Architecture & Design

$13 Million Gift Means New Pavillion For Natural History Museum In Los Angeles

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 6th 2011 at 12:01AM

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will have a dramatic new glass entrance pavilion thanks to a $13 million gift from the Otis Booth Foundation. The gift is the largest made to date by the Los Angeles-based private foundation and the largest private gift dedicated to the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park in its nearly century-long history. The foundation is a legacy of Franklin Otis Booth, Jr. (1923-2008), the great- grandson of General Harrison Gray Otis, founder of the Los Angeles Times.

The Otis Booth Pavilion will feature a 63-foot fin whale specimen that was first exhibited at the museum back in 1944. The 7,000-pound specimen was re-articulated to give the whale the appearance of a whale in the midst of a dive. The light-filled, three-story entrance will be connected to Exposition Boulevard by a pedestrian bridge. It was designed for the museum by CO Architects in association with Cordell Corporation. The Otis Booth Pavilion is scheduled for completion by November 2013, in time for the celebration of the Natural History Museum's 100th anniversary. The museum is in the middle of a six-year renovation that also includes the opening of the new Age of Mammals experience and exhibitions inside the Haaga Family Rotunda, the new Dinosaur Hall and a new exhibition exploring the natural and cultural history of Los Angeles and Southern California. The Museum's $135 million NHM Next Campaign has raised $84 million to date. The Otis Booth Foundation donation was made outside of the current campaign.

[via the LA Times]

Tags: los angeles, los angeles museums, natural history museum, natural history museum of los angeles county

Top US Architect, Daniel Libeskind, Working On Italian Bridge Project

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Jan 3rd 2011 at 8:00PM

In a recent interview with the New York Observer, top architect Daniel Libeskind said that his "only New Year's resolution is to continue having as much fun and seeing the world change in positive ways." He seems to be off to a good start. Officials for what would be the largest suspension bridge in the world say that the architect, whose projects include One World Trade Center and CityCenter in Las Vegas, is working on plans for a complex to be built on one side of the Straits of Messina Bridge.

The bridge will link the Italian mainland to the Island of Sicily. Libeskind's compound would be built on the Calabrian side of the span and would include shops and hotels. Work is expected to begin by the end of the year on the massive highway and rail bridge that will connect Calabrian "toe" of the Italian peninsula to the port of Messina, Sicily. This is an idea thousands of years in the making with everyone from the ancient Romans to Charlemagne eager to bring these land masses together. In the last 20 years the project has been through a series of stops and starts but Silvio Berlusconi vowed to restart the project. It is expected to cost over six billion euros and could take at least five years to build. Even though it will save hours in transit time not everyone is a fan of the project. Some see it more as an expression of Berlusconi's ego rather than something that will be of maximum benefit to the area.

Tags: architecture, calabria, daniel libeskind, sicily, straits of messina

Inside Abramovich's New $230 Million London Mega-Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 27th 2010 at 6:02PM

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has purchased all nine luxury apartments in two adjoining buildings in London's posh Knightsbridge neighborhood and plans to transform them into a mega-mansion at a total cost of about $230 million. He aims to turn the 30,000-sq.-ft. eight-bedroom buildings, a historic property located next to famed department store Harrods and designed by renowned master builder Thomas Cubitt, who also designed parts of Buckingham Palace, into a high-tech luxury fortress with five above-ground stories and three underground levels, the London Daily Mail reports. The paper has obtained a schematic of the plans, above; most of the cost of the project will go towards the renovations.

"He wants a very plush interior in the style of high neoclassical Victorian to match the exterior," an insider tells the paper. "He's going to be very hands-on and there will be nothing minimalist about his taste. Inside will be all cornices, thick pile carpeting and heavy drapery." The plans call for six bedrooms two guest rooms all with en suite baths; a multicar garage with staff accommodation in a mews behind the main building; a cinema / entertainment room; an indoor swimming pool; a steam room and sauna; and a children's study and entertainment room. Abramovich has been patiently acquiring the flats in the buildings since the late '90s, the paper reveals, and just recently closed on the last one.

