INTRA-Interiors for Designers and Architects articles from June 2004

INTRA-Interiors for Designers and Architects archives from June 2004

Change of heart?(Selfridges)
June 1, 2004... The news that Selfridges has "abandoned" plans for its [pounds sterling]300 million Oxford Street redevelopment comes hot on the heels of it dropping its plans for a new Bristol store, while a question mark still hangs over an additional store...

Ege Carpet.(News)
June 1, 2004... Ege Carpet's innovative bespoke carpet for the CinemaxX complex in Arhus, Denmark, featuring a design made up of film quotations, has won a European design prize. A total of 1,500sq m was supplied, and the design was completed by architect...

Building fashion.(Book)
June 1, 2004... Where does fashion meet architecture? In some designs by Hussein Chalayan (fibreglass and wooden "coffee-table" dresses), Michiko Koshino (inflatable clothes) and Arkadius' clothing "superstructures". And try vice versa: the tempered folds of...

Zaha Hadid.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... Commenting on winning this year's Pritzker Prize, the only woman to have been awarded this prestigious architectural award, Zaha Hadid said, "It's good if this helps other women. The ego system is very different among women (architects)."...

Tracey Emin.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... Bouncing back from losing some of her work in the Momart fire, Tracey Emin's Something for the Children shed for the V & A's The Other Flower Show (see page 48), is, as expected, somewhat controversial. Loosely themed around abortion, Susan...

Jake Chapman.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... And while we're on the subject of the Momart fire, thank heavens for Jake Chapman's uncharacteristic breath of sanity following the destruction of his and his brother's artworks (Evening Standard, May 26). "We've never held cultural heritage...

Terry Farrell and the Evening Standard's architectural correspondent, Rowan Moore, seem fair set on collision course.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... Terry Farrell and the Evening Standard's architectural correspondent, Rowan Moore, seem fair set on collision course. Supporting the role Prince Charles exerts in the "modern versus traditional" architecture debate Farrell retorts (Evening...

Sainsbury's.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... In its quest to regain pole position among UK supermarkets, Sainsbury's is adding Terence Conran, fashion and accessories designer Orla Kiely and florist Orlando Hamilton to its list of celebrity partnerships (The Independent, May 7). Brought...

Stephen Bayley.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... In the Independent on Sunday (June 6), Stephen Bayley was airing his opinions about Marks & Spencer and, commenting on the look of the stores, says: "Interior design was ignored: even the Oxford Street flagship store felt like a Bucharest...

Giles Coren.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... Giles Coren in The Sunday Times magazine (May 15) is less than impressed with latest in-the-know restaurant, Yauatcha's, design. He comments: "The interior, by some frilly-shirted Frenchman called Christian Liaigre, apparently took three...

Skandium.(Design in the Media)
June 1, 2004... Skandium comes in for yet more good press (Sunday Times, May 15). Bill Amberg--he of the leather accessories, furniture designer and London retail outlet--describes Skandium as, "a wonderful collection of contemporary Scandinavian furniture:...

Off the wall.(Special Offer)
June 1, 2004... To tie in with our wallpapers feature, we are offering readers the latest trade Anaglypta pattern book. Normally selling at [pounds sterling]50, the book will be sent free* to the first 100 readers who write in to: Julie Lane, CWV Group, 1 The...

Cottonandchrome.com.(News)
June 1, 2004... Cottonandchrome.com is a new design website selling design-led home accessories such as the Jacob Jensen T5 telephone, above. As a special launch promotion, all readers are entitled to a 10% discount when quoting code INT001 during June and...

The benchmark.(Office Design)
June 1, 2004... As Dominic Lutyens explains so well (pages 51-52), benching is the current buzz word in architects' and designers' offices. And there are a lot of benches about. But what we like about Unity by Task Systems is that it is just that little bit...

Eye's options.(Construction)
June 1, 2004... The London Eye--one of the truly innovative and most successful Millennium ideas--is believed to be some [pounds sterling]130 million in debt, and unless a refinancing package is decided, could face problems. Architects Julia Barfield and David...

Imagination.(News)
June 1, 2004... Imagination has created one of the most exciting exhibition stands... ever. Virtually the size of a football pitch, the Ford stand at the Motor Show at the NEC last month was a recreation of Thunderbirds' Tracy Island complete with blue lagoon...

Retail: the kiosk.(Feature)
June 1, 2004... When Guy Parsons, owner of a hairdressing salon in west London, saw his next-door newsagent close down, he naturally thought about expansion. But contrary to expectations, he kept the shop as a very upmarket newsagent and, since its opening in...

