A new DAWN, a new DAY......Issue 4.0

And here we are......some of you decided to continue the journey, others didn't. No loss....
see, I/we (Vanessa, Steven, Leonardo and Hana) still put in the same effort.....rushing with the same passion, the same conviction that   d e s i g n  - in all its forms, is a meaningful part of the equation of life, of living.

In algebra every equation is a balanced formula - the conditions expressed on the left side of the equal sign are  e q u a l  to, the conditions as contained on the right side of that same sign.  Speaking on behalf of my colleagues, contemporaries - all who speak at least 3 languages - design is yet, another language. It is a lingua of emotion touched/tapped - it is a language of movement, wherein a sculpture, a painting - a park, place, building, moves us to feel....to feel a connection, and when really successful to feel an understanding of what is not stated in words, per se, but is stated in the visual language of balance, symmetry, colour, form and/or function. 

DesignReview•International has evolved - it has come from a humble, hesitant voice to what it is today - proud of its achievement, gratified by the comments and criticisms that relate to its content - it has - a voice! You all - yes, you, the readers - it warms my heart to know that what we have managed to bring to life, has brought a light of sorts into your, lives. 
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We will continue on this mission - to seek, to find - to put in front of you, treasures, prizes, surprises that will hopefully expand your universe of design of design sensibility/sensitivity • talk back to us please - let us know what, why - things work for you. We will attempt to search, to find, aspects and elements that are meaningful to your lives.

Grazie, all. . . . . . 

What,       is       art?

That question has haunted the human race since time immemorial....
this question is an emotional one
it is a legal one
​it is a transactional one

Thomas Merton in No Man Is An Island:
                                 Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.

Jennifer Seeley, knows,    art.  Her art, is a little different - 'What is art?' is a question that resonates, 
I believe, in all of us. If a poem moves you, if a lyric pinches at your emotions - if a song or piece of music 
causes ripples in your heart, rapture in your soul, is that, art?  Artists, galeries, museums, curators, social media, all claim to know the answer. Maybe they do.....maybe they do. Para mi, it is whatever touches you.....the songbooks of Francis Cabrel, Rod Stewart's delivery in 'An American Songbook', Manitas de Platas' or Stephane Grapelli - or Django Reinhardt • I am moved, I am both a victim and a winner in any/all of this.  

Jennifer Seeley delivers a very special/specific art form - IMHO, she takes the 'taken for granted' subject of the animal kingdom and infuses them with actual personality.....almost as if the giraffe took a 'selfie'- or BEAR, popped into the frame with its unasked question.

So - here is Jennifer Seeley

And here is where you can discover more about her, her passions, her principles.http://www.jennseeleyart.com/index.html

Jennifer Seeley is a painter exploring ideas of expression and color through animal portraiture. She was born and raised in SLC Utah and received her BFA in Drawing and Painting and Art Education through Utah State University. 

Jennifer has a deep appreciation for living things and her work is a celebration of this. She uses a combination of quick loose brushstrokes and slow refined strokes with bright and arbitrary color schemes to create a lively feel to her work. She often mixes the paint right on the canvas. Each painting has a unique expression and takes on a personality of its own. 
​She gains inspiration and rejuvenation through the outdoors and enjoys traveling across the US selling her work.

You have questions? I have, answers. . . . 56 years ago, in 1963 the Apollo 3500 GT SPIDER, was born.
This was a hybrid, the combined efforts of Italian craftsmen, American engineers - to produce this svelte, sexy, automobile.

From the web-site that is managing this auction, 'When Britain met America with the Shelby Cobra, it was an instant success. Another cross-Atlantic pairing that isn't as well-known is the Apollo 3500 GT, and American-Italian hybrid powered by an all-aluminum Buick V8. The brainchild of engineer Milt Brown, the Apollo used a Brown-designed chassis, the aforementioned V8, and handmade bodywork by Carrozzeria Intermeccanica of Torino, Italy. The Apollo used a ladder chassis with a multi-link rear suspension and upper and lower A-arms at the front — one-upping Ferrari, who were still using rear live axles and leaf springs. Despite the solid performance, company was plagued by strong demand and poor finances, and only 86 were made. Only five Spiders still exist, and the 3500 GT Spider pictured here is the first one built and has been owned by George Finley, head of sales for Apollo, since new. The car is absolutely mint and is one of the most unique cars to come from America, when a dream and some know-how went a long way.

