Concrete surfaces and just a smattering of furnishings provide a "silent stage" for members using this Berlin co-working space, designed by Annabell Kutucu.
The co-working space – which interior designer Kutucu named Brutalist Silence – is set inside Marina Marina, a creative hub that sits beside the waters of Berlin's Spree River.
When tasked with developing the interiors, Kutucu opted for a "reduced" design scheme that was reserved in its use of colour and materials.
"I believe creativity needs space and a silent stage," Kutucu told Dezeen. "This is an unconventional approach based on simplicity, silence and aesthetics – it's the beautiful environment that inspires."
Simple in arrangement, the office features a sequence of rooms that run off a central corridor. Concrete walls are left exposed throughout, including marks and tiny splashes of paint left behind from the construction process.
These surface blemishes are meant to offer a subtle nod to wabi-sabi – an ancient Japanese philosophy that focuses on the acceptance of imperfection and the notion that beauty is transient.
The abundance of concrete in the space also comes in reference to the materiality and monolithic nature of brutalism, a controversial architectural style that emerged in the 1950s, giving the space its name.
Other details include sliding partition walls crafted from smoked oak wood. The timber is also used to create a communal work desk, a gridded bookshelf that's inset in a wall, and the cabinetry in the break-out kitchen.
Kutucu scoured her favourite antique haunts in Berlin to source the few decorative elements that appear in the office, which includes earth-toned ceramics and slim-stemmed floor lamps.
There are also a couple of Lotus chairs by designer Daniel Wenger. Originally designed in the 1960s, the chairs boast a narrow, brown-leather backrest and a wide seat that is intended to mimic the form of a person in the "lotus" yoga position.
Kutucu is an interior designer and stylist that works out of Berlin. Her Brutalist Silence project is notably more pared back than recent co-working spaces that have popped up across the globe.
Women-focused co-working company The Wing opened a branch in London last year that drew upon a "mosh pit" of references ranging from Gaudi buildings to English gardens. Rooms inside are a clashing mix of paisley-print walls, chequerboard floors and bright velvet furnishings.
Italian brand Cassina has presented its first complete collection of furniture for outdoor spaces, including a reissue of a classic Charlotte Perriand chair and a "love bed" by Patricia Urquiola.
The Cassina Perspective Goes Outdoor includes a comprehensive offering of furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories intended to extend the company's design approach to outdoor products.
The Doron Hotel chair is designed by Charlotte Perriand
Cassina unveiled additions to its existing collection, with archive designs by Le Corbusier and Perriand joining new products by Rodolfo Dordoni, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola.
Perriand's Doron Hotel armchair was designed in 1947 for a winter sports resort in the French Alps. The new outdoor version was developed by Cassina in close collaboration with her daughter Pernette Perriand Barsac.
According to Barbara Lehmann, head of the Cassina's historical archives, the company decided to develop both indoor and outdoor versions of the chair as its design is suited to use in either context.
"The use of thick wood elements with a somewhat rough appearance underlines its natural relationship with nature and the outdoors," Lehmann told Dezeen.
The outdoor version was developed with Perriand's daughter, Pernette Perriand Barsac
Perriand loved to spend time in the mountains and was fascinated by the relationship between humans and nature. Her passion for natural materials informed the rounded forms of the tactile, teak wood frame of the chair.
Lehmaan added that the treatment of the wood directly references the context the chair was created for.
"As the model was designed for a mountain environment, its aim was to enhance the sensuality of wood and convey the idea of solidity and stability," she pointed out.
Patricia Urquiola's Love Bed is part of the Trampoline collection
Also new to the Cassina outdoor collection is Patricia Urquiola's Trampoline furniture, described by the company as "a love bed with a strong personality that becomes the hero of any outdoor space".
Its designer told Dezeen that she wanted to create a flexible product that can be used in multiple ways and doesn't impose a way of sitting on the user.
"You can be by yourself and sit or lie in different ways, whilst having the tools you need around you," said Urquiola.
"Or you can share it with your friends, your loved ones, your children. It's a sort of nest, open like an island or with a fixed canopy that transforms it into a sort of cabin."
It was inspired by the trampolines she saw outside houses in Greenland
The product, which can accommodate several users at once, was inspired by trampolines Urquiola spotted outside houses during a trip to Greenland.
In particular, its circular shape and the way the base and optional canopy are attached to the metal frame using ropes is reminiscent of how trampolines are made.
A set of three large cushions upholstered in water-repellent fabric forms the backrest. Other cushions can be added to create a playful and comfortable environment for lounging.