Luggage in disguise.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... We'd design luggage that converts into furniture. Some people take everything apart from the kitchen sink with them on holiday--well if our idea comes off they'll be able to take that too. You'd open up your luggage and unfold it into a chair,...

Space is the next frontier.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... It'd have to be a space hotel. A number of astronauts circle earth at any one time: this means the reality of spending time or even holidaying in space cannot be that far away. Until now, what accommodation there is in space has always followed...

Clever specs.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... My idea would be to produce a pair of spectacles that blocked out advertising. I've just installed SlyPlus at home and I can fast-forward (X30) through the adverts... I recently made two cross-town tube journeys before 8am and I wasn't in the...

The best of Brazil.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... The Design Museum's Designer of the Year competition recognises a firm's contribution to design in one year so we would present a multi-disciplinary body of work. One grand idea can be hit or miss. We're interested in Brazil right now where we...

The weather prophet.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... A window that changes with the mood of people affected by the weather. (Simple, but effective--editor) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Francesco Draisci Francesco Draisci Architects

Green hopes.(TalkBack)
June 1, 2004... There is a European initiative underway aiming to make sustainable wood and wood-based products the leading material in both construction and "interior solutions" by 2010. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This is a tall order but a highly...

Swiss account: when it came to fitting out the interiors of the 'erotic gherkin', Swiss Re instructed Bennett Interior Design to take a softly, softly approach. Karen Glaser finds it all a little too tasteful.(Interior Study)
June 1, 2004... Architeets can get a bit teary when they don't get to design the insides of their buildings, but it must be particularly galling when the building in question is the most talked about one of the year. That is a whole lot of extra glory you...

North stars; The Northwest is an area brimming with confidence and quickly being turned on to the benefits of good design: led all the way by Manchester. Karen Glaser reports.
June 1, 2004... Ask any designer from the Northwest about the profile of their region and you'll get the same answer every time: the 2003 Commonwealth Games. That is the event that really put Manchester on the design map and which got the region's creative...

Material world: texture, colour and form are making a comeback in the world of interior finishes. Victoria Madine investigates how interior designers have fallen out of love with plain white boxes and are looking for a bit more excitement.
June 1, 2004... Intimacy, texture and bespoke detail are the characteristics commercial clients want to see define their interiors. Businesses are inching away from the all-white surfaces and crisp lines that typify so much of commercial interior design, in...

War of the walls: after years of painted walls, an old favourite is making a comeback. Richard de Melim finds out why ...
June 1, 2004... If you want proof that wallpaper is de rigueur once more you should head off to the Geffrye Museum in London this summer. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Flock 'n' Roll (New Ideas in...

The winning outsider: by securing this year's Designer of the Year accolade Daniel Brown has managed to make web design cool again with his nature-inspired work. Helen Parton reports.
June 1, 2004... Designers working in the field of websites and multimedia have not had a particularly good press in the past few years. Tainted by the loadsamoney, combat trousered cliche, their coolness and cachet disappeared as quickly as the dotcom boom....

New Designers: Part I; The new look.
June 1, 2004... JULY 1-4 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE LONDON It's New Designers time again. This well established show--now in its 19th year--is the UK's leading event for graduates and young designers designed to put talent in touch with business....

New Designers: Part II; Spotting new talent.
June 1, 2004... JULY 8-11 BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE LONDON New for this year's event is 'what next?' Its aim is to offer visitors an "aspirational, inspirational and educational" venue within the show. Sponsored by NESTA (National Endowment for...

Flying high: when it comes to grand design a visitor centre is hardly at the top of the list. But as an example of clever thinking it is hard to beat London Bloc's new centre at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire. Anthea Bain takes a trip.(Interior Study)
June 1, 2004... They say good things come in small packages. And should you need proof--in design terms of course--then pay a visit to the new, exquisitely designed and planned visitor centre at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford airfield site in...

Shed art: The V & A's new outdoor exhibition is a celebration of garden sheds. But these are no ordinary sheds. Rather than being packed with useful bits of string and broken flower pots, these sheds are works of art ... Helen Parton dons her wellies.
June 1, 2004... The humble shed was once solely the preserve of banished husbands and keen gardeners, but now thanks to an exhibition in the garden of the Victoria & Albert Museum it has attained a whole new fan base. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Other...