To learn more go here:

This is a discovery of the works of Giacometti, who was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and work on his art.

Giacometti was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced by artistic styles such as Cubism and Surrealism. Philosophical questions about the human condition, as well as existential and phenomenological debates played a significant role in his work. Around 1935 he gave up on his Surrealistic influences in order to pursue a more deepened analysis of figurative compositions. Giacometti wrote texts for periodicals and exhibition catalogues and recorded his thoughts and memories in notebooks and diaries. His self-critical nature led to great doubts about his work and his ability to do justice to his own artistic ideas but acted as a great motivating force.

Between 1938 and 1944 Giacometti's sculptures had a maximum height of seven centimeters (2.75 inches). Their small size reflected the actual distance between the artist's position and his model. In this context he self-critically stated: "But wanting to create from memory what I had seen, to my terror the sculptures became smaller and smaller". After the war, Giacometti created his most famous sculptures: his extremely tall and slender figurines. These sculptures were subject to his individual viewing experience—between an imaginary yet real, a tangible yet inaccessible space.

In Giacometti's whole body of work, his painting constitutes only a small part. After 1957, however, his figurative paintings were equally as present as his sculptures. His almost monochromatic paintings of his late work do not refer to any other artistic styles of modernity.

The Giacometti Institute + Museum, designed by Pacal Grasso Architects, is described as:
The Giacometti Institute was created on the initiative of the Giacometti Foundation, which owns the biggest collection of Alberto Giacometti’s works. The Institute is the reference place for Giacometti's work and an art history center, which includes exhibitions, research and pedagogy.

With a surface area of 350 m2, the Giacometti Institute is located at 5 Rue Victor Schœlcher in the 14th arrondissement, the Montparnasse neighbourhood where Giacometti lived and worked throughout his career.
It is housed within the former studio of artist and interior designer Paul Follot, in a listed heritage building, a private mansion in the art deco style, with decors have been preserved and restored. Dating from the period of stylistic transition between art nouveau and art deco, the building was built between 1912 and 1914. Paul Follot’s studio constitutes a remarkable testimony to the Montparnasse neighbourhood, the area chosen by artists.

Go here to see a more complete dossier.

This -is a masterful, piece of work....the subtleties, the elegance - use of pattern, materials and tactility provide a serene and supportive backdrop for the intense detail of Giacometti's works. The architect is to be applauded - for the restraint, the control - the vision by which they created this cocoon. Bravo!

A part of our mission here at DR•I is to search for the unusual, the unexpected - the whimsical, humorous and downright clever design ideas - here are some such.

Phew!  Glad that's out of the way....but, fun, no?

We were, before we got side-tracked, talking about art....of course there are numerous artForms, yes?
It is not only the province of oils, acrylics, canvases and such - no?
Watercolour is a most difficult medium - very unforgiving.....as an artist, if one makes a mistake with a brushstroke, it cannot simply be painted over....the medium does not allow for that. Whereas with oils and acrylics - if a brushstroke goes awry, well. . . . load up some additional pigment and paint over.
So I have great respect for the water colourist, for the vision and the discipline required to produce their work.

One such, is an artist featured previously, and an old friend (former interior designer) Suzan Carsley.
Suzan emigrated from Montréal to New Brunswick some years ago and has devoted herself to her painting - her art. She is an old friend and I know/knew the family well, worked with their great design store on many occasions. But here - here is something that moves me....

Quilts - quilts on a line on Fogo Island.....(more about that unique and special place next issue)
It's a 'happy' painting - it resonates with the salty airiness of the sea, an almost mystical representation of a vision experienced.

And then - then there is this......for me she has the ability to evoke a sense of gravity-defying airiness.....
for me, I float, when I gaze at this. Her work is viewable at: www.facebook.com/suzancarsleyartist and you can reach her at:  suzancarsleyartist@gmail.com
​Great work Suzan!

