Canvas House is a co-living space in Singapore with all-white interiors

Ministry of Design has created completely white interiors for this co-living space, which occupies a traditional shophouse in Singapore.

Situated at the heart of Singapore's buzzing Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, Canvas House provides shared accommodation for creative locals and members of the ex-pat community.

It takes over a four-storey shophouse – a type of building commonly seen around Southeast Asia, which has a commercial business at its front and living spaces at its rear.

Locally based Ministry of Design completed the interiors of Canvas House, which soft-launched at the beginning of this year and already has a handful of tenants.

Almost every surface has simply been painted white, an attempt by the practice to both mask the building's unattractive, time-worn features and "provide a canvas" for any future aesthetic alterations that may be carried out.

"When it comes to adaptive reuse projects, the question is always the same, how do we tread the line between the past and the present?" said Colin Seah, founder of the studio.

"If one opts for the project to be just about preservation, it's as good as time standing still, which could be paralysing and inhibiting," he continued.

"But at the same time, neither do we want to disregard history completely by creating something too foreign or novel."

White paint covers the walls, floors, ceiling and the array of vintage furniture pieces that dress the living spaces. The practice intentionally used these instead of contemporary furnishings to hint at the idea that historic shophouses are "repositories of memories with previous lives".

Modern touches are provided by a neon art piece and a handful of translucent lamps, which local artist Kang crafted from cling film.

Elsewhere, Ministry of Design has created what it describes as "choreographed glimpses into the past" by revealing parts of Canvas House's original fit-out.

Round cut-outs in the walls look through to the building's aged brick shell, while circular fragments of the stairs have been left unpainted to reveal its former timber steps.

White paint has then been intermittently applied to the antique vases, screens and ceramic plates that decorate the house, leaving peek-a-boo vignettes of their ornate surface designs.

Patches of wooden floor have also been made visible in all of the bedroom suites, their shape outlining where the sun casts a shadow at specific points of the day.

The practice hopes that using just one colour throughout the home will help the boundaries between living spaces seem less rigid.

"The house becomes more whole rather than a space populated by objects and people that move in and out," the practice explained.

"That allows the people using the space to truly activate it and be prominent features, instead of merely inhabiting the space."

Ministry of Design was established by Colin Seah in 2004 and is headquartered in Singapore, with additional offices in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

This isn't the first time that the practice has worked with the shophouse typology – back in 2015 it converted five of the buildings into a boutique hotel in Malaysia, finishing its interior with geometric-tile floors and latticework partitions.

Photography is by Edward Hendricks of CI&A Photography.

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Philippe Starck outdoor furniture folds in half to ward off rain

A collection of outdoor seating, created by French designer Philippe Starck for Italian furniture brand B&B Italia, has foldable backrests that can cover the seat to protect it from the elements.

The cheekily titled Oh, it rains! series comprises a sofa and an armchair with simple, rectangular seats that are dwarfed by outsized, protruding backrests.

When these are folded down, it covers a surface area both longer and wider than the seat itself to keep out moisture.

"Today, everybody makes outdoor collections," Starck told Dezeen. "They put outdoor fabric on existing furniture and they think that makes it outdoor."

"I always thought there was something wrong with that. Imagine: you're in a beautiful hotel, enjoying a book by the pool, and suddenly it rains and dozens of waiters start panicking, picking up all the pillows and cushions," he added.

"So I developed a whole range of solutions with B&B Italia that allow you to intervene in a few simple steps when it starts to rain.”

The fold-down mechanism works via an exposed aluminium hinge – a mechanical joint created especially by Starck in collaboration with the company's research and development team.

Due to its size, the backrest also forms a kind of modular wall, that can be used to separate spaces and create privacy.

"Today, more and more people are looking for small salons and intimate spaces," said Starck.

"They don’t want to be seen or listened to, so I designed the backrest so it can easily be used as a protective flap when it starts to rain but also as a protection against prying eyes and ears."

Starck opted for a raffia-reminiscent texture to give the design beachside appeal while still being completely waterproof.