The office: when design practices revamp their own offices there is more at stake than just creating a pleasant ambience. Dominic Lutyens sees how premises can communicate a practice's design ethos.
June 1, 2004... Hotdesking... breakout areas (informal meeting places) and hotelling (pre-booking use of space on a desk, which you don't permanently occupy): these 1990s office design buzzwords seemed thrustingly modern then, but our familiarity with them...

Scandinavian Furniture Fair.
June 1, 2004... MAY 12-16 BELLA CENTER COPENHAGEN While the attention of Copenhagen's general population was focused on its imminent royal wedding, furniture lovers headed once again to the Bella Center for this year's Scandinavian Furniture...

Spectrum.
June 1, 2004... COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE KENSINGTON LONDON MAY 18-21 Following last month's Spectrum--its last at the Commonwealth Institute--a frisson of sadness went around the industry. Just what is going to happen to this show which is up...

A true pioneer: Anthea Bain puts forward the case for a radical experiment in social architecture deep in south London.
June 1, 2004... One of the most radical health experiments of the 1930s has luckily left us with a monumental, iconoclastic building. The Pioneer Health Centre--home of the Peckham Experiment--was built by architect and structural engineer Owen Williams, whose...

Move over Gordon.(Restaurant Review)
June 1, 2004... A hot-headed chef, with a penchant for taking out his rage on his kitchen minions, opens an eponymous restaurant. Sound familiar? Tom Aikens' CV seems designed to invite comparisons with the ubiquitous Gordon Ramsay. Judging by the quality of...

Art Tour.(Culture)
June 1, 2004... Ninety artists across Northumberland are holding an open studio event this summer. The Art Tour includes artists and craftspeople, from potters and photographers to metalworkers and printmakers. Highlights this year include an installation in...

Disaster management.(Book)
June 1, 2004... Waiting for the End of the World is a photographic journey into the world of shelters built by humans against war, bombs and other man-made catastrophes. Photographer Richard Ross has visited shelters around the world, from the American state...

Zest for Life.(Culture)
June 1, 2004... The Bouroullec brothers have stolen the designer sibling crown in the past couple of years, so this exhibition is a timely reminder that they are not the only ones. The Campanas--Humberto and Fernando--are a Brazilian duo whose designs combine...

City limits.(Book)
June 1, 2004... Publisher teNeues has just produced this pocketbook guide to modern architecture and design in London. By no means comprehensive, it nonetheless provides an overview of new development in the capital which would be particularly useful for the...

Summer Exhibition 2004.(Culture)
June 1, 2004... Summer wouldn't be the same without strawberries, Pimm's, Wimbledon and the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy. Most people claim to loathe the latter but go anyway. This year's exhibition will feature, alongside the usual assortment of...

Out of Africa.(Book)
June 1, 2004... Though interior design picture books are ten a penny, at least a book on African design has the merit of being of more intrinsic interest than yet another book on sleek but bland limestone bathrooms. African Interior Design contains images of...

Eastern promise.(Exhibition)
June 1, 2004... East End Academy features work by emerging artists who live and/or work in the East End of London. Over 20 young artists are showcased in the exhibition, whose work encompasses everything from real-time footage of the last moments of a wasp by...

Architecture Foundation.(Culture)
June 1, 2004... This month sees Selfridge's shop windows filled with a series of architectural visions for London, created by the likes of Zaha Hadid, Foster & Partners and Foreign Office Architects (picture above is by NL Architects). Organised by the...

Another fine mess.(Drink)
June 1, 2004... Pesky folk those vegetarians, don't you think? Not the sort you want to have round for dinner, with all their "can't eat thises" and "won't eat thats". And just when you think it's safe to come out of the kitchen, with your meat- or even...

Mirra image: creating a highly desirable office chair stuffed with all the latest technology, suitable for all and at a competitive price is the holy grail for manufacturers. Herman Miller may just have cracked it.(TechnoFile)
June 1, 2004... Is Mirra, the latest task chair from Herman Miller, the best chair in the world? As the ad says... probably. Which is quite a claim. Launched officially a year ago, news got around quickly and demand has been so high that it is only now that...

Matting.(Great Gadgets)
June 1, 2004... Swedish firm Matting has launched a new computer mouse, the Perific Dual Mouse (pictured). You can use it in the same way you use any ordinary mouse, but with a bit of Transformer-style jiggling about, it can be attached to your hand for added...

Ferguson Hill.(Great Gadgets)
June 1, 2004... Ferguson Hill speakers are beautiful. Like large, precision-moulded acrylic horns, they would look perfect in any loft conversion or minimalist dwelling. They come with matching integrated amp and powered bass units, but you'll have to buy a...

