G I Z M O D O .cz

Adding Comfort To Culture. Vitra Launches Fully Upholstered Versions Of Classic Eames Chairs.

Laura Sweet — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000

The famous molded side and armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames, originally created in fiberglass in 1950, then made in plastic, now made of polypropylene, have become a little more comfy with the fully upholstered versions recently launched by Vitra.

The Eames plastic armchair (sometimes called the 'potato chip' chair) and the Eames plastic side chair, available in eight shell colors, are now offered with your choice of 13 different colors of Hopsak upholstery and black or white piping.

Hopsak upholstery colors for the armchair:

Shell colors for the armchair:

Hopsak upholstery colors for the side chair:

Shell colors for the side chair:

When you add these options to the base options (R-wire, wooden, X-base and La Fonda base, you get a large number of possible combinations. Casters are also available on the armchair.

above: the four base options for either chair and casters.

Black piping:

White piping:

Detail of black piping:

all images courtesy of Vitra.

You can purchase these upholstered Eames chairs from twenty twentyone or find a dealer through Vitra.

Exploding House in Bodrum, Turkey By GAD

Laura Sweet — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Bodrum is a Mediterranean port-trade settlement in the Southwest of Turkey. The area boasts a rich history of over three thousand years, including Hellenistic times. The venerated scientist Heredot was born there and sculptures by artists including Leochares, Bryaxis, and Timotheos were exhibited there and can now be found in museum collections around the world. The outdated codes restrict new forms of architecture being introduced to the landscape.

To overcome this and create a more flexible building type, GAD created a house made from three separate buildings – a metaphor for a single building that has been “exploded” into many parts.

Operated electronically, the windows have the capacity to slide open flush to the ground, allowing for sea breezes to flood the interior.

This innermost space is the focal point of the house and is connected to the three houses by a series of concrete ramps that reconcile the building with the landscape. An additional slope that can be used as a sun deck and for light recreational activities descends to the contiguous swimming pool located on land set at a slightly lower grade from the house.

From here the ramp leads down the hillside to an additional self-contained apartment building that is set within the land and hidden from the house above.

Each individual unit, which complies with the regulatory size of 75 square meters, is built next to one another with a narrow space in between and is linked by a glass atrium. Conceived as a single house, each building has a separate function: a master bedroom and bathroom; a kitchen and dining room; and a guesthouse with an adjacent study room.

The central glass vestibule acts as the entrance to the building as well as the main living area with 180° vistas of the stunning landscape and bay made possible by floor to ceiling windows.

The open-plan of the main house ensures that it is light and airy, a must in the summer. As a secondary precaution, the roof of the building is covered with pools that collect rainwater.

above: the water cascades from the roof of one of the buildings to the other and is then circulated back round, creating a natural cooling system for a hot climate.

The “Exploded House” reinterprets traditional dwellings in the area, yet its angular structure that fits into the clefts in the hillside, remains in keeping with the natural environment and when seen from above the pools mirror the surrounding landscape and the endless vista of the bay and help mask the presence of the building on the hill.

Architects: Gokhan Avcioglu / GAD
Location: Bodrum, Turkey
Interior Design: Hakan Ezer
Client: Vedat Semiz, Sureyya Semiz
Site Area: 5,000 sqm
Project Area: 600 sqm
Project Year: 2003
Photographs: Ali Bekman, Ozlem Avcioglu

New Ironsides

Dan — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 01:23:42 +0000

This mecha doesn’t have quite as many guns as the USS Constitution did, but I’m sure it would carry as fearsome of a reputation. This is a job well done by kidthor. There’s a lot of great surface texture on both the body and the legs. I also love how well it balances on its tiny feet.

Abandoned museum

Nannan — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:39:14 +0000

Many Cafe Corner style buildings begin to look the same after a while, but not this one by Barney Main (SlyOwl). I haven’t seen many dilapidated buildings, so it’s always refreshing to see something so old (as in run down). The bars on the windows are a great effect despite being simulated from tape. The mannequins inside are just creepy, and they probably come to life at night.

Getting started with LDraw

Gambort — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:38:14 +0000

The ever helpful Willy Tschager has just released an excellent tutorial on getting started with MLCAD and LDraw. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to use virtual LEGO to create your own virtual masterpieces from nothing but your imagination and a computer this is an excellent way to cross the first hurdle.

The Tower of Babel

Nannan — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:02:56 +0000

I don’t know if it’s forbidden to build the Tower of Babel in Lego, but Brendan Powell Smith doesn’t think so. You can read the illustrated story on The Brick Testament.

Agent Provocateur Launches New Campaign With Lingerie Lookbook And Short Film From RSA.

Laura Sweet — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:11:00 +0000

Known for their luxurious and sexy lingerie, Agent Provocateur has just launched its new Betty Sue campaign featuring Kirsty Hume in a a two minute film by Ridley Scott's production company, RSA. The short film accompanies a print campaign and lookbook of filmic stills (all shown in this post) and video shorts. These individual elements of the campaign support an Autumn/Winter 2010 lingerie collection which takes inspiration from strong female protagonists from late 20th Century Hollywood cinema.

