ovens in the kitchen ‘an altar’. The white floors are

referred to, inexplicably, as ‘sacred’. These quasi-religious

metaphors are at odds with Wustemann’s description of his

practice as being ‘free of any judgment or programme’.

Still, Melon District’s occupants will be blissfully unaware

of all this chin-stroking theorising.

Poolside cocktails on the roof terrace? Midnight swims

in balmy Barcelona? Interiors mixing funky concrete with

white-walled Minimalism? Student accommodation it

might be, but not as we know it. •

Address: Calle Paralelo 101 BCN Client: Barcelona Lodging Furniture supplier/s : Mobelmol All photos: Bruno Helbling

1. Ground-floor café 2. Use of ‘unfinished’ concrete provides studied ruggedness 3. Main reception area and parking lot 4. A communal ‘lounge’ with open-plan kitchen 5. Floors are made of polyurethane and the walls made of concrete or covered in backlitpolycarbonate panels 6. Rooms are fitted out with no-fuss utilitarian materials

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INTERIORS 04. 2008 INSIGHT MOSS 31

By Caroline Roux� In retail, you expect a second store to be pretty much

like the first, trading on the language of the original to

reinforce the brand. But in the case of Murray Moss’s Los

Angeles venture, an act of cloning most certainly has not

taken place.

His New York Store, Moss, which launched in 1994, is

the product of its savvy SoHo surroundings. It feels like a

loft; it assumes a certain knowledge on the part of its

customers. Or even a lot. ‘In fact, I think we’re becoming

very presumptuous there. New Yorkers have a real

understanding of this arena,’ says Moss – the arena being

high-end design.

While Moss has taken many of the same products to LA –

he opened the store with a show called Glitter and Smoke,

which featured chandeliers from the Swarovksi Crystal

Palace collection and a 1938 Steinway baby grand

Moss, Los Angeles, US

MURRAY MOSS’S STORE ON LA’S MELROSE AVENUE IS SOMETHING OF ADEPARTURE FROM ITS ORIGINAL IN NEW YORK’S SOHO, MOST NOTABLYBECAUSE CALIFORNIA CAN COPE WITH HEART-FELT FRIENDLINESS

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04. 2008 INTERIORSINSIGHT MOSS32

piano which had been fire-sculpted by Maarten Baas – he

has set about selling them in a rather different way. And

with some success: the piano sold on day two for a cool

$155 000 (£78 000). ‘I felt smart that day,’ laughs Moss.

First, Moss decided to position himself in the fashion

market on Melrose Avenue as a way of communicating the

creativity of his largely studio, not production, stock. This,

after all, is Design rather than Furniture. LA is highly

zoned, right down to which of side of the street you are on,

so he struck lucky with APC next door, a fabulous Helmut

Lang store around the corner and Paul Smith’s huge pink

cube across the street. Alexander McQueen is about to

open down the road and it is rumoured that Chanel will be

putting in an appearance too.

Then Moss decided to introduce a major dose of

Californian friendliness. A huge sign reading ‘Hi’ hangs

emphatically over the Corian counter at the back of the

shop, drawing customers towards it. The staff wear suits,

as in New York, but here the welcome has a generosity of

spirit that would not wear in Manhattan.

There is further generosity in panels that introduce the

designers, with headshots and biographies (‘Who’s Who at

Moss’). ‘We had to show people that these are real, living,

interesting people,’ says Moss.

The shop itself, while maintaining a neutrality

necessary to background the expressive work within, has a

strong sense of location and context. It is a single-storey

1930s building and Moss rediscovered its curved interior

walls when he demolished all the interior interventions.

He has re-stuccoed its front and revived the planters,

which will be filled with grape ivy. In March, he had the

shop logo moved forward so the ivy can grow behind it.

The original concrete floor has been sandblasted, its

patchiness showing the history of the building, and a 20m

steel beam was installed from the front to the back of the

space (following the original downward slope toward the

back) to shore up the roof and from which to suspend a

wall-to-wall ceiling grid. ‘You could hang a car from it,’

chuckles Moss, who has so far managed to prove the

point with 18 chandeliers.

The back has been blown out and a huge garage door

installed. ‘We can use the gallery as a parking lot,’ says

Moss. ‘This is California and we should be showing

motorbikes and cars. We showed Ducatis once in New

York, but it becomes clever there. Here it’s natural.’

And glass cabinets with white enamelled frames –

containing Moss favourites such as Baccarat crystal,

Lobmeyer glassware and Studio Job’s white Makken

porcelain – are suspended from the grid to create smaller

gallery spaces.

A long way from New York in every sense, then, Moss’s

LA store looks bound to repeat its East Coast sibling’s

extraordinary success. •

Design: Murray Moss and FranklinGetchellContractor: Peter VrackoProject management: ChristopherChiappaLighting: Unistrut grid with Flostrack and fixturesFloor: Sandblasted cementEngineer: ARC ConsultingSteel contractor: Hollywood Welding

1. Window display for store’s opening exhibition, Glitterand Smoke 2. The facade of the single-storey 1930sbuilding has been re-stuccoed 3. A huge ‘Hi’ signdraws customers to the Corian counter at the back ofthe store 4. Plan showing wall-to-wall ceiling grid fromwhich cabinets can be hung to create gallery spaces 5. The store’s opening exhibition featured Swarovskicrystal chandeliers and a Steinway baby grand piano

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04. 2008 INTERIORSCASE STUDY DELAY NO MALL34



Address: Delay No Mall, 68 Yee Wo Street,Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Interior designer:Atelier Pacific Client: Goods of DesireLighting supplier: World Shine Furniture supplier: God Completion date:January 2008 Fit-out contractor: LegendInteriors E&M contractor: CCP EngineeringImages courtesy: Atelier Pacific Photos: John Butlin

HONG KONG’S NEWDELAY NO MALLLIFESTYLE RETAILOUTLET ISDESIGNED TOASSAULT THESENSES. IT ISCONSISTENT ONLYIN THAT IT ISUNPREDICTABLE


04. 2008 INTERIORSCASE STUDY DELAY NO MALL36

By Zijia Wong� Delay No Mall certainly lives up to its name (which some

claim is a homonym for a local Cantonese cuss phrase).

A Jumbotron screen on the facade harks back to the heyday

of Hong Kong showbiz and the concept of time acts as the

overarching theme, embellished by clockwork and

pendulum motifs. But this is not a place for reminiscing.

The mall, spanning three levels in a 17-storey building,

is owned by design group Goods of Desire which clearly

has an uncanny knack for creating controversial names.

God carries a self-eponymous brand and Delay No More,

which specialises in home furnishings and fashion. Both

feature designs by God founders Douglas Young and

Benjamin Lau. There is a Delay No More concept store

within the mall.

Sitting on the former site of a cinema, Delay No Mall

faces the Philippe Starck-designed boutique hotel JIA

Hong Kong. The launch party was the talk of blogs for

weeks. Visitors could not stop talking about the eclectic

design that gives a consistently unpredictable visual and

experiential shopping journey.

The design team from Atelier Pacific, led by Doris

Tang, Rowena Gonzales and Leo Leung, sound most

excited when they describe the mall’s toilets, ‘Each

unit is installed with special lighting and sound

effects, which activate when the toilet is used,’ they say.

Since it was commissioned to work on the entire mall,

Atelier Pacific had to accommodate all the needs of

numerous tenants, while relying on inaccurate existing

building evaluation and management records. The team

also recall how all the design elements had to be ‘non-

repetitive’. This meant ‘using lots of different computer 3D

modelling for many different areas to help understand and

study the space and furniture so that we could make the

design workable and special’.

The mall’s flagship store, Delay No More, features daring,

dramatic curved strips of black and white on the floor (an

optical illusion to draw in passers-by and ‘an interpretation

of time warp’), which can be a little challenging to serious

shoppers going through racks of Just Cavalli apparel and

Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers watches.

A mall with brands such as WowWee Robotics,

Potato and Co, Galliano and Alessi is sure to draw fidgety

youths in sneakers and baggy pants, so it was common

sense to opt for low-maintenance materials. For this,

durable galvanised steel floors were used, which at the

same time play up the cement sand floor with embedded

acrylic features and epoxy paint.

The black-and-white floor was painted on to a resin-

based cement using epoxy paint that is tough and long-

lasting. Roman balustrade columns (glass columns with

customised self-adhesive film), white rattan armchairs,

swinging pendulums, glass fibre elephants and scarlet

draperies reside happily together, albeit making strange

neighbours.

