design

Lord Foster Designs $70 Million Factory for McLaren's New Supercar

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Architecture & Design

Famed British architect Lord Norman Foster has designed a stunning new $70 million Production Centre for McLaren where the legendary racing marque is busy assembling their wicked new MP4-12C supercar. The sleek new facility is an adjunct to McLaren's Technology Centre at the UK HQ, which Foster also designed and built for the company. Every aspect of the the Production Centre, a shrine to the ultimate in automotive technology and car design, is "clean, clinical and present for good reason," Wallpaper notes. The Production Centre is a low energy, eco-friendly structure with a roof designed to collect rainwater and a displacement ventilation system. It's connected to the Technology Centre by an underground walkway for ease of communication between McLaren's design and engineering teams. The overall effect is straight out of a James Bond film with its all-white interior, ceramic tiled floors and all-black technician's outfits; the only splashes of color come from the cars themselves.

Gallery: Lord Norman Foster for McLaren

[via JamesList]

Tags: architect, architecture, car design, design, Foster + Partners, Lord Norman Foster, McLaren, McLaren MP4-12C, Norman Foster, supercar, UK

Russian Billionaire's Philippe Starck - Designed Superyacht Startles San Diego

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Yachts & Sailing, Wealth, Architecture & Design

It caused quite a kerfuffle when 38-year-old Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's megayacht A (above), designed by Philippe Starck, weighed anchor off San Diego the other day while its owner drove off to check out Hearst Castle. The 390-ft. craft which resembles a sci-fi submarine cost over $300 million to build to the quirky designer's specs at Blohm + Voss, where Roman Abramovich's Eclipse was also constructed. With a crew of 35 (all outfitted in Starck-designed uniforms) to run it, the A's twin diesel's kick down 24,000 hp for a maximum speed of 24 knots, impressive for a ship this size. The interior features $40,000 bath faucets and $60,000 stair banisters.

The all-white, 2,583-sq.-ft. master suite wrapped in bulletproof, 44-milimeter glass is accessed by a silver-plated staircase with a fingerprint scanner at the door. Elsewhere Starck scattered Baccarat crystal tables, alligator skin and Kudu horn chairs, stingray skin upholstered walls and hand-stitched leather paneling. Some of the companies involved in constructing the unique sea beast went bankrupt due to the difficulties in executing Starck's design dictums. Filling the A's gas tanks alone costs $500,000 a pop and running costs come to about $20 million a year. Check out a video of the eye-popping yacht after the jump:

Tags: alligator, Andrey Melnichenko, Baccarat, Blohm + Voss, bulletproof, design, leather, megayacht, Philippe Starck, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire, San Diego, silver, stingray, superyacht, yacht

Continue reading “Russian Billionaire's Philippe Starck - Designed Superyacht Startles San Diego”

The Classicist: Made in the Shade - Porsche Design Heritage Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Men's Style, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

Unlike some collections whose famous names reflect only lucrative licensing deals, products bearing the Porsche Design label have a pedigree that's strongly linked to the famed sports car marque. The Porsche Design Studio was established in 1972 by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the iconic Porsche 911 and grandson of the founder of the world-renowned German automaker. Since then Porsche Design has become synonymous with innovative luxury products boasting immaculate craftsmanship, state of the art technology and the absolute highest quality materials, all adhering to the same clear functionality of form. While the product line ranges from cell phones to superyachts these days, sunglasses, one of the first items produced and one with the strongest ties to driving, remain the most appealing.

During the '70s and '80s the coveted sunglasses were the shades of choice for the rich and famous who prized elegant, sporty style. Now Porsche Design Eyewear has come out with a new "Heritage Collection" of aviators celebrating this colorful history. Often copied by others, they remind us that the originals haven't been bettered. The new collection is not just a re-issue of the most notable sunglass designs however, but also an update for the 21st century. Iconic styles that went out of production years ago are back with major upgrades in materials with super lightweight, anti-corrosive titanium frames and lightweight shatter-proof polycarbonate lenses with a multi-layered premium anti-reflective coating. Priced from $250–$409, there are four classic styles in the collection in various color combinations, all variations on the iconic aviator shape and all now available from haute online eyewear boutique Eyegoodies.