Tags: abramovich, abramovich+london, abramovich+mansion, abramovichlondon, abramovichmansion, billionaire, estates, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, mansion, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, UK, wealth

Dwell and Gilt Partner To Sell Modern Home Plans

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Dec 20th 2010 at 7:01PM

Recently we saw Gilt Groupe put a VW Jetta up for sale. Now the site, which once sold just fashion and accessories through the fast sale format has now partnered with Dwell Media, the parent company of Dwell magazine, and architectural firm Turkel Design to sell modern home plans and architectural services online through Gilt.com. This is a first-time sale of this kind for both Gilt and Dwell.

The Dwell Home Finisterre 1115 modern home plan is designed by Turkel Design principal, Joel Turkel. Turkel's designs have been part of the Dwell Homes Collection of prefab homes, a selection of home plans that Dwell first started selling back in 2005.

The Gilt / Dwell package includes the home plan with custom renderings as well as architectural services from Turkel Design that include digital 3D schematic design iterations, scaled design drawings, and consultations. This home includes an outdoor sleeping deck on the roof, a nook off the living room designed to cantilever over the site, and uses sustainable materials.The home plan features 1115 sq. ft. of living space and is designed to be a vacation home or weekend retreat. The narrow form is designed to have a very small footprint and offer views (depending of course on the site you choose). The home can be manufactured (delivered to the site in two small modules to be assembled) or site-built.

This package would normally retail for $25,000 but on Gilt it will be $12,500. There are 20 packages and the sales started today and ends December 23.

Tags: dwell, gilt groupe, home plans, modern home, turkel design

Frank Gehry Unveils "Wrinkly" New Building

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Dec 17th 2010 at 1:01AM

Architect Frank Gehry has revealed his "crinkly, wrinkly" design for the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) business school in Sydney Australia. The new building is his first Australian design. Gehry expects the 11-story treehouse to "generate some questions" but he is hoping that the community will eventually embrace it. The 81-year-old architect is no stranger to controversy and to people hating his designs when they are first revealed.

Construction will begin on the university's campus in central Sydney in 2012 and the building is set to be completed in 2014. It has two separate facades, one of undulating brick and the other of angled sheets of glass. The building will be named the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, after the Australian-Chinese business leader who has donated $25 million for the project.

Tags: australia, frank gehry, sydney

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Architect Oscar Niemeyer Celebrates 103rd Birthday With New Museum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Dec 16th 2010 at 11:02PM

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer celebrated his 103rd birthday this week with a special honor, the opening of a museum dedicated to his career in Niteroi near Rio de Janeiro. The museum showcases exhibits that reference the architect's 70 years of work. His building can be seen all around the world from the swooping modernist concrete buildings in the futuristic capital of Brasilia to U.N. headquarters in New York.

Niemeyer isn't done yet, he continues to work and showed up at the museum launch. The Oscar Niemeyer cultural center in Aviles, Spain also opened on Wednesday. Niemeyer designed the Niteroi museum himself and the area is also home to several other of his buildings. He has said that the curves of the women of Brazil have inspired his designs.

Tags: architecture, Brasilien, Oscar Niemeyer

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Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule Debuts at Design Miami

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Dec 8th 2010 at 9:31AM

Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule designed for the Hotel du Marc in Champagne, France.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to spend twenty minutes relaxing in the modernistic sleeping capsule in Veuve Clicquot's "Once Upon a Dream" exhibit at DesignMiami this past week, was probably not the same afterward. Indeed, the innovative sleep capsule was created by famed designer Mathieu Lehanneur who studied the research of noted sleep specialists in order to design a space that evokes resynchronization through touch, sight, smell and sound.

