garment graffitti...

For the past few months Thomas Voorn has been travelling the world with a bag of clothes, his so called alphabet, creating garment graffiti in the most obvious and unexpected places; from brickwalls and alleys to fields - looking for a tension between clothes, surroundings and text to create colourful temporary landscape pollution....

Continuing his garment graffiti Thomas Voorn has created a 'designers - poem - installation' for b Store London using labels sold in the shop. Lifting the Christmas spirit, Voorn has created short slogans such as 'cosmic christian ceremony' layed out in clothes by designers including Cosmic Wonder Light Source, Hans Christian Madsen and Opening Ceremony.

Following his studies in fine art in the Netherlands and in London, Voorn based himself in Rotterdam working in the Netherlands and abroad. In 2006, he created ‘The Clothing Alphabet', resulting in several projects such as ' The Fashion Hit Next Season - series ' (2007) and 'Your Name Here - series' (2008).

vaughshannon...

Vaugh¦Shannon is a new Dublin based multidisciplinary studio, who i first came across at the chq building during design week in October, they bring to the market a range of original, quirky, high quality products for the international design market...

Set up by industrial designers Trevor Vaugh and Nicholas Shannon, the company's design approach is simple - all products must be completely orginal, offer a function, be of exceptional quality, have personality, and above all must delight their user...

a room with a view....NOT

'Zero Star Hotel; - the anti-thesis of Dubai's 7 star hotel is a concept by the artist-twins frank and Patrik Riklin of St.Gallen, Switzerland...

So for a credit-crunch friendly break, check into the low budget hotel come art installation inside a nuclear bunker....a military bunk-bed will cost you 7euro, while a luxury room, complete with antique beds from condemned hotels will set you back a mere 20euro...

Hot water bottles dangle inside the hotel which has no heating, the only decoration to speak of in sight....

something for free....thats right....free

While all around us every newspaper, magazine and news report is doom and gloom and aaarrrghhh....enough already....nows a good time to invest in some art, especially when its for free.

Readymade have asked 5 artists to reinvent the populist posters from the Great Depression, which you can download for free....again....free, free, free, free.....FREE

Follow this link...http://readymade.com/article/poster_children/P2/

cheese please...

O'Donnell & Tuomey have to be one of Irelands most high profile architecture studios, and one of they're latest pieces of architecture in Dublins East Wall, known locally as the 'Swiss Cheese' is the Sean O'Casey Community Centre.

Its certainly a big piece of architecture thats not afraid to be seen...

the alchemists...

Luxury design company Based Upon started by 32 year old twins Ian and Richard Abell in 2004, was started after they discovered a liquefied metal called Aloxolotl. This can be sprayed onto any surface and create different aesthetic effects, even speeding up the process of rusting for certain materials.

The “Alchemists” soon found with Aloxolotl and other materials like semi-precious resins and coloured lacquers, often experimented with layered textures for their designs. The look is organic patterns that resemble chasms in rock, or water ripples on wall spaces with the titan feel of metal.

They have built up an impressive client portfolio, producing installations for Donna Karen stores in the states and property developer Candy & Candy.

light emitting wallpapers...

The light emitting wallpaper is exactly what it says on the tin...

The cool thing about it too is that when it’s not turned on, it seems to be just a normal wallpaper...

Jonas Samson, an innovative interior designer from the Netherlands, has designed this new wallpaper that also serves as a light source.

50 years of style...

this year the egg chair celebrates its 50th birthday, and i have to say she looks as great today as she did 50 years ago...

I had the opportunity to visit the Fritz Hansen factory and museum last year in Copenhagan and what a set up. We had a confidential sneek preview at a few of the limited edition chairs and it was amazing to see them being hand made by such highly skilled craftsmen. 

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while now and I dunno why it crept into my head today, maybe it was this picture I happened to find...

