Herbert Bayer

Herbert Bayer was seemingly good at everything he touched. He was a graphic designer, painter, photographer, art director, architect and interior designer. Born in Austria in 1900, Bayer trained at the famous Bauhaus in Germany. Eventually he made his way to the United States and settled in Aspen in 1946, where he remained until his death in the mid 80s.

It is no surprise that my first encounter with the work of Bayer was in college; someone of his vast talents doesn't go unmentioned. A few summers ago I was invited to a back of the house tour at the Denver Art Museum where I learned their collection holds about 8,000 pieces of his work. As I wandered around their private galleries with a huge smile on my face I became more fascinated with Bayer...I mean, they even had his original architectural model of the Articulated Wall.

I drive past the Articulated Wall multiple times a day working in the Denver Design District, where this massive structure is at home. The original developer of Design Center commissioned Bayer for this after seeing the original and smaller version of the sculpture at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

From what I've gathered the people of Denver either love or hate the Articulated Wall. I get it, its a gigantic yellow sculpture that is sometimes called the "french fry thing along I25." To some it is just not visually appealing. As an art lover, I personally think it is massively spectacular in its geometric minimalism. This is not your everyday sculpture. As the distant fate of the Denver Design District remains in question, the design community is concerned about the sculptures future. There has been reports of new development starting in the surrounding land and speculation on what will happen to the District. I wouldn't be too worried; the piece is said to weigh two million pounds and the 41' x 5'2" x 27" pieces of concrete (32 of them) is held together through the center with refueling mast used for aircraft carriers. No way the Articulated Wall is going anywhere. Good work Bayer ;)

10 lessons for young designers

John C. Jay is a big ad man. He started from nothing, learning English from television ads. His parents weren't fond of him drawing on their walls growing up. He got his first design job not because of his experience but because of his passion, there something is to be said about that. John C. Jay is a multifaceted guy; influencing culture any way he can through his designs, ads, fashion, industrial design, and the list goes on.

These are his lessons for young designers:
1. Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do.
2. Work harder than anyone else and you will always benefit from the effort.   
3. Get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. Life is visceral.   
4. Constantly improve your craft. Make things with your hands. Innovation in thinking is not enough.   
5. Travel as much as you can. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don’t know.   
6. Being original is still king, especially in this tech-driven, group-grope world.   
7. Try not to work for stupid people or you’ll soon become one of them. 
8. Instinct and intuition are all-powerful. Learn to trust them.
9. The Golden Rule actually works. Do good.   
10. If all else fails, No. 2 is the greatest competitive advantage of any career.

Words to live by.

courtesy of  http://www.aiga.org/design-journeys-john-jay/

Postcard Inn

I love boutique hotels. I often catch myself on random websites making mental wish lists of places I would like to visit. For my first blog entry on a boutique hotel I've chosen one that exemplifies my appreciation for this breed of hotel. I read about the Postcard Inn last year in Interior Design and recently ran across it again the other day and experienced the same [almost] cheesy excitement.
Located in St. Pete Beach near St. Petersburg, FL. They didn't name this hotel Postcard Inn for nothing, a slice of Americana right on the beach, is something worthy of writing home about. Reason #1 why I love this hotel: it used to be a Travelodge until last year, I will always give thanks for any space that is re-used and not scrapped for something new. Postcard Inn has a surf theme. Honestly, I don't typically care for themed spaces but this hotel is beautifully simple and so well put together. It is vintage yet new, classic and modern, casual and hip, there is a sense of youth and excitement, all around they pulled off the retro surf vibe. To top it off the design team SLDesign worked on a limited budget, even making some of the hotels best features themselves, to provide for a hotel that looks amazing and doesn't cost the guests an arm and leg to stay.
The Postcard Inn has 196 guest rooms, including 16 bungalows. Each room this unique and features art done by local artists. Vintage surfboards, bold and bright patters, a mixture of materials and textures make each room feel one of a kind. Love the wall of skate decks. There is so much going on at PCI with the different styles and colors yet it is so minimal and not overdone...not easy to pull off!

New lobby

Lobby seating area with macrame chandelier made by the designers

Wall of skateboard decks

Restaurant with chalk board featuring the daily surf conditions

All the details make each space; down to the Ball Jars as glassware

Many quest rooms feature words to live by

 

Milk Bottle Lighting

I love the idea of re-purposing just about anything; it signifies thinking outside the box. Perhaps milk bottles bring a sense of nostalgia but it’s their simple form that makes them so cool. Recycled milk bottles or new blown glass pieces; milk bottle lighting is clean, unique, and getting some extra love from great designers in these following pieces:

 Trejo Remy via droog.com

 

 Fantastic room shot (with sweet CD wall behind ;)

 Studio Gorm hand blown pendants. Love the wood detail at the top. Available as single or double, translucent or with white twisted cane. 

 

  Brothers Dressler 

I know, these are wine bottles but they are also Brothers Dressler and I like them too much to not include!

What is designphilia?

Being the first time I have ever done this, it seems like my first post should be about just that: the blog. There are many reasons behind why I’m starting this and the most admirable of those is simply my excitement for life. Inspiration is something that can strike you a million times a day if you let it; it can truly come from anywhere. This is a way for me to catalog all the inspiration that comes my way. Too often we forget those thoughts that we have in passing of sorts; but if applied to the right situation those thoughts could live onto be great ideas…if you remember where it all started.

I’m an interior designer in the making. I have the piece of paper to prove it but I’m working on feeling like one. My career has just begun…and let me just say now, it is going to be one hell of a ride.

As I call this a design blog readers should understand that in my life design comes from everything. So as some designers like to blog about new product or the latest and greatest, my blog will be much broader. Inspiration could come from product, yes, but it can also come from people, places, and even something I ate for lunch. I didn’t create this to have a ton of followers but lets hope somewhere along the way what inspires me will inspire others too.

You may still be wondering what designphilia even means. A "philia" basically means “a love of” and is used as a suffix in English. It is about the attraction and positive feelings one has towards something. The name designphilia was inspired by my fascination of biophilia, the “love of life or living systems,” which something I will be blogging about in a different post…

Designphilia is about my love for design and all the little sparks of inspiration that make my world go round.