‘We did not want the experience to be too linear as we

hope visitors will discover something new every time,’ the

design team comments, although it insists that there was

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‘Each unit is installedwith special lightingand sound effects,which activate whenthe toilet is used’

ATELIER PACIFIC DESIGN TEAM


INTERIORS 04. 2008 CASE STUDY DELAY NO MALL 37

Opening spread. The mall’s flagship store, Delay No More 1. The mall’s site – which formerly housed acinema – is reflected with a Jumbotron screen above the entrance 2. The space was extensivelyplanned using 3D modelling 3. The floor of Delay No More is designed to hypnotise shoppers intospending more money 4. Plan of the ground- and first-floor layouts 5. The design elements had to be‘non-repetitive’ while being ‘workable and special’ 6. Disco-shopping is tiring work – luckily sleepingpods are available for when it all gets too much

‘a flow that goes through the whole mall’ that makes

navigation less tricky than it looks. The desire to

constantly surprise and thrill is in line with the team

and client’s want for a playground that can bring out the

‘inner child’ in the adult shopper, and is reinforced by

the use of whimsical accessories such as robots and

clock cogs.

The mall’s design is not just a conversation piece:

expect it to respond to you too. Upon detecting sound,

an interactive display unit on the ground floor triggers the

sensor to project images by different artists on to the

ceiling. It is not just your visual sense under attack in

here, either. In an irreverent fashion typical of God, a

sonic sound speaker at the first-floor entrance cheekily

‘whispers’ to shoppers as they pass by.

A colourful van, modified to become a DJ booth,

has been brought in from the Philippines and is just

waiting for installation, after which shoppers can

spend their weekend evenings shaking their booties in

the mall.

Thankfully, the designers have also provided some

respite, however, with the mall’s sleeping pod service.

The futuristic-looking capsules are ideal for tired shoppers

who can admire (real) plants flourishing on the wall via a

hydroponic system and a shallow pond beneath their feet.

God claims it is the first and only company in Hong Kong

to operate this kind of service. In the end, and despite its

name, this mall would be something even mothers would

approve of. •

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04. 2008 INTERIORS40

FACED WITH AN OVERLY MEAGRE BUDGET,SCHEMATA ARCHITECTURE DECIDED TO TAKE ADESTRUCTIVE APPROACH TO THE SAYAMA FLATSAND TEAR THE INTERIOR APART


INTERIORS 04. 2008 CASE STUDY SAYAMA FLATS 41

Address: Sayama, Saitama, Japan Client: United EstateDesign: Jo Nagasaka/Schemata Architecture Office, Izumi Okayasu (technical co-operation), K Hatakenaka/T Kudo/H Umeki (design co-operation) Lighting: Kurageoptical fibre lighting Furniture: Model rooms furnished by Jo Nagasaka/Schemata Architecture Office Completiondate: January 2008 Flooring and materials: Mainly existing materials, including the concrete floors, walls and ceilings. For the ‘shiny’ floors, a surfacer was used as undercoating, with epoxy resin applied on top. Tatami mats, mortar and structural plywood were used for some flooring areasAll photos: Takumi Oka


04. 2008 INTERIORSCASE STUDY SAYAMA FLATS42

By Junko Fuwa� Stripping away the surface of an interior to reveal the

‘essence’ and history of a building is not a new practice.

On the contrary, it is very fashionable. But when Schemata

Architecture began the process with the Sayama Flats, it

had no idea how drastically destructive it would need to be,

nor how well prospective tenants would receive it.

The site, originally a company dormitory building, is

situated in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture (an hour’s train

journey from central Tokyo), and the location is a far cry

from the hip, urban living of the Japanese capital. Well,

up until now. The 30 newly transformed rental apartments

have proved massively popular among those attracted to

the idea of stylish living in the tranquillity of the suburbs.

From the beginning, this was no ordinary brief. The first

hurdle Schemata had to overcome was the distinct lack of

a generous budget. With this crucial restrictive factor it

soon became clear that it would be almost impossible to

complete the renovation at all unless it changed its usual

ways of thinking and its approach to design. ‘We really did

not want to end up with a half-baked, cheaply designed

product, so we have instead decided to use the radical

method of demolishing the existing space to create

something new,’ says Schemata’s Jo Nagasaka.

Encouraged by the freedom of creativity granted by the

client, Schemata’s work began. The rather old and drab

dormitory rooms came in different sizes and conditions.

Nagasaka and his team responded by ‘relying on their

instincts’ and regarding each room as a stage for a kind of

architectural ‘jam session’. For Nagasaka, a devoted

admirer of improvisational modern jazz group Medeski

Martin and Wood, inventing accidental space as the design

process went along was an excitingly dynamic way to work.

‘I realise that under normal circumstances, architectural

practices do not conjure up notions such as improvisation.

But in this particular case, that is the exact word I would

use to describe this project,’ he explains.

Without really knowing what the outcome would be,

Schemata soon started giving the aged rooms of Sayama

Flats new life. Stripping down the 29-year-old wooden

boards of the interior revealed that underneath were

intriguing concrete structures and the mazes of wiring,

ducting and pipes of the building’s service infrastructure.

They would stay. Even the stains of adhesives were

deliberately left on the wall surfaces and highlighted to

create an artistic effect. And so it went on. The rooms

were bare and exposed, called ‘naked’ by Nagasaka.

While it enjoyed discovering unexpected beauty through

its almost brutal process of destruction, Schemata never

forgot to respect the pre-existing utilities. One thing which

is particularly noticeable in every room is the traditional

Japanese-style partitions, such as the fusuma (sliding

door) and the shoji (sliding paper screen). These are the

remains from the old dormitory rooms and somehow

manage to co-exist with the modern and Western-style

ambience. Moreover, the abandonment of solid walls has

resulted in a freeing up of space, turning the small

apartments into loft-style living areas.

The communal rooftop terrace was, quite possibly,

the only area where Schemata actually needed to build

something new. The idea of using decking has led it to

create a staircase-like structure, which people can stand

on, sit on, or use as a table.

Although the idea of an accidental and beautiful �

1

‘Nagasaka claims theSayama Flats projecthas changed hisattitude towards thesuburbs in general –he used to regardthem as merely messyand uninspiring areassurrounding big cities,but now realises thatthey could be just asexciting places ascentral Tokyo – oreven more so’


INTERIORS 04. 2008 CASE STUDY SAYAMA FLATS 43

Opening spread. The traditional Japanese partitions escaped Schemata’s brutalattack, where party walls did not 1, 2 and 4. The ‘naked’ rooms still feature theadhesive stains from their previous incarnation 3. Floor plans

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04. 2008 INTERIORSCASE STUDY SAYAMA FLATS44

living space was extremely well received by the client at

first, in fact Schemata Architecture was only able to

convert half of the Sayama Flats complex in this manner.

The rest of the apartment rooms have still been made

more modern, but only by using a much less adventurous

white space, because of concerns about the possible

negative reactions of potential tenants.

These worries proved to be completely unfounded,

probably a huge relief for Schemata, and the popularity of

the ‘naked’ rooms with customers has far exceeded even

that of the ‘standard’ spaces. Even the problem of

vibration, endemic to bare concrete floors, did not bother

the tenants much and all of the young-ish inhabitants

seem to really appreciate the creative living space.

‘And the unexpected truth is,’ Nagasaka says, ‘that the

“naked” rooms let the tenants improvise with various furn -

ishings far more easily than the conventionally designed

rooms. Maybe because the space was created accidentally,

it also has a capacity for a mishmash of styles.’

Nagasaka claims the Sayama Flats project has taught

him many lessons. Needless to say, he values the unique

experience of creating artistic space by demolition. It also

changed his attitude towards the suburbs in general – he

used to regard them as merely messy and uninspiring areas

surrounding big cities, but now realises that they could be

just as exciting places as central Tokyo – or even more so –

for Schemata to apply its imagination and design skills.

With this prospect, the acres of utilitarian buildings in

Sayama must look like gems in the rough, just waiting to

be polished. And if you ever have a chance to stand on the

roof of the Sayama Flats complex and admire the view

beneath, you may see what Nagasaka means. •

5. The roof terrace features benches and tables for people of allheights and all manner of seating preferences 6, 7 and 8. Thelarge, open, lofty and affordable new flats are proving extremelypopular with tenants, for some reason

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BEIJING INCHINA HAS BEEN CULTIVATING ITS OWN CROP OF DESIGN TALENTWHICH IS NO LONGER LOOKING TO THE WEST FOR INSPIRATION BUTTO THE COUNTRY’S OWN CULTURAL ROOTS. ZIJIA WONG REPORTSON THE CURIOUS MIX OF DESIGN STYLES IN BEIJING


INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS CHINA 47

BLOOM


04. 2008 INTERIORSTRENDS CHINA48

EMPERORS once lorded over it and now designers are doing the same. With

hip hotels and homes sprouting up, and the likes of Rem Koolhaas and

Paul Andreu vamping up the skyline, Beijing is a blossoming kingdom for

design breakthroughs.

