airbnb – DesignApplause

design miami 2016 highlights.

Dec 1, 2016

above> objets nomades by louis vuitton

design miami/ 2016 will continue its dedication to offering an extensive program of special events, satellite projects, collaborations and commissions to complement the gallery exhibitions this year.

returning this year and continuing to explore the relationship between fashion and design are fendi and louis vuitton. fendi brings a decidedly conceptual, mobile interpretation of a vip room, the happy room, which references the italian brand’s heritage and workmanship. louis vuitton adds to its objets nomades collection with two striking new furniture pieces. airbnb will present sobremesa, a shared space inspired by the mexican tradition of lingering around a table after a meal, working with emerging mexico city-based design studio, pedro&juana. long-time collaborator audi presents the extra hour, by lego, inspired by the audi rs 7 piloted driving concept and focusing on the new kind of freedom and control over time and for the fifth year, maison perrier-jouët returns, this time working with andrew kudless and focusing on the notion of digital craftsmanship. compac, spain-based surface manufacturer collaborates with israeli designer arik levy on an installation inspired by frozen lakes, referencing features of quartz and marble.

above> photo courtesy of the architect’s newspaper

above> the 2016 design miami/ pavilion by new york-based shop architects is flotsam & jetsam, a lattice-like pavilion made from biodegradable bamboo filament. the concept ties together two qualities, one visually obvious beach, the other, miami seen as a center for creative thinking and technological. the installation is currently the world’s largest 3d object. a collaboration with fabrication firm branch technology and oak ridge national laboratory who, also using a biodegradable bamboo medium to create the 3d rendered seating.

collaborations/

design miami/ collaborates with institutions, partners and sponsors to present newly commissioned works of design at each fair. these collaborations take the shape of immersive installations, curated exhibitions and unique objects that celebrate design innovation and express keen enthusiasm for design patronage.

above> audi presents the extra hour by lego / inspired by the audi rs 7 piloted driving concept and focusing on the new kind of freedom and control over time that has come along with it. audi has commissioned installations by international designers and architects including bjarke ingels, reed kram, clemens weisshaar and konstantin grcic, thus underlining the brand’s commitment to fostering design culture. each of audi’s installations has highlighted key elements of audi’s technological advancements and married automotive design with the most current developments in different fields of design, urban planning and architecture.

above> dean & deluca, the legendary new york gourmet market and leading international purveyor of fine food, is partnering with one of the world’s most innovative architects, ole scheeren, to create a prototype of his design for a unique food retail concept titled stage. stage presents a glowing, pristine object in polished stainless steel with the undulating topography of a bespoke, high tech display system, created for the powerful celebration of the preparation and presentation of food.

stage will be located in the main exhibition tent of the design fair and will operate throughout the duration of the fair as its main and sole food partner.

above> airbnb presents sobremesa, a lively exploration of shared space, by pedro&juana, an emerging mexico city-based design studio founded by ana paula ruiz galindo and mecky reuss. sobremesa is the mexican tradition of sharing time and space lingering around the table after a meal in casual conversation; pedro&juana recreate the experience of sobremesa in a unique environment inspired by iconic mexican courtyard spaces. walking into the installation, visitors will feel transported to a space that is authentically connected to the designers’ home city through plants, interior design and local everyday objects. the sobremesa installation will change and evolve throughout the week to represent how shared spaces—like airbnb homes—become rich in experience, spirit, and memory as more and more people live and participate in them over time. the exhibition also features a program of meals, cocktails, music, and experiences at designated times throughout the week, activated by an array of diverse hosts selected by the designers.

above> courtesy of fendi / alberto zanetti

fendi presents the happy room, an inspired interpretation of a modular vip room. with a soft and rarefied tone, distinguished by simple volumes and rounded shapes, the happy room by cristina celestino suggests harmony and delicacy. numerous iconic elements, such as the distinctive arch of palazzo della civiltà italiana in rome, or the inlay of materials; drawing on the stylistic matrix of the fendi fur atelier, which is repeated within the collection through innovative techniques and the contrasting play of various types of marbles.