Fritz Hansen celebrated the 50th Anniversary with 999 limited edition designs of the egg chair. The limited edition collection included chocolate brown suede on the back and chocolate brown leather on the front. The base is in solid bronze and hand polished to create a unique finish to the chair. The bronze base will darken in appearance over time. Each of the 999 Eggs were individually engraved, under the seat cushion, with a unique number and a brief text about chairs history. And i got the chance to sit in one during my visit...

doom and gloom and the end of the design boom

"Ah it's strange times isn't it -hows the job hunting going?" is the conversation starter I'm getting these days from alot of my friends. And to be fair doom and gloom seems to all there is all these days. Just turned off the news there as I'm sick of listening to it, job losses at an all time high since 1996...

It's hard to keep the chin up and hard to keep positive and hard to keep the chin up, although I read a great discussion starter by my friends at daedal review today. Lorraine got to thinking about inspirational design in these times to lift the spirits,although she quickly reverted to say she couldnt ignore the current climate and whats happening around her.

Like her, my friends are on reduced hours, over-time hours cut, expenses at a minimum, christmas parties cancelled, even returning from time off to find staff laid off. Its been a constant furry of texts and emails for me from friends telling me who's been let go over this past few weeks, I don't know too many in my design fraternity who havent been affected in one way or another.

How quickly indeed it has all changed. Like my friends at daedal review I too am wondering where you will go for work? Dubai is in a steady stream of construction at the moment, anywhere in the Middle East seems like a goer to be fair. Australia was the place to be for a long time, but I've learnt from a friend out there looking for work that there's nothing in Sydney or Melbourne and that Brisbane is looking like a possibilty but not a definite.

Crazy world, changing times... What do you think?

urban gnomes...

i saw these in a magazine about a month ago and i love them...finally tracked them down...hope you think they are as cool as i do...

made from bone china these little dudes are about 20.5cm tall...the ultimate alternative to the traditional garden gnome, then again if your kitch and you like garden gnomes you likely wont like these...they are handmade and designed by the guys at Vitamin...and if you simply like cool graphics and funky shapes they'l look great in any part of your garden or home

burdifelik....

I am completely blown away by the new menswear department in the lower ground floor of brown thomas on grafton street..high street fashion meets high design....

its almost like a nightclub with the cool sleek lines and sharp colours and its undulating curves that seem to flow seemlessly throughout slinky corridors leading into different rooms for suits, highend streetwear and shoes...the fitting rooms are so cool

zaha hadidesque in style almost....

designed by a candadian team diego burdi and paul felik, however as much as i've tried to find anything on them i've come across countless articles and awards listings i've been unable to find their company website or contact details...so if anyone has any info on BurdiFilek Interior Designers please feel free to comment....

accessible design...

i attended a seminar on tuesday night past hosted by the interiors assocaition which focused on parts M and K of the building regs.

its good to keep abreast of these things and current legislations but what i thought was going to be a very dull and boring 2 hours was actually very interesting and i came away with a whole new train of thought on accessible design.

a few thoughts that stuck with me form the seminar are

• its not the building that is disabling its the environment thats disabling
• its not the building that has to be accessible, its the service that has to be accessible

there is however a bit of a conflict there between compliance nad best practice, however i got to thinking there arent enough of us designing for disabled users and creating a wow factor in that design, then again are the products out there for us as designers to create that wow factor...

while we as designers are constantly seeking solutions, design is constantly evolving, as is accessible design. i for one would like to see a big push in this area and feel that the wow factor is certainly accesible in this area of design...

everybody's at it...

a pet peeve of mine and more to come from me on this regarding celebs and their association with just about everything from perfumes and clothing to interiors...i mean what in all seriousness is it all about...i can understand celebrity endorsements and why not...if someone wanted to pay me to wear their jeans i think i'd be doing it...

but celebs and their interior or home furnishing ranges really annoys me but i saw something today that took the sting out of it....

The Perspective Chair is designed by Pharrell Williams in collaboration with furniture designer Domeau & Pérès. The Perspective chair will be shown in Paris at the prestigious Emmanuel Perrotin Galerie from October 21st 2008 until January 10th 2009. The chair isavailable in four colors and only 4 units of each will be sold. 

This is a piece of furniture is a limited edition, and if they’ll sell only 4 pieces just try to imagine the price. 

