Acrobat Lights by Porcelain Bear

The Acrobat pendant luminaire series is a modular feature light available in various metal finishes with illuminated translucent porcelain arms supported by a suspended trapeze. Combining the elegant effortlessness of Brancusi’s Bird in Space with crisp Bauhaus simplicity, the Acrobat series references the precision of a death defying, skilled aerial performer’s graceful sky high contortions. Highly original in its execution, the Acrobat harnesses the latest LED technology to give a super energy efficient, warm glow to commercial or residential spaces requiring a point of focus and a high spec finish.

Acrobat Lights, by Porcelain Bear

IN 3 by Jean Verville

IN 3, Domestic architectural installation, Montréal, Canada Jean Verville
Photography by Maxime Brouillet

Joint Chopsticks by Yuma Kano for Katsuhisa Toda

This design applies the art of “tsugite” joints traditionally used by carpenters in Japan to attach pieces of wood together without nails or screws. Rather than placing the joints at the end as a bit of decoration, they are placed at the point that takes the most strain.The techniques used to join the chopsticks are the same as those used by “sashimonoshi”, masters of craft to make Buddhist altars, bureaus, and other furniture. This project is a collaboration between Katsuhisa Toda, a traditional carpenter in Shizuoka JAPAN, and studio yumakano. These designs were developed to help solve the problems around traditional crafts through the concept of “everyday crafts”, extending the breadth of ordinary work, rather than struggling to develop something entirely new.

Joint Chopsticks, by Yuma Kano
Photography by Satoru Ikegami & Yuichi Yamaguchi

Helen Street by mw|works architecture + design

The clients were living on a rural property east of Seattle but were drawn back to the vibrancy of the city. This new project would distill their way of living into a smaller footprint, specifically tailored to their tastes and activities. Early design discussions focused on a simple modern structure with a quiet palette constructed on a modest budget. The home should be open and light filled but also provide privacy. Above all, the owners described a quiet design integrated with landscape that would create a tangible calmness in the home. The concept grew from this premise, drawing complexity from the opportunities and constraints of an urban corner lot. A courtyard in the center of the site brings light and private outdoor space deeper into the site and serves as an organizational hub. The result is a project that is simple but very intentional and serves as a backdrop to the landscape and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

Helen Street, Seattle, WA, USA, by mw|works architecture + design

Typewriter Guns by Éric Nado

The material world was built, first and foremost: one of the roles art can take is of reinterpreting its forms and functions. Through sculpture-assemblage, Éric Nado transforms and reorganizes certain objects to reveal other possibilities through their forms or intended functions. Using iconic metal objects such as typewriters and sewing machines, Nado materializes concepts such as labor and memory. Filled with nostalgia, the objects transformed into sculptures tell compelling stories.

Typewriter Guns, by Éric Nado, at Galerie C.O.A

Hotel Mono by Spacedge Designs

Hotel Mono is a chic hideaway set in six historical shop houses of modern design. The beautifully rejuvenated buildings retain original charm with characteristic airwells and Rococo-era windows; slipping into traditional Singapore and interweaving with the city’s urban bustle.

Hotel Mono, Singapore, by Spacedge Designs

Villa Ypsilon by LASSA Architects

Located in an olive grove in southern Peloponnese, this summer residence is characterized by an Ypsilon shaped green roof that acts as both an accessible extension of the terrain, while framing the most significant views from the inside out. The project was designed by London and Brussels based architects Theo Sarantoglou Lalis and Dora Sweijd from LASSA architects. The roof’s bifurcating pathways define three courtyards that form distinct hemispheres with specific occupancy depending on the course of the sun. The house is located on the top of a hill which provides vistas towards the bay of Schiza and Sapientza as well as mountain views towards the east. The height of the house is limited to the tip of the olive trees to enable its integration with the surrounding landscape.

The interior spaces are organized in two main parts: A more private area containing three bedrooms and two bathrooms with views towards the east and a more common area towards the south containing the kitchen area and the living room which provide continuous access to all three courtyards. The circulation through, around and on top of the house forms a continuous promenade comprising indoor and outdoor activities. The form of the concrete shell coupled with the planted roof and cross ventilation strategy provides an environmental response which prevents the need for mechanical cooling systems. The remote location of the project in combination with the limited budget and non-standard geometry induced a construction strategy that called for a large amount of off-site prefabrication and self-assembly which allowed to reduce the construction time to 7 months without compromising anything in terms of quality or exceeding the budget. “We decided to buy a CNC machine that allowed for extensive prototyping and the production of non-standard elements. This included the concrete shell formwork, the livingroom lost formwork/acoustic ceiling, custom window frames, interior furniture and partition systems as well as landscape and pool formers.” Theo Sarantoglou Lalis This ‘hands-on’ approach allowed for a minimal use of commercial ‘off-the-shelf’ products while instead favoring locally sourced materials such as concrete, terrazzo and marble.

Villa Ypsilon, Messenia, Greece, by LASSA Architects

Photography: Stone Heroes by Léo Caillard

Stone Heroes, by Léo Caillard

The Pure Foosball Table by Alain Gilles for Debuchy by Toulet

The Pure is the modern vision of a classic foosball table. The rules, the game, and the fun remain the same, but it has now been transformed into an object that can be displayed in a living room or in the lobby of a contemporary hotel for instance. The foosball doesn’t have to be hidden in the basement anymore and it is no more just for gaming centers or coffee shops. It has been designed in order to bring a sense of warmth for those moments of togetherness with the family. With the strong use of wooden elements, quiet presence, and a reference to Nordic design it aims to be a somewhat timeless modern piece. From the top, its shape refers to modern football stadiums ( soccer stadiums ). But it has also been design in order to have a soft feminine touch and a minimal feel to make it more acceptable to women, and thus in the end acceptable in a house.

The Pure, Foosball Table, by Alain Gilles, for Debuchy by Toulet

The Pavilion at The Norman Foster Foundation

The Norman Foster Foundation opened its doors in central Madrid. Inhabiting in an old residential palace, and having undergone extensive renovation works since, the Foundation have also constructed their own contemporary courtyard pavilion. Housing a treasure trove of artefacts from Lord Foster’s personal collection, the structure-which is shaped like the wing of an aircraft-also exhibits a newly restored 1927 Avions Voisin C7 originally owned by Le Corbusier.

The pavilion-the design of which was led by Lord Foster, David Delgado, Raúl Gómez and Jorge López-is tucked between the palace and an adjacent neighbour. With a portion of the façade (a wide glass door weighing 2.7 tons and measuring 6 metres in length) opening onto a sun-drenched, shaded courtyard, the intention is that this pavilion-alongside its primary function as an exhibition space-will also host talks, discussion groups, and events.

By collaborating closely with (primarily) Spanish craftspeople in metal and glass, the design team have been able to develop a combination of slim, beat-blasted stainless steel sections welded together and mirror-polished edges that “dematerialize the bulk of supporting structures.”

The Pavilion, Madrid, Spain, at The Norman Foster Foundation