Other recent experiments by the designer include an AI-designed production chair and upholstery made from an apple-based vegan fabric.

Folding elements can make furniture more convenient. Designer Alexander Gendell made a chair that folds flat and hangs on the wall as a piece of artwork when not in use.

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Irregular balconies surround social housing stacked over school in Paris

O4A is a Paris development with a primary school, sports centre and two tower blocks of social housing by architecture studios Brisac Gonzalez and Antoine Régnault.

The scheme is located in the new eco-district of Clichy-Batignolles, a new neighbourhood in the city's 17th arrondissement being built on a former rail yard.

Photo by 11h45

Brisac Gonzalez Architects and Antoine Régnault won the competition in 2012 to design the scheme.

O4A comprises 144 housing units and a 15-classroom school, stacked above an underground sports centre.

Photo by 11h45

The architects designed a varied stack of forms wrapped in delicate steel balconies.

"We took on the challenge of ensuring that the building's users and the general public at street level would not feel this density and created a sense of lightness and openness," said the studios.

Each of the project's three elements have been designed to have a distinctive formal and material language.

They are united by a recurring diamond pattern that references the Haussmann-era facades of the neighbouring buildings.

Photo by 11h45

Externally, the base is clad in brickwork laid diagonally to create textured elevations.

Large windows and a glazed corner providing a visual connection between the school and the street.

Above, a pale gold-coloured storey is finished with vertical fins.

Atop this a balcony of diamond metalwork a communal roof garden atop the school.

Shared amenities for O4A include this communal roof garden, as well as a bicycle repair workshop and a sky terrace.

Towers of social housing sit at either side of the site.

Rings of apartments surround central circulation cores, allowing each room access to a private balcony and creating dual or triple-aspect interiors.

Floorplates of each apartment level are varied, with deeper balcony areas finished with planting or trees.

The concept of distinct identities for the sports centre, school and apartments is continued with the interior finishes.

In the sports centre, bare circulation of concrete and steel are contrasted by themed activity areas.

Photo by 11h45

A dance room is copper-toned, and a martial arts spaces lined by walls with a textured diamond pattern.

Circulation spaces are lined in light wooden panels and floors tiled with gradients of tan and yellow.

In the apartments, simple finishes of wooden floors and white walls create bright, open spaces.

Other projects in the new Clichy-Batignolles district include Chinese practice MAD's first European project – a 13-storey apartment tower completed with local firm Biecher Architects.

Photography is by Jared Chulski unless otherwise stated.

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Designers "preparing for a worsening situation and supply problems" due to coronavirus

Designers are preparing for significant disruption to their businesses and supply chains as coronavirus spreads around the world.

Industry sectors including lighting, fashion, sportswear and automotive have been hit by the shutdown of factories in China, with brands struggling to get hold of stock and components.

UK designer lighting brand Plumen, which manufactures all its lightbulbs in China, said it faced delays of six to eight weeks in getting hold of stock.

"The immediate result for Plumen is that we are now out of stock of our two best selling products, the 001 LED and the 002 LED," said Plumen co-founder and MD Michael-George Hemus. "This obviously affects revenues over the next two months."

Architecture projects in Europe could be delayed

Factories in China are now reopening following an extended shutdown caused first by Chinese New Year and then by coronavirus.

"Like almost all businesses in China, the coronavirus outbreak resulted in an extended closure of the Stellar Works production facility following the Lunar New Year holiday," said Chinese furniture brand Stellar Works.

"However, the Stellar Works factory has now reopened, and we aim to be at 80-90 per cent productivity by the middle of March," the brand said. "We are currently reviewing all orders and are updating customers on revised delivery dates where necessary. We are working hard to return to optimal production as soon as possible."

But elsewhere, factory employees have not returned to work, particularly those affected by the lockdown in Wuhan, which the virus was first detected in December last year. Many plants are still not working at full capacity.

With other brands facing similar problems, Hemus predicted that many architecture and interior fit-out projects in Europe would be delayed.