happy room will be located in the main exhibition tent.

curio/

this year part of curio, a design miami’s new exhibition platform, which invites designers, curators, innovators and gallerists to present cabinets of curiosity throughout the fair. each curio reveals a total environment of objects, textures, artifacts and ideas that challenges and contextualizes familiar design narratives.

above> patricia findlay presents atelier biagetti’s no sex

no sex in miami is the current episode of atelier biagetti’s exploration of contemporary life and goes deep into the human psyche to address the all-time greatest obsession: the idea of sex. first shown during milan design week 2016 curated by maria cristina didero, this time it is the ultimate environment for psychological confrontation, the therapist’s studio. the space itself contains all the expected elements, but the deceptively familiar surroundings are not innocently functional but rather tease the viewer, thus provoking new kinds of behavior around the perception of what sexy is, and around the idea of contemporary design.

galleries/

above> photo courtesy of friedman benda / adam reich

friedman benda returns to design miami with asymmetrical symmetry, two parallel room settings featuring the work of eleven contemporary designers. contrasts, opposites and asymmetries will illustrate the rich diversity and backgrounds of designers spanning four continents and four generations, while calling attention to the breadth and depth of each individual designer’s practice.

one room, a juxtaposition of non-traditional materials in a frenzy of vibrant colors and textures, marks friedman benda’s first collaboration with american artist chris schanck.this setting will feature a monumental contemporary dining table and mirror, and a new series of armchairs in schanck’s signature alufoil technique and will preview his first solo exhibition at friedman benda in september 2017. misha kahn, fresh from a working trip to south africa, will present the first in a new series of cabinets produced in swaziland made with woven grass, trash, car parts, and sea glass. the inclusion of the campana brothers’ bi-level marquetry table along with a pair of pink pirarucu armchairs, complete the room.

the second setting is an exploration of volumes, with furniture and objects in natural materials and earthy tones. british designer faye toogood’s volumetric roly-poly dining chairs in silver nitrate bronze will preview her first solo exhibition with friedman benda, assemblage 5, opening february 23, 2017. these chairs will be paired with korean designer byung hoon choi’s minimalist sculptural dining table in light oak and stone. american design legend, wendell castle, now 84, will show the first in his exciting new block series of carved chairs ‘born’ of wood, referencing classical sculpture of the renaissance period, marcel wanders’ low embroidered leather odjurss äte murmur chairs will be juxtaposed with los angeles based artist adam silverman’s organic ceramic vessels. the setting will include lighting – the unveiling of chilean design studio gt2p’s new remolten lava table lamps made from lava excavated from chile’s villarrica volcano; a voluminous rice paper and bamboo floor lamp by the influential italian architect and designer andrea branzi, as well as british designer paul cocksedge’scapture, a hand-spun aluminum dome chandelier, which holds the glow of a warm white light, but with no visible source.

brooklyn-based calico wallpaper will unify the rooms, a second collaboration with the company’s founders. inspired by the concept of optical illusion, calico wallpaper will present a site-specific print of their aurora wallpaper with a custom pattern designed to play with the viewer’s perception and challenge one’s visual system.

above> chicago based volume gallery focuses on american design, with a strong emphasis placed on emerging contemporary designers. featured designers in miami are: tanya aguiñiga, ania jaworska, christy matson, jonathan muecke, anders ruhwald, thaddeus wolfe.

above> at galerie kreo, clémence and didier krzentowski present exclusive limited-edition pieces by ronan & erwan bouroullec, pierre charpin, naoto fukasawa, konstantin grcic, hella jongerius, jasper morrison, marc newson, maarten van severen and martin szekely, as well as work by françois bauchet, humberto & fernando campana, alessandro mendini, jerszy seymour, studio wieki somers and others.