This is a great leap forward from the grey-suited, Communist world of the

late 1970s. During the three decades that China was shut off from the rest of

the world, designers went wild from Modernism to Postmodernism, finally

settling down to Minimalism.

‘Chaos emerged,’ wrote SY Zheng in an essay called Contemporary China’s

Interior Design after 1978’s liberalisation. Designers had barely grasped

Modernism when Postmodernism came hurtling in. Forced up a steep learning

curve, they created a mish-mash of styles, almost as if in a cruel parallel to

Mao Zedong’s Hundred Flowers campaign. (During the 1956 campaign –

whose slogan was ‘Let a hundred flowers bloom, let the hundred schools of

thought contend’ – the Chinese Communist Party encouraged people to give

their opinions and solutions to problems.) A skyscraper topped with a pagoda

roof is a regular sight.

By the 1990s, Yue Mingjun, Fang Linjun and the Luo Brothers burst forth

with garish-coloured sculptures and Maoist graphic icons, taking pot shots at

politics and society in the Cynical Realism and Political Pop movements.

Designers, such as Li Hu and Chang Yungho, returned from studies or work in

the US to join their counterparts, such as Ai Weiwei, in shaking up the scene.

‘China has been gradually getting its confidence back after the fast

development of its economy,’ says Hank Chao, who heads award-winning

Shanghai group MoHen Design. He believes that Chinese designers are

learning to value their past, but says that they still do not know how to best

use traditional design elements. ‘They first learnt more from adjacent

countries such as Japan, or from other Chinese provinces like Hong Kong.

These places Westernised much earlier, and have learnt how to mix their own

design language from the past with contemporary elements,’ he says.

One ‘returnee’, Zhu Pei, gave artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s 200-year-old house in

the heart of Beijing a Minimalist treatment, with traditional Chinese

furnishings, light wood and glass panelling to add a subtle touch of modernity,

while retaining rugged brick walls. Musician, tea-master and artist JinR –

multi-hyphenated talents are common in the large city of big dreams – is

renowned for her signature über-chic, yoke-back chairs, latticed doors and

folding screens, which are reinterpretations of the Ming- and Qing-era

furniture that dominate Beijing’s traditional homes, and are inspired by the

Chinese philosophy of Tao or ‘the way’.

Beijing design would have a strong Chinese touch, says Hong Kong

designer Kinney Chan, marking the difference emerging from it and Shanghai.

Chan noted it is usually larger in scale and developed from an architectural

way of thinking, whereas Shanghai designs are more ‘boutique’ and smaller in

scale. Hong Kong designs are more conservative and commercial.

Douglas Young, founder of Hong Kong label Goods of Desire, finds that

even the Chinese consumers are different. ‘Don’t be surprised to find that

many mainland Chinese customers are more “with it” than local Hong Kong

people,’ cautions Young. ‘They are often more open to new ideas than


INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS CHINA 49

Opening spread: MAD’s vision of Beijing in 2050 Main picture and above: MAD’s Hong LuoClub House floats on the Hong Luo Lake in northern Beijing Top: The restored Red CapitalClub Above right and centre: The antique-filled Hotel Côté Cour is an eye-catching mix oftraditional and contemporary themes

Who’s who in Beijing’s design world

Fake DesignThis is run by Ai Weiwei, who started Caochangdi, now the alternative to 798

for creative professionals. Ai is a conceptual artist, curator and architect who

designed Where to Go? Restaurant and worked with Herzog & de Meuron on the

Beijing National Stadium.

MADHeaded by Ma Yansong, from Beijing, the architecture design studio is working

on several big schemes including the Ordos project in Inner Mongolia. Ma was

with Zaha Hadid Architects in London and Eisenman Architects in New York

before founding MAD in 2004. Ma’s list of achievements include the 2002

Samuel J Fogelson Memorial Award of Design Excellence, as well as the

American Institute of Architects Scholarship for Advanced Architecture

Research in 2001.

MADA s.p.a.mThe Shanghai-based architecture and design practice has offices in Beijing,

Shanghai, Xi’an and Los Angeles, and is working with OMA on the CCTV

headquarters in Beijing. The founder Ma Qingyun, also the dean of the School

of Architecture at the University of Southern California, is the chief curator of

the 2007 Shenzhen-Hong Kong, Bi-City Biennale of Architecture and

Urbanism: The City of Expiration and Regeneration.

Studio Pei-ZhuTrained at Berkeley, Zhu Pei is one of China’s ‘starchitects’. His signature look

combines Chinese motifs with startling futuristic imagery using digital media,

while the Beijing-based studio is building the microchip-lookalike Digital

Beijing, which will be the digital command centre for the Olympics. Its Art

Museum of Yue Minjun will launch in October.

CHINA IN YOUR HANDS

customers from “established” communities. Mainlanders appreciate our sense

of humour, expressed through cultural irony.’ Young is known for his irreverent

home accessories using Chinese text, images of Hong Kong and graphics from

Maoist propaganda materials. ‘Chinese people want a complete change in

their lifestyle. They want something that nobody else (including the Italians)

have had before.’

Life for designers has not always been so rosy. Just ten years ago, according

to Chan, Beijing developers used Hong Kong designers from foreign-based

companies. Imported furnishings were in fashion, as local products were

inferior in quality, and, due to political issues, ‘there were many restrictions in

the [local] design style’. But improvements in China’s manufacturing

capabilities – which is why it became the ‘factory of the world’ – has reversed

the trend, so that local materials and foreign designs are now preferred.

The burgeoning purchasing power of the Chinese market and the draw of

the Middle Kingdom is not lost on foreign companies. With the country’s retail

sales expected to quintuple in the next decade to 30 trillion RMB (£2.15

trillion), international brands are fighting to get a piece of the pie. Brands

such as Cappellini, Poltrona Frau and Hansgrohe made themselves household

names in Beijing, while Philippe Starck created the LAN restaurant-club-bar, a

pastiche of Mongolian tents, powder rooms, rhino heads, ornate mirrors,

leather seats and plastic chandeliers. Atlanta-based interior design

consultancy HBA has also been stamping its mark all over the 3000-year-old

city, with not less than 13 projects, including the Ritz-Carlton and JW

Marriott. Multi-entertainment venue Legation Quarter, whose proprietary �


04. 2008 INTERIORSTRENDS CHINA50

venues ‘don’t have any Chinese-inspired interior design’, will open near the

Forbidden City this year. The 10 220m2 area will include an outpost of the

London nightclub Boujis, a Daniel Boulud restaurant and a Patek Philippe

store. Near the Great Wall – the only man-made structure visible from space –

is Jackson Hole, which looks like a set from a Western movie.

However, elsewhere there are stalwarts of tradition such as Red Capital Club

and Hotel Côté Cour that take up Beijing’s famous enclosed atrium houses or

siheyuan (courtyard dwellings). The US-owned Red Capital Club ‘once belonged

to a notorious female spy and Manchurian revivalist who plied her trade using all

assets at her disposal’. Stolen away in a hutong near the courtyard homes of

many of China’s past and present leaders, it took one year for traditional

craftsmen to restore. The cigar lounge is outfitted with Marshal Lin Biao’s (Mao’s

ill-fated successor) chairs and the dining room decked with imperial robes and

calligraphy paintings. Hotel Côté Cour, meanwhile, is a sanctuary of Venetian

plaster, glass mosaic tiles and Chinese antiques, set around a lily pond and a

century-old date tree.

‘Beijing has grey courtyard dwellings and the red-brick walls and glass tiles of

the Imperial Palace. Various design styles live here together harmoniously,’

muses Meng En, chief executive officer of the DCB group, a non-profit-making,

on-line organisation for designers. ‘It can be counted as a signature style of

China. Such a unique characteristic will continue to exist, especially after

China has truly connected with the world through the Olympics. Through

the collision of Chinese and Western cultures, more and better works will

be produced.’ •

Between cheering the synchronised swimmers at the Beijing National

Aquatics Centre and feasting on exotic food at Wangfujing, these new

hotspots are well worth a visit

The Emperor‘Sound caves’ or carved-out areas of this hotel’s hallways are

outfitted with suede and feature flat screens describing Beijing’s

history and culture. Day beds in one section of the SHI restaurant are

separated by translucent curtains, which, when aligned, form the

Chinese character for the word ‘eat’. The Emperor is the only Chinese

member of Design Hotels and will be launched this year.