The Once Upon a Dream sleep capsule was commissioned by the renowned champagne house (the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Winner for Best Champagne) in anticipation of the upcoming re-opening of the Hôtel du Marc in Reims, France. Hôtel du Marc (see image below) is the private mansion where Veuve Clicquot hosts as many as 3,000 overnight guests who travel from around the world to visit its headquarters where it makes its famous champagne.

Not only is the one-of-a-kind sleep capsule striking in design, but it also serves a higher purpose: for every twenty minutes spent sleeping inside it, one hour of jet lag is erased. If one hour is spent inside the capsule, the side effects related to three hours of jet lag disappear.

Gallery: Veuve Clicquot's Once Upon a Dream Sleep Capsule

Tags: awards-main, Campanas brothers, Champagne, Fernando Campana, France, Hotel du Marc, Humberto Campana, luxist-awards, Mathieu Lehanneur, The Gloriette, Veuve Clicquot

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Great Gardens of the Hudson River Valley

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 3rd 2010 at 10:01AM

Winter may be fast approaching but verdant greenery abounds in Gardens of the Hudson Valley, a new photographic portrait of the region's lush private landscapes. The luxurious volume chronicles 25 gardens chosen to give "a sense of place and convey the romance of the landscape" abutting the majestic Hudson River in New York state. Photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley selected gardens from Yonkers up the river to the town of Hudson, including famous formal estate gardens like Kykuit, Boscobel, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Olana, along with smaller, more naturalistic plots that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. Each of the gardens tells a story about the people who made them, and collectively they evoke "the grace and grandeur of the Hudson River landscape" underscoring the central role the Hudson Valley played in the birth of an American garden tradition.

Tags: books, coffee table books, estates, garden, gardens, Hudson Valley, New York, photography, river, Vanderbilt Mansion

Eight Cornwall Terrace Mansions Offered for $625 Million in London

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 1st 2010 at 8:01AM

Last month we broke the news that the first estates in one of London's most impressive landmark properties, Cornwall Terrace (above), were being offered for sale starting at $65 million via Christie's Great Estates. Now the London Daily Mail has followed up with a report that the total value of the eight double-fronted mansions contained in the newly-renovated Terrace is about $625 million, making it the world's most expensive row of houses. The largest of the residences at 14,000-sq.-ft. is expected to fetch around $100 million alone; however some enterprising Russian oligarch could step in and snap up the whole lot and transform it into the ultimate private palace. Sited within a peerless location overlooking Regent's Park, Cornwall Terrace is described as a "rare convergence of provenance, history, and grandeur."

The Grade I listed Regency terrace was designed in the early 19th Century by royal architect John Nash and was home to members of the nobility for nearly 150 years. Incredible architectural details such as paneling, moldings, marble floors and fireplaces are enhanced by state-of-the-art amenities such as a silent hydraulic lift, multiroom iPad-controllable audio-visual and lighting systems, and comprehensive security systems. Each of the eight estates is being offered completely furnished including unique works of art and bespoke furniture, each designed by a famous decorator. Each property also comes with its own staff accommodation, and residents will enjoy a range of recreational options including on-site spas and gymnasiums, Bentley-sized garages, and a personal sommelier service.

Gallery: Cornwall Terrace

Tags: architecture, Christies, Cornwall Terrace, estates, London, mansion, real estate, UK

The Classicist: Bergdorf Goodman Unveils High-Tech Holiday Windows [video]

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Nov 29th 2010 at 9:02AM

Legendary luxe New York department store Bergdorf Goodman, founded in 1901, is famous for its amazing, elaborate holiday windows which dazzle shoppers and passersby alike. This year is no exception, with the added attraction of some high-tech features debuting for the very first time. The 2010 windows, entitled "Wish You Were Here," take their inspiration from fantasy travel to far-flung places involving some rather unusual ways of getting there. The displays feature an array of "wild mash-ups of unexpected arrivals and departures", each with visual influences as diverse as Roman mythology, 1940s Hollywood musicals, the city's original Penn Station, and the very first science fiction film.

