The right and wrong way to use materials.

Often people's use of materials is similar to putting a picture on the wall...  its additive.  They begin with an average house and insert alternate finishes in order to "upgrade" the house.  Wood and other materials find their way into cabinets, trim, casings, and railings.  It's similar to "tricking out" your Honda by putting a lot of bells and whistles on it.  In the end, it's still a just a Honda. 

Visually this room looks very cluttered.  Wood is used sporadically in the trim, columns, and window casings, and not in one or two stronger elements so it appears weak and lacking punch.

What I really enjoy are the white light switches by the pictures next the kitchen and by the door.  Both pictures and switches are stuck on the wall, but we're meant to ignore the switches and focus on the pictures.

Though the wood in this photo begins to work itself into the structure of the house, it stops abruptly and ends up having an uncomfortable relationship with the rest of its surroundings.  One subconsciously asks the question "is this house held up by wood beams everywhere, or just in this location?  Why do the beams stop there?"  They would have been better off leaving them out in this instance. 

The bed and nightstand are nicely crafted pieces of furniture; beefy and massive.  The wood casing and base trim are meant to relate, but aren't strong enough to create the right setting for the furniture so the overall space is an uncomfortable relationship between the two. 

 -Christian Liaigre-

In this sitting nook Christian Liaigre integrates shelving into the space by means of a black high "base".  By connecting it with black doors, it is further integrated.  Walls are left clean and the black and white act as framework for the wood.   

Mmmmm...  so sexy... 

Throughout the house, concrete is added for its materiality and additional structural support.  The effect is a combination of materials whose relationship is not only strong in its tonal quality, but its architectural language as well.  Though the materials are old and worn, the spaces created are new, clean and modern.

Note that there are almost no visible light fixtures or switches which can clutter up a wall and detract from its visual mass. 

Though the wood in this bath room is not as old as the rest of the house, its use is similar so it maintains the same flavor.  -You don't need a ton of old materials to create wonderful space, just an eye for how to use them.

No one lives there. Seriously. It looks like no one is living there...

So I was visiting folks up north in Bemidji, and after going to lunch with my good friend Ben Caron he decided to show me a "good time" by taking me to a sporting goods store.  Now, I like guns and fishing poles just as much as the next guy, but the Carons might be just a bit obsessive about killing animals.  It's like; they walk into the woods with a sharp stick, and all of a sudden the forest gets quiet.

Living up north and not knowing a lot about us city folk, Ben wanted to know what it is I get excited about on a daily basis.  Well, I actually WOULD love to get out there and hunt some elk, Last of the Mohican's style, but when I'm at home at my desk what often occupies my mind is design.  I spend hours looking for new websites, products and architecture, and coming across great design is like a little present wrapped up just for me.  So as a way of reaching out to all the hunter/gatherers, and the rest of you occupied in other pursuits, I've decided to write a bit about modern design.  This is not going to be an in-depth study of the modern style and its place in our lives, but rather some short, albeit random thoughts on pretty much anything I’m interested in… Also, the last blog I started lasted one entry, so I wouldn't expect much with this one so... Let’s see what happens.

Your kitchen might look something like this.  (But hopefully not)














A kitchen designed by John Pawson.
Mmmmm...  clean....  This feels, right.














Most times when people see a room like the one above I hear comments like: “people don’t actually live there, right?” Or “I don't own artwork...  so why would I want to live in a gallery?"  Fair enough. But let’s just take a second to understand what those crazy modern designers are thinking when they create places seemingly void of all life.

Architecture is about space. In each of the five models seen here, space is defined to varying degrees. The model on the left is a plane that defines the space (rather loosely) above it. The second model from the left does a better job of defining space with a corner added. The model in the center is capturing space even further, and the last model does the best job clearly defining the space inside.

 

A room is most often defined by four walls, a ceiling and a floor. Doors typically connect rooms, but when privacy is not necessary, the separation of spaces can occur any number of ways.

This rendering shows the separation with merely an opening, which, because you can see the end of the dividing wall, is more expressive as an architectural element. By detaching the wall from the ceiling the wall becomes even more expressive while still maintaining the separation.

A credenza can also be used to separate space, but by itself is floating and is not "talking" to its surroundings.

If however, you connect the credenza to a change in floor height, and even further with a change in the wall and ceiling, now the credenza is more than a piece of furniture, but part of the architecture of the space. 

This type of clean modern architecture is about a celebration of forms and voids. Walls, ceilings, floors, and furnishings are often a neutral tone to express their shape and form and their relationship to each other.

In this bedroom both the closet to the left and the bed itself contribute to the overall architectural expression in both color and form.

In this image, the sink becomes a reflection of the soffit above it, and the square openings in the sink and tub echo the void cut out of the ceiling.  The fixtures not only relate to the rooms design, but strengthen the architecture of the space. 

In this bathroom, the solid shapes of the vanity and bathtub mimic the architectural forms surrounding them, but they also help to define the negative space in the room.  There are three voids in this room that are as strong as the shapes that define them. The main walking space is the biggest, followed by the space above the vanity and the space above the bathtub. 

So the next time you're in a completely blank space that someone is calling their "living room"... .  -though you might not know where to sit down, you'll know there's thought put into that. 

Alright.  There's a little bit of architecture talk for you.  This is a blog about design, so because I've been into watches lately, here are a few of my latest finds that follow more of the minimalist tradition.  Mind you:  actually telling time is not always a priority for these people.  Thanks for tuning in...

This is a conceptual alarm clock that allows you to program multiple alarms and wakes you without any sound. Each person wears a wireless rubber ring with an integrated vibration device that generates a tactile alarm. The snooze function is engaged by shaking your hand.