Architecture And Design

As any fan of Spiderman knows, the “corridors” created by Manhattan’s tall buildings are a perfect way to beat traffic through a little web-swinging. But look more closely and Spiderman’s transportation of choice reveals a secret city like none other. One of the most famous and ubiquitous skylines in the world has seen its share of changes — most recently the rise of the Freedom Tower in place of the twin towers of the original World Trade Center — but has remained one of the most recognizable. Yet hidden among New York's tallest buildings is another skyline as unique as the city itself created by the negative air space formed between the granite and steel structures reaching for the sky on each side of the street.
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May 27, 2014

Giza: Itai Bar-On’s Unique Modern Lighting Solution Using Industrial Materials

Israeli industrial designer Itai Bar-On's favorite material is concrete — a love that stems from his family’s multi-generational construction business. But when the designer decided to test the limits of aluminum, he managed to create a stunning lighting fixture that emphasizes the natural qualities of a material that's often blasted to a sheen or bathed in a candy-colored powder paint finish.
Check out this sweet lamp here

May 27, 2014

Danish Designers BIG and KILO Create Tableware Outlined with City Skylines

Two Danish design powerhouses have teamed up to bring a unique city view into your dining room. Copenhagen's BIG architecture studio and industrial design group KILO recently launched a beautiful new tableware set trimmed with 12 different skylines, including ones of New York, Berlin and Paris!
Check out the full collection here

May 27, 2014

Your Art and Design Events Agenda, For the Week of May 27, 2014

By Lori Zimmer

Boo! The long Memorial Day weekend and its endless picnics are over. But you can still celebrate the short work week with all things arty! Indulge in your love of film — from the silent era to tomorrow's documentary stars — or channel your inner entrepreneur at a panel on how to price your own designs. Also be sure to rest up for the weekend as artist studios open up across Brooklyn with Bushwick Open Studios and NARS Foundation. Just be sure to leave some time on your schedule to check out Bushwick's first art fair, the NEWD Art Fair!
All the best events here

May 27, 2014

See New Renderings of Fortis’s Waterfront Residential and Hotel Development at 151 Maiden Lane

New renderings of Fortis Property Group’s mixed-use development at 151 Maiden Lane have been revealed! As reported by New York YIMBY, permits were filed last week for the new tower which will sit upon a 281,000-square-foot waterfront development site that the company purchased back in August of last year. Fortis’s new residential project will boast a 161,000-square-foot, 52-story luxury condominium with […]

May 26, 2014

Take a Tour of the Only House in the United States Designed by Ai Weiwei

China's most provocative artist can add architect to his already extensive resume. Known around the world for his contemporary artwork and political activism, Ai Weiwei has also had a hand in designing this sprawling compound in upstate New York. Located in bucolic Ancram — just a two-hour drive from New York City — the Tsai Residence was originally commissioned by a pair of Upper East Side art collectors. The 2,800-square-foot structure was completed in 2006 and put back on the market a few years later in 2013 for a whopping $4.25 million. But the hefty price tag comes with a unique distinction — it's the only house in the United States that Ai has ever designed.
Take a tour of the pricey, one-of-a-kind property here

Architecture And Design

May 23, 2014

Make Muzz’s Beautiful Spin Cast Bowls Your Dinnertime Centerpiece

You don't always need fancy machines and high-tech systems to create a jaw-dropping product. Just look at these beautiful, cobalt-streaked bowls from Muzz Design. By using the simple act of spinning, co-founders Erin Turkoglu and Melodi Bozkurt were able to turn otherwise boring dishes into exquisite works of art brimming with history.
Details on the unique timepiece here

May 23, 2014

The Most Gorgeous New York City Hotel Interiors

By Jason Carpenter

Design is on display in New York's luxury hotels, where the interior look and feel is as important as where it's located. From the lobbies that welcome guests on their first steps into the building to the bars and dining areas later at night, some of a hotel's best design work lays outside the guests' rooms. Here are just a few of our favorite hotel interiors.
See more amazing hotel lobbies here

May 23, 2014

Seaport City: Neighborhood Built on Landfill May Be Coming to the East River

Though bearing little resemblance to its quaint East River neighbor, “Seaport City” could become a reality based on a new study released yesterday by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. But don’t bank on a new set of sought after residential and commercial river views just yet. Seaport City is only one of a number of options presented to the city as part of former mayor Michael Bloomberg's 257-point, post-Hurricane Sandy resiliency plan – and it’s the most challenging on the list.
Find out more about the plan to protect the lower east side

Chadhaus’s Sustainable, Handcrafted Furniture Will Last for Generations

There comes a moment in our lives when it's time to trade in our beat-up college furniture for more grown-up goods — a bean bag should only double as the couch for so long. When that point comes, consider the exquisite pieces from Chadhaus, a Seattle-based company creating sustainable furniture that will truly stand the test of time.
More pieces from Chadhaus straight ahead

May 21, 2014

Ingenious Cricket Table by Folditure Flattens to an Inch Thick in Seconds

City dwellers are no strangers to folding furniture — they're true lifesavers when living in tiny, cramped apartments. But while most are functional, few are as beautiful as the fold-up tables and chairs designed by architect Alexander Gendell. His Folditure line (get it?) is not only ingeniously-designed, but each piece — like the Cricket Folding Table — resembles a work of origami art.
See Folditure's Cricket Folding Table in action

May 21, 2014

Plans Filed for the SOM-designed Apartment Tower at 401 West 31st Street

Brookfield Office Properties filed its first plans yesterday for their SOM-designed residential tower located at 401 West 31st Street, adjacent to all the Hudson Yards hoopla. The 756,674-square-foot, 702-foot-tall tower will host 790 apartments with 3,438 square feet of retail on its ground level. The design sits within a grouping of glass towers and a low slung, tapering structure. The […]

May 21, 2014

Five Opulent and Ornate Spaces Looking for an Occupant

By Dana Schulz

Anyone who's gone apartment hunting in Manhattan knows it can get a little monotonous — the bone-white walls, standard hardwood floors, and typical layouts. Sometimes the blank canvas just isn't enough; sometimes you need a little oomph. For those of you who enjoy ogling beautiful homes that have been carefully designed and expertly decorated, we've rounded up five opulent and ornate spaces currently looking for an occupant.
See all the stunning spaces this way!