Gallery: Porsche Design Heritage Collection

Tags: aviator, aviator sunglasses, aviators, car design, design, Eyegoodies, Eyewear, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, German design, Germany, leather, Porsche 911, Porsche Design, sports car, sunglasses, titanium

Continue reading “The Classicist: Made in the Shade - Porsche Design Heritage Collection”

Wally Supercar Concept for the Superyacht Set

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos

Monaco-based boatbuilder Wally, known for its avant-garde yacht designs, is responsible for some of the most eye-catching craft plying the waters. As we reported last year they also make some of the world's coolest high-performance skis. Now Matthew Hockham, an automotive design graduate of the UK's Coventry University, has come up with a Wally supercar concept inspired by both of the company's passions. Hockham's brief was to take Wally's distinctive design language and apply it to a suitably high-end and high-tech automotive concept. "The aim is to bring the essence of Wally onto the land and offer an exclusive user experience," he tells Car Body Design. Hockham's design uses Wally's trademark futuristic form language with sharp edges, black glass surfaces and hi-tech gray tones. The side profile was inspired by the lines of the stunning 118 WallyPower yacht. The interior makes extensive use of carbon fiber and teak, two materials used widely by Wally, and the elongated chassis is especially designed to transport a pair of Wally carbon fiber skis.

Gallery: Wally Supercar Concept

Tags: car design, carbon fiber, concept car, design, industrial design, Monaco, skis, supercar, teak, UK, Wally, yacht

World's First Zero Carbon Superyacht, Powered by Mercedes-Benz

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

A British car design expert named Richard Sauter known for several important innovations has adapted the latest in green automotive technology to create the world's first zero carbon superyacht. The design for the lightweight 160-ft. yacht employs both Mercedes-Benz's BlueTec clean diesel engines and the KERS (kinetic energy regeneration) system used by Porsche in its new 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, along with solar power. Dubbed Transcendence, the sleek, high-performance yacht will be capable of 25 knots under full power using what Sauter claims is the cleanest marine propulsion system in the world. Solar cells situated on PV deck spoilers in addition to the KERS and plug-in sources of energy charge a lithium ion storage system that runs all the yacht's services including AC, day and night. The system allows Transcendence to achieve her maximum speed under peak loads and to navigate in and out of harbors with zero emissions under battery power alone. Inside are luxe accommodations for 10 guests as well as 12 crew, fitted with the latest high-end sustainable materials.

[via JamesList]

Tags: car design, design, hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz BlueTec, Porsche, Richard Sauter, solar, superyacht, UK, yacht

Photo Tour: Scenes From Dwell On Design

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

If you are remodeling, building a new house or just in need of a change, Dwell on Design's show this weekend in Los Angeles provides ready inspiration. The focus is on green, eco-friendly and sustainable which led to a certain sameness of design. There was plenty of plant life on display, the garden and outdoor living sections were some of the most interesting and well-attended parts of the show. Inside the Los Angeles Convention Center flowers bloom, trees stretch upward and lounge chairs and hammocks offer places to relax. Only the brutally cold air conditioning and the industrial ceiling bring you back to the reality of being inside a convention hall.

The show runs through June 27 and this weekend includes Ed Begley Jr. speaking on green issues on Sunday. Sunday is also Good Food Sunday with talks on sustainable food, craft beer, cheese and the growing trend of food trucks.

Check out a photo tour of some of my favorite spots at Dwell on Design after the jump.

Tags: decor, design, dwell on design, green

Continue reading “Photo Tour: Scenes From Dwell On Design”

EXCLUSIVE: Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's Ten Essential Luxuries, Part I

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Gadgets, Books, Men's Style, 10 Luxuries

Luxist readers will be familiar with the beautiful and stylish books published by French imprint Assouline; perhaps less so with the man who founded and runs the company. A master of savoir faire, Prosper Assouline is known for merging the modern and the classical in publishing and creative design. The former artistic director of several French fashion magazines, Prosper's resumé includes creating and launching his own magazine, and the founding of a creative agency specializing in branding and advertising in the late 1980s. With a vision of true luxury in print, he founded Assouline Publishing with his wife, Martine Assouline, in Paris in 1995, creating a world of exclusivity in books and brand identity. Under the direction of Prosper, Assouline has invented a visual language that is internationally recognized for its excellence.