Outdoor versions of designs by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret are also in the collection
Both Urquiola and Lehmann told Dezeen that a recent evolution in the way people value outdoor space has prompted Cassina's decision to expand its outdoor furniture offering.
"I think that the desire for quality outdoor furniture is getting stronger because the outdoors is seen as an extension of the home," said Lehmann.
"Today, it's not just about the performance of the furniture, which is fundamental, but also the aesthetics, the comfort and the idea of creating a complete setting with a warm atmosphere."
Rodolfo Dordoni Sail Out coffee tables sit low to the ground
"We try to be in contact with nature or the outdoors as much as we can," she explained. "Outdoors, in a veranda space, we aim at recreating the feeling of nature."
"Therefore, at Cassina we are trying to answer this demand whilst remaining faithful to our principles of offering a diverse vision from different designers, focusing on research and quality rather than a styled solution."
The Cassina Perspective Goes Outdoor also includes a sofa, armchair and coffee table by Philippe Starck.
It utilises primitive forms in sandblasted teak along with a handwoven rope backrest to give it an aesthetic that the designer described as "something between daily DIY and [Marcel] Duchamp’s Ready Made".
Rodolfo Dordoni's Sail Out modular sofa recalls inflatable canvas mattresses that can be combined in endless configurations, while his Dine Out chair and armchair are made from solid teak with armrests and backrests wrapped in polypropylene rope.
Philippe Starck's Fence Nature sofa has been adapted for the outdoors
In addition to the seating designs, Urquiola has created a circular table with an aluminium base and a top in recycled waste plastic.
A table designed by Charlotte Perriand using teak and Carrara marble is also included in the collection.
As Cassina's art director, one of the tasks Urquiola undertook was updating its headquarters in Meda, introducing a wall of plants and a cylindrical meeting space clad in metal panelling.
A concrete house in Switzerland by architecture practice DF_DC has an outdoor terrace on a plinth banded by an asymmetrical colonnade of rectangular columns.
Deep fins along the side elevations filter in light while preventing overlooking from the adjacent properties.
Located on a former vineyard in Comano, the the aptly named Concrete Villa sits on an elongated site.
There are open views to the east and west, but nearby neighbours to the north and south.
In response, the flanks of the home have been finished with concrete and strolatto, a render of cement and pebbles common to the area.
A smaller concrete projection forms a halo over the entrance.
At the back the house opens out onto a long, sculptural terrace surrounding a pool of water.
Spread across two floors, Concrete Villa has a basement reached by a twisting feature staircase.
The ground floor of the home contains the kitchen, living room, double-height dining room, garage and workshop, along with a guest bedroom that has its own separate entrance.
This living room leads through a sliding glass door onto the terrace on a large concrete plinth.
A concrete pavilion-like structure, created by extending the horizontal line of the ground floor, wraps around the rear terrace and pool.
The smaller first floor is stepped back from the ground floor to present a smaller volume to the street.
It contains the more private areas – three ensuite bedrooms and a children's play area, above a large garage alongside the main entrance.
A strip of glazing runs along the front facade of this upper level.
This allows light into the bedrooms while preventing overlooking from street level and disguises the full extent of the house.
A small basement houses a wine cellar and sauna, as well as a gym.
The interiors contrast white surfaces and concrete floors with black furniture, and several skylights help bring light into spaces where windows in the exterior walls have been avoided to restrict views in.
DF_DC was founded by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon, and is based in London and Switzerland.
Other recent projects that have made expressive use of concrete include an annex to a home in Brazil by Reinach Mendonça Architects and a raw concrete home in Bavaria designed by SoHo Architektur and cantilevering over a terrace.
In an effort to draw attention to the ongoing climate crisis and the unprecedented number of bushfires across Australia, 41 artists transformed the streets of Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane into the nation’s biggest unsanctioned campaign advocating for immediate action. Last week, those behind Bushfire Brandalism (previously) replaced 78 posters across the three cities with original designs focused on the fossil fuel industry, heroic local firefighters, and the devastation of wildlife and natural habitats across the country.
As a collective group of Australian artists, we have been driven to reclaim public advertising space with posters speaking to the Australian government’s inaction on climate change and the devastating bushfires.
We do not accept that this situation is ‘business as usual.’ We are making these issues visible in our public spaces and in our media; areas monopolized by entities maintaining conservative climate denial agendas. If the newspapers won’t print the story, we will!