The inspiration behind the design of the Perspective Chair was the relationship between a man and a woman, and here is what Pharrell has to say about this : “I had often wondered what it’s like to truly be in love, not lust for once.. So I decided not to ask what it was like in someone else’s shoes or what it was like to sit in their seat.. 

I can almost imagine what is happening from the knees up - how rude!

I actually do like Pharells chair - I just got to wondering what inspired Kylies home range for Dunnes Stores....

nice guns...

with the release of quantam of solace i got to thinking about the ultimate lad pad and absolute must haves...with this bedside lamp she can say 'nice guns' and mean it....

Bedside Gun Lamp by Philippe Starck (www.icone.co.uk)

colour me richy...

Colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra.

bleugh.....thats the science part over...

i saw a fantastic article recently in an irish indepenent property plus supplement featuring a colleague of mine, danielle mac innes of fuse interiors. (www.fuseinteriors.ie). 

provided with a quote from oscar wilde and colour analogies from colour psychologist angela wright, danielle's insights into her use of colour highlighted how crucial it is to think about colour when designing your home, or indeed any space...

it brought me back to some careful studying and thinking i did when completing my graduate project at university, and how important i thought of colour and its uses in the spaces i was designing...if you havent read it, i highly recommend this reading;

itten, the elements of colour; published by chapman and hall...

as much as oscar wilde realised that mere colour can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways, itten also understood that the philosophys applied mean that we as designers must also understand and be conscious of its interests and requirements....

ittens writings provided me with the competence to qualify me with colour control for the rest of my life, i learned alot about colour mixture, on ways hues can be arranged to create harmonious order, (i've never forgotten that statement ), how colours and form relate to each other and create spatial effects.

i've always thought back to this man and his writings anytime i've had to think about colour, and the advice and conclusions i was lead to study have saved me from making clumsy mistakes where colour is concerned...

the business head on me...

i haven't really got one...

i've been a designer for 6 years, within my course at uni we had to study professinal practice but thats exactly what it was all about...professional practice and how to deal with professional aspects of being a designer, nothing to enlighten me as to how to set up a business, run a business, maintain a business...

and i guess in recent weeks alot of advice coming my way has been to set up my own thing and do my own thing, but where do i start and how do i start...

i was at workshop a few weeks ago where a colleague in the design industry said that he had been described as 'a business man first and a designer second'... is that my problem, i'm a designer first....it's all i know and its just the way i am

it lead to a very interesting discussion amongst a few of us trying to decide what comes first - design or profit? can you give 50% to each or will one always lead the other...? 

get involved...

science has delivered exactly what the design community needs...

the science gallery on pearse street is billed as a world first...a new type of venue where todays white-hot scientific issues are thrashed out and you can have your say...a place where ideas meet and opinions collide...

could you imagine if the design industry had a physical space where we could do this, rather than our online bloggs and forums....

the exhibitions change on a regular basis and the opening hours change with each exhibition...

they're all about opening science up to passionate debate and want your opinions and likewise am i about me and design...i want your opinions, how do you want design to develop? what direction should it go in?

it is a very cool space - a wedge between trinity grounds and pearse street, and its been utilised well...ghost chairs and escher-esque floor graphics create a very minimal space punctuated with loud graphics and bold phunky furnishings....

'the' plan expo...

irelands showcase for the built envoronment...for 26 years now plan expo, supported by the RIAI and CIF, has been a hghlight of the irish construction calendar...

as trade shows go, plan expo must be one of the most important in the calendar. the industry showed a strong front in these times and exhibitors came together to showcase whats new, highlight progree nad plan for the future...

an interesting feature this year was the art in architecture exhibit, showcasing succesful irish projects where architects and artists collaborated to create spaces that celebrate the visual arts, incorporating artwork as part of the design process within buildings and external spaces...

stroller, saunterer, drifter...part deux

the flaneur...ok so the term flaneur comes form the french verb flaneur, which means 'to stroll'...

a flaneur is thus a person who walks the city in order to experience it...aka redundant richy in these past few weeks...becasue of the terms usage and theorisation by numerous thinkers in economic, cultural, literary and historical contexts, the idea of the flaneur has accumulated significant meaning as a reverant for understanding urban phenomena and modernity - charachterised as a ''gentleman stroller of city streets''...

