Made from stainless steel and heat-resistant glass, Fireplace is a modern take on an open fire. Finnish designer Ilkka Suppanen has taken the age-old idea of an open fire in the wilds, tamed it, and brought it inside, to create an environment where people can gather to chat and enjoy an evening together or where somebody can relax alone and put the worries of the day behind them. The design very much reflects Suppanen’s architectural leanings.

“Today’s televisions often play a similar role to that of the fires of the past, bringing people together to tell their stories and listen to those of others. I took this idea of the fire as an archetypical phenomenon as my startingpoint – and ended up designing something with a very minimalist form of its own,” Suppanen explains, “The piece is very neutral until the flame is lit, only then does it come alive and take its place in a space and capture people’s attention.”

Unlike your ordinary built-in fireplace this gem is portable, just as easy to use in any room or even outside in the garden or terrace on a long summer evening.

Fireplace, by Ilkka Suppanen, for Iittala

Buy it here: Iittala Fireplace

Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say – and this applies to architecture as much as any other endeavour. The designer and co-owner of this house, engineer Guy Shallard of Lat Forty Five, says necessity was precisely the reason he chose to elevate the living area and suspend it like a bridge several metres above the ground. “The long, narrow site is surrounded by other properties,” Shallard says. “And although the site is parallel to the lake, the living areas needed to be elevated to maximise the views and provide privacy.”

Shallard House, Central Otago, New Zealand by Lat Forty Five
Photography by Jamie Cobeldick, via: Arch Daily

Japanese forge Suwada, makes specialized Bonsai tools, using manufacturing techniques and forms that have developed slowly over time.

Bonsai Tools, by Suwada Blacksmith Works, Japan, Bonsai by Steve Tolley

The building is developed along the southern and western boundaries of the parcel, which together with the elements of urbanization of the site, form a kind of atrium, whose diagonal flight to a distant vision of the Sierra Calderona. Access is accompanied by the south facade to find the point of intersection. At this point of view inside the distributor is located next to the stairs and the kitchen form the backbone of the operation of housing. The southern zone where the rooms are available during the day, dematerialized their presence due to the overhead light. In the west the rooms fall to a portion of parcel with a more domestic scale, while the master bedroom overlooking the lift light reflected on water.

Atrium House, Valencia, Spain, by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, Photography by Fernando Alda, via Arch Daily

Phasma is a hexapedal running robot that can run dynamically like a living organism. It is an attempt to depict life purely through its motion rather than its shape, by extracting the physics of running from living things and implementing that to the artifact. Phasma uses compliant components such as stainless steel springs and rubber joints to reproduce smooth and efficient locomotion seen in animals. Another interesting biomimicry applied in Phasma is the alternating tripod gait as seen in insects that provides excellent stability.

Created for ‘bones’ exhibition held at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo 2009.
Phasma is based on iSprawl developed at BDML, Stanford University, USA.

Phasma: Six-legged Running Robot, by takram design engineering
Photography by Takashi Mochizuki

George Nelson originally designed a wide range of wall clocks in the 1950’s and 1960’s for the Howard Miller Company. Three wall clocks have been re-issued by Vitra: Polygon Clock is all angles and is made of solid walnut and lacquered, Flock of Butterflies is made of metal and with a large diameter of 24″ (610mm), and Wheel Clock with spindles in solid walnut and aluminium tips. All Vitra clocks are built with a high-grade quartz clock movement.

Polygon Clock 1961, Flock of Butterflies Clock 1955, Wheel Clock 1961,
by George Nelson, for Vitra

The Sierra cabinets by Claesson Koivisto Rune were uniquely designed with a sculptural allure while carefully maintaining aesthetical balance and harmony. The doors are engineered with intricate precision to create a vibrant 3-D pattern on its surface. It is then covered with reconstituted (green) wood veneer that runs in different directions. As a result, the light reflects magnificently off of its subtle angles.

Sierra Cabinets, by Claesson Koivisto Rune, for Dune

Rather than a collection of rooms, we think of this house as a collection of constructions, and we produced a design that seems to be made out of various different structures. Paths covered by a glass roof weave between the disconnected structures to create an interior space that feels exterior, a private space that feels public, a hall that feels like an avenue. In that space the children can run around, you can enjoy a breeze while you eat, read under the sun, and fall asleep watching the stars.

House in Buzen, Buzen, Fukuoka, Japan, by Suppose Design Office

Like a searchlight, this Lamp is mounted on tripod legs, giving it a certain loft like presence. Last is a large floor-lamp that can be used as a spotlight to highlight any object in a room, be it a work of art, a rug or furniture. The light beam is adjustable so its possible to bounce light off a ceiling or simply use as a reading light. There is even a version as a pendant lamp–great for complimenting those vast airy spaces.

Zero Last Floor Lamp, Last Pendant, by Mattias Ståhlbom, for Zero

Photographer Ditte Isager has captured the essence of Chef René Redzepi, head chef of Copenhagen restaurant, Noma

Book Early, Reservations: Noma, Photography by Ditte Isager
View the interview on Charlie Rose

René Redzepi has been widely credited with re-inventing Nordic cuisine. His Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, was recognized as the third best in the world by the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in 2009 and received the unique ‘Chef’s Choice’ award at the same ceremony. Redzepi operates at the cutting edge of gourmet cuisine, combining an unrelenting creativity and a remarkable level of craftsmanship with an inimitable and innate knowledge of the produce of his Nordic terroir.

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, Published by Phaidon, Hardback, 290 x 250 mm, 11 3/8 x 9 7/8 in, 320 pp, 200 colour illustrations ISBN: 9780714859033

Buy the Book: Amazon