Legation QuarterLawyer Handel Lee, who spearheaded Shanghai’s Three on the Bund

venture, has shifted his attention to Beijing. Retaining its name from

the Qing dynasty, when it was used as the American embassy,

Legation Quarter will include a nightclub for Beijing’s jet set.

Green T House LivingJinR’s lifestyle retreat based on her Green T brand draws on the

traditions of the tea house as a social gathering place. It will add

accommodation this year and host exhibitions and other events.

Hotel KapokIn what locals call the ‘first design hotel’, special frosted Fibreglass

was created and used for the latticed building facade. The modular

chaise lounges and print wallpaper speak of a contemporary European

influence, yet the courtyard with bamboo plants, curiously, still evokes

sword-fighting scenes.

Commune by the Great WallThis daring project is the brainchild of 12 renowned Asian architects

such as Shigeru Ban, Seung H-Sang and Chang Yung Ho. It features

furnishings from Serge Mouille, Karim Rashid and Marc Newson,

even though the brief was to use local materials and traditional

building methods.

ZenspaWhy go to Ko Samui for a Thai massage when you can get one in a

siheyuan? The stylised silhouettes of chairs, opium beds and

cabinets are tempered with material such as naturally aged, hundred-

year-old timber and bright accessories.

STYLE OLYMPICS

Top: The traditional grey courtyard buildings of the Hotel Côté Cour set around a lily pond andcentury-old date tree Above and right: Green T House. The latticed doors and foldingscreens are re-interpretations of the Ming- and Qing-era furniture that dominate Beijing’straditional homes


www.ki.com/europe [email protected]

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Integrated Storage Systems

Saving You

Time & Space

DWS_100408_p051 31/3/08 16:13 Page 1


GROWINGPAINS

AS COMPANIES FLAUNT THEIR EVER-GREEN PREMISES AND OUTLETS,ONE MAJOR ISSUE HOLDS THEM BACK – THE NEED FOR GROWTH.CLARE DOWDY ARGUES BUSINESS NEEDS TO BE MORE CREATIVEWITH EXPANSION PLANSIllustrations by Andrew Pavitt


INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS ECO RETAIL 53


04. 2008 INTERIORSTRENDS ECO RETAIL54

DEPENDING on who you talk to, it is the elephant in the room, the gorilla

in the corner or the inconvenient truth of retailing. Over the past few

years, every retailer worth its salt has been setting out its Green strategy.

The general gist being that they will try to make their stores and the prod-

ucts they stock better for the environment.

Some, like Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose, have been

shouting about their Green ethics from the (soon to be solar-panelled, no

doubt) rooftops. Over the next five years, M&S is pledging £200m towards

environmental initiatives, including making the business carbon neutral and

not sending any waste to landfill by 2012.

All of this is largely welcomed by those who have to make it happen

through design. In fact, most of them are ahead of their clients in the eco

game. ‘Designers have been able to deliver this for ten to 15 years,’ says

Portland Design director Lewis Allen.

That’s not to say there aren’t any serious hurdles to get over to implement a

Greener design strategy. It is at this point that so-called value engineering

raises its head. According to Checkland Kindleysides director Jeff

Kindleysides, however, ‘You can almost guarantee that this [value engineering]

route won’t hang on to a Green element. The nature of retail and shopfitting is

about cost and pound per square foot. Until sustainable Green materials and

lighting reach a point where they are a cost benefit, it’s always going to be a

push-and-pull situation in terms of how you design a store.’

We all know these things will be sorted out as prices for the sustainable

alternatives go down, or governmental or customer pressure goes up. But that

is not the elephant in the room. The obvious but unspoken contradiction is

between retailers trumpeting their carbon offsetting credentials and, at the

same time, continuing to expand.

Howard Saunders, director of retail consultancy Echo Chamber, describes a

recent scenario. ‘I was doing a talk for a major high-street store, and when

global warming came up, they talked about how they’ve made their stores

more efficient. In the same breath, they announced they would double their

store numbers. It’s just ridiculous,’ he says.

Such growth can’t avoid being damaging to the environment, however

much less energy each new store uses. Or, as Saunders puts it, ‘The planet

doesn’t care.’

Of course, the idea of not expanding is completely counter to our Capitalist

consumer society. This is business, after all, and Mintel consultant Richard

Perks can understand why it’s not an issue that exercises the retailers at all,

‘because if they want their businesses to succeed, it is not an option’. In fact,

he doesn’t think they’d even see much of a contradiction. ‘Retailers need to

compete for customers and they need to grow. Businesses that don’t aim to

grow, go backwards. They can’t get together and agree not to invest in stores,

because that would be to act as a cartel and break the law,’ he says.

Some retail designers echo this. ‘As retailers or any business take in the

opportunity of new markets and locations, it’s just a fact of life,’ says

Kindleysides. ‘No business model would stifle its growth for the principle of

replicating its footprint. It’s not [financially] sustainable, because a good retail

location now won’t be one in five years’ time.’

Lucy Richardson is managing partner of Brand Legacy, a new strategic

marketing agency focused on developing sustainable growth strategies.

She thinks that retailers recognise the tension, ‘but they are paralysed

because they are about growth’.

That paralysis means that designers will inevitably be continuing to design

future roll-outs and expansions. Yet the UK is already a chain-store haven;

Tesco has 1897 outlets here, slightly more than the combined efforts of the

next four biggest retailers, which between them have 1823, according to

Mintel’s 2007 UK Retail Rankings. Altogether the top three (Tesco,

Sainsbury’s and Asda) boast 5330m2 of sales area.

Current expansion includes two of M&S’s brand new eco stores, the first in

Glasgow, and the second, its first eco Simply Food, in Galashiels. Both of

them opened in October.

Meanwhile, even destination store Liberty is getting on the expansion

bandwagon. This June, its first ‘flagship concept store’ opened on London’s

Sloane Street, by Paris-based architects Pierre Beucler and Jean-Christophe

Poggioli. A Liberty spokeswoman explains that this one will act as ‘the

blueprint for concept stores throughout the global marketplace’.


INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS ECO RETAIL 55

Some designers recognise the beneficial role they can play in this process.

‘New concepts are the lifeblood of the high street and, if developed with the

right level of creativity and practicality, can bring great rewards to a retailer.

That is why they do it, and those who do it well are thriving,’ says Dalziel &

Pow creative director David Dalziel. ‘Retail design may not be the most

socially aware discipline, but our work uplifts those who experience it and

those who are employed within it. Without it life would be duller.’

At the same time, some consultancies are recognising that life (and work)

can’t go on this way. Sooner, but more probably later, retail clients will

wake up to their own inconvenient truth. ‘They are not fundamentally

changing their business model because they have short-term growth targets.

They need to be thinking more creatively about expansion,’ says Richardson

who, as chief executive of Added Value, worked for Sainsbury’s last year.

‘Supermarkets need to rewrite the paradigm, and think about innovation in

a systemic way.’

Saunders agrees. ‘M&S has led the way and that’s good, but I’m warning

them that it could be their come-uppance. In five years’ time, we will still be

here and we will still be trying to save the planet, and they will still be trying

to sell us another V-neck sweater.’

It’s difficult with shareholders’ needs for immediate satisfaction, but

designers who are starting to look further ahead can perhaps advise clients.

Many in consultancies are talking about the need to expand distribution

networks. ‘They should integrate on-line into their business,’ says Richardson,

citing Ebay.

She suggests that conventional retailers could learn from that model, ‘if

they thought of themselves as a space and not just a shop’. For example, a

fashion outlet ‘could re-embrace its own second-hand clothing’ and devote a

corner to a vintage range.

Allen at Portland has been considering how brands should be about more

than just traditional transactions.

‘For the consumption of material things through traditional channels, we

have to build shopping centres,’ he says, which inevitably rely on a fast turn-

around of disposable goods. ‘We are looking at ways to dematerialise both

steps,’ he says, for example, reducing the need for stores by upping Web-,

phone- or catalogue-based shopping, and, more radically, reducing the amount

of consumption.