so folks take to your streets and wander...i had a very interesting conversation with a colleague of mine who recently spent time in beijing, having talked of his experiences of the city and the people and how much he enjoyed both, he got to talking about how he got a real sense of both from walking off te beaten track - the side streets and back streets in the small hours of the morning, this is where he seemed to really get a sense of the city and the people who lived there...

revolutionise your weekend plans and abandon all plans, take to your city streets and simply wander, view your surroundings in a completely different context... as Tyler Brule, the founder of wallpaper* puts it - it forces you to consider what elements are necessary to weave a strong, diverse urban fabric...

so in order to become a real city resident i have to agree with his comments - you've got to let the city push, pull, divert and distract you until you're either worn down from over-stimulation or you reach the point where you decide that you and your city are never going to get along...

so in recent weeks i've found the best way to make a real connection or disconnection is to walk it...and thats what i've had the chance to do it dublin all over again, i don't think i've done this since i first moved here and i chose to walk the city streets to get to know it...and leaving behind the daily grind of commute and office work, i've had this chance to fall in love with dublin all over again...yeah redundancy...(although the finances are yearning for that grind again...)

tiger mash...

i think 2 of the highlights from my weekend in edinburgh had to be our dinner on saturday night in a nifty retro spot called monstermash and then finding the cure on sunday on george streets tigerlily...

tigerlily has to be the newest boutique hotel in edinburgh, it has bene rated one of the coolest 65 hotels in the world.  (www.tigerlily.co.uk) the independent calls it 'the showgirl among edinburgh hotel bars' and they've hit the nail on the head...

its a hip destination bar with its chic booths, revolving glitter balls and beaded curtains. i found tigerlily simply to be a blend of trendy elegance and shimmering opulence perfectly befitting george streets magnificent history - incredibly glitzy and oozing style...

monstermash, close to potterrow was the complete opposite - a retro cafe giving great food with a nostalgic twist. (www.monstermashcafe.co.uk)... i found the concept here fantastic - we sat at formica covered tables on old style kitchen chairs, complete with the ubiquitous red plastic ketchup 'tomatoes' and brown sauce bottles...

the 1950's retro design for a restaurant is an original idea, there were beano comics in the magzine racks, the atmosphere was brilliant and need i mention the speciality is bangers and mash...

i also had time to stroll around the bruntsfield/morningside area, which was where i lived mostly while i was studying in edinburgh...it was amazing to see the small deli's and grubby student cafe bars had given way to chic boutiques and glitzy specialist jewellery shops...

tartan trends...

following my weekend trip to auld reekie, i've noticed on all the magazine stands and in stores that tartan is featuring highly in this seasons trends...

tartan is going from traditional and country to sexy and cool, be it loud and bright or softly toned and muted, tartan is back looking better than ever...

speaking of clocks...

following my insightful wee post about clocks last week, i came to think of one of my favourite bars in Belfast...Irene and Nans and this fabulous display of retro clocks they have behind the bar... i like it...

ach aye the noo...

well folks - its been a while, and i can't wait to go back - i'm off to Edinburgh this weekend to catch up with some friends from Uni and revisit some regular haunts and find a few new haunts...

watch this space for some reviews and insights from anything new and exciting that I come across...

insitu...inreda...

well folks...all my voyeuristic touring last week led me to this amazing little find in a shop on Camden St called Inreda (www.inreda.ie)

this chair is simply amazing and comes with a simply amazing price tag...1300 E

its a salvage chair, which has been burnt, finished black and reupholstered with a black leather seat and back pad...very classic and contemporary...i like it alot

3 sides and 2 levels...

folks...i stumbled across an amazing little find yesterday

i am involved in the interior scheme for a new-build country house in Co. Cavan, so on a day trip to the site i was taken by my client to see this little place she had heard/read about....and what a find

along a country road just 10minutes outside off Kells, Co. Meath we turned into a tree-lined driveway to arrived at a beautiful little county farm courtyard. (www.thecourtyardkells.com). featured over 2 levels and across 3 sides of this courtyard was a unique selection of pictures, clocks, pottery, bedlinens, curtains, furniture and much much more. whether you are looking for contemporary or unique furniture and accessories, i feel your sure to find that 'unique' something for your home.

