The softest of beauties, by Peter Gentenaar

This incredibly inspiring installation work by Dutch paper sculptor Peter Gentenaar dates back to 2009, but I certainly don't love it any less now then I did then. Not having had my blog then, I really wanted to capture this work on my blog, and so here I am, delving into this beautiful exploration of soft colours and textures, immersed into the most unlikely of enigmatic worlds.

The setting is the Abbey of Saint-Riquier in France, where more than one hundred of Peter Gentenaar's pristine paper sculptures were hung and poised ever so carefully, and depicted as sensual, silk-like objects. The installation is very appropriately named 'Mystère de papier' (Paper's mystery).

The fragility of the paper sculptures against the solid, historically firm arches and walls of the Abbey is so well captured in this selection of shots. What sings out, furthermore, is not only the juxtaposition of texture, but also the pastel colour palette of the sculptures against the grey, almost mysteriously ominous, interior of the Abbey. The size of the installations is also oh-so grandiose. The artist did not shy away from giving each piece its rightful presence, and this is further enhanced by the choice to hang the paper sculptures low, where the interaction with the user of the space is that much more confronting.

In describing his paper sculptures, which are reinforced with thin bamboo ribs, Peter Gentenaar likens them to that of paper leafs. And it is this exact lightness that they exude as they hang within the great Abbey of worship. One can almost hear a very soft wind rustling through each of the paper folds...

First spotted on - pinterest via pinner stylingsinja
Source - peter gentenaar via uponafold
Images courtesy of - uponafold

Steampunked coffee experience by Truth Coffee, Cape Town

"The best in the world, or so we've been told". This wonderful quote comes directly from the website of the truly amazing coffee makers at Truth Coffee, in Cape Town, South Africa. More precisely, it actually comes from a quote from one of their customers, who happens to be Tom Midlane, a very well regarded travel writer!

Ok, so I've never been to the Truth Coffee shop, but just by looking at photos of their amazing shop interior, and their love and devotion to the coffee-making process, I trust that it really, probably is, the most amazing coffee on the planet.

I've been on their website several times over the last few days, just checking things out for today's post, and I'm not lying to you when I say that their choice of language, design, and utter coffee love, exudes the most delectable scent of fresh coffee beans. The thing that I respect, above all, is the complete experience that they've captured, far far beyond than just the coffee cup that they serve.

They have dissected what it actually means to have great coffee, where coffee culture comes from, and what it means to the everyday devoted coffee drinker, and have embodied this in every thread that makes the Truth Coffee experience. They have created their own Steampunk coffee machine, for crying out loud!!! I absolutely love this idea!!! The drama begins long before the coffee hits your cup,  it is tantalisingly theatricalised through the slow and nurturing process of watching the coffee being ground and manipulated, all until it's ready to serve. In the words of the one of the men behind this great brand, the culmination is "the catastrophe of the coffee dumping into a bag". See more of this funky experience via their youtube video.

To add to the Steampunk machine, or more correctly named 'Professor Jones's Fabulous Coffee Bean Contraption', is the interior that exudes notions from a lost world of zany inventors. Everything from the vintage telephone and typewriter, to the low, brass lighting and wheels and cogs that gleam in this soft light, take one further and further into the magic world created by Truth Coffee.

Tell me now, is it not amazing that I have the delicious taste of Truth Coffee on the tip of my tongue, albeit never having stepped foot inside the shop?    

Source - truth coffee

Images courtesy of - yatzer

The birth of the unique steampunk coffee machine - youtube video

Article on 'best coffee shop in the world' - msn travel by tom midlane

Framing the perfect moment

I love simplicity, and I am completely inspired by the concept of this latest exhibition design by the architectural studio Cadaval & Solà-Morales. Designed for the Museum of Museo Casa de la Moneda in Madrid, the exhibition showcases work by sculptor Susana Solano. It is an incredible study of space within a space. 

The exhibition is composed of four volumes, each housing different size formats of the artist's work. The volumes vary in size depending in how much proximity the architect felt they needed to create between viewer and art. Interestingly, the museum had imposed the use of wood so as to use their own carpentry studio in the building of the final exhibition. Thus, influenced by this initial need, Cadaval & Solà-Morales use the material in conjunction with simple, yet firmly poised, black and white floating walls to create a rhythm of movement though the four volumes.   

There is a lightness of material that I love. The black of the exterior of the spaces floats seamlessly off the ground, while giving an idea of the movement of the viewers within. In parallel, within the confined space, the tension of the proximity of viewer and work is lessened through the use of white. A somewhat serene, peaceful moment is created whereby viewer can come in closer to view the smaller works, yet is free to breathe and take a step back in viewing the larger, more imposing pieces.

The straight, simple lines of the extremities of the volumes create incredible moments where the spaces are cut to reveal a little more, or where they flow from one space to another. They act as large frames which not only house the art and act as runway for the people, but, moreover, they capture the moments created when the two come together. What I find most interesting, then, is that space actually poses a question; is the definition of 'artwork' that which we see on the walls, or, more so, the bigger picture, that of the framed, emotional moment of the viewer interpreting what they see?     

 Source - domus

Images - Cadaval & Solà-Morales

Architectural study of movement, by Richards & Spence

This Brisbane house by Richards & Spence is such an amazing study of spaces. It is comprised of interiors that refuse to flow conventionally from one room to the other in a linear fashion, rather,  they interact with each other in such a way that the inhabitant always has a teasing taste of what's to come, a slither of another space, a shard of light illuminating a mystical nook.

Built around a central courtyard, this house works to maximise every square metre, as well as bring rich light into all the interiors. I absolutely love the way the interior is orchestrated. There is a plethora of well thought-out and functional surprises around every corner; the small step-up into the living room, the louvres welcoming light into the hidden resting nook, and the tantalising peek onto the second floor as one approaches the dining room.

In fact, it is this relationship between the spaces that I absolutely love to search for in these photos, and furthermore, to imagine myself at the intersection of these interlocking interiors. Not too dissimilar to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoy the strength of this house is its power to invite the user to turn-back on the space that they just came from and experience it from a totally new point of view, all while having a clear vision of where they're going to next. The concept of this pivotal moment of triple existence fascinates me; the 'now', 'the immediate past', and the 'immediate future'. It is refreshing to see when architecture is more than a roof over one's head, but rather a canvas for a user experience that invites one to genuinely feel and embody a space. 

Source - architectureau.com

Images courtesy of - architectureau.com

Exquisite opulence by photographer Beppe Brancato

Ok so very simply said, it's difficult to hold a full-time job in the fast-paced world of advertising and blog. I think I've managed one short post over the last couple of months and boy do I miss blogging. I now need to seriously find a balance between work and blogging, otherwise this lack of creative fulfillment may just kill me... I'm not exaggerating, I think it really just might. So when I came across these seductive shots via Pinterest there was an immediate desire that fired up quite violently in my heart and I said to myself 'Damn it Bis, share this, SHARE IT NOW!!!'.

The responsible of these rich and succulent images is Italian photographer Beppe Brancato, and this particular editorial project is one that he has undertaken for the Italian magazine D REPUBBLICA. Now, unfortunately, I'm not in a position to accredit the styling to a name simply because I don't know, but if anyone reading this is more familiar with this particular editorial and cares to add, then please, please do so.

What absolutely mesmerises me in this sequence of Beppe Brancato's photography is the fearlessness and density to depict colour, one shamelessly seasoned with a subtle yet definite sense of enigma. The choice of what Brancato chooses to let inside the frame throws me into a certain stance of curiosity whereby I can't quite take-in everything at once, leading to a feeling of being somewhat mystified and puzzled by the setting. 

However, what is most rewarding is unravelling this puzzle in hungrily roaming the photographs and developing a sense of giddy understanding as to how all the elements work together. When I set my eyes on the image just below for example, of the regal bedroom, I took such pleasure in finding the flowers, or rejoicing at the simple positioning of the bed itself, so centred yet half hidden, exuding a sense of shy royalty. And I don't think I'm going too far in personifying the bed because its timidness comes through yet again in the last shot below, whereby we see its beauty in a vintage mirror. Almost hidden, but not quite, it has been given a definite and beautiful existence by its photographer.      

Images courtesy of - beppe brancato

Cozy slip-in daybed, by Stephanie Hornig

Well, well, working 12 hour days and blogging regularly has proven to be a tricky affair... but the blog will not lose out!! As I get my groove back into order and align the needles on my compass I'm slowly starting to get back to blogging. Let's hope this dry spell is over for good!!

To get the creaky blog wheels turning, there's nothing better than fun and fresh product design, and I think this couch cocoon is the perfect piece to revive the action with. Created by London-based Austrian designer Stephanie Hornig, this cute invention is titled the Camp Daybed.

Born from a desire to make futons more comfy, the Camp Daybed is essentially a sleeping bag on legs. So rather than opening up or unfolding into a mattress with back poking springs, this padded design unzips to let you slip directly inside. It's such a clever and functional idea, executed efficiently, with no unneeded additional clutter or bits and bobs. I love the simple and fresh approach.

Images courtesy of - stephanie hornig via fastcodesign