‘We propose a switch from consuming things towards consuming

experiences,’ he says, which could mean learning, personal development,

social networking and so on. In other words, ‘expressing ourselves not through

what we wear, but through what we think’. He calls this gratification through

growth, self-worth and a sense of esteem that we can share with others, rather

than gratification through the bling of life. ‘It’s no longer “I shop therefore I

am”. It’s “I consume, therefore I am”.’

His idea is that brands that help people to be Greener can encourage

that ever-waning quality in consumers – loyalty. ‘There’s a stronger chance

that consumers will spend their money with you and, proportionally,

consumption can go down if brands inspire more loyalty. We need people to

buy less.’

Adidas and Nike are two fashion brands whose customisation schemes –

Nike ID and Adidas’ Mi Innovation Centre in Paris – lend themselves to this.

If you design your own shoes and pay a slightly higher price for them, there’s a

chance that you’ll keep them longer. And if that brand has inspired loyalty in

you through its cultural or social events, then you may buy fewer pairs of

shoes, but more of them may be that brand.

‘It’s about finding ways to avoid the consumption cycle we’re in now that’s

too fast and too often,’ says Allen, who believes that his ‘dematerialisation’

thinking is relevant to every brand, institution, retailer, developer and

consumer.

If there really does come a time when conventional retail design is needed

less, where does that leave the designers? Allen, for one, isn’t concerned.

‘There’ll be no less demand for creativity,’ he believes, ‘as there’ll be a

continuing need for people to engage. It’s not just about designing shops, it’s

about helping brands connect with people.’

So maybe some designers will migrate to other disciplines, like on-line or

event planning, but, in the meantime, the roll-out is their (rather stale) bread

and butter. •



SHAPESHIFT

THEY ARE SHORT-LIVED, BUT MUST BEHIGH-IMPACT: IN THE EXPERIENCEECONOMY THERE ARE NEW RULES WHENIT COMES TO CREATING BRAND SPACE.LUCY JOHNSTON GOES IN SEARCH OFBEST PRACTICE IN TEMPORARY INTERIORS

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INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS TEMPORARY SPACE 57


04. 2008 INTERIORSTRENDS TEMPORARY SPACE58

WHETHER they come under the banner of ‘guerrilla’, ‘pop-up’, ‘touring’, or

all three, temporary commercial spaces are playing a key role in brand

strategy. Chasing the fickle attentions of today’s consumers in an advanced

social culture where the traditions of retail and hospitality continue to merge,

businesses are under pressure to create worthwhile experiences in all cate-

gories and ever greater value is placed on ‘time well spent’ over wealth of pos-

sessions. Combine that with the fast pace of consumer demand, short atten-

tion spans for commercial messages, and the result is a new commercial

landscape where changeability and disruption of expectations are the main

influencing factors.

In this ‘experience economy’, the role of design is critical – but the three-

dimensional manifestations of a brand’s mindset, shared values and

positioning as both a commercial and cultural proposition are more short-lived

than ever. What’s more, although they have indisputable commercial value the

majority of temporary spaces are still allocated relatively small budgets. So

what does it take to create a stand-out temporary interior? Smart design,

curation of local talents and resources, and a strong, simple idea.

A number of innovations have recently taken the genre to new heights.

Beyond ensuring that the brand transcends traditional expectations,

differentiates itself from the competition and forges connections with its

audience in crowded markets, these temporary commercial spaces have

important roles in educating, entertaining and building enhanced relationships

with their audiences. They also allow for experimentation, interaction, greater

freedom of expression and the opportunity to talk to new markets.

The Campana Brothers’ Camper boutique in Berlin is an excellent execution

of the concept of a temporary interior design in its simplest form. It is also an

example of ‘freedom of expression’ being offered from a brand – allowing

consumers to make their mark within the space. Part of the ongoing Camper

Together campaign of iconic creative collaborations, the concept is called Torn

Leftovers. It consists of piles of discarded test print advertising hoardings that

have been turned into a huge wall collage of multiple layers. Customers are

encouraged to interact, tearing off random sections to reveal the underlying

patterns and thus constantly changing the appearance of the space. The store

furniture has also been produced from recycled materials: the tables are

constructed from wood layered with old Camper publicity material, and the

window display units are formed from blocks of recycled, shredded paper.

The installation is due to be in situ for a year before the space is redesigned.

Reclaimed fixtures and fittings are a popular and economical design

solution that can be exploited in the design of guerrilla temporary spaces.

When the Phone House, a German telecoms retailer, launched a temporary

retail space in Cologne, designed by Coordination and Berlinomat, the aim was

to raise awareness and promote the brand’s products in preparation for the

opening of a new flagship store, and to generate interest from a younger,

edgier consumer than its stores usually attracted. The pop-up store offered a

showcase area for trialling the products, a lounge space and a quieter

consultation space where customers could sign up for new contracts – most of

the furniture was constructed by innovatively rethinking the existing industrial

fixtures, combined with wooden crates and complemented by in-situ graphic

work. Due to its popularity and commercial success, the venture continued to

trade for four months longer than originally scheduled, overlapping with the

launch of the flagship store.

Taking the strategy of pop-up retail and moving it a stage further, Sidecar

Eventi illustrates the transition from temporary retail as a promotional activity

to an ongoing commercial proposition and consumer destination. With a

decrease in the number of permanent stores being opened (down 35 per cent

in Italy in the past five years), Sidecar Eventi – a spin-off of Sidecar Diffusion,

an Italian fashion brand distributor – saw a business opportunity for a well-

located venue offering temporary retail space for one or more brands at a time.

Situated in Milan, and designed by Perengo & Perbellini & Radaelli, this ‘shop

sharing’ concept has attracted high-profile international brands, which rent all

or part of the space for a period of two to four weeks. An in-house visual

merchandising team creates bespoke fixtures for each installation and typical

build time is just one or two days.

It’s not always about rough and ready, however. In some cases, a relatively

high budget (and flair for spending it) can lead to impressive results. As part of

a strategy to better promote the quality of Sony Bravia products through

physical media, Sony launched a three-dimensional experience to bring the

essence of the products to life. Designed by Odd and Naked �


INTERIORS 04. 2008 TRENDS TEMPORARY SPACE 59

Opening spread. Mobile Art: The Chanel Contemporary Art Container, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects,opened in Hong Kong in March and will tour the world over three years Clockwise from above left. TornLeftovers temporary retail interior concept, created by the Campana Brothers for the Camper boutique inBerlin; food magazine Bon Appétit’s pop-up supper club in New York, designed by the Rockwell Group; theStarbucks Salon in New York, a combined café, gallery and performance space, created by Formavisionand Wieden & Kennedy; The Colour Rooms, an event space by Odd and Naked Communications for Sonyto promote its Bravia screen technology; Italian fashion distributor Sidecar Diffusion’s Eventi shop-sharingconcept in Milan, designed by Perengo & Perbellini & Radaelli; German telecoms retailer Phone House’stemporary retail space in Cologne, designed by Coordination and Berlinomat


04. 2008 INTERIORSTRENDS TEMPORARY SPACE60

Communications, two temporary event spaces – The Colour Rooms – were

launched simultaneously, one in a former electric plant in Berlin, the other in a

converted railway arch in East London. The unexpected, multifunctional venues

boasted intimate lounge areas, a large event space, galleries and screening

rooms, a stage and a bar/bistro and integrated Bravia screen technology

throughout. The venues were available for hire for events such as private

screenings, parties, presentations and photo-shoots, while a contained gallery

space housed exhibitions from local artists, designers and craftsmen. This

proved a good example of temporary branded space creating an added value.

Staying with the theme of hospitality as a tool to connect with audiences,

the Bon Appétit Supper Club in New York demonstrates the growing trend for

‘media embodiment’ where two-dimensional media entities are creating three-

dimensional, experiential activities. In this case, the food magazine Bon

Appétit hosted a pop-up supper club offering two contrasting dining

experiences for daytime and evening guests. Each day, a different high-profile

chef was invited to take over the kitchen and customise the menu, providing a

physical, sensory manifestation of the content of the publication – ‘living

media’ at its best. Designed by the Rockwell Group, a daytime café space

open to the public hosted events such as book signings, chef appearances and

food exhibits, while in the evenings, the main dining area was converted into

an invitation-only venue, hosting parties, premieres and fundraisers. The café

itself was given a bright, fresh appearance with bold graphics, and the evening

club – including a dining room, lounge and bar – was designed as a dramatic,

theatrical space and created a visual representation of the city at night.