“All our guests who have been travelling with us are concerned by the climate crisis.” 
 
The above quote by Janne Honkanen, founder of travel agency Luxury Action, might constitute the greatest irony of the 21st century. Starting next year, Honkanen’s ‘eco-conscious’ clients will stay in heated, all-glass pods at the North Pole — otherwise known as the most over-engineered igloos ever designed.
According to Dezeen, Honkanen is aiming to create “the northernmost hotel in the world”, with glass capsules being transported to the polar ice cap for the duration of April each year. For the other 11 months, they will be located on a glacier in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago between the North Pole and Scandinavia.
Do these glass igloos look cool to stay in? Absolutely. It would undoubtedly be an incredibly unique experience to lay in bed, looking out at the stars and possibly the Northern Lights, and see a polar bear walk by. Luxury Action’s itinerary includes hiking across a glacier, meeting indigenous people and arctic scientists working nearby, and viewing seals, polar bears, arctic birds and other wildlife.
Before you start packing, though, you should know that this cool experience doesn’t come cheap: true to its name, Luxury Action is charging $100,000 for a five-night stay. But beyond the impact on your bank balance, there is the cost to the environment that such a project would surely cause

: : Here are all the details: : 

For me, I could really get off on the cosy hermit-like envelope......at least for a couple of days. You?

Mood .  .   .    .    .     . do we concern ourselves with, mood?

This home, in Chile, has a palpable mood.....can't you feel it?

Southern Chile's harsh climate brings extended periods of rain and cold temperatures but what it lacks in sunshine, it makes up for in rugged landscapes. Casa KDDK is no exception. Its site is enveloped in lush, green meadows and dense forests. To take advantage of the views, the zinc-clad dwelling is sited on the property's highest point, also allowing the home to attract the largest amount of natural light. These incoming rays are brought into the interior through expansive glazing and when combined with an all-white palette, create a light, airy atmosphere even in the darker, dreary seasons. The transparent facade also keeps the interior connected to the scenery year-round while iron and glass screens fold open to allow for a summer terrace in the warmer months.
​Photos: Karina Duque

SAN FRANCISCO CLOCKTOWER PENTHOUSE
Unique, historic, and impeccably designed, the San Francisco Clocktower Penthouse leaves little to be desired. The 3,000-square-foot condo is housed on the top four floors of the former Max Schmidt Lithography Company headquarters. Bright and airy, the two-bedroom interior features an open floor plan with spacious living areas that include a game room and home office. The building's heritage is highlighted with exposed brick walls and steel beams while contemporary furnishings complement the industrial shell. The crowning jewel of the property is the Clock Room. Located at the top of the tower, the lounge is surrounded by the mechanisms of the fully-functional clock. The whole thing is wrapped in a 1,300-square-foot terrace, affording expansive views over the South Beach area.
Photos: Compass Real Estate

What an awesome, 'pie-in-the-sky' kind place......lottery winners, mega-gazillionaires - start your engines.

Emory Motorsports is a staple of California’s car culture, and even more so in the recreation, and restoration, of Porsche’s most iconic platforms. Over the years, the company has gifted a handful of the industry’s most lauded vehicles to the masses, helping it to gain a reputation that’s nothing short of legendary. Now, they’ve pushed the boundaries even further with this 1959 Aquamarine Transitional Speedster.
The vehicle you see here was inspired by Porsche’s original 1954-1958 “Speedster” model, adopting an open-air silhouette, racing-inspired aluminum tonneau cover, and a similar headrest hoop and cage as its progenitor. To give the car the revered “Emory Outlaw” look, the team applied a period-correct Aquamarine Metallic paint, a handful of bespoke bonnet modifications, and a reverse-louvered deck lid, complementing the vehicle’s Charcoal square-weave carpet interior, Hydes’ red leather upholstery, and a triple-gauge speedometer/tachometer inspired by Porsche’s iconic 904. To support the 205-horsepower Emory-Rothsport Outlaw-4 engine’s additional figures, a modified 901-style IRS suspension was contracted, alongside adjustable Koni dampers, custom rotors, and calipers, and a set of 15×5 Tecnomagnesio wheels on Dunlop rubber.