ideal home show...

whats you ideal home..???

well your were bound to find plenty of ideas and inspirations at the weekend if you visited the RDS in Dublin and the Ideal Home Show.

every year over the October bank holiday the Ideal Home Show takes to the RDS. Ever since the first exhibition in 1908, the Ideal Home Show has continued to amaze and delight visitors from all over the world, and today it is officially Ireland’s biggest, best attended and most successful exhibition for homeowners.

the 2008 Ideal Home Eco Show House lead the way in green and eco-friendly interiors. Natural wall coverings in sisal and bamboo, bamboo flooring, minimalist furnishings and carpets made from recycled grass and organic cottons were prominent show features. What i found really exciting about the Eco House was that every room had a display highlighting each product / finish and their supplier so if you saw something you liked it was so easy to go find out more about it.

the Eco House was designed by Sinead Kelly, one of Irelands leading interior designers who is well known for her classic yet contemporary style. (www.sineadkellyinteriors.com). Sinead focused on a sustainable design that seeks a balance between practical needs and harmony with the environment. The interior style was natural and tranquil and will married with the eco-friendly features cleverly incorporated into the design of the house.

another exciting feature of this years show was the Interior design Awards. This year’s Interior Design went to Chao Chen, an interior architect who created a design for a 100sq.m. apartment using the concept of a hermit crab – making the apartment a mobile structure that could be moved and where the internal space can be easily transformed.

He cleverly incorporated the use of the 'Living Shell' formula which introduces a ‘second skin’ concept to solve the problem of the formulaic internal layout which is limited in terms of an individual’s demands. The 'Living Shell' functions to repackage the existing space.

Chao Chen's design was there to be viewed at the Design Gallery feature in the main hall. This area also featured a number of other interior designers showcasing their own work and answering any design-related queries for visitors.

3 foot thick....

wow - they surely don't make them like they used too do they...

Sunday past found me in Armagh for the day, I had been asked to call and present some ideas for a small extension....now the house in question is at least 150 years old, some small changes have been made over the past year and now its time for me to step in and add the finishing touches....and provide my input regarding a small extension...

boy was i surprised to listen to some of the clients ideas and views - clearly somebody spends Wednesday evenings watching Grand Designs....

the walls in this house are seriously about 3 foot thick - small windows but deep windows...very exciting and interesting...although i don't think there's a square line in the house

so my research has led me to look into some small build and extension companies, and look back at smaller architectural practices that have been involved with small extensions....

dont forget to turn the clocks back....

well the gd folk at dwell decided to keep me up to date with the end of summer time with a few clocks to make the most of that extra hour...

so i decided i'd do the same and show you 5 nifty clocks that i've sussed out....

this first clock being from dwell....extra large floral wall clock (www.dwell.co.uk)

this very different wall gear clock from e-potporri (www.e-potpourri.com)

this tres chic and cool grandfather sticker wallclock from ochigo (www.ochigo.co.uk)

a ghost like neon version from polyvore (www.polyvore.com)

and finally...a bit of a combination things i have an esteem for in design...there is this Bai Design Cubist Retro Modern Wall Clock from (www.kaboodle.com)

enjoy that extra hour folks...

design blogg....

well folks i set this up about a week ago in the wake of my redundancy to be insightful and intrepid and all those things about design....

so tomorrow it starts....with the hours ggoing back an hour it gives me an extra hour to get creative and find something exciting to post for my first design blogg....

i'm excited....watch this space

stroller, saunterer, drifter...

hi folks....its Thursday, and truth be told I've managed to have a very busy week.

its a tiring daily battle knocking on doors, asking for work, sending the CV out there, getting knock backs, getting told my CV will be held on file for 6 months ya-de-ya-de-ya...

still none-the-less...i've actually enjoyed having my head out of a desk and walking about Dublin and realising that there's actually a whole entire world out there....

i remember the first time i went to NYC, and being in central park and in total bemusement and awe at the amount of people continuously jogging and running and the likes, and wondering to myself 'don't these people have jobs and a life'...and now I'm sitting in St Stephen's Green in the nice October sunshine we've been having wondering exactly the same about the people of Dublin.

got me back to thinking about all the things i learnt in Uni about the 'fláneur' and the 'voyeur' and I'm starting to think past the exterior of the facades of our streets and urban landscapes and actually observing the city - and so all these theories and contexts are flooding back to me so I'm going to take a day to re-aquaint myself with these contexts and my thoughts and see what i can come up with....Ed Hollis, thanks for the insights....

think big...?

best wee bit of advice i've gained after the past few days folks came from a Smurf...(don't ask)!

