More to come!!

I know... no new posts for a while now... I'm still here - life has just gotten really busy and I need to catch up. There is more to come!

Dutch Design: De Troubadour - Lamps

I am usually all for the whimsical, but at times you need something more tough and industrial to balance the design out. These lamps from De Troubadour look industrial, nautical and even movie set-like. They certainly make a bigger statement than your usual boring floor lamp...

See pics below:

Lamp Atlantic

Lamp Studio

Lamp Spielberg

Lamp Shippers

Lamp Royal Master Sealight

Lamp Royal Marine

Lamp MGM Grand

Lamp Industrial in Nickel

Lamp Hitchcock

Lamp Bridgeport

Dutch Design: Inntel Hotel Zaandam

Dutch architecture is known for its clean and modern approach, but this hotel is something else.
Inntel Hotel Zaandam, very near to Amsterdam, is... well, it's hard to describe!
The architect, Wilfried van Winden (chief architect at WAM), was inspired by the green, wooden traditional houses in Zaandam. The hotel combines about 70 of these, ranging from simple working class houses to the very elaborate and wealthy ones. One of the featured Zaandam houses is a blue house, painted by Monet on his trip to Zaandam.
Although the architect's intention was not to shock, the building certainly makes a statement.

Check out pics below.
photography: Roel Backaert © design: Molenaar & Van Winden architecten/ WAM architecten

Dutch Design: Inside Design 2010

This Dutchic is heading back to good ol' US of A, but before I leave I have to mention this design event: Inside Design 2010. Organized by the Dutch version of Elle Decor (Elle Wonen), this design event, held at the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam on September 24-26, showcases design talents at the hotel and a designroute throughout the city will cover stores that have put together events themselves. Sounds like fun - wish I could be there! Always good to see what these Dutch designers are up to and I bet some of those hotelrooms will look amazing.

Dutch Design: De Troubadour - dining chairs

Another day and another browse through the collections by De Troubadour. This time dining chairs take center stage.
I've listed a whole bunch of my favorites here:

French Collection, Pirou chair

Calligaris Collection, Alchemia chair

Calligaris Collection, Wien chair

French Collection, Garonne chair

Dutch Design: De Troubadour - desks

Being back home and going through some old magazines lying around, I came across the catalogue of 'De Troubadour', a great furniture and home accessories source.

Just looking through their collection always inspires me.

So I've decided to dedicate a few posts to my favorities in each category, starting today with desks.

These desks have a modern, almost industrial feel to it, which is an aesthetic that I think works well for this category.

From the Classic Collection:

From the Broadway Collection:

Dutch Design: De Bijenkorf

Dutchick is currently in the Netherlands! No better place to get the scoop on innovative Dutch design. One of my favorite shopping destinations is 'De Bijenkorf', which literally means 'The Beehive', but is a department store with a pretty sleek home design department.
Some designs that caught my eye:

'Madame de Pompadour klapstoel' by Vivian van Schagen. A folding chair with Baroque inspired digital print. I love the mix of old & new - very Dutch. Now it's even on sale, making it more affordable to give your extra seating option a funky update.

'Wandkapstok Bug' by Hans Daalder is a coat hook inspired by a bug.

And finally, the 'Sticky Lamp' by Droog Design. Packaging becomes function: the plastic, which normally gets thrown out, becomes the casing. It's self-advise so you can stick it anywhere you want.

Made in Brooklyn: Re-Surface lampshades

As my 'On The Streets' posts show, I do love street art and that also includes design influenced by our urban landscape. This March at Brooklyn Flea, I spotted a stand, Re-Surface, selling great lampshades with graffiti and street images found in our own dear Brooklyn nabes.

The lamps give an interior a little edge and the colors could work with most designs. The talented Donna Brady does do more objects and designs for the interior that are inspirational - check out her website!

Dutch Design: Zelfbouwboomhut - DIY Treehouse

'Zelfbouwboomhut' which translates into English as 'DIY Treehouse' is a design by Rogier Martens and Sam van Veluw. It is part of their 'AanDeBoom' design series, literally meaning 'On The Tree'. The series will consist of object that can be attached/strapped to a tree.
The basic idea of the DIY Treehouse is a flatpack approach to the ideal hideaway for kids. Seven pieces of water-resistant panels are connected to a tree by four straps. A sort of instant treehouse. Now if only I had a garden - who says treehouses are for adults only?

Dutch Design: Knitted Vase by Ilona Huvelaars & Willem Derks

Always looking for a perfect vase to go with your flowers? This innovative design, by Illona Huvelaars and Willem Derks, provides the solution. Instead of the flowers having to adapt to the vase, the neck of vase is flexible and the flowers will therefore determine the shape. It is made using rapid prototype sls technique.

Dutch Design: Solar Birdhouse by OOOMS

Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout, both graduates from Design Academy Eindhoven, run Studio OOOMS - a design studio that has come up with some pretty interesting and innovative products. This is one of my favorites and also for sale on their website: Solar Birdhouse.

If I was in the eviable position of having a garden, this would be nice touch: a birdhouse with a solar panel on its roof that charges during the day and when dusk falls it produces a little light. Perfect for birds - they only need to sit and wait for the bugs to show up!

Dutch Design: Marcel Wanders for Moooi

I have to start off by saying that I'm a big fan of Marcel Wanders. 'Killing of the Piggy Bank'-vase, designed by Wanders for Moooi in collaboration with Royal Delft, is whimsical with an observation of cultural change.

The piggy bank-vase represents the digital age of money and the beginning of the end of physical money.

Dutch Design: Favela Painting

Dutch duo Haas&Hahn first started working together when doing a documentary for MTV about hip hop in Rio and Sao Paolo. They then wanted to bring art to unexpected places. 'Favela Painting' is about these great colorful murals in the favelas, done by the local youth. The result looks stunning.
Their latest project was in Santa Marta in Rio. Check out the before and after pics. It's a great example of how art in no way needs to be highbrow and elitist in order to be good. Inspiring.