This year, for the first time, QR codes on several of the windows enable people to view an online Bergdorf Holiday Gift Finder and a video depicting the making of the holiday displays (above) simply by scanning the codes with their smartphone or handheld digital device. Produced entirely in-house by Bergdorf, the video features the song "Follow Me" by 17-year old emerging Sony artist Audrianna Cole. "We are in the surprise business," notes David Hoey, Bergdorf Goodman's Senior Director of Visual Presentation and Window Design. "This job is part architect and part cake decorator." Each of the landmark store's five main Fifth Avenue windows represents a different destination and a special method of conveyance:

Gallery: Bergdorf Goodman 2010 Holiday Windows

Tags: Bergdorf Goodman, Christmas shopping, department store, Fifth Avenue, holiday, Holiday 2010, holidays, Naeem Khan, New York, Oscar de la Renta, Polyvore.com, store, travel

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Tofinou 12 Sailing Yacht by Philippe Starck & Goyard

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Nov 22nd 2010 at 8:04AM

Don't have $300 million to commission an eye-popping megayacht from freak of nature Philippe Starck? You don't need to be a Russian billionaire to afford his newest ocean-going feat of high design, the 39-ft. Tofinou 12 sailing yacht (above) from France's Latitude 46 boatyard. Starck employed precious woods, leather, steel and bespoke monogrammed canvas storage pouches from the famed house of Goyard to decorate the teak, mahogany, carbon fiber and Kevlar in the boat's construction. Due to be unveiled at next month's Paris Boat Show, the four-berth weekender features twin carbon wheels which Starck has wrapped in luxe leather. A stainless steel-framed rosewood companionway gives onto a saloon decked out in floor to ceiling leather, with wide curved seating, oversized cushions, a varnished painted oval table and mirror polished stainless steel mast support. "A Tofinou doesn't exist," Starck states. "It's just a dream, an evocation, a breeze, a sigh of happiness. So little materiality, so elegant. The perfect quality and timelessness of Tofinou born within the natural intelligence of the relationship between the sea and man."

[via JamesList]

Gallery: Tofinou 12 Yacht by Starck

Tags: carbon fiber, France, Goyard, leather, Philippe Starck, Russian billionaire, sailing, sailing yacht, yacht

Essence Sculpture by Infiniti and Louis Vuitton

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) — Nov 16th 2010 at 6:02PM

This isn't the first time Infiniti and Louis Vuitton have teamed up. The last time was on the bespoke fitted luggage to accompany the show-stopping Essence concept car unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Now the two have come back together for a follow-up.

This limited-edition resin sculpture is created by the same talents behind the concept car, and comes in a specially-crafted Louis Vuitton carrying/presentation case. Only 300 examples will be offered, each fetching $300. The sculpture and case will be unveiled at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, after which it will become available via infinitilifestyle.com.

Gallery: Infiniti Essence Sculpture

Tags: 2010 la auto show, 2010 los angeles auto show, expire-images:2010-12-16, infiniti, infiniti essence, infiniti essence concept, infiniti essence sculpture, la auto show, los angeles auto show, louis vuitton, sculpture

Luxist Giveaway: Alessi Cronotime Desk Clock

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 15th 2010 at 10:01AM

The holidays often mark the return of old favorites, good friends, favorite dishes and more. This year we are giving away another old favorite, a design favorite, the Cronotime desk clock from Alessi, makers of design-centered home goods. The clock is a nice reminder of the days before phone and computer clocks became the standard method of telling time. Sometimes it's pleasing to look at something designed just for one purpose, delivering the time in a clear and rather cheerful manner. Today we are giving away one Cronotime desk clock in ABS, orange, which generally sells for $78. It would make a great holiday gift for your favorite design lover, that is if you can bear to part with it. To enter the giveaway, leave us a comment about your favorite Alessi designs.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before November 22, 2010 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive the Cronotime desk clock from Alessi, valued at $78.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Tags: alessi, cronotime, desk clock, desk clocks, luxist giveaway