CDA.(Great Gadgets)
June 1, 2004... With Euro 2004 and the Olympics this summer, CDA has ensured that even in the kitchen, there's no need to miss any TV action (whether this is a blessing or a curse, you'll have to decide for yourselves). It has launched the T250 flat screen TV,...

i-Tech's version.(Great Gadgets)
June 1, 2004... If you don't fancy looking a bit like a nightclub doorman when you wear your Bluetooth headset, then try i-Tech's version, where the main unit can be clipped discreetly on to your clothing, and at [pounds sterling]50 it won't break the bank...

Overseas luxury.(Retail)
June 1, 2004... That quintessentially British bastion of retailing, Fortnum and Mason, last month unveiled plans to expand overseas. William Fortnum, originally a procurer of candlesticks and Hugh Mason first opened the famous Piccadilly store as a...

Digital Fabricators.(Business)
June 1, 2004... This month sees the opening of the Front Window Gallery at the Building Centre in London. The space will be used to promote the Building Centre Trust's educational exhibitions and seminars. The opening exhibition will be Digital Fabricators,...

Shedding light.(Book)
June 1, 2004... To celebrate 20 years of lighting design, Italian manufacturer Foscarini has produced a monograph. The book serves as a pictorial history with sketches and detailed product shots. Over the years, Foscarini's owners Carlo Urbinati and Alessandro...

HMY joined.(Merger)
June 1, 2004... On the eve of its 20th anniversary, architect Hazle McCormack Young has announced its merger with Canterbury-based Pateman and Coupe. HMY's main work includes residential, workplace, regeneration and arts and leisure. It has recently worked on...

Tate Liverpool.(Profile)
June 1, 2004... Established 1988 Mission statement Through the presentation of the National Collection of Modern Art to increase the understanding and enjoyment of all its visitors including a new and wider public Director Christoph Grunenberg Visitor...

Chartered Institute of Building.(Business News in Brief)
June 1, 2004... According to the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Public Accounts Committee chairman, Edward Leigh, is "less than impressed" with the 5% decrease in the number of deaths and injuries in the UK construction industry since 2001. He...

Vittorio Radice.(Business News in Brief)
June 1, 2004... There's trouble in store for beleaguered retail whizz-kid--and Intra favourite--Vittorio Radice, and his Lifestore concept for M & S. Although only five months old, the flagship Lifestore in Gateshead, Newcastle, is believed to be performing...

AMS Group.(Business News in Brief)
June 1, 2004... Managing director, Jim Clark, and operations director, Ian Parr, recently led a management buyout of the AMS Group, one of the UK's leading retail display equipment manufacturers that cites Tesco, Specsavers and the new Birmingham Selfridges...

MoreySmith.(Business News in Brief)
June 1, 2004... Multi-disciplinary design consultancy, MoreySmith, has just promoted Graeme Montague to director. Commenting on the appointment, Linda Morey Smith, principal director, says: "Graeme's promotion will strengthen (our) team and enable us to...

European Hotel Design Awards.(Business News in Brief)
June 1, 2004... Monday, October 25 is the date for this year's European Hotel Design Awards, the accompanying Designing for Change conference, and dinner at the Marriott Grosvenor Square hotel, London. Top industry names gathered to speak at the conference...

Feeling confident.(Economy)
June 1, 2004... Smaller manufacturers have seen a rise in orders and are feeling more confident than ever, according to a recent survey. The results of the CBI's quarterly survey of just under 700 small- and medium-sized firms, released last month, showed that...

Value of good design.(RIBA)
June 1, 2004... The RIBA has published a report that evaluates awards for housing design. The report, aimed at architects, as well as house builders and local authorities, examines how awards provide the opportunity to learn about new forms of living...

Fast floors.(Business)
June 1, 2004... Flooring firm Karndean has achieved a top 100 placing in a recent survey of fastest growing companies. The Deloitte/Independent on Sunday Awards, which were announced in April, measured the growth rates of over 6,000 middle market companies,...

Illizi Home.(Business)
June 1, 2004... Coexistence is holding an exhibition of ethically designed products in conjunction with Illizi Home. Suitable for both domestic and contract environments, the collection includes designs by the likes of Kate Blee, Simon Pengelly (his Loft chair...

Casamania by Frezza.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Dodo stool by Casamania by Frezza Launch: April 2004 Design: Julian Pastorino and Cecilia Suarez Design Description: coloured polyethylene, light and water-resistant Price: [pounds sterling]78 (retail) Contact: Casamania...