First, the images of the new lingerie collection from the Agent Provocateur Look Book. Shot as if you were peeking into a private hotel room via the peep hole, the images purposely obscure the face of the model and allow you to focus on her well-endowed body, clad in the new lingerie.

The Agent Provocateur Look Book:

The "Peeping Tom"-like look book images above each have a very sexy 20 second film accompanying them on the website.

above: screen grabs of the purposely grainy 20 second videos which accompany the look book.

The short film for the campaign, "Betty Sue" features the stunning and sexy Kirsty Hume donning a red wig:

Agent Provocateur's Creative Director, Sarah Shotton, explains the casting of Kirsty Hume as Betty Sue: "Kirsty became a top model in the 1990s. She represents our perfect woman, a woman with a family that oozes unbelievable intelligence, sensuality, personality and confidence. She has a film noir, feline quality to her that I felt had a brilliant synergy with Agent Provocateur."

above: Agent Provocateur's new Creative Director Sarah Shotton

Director RSA UK's Johan Renck says 'I enjoy knickers, they are a glorious garment. We all do the most we can to get as close to knickers as possible.'

The 2 Minute Film:

The behind the scenes video:

Some stills from the "Betty Sue" film, courtesy of Wallpaper:

Creative Team
Director: Johan Renck, RSA Films
Creative Direction: Sarah Shotton, Agent Provocateur
Model: Kirsty Hume at Premier Model Management
Hair: James Brown
Make Up: Ashley Ward at CLM

Shop the collection at Agent Provocateur.

Nude II For 7 Theme

Jack — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:41:11 +0000

Lots of Windows 7 goodies at this artist’s gallery.

Type: Visual Styles | Author:krissirk | Download: Click Here

How many mini-figures can you fit into a Beach Scene?

Caylin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:46:36 +0000

The answer, clearly, is a lot. I Scream Clone’s goal was to build a fun scene to entertain his Series Two collectible mini-figures. I have to say he succeeded. I personally like the wave action going on there.

Thanks to Firas Abu-Jaber for the suggestion!

Classic Lalique To The New Starck - All The L’Air Du Temps Bottles Since 1948.

Laura Sweet — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000

It was announced a few days ago that the classic Nina Ricci perfume bottle for the L'Air du Temps fragrance spray has been redesigned by omnipresent designer Philippe Starck as a special limited edition.

This is not the first time the L'Air du Temps flacon has been redesigned. The original bottle design introduced in 1948, was made to emulate a sunburst and had a frosted glass insert in the top. Only 3 years later Robert Ricci had Rene Lalique of Lalique crystal design a bottle that has since become a classic. Numerous iterations of dove-topped bottles have appeared since then, culminating in the newest modern version by Philippe Starck.

Below are all the bottles produced for the fragrance, in chronological order.

The first L'air du Temps bottle, 1948:

In 1951 Lalique crystal created the now iconic bottle with the two frosted doves atop the swirled clear crystal flacon.

1951, Lalique bottle with 2 doves:

From 1951 to present, Lalique Crystal made numerous limited and special editions of the classic bottle which included variations on the number of doves, the color of the doves and the color of the bottle. The one anomaly? In 1996, Lalique made a winged version of the bottle that did not have the doves.

1955, single dove:

1991-1993, colored doves:

1996, winged bottle:

1998, globe bottle:

2004, gold bottle:

2005, amber bottle and doves:

2006, pearlized bottle:

2007, prestige bottles:

60th Anniversary bottle:

And most recently designer Philippe Starck has taken the symbolic two doves and abstracted them for the newest limited edition of the perfume and topped one of the wings with a silver cap.

The newest bottle called L'Air du Temps by Starck will be available as a 45ml spray launching in October 2010. This limited edition is reported to cost 69 EUR ($89).

Click the below image to enlarge:

About the perfume (from the Nina Ricci site):
L’air du temps - Nina Ricci Perfume

The icon fragrance from the Nina Ricci house was born in a creative and joyful spirit in 1948. The perfect harmony of an enchanting elixir, the symbol of femininity and eternal youth. the emblematic values of L'Air du Temps remain universal: Peace, Purity, Freedom and Love. L'Air du Temps is also the air that we breathe, the mood of the moment, the reflection of each era. L'Air du Temps… An unequalled moment of emotion.

Fragrance : Spicy Floral
This fresh and timeless fragrance is a unique combination of contrasts. The legendary accord of spicy carnation and gardenia is subtly tinged with rose and jasmine from Grasse and caressed with sandalwood and iris for even more sensuality. A fragrance of emotion, L’Air du Temps exudes a mysterious power of seduction. Its fragrance blends into the personality of each woman to bring out her sensual charm and refinement.

Buy L'Air du Temps products here

Nina Ricci
Philippe Starck
Lalique Crystal