Many of the pieces were installed at bus stops and other public spaces complete with a QR code, allowing viewers to scan and access more than 30 charities aiding in the crisis directly. Considering one company controls 59 percent of daily newspaper sales in Australia, the artists also wanted to push back against general advertising practices, questioning media coverage of climate issues.
Artists involved in the campaign include Georgia Hill, Tom Gerrard, Sarah McCloskey, Amok Island, Andrew J Steel, Blends, Callum Preston, Cam Scale, Damien Mitchell, Dani Hair, DVATE, E.L.K, Ed Whitfield, FIKARIS, Fintan Magee, HEESCO, JESWRI, Ghostpatrol, Leans, Lluis fuzzhound, Lotte Smith, Lucy Lucy, Makatron, Michael Langenegger, Peter Breen, The Workers Art Collective, Stanislava Pinchuk, The Lazy Edwin, Thomas Bell, Tom Civil, WordPlay Studio, and Peter Breen, among others who remain anonymous.
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Furniture and interior designer Carol Egan was influenced by the form of dragonflies when creating this sculptural collection, which was launched at an exhibition staged in New York gallery Maison Gerard.
The collections were shown in Maison Gerard's beaux-art gallery space The Elizabeth Collective, a former residence of actress Elizabeth Taylor
Decade follows the evolution of Egan's use of material and form by showcasing her early works, commissioned pieces and prototypes alongside new designs including a shelf, coffee table and a pair of sconces.
The work was exhibited in Maison Gerard's The Elizabeth Collective, a former residence of actress Elizabeth Taylor known for its beaux-arts interior and decorative plasterwork. It was on display in the Manhattan gallery at 53 E 10th St A from 22 to 29 January.
In her works, Egan experiments with different materials including bronze, marble and wood
"Typically the work is shown in the gallery downtown in a more modern context or at design fairs where it's kind of a white box aesthetic," Egan told Dezeen. "So it's really a treat to have it in such a classical space with all the beautiful plasterwork and this sort of proportion and elegance in this townhouse.
"To see the juxtaposition of this modernity against that I think that it holds up," she added.
The curved form and chamfered edges on the Double Emperor wall shelf takes cues from the wing formation of dragonflies
Egan experiments with different materials, such as bronze, marble and wood, in her designs that range from consoles, chairs, shelves to light fixtures and tables
Her latest outputs include the Double Emperor wall shelf, which is crafted in bronze and wood. It required a lot of hand labour to give it its recognisable chamfered edges and curved forms that drawing on the wing formation of dragonflies.
This involved clamping together several stacked laminations, while the bronze piece was shaped by wrapping it around a steel plate and welding it in place.
Two steel mesh wall sconces, called The Sovereign, and swivelling coffee tables, named Second Empress, are available in bronze and ebonised mahogany also take cues from the elliptical shape of dragonfly wings.
Sovereign comprises a pair of blackened steel mesh wall sconces also influenced by the elliptical shape of dragonfly wings
Egan told Dezeen she plans to continue to experiment with the material and colour of these products.
"We're going to be making the sconces in the bronze material and also in painted finish with colour, the mesh painted blue and the frame in white and that will completely transform the appeal of the fixture," she said.
Outdoor chandelier Egan features a cylinder mesh made of blackened steel with a spiral element
"What I'm doing a lot is playing with the material in my work, like the bench in walnut compared to carved carrera feels like a different piece to steel," she added. "We kind of reiterate the forms in different materials to see how the material informs the line of the pieces."
The new launches follow on from older works by Egan, who founded her firm Carol Egan Interiors in 2002.
These involved experiments with wood, which was then applied to other materials such as metal, acrylic and stone. Stools, benches, side tables, consoles and shelves often feature the same twisted X-shape design.
Older designs with a similar twisted X-shape include stools, benches, shelves in metal, acrylic and stone
Decade also included a large cylindrical chandelier Egan created as a commission for a client. It is intended for outdoor use and comprises a mesh of blackened steel with a spiral curving around its faces.
All of the works in the exhibition were staged alongside photography from Jean-Francois Jaussaud of his series profiling French American artist Louise Bourgeois in her studio.
Pieces were staged alongside photography from Jean-Francois Jaussaud of his series profiling French American artist Louise Bourgeois in her studio
Maison Gerard was established in 1974 and specialises in showcasing French collectables. It has three gallery locations in New York City.
Other recent exhibitions in New York include Age of Contaminations, which staged prototypes and realised pieces from Italian designer Gaetano Pesce.