Fasem.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Ergo chair by Fasem Launch: April 2004 Design: Archirivolto Description: seat and back available in Abs, a weather resistant material in ivory, red and black Price: from [euro]208 Contact: The Conran Shop 020 7357...

Bassam Fellows.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Tractor stool by Bassam Fellows Launch: April 2004 Description: shape inspired by the ergonomics of a moulded Swiss tractor seat Price: [euro]772-920 Contact: Bassam Fellows 00 1 203 801 0640 www.bassamfellows.com...

Peter Boy Design.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... M4.2 chair by Peter Boy Design Launch: April 2004 Design: Peter Johansen Description: powder-coated surface, available in white and chromate treated, and with cushions in fabric or leather Price: [pounds sterling]275 ...

Stua.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Deneb table and bench by Stua Launch: October 2003 Description: anodized aluminium base and solid Iroko top Price: [euro]1,150 Contact: PS Interiors 0161 926 9398 www.stua.com Enquiry details 304 ...

Gloster.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Riviera dining chair by Gloster Design: Staffan Hultgren Launch: April 2004 Description: teak frame, stainless steel rails and vinyl sling Price: [pounds sterling]300 Contact: Gloster 0117 931 5335 ...

Magis.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Folding Air Chair by Magis Launch: April 2004 Design: Jasper Morrison Description: slatted sections cut into plastic, for use in the home or outdoors Price: [pounds sterling]87 Contact: SCP 020 7739 1869 ...

Desalto.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Sand Air stool by Desalto Launch: April 2004 Design: Pocco Dondoli Description: polypropylene or mesh with arctic grey, white, black or red frame finishes, suitable for large counters in bars and public spaces Price: [pounds...

Driade.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Meridiana chair by Driade Launch: April 2004 Design: Christophe Pillet Description: transparent polycarbonate seat Price: [pounds sterling]198 Contact: Driade 00 39 0523 818660 www.driade.com Enquiry details...

Kartell.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Charles Ghost stool by Kartell Launch: April 2004 Design: Philippe Starck Description: transparent monobloc in indestructable polycarbonate Price: on application Contact: Kartell 00 39 02 900121 www.kartell.it...

Heller.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Frank Gehry collection by Heller Launch: April 2004 Design: Frank Gehry Description: silver resin range includes tables Price: on application Contact: Heller 00 39 02 763 16553 www.helleronline.com Enquiry...

Blue Marmalade.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Low cut stool by Blue Marmalade Launch: May 2004 Description: acts as stool, occasional table or ottoman and can be folded flat for storage Price: from [pounds sterling]38 Contact: Blue Marmalade 0131 466 6136 ...

Maya Interior.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Series 3 table by Maya Interior Launch: February 2004 Description: solid stainless steel with glass top, stool and armchair also available Price: [euro]444, table; [euro]236, stool (inc 25% Swedish tax, but not freight cost) ...

Barlow Tyrie.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Equinox armchair by Barlow Tyrie Launch: January 2004 Description: teak and stainless steel with all-weather seat and backrest Price: from [pounds sterling]295 Contact: Barlow Tyrie 01376 557600 www.teak.com ...

Inside Out.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Ball chair by Inside Out Launch: May 2004 Description: polypropylene weatherproof chairs, available in a variety of finishes Price: from [pounds sterling]145 Contact: Inside Out 020 8378 3211 www.insideout.gb.com ...

Segis.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Poppy Star chair by Segis Launch: April 2004 Design: Bartoli Design Description: fibreglass and reinforced polypropylene; air-moulded Price: [euro]94 Contact: European Design Centre 020 7323 3233 www.segis.it ...

Mathias Claerhout.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Deckhopper by Mathias Claerhout Launch: September 2003 Description: stainless steel, black polyamide and copper, can be folded and hung on the wall Price: [pounds sterling]670 (retail) Contact: Lightiq 020 7386 3949 ...

MDF Italia.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Keramik table by MDF Italia Launch: April 2004 Design: Bruno Fattorini Description: made of new indestructable material, porcelain laminated on to glass Price: [pounds sterling]1,118-[pounds sterling]1,781 Contact:...

Indian Ocean.(Products: Outdoors)
June 1, 2004... Alusion stacking chair by Indian Ocean Launch: January 2004 Description: aluminium frame with Batyline upholstery (a durable polyester fabric) Price: [pounds sterling]199 Contact: Indian Ocean 0870 7804862 ...