One of the most effective examples in recent times of a brand using

temporary commercial space for experimentation and expansion into other

media is the Starbucks Salon in New York, which positioned the brand as a

cultural patron. Combining a coffeehouse, gallery and performance space,

this temporary, nomadic venue provided days of free music, book and poetry

readings, art exhibitions and fashion events. Created and curated by

Formavision with Wieden & Kennedy, the concept aimed to showcase

Starbucks as a locally relevant brand, providing a cultural focus that supported

and featured work from local creative individuals, both established and up-

and-coming artists, authors, performers and DJs. The venue was open for ten

days only, from 10am to 10pm, with plans to tour the concept globally.

The design of the space drew on the talents of local graffiti artists.

Starbucks Salon’s full-roasted nemesis, of course, is the Illycaffè. For the

fourth year in a row, coffee brand Illy has partnered with the Venice Biennale

to provide visitors with a version of the its ‘Illymind’ concept – a place to

pause for rest, reflection and refreshment within the exhibition. The chosen

method for the last event was an installation that aimed to further link Illy

with the creative arts industry and strengthen its visible patronage. The feature

– Push Button House – was originally a work by artist-architect Adam Kalkin,

and provided visitors with coffee and a place to relax within the ‘world of art’.

At the touch of a button, and in just 90 seconds, the unit unfolds from a

compact shipping container into a fully furnished living space.

Perhaps the most spectacular example of this genre of late, however, is the

Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. A travelling

art space that hosts an exhibition of artworks inspired by Chanel bags, even

the building itself was inspired by the brand’s signature quilted handbag.

The architects developed a hi-tech facade from fibre-reinforced plastic to keep

the weight down to make shipping easy. Designing the gallery, which is

intended to have a lifetime of three years (rather than 30) as it tours, was,

according to project architect Thomas Vietzke, ‘More like designing a product

than a building – it’s not so rooted in its context so the parameters were very

different. Assembly and disassembly were obviously crucial.’

The concept of temporary brand spaces is one that has attracted a lot of

activity, but there is still huge potential for future development. In an

advanced consumer market where traditional brand-messaging and

communications so often falls on deaf ears, three-dimensional brand

experiences that provide unexpected scenarios are a powerful tool.

Reflecting the increasingly transient nature of lifestyles, spatial design

concepts that allow for a regularly changing proposition attuned to

psychographics rather than demographics – becoming active social

commentators – will find that they enable brands to build a much longer-lived

and positive rapport with consumers. •Lucy Johnston is executive editor of the Global Innovation Report, published

by GDR

Top to bottom. The Illycaffè Push Button House, based on an installation by artist-architectAdam Kalkin, offers visitors to the Venice Biennale a place to drink coffee and relax withinthe ‘world of art’ (above); the Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects(below and bottom)

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DWS_100408_p061 1/4/08 12:40 Page 1


A PERSONALTOUCH


INTERIORS 04. 2008 PROFILE KEN OLLING 63

YOU may be vastly proud of that Eames chair you picked

up at a flea market a week ago, but unique it ain’t –

turned out in a good 100 000 copies since Charles and

Ray designed it back in the 1940s. But it is still far too

impressive a piece for you to think of pimping it up,

revarnishing it or replacing the seat. Just imagine what that

would do to its second-hand value.

Henry Ford’s famed quote, nearly a century old now, springs

to mind, that you can have the car in any colour provided it’s

black. In these days of increased individualism and personal

assertion, the words have a significant resonance, because

even if we seem to live in a hedonist era of shifting shapes and

conceptual craziness, mass production still reveals palpable

limitations. It is still the manufacturer that sets the defining

frameworks, just as in Ford’s day. But while the discussion was

then about colour, today’s consumers are into form and texture

and patterns and anything else that is thought to express

personality. The desires are nowadays so specific that more and

more companies are beginning to find ways to enable the

consumer to personalise mass-produced products.

Few, however, have carried this concept as far as Meld. ‘My

passion and goal is to never ever create a product that I will

see in someone else’s home,’ Meld founder Ken Olling asserts,

with the intensity and candour of a true revolutionary. ‘A

similar product maybe, but never ever my product.’

Olling was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in Los

Angeles, but today lives in the little, but cosmopolitan, district

of Tøyen in Oslo. He describes himself as an untrained

generalist with a passion for graphic design. What he forgets to

add is that he is an overly understated person: Nippon, Nissan,

Nike, Vodafone, Visa, Canal Plus, Sony – Olling appears to

possess an almost Forrest Gump flair for finding himself in the

right firm at the right time. He has spent the past 12 years

working in the fields of international branding and interactive

media communication across three continents. And to top it all

he is both visiting lecturer at the Oslo School of Architecture

and Design and Professor of Design at Beijing University.

‘I never got into art school in LA,’ he says. ‘They told me to

go away, said I had no talent’. So I moved to Japan, went to

Hamburg from there, on to Oslo and then back to Japan. Japan

has pretty much shaped who I am. I plan to move back to

Tokyo with my wife and son within the next year or so. No

country inspires me more.’

He seems reasonably inspired even in Oslo. In addition to

being one of Norway’s most sought after graphic designers,

for the past six months he has also run Meld. The company is

into what is known as mass customisation, an attempt to

achieve near mass-manufacturing efficiency while offering a

unique product to a single person. This is the kind of

grandiose policy programme that smacks of large-scale

enterprises, and to date only a scattering of multinational

companies, mainly in the sport shoe industry, have succeeded

in implementing a similar customer approach.

But Olling runs his company all on his own. The fees he

gets are all shunted into the firm, which doesn’t just design

products but produces them and distributes them too. Up to

now his investment hovers round the $50 000 mark

(£25 000), and it is likely to be higher before Meld presents

itself in earnest to the world at the London Design Week in

September. A trial chair is going to be on show there. Or rather

ten different chairs from ten different designers, all of them

originating from a basic chair designed by Olling himself.

This situation is no novelty for Olling. Two years ago he

visited the same city and the same fair, if not with the same

concept, with another mass-produced rarity, the standard

housing project Løvetann. Snøhetta, the renowned architecture

group, had designed a modular system in glass and aluminium,

which in less than three weeks could be hobbled together and

equipped to meet the client’s highly specific requirements.

Olling, part-owner in the practice, had a field day at the fair.

‘We had 600 people waiting in line to buy houses; the selling

was super easy,’ he says. But when it finally came to mass

production it turned out that the design just didn’t permit the

low price and high ecological levels that the company had

vouched for. Løvetann folded a couple of months later. A total

of 40 modular structures had been completed, 30 of them for

a (much-criticised) day nursery outside of Oslo.

This experience was an eye-opener for Olling. ‘The

Løvetann project proved at least one point, that mass-

customised products were highly desirable,’ he says. ‘I already

had this idea for a chair and when Løvetann didn’t go well I

took it up again. I’ve spent the last year and a half

concentrating on getting the principle to work in practice.’

The process comes in three stages: system, design,

customisation. The system is like a DNA sample, it is here the

product’s characteristics are defined. These consist mainly of a

series of technical co-efficients drawn up by Olling. These vary

depending on what type of product you want to manufacture –

clothes or toys or cutlery or, in this case, furniture (in time,

Olling plans to produce the lot). The way the system is

structured determines the product’s initial expression.

Or rather lack of it. ‘Because I’m designing the system for

IN AN AGE OF MASS CUSTOMISATION AND BESPOKEPRODUCTS, THE FUTURE IS IN THE HANDS OF THE CONSUMER. BUT WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE DESIGNERS? SUPER-SKILLED AND EGO FREE, SAYS KEN OLLING – ENTREPRENEUR, INNOVATOR AND PIONEER OF ‘PLATFORM DESIGN’. MARK ISITTMEETS HIMAll photos Kim Saatvedt

�

LInteriors S.S 62-64:Layout 1 3/4/08 11:18

04. 2008 INTERIORSPROFILE KEN OLLING64

other designers the product is quite toned down,’ he says.

‘Rather anti-climactic, actually. If I were to put a lot more of my

style on it designers wouldn’t touch it. I wouldn’t dream of

asking Philippe Starck to do one of these chairs if it screams

Ken Olling. There isn’t room for two egos in this environment.’

When the basic chair is finalised Olling provides the ‘real’

designers with an Illustrator file. Apart from a number of key

points in the chair frame needed to hold the structure

together, the designers are free to redraw as they see fit.