After establishing the imprint as the world's most renowned publisher of high-quality illustrated volumes on fashion and style, Prosper opened an office in New York in 2001, which became the brand's international headquarters. In the past 15 years, Assou has published over 750 titles across international markets ranging on subjects including art, architecture, design, fashion, gastronomy, photography, travel and viticulture. The first collection of monographs on the history of fashion, art, and design, Assouline's Memoire series, includes over 250 titles on such legendary names as Azzedine Aläia, Chanel, Charles James, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Jacobs. Assouline creates products that stand alone as objets d'art; they have a beauty and a point of view that make them desirable to own and incorporate into the most discerning collections. Click through to the gallery to see Part 1 of Prosper's 10 essential luxuries, from hats and yachts to bars and cars, and find out what makes them a must.

Gallery: Posh Publisher Prosper Assouline's 10 Luxuries, Part I

Tags: architecture, art, Assouline, books, Chanel, coffee table books, design, fashion, France, Paris, photography, style, yacht

Raw Silk Pillows Straight From Sri Lanka

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Comfy Heaven's raw silk and taffeta cushions have struck a nerve in the design world. Anyone looking for a splash of color to set a minimalist room buzzing should click on www.comfyheaven.com and check out this Sri Lanka-based company's knockout pillows and tableware. The colors are electric while the textiles are sumptuous. Add to that immaculate handiwork---knife-straight 90 degree corners, invisible zips, and no puckering unless it's part of the design. Because of the company's high standards and the small group of young women who are great at their work, you can order online and count on quality. Pure silk cushions in vivid colors start at $22; place mats, $22.50. Payment is by Pay Pal while shipping tends to run around $8, a flat rate regardless of quantity.

Tags: comfy heaven, decor, design, independent designer, independent designers, IndieDesigner, pillows, silk pillows, sri lanka, tableware

Continue reading “Raw Silk Pillows Straight From Sri Lanka”

$1.5 Million Riva Motor Boat by Marc Newson

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Avant-garde Australian designer Marc Newson has designed a limited edition version of Riva's famed 33-ft. Aquariva speedboat priced at $1.5 million. Only 22 examples of the sleek, stylish vessel, due to be unveiled this September at the Gagosian Gallery in New York, will be produced. Newson drew on his work in work in automotive and aerospace design for the project for the famed Italian boatyard. The windscreen is made from a single sheet of glass, the instrument panel is streamlined, and the handles, hooks and holds are made from anodized aluminum and disappear from view when not in use. The deck is covered in Micarta, an industrial resin. "When you think of small speedboats, inevitably you think of Riva, and particularly of the Aquarama, the Aquariva's predecessor which was the most glamorous boat of the 1950s and 1960s," Newson says. "It was beautifully made in a particular style that was very, very identifiable. I wanted to reinterpret the Aquariva in my own style, with cues from the Aquarama."

Source

Tags: design, Gagosian Gallery, Marc Newson, motor yacht, motorboat, powerboat, Riva, speedboat, yacht

Design World Mourns The Too-Brief Life of Tobias Wong

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The design world lost one of its brightest young stars recently. Tobias Wong was just 35 and had been turning out pieces that combined art, design and a dose of irreverant wit for years. As the NY Times reported in a comprehensive obituary, Wong first got attention after turning a Philippe Starck Bubble Club chair into a lamp. A lot of his best pieces were riffs on other designers' work or taking an existing concept and tweaking it in his own unique way. He created an engagement ring with the diamond turned so it was more of a weapon than a piece for admiration, a usually fragile crystal chandelier took on a new resilience after being dipped in rubber and the concept of remote-controlled lighting got an elegant lift with his vitrine-encased light switch. He took particular aim at our concepts of luxury with pieces like a gold-plated McDonalds coffee stirrer, a stack of $1 bills bound together like a notepad and capsules filled with edible gold leaf. Wong's death has been ruled a suicide. Many design blogs including Core 77 have written tributes to his one-of-a-kind talent.

Tags: design, designer, tobias wong

The Fashion Statement: Deepak Chopra on Design

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Several years ago, I attended the opening party of Coco De Mer, a high-end erotic and sex toy shop in Los Angeles. Deepak Chopra headlined the event along with Dave Stewart and Ringo Starr. The store sells the book Deepak Chopra's Kama Sutra on universal themes of love, sexuality and spirituality. Still, the physician and natural medicine guru could have been wary of endorsing such an event. Instead, he exuberantly supported it. Cool dude, I thought.

