Sunday, 31 July 2011
Project/Leamington Spa 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Barley Twist Fabric designed by Mstar Interiors
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Interior and Art: Hotel des Academies et des Arts
Prolific in the 80’s, he became well-known for his white stencil artwork, depicting an artist’s mannequin.
His work still survives in some parts of Paris, predominantly on the outside of buildings.
As for this boutique hotel, in the trendy Rive Gauche, on the very street where Gauguin and Modigliani worked in the past, he also tackled the interior.
Instantly, I found myself looking for the white and curious body shapes bending, jumping and climbing up the walls, aware that I might miss an interesting detail. It is almost as if I was trying to catch the elusive and yet ever-present figures. An interesting experience provided the glass elevator, with figures standing on their shoulders all the way up to each floor.
In this instance the combination of space/architecture an art works. Not just as a complimentary factor, but a strong aesthetic voice. One that brings everything together and makes the whole experience memorable.
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Polish Brighton
On the sandy beaches of North Poland lies Sopot, a seaside town, which is the polish answer to UK’s Brighton. Vibrant, stylish, extremely cool and at the same time very relaxed, Sopot is often referred to as Monaco of the Baltic.
Although it has always been a place famous for its location, unique climate, lush forests and abundant spa waters, recently and gradually Sopot has had a makeover worthy of a world class resort. Let me start at the beautiful, Sofitel re-vamped Grand Hotel, where I enjoyed a glass of perfectly chilled Moet, as in the past did the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Charles de Gaulle, Greta Garbo, Charles Aznavor.
This 5-star hotel has been beautifully and luxuriously restored and looks grander than it ever did.
An absolute alternative is the wonderfully quirky LaLaLa Hotel. Tucked away from the central area of Sopot this cool boutique hotel has been individually designed by the most talented artists and has the best wine degustation events.
Architecturally, the charming neo-baroque, neo-classical and eclectic villas that have remained here, sit juxtaposed against new building like the controversial “Warped House” by M.&S. Szatynski. I contemplated it’s design sitting in the opposite Cafe Blekitny Pudel, where if one is lucky to get a table, one can enjoy watching the parade of the weird and wonderful people from all over the world accompanied by a fantastic mojito.
One never looses the connection to nature in Sopot. The 4.5km of golden, sandy beach is always full of people enjoying a quiet stroll, or dancing till dawn in one of the clubs. The stunning wooden pier build in 1820, cutting into the sea by over 511m is the place to be when the sun sets. Here on a warm summer’s night, under the open sky world cinema movies are being played.
All this makes Sopot a truly magical place, filled with sound, music that hums, stays with you long after you leave the Baltic shores.
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-3419-sofitel-grand-sopot/index.shtml
Friday, 30 April 2010
Discovering Paris
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Our choice
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Power of thought
What is timeless interior?
“If a writer wrote merely for this time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away”
Victor Hugo
The question I get asked quite frequently is: What makes a timeless interior design?
To answer this I must start by quoting a hero of mine, Josef Frank, the father of modernism in Sweden:
"....A home does not need to be planned down to the smallest detail or contrived; it should be an amalgamation of the things that its owner loves and feels at home with.”
He believed that a home must never be restrained, predicamental to fashion and trends, but reflect the personality of the owner and his way of life. The founder of Svennskt Tenn, Estrid Ericson incorporated treasures from her adventures around the world, juxtaposing them against other possessions, from stylish, self-designed furniture to delicate objets d’art. This allowed the person stepping into her home to immediately get the impression of her worldliness and created an unusual, personal collection of objects which most certainly intrigued the observer.
I think timelessness is in the combination of first considering the space and maximizing its potential and then applying the best possible solutions to the interior, be it a colour, fabric or piece of furniture. Always bearing in mind “...the owner feels at home...”.
This takes away the dishonesty of trying to design a space that is merely a statement to fashion and the current, most sought-after designer rather than a comfortable, ‘intelligent’ home that works.
Photographs courtesy of: