Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien

The IMM Cologne furniture fair is worth visiting because you get to see furniture made in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland that you might not see elsewhere, as well as product debuts by wunder stars like Stefan Diez or Konstantin Grcic. Moreover the fair’s d3 Design Talents section is among the best-curated exhibitions of young designers from around the world. And the organizers’ strong track record of presenting trends in furniture and interiors is bound to trickle down to the home section of your local newspaper in a few years time. All this makes IMM Cologne worth paying attention to. But it’s the organizers’ foresight in identifying new design talent, way before they become superstars, and commissioning them to create the Ideal House that’s become a most anticipated event in the industry. Through the years we have seen installations by Hella Jongerius, Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, and the Bouroullec brothers. After an absence of four years, the Ideal House concept, “Das Haus,” is back, showcasing this year’s guest designers, the London studio Doshi Levien.

Read more…

Photo: Bill Hughes

Adam Tihany, known for designing iconic restaurants and famous resorts from New York to Jerusalem and points in between, is the new art director for the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Tihany is set to play a key role in the aesthetics of CIA’s expansion and renovation programs. I spoke to him about his latest projects, his advice to young designers in a challenging market, and his plans for the future.

Paul Makovsky: I know it’s early, but what are your initial thoughts as the new art director for prestigious The Culinary Institute of America?

Read more…

Last September, during London’s design week, I travelled to Hackney in East London to visit Jasper Morrison at his studio and shop, where he debuted several products: a running shoe for Spanish shoemaker Camper, a cordless telephone and the latest model of the r5.5 wristwatch for Swiss watch manufacturer Rado, and —the last which is launching at the Maison & Objet fair in Paris on January 21 to 25, 2011 (it won’t be released to the North American market for some time). The three designs were on display at Morrison’s shop, alongside the designer’s second exhibition on trays from around the world. The shop is a space where you can see and buy Morrison’s wares as well as everyday objects that are beautiful and useful. 

Paul Makovsky: What was the idea for doing this shop?

Jasper Morrison: There are only three people working here. Four if you count me. And I thought it would be nice to do something that would close the circle. Before we work with manufacturers, occasionally we meet shop people but we never meet the customers.

Read more…

The Druk White Lotus School in Shey, India, which I wrote about back in 2009, was seriously damaged in a recent flood and mudslides that took place in the remote Ladakh region of the Himalayas in last week. Preliminary estimates of the damage and repair of the buildings and infrastructure will cost over $130,000 (this does not include the cost of re-equipping the school with furniture, books, and computers, etc). Read more…

When it comes to technology, one of my favorite objects is a Tivoli portable radio. The high-quality sound, the compact size, and the old-school knobs are perfect for simple folk like me. What’s refreshing is that the company in recent years has embraced Design with a capital “D.” This year’s iPAL models, for example, are available in high-gloss red, green, blue, yellow, and black—zippy colors that are bound to please. Read more…

When it comes to cultural design spaces in New York, I’d have to say that I sometimes get the feeling they are in crisis: Cooper-Hewitt will be closing soon for its renovation (they’ve already closed access to their collections, though they just opened their Triennial, which is worth seeing); the Museum of Arts and Design is continually having funding challenges (will they ever mount that exhibition on George Nelson?); while other spaces, like Storefront for Art and Architecture or the Van Alen Institute, need to figure out exactly where they are headed. So it was great news to hear that the Triennale in Milan will be opening a permanent space in Manhattan in September.

Located in the old premises of the Museum of Arts and Design at West 53rd Street, the new multidisciplinary space will bring the experience of Italian design, architecture, art, and food to the city, in a space designed by the Italian architects Michele De Lucchi and Pierluigi Cerri in collaboration with New York studio CUH2a. We got our hands on some of the renderings. Read more…

Murray Moss and Franklin Getchell at Moss were so excited with their latest exhibition, Poetic License, that I asked Franklin to send over some pics. The show, which celebrates rule breaking, envelope pushing, and taking chances—everything a designer should be doing—showcases works that push the boundaries of what’s been done before in a variety of media. You’ll see some launches by young European designers like Michael Anastassiades, Mathias Bengtsson, Finn Magee, and Oskar Zieta, as well as work by standbys like the Campana brothers, Michele De Lucchi, and Patrick Jouin. The show opens May 16, and is a nice kick-off to ICFF. And if you miss the show this weekend, it’s open until June 26. Read more…

While this is old news to Metropolis readers, the Smithsonian has finally gone on the record announcing that Bill Moggridge is going to be the new director of the Cooper-Hewitt. He’ll have a lot of challenges ahead. But I’m happy with the choice. Congratulations, Bill!

Previously: Drum Roll, Please: The next director of the Cooper-Hewit is …

.
.

It’s been over a year since the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt announced the departure of Paul Thompson and formed a search committee to find a replacement. No official announcements have been made and the staff members I’ve spoken to have either been clueless or mum. So, while doing the rounds in Europe this week, the subject came up again. Names bandied about included: the MoMA’s Paola Antonelli (“She is ready for the Cooper-Hewitt, but the current staff isn’t ready for her,” I heard); the Cincinnati Art Museum’s director, Aaron Betsky (“He’d never be able to deal with the bureaucracy of working in triplicate forms”); or Craig Miller, who did a great job building up the design collection at the Denver Art Museum (“He seems happy as curator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art”). Then, suddenly, a wise friend whispered: Bill Moggridge. Read more…

.

.

.
.

Each month, Productsphere brings design professionals a wealth of innovative and inventive new products, organized around a central theme of particular relevance to the industry. After the jump, Metropolis’s editorial director, Paul Makovsky, talks about his Productsphere column in the October issue of the magazine.

Read more…