above> curved seat by jonathan nesci in waxed aluminum plate for giovanni beltran

giovanni beltran is a miami-based design agency founded in 2015 by the gallery noguchi breton [originally guccivuitton]. as noguchi breton, we have been engaged with the cultural and material vernaculars embedded within artistic practices of south florida since 2013. giovanni beltran maintains our interest in colloquial aesthetics to include the development and promotion of furniture, design and architecture.

designers> jonathan gonzalez, jonathan nesci, lex pott, deon rubi

off site/

the following are venues around the city:

above> courtesy of louis vuitton

objets nomades is a collection of furniture that reinvents louis vuitton’s art of travel. the installation will be composed of its most emblematic creations, some of which were especially made for design miami/: the stool by atelier oi, the cocoon by the campana brothers, the bell lamp by barber & osgerby, the concertina table , chair and light shade by raw edges, the swing chair by patricia urquiola and the lounge chair by marcel wanders. louis vuitton also unveils the blossom stool, designed by tokujin yoshioka, and the fur cocoon by the campana brothers. sharing a sense of intuitiveness, desire and pleasure, the objets nomades aims to continue louis vuitton’s tradition of offering inspiring and surprising designs to clients all over the world.

the blossom stool and fur cocoon will be displayed at design miami from 30 november until 4 december and are available for purchase during the design fair. the collection will then reside through january at the boutique store / 140 ne 39th street miami

above> evergreen brasil / luminaire lab / 3901 ne 2nd ave miami

luminaire’s commitment to promoting good design continues with evergreen brasil, an exhibition of brazilian designs debuting during art basel and design miami/ week thursday 1 december and on display until 31 december in collaboration with casa vogue brasil. the exhibition features a curated selection of multidisciplinary design covering furniture, accessories and jewelry from both emerging and established designers. characterized by their welcoming attitude, special connection to nature, celebratory lifestyle, inventiveness even when materials are scarce, and tendency to experiment and improvise — brazilian design is a celebration of diversity.

above> the speed of light courtesy of london designer philippe malouin. the speed of light sets lantern-esque led light globes in the design district on a path along the paseo ponti pedestrian mall / paseo ponti & ne 40th street miami

video courtesy philippe malouin

welcome home. milan design week 2015.

Jun 5, 2015

In one of the more successful brand interventions at a Milan Design Week that was criticized for being too commercial, airbnb partnered with Fabrica to create Housewarming. 19 international designers were invited to interpret the theme of “welcome” and the results were displayed in Palazzo Crespi, a private home never before opened to the public, that was originally built to celebrate the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, along with the other buildings on Corso Venezia.

Nikita Bhate’s Samai took inspiration from the Indian ritual of lighting candles. It is a mark of honor to ask a guest in your home to light a candle, and Nikita asked all those visiting Housewarming to light one. “This is my own interpretation of the piece,” said the designer. “I wanted this object to grow with time, so as you see now as the guests come it will keep on getting better.”

The lights were made from ghee and handmade cotton wicks. “Every morning the ladies of the house prepare all of this because we do this ritual every single day,” Nikita said. “This ritual is about the victory of light over darkness – it symoblizes the victory of knowledge over ignorance, and reminds us to be more humble and be detached from material world.”

Digital designer Alex Rothera went completely analogue and transported his childhood game of ‘stickball,’ played with the handle of a broom and half a tennis ball, from the streets of Philadelphia to the Palazzo Crespi courtyard.

Australian designer Aaron Gillet was creating plant cutting in tiny cork-capped test tubes. “When you go to someone’s house or garden in Australia, and maybe in Britain too, you might take a plant cutting,” he said. “So that’s what I’m doing today. Australia is such a young country – younger than this house, so I wanted to talk about the environment that people are in, and avoid some of the stereotypes.”

He made a clipping from a native Australian monster for each visitor who could take it home and watch it grow. Mine is on my desk as I type.

