Luca Nichetto, designer of the IMM Cologne’s 2013 “Das Haus” installation.

As you make plans for 2013, one of the must do’s is a visit to the IMM Cologne furniture fair. Why? It’s a great place to see strong furniture brands made in Germany. Austria, and Switzerland debuting innovative product releases. Earlier this year we saw the launch of Konstantin Grcic’s Pro chair for Flötotto that was a hit at the show.

Germany’s robust economy means that strong German furniture brands like Walter Knoll, Dauphin, and E15 continue to showcase innovative products (the fair organizers estimate that around 1,250 companies from more than 50 countries will be in attendance). And if you are on the look out for the next design wunderkind, the fair’s d3 Design Talents is among the best-curated exhibitions of young designers from around the world.

A rendering of “Das Haus” by Nichetto.

But the fair has other reasons that make it worth visiting. The LivingKitchen, which is held in odd-numbered years, is a great place to learn about the latest kitchen and bath trends. The famous engineering and precision of German luxury cars can also be found in the work of many of the country’s kitchen and bathroom manufacturers, including Miele, Hansgrohe, Gaggenau, Dornbracht, and Poggenpohl. With 160 exhibitors from 18 countries, you’ll be seeing popular kitchen trends that continue the idea of open plan kitchens, smart appliances, and the use of material combinations of ceramic, glass, stainless steel and wood.

The Torei tray tables by Nichetto for Cassina.

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Sustainable Interior Environments graduate students (from L-R) Michael Wickersheimer, Alina Coca, Shannon Leddy and Christine Kwon chat with keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Kellert at the annual FIT Sustainable Business and Design Conference on March 27, 2012

As designers we are constantly asking questions, both large and small, general and specific. Who are the users of a space? What kind of design will provide them with a functional yet beautiful interior environment? When can those tiles be shipped? How long is it going to take them to get here? Where can I find some inexpensive reclaimed wood for a client asking for sustainable building strategies but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money?

To answer these questions, we perform what we think of as research. We make some phone calls or log onto the Internet to find the information we seek – often with wildly varying degrees of success. To address the bigger questions, we consult programs and meet with clients and users and delve into our own creative pasts to develop design solutions that are uniquely suited to a particular place at a given time. There’s one question, though, that we don’t seem to ask ourselves nearly often enough: Why?

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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?

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Courtesy of the Trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum. Photo: Martin Charles

We have a fundamental psychological need to express who we think we are by personalizing our homes which, in turn, give us comfort and solace. Our personalized rooms tell others about us. They have the added benefit of reminding us about what we feel is important to us. Unfortunately, homeowners are often tempted to follow design trends that, sometimes, don’t mesh with who they really are, causing tension and stress.

When I think about what makes a home a uniquely personal expression, Sir John Soane springs to mind. Read more…

The library at Gensler’s Chicago office is a satisfying space in many ways. By being situated on one of the design firm’s main circulation routes, this resource room naturally occupies the center of the action. The materials and catalogs that fill the shelves communicate, to employees and visitors alike, how much this group of designers value knowledge. The library shouts this nonverbal message.

This library is not a static place, fixated only on books and periodicals. There is a learning place in the first bay, dedicated to exhibits by artists, craftspeople, and manufacturers, among others. The shows can focus on topics that are outside the general comfort zone of people who work here.

It’s also the place where experimental uses of furnishings provide the firm’s design staff with ways to test out and understand furnishings options available to them. In this way the library becomes a platform for the quick prototyping of space design.

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Last Spring I enrolled in a sustainable construction development class thinking it would be nice to know a thing or two about healthy building material alternatives. Despite the section of my bookcase now dedicated to green manuals and alternative materials catalogs, I have learned an important lesson that most building professionals, concerned with health and sustainability, have learned before me: there is no such thing as “a thing or two.” It’s more like a few thousand things, most of them with crazy scientific names ending with “-ene” or “-ide.” You can spend hours just figuring out what type of paint to invest in (or, should that be wallpaper instead?) to minimize the VOCs used, and that’s even before the dreaded “egg shell white, or linen white?” debate.

Even for design professionals with some experience in building healthy, the challenge can seem like a time consuming labyrinth of dictionary definitions and a frustrating exercise in weighing lesser evils.

For most of us, including those just beginning our professional lives, lessons on sustainability thinking can culminate in a confusing upward climb towards a healthy environment. But, thanks to Perkins + Will’s “Precautionary List”, understanding chemical compositions in the design world has become easier. The list was created by the architecture firm, with the understanding that it is up to every individual to apply the precautionary principle when it comes to the health of humans, other living beings, and the environment. Even if there’s only a chance of a material containing something harmful, why use it? Read more…

Image courtesy the Milawaukee Art Museum, Photo: Timothy Hursley.

Whenever I’m in the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum, I have to catch my breath. Being there is an exhilarating, intensely positive experience. The space works hard to prepare visitors for the experiences they’re about to have as they proceed to view the collection—this makes the dramatic pavilion a place that works.

The Santiago Calatrava addition to the museum opened ten years ago, in 2001. The structure’s famous wings that open and close, change the amount and quality of sunlight that enters the area immediately beneath them. This reception hall, used for many community and private events, is surrounded by an auditorium, a store, a café, and room for temporary exhibits.

I find the reception hall most intriguing – particularly as I amble deeper into the space, and get closer to Lake Michigan.   Read more…

A15: New York Parlor, 1850–1870, c.1940, Mrs. James Ward Thorne, Miniature Room, Mixed Media, Interior:  12 3/8 x 17 1/2 x  21 in., Scale: 1 inch = 1 foot, Gift of Mrs. James Ward Thorne.

The Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago celebrate the diversity of spaces that human beings can call home. They move visitors, gently, to think about the places they live.

As you enter the miniature rooms gallery you know you’re in a space that’s distinct from the rest of the Art Institute. Unlike adjoining areas, here the floor is carpeted, muting the echoes of ambient conversations to hushed tones. This seems appropriate for the intense study of tiny, intricate, realistic replicas of living spaces. Read more…

Where can one find world class doctors, highly customized medical plans, a five star spa, health club, and restaurant? The Chaum Center, in Seoul, Korea, designed by KMD architects, combines all these things in an attempt to transform health care.

Housed in a futuristic building with lavish amenities and design elements, the Chaum Center is certainly a far cry from your average drab hospital building. KMD’s intention: to create an inspiring space that fosters relaxation. Here, futuristic elements, like the examination pods mimicking cell structures, continuous walls that snake through the interior, as well as the use of sleek materials, create a luxurious aesthetic. Read more…

The House of Sweden (Swedish Embassy) in Washington, DC is a striking manifestation of Swedish culture; in fact it may be among the best architectural embodiments of culture/brand I’ve ever visited. As the year winds down, you may see this modern building in the background of end-of-year retrospectives that feature picturesque Georgetown. On television, it might appear as the backdrop for news stories on Swedish efforts in the Korean peninsula. Read more…