All posts filed under: Design

The new Fondazione Prada tower Milan

The new Fondazione Prada tower_Milan

The new Fondazione Prada tower Milan When in Milan for our annual visit to the Salone di Mobile, it’s always good to spare some time for a quick (or long) visit to the always interesting Fondazione Prada. This year we absolutely wanted to check out the brand new tower designed by OMA.  The ‘tower’ pré-opened the 20th of April 2018 with a real über-VIP evening with all star artists like Damien Hirst, Carsten Höller, Francesco Vezzoli, and Luc Tuymans, DJ Ricardo Villalobos, architects India Mahdavi, David Adjaye, Rem Koolhaas and Alejandro Aravena; curators Paola Antonelli and Deyan Sudjic and gallerists Jay Jopling and Nazanin Yashar and off course hosts Miuccia Prada and husband Patrizio Bertelli. Quite impressive, so how cool was this we were in Milan that exact week? April 21 st 2018 So we went to visit the tower the very FIRST DAY the museum was open. This report is really a first hand view on a brand new star project. The epic inaugural show “Atlas” was conceived by Miuccia Prada with Germano Celant, the veteran Italian curator, and features …

corn skin waste

Corn food waste: material innovation_DDW 2017

We all know corn. We think there is one kind of corn we can consume during barbecue’s and spare ribes, but are wrong. In Mexico alone farmers breed 62 sorts of corn. The skin of these species of corn are waste material as we don’t consume it. Corn skin waste Designer Fernando Laposse found out dat we do not have to throw away the corn skins but that they can be used as finishing layers on furniture, decorative items and all kind of MDF constructions. The designer also shows where the corn is sourced. By doing so he not only celebrates bio diversity but gives also support to the small farmers who sustain their family. Fernando Laposse is a London based Mexican designer with a BA in product design from Central Saint Martins. He was born in Paris, France september 1988. His work is deeply rooted in material experimentation and craft with a great emphasis on self production and the DIY culture. His projects aim to raise questions regarding whole system thinking, ephemerality, patterns of consumption and …

Bar Luce at Fondazione Prada_Milan

Each year we head to Milan for ‘Il Salone del Mobile’. Besides a shit load of design, great food and interesting talks we always visit the wonderful Fondazione Prada.  Always , really always there are good & surprising expo’s to discover while strolling around in-between the buildings and posing in front of the shiny gold leaf wall. Rem Koolhaas, of OMA, was the star architect working together with Miuccia Prada on this special project. Bar Luce Milan But the most important place to visit is the magical, unique pastel painted Bar Luce. Don’t be mistaken: this is not an evening bar but a breakfast/lunch & apero venue straight from the world of Mary Poppins. To set things right straight away: this is not a fairytale but a creation by cineast & movie director Wes Anderson, famous for movies like The Grand Budapest Hotel and my fav The Royal Tenenbaums. Imagine: color-blocked Formica tables, whimsical wallpaper, a perfectly modish WC, and there’s even a Steve Zissou–themed pinball machine. In the counter & bar only very Italian drinks_think campari, espresso …

Algae bar_DDW 2017

The Algae Bar is an interactieve installation by the guys behind Cateringa & kompanen. The idea is the attach yourself to the life cycle of the algae. Algae are considered one of the new food components for man & animal in the future. The bar is an tempt to close that circle. Visitors of the Embassy of Food at the DDW 17 in Eindhoven donate their time and breath to the algae, while they lie on a bed underneath a set up of different algae samples, while to listening to an essay of waterline or just listen to their own breathing. What we breath out contains warmth and CO2, what are valuable resources for young algae. The algae on their turn, produce oxygen, but on itself they are a rich source  of proteïne, vitamines en minerals. In the future algae will be used a animal & human food but also as bio fuel. I found this such a great story, that I had to try it out. I donated 15 minutes of time, warmth and …