"We are forecasting an impact on trade sales over the coming months," he said. "The supply chain for a lot of commercial projects will have been hit, meaning that projects will be delayed."

"Everything is much slower"

An architecture firm that has several projects in China said that projects in the country had come to a standstill.

"Four major jobs in China are on pause," said the firm. "Cash flow is severely impacted. Even if you have a contract, people are just not paying on time."

A New York fashion brand said it was struggling to receive materials it has ordered from suppliers in Asia.

"With the virus, everything is much slower," the brand said, with factories unable to confirm delivery dates for fabrics it needs for its collections. "We just don't have a definitive answer."

New cases of the Covid-19 strain of the virus are declining in China, but the impact of the virus is spreading elsewhere. The quarantine of northern Italy was extended to the entire country last night and other countries including the UK and the USA anticipating significant outbreaks.

The outbreak has already had a significant impact on Europe's events industry, with Salone del Mobile, Light + Building, the Geneva Motor Show and MIPIM among dozens of fairs postponed or cancelled.

Aviation and hospitality sectors hit

Speaking to Dezeen yesterday, trend forecaster Li Edelkoort predicted the virus would cause "a global recession of a magnitude that has not been experienced before".

"On a practical level most of our clients are preparing for a worsening situation and supply problems," said Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd of London industrial designers PearsonLloyd.

"We have clients who are witnessing decreased revenue streams especially in the aviation and hospitality industry and these will inevitably impact how they commission design."

Risks of this happening again "quite high"

A designer who consults for sportswear and automotive brands said the virus was having a "dramatic impact" on companies in Europe that rely on supplies from China.

"The sportswear industry cannot get shoes [out of China]," the designer said. "But for other industries, it's sometimes just tiny little components, materials, chemicals and glues that are not arriving".

In many cases, China is the only producer of certain materials and components, the designer said. Without them, production lines outside China will grind to a halt.

"This may lead to like a complete readjustment of global sourcing," the designer added. "Because the risks of this happening again are actually quite high."

Most large brands operate "just in time" supply chains, with materials and components arriving at factories as they are needed. Coronavirus has turned this way of operating into a liability, the designer said.

"The whole idea to have everything just in time might now represent a huge liability actually," said the designer. "So the warehouse might come back, buffer stock might come back as a management principle."

Coronavirus could lead to "localised supply chains"

Jonas Petterson, CEO of Swedish design studio Form Us With Love, said the virus could lead to more localised supply chains.

"The virus is making us consider how supply chains work, how global business can be decentralized and less dependant on central hubs," he said. "Today it's actually feasible to produce locally with new means of production."

The managing director of a UK high-street fashion brand that relies on Chinese factories told Dezeen that production is finally getting back to normal.

"Factories that should have opened up and gone into production have been delayed," said the MD. "There is a knock-on effect and product is taking longer to come out."

"Massive drop in footfall"

To make up for lost time the brand has been air-freighting garments to the UK rather than shipping them, only to find that retail sales in the UK have gone into steep decline as customers avoid going out shopping.

"We've seen a massive drop in footfall and demand," the MD said, adding that sales were down 15 per cent last week and could drop 30 per cent as fears of the virus rise. Luxury brands would be particularly hard hit, the business leader said, due to the impact of the virus on key markets including China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

"A month ago I was worried about getting stock," the MD said. "Now I'm worried about selling it."

The photograph is by Tom Fisk from Pexels.

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Animated Characters Perform Mundane Tasks in Stop-Motion Shorts by Stefano Colferai

Stefano Colferai’s animated characters may be made of plasticine, but they certainly understand the very human struggles that come along with sending a text while walking, stepping outside on a hot day, and managing a freelance life. The Milan-based animator sculpts miniature scenes for his figures—who sometimes bear a likeness to Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction or performance artist Marina Abramović—in his wildly relatable stop-motion shorts that expertly reveal his characters’ personalities. For more of Colferai’s humorous, and even life-affirming, projects, follow him on Instagram and Behance. (via Tina Roth Eisenberg)

 

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