Posts from — January 2008

I thought this was funny…. It’s a NYC MTA Subway Map for white people, by comedian and writer Streeter Seidell.
See the large version here!

Isn’t this an adorable high chair? It was designed by Toshimitsu Sasaki about 30 years ago. Talk about a man ahead of his time!! The incredibly versatile chair ($300) can adjust to fit the needs of a child any age. It even morphs into a rocking horse.

Photo: New York Times
Ever walk by the MoMa and wonder what that empty lot of prime real estate was for? Well the secret is out that the museum does have plans for it. Even if they are temporary plans. Today the museum announced the 5 names that will be participating PreFab architecture exhibition to be held in that lot, opening in July of ’08. The participants?

Kieran Timberlake Associates 

Larry Sass

Douglas Gauthier and Jeremy Edmiston

Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf

Richard Horden

The exhibition Design contre Design (Design vs. Design), held at the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais closed last week after 5 successful months of showing. The exhibition, which takes a humorous look at the past 200 years of design, was sure to have left any visitor with questions such as, where is design headed in the future? What does “design” mean? Are we slowly becoming detached from design and moving towards “hip”? 
The show did not answer any questions. It merely provided a stage for thought by exhibiting numerous pieces of work that seemed to poke fun at the idea of “design.” Pools & Pouf by Robert Stadler, 2004  Porca Miseria by Ingo Maurer, 2005   (From left to right)Commode, Chest of Drawers by Remy Tejo, 1991Banc Iceberg by Zaha Hadid, 2003Table Cinderella by Jeroen Verhoeven, 2005

The Phones, oh the phones

I hate to have to do this, but yes the iPhone/ iPod Touch is beautiful, adorable, exquisite, etc etc. But believe it or not, there was one other phone that I adored in 2007…and you know what, in terms of aesthetics I may even like it better than Apple`s product. I am speaking of 6th installment of Japanese cell phone maker au`s design project; the media skin. The phone was designed by enigmatic industrial designer Tokujin Yoshioka, who, by the way, displayed an impressive installation at Design Miami. If you’re interested, Dezeen has an interesting interview with the artist. Anyway, back to the phone! the exterior is coated using fine particulates that are used in make-up, giving it a unique matte finish which I absolutely love! And lets not forget to mention the great contrast between the smokey screen and the actual colors of the phone.

Jyske Bank – a corporate facelift

Based out of Denmark, Jyske Bank overhauled their corporate image during 2007 and the results are quite fantastic! Now, at any of the banks 119 branches, you can not only complete all of your banking transactions, but you can also relax in a cafe-like open atmosphere, have a cup of coffee, read a magazine, or be dazzled by streaming media on one of their plasma TVs.

Ørestad Gymnasium - The School without walls

Orestad College (high school) opened in 2007 to much acclaim. They structure, which hardly resembles a school, is located just south of central Copenhagen and was designed by 3XN.  

Characterized by open spaces, high ceilings, and of course, no walls, the building is supposed to help facilitate communication between students, teachers, as well as interdisciplinary studies. No more chemistry from 9:00-10:00 and geometry from 10:00 – 11:00. We are now living in a time of astronomy, english, and theater from 9:00 – 11:00.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
and welcome to a new and improved Spoon & Tamago. Not only do we have a new look and feel, but I’ll be adding some new features to the blog such as special editions. So look for those in the coming days. In the meanwhile, I’d like to start off the new year by doing a recap of some of my favorite things from 2007. I hope to show you some things you have seen as well as some things you may have missed!

Favorite Things Of 2007:
Hotel Marqués de Riscal
This hotel was actually completed in late 2006 but it wasn’t until 2007 when people began to talk. The architect? …you guessed it; Frank Gehry.
Gehry has returned to his love of titanium in this piece, somehow mirroring, or even creating a sequel to his Guggenheim Bilbao. I’m not sure what the locals think of this brash structure in the middle of their village. I happen to think it fits right in.

photos courtesy of: Starwood Hotels