urban taster

Dolf Robertus suggests that we start living in billboards, and advertise the products, of which the billboards we are living in. I ask when? via Eikongraphia

TAF decided the easiest way to upholster furniture is to wrap pieces of soft sponges with fabric. the result? An interesting series of furniture that reminds you of parcels but is comfortable and delightful! See more here.

This is my dream kitchen, complete with tiny colour clashing bricks and that oh so cute Lego Man head cookie jar in the background! via Coolhunter

How inspirational is this! When I was doing my design degree (abroad), Art and Design in Singapore was a “No, no, don’t do that!” Now, the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University (wait…there is NOW a school of Design?) has the most amazing roof, let alone building….you lucky lucky LUCKY students…

Too good to eat. Lagrange34 by jjuice.

Think skyscrapers are a recent invention? Think again! These beautiful and surreal looking skycrapers, in Yemen, are constructed out of mud and have been in existence since 2nd Century AD. Take that Burj Dubai! via environmental graffiti.

Tjep, one of the all round design outfits on my “keep this on watch” list just revealed their latest outing, trying to solve the problem of overfarming and introducing multi-landuse. The result is a beautiful video of how this vision would be fufilled. And the best part? In keeping with Dutch tradition, everything is run by a windmill! Watch it at Oogst 1000.

Having recently been to Sentosa, and seeing the monstrosity of a pile of rubble that Genting is putting up and calling an Integrated Resort, I cannot help but wax lyrical about the architectural masterpiece that the Singapore government passed over.

Why.. why… why…

Instead we got this piece of old fashoned crap… ewe…

Beautiful smooth and slightly sexual. How very Zaha Hadid! Read more about it at Triflow Concepts.

Esther Stocker is a prolific Italian-born artist with an amazing gift for spatial disruption with simple graphic elements. A real treat for any graphic designer!

What a beautiful bay window. More via Platform 5

My favourite architect, Shigeru Ban,and product designer, Marc Newson, were commisioned to design two freestanding structures for the London Design Week, with the brief of “pushing the boundaries of what materials can do”. The results are interesting, and reflective of each designer’s aesthetics and design language, but I just wish they could get these two opposing views to collaborate on one single piece. It would have been nice to see the contrast of Marc’s curves and Shigeru Ban’s clean lines intertwined and blended. via Moco Loco.

Natural and beautiful steps in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, Iceland. Image by Michiel van Raaij.

What a beautiful way to do type/signage. Must remember this for my next project! via Skanno & Ministry of Type.

I kept looking and looking, wondering if someone at Dezeen labeled this project wrongly as being done in Singapore, but I guess once in a while we do get brilliance in architecture and this is one perfect case of it. Head over to see more images as well as a rather detailed process description.

100 tonnes of PET bottles pressed into a temple of doom! How better to convey the seriousness of the plastic addiction that we all suffer from. via Inhabit.

An interesting photo collection of houses being returned to nature. An interesting take on greening your environment perhaps? via Sweet Juniper!

I am officially sick of smooth liquid buildings. (Yes I am talking to you Ms Hadid). Give me the strong concrete beams and sharp angles! Give me rough stones in weird places!

See more pix at archinet

If there ever was a maestro with raw cement and clean uncomplicated lines defining grand awe inspiring spaces, it is Tadao Ando. Below is my favourite “church of light”. See more here.

My favourite architect, Le Corbusier has an exhibition at the Barbican Gallery, taking place in London. Anyone has any spare tickets to London just lying around? Pretty please?

A beautiful day by day look at the changing/disappearing shop fronts of the independent stores of London.

See more here.

See more here and here.

Marcel Wanders has done it again! A wander-ful hotel!

See more here!

Who would have thought that the holiest places on earth for Muslims is in need for a redesign? As a brand I guess religions need to constantly update themselves to stay relevant and be in tune to the needs of its disciples. Redesign the Vatican anyone?

Read article here.

I do not like fishing. Nor do I like sloshing around the wet markets pushing and shoving, and somehow shrink-wrapped fish just does not look as appealing. So I will buy my fish here, in Turkey. Built in a busy part of Istanbul by Global Architectural Development (GAD), its really opens the space in the square and is still sensitive to its surrounding.

Read the rest of this entry »