May 20, 2014

Camp Rockaway: Queens Designer Kent Johnson Wants to Bring Luxury Camping to Far Rockaway

And the glamping trend continues... Designer Kent Johnson has just launched a Kickstarter campaign that aims to bring a "luxurious" tent campsite to the Rockaways. From fully furnished tents with crisp white linens, to private fire pits and hot tubs overlooking Jamaica Bay, this is not your everyday man's campsite. And if you think the idea sounds crazy, think again. It's actually an initiative inspired by the area's past, which once found incredible success!
More on Camp Rockaway this way

May 20, 2014

The THIN LED: A Desk Lamp That Doesn’t Take Up the Entire Table

Most desks are messy enough without a giant, imposing lamp, which makes this sleek beacon perfect for cramped home or work offices. A collaboration between Seattle's Peter Bristol and Brooklyn's Juniper Design, the THIN LED Task Lamp could not be more aptly named.
Get details on the design

May 19, 2014

Clever Kangaroo Light Bends and Flexes to Brighten Up Any Type of Space

The inventors of the viral Ostrich Pillow are at it again, promoting another cool new product on Kickstarter. Only this time, instead of an item that's meant to block out light, the team at kawamura-ganjavian are making it easier to see. Dubbed the Kangaroo Light, this flexible, glowing pad is meant to be a playful and practical solution to flashlights, which all too often get lost in the deep abyss of purses, bookbags and cabinets.
See the light in action

May 19, 2014

Observations: Sherpas Not Needed

By Carter B. Horsley

Some people have great hair that never goes astray. That made me think about buildings with their new-fangled window-washer rigs. They’re not new but the recent “gold rush” of high-end residential condominiums have led some developers to design curious new building forms that would appear to be major obstacle courses for those marvelous skywalkers who brave the elements and have never experienced a tinge of acrophobia. The faint-hearted, of course, prefer sheer city cliffs, but only the bravest descend from the heights over the new often bumpy terrain.
Sherpas not needed

Architecture And Design

May 19, 2014

Pickett Furniture’s Brann Hanging Lamp Casts a Cool Shadow

If you're looking to turn your apartment into a peaceful retreat from New York City's noisy, overflowing streets, start by installing these zen, bamboo-covered light fixtures. Designed by Jeremy Pickett of Brooklyn's Pickett Furniture, the Brann hanging lamps seamlessly blend modern minimalist with fine, old-world craftsmanship.
Details on the design here

May 19, 2014

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, No… It’s Sebastian Errazuriz’s Giant Golden Cow Piñata!

Undeniably, there is much symbolism attached to artist designer Sebastian Errazuriz’s giant golden cow piñata on display in Industry City in conjunction with NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s official citywide celebration of – you guessed it – design. One look at the suspended shimmering beast and you’re likely to be reminded of the infamous golden calf Bible story about idolatry (Exodus 32:1–6, if you’re interested) or notice its uncanny resemblance to Wall Street’s iconic charging bull.
See more of this oversized golden pinata

May 19, 2014

Your Art and Design Events Agenda, For the Week of May 19, 2014

By Lori Zimmer

We’re all looking forward to a long weekend this week, so why not get amped for Memorial Day by boning up on some of the knowledge this city has to offer? School yourself on Russia’s Modern Masters, learn about the genius of the Scandinavian design approach, or go one on one with a Whitney Museum artist. As Memorial Day looms, so does the opening of the city’s greatest isle of relaxation: Governors Island. You know summer is almost here when the ferries start running over to Manhattan getaway, so head to the ferry terminal this weekend!
All the best events here

May 15, 2014

UM Project Gives the Maypole a Modern-Day Makeover for Reclaim NYC

After an impossibly long and cold winter, it's fitting that one of the pieces on display at the upcoming Reclaim 3 exhibit is an ode to spring and renewal. But the Maypole created by whimsical furniture designer UM Project is no ordinary ribbon around a stick. Inspired by the charitable spirit that drives Reclaim NYC — which started out in 2012 as a way for the design community to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims — UM Project founder Francois Chambard teamed up with the High School of Art & Design to create an interactive installation that combines folk custom with modern-day technology.
Details on the high-tech Maypole ahead

May 15, 2014

Snøhetta’s Light-Filled 9/11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at Ground Zero Dedicated Today

It’s amazing when you think about it, the number of people personally touched by the tragedy of 9/11. It seems in the days after the attacks, especially as a New Yorker, you found you had a connection to someone who had perished, either directly or indirectly. It was almost uncanny. And the phrase “Never Forget” became ubiquitous. As if you ever could. To ensure we never do, and that those too young to remember will continue to honor the day that changed the world, the 9/11 Memorial Museum at Ground Zero was dedicated today, in advance of its May 21st opening to the general public. Attendees included President Obama and Governor Chris Christie.
Snøhetta's Light Filled Pavilion greets museum visitors

Architecture And Design

May 15, 2014

This Breathtaking Nolita Penthouse Takes Going Green to Another Level