Go here: : 

Just a wayCool light fixture - classic, elegant - but so practical......of course that is only applicable if you, read.....as in books.

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Found in factories and offices across America in the early 1900s, our swing-arm fixtures provide clean, targeted light with a timeless, vintage-inspired design. A great space-saving solution, our Imbrie Articulating Sconce features strong pivot joints for an amazing range of movement and a turnkey socket, so it can be turned on/off at the fixture or the wall switch. Highly customizable, the Imbrie Articulating Sconce comes in an array of color combinations for a truly tailored look.
DETAILS YOU'LL APPRECIATE

• Adjustable and articulating swing arm design
• Crafted with durable and beautiful brass
• Built to order to your custom specifications in our Portland, Oregon factory

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

• Solid brass
• Functioning turnkey switch on socket for added versatility
• Hardwired; professional installation recommended
• For indoor use (UL Rated Dry)
• Assembled in the USA of domestic and imported parts

: : IMBRIE : : 

Formally titled the 2019 Small World Photomicrography Competition, Nikon’s Microscopic Photography Competition calls for entries as “a means to recognize and applaud the efforts of those involved with photography through the light microscope.” Thus, that means all of the images are shot under a microscope, using some variant of photomicrography. This year’s winning shot, by Teresa Zgoda and Teresa Kugler, depicts a turtle embryo in vibrant hues, courtesy of fluorescence and stereo microscopy. Some 20 other winning images (including a tiny portrait of a small white-hair spider, a pregnant planktonic crustacean and more) were chosen from 2,000+ submissions from 100 different countries.
Details are available here:

With a rapidly aging population, an inward flux of new urban residents, and developmental pressures forcing displacement and homelessness on growing numbers of people, housing design finds itself at a critical nexus in the United States. 
And while many architecture firms are surely working on innovative housing projects, few have dedicated teams focused on pursuing housing innovation from an integrated, transformational perspective. KTGY Architecture + Planning is one such firm, however. The R+D Studio at KTGY exists to "explore new and emerging ideas related to building design and technology," with an eye toward integrating new housing developments into their surroundings, re-thinking existing design paradigms, and prototyping cost- and time-saving construction approaches all the while expanding the realm of housing design to include co-living arrangements, contemporary senior housing models, and supportive housing.
We talked with Marissa Kasdan, director of KTGY's R+D Studio, to discuss how well-designed housing can serve more people, the changing nature of domestic spaces, and to highlight innovations coming out of her team's work. 

​What is the focus of KTGY’s R+D Studio? And of your position? 
KTGY’s R+D Studio was created as a dedicated effort focused on furthering KTGY’s vision, “to move the discourse of architecture forward by continuously searching for better.” With that goal in mind, the R+D Studio explores new and emerging ideas related to building design, shifts in residential demographics, and trends in the way people live. My role, as director of the R+D Studio, is to maintain the focus of the studio in a way that also supports the design efforts of the various studios within KTGY. I coordinate with studio leaders from KTGY offices across the country and look for opportunities to develop design concepts that support the building types and market segments we serve.
The R+D Studio seems to pursue an integrated approach that considers design, urban-scale considerations, and constructability issues simultaneously. Can you share an example of a project (or an approach/idea) that has most benefited from this arrangement?
The Skytowns concept considers how townhome unit plans in a high-rise configuration could maximize building efficiency while minimizing elevator stops and shared circulation space, all while providing multi-level unit layouts in an urban setting. On every other level, the townhome units recapture the corridor area as unit area, increasing the overall building efficiency to nearly 90%. The inherent nature of the multi-story units creates a unique opportunity for vertical variation along the high-rise façade.
One of your research focuses revolves around expanding the definition of co-living. How is the research coming out of the R+D Studio informing the design of unit plans for this type of housing?
Initially, we developed a co-housing concept to address urban affordability for young professionals trying to manage their rents, leading to the development of an 11-bedroom, 11-bathroom prototype unit. Since then, we have discussed with many of our clients and other interested individuals the opportunity to apply the benefits of shared living in new ways to help address a variety of issues and serve a wide range of demographics. 
With housing affordability continuing to challenge cities and developers, shared living has the potential to cut housing costs while also providing the social connectedness that has been dwindling from our society. Families, seniors, and low-income individuals are some of the demographic groups we envision could greatly benefit from the inherent qualities of co-housing communities.