Recently, Chopra impressed me again. This time he was with Donna Karan at ABC Carpet & Home in New York City to talk about another universal subject, "Design, Beauty & Commerce; Serving as a Tool for Social Evolution." T: The New York Times Style Magazine sponsored the event and it drew big names like Lucy Liu and Hugh Jackman.

Chopra is friends with Donna Karan and Paulette Cole, who owns ABC Carpet & Home, as well as many other designers such as Diane von Furstenberg and Calvin Klein. But his connection to the fashion world appears to run deeper than that. Again, it's an everything-is-connected theme: Fashion, design and beauty have been a part of our humanity forever and, in the future, could play a role in righting our planet's wrongs, he said.

Tags: ABC Carpet Home, CocoDeMer, deepak chopra, Design, diane von furstenberg, Donna Karan

Continue reading “The Fashion Statement: Deepak Chopra on Design”

The Pixel, A Colorful Luxury Cabinet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Art and color form a new merger in the Pixel, a unique cabinet from Boca do Lobo. The boutique furniture company describes itself as a furniture jeweler and this piece definitely combines flash and utilit. This rainbow-colored cabinet has 1088 triangles created with silver leaf, gold leaf, lacquering, and 10 different types of wood leaf. It opens to reveal an aged mirror and nine drawers for storage. It sits on a polished brass base. The Pixel costs $23,850 and no instant gratification here, Ashi Jewelers, which is selling the piece, says to allow 14 – 16 weeks for delivery. Send all inquiries to inquiries@ashlijewelers.com. A video of the piece is after the jump.

Tags: cabinet, decor, design, the pixel

Continue reading “The Pixel, A Colorful Luxury Cabinet”

Modernist Masterworks of Los Angeles, 1900 - 1970

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Books

If you coveted the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in Los Angeles we wrote about last year, but didn't quite have the $15 million asking price, you should pick up a copy of Architecture of the Sun. The weighty tome, being published later this month by Rizzoli for $95, focuses on Los Angeles' many fine modernist masterworks built from 1900–1970. A modern city shaped by the complexities of its geography – ocean, desert, and mountains – "as connected with the industries which formed its cultural references and livelihood", Los Angeles has produced some of the greatest architectural accomplishments of the twentieth century. In addition to Lloyd Wright the architects featured include Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Rudolph Schindler, whose brilliant designs came to define an era. The eminent author, Thomas S. Hines, is Professor Emeritus of History and Architecture at UCLA, where he teaches cultural, urban, and architectural history.

Tags: architecture, books, California, coffee table books, design, Ennis House, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, Los Angeles, modernism, modernist, modernist architecture, photography, Richard Neutra, Rizzoli, UCLA

Eric Slayton's Blok Line of Home Furnishings

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Eric Slayton is a Brooklyn-based photographer and furniture designer who uses industrial wood-and-steel and concrete-and-steel to create around-the-house items. In the former department is his Blok series that includes the Solid Legged Blok Coffee Table (pictured), which uses Poplar taken from warehouse beams resting on water-cut steel supports. There are a few open-legged versions as well using natural and stained woods such as Cypress, Walnut, and Redwood, and a series of benches, too. For a closer look at his work, samples can be found at Ford & Ching in Los Angeles, Calypso Home and ABC in New York, and Scout in Chicago.

Source

Tags: coffee table, decor, design, eric slayton, furnishings, poplara, redwood, wood furniture

Beyond the Classics: The New Conran Shop at ABC Carpet & Home

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

You can spot the new Conran Shop's pedigree in a flash: the design icons - Mies, Starck, Saarinen- are still there. But that's not all. Sir Terence Conran, who opened his first shop in 1973 in London, scours the Milan furniture show looking for the bold and the new. Now he's expanding into eco-design and a whole new generation of treasures with his shop on the lower level of ABC Carpet & Home. Upstairs ABC is what some might call fussy, flirty, and feminine. At the new Conran Shop, the vibe is masculine, cutting-edge, showcasing furniture, lighting, household and specialty items that make you want to deposit what you live with now to the Salvation Army and start over again.

Tags: abc carpet, conran, contemporary furniture, decor, design, modern design, new york decor, Sir Terence Conran

Continue reading “Beyond the Classics: The New Conran Shop at ABC Carpet & Home”

← Previous Page|Next Page →