Agata Toromanoff

What is it that distinguishes a chair designed by an architect? Why is it so tempting for an architect to have a chair in his or her portfolio? Is it possible to use creative solutions interchangeably in both domains? Chairs by Architects answers these and many other questions to show how qualities in the buildings by architects are also evident in their chair design: pieces of furniture, like manifestos, become signatures of architectural style. The 55 architects include early modern architectural pioneers such as Otto Wagner, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Antoni Gaudi and Walter Gropius, together with more recent modern masters such as Oscar Niemeyer, Santiago Calatrava, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind. The book contains interviews on Designing (in conversation with David Adjaye), Manufacturing (with David E. Bright, Knoll Inc.), Selling (with Zeev Aram), Collecting (with Richard Wright) and Preserving (with Susanne Graner, Vitra Design Museum). This is essential reading for everyone concerned with design, architecture and the relationship between creators and their creations.

For many of us, our sofa is our favourite piece of furniture. But nowadays, with living space increasingly limited, our sofa often plays more than one role in the home. It becomes a decorative centrepiece, allowing us to put our own stamp on our living space; it may extend a child's play area or double up as a bed. As a result, we have become demanding about every aspect of design. We expect multifunctionality, originality in form, and materials that are practical and long-lasting. This generously illustrated volume celebrates the creativity of more than 160 designers and brings together the very best in sofa design from the 20th and 21st centuries. As well as design icons by the likes of Josef Hoffmann, Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier and Arne Jacobsen, it showcases the most inventive creations of recent years from designers who continue to redefine and expand this field of design. With profiles arranged alphabetically by designer, the book comes complete with practical advice on buying a sofa and styling a living space, and includes a timeline of sofa design. This treasure trove of exciting creations and handy tips will appeal to anyone in search of inspiration for their own home, or with an interest in furniture design in general.

Vase design is blooming. As the vase has become one of the most universal home accessories, contemporary designers are pushing the boundaries, making vases that are not only functional, beautiful objects, but also works of art and conceptual statements. The history of design includes many significant examples of state-of-the-art vases, but the scope and quality of those that we can admire today are unprecedented. From Ted Muehling's sleek, gilded `Goose Egg' to Glithero's botanical cyanotypes on ceramic and Joogii Design's colour-shifting prisms covered in dichroic film, there are no limits to what contemporary designers can make out of what is fundamentally a container for holding flowers. This book includes important mid-century and late 20th-century vases by acclaimed artists, but primarily focuses on the 21st-century scene, with a wide international selection of emerging designers from the younger generation. Inspired by the organic world, architectural elements, artworks or geometric rules, all these designers translate their original visions into a variety of forms, blurring the lines between design, sculpture and architecture. The vases featured in this book are contemporary works of art, worthy of inclusion in museum collections - as many already are.

Surrounded by a magical flair, villas have been the gleaming diamond of residential design since ancient times, characterized by generosity, representation and individuality.This classic form of habitation is a synonym for architectural distinctiveness with the nimbus of a refined way of living and sophisticated building culture - regardless of the style. For architects and interior designers, both the new construction and the conversion of a villa offer the exciting challenge of reinterpreting this building task with individual concepts. This volume presents the work of renowned architects as well as designs by young and up-and-coming design studios. Innovative thinking and creative refinement are required to realize the wishes and dreams of the client. Minimalist or opulent, traditional or extravagant, each villa offers a different design solution.

Wood has undergone quite an image change - as future and trend researcher Matthias Horx puts in a nutshell: "Wood is Style". It has come out of the corner of the traditional and rustic and moved to the top of high-tech building materials. In addition to the well-known ecological and building biology aspects, innovative timber construction technology allows a great deal of design freedom, is extremely precise, and at the same time manages to enrich even very daring architecture with the factors of warmth and coziness. Using wood in combination with or in contrast to other materials such as metal, glass, bricks or exposed concrete is an option that architects and designers are increasingly choosing for their designs. The planners' willingness to experiment is now also evident in the color scheme of wooden houses and interiors. This publication offers a unique overview of its use for residential buildings from all over the world, including the United States and Canada and introduces architects, interior designers, and builders to the diversity of contemporary timber architecture.