Everybody, repeat after me -'I LOVE LEO' • Leonardo Bechini is a standout artiste in photography. 
I had the great pleasure of befriending him, when as a student, he took a course I was teaching at College Inter-Dec.....2002 I believe. We have remained colleagues, friends since. His sensitivity and vision is awesome. Based in Milan he is a senior design executive for European-based fashion enterprises. 

Some cool details I shot whilst I lived/worked in Miami for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Art - and more, art

GGregoGergory Deane is a contemporary California artist specializing in expressionist painting. His body of work features fields of color and organic texture paired with free movement and dramatic gesture to express profound emotion on canvas. 
“I sometimes have certain things in my mind when I create each piece, perhaps the emotion of joy or tranquility when I choose my colors, or perhaps the influence of the Orient or an obscure European tradition when I layer in bits of paper or gold leaf. This is new art, but tradition is frequently there too.”
Deane was born in Oregon and moved to California as a teenager he was strongly drawn towards fine arts, particularly expressionism and character studies. Design school brought him to San Francisco where he entered into the world of interior design during a very exciting period, interiors began to be recognized as functional art, contemporary design created the setting for large format contemporary paintings and sculpture. He met his wife Margo during this period and she inspired him to transition to his true passion for painting and mixed media art. Gregory opened his studio and began his first series of paintings, Pages of Time motivated by an Asian influence. The true spirit of abstract expressionism flows through his body of work, color, tone and shadow have always played a fundamental role in convergence with a sense of depth and motion.
Gregory Deane’s abstraction integrates mixed media. “Including a photograph or words from a newspaper, bits of tissue paper or whatever might be at hand,” the artist reports, “I can evoke a grounding feeling of place and a sense of time, whether it’s an African jungle or a Chinese market.” 
Deane has been profoundly influenced by the masters of contemporary art, Franz Kline. Robert Rauschenberg and the color work of Paul Jenkins. “The poetry of life is my greatest influence, though,” Deane says, and you see it in the symphonic expression of his paintings.
Deane's work is in the collection of the Accademia delle Arti del Designo in Florence, Italy where he was the first American to have an exhibition in the museum's history. Accademia delle Arti del Designo was  founded by Michaelangelo, and is an important part of the world of influential art in Florence. Deane also has a painting in the permanent collection of Florence’s Uffizi Gallery and enjoys a long list of prominent collectors.
Gregory has a beautiful studio in Palo Alto that is open by appointment, it is the best way to see the artist in action and his current works. The opportunity of seeing him work or viewing his most current pieces is an unforgettable experience.

If you care - and many of you might - Kurt Cobain's home is up for sale.....

It's such a lovely piece of architecture

There is a visceral sadness to it,  methinks

The Related Companies has released new renderings and a new name for Thomas Heatherwick’s High Line project at 515 West 18th Street: Lantern House. The pair of residential structures is located along Tenth Avenue between West 18th Street and West 19th Street and flanks both sides of the High Line [...]. The development is Heatherwick’s first residential project in New York City and in the United States. SLCE Architects is the architect of record. 
Thomas Heatherwick is expanding his foothold in New York City: after creating quite a stir with the Vessel at Hudson Yards and the under-construction floating Pier 55 park, the London-based studio is teaming up with developers Related Companies again for the practice's first residential project on this side of the Atlantic, called Lantern House.
Prices for the 181 residences will start at $1.7 million for a one-bedroom unit

IMHO - this is a brilliant innovation in regards to fenestration design......it provides a 'fishbowl' kind of experience along with contributing a unique and distinctive style signature to what are primarily the run-of-the-mill sheet pan architecture of most of today's condo designs.....BRAVO. M. Heatherwick!
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Check this out - it's pretty cool.

So - that's it. Today is the first step, in a journey. . . . . I am hopeful that many/most of you will accompany me.It will be, as it has been thus far - a journey of discovery.

Bon voyage ã  tous.....

​Michael