One of the things I was most excited to see was the Central Library's fifth floor, renowned for its acre-sized reading room, the largest in the country according to Burnette. The cavernous space is made more intimate by the individual reading lamps at each seat, a detail Burnette cribbed from the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Stuart Haygarth is well known for his masterful repurposing of detritus, and for his installation at the V&A has transformed a banal staircase into an explosion of color using over 600 meters of cut-off pieces from picture frames supplied by bespoke framer John Jones.
Here's a shelf in Ariel's studio filled with his products. Some are test cases, others finished and others still packaged up and ready to go.
Smalti is a specialized glass used in many mosaics, made from a mixture of sand, soda, stabilizing compounds and mineral oxides, which add color. Here is a multi-hued pile of crucibles, or pots, where the ingredients are melted together to produce “pizzas”, or slabs.
Natalie Gray's Blanket Store has been a Frankfurt staple since it opened its doors at this location in October 2009.
The steel case displays a rotating arrangement of art, objects, games, and books, and acts as a screen between the pool deck and the lobby. All of the art in the hotel is produced by local artists. This photograph of a California live oak, printed on glass, is by Stephen Galloway.
Toward the end of the day Frank and I drove out to the town of Kirkcaldy to visit this Maggie's Center designed by Zaha Hadid. It was her first completed building in the UK and opened in 2006. Look for another post down the line devoted to this structure, which I liked very much.
The sunlight, which burns bright and then disappears quickly behind the clouds, sends an ever-changing array of shadows onto the piazza.
The absolutely stunning building was completed in 2004 and still draws design enthusiasts (who can partake in free public tours of the building) on a daily basis. The new library is 75-percent larger than the previous structure and features an innovative spiral design for housing its collection.
After the tour, we headed back into the center of town to grab lunch. Food Shark, the local mobile eatery, did not disappoint. When we arrived promptly at noon, there was already a hungry throng queued up and lounging on Donald Judd–designed furnishings.
We sent our fearless leader, editor-in-chief Sam Grawe, around the world this year, from Milan to New York to Los Angeles to London hitting up all the top design shows. While in New York for ICFF, Sam joined former Design Within Reach CEO Rob Forbes and pal Heather Wagner (wife of Readymade editor-in-chief Andrew Wagner) for a bike around the city for the launch of Forbe's new company Public Bikes. Check out their ride.
The VitraHaus was designed by Basel-based firm Herzog & de Meuron and completed in 2010. The building is made of poured-in-place concrete, with the exterior covered in dark plaster and local fir.
After a walk through all five floors of the VitraHaus, the built-in benches offer a nice spot to sit down, rest, and enjoy the architecture. For more about the entire campus, click through our photo slideshows Touring Vitra Campus, Part 1 and Touring Vitra Campus, Part 2.
Serene settings like this one in the VitraHaus make you want to unpack and move in. This living and dining room features the Polder Sofa XL by Hella Jongerius, Kast console by Maarten Van Severen, Cité airchair by Jean Prouvé, Guéridon Bas coffee table by Prouvé, and Standard chairs around the EM Table by Prouvé.
Much of the VitraHaus is set up in vignettes, like this living room scene that features the Slow Chair and Ottoman by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec designed in 2006, the Place Sofa by Jasper Morrison designed in 2008, Morrison's Cork Family models A, B, and C designed in 2004, his Plate Table coffee tabledesigned in 2004, and the Suita Pillow by Antonio Citterio designed in 2010 using Alexander Girard's pattern Love graphic.
The ends of the longhouse structures feature large glass windows and the very top one opens onto a balcony that overlooks the Vitra campus. The white dome was designed by Buckminster Fuller and built in Detroit, Michigan, in 1978 before going up for sale in 2000, at which time Vitra purchased it and shipped it to Weil-am-Rhein. Frank Gehry designed the factory in the background as well as entrance gate and building that houses the Vitra Design Museum.
There was a huge display featuring Antonio Citterio's Suita Sofa, which was released in 2010 and which we nominated as a finalist in our 2011 Modern World Awards. The Suita collection is almost endlessly customizable, with components to choose from that include: one-armed seats, two-armed seats, chaise shape, desk along the back, headrests, bolsters, and ottomans. I found the tall sofas with the headrests by far the most comfortable.
The area dedicated to designer George Nelson boasts the longest Marshmallow Sofa I've ever seen. Next to it are two of Nelson's Coconut chairs, designed in 1955, and above are an array of clocks by his hand.
When you enter the VitraHaus, you receive a "Vitra Key." At the reception desk, you program the credit card-like key with your country of origin and your preferred language, then, as you walk around the VitraHaus, you can use it at kiosks to learn the names and designers of the pieces on display. You can even use it to wish-list products and start shopping (since every product on display is also for sale).
The sun-filled inner courtyard leads into the building via the doors at the left of the image and to the Lounge Chair Atelier through the doors to the right.
This vignette shows the Communal Cell, a prototype by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec designed in 2010 as an office kitchen space.
On another floor, this tranquil scene features Charles and Ray's lounge chair as well as the couple's Wire Base Side Tables.
Outside the building is a fenced-in Eames Elephant garden with this playful don't-feed-the-animals sign.
Here, the Eames' ESU Bookcase is topped with an Eames House Bird and Akari lamp by Noguchi.
One section of the VitraHaus is dedicated entirely to the Eameses. Among the chairs on display: the LCW molded plywood lounge chairs designed in 1945/46 and the RAR Rocking Chair designed in 1950.
Vitra transferred part of the manufacturing process of Charles and Ray Eames's Lounge Chair and Ottoman (designed in 1956) to the Lounge Chair Atelier in the VitraHaus upon its completion. Open most days (but sadly not the day I was visiting), the Atelier invites visitors to come in and see how the pieces are put together and tested before sent to their future owners.
Another area of the VitraHaus holds the Classic Chairs Collection. Among the featured seats are (left to right) the DCW Plywood Group by Charles and Ray Eames from 1945/46, the Vegetal by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec from 2008, and the Panton Chair by Verner Panton from 1999.
This living room setting is devoted to Isamu Noguchi, with a hit of Eames in the DAR Eames Plastic Armchairs and Eames House Bird atop the Noguchi Dining Table. In the background are the Freeform Sofa and Ottoman, Noguchi Table, and assorted Akari lamps by the designer.
I loved the "Me + My…" room, which had a number of chairs, couches, and stools set up in front of mirrors so you could not only imagine but see yourself seated in one of Vitra's furniture pieces, such as the Monopod by Jasper Morrison.
The author taking a break along the road from Beijing to Shanghai to snap this self-take photo.
Though many may have found another way around this rutted-out road, Shahid saw it as an adventure. "It ended up being really cool since I was able to see things off the national roads that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise," she says.
The best place to ride in China? Newly paved highways that haven't yet been open to cars but are available to cyclists.
To close out this week's report from the road, Shahid sent this image of Jinan's canal at night, which "brought a sense of peace and quiet after a long, hard day of cycling." Check back soon for another slideshow from Shahid as she bikes from Beijing to Shanghai.
Click here to read part one of the series.
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One of the most unusual things Shahid saw on her trip were the acres and acres of land cleared for the development of entirely new cities.
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