‘If they want to change the shape of the chair they’re

welcome to. And if they don’t, then they can use it as their

canvas, paint it, sandblast it, laser engrave it, whatever. If I’ve

designed a good enough system most of their desires will be

able to be executed.’

When the designers have had their day with the basic chair

it’s time for the next revolution. The people’s revolution. This

is ultimately where the chair comes into its own and – over

time – the star designer will be largely cut out of the equation.

‘When you buy the chair it comes in a flatpack. The various

parts are cut in plywood and you just pop them out the same

way you would a plastic model. The chair is made of six parts,

with four screws. Each part is perfectly symmetrical, which

means that each part can be flipped. All in all, there are 36

ways to put each chair together. And if you buy another

version, you can combine the two. Take the armrests from one

and put it on the other, turn the lounge chair into a rocking

chair or into a high chair.’

The aim of enabling the customer to personalise the

product as freely as possible is what Meld and its website

(www.platformdesign.org) is concerned with ultimately. The

greater the range of choice the stronger the sales potential,

Olling explains – though even he accepts that the range of

choices can be too many.

‘Not everyone is ready for total freedom. I notice that in my

Norwegian friends. If they go to the States, they go static,

there’s simply too much to choose from. That’ll change in

time, but it can take ten years or so. Less in the US and Asia.’

To avoid this overload of choices, he has chosen to

collaborate with product designers, illustrators and artists

before the London release. This time it will be their versions

he uses in a preliminary product run of 300 copies per chair.

But, in time, the intention is that others will have a chance to

try the technique.

As with the Løvetann project, ethical considerations have

been given top priority. The chair is made of bamboo plywood

that is particularly environmentally friendly, and the four

screws of 100 per cent recycled stainless steel. Olling

estimates the life of the chair at a minimum of 50 years,

‘possibly even 100’. And the plywood itself is made in a

factory in China that is free of child labour – Olling has been

there himself and inspected. At present, he is working on

developing an environmentally friendly distribution system.

‘I am forcing an ethic on to the design. That’s the most

interesting bit for me. No matter what is done to the product

after I’ve released it, it will remain environmentally and

ethically correct. You may change the way it functions or the

way it looks, but the ethical element is always maintained,

inherent in the product. Nobody can change that.’

The only part of the process that he does not seem to have

full control over, strangely enough, is the actual design stage.

For that he has called upon the help of the youthful design

duo Stokke Austad.

‘But it hasn’t been a matter of very much design,’ says

Jonas Ravlo Stokke. ‘We’ve had a look at the ergonomics and

helped Ken solve a few product engineering details. The

assignment was rather to design a chair that doesn’t look

designed – the chair of chairs. We’ve been steadily paring

away at its personality. If we had been allowed to design the

chair to our own wishes it would have looked very different.’

‘When I did Løvetann I thought I was a genius,’ Olling

concludes. ‘But now I’ve realised that the idea of mass

customisation was talked about by professors back in the early

1980s. In a not too distant future, you

will go on-line, upload your designs,

hit ‘Print’ and instead of an HP laser

jet you will have an HP 3D jet and

print your own tableware, your own

chair. That’s what we are reaching

for. Meld is merely a first step.’ •

Not everyone is ready for total freedom. I noticethat in my Norwegian friends. If they go to theStates, they go static, there’s simply too muchto choose from. KEN OLLING

CO

UR

TESY M

ELD


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DWS_100408_p065 2/4/08 13:04 Page 1

04. 2008 INTERIORSAFTER A FASHION66

AFTER A FASHIONTHERE IS EVIDENCE OF SEVERAL EMERGING TRENDS IN INTERIOR DESIGN.HELPFULLY, PRODUCT AND FURNITURE DESIGN ARE IN TUNE – FROM SURVEILLANCE CAMERA LIGHTING TO CHARACTERFUL BOOKENDS,THERE ARE NUMEROUS OPTIONS FOR THE DIRECTIONAL DESIGNER. 67CLINICAL 68SPEAKEASY 69MULTIFUNCTIONAL 71HOMELY 73ORIENTAL


INTERIORS 04. 2008 AFTER A FASHION 67

1. The Edge tables by Pearson Lloyd for Danerka can be easily fitted with cablemanagement, and also come with a range of similarly Mac-compatible in-trays2. MDF Italia’s new Aluminium Cabinet system is made of medium-density, woodfibreboards clad with aluminium

Bar-goers in countries like Taiwan and Singapore might appear healthier than most, thanksto a medical theme that is sweeping the area. In Taipei, DS Music Restaurant was launchedrecently, echoing the success that Singapore’s The Clinic had when it opened in 2006.Visitors at DS Music order ‘medicine’ from a menu before it is dripped into their glassesfrom a transparent, ceiling-suspended vat. Visitors can sit around each ‘bed’ and chat upthe ‘nurses’ whose rabbit-ears complement their starched white uniforms. Disreg ar ding theoddball entries, clinical doesn’t always sound sirens. The i-ultra lounge (someone stop thisi-craze, please) in the InterContinental Hong Kong, for example, just goes with the purewhite effect and an iHealth menu. Interiors in the Middle East are becoming increasinglyminimalist, too. Keva, 360° and Chi@The Lodge are all new bars following the same designprinciple – pared-down, stylish and plenty of white. iKandy in Dubai is trying on the trend, alfresco-style, with its outdoor rooftop spot and pool surrounded by white drapes and decor.What it has got wrong, how ever, is the name. Since opening its Portland branch last year,the Ace Hotel has also been celebrated for its pared-down style. This year sees the exten sion of the brand with a branch opening in Palm Springs and another planned in New York.

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04. 2008 INTERIORSAFTER A FASHION68

Low-key, slightly battered and well-hidden are important criteria for a whole slew of newventures around the world. The idea is to make customers and clients feel like they’rechilling at home or in a friend’s house, but – like ‘natural’ make-up and perfectly messed uphair – you can be sure it’s taken ages to get it to look this casual.Allegedly the hardest bar to find in Melbourne in Australia (which is saying something),

Handsome Steve’s House of Refreshment is situated in the Abbotsford Convent, where youcan also find an artists’ studio space, theatre, school, radio station and a bakery. Lined withLaminex and wood paneling, there’s usually a noir film or surf flick on the badly tuned TVand the ‘attitude’ is palpable. Joe’s Shoe Store is a new bar in Northcote, also in Australia, that used to be a shoe store

and decided – in the interests of recycling, perhaps – that it would be easier just to keep thesame sign outside. Inside, the concrete-floored space is sparsely decorated with carefullyplaced ornaments that run the gamut from giant paella pans to fencing paraphernalia. It probably all started in London’s Shoreditch, of course, where secret dens are still

springing up everywhere. The East Room has opened up next to Shosho Match (even thedoorbell is well hidden), while Lounge Bohemia on Great Eastern Street only has a mobilenumber by way of contact, as if a landline might make it traceable. This is one interior design trend that – by definition – can be found where you least expect

it, but it’s still surprising to see that even airports are getting in on the act. The new Fly Barin Melbourne Airport is modelled on a Brunswick Street café – making it a bit shabby, full of‘character’, and quite unique. The speakeasy vibe is just as prevalent in retail – possibly partly because its universal style

works on a budget to suit the temporary pop-up format that is currently so popular. Oak inNolita uses found and new objects to create an austere bar-room aesthetic. Another recentexample is Trovata – a clothing label that set up a temporary store in New York’s Meat -packing District. Designer John Whitledge artfully arranged the collection around piles of old books and battered furniture with a result that could be described as being part chicboutique, part messy student bedroom.