Angelo Semeraro’s From Outside to Inside was a motion-sensitive set of wooden hands that welcomed visitors from the outside courtyard into the main house. “The idea is to interpret the non-verbal languages and body language and how passive it is and how you can say something without saying a word,” said the designer. “You get straight to the point and invite people to come from the outside of the house to the inside of the house.”

The Welcome Carpet, made from real rose petals by Chandni Kabra was inspired by another Indian ritual. “When we know guests are arriving we make a fresh flower carpet just outside our house door,” explained the designer. “The reason is that when someone comes from outside, their mind is occupied with a lot of thoughts. As soon as they look at something really striking and beautiful, they stop thinking for that moment, and that makes them fall into the present moment, so before they enter the house they’re a bit more grounded.” Being an interaction designer, Chandni added a moving element to the pattern to absorb visitors further.

Fabrica’s current design resident Pascal Hien created Foldhanger, coat hangers made from a single sheet of folded plywood, which can also be used as coat hooks when upside down. “I’m from Germany and what we do in Germany when you enter the house as a gesture of welcome is we say, ‘Hey, take off your jacket, put down your bags,” and we hang their coat on a coat hanger, and then the guest feels welcome.”

Another Australian, Thomas Fethers, had created typographic advice and then broken them down into jigsaws. “I’m completing the puzzles with the guests throughout the four day period to make them feel welcome. My personal favorite is ‘Get drunk on boxed wine’,” he said.

Following the idiom that the best way to see a city is to get lost in it, Coralie Gourguechon was making bespoke maps to help visitors do just that. “This is a map, but it’s not a map to find your way – it’s a map to lose your way,” she said. “I fill it with different information created at random for every guest.” By rolling dice, asking guests to name something that might interest them, and assigning letters, she creates directions that can be followed in any city.

Lisbon-based designer Mariana Fernandes collected postcards from all over Milan and screen-printed graphics that connected Milan to her home city over the top. “The graphics talk about simple facts, simple stories,” she said. “For example I’m printing the rosemary because we use a lot rosemary in cooking in Portugal and the same is true in Italy so these kind of simple facts, when overlapped, create a story.”

Marlene Wolfmair’s Jausensackerl is based on a typical picnic handkerchief and the tradition in her native Austria for a late afternoon picnic or Jause. “I was inspired by the north of Austria where I’m from,” she said. “We enjoy food together with family and friends at tea time and we eat a lot of heavy food, drink beer and sausages, so there’s also this image of the hiking person with the stick with carrying food – it’s very typical.”

British designer Daniel Rous played with the traditional tea-drinking ritual, creating an intricate hand-blown glass tea station to provide people with refreshment on their visit to Palazzo Crespi.

In Japan it’s customary for guests to bring a gift for the host, but also for the host to give the guest something in return. Japanese designer Tonomi Maezawa
made rubber stamps symbolizing a deconstructed Japanese alphabet, and taught visitors how to print her name and their own onto a cloth bag as a gift for them to take away.

“I start with these paper trays that are like welcoming symbol in Italy – we use them offer pastries,” said Giorgia Zanellato. “I personalise them from papers from Venice, the city where I am from and two mirrors to create a new object and so it becomes a welcome mirror.”

With a spot right outside the (very beautiful) toilets, Marcello Venturini was making scented soaps to signify the special soap that is reserved for guests in many homes. “I like it when people leave one soap for the guest because it’s not just to give something a present to the guest, but it’s also a nice way to say something to the guest: ‘Take your time, refresh yourself, stay a little bit in this intimate space as the bathroom is, we wait for you, no problem’,” explained the designer. “It is also an homage to the city of Milan because I choose three ingredients for the soaps that are connected with three recipes that came from Milanese traditional cuisine, rice for the risotto, yeast for the pannetone and wheat germ for the michetta – a traditional and iconic kind of bread that belongs to the Milanese tradition.”

Housewarming was one of the highlights of Milan Design Week and on a rainy, cold morning, I felt very welcome indeed.