blast from the past

(navy chair - frozen in a block of ice...still unsure of the message here. but it looks "cool" and i like it...)

for everyone that loves (or appreciates) design!

get ready to have your mind blown. i had the experience of a lifetime this past spring. not only was i living in a refurbished palace in italy (ok so maybe it was the "stable" section and not the actual living quarters - but it was still legit. did i mention i was just a 45 min train ride south of rome?), but i had the chance to attend MILAN DESIGN WEEK.

milan design week is an international design show (duh). and because interior design is my life, i wanted highlight my favorites on my blog. the inspiration being - when i was working on my 'non-residential studio' project (and because i am sure that you are DYING to know what this infamous project actually is - well, funny you should ask. it is a 15,000 sq ft bank in las vegas, nevada), and stumbled across an ad in a magazine of this light...

*unable to find the magazine again :(

loaction : somewhere in my HUGE stack of magazines i need to catch up on (january- june)

and it was my first "OMG! i saw their display at MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2010!!!!!!!!" so i guess this was a lengthy explanation of why i "repeating" a post (the origianl post can be found here -http://mshapinitaly.blogspot.com/2010/04/milan-designday.html)...

light on display that i saw in MILAN.

sadly i can not remember the manufacturer of this piece, or seem to locate the magazine i found it in! (bummer) so i will just give the low down. the chandelier is not what you may think. after looking at that picture i am sure you must think the same thing i did when i first saw the display. big deal, it is a bunch of pendant lights clustered together to create a "chandelier" so 2008. well prepare to have your mind blown (literally).

(sunday august 1, 2010) so flipping through my school notebook, and what did i find?! but the manufacturer of this light! the link to the website (http://bocci.ca/#/bocci-collection/) for your viewing pleasure.

so each light is 1 piece. yes. you read that correctly. as much as you might think the blown glass balls are individual pieces that are in a group you are wrong. i wish i had a better detail image to explain the process that i am somewhat familiar with. it all starts with one blown glass sphere (duh), and then someone (which i am certain must have been magic after further inspection) blows another sphere off of the previous one. the process continues until the desired number of spheres are present. during this process another "bubble" appears in the sphere. once again, a detail image would be helpful. basically what i am trying to tell you is...this light is AWESOME. and as soon as i find the website i plan on posting it so you can see for yourself...

basically this post is going to be a photo album of design favorites from design week...

ready...set...DESIGN.

the first stop on our week of design (that was crammed into one day) was this really innovative student exhibition. all the pieces were "reclaimed." like these chairs - the seat is constructed of re-used wood pieces. i think they are a beautiful art piece. one of a kind - just the way i like it.

i don't know what this is...or what it is for.

it just made me smile :)

"green design" may be a trend - but i think it is here to stay!

check out this console table that is encrusted in buttons. a lacquered finish secures them and creates an even surface.

reminds me of a kaleidoscope!

detail image of the buttons on the console table.

more reclaimed art.

this was made of CDs. i love (notice i did not say "loved" because the feelings towards this piece are still present) this piece and i would have considered stealing it right then and there, but i was unsure how i would have smuggled a 4ft high piece of art out of a showroom, managed to carry it around all day and then fly back to rome on ryanair (if you are unfamiliar with ryanair - you are not even allowed to take 2 carry-on's on the plane. a bag or a purse. not both like american airlines. oh how i do not miss budget airlines)...

neat lights.

environment furniture showroom!

for a project last year i used a lot of their products (the products are finished and made with reclaimed and recycled materials), so it was really cool to see the products that i actually specified in person.

because i just liked the way these plants were arranged...

molo!

saw them at neocon 2009 (trade show in chicago, il), and immediately fell in love.

this is a lighting installation, entirely made out of paper. actually...everything that make is made out of paper. the product that BLOWS MY MIND in their "stools" that you can sit or stand on (yes, you can STAND on paper...and it will actually hold you up).

HIVE. a really cool contract (aka office) furniture installation.

would love to work somewhere that used this as storage! i think it would make me feel very productive...like i was a little "worker bee" in a beehive.

a rug made out of wood? one may say no, but is say YES.

i think it is more of an "art form" than an actual rug...but either way it was COOL!

what is it?

well that might be what the untrained eye would say...but i know better, and thankfully can enlighten you with the fact that it is a storage piece of furniture. similar to a chest of drawers. the track system for this piece is magic. it allows you to pull the drawers to the left or right, without the piece toppling over. genius.

the piece in action...

established&sons. oh how i love you!

my design companions. (from left to right)

nortold, LB, MAX (only the best guide ever), becca, krystle, lil coco, cyd, mikus, and me :)

hope all these pictures have inspired you to do something great today.

live.

love.

and design!