Design Digest: Remembering Will Alsop, Elon Musk Makes Bricks, and More

Good Thing Debuts Furniture For the Home Office

Remote work is on the rise, and Brooklyn–based design brand Good Thing has launched a collection of furniture and lighting specifically designed to help those who work from home. The collection was launched as part of New York Design Week and includes five new pieces designed by MSDS Studio, Ben Kicic, Jamie Wolfond, Ferréol Babin and Earnest Studio. Highlights include a powder-coated aluminum stackable side table and a versatile shutter lamp which can be set on a table or mounted on the wall.

Elon Musk's Boring Company Will Be Making Bricks For Affordable Housing

By now, most of us have heard that Elon Musk's The Boring Company is building tunnels under L.A. to escape traffic. Now, unsurprisingly, the high-tech CEO has already figured out what to do with all that dirt. Musk announced on Twitter on May 7, "The Boring Company will be using dirt from tunnel digging to create bricks for low-cost housing." The Boring Company FAQ page confirms the statement, and a spokesperson for The Boring Company confirmed these plans to Bloomberg, stating the bricks will come from "excavated muck," and that "there will be an insane amount of bricks." Future Boring Company offices will be also be made from these bricks.

Whole Foods Forays Into Home Goods

Whole Foods has launched a new home decor boutique called Plant & Plate inside their new Bridgewater, New Jersey store. The recent Amazon acquisition will be testing the waters, selling home goods and other items with their new concept shop, which will be "dedicated to beauty, garden and home goods rooted in nature," according to their website. Plant & Plate will feature products such as Hedley & Bennett aprons, Beaucycled jewelry, Brooklyn–based Apotheke candles, and pottery by local Bridgewater–based maker Keiko Inouye.

Remembering British Architect Will Alsop

Maverick architect Will Alsop died on May 12, 2018 at age 70. The British modernist was best known for designing buildings such as the Peckham Library in Southeast London (shown below)—a project he did together with German architect Jan Störmer. The structure won the 2000 RIBA Stirling Prize and is known for its "L" shape, double-height reading room, trademark columns, and the use of pre-patinated copper cladding responsible for its distinctive turquoise hue. Other notable designs include his proposal for the Centre Pompidou in Paris that was the runner-up to Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano’s design; the Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, aka the Tube, in Cardiff Bay, Wales; and the North Greenwich Tube Station in London.

via Curbed

New Startup Norn Provides Housing For Global Nomads

A new startup called Norn has launched a members-only club to address the need for accommodations that "fill the gap between visiting and living." Starting in London, San Francisco, Berlin, and Barcelona, the company is launching adapted townhouses aimed at "a global community of nomads." Members can stay for three to six months, a healthy chunk of time that encourages deeper cultural immersion rather than just a holiday. Norn joins a growing breed of co-living companies such as Roam and Outsite. 

via Spaces