Historically, women architects were disappointingly absent in the news and at awards ceremonies, but now they are spearheading some of the most exciting and important projects in every corner of the globe. These profiles of fifty female architects bring to light some of those projects and highlight pioneering women architects. Each architect is introduced in double-page spreads that include a brief biography, an overview of her philosophy and vision, and stunning photographs of her most significant works. Interviews with several of the architects provide a global perspective on how women are changing the face of the world-including feminist icon, philanthropist, and Nigerian "starchitect" Olajumoke Adenowo; Tatiana Bilbao, who is leading the way in sustainable Mexican architecture; Rossana Hu, who is fighting to preserve Chinese village culture in her rapidly urbanizing country; and Elizabeth Diller, who created the High Line, one of New York City's most beloved public spaces, and helped redesign the city's Museum of Modern Art. This volume offers indisputable and inspiring evidence that the architectural profession is no longer just a man's game.

From luxury apartment towers to offices, places of worship to museums, brutalist architecture is having a 21st-century moment- and this book is here to explore the new interpretations of the style. Designed with the same bold aesthetic that informed Le Corbusier himself, this book features fifty recent examples of how architects around the world are embracing the principles of brutalism - simplicity, functionality, and rawness - reimagining them for today's standards and tastes. Drawing from the radical approach of the controversial architectural movement, today's Brutalist buildings are both sophisticated and elegant. As the hundreds of exterior and interior photos in this book reveal, architects have taken advantage of new technology to make concrete-based structures that are refined and alluring, as well as stylish and modish unlike their predecessors. Each chapter is dedicated to a different type of building and is introduced with a selection of iconic structures as an essential visual reference for Brutalism's new look. In some instances the overall strength of the aesthetic is paired with equally forceful materials such as glass, metal and brick; other examples show how classically brutalist lines are integrated into generously proportioned, light-filled spaces. An informative celebration of Brutalist architecture's legacy, this book is an exciting exploration of how today's most innovative architects are discovering the inherent beauty of powerful concrete volumes that was at the heart of Le Corbusier's original vision.

For many of us, our sofa is our favourite piece of furniture. But nowadays, with living space increasingly limited, our sofa often plays more than one role in the home. It becomes a decorative centrepiece, allowing us to put our own stamp on our living space; it may extend a child's play area or double up as a bed. As a result, we have become demanding about every aspect of design. We expect multifunctionality, originality in form, and materials that are practical and long-lasting. This generously illustrated volume celebrates the creativity of more than 160 designers and brings together the very best in sofa design from the 20th and 21st centuries. As well as design icons by the likes of Josef Hoffmann, Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier and Arne Jacobsen, it showcases the most inventive creations of recent years from designers who continue to redefine and expand this field of design. With profiles arranged alphabetically by designer, the book comes complete with practical advice on buying a sofa and styling a living space, and includes a timeline of sofa design. This treasure trove of exciting creations and handy tips will appeal to anyone in search of inspiration for their own home, or with an interest in furniture design in general.

The impressive wealth of Scandinavian interiors: locally inspired and international successful Nordic home design has long won over aficionados of clean lines, cozy and functional furniture, and bright spaces. This richly illustrated, inspirational book celebrates the Scandinavian interior design scene and its spectacular momentum in recent years. It offers a unique insight into the latest trends, such as the use of more contrasting colors, mixed sustainable textures, and the quest for the ultimate comfort of both body and mind. The pages in this book invite readers into vibrant, intimate, and elegant interiors that illustrate the great diversity and creative atmosphere prevailing in the home decoration style of northern Europe. It is set to become a sourcebook for interior designers, architects, and anyone looking for fresh ideas for introducing the Hygge lifestyle to one's own home.