SPEAKEASY

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1-4. The Made by Memories collection from 22 Masters students at the School of Designand Crafts at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden includes a lamp of surveillancecameras, a haphazard shoe storage and display system, a louche mirror and a number ofrocking and wonky chairs. This is new design with history



Is it a teashop? Is it a bowling alley? No, it’s a drive-in movie tapas bar.Multifunctional venues are on the rise – as well as shops that are also galleries,we are seeing bars that double up as grocery stores, car showrooms where youcan also have a head massage, and so on. On the one hand, doubling up onbusiness is a great way to make the most of a single site; on the other, the poorunsuspecting interior designer can go slightly schizophrenic as a result of all theconflicting requirements. Across the world, true professionals are showing admirable clout in the face of

diversity. In Los Angeles, Ooga Booga is a new multifunctional outlet offering amix of art, retail and hanging space. Held up as a welcome antidote toHollywood, Ooga Booga is ‘primarily’ a fashion store, but also offers mixtapes bylegendary West Coast musicians like Calvin Johnson and art books by WolfgangTillmans. Over in Philadelphia, the Ubiq store similarly gives the illusion of beinga premium sneaker store, but on closer inspection customers will suddenly findthemselves inside a gallery space. Luring unsuspecting sneaker-heads into thecultural realm while they clothes shop is so far proving very successful, and salesare high. Multipurpose is a current trend in retail design in the spatially challenged Tokyo,

too. Venues such as Tokyo Midtown and Gyre have been hugely influential, ashave initiatives by some of the major international brands, such as Armani andBulgari, which have both opened their own multi-retail complex with own-brandbar and restaurant area in Ginza.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL1. Wall art, covetable design and a very effective coat rack in one. One in aMillion by Zurich-based Yuniic Design is made from powder-coated steel andcomes in a range of colours

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HOMELY

Staying in might be the new going out, but going out canalso be quite homely. Even in Las Vegas. Lo-fi, earthy designwas, until recently, anathema to the brash, flash casinocapital, but Social House, a new Japanese-inspiredrestaurant designed by New York-based architectural firmAvroKO is one new venue changing that with abundant useof organic materials.Back in London, designers having been digging for victory

for years, of course, and already do a nice trade in down-to-earth and wholesome. Camden newcomer Market is thelatest British no-frills, fuss-free eatery on a small, cosy site with blasted brick walls, zinc-topped tables and an open kitchen. The organic movement is at last taking hold in New York,

too, and although for now the top trends within this marketrelate to food provenance, it is reflecting the same ideas asinterior design. Acting as an interesting counter to the morescientific approach to cuisine that has been popular overthe past few years, a few new outlets are bucking the trend: Roasting Plant is a new Lower East Side coffee shop that roasts beans on site. Merging technologyand a traditional coffee-shop feel, Roasting Plant is all about demonstrating the ‘realness’ of the productthrough design.With its locally produced, sustainable and organic fare,

BLT market – at the Ritz-Carlton on 59th Street – plays upthe rustic, artisanal feel as well. The interior echoes theFrench-style grocery store and the fresh produce itselfbecomes a valuable part of the design. Photographs of therestaurant’s purveyors with their truffles and barnyard ducksline the walls, while an old plough stands by the entrance.Water is served in milk bottles and waiters are dressed inkitchen aprons. You can almost smell the mud.Bacaro takes the trend into the eastern fringes of New

York’s Chinatown. In a converted former aquarium, the newrestaurant is all exposed brick, salvaged barn wood, andnooks and crannies all serving to make the whole placeresemble a farmhouse kitchen, rather than an upscalerestaurant in Manhattan. Cookshop, too, situated inChelsea, is setting a new trend for the city by putting up achalk-board, in a stylistic nod towards the Europeanfarmhouse restaurant.

1. Haberdashery influences are sew hot right now, asdemonstrated by the Party pouf, by Jantze Brogård Asshoff2. Twine tables by WIS Design3. Textile designer Sari Syvaluoma’s homely new range ofthrows could only be more inviting with a hot mug of glöggin hand4. The pared-down-to-earth collections by E15’s PhilippMainzer are a magnet for nature-loving homebodies. Newfor 2008 are the tartan textile collection and the SL05 Pardis bed

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The world seems to be going mad for Asian design, with hugenumbers of venues opening to answer the global demand for sashimi,dim sum and oodles of noodles. Residents at the new Raffles Dubaihave a vast choice of six different Asian experiences, while inAustralia’s Melbourne new bars Cho Gao, the Red Hummingbird,Seamstress, Double Happiness and New Gold Mountain all channelthe Chinese vibe almost as well as we do in Europe.Meanwhile, the new glamorous midtown Manhattan venue Wakiya –

a much-hyped collaboration between Ian Schrager and chef YujiWakiya – filters Chinese gastronomy through a Japanese prism,resulting in an Asian-fusion design perspective. In London, there’s thenew venture from Alan Yau (he of Wagamama, Hakkasan andYauatcha fame). Sake no Hana, designed by Kengo Kuma, transportsits clientele by the means of two gold and black escalators beforedepositing them in an otherworldly space full of Eastern promise with anetwork of blond wood poles floating overhead and timber-lined walls.Diners can choose whether to eat Japanese-style on tatami mats or tokeep their shoes on and sit on a chair.The trend is not altogether new, but it has been growing considerably

this past year, and what seems to have happened lately is aninteresting shift in the balance. For all the years spent plundering theWest for design ideas and influence, China’s new generation are at lasttapping into their own heritage, and the Japanese have developed aclear preference for traditional Japanese design over Westernintrusions. It seems Japan, in fact, is more confident than ever inpersuing its own traditions. Although Tokyo has seen chains of newlyopened luxury hotels by various international large corporations –Peninsula, Conrad and Mandarin Oriental, for example – in the pastyear or two, hotels in Japan have been generally getting smaller. It looks like Japanese consumers want a better, more personalised and intimate service from hotels. In Kyoto, for example, there has beena series of renovations of machiya (traditional Kyoto town houses ortea-houses) into new accommodation, keeping the old styles, butimproving them with contemporary modern conveniences.

ORIENTAL1. The character for ‘double happiness’ can be divided into twocharacters that each means ‘happiness’, as Beijing-based Goods ofDesire demonstrates with these bookends2. Inspired by the Chinese folding screen, Goods of Desire hasdesigned a walnut and matt white lattice screen

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04. 2008 INTERIORSINSPIRATION RON ARAD74

� My exhibition at the

Pompidou Centre in Paris. It

opens on 19 November. They

wanted to do a retrospective,

but I’m more interested in

showing current work.

� I am doing a lot of

architecture at the moment,

but it’s hard to show in an

exhibition. You can’t give a

real impression of a building

using models, photographs

and drawings. I want to show

the real thing, so we are

taking a real piece of

architecture and reproducing

it one to one in the gallery.

� In London I am working with

a new gallerist, Timothy Taylor.

We are planning an exhibition

for spring 2009.

� I am not co-operating with

this monster that is ‘design

art’. People have jumped on

this niche and there is nothing

constructive about it. I advise

my students not to bow to the

pressure to be part of it

either, but you can’t tell

them – they have to find

out for themselves.

� I often say that at the Royal

College of Art we take in

employable people and, in

two years, we render them

unemployable. I probably

shouldn’t be teaching...

� I am working today on the

latest series of Bodyguards –

it is an evolution of a

concept that I’ve been

developing for years.

� The way I work hasn’t

changed, but the tools have.

The more sophisticated the

machine gets, the less

machine-like the product.

� The funny thing about

success is that it can make

you stale or it can encourage

you to do more. I am in the

second bracket. If I have an

idea I don’t hesitate, I just do it.

� Everyone is talking about

the environment. What is my

stance? I try to be a good

citizen and avoid toxic stuff as

much as I can. I do things that

will be kept. Ultimately, I am

more interested in what people

do to each other politically. I

work in the decadent world of

fashion – people do not need

more chairs – but do we want

to live in a society that cuts

down on choice and luxury?

� My biggest problem is time.

I am working on a lot of

projects – I’m very lucky that I

get to do architectural work

and industrial design at the

same time. I recently designed

a perfume bottle, a light

(Pizza Kobra for iGuzzini) and

the new Design Museum in

Holon, Israel, is on-site. I want

to go on doing this.

� Teaching is one of the best

rewards. I love it when the

students come up with

something brilliant. It’s not me

– I’m not doing anything – I

have no religion or doctrine

when teaching.

� I am alarmed when my

students just want to be in the

place that I am now – and also

when you see that everyone

wants to be the next Martino

Gamper, Tord Boontje and so

on. It’s alarming.

� There is no quality that

unites all these great talents –

it doesn’t work like that. Some

people are just very good.

� Finding inspiration is never

a problem for me. My problem

is editing it – deciding what

ideas to go with and what to

leave. Ideas are cheap, but you

have to try them out before you

know if they will work.

� Talking is a very important

tool when trying out ideas –

talking is as much a part of the

process as the crafting and

modelling and so on.

� As a creator, I am grateful to

the people who are interested

enough in what I do to support

my playground.

WHAT’S ONYOUR MINDTODAY? RON ARADIllustration by Andrew Pavitt

I am solvingproblems thatdon’t exist.There is nosolutionbecause thereis no problem


A V&A exhibitionUntil 13 July 2008For exhibition ticketsbook now 08456 429760

or www.vam.ac.ukA booking fee is payable on all pre-booked tickets

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