"if you think small, big things happen"

on the scratcher...

Morning folks....

Well, this is Tuesday and this is signing on day for me.

Had a lovely drive on Sunday with my girlfriend, we drove through Rathfarnham up into the Dublin/Wicklow mountains, visited Glencree Barracks and taking in the views of the glens and hills that fall through the drive from Dublin to Powerscourt.

The diesel indicator came on halfway through the drive so I did get a bot worried what with it being a recession, and me being redundant if I'd ever find a fuel pump in time before I'd need to be trying to reach the AA with no coverage on my mobile...so we promptly found ourselves back on the M50 from Bray into Dublin.

Lovely drive though....all those earthy tones and colours in the heathers and the bogs and the fews forest. Amazing.

Monday came, and with Monday came the reality of being jobless and having to get out there and keep the head up. So I trailed Grafton St, Dawson St, Nassau St, Baggot St and Merrion Sq - knocking doors of Recruitment Agencies.

Excellent results - 6 years experience as a designer - producing designs for 4 star hotel groups and major corporate identities with the places I've worked for and best I can now get is packing CD's in boxes in Swords. Well sure there's reassurance if ever i needed it.

Anyway, trying to keep the head above water and remain pro-active. Today I'm off to sign on the dole, the scratcher, the social...whatever you want to call it. That is what some of my taxes have been going towards these past 6 years is it not.

As some of you may know, I'm actively involved as a committee member with the Interiors Association (www.theinteriorsassociation.ie), tonight I'm off to a Better Business Workshop which the IA is hosting in the Morrison Hotel on the quays. I have plenty of questions.
How do you start your own business? What do you need? Who do you need to speak to? Everything I need to know about making it on my own, I hope to find out at least how to make a start tonight.

OK - Jeremy Kyle is negotiating a domestic here in the background, so I'm going to get me bits and pieces together, get on my bike and hit the social....

Pics from Sunday's drive to follow....

proactive

Its great how suddenly I'm in this happening city where I've lived and worked for 3 years, yet it's taken a knock like this to give me a chance to actually appreciate and enjoy just exactly where it is I live.

Nothing like walking down Grafton St, when the shops are closed, your not bumping and knocking into people, or taking in the sights and sounds of Templebar and the smells of the Farmers Market.

I haven't taken the time to do these things for so long....I got to notice 'Maser' has been busy at the St Stephens Green end of Harcourt St on some hoardings.

So while tomorrow heralds a new day of knocking on all doors, putting the CV out there and adapting my experince to potential new roles, today I'm off for some fresh air and a drive and a hike with my girlfriend up into the Dublin/Wicklow mountains.

Pictures coming with my next blogg update....

Saturday...

So...Fridays nearly over, its almost Saturday and I have had two days of being redundant...but Mother of Mick, how proactive can a body be?!?!
So my CV's are out there, I'm negotiating shifts in career, side steps if you will, prolonged steps, a 2step....anything but a back step.... but in these times i gotta take what i can get...true?
No, no - nope not me! That sounds like the glass is half empty and anyone who knows me, knows that isnt me! So, what doesnt kill me only makes me stronger, the glass is half full and whats for me won't pass me by. So what's your favourite cliche? Get over it already!
Things like this happen as a sign of the times, their not personal, their not reflective of me or my abilities - they're just the way it is for now and I'm not the only one in this position.

watch this space...

Good morning folks...welcome to my blog!
Well in these economic shifts of uncertainty the world as we know is changing daily - a sign of the times has occured that has given me the opportunity to be able to start blogging....watch this space.