The Classicist: Los Angeles' Finest Classic Estates

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Nov 15th 2010 at 9:01AM

With asking prices running to the tens of millions on the rare occasions when such treasures hit the market, owning one of the classic estates of Los Angeles remains but a dream for many. Meanwhile Douglas Woods offers the next best thing in his new stunning new book Classic Homes of Los Angeles from Rizzoli, an exclusive look into some of the finest period revival residences and gardens to be found in and around the area's legendary neighborhoods. The volume's 240 full-color photographs by Melba Levick depict a panorama of richly detailed architectural styles popular in Southern California during its "Golden Age of Expansion" from 1899 to 1938, from Craftsman, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian to Spanish Colonial and Tuscan Revival. Famous landmarks are included as well as many never-before-seen gems.

The cover of the book (above) shows the Prindle House in Pasadena built by architect George Washington Smith in 1926, a pristine example of Spanish Colonial Revival style. Also included are the 1899 Doheny Mansion with its incredible glass-domed Pompeian Room, now part of Mount Saint Mary's College; the stately Huntington Mansion with its palatial great hall, now the Huntington Library museum; the estate of the great Hollywood producer and director Cecil B. DeMille which was recently listed for sale at $18 million; the elegant 1932 Fudger House in Beverly Hills where Danny Kaye lived and entertained for many years; and Frank Lloyd Wright's famed Millard House, aka La Miniatura, from 1923 in Pasadena which was our Estate of the Day in February 2009.

In his introduction to the book, author and architecture expert D.J. Waldie poses the question, "What makes a classic home of Los Angeles?" The answer, he writes, is one that "sympathetically embraces the fundamentals of life here: light, air, landscape and romance." To achieve these qualities, "architects and their clients in the first half of the twentieth century turned to various pasts that were not their own," he notes, "but without turning away from the future they thought Los Angeles represented." For the most part, Waldie writes, "they declined to engage in the culture wars of Modernism (although many great Modernist homes are part of the city's architectural heritage). Some Angeleños thought houses had other, more consoling work to do. A house that can dream for and with its owners, that can dream of both escape and shelter, makes it a classic of Los Angeles." Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Classic Homes of Los Angeles

Petitfils-Boos House, Hancock Park, 1921

Tags: architecture, Beverly Hills, books, California, Cecil B. DeMille, celebrity real estate, coffee table books, Doheny Mansion, estates, Frank Lloyd Wright, gardens, historic houses, Huntington Library, Los Angeles, movies, Pasadena, real estate, Rizzoli, Southern California, The Classicist

Inside the Homes of American Fashion Designers

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Nov 12th 2010 at 2:02PM

Assouline has released the latest luxe edition in its American Fashion series, dedicated to the top-drawer designers who are members of the prestigious CFDA. American Fashion Designers at Home showcases the personal spaces of more than 100 fashionistas, including Diane von Furstenburg, Oscar de la Renta, Cynthia Rowley and Kate Spade. While some designer dwellings are extensions of the sensibilities embodied by their apparel collections, others exhibit a marked contrast. The domiciles range from studio apartments to sprawling estates, but all are linked by a keen aesthetic sense. Included are Carolina Herrera's grand Louis XV–influenced New York apartment; Betsey Johnson's girly glamourpuss garret; Ralph Lauren's luxuriously rustic Colorado ranch; Donna Karan's tranquil Turks & Caicos getaway; Tommy Hilfiger's over-the-top Greenwich mansion; Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa's ultra-modern Manhattan aerie; and Johann Lindeberg's converted Greenwich Village factory (on the book's cover, above). Check out the gallery for a preview of Randolph Duke's Hollywood spread (which he recently sold for $5.3 million), David Chu's chic digs and more.

Gallery: American Fashion Designers at Home