spacetm

Grrr...

2009-08-20T12:01:00.009+01:00

Motorbikes should leave me cold. Especially one with all its engineering on display. So why am I suddenly feeling all animal and hoping I look good in leather, wonders SpaceTM's Mark...

Because of the P120 Combat Edition Fighter, designed by Confederate. Obviously the fact it's built out of aircraft grade aluminium helps. If it had airbrushed flames curling around a 70's Heavy Metal band's logo then it would be a different story. Even so, should a minimalist really be turned on by the mass of exposed internal engineering? Surely a smooth aerodynamic shell would finish it off perfectly?

Usually I would think so. Yet the sheer guts of exposing its, well... sheer guts seems to have unleashed the Hulk trapped below the surface of the restrained minimalist. Such a complex Meccano project somehow appeals to the primal. The idea that such a bleeding-edge piece of tech can reach back through layers of time and manners and enrage my basic caveman feels really exciting and a little scary. Should I start hunting my own food?

And if you think my reaction to this piece of machinery is a little, erm... passionate, then read the manufacturers description below. They are actually allowed beat their chests as they are the cavemen who built it. If you are shocked by engineering porn then look away now:

'The Fighter clarifies opaqueness and nullifies hype with straight-forward true to concept certitude. At the source is a classic right triangle. Proportion is classically derived. Scale is middle way. Bearing exudes structural permanence. Human integration deploys yang energy, vitality, and power in the most simple, pure and direct form. Geometry is optimized for the medium and/or long disciplined journey of sensory heightened motion. Torque to weight is maximized. Engine, suspension and ergonomic luxury and ease of use is optimized. Materials utilization is the finest. Individual piece and component specification is highest and best. Craft preparation and specification is uncompromised. The aesthetic is fresh, industrial, sculptural, holistic and honest. The saddle of the Fighter is your place for those outings which require extended time, geography, meditation and distance.'

The P120 Combat Edition Fighter is a limited edition of 120. www.confederate.com

On the bottle

2009-08-13T15:07:00.003+01:00

Eccentricity and a love for trash are not qualities that I would normally entertain in a furniture designer but this chair by Pawel Grunert has me aching to give it a try, says SpaceTM's Mark

The SIE43 Chair was created for Milan's Eco Trans Pop exhibition from scores of PET bottles held together is a stainless steel frame. The phrase 'sculptural organic form' is an overused one in the world of furniture – and objects described by it would normally have me running a mile – but it describes this perfectly and I'm still here.

Much like the previously featured cardboard designs by Henry Pilcher, this transcends its eco and recycled origins to become a strong futuristic design piece in its own right. Practical too, as even the individual bottles can be replaced if they show signs of strain. It could be endlessly evolved and even customised if the replacement bottles were of a different colour.

Yes I suspect it may squeak, strain, bounce and pinch but it looks fantastic, has solid Eco origins and its form suggests it would be an interesting seating experience. I can even imagine an outdoor edition that would be fun and look great floating on SpaceTM's infinity pool.

Inner space

2009-07-25T17:29:00.004+01:00

Some of the most interesting architecture at the moment is being born out of restriction. SpaceTM's Mark breathes in then relaxes at House 53 in São Paulo

As cities are being halted in their spread, architects are looking inwards and creating beautiful buildings on previously ignored small landsites. Architect Marcio Kogan's House 53 in São Paulo is my current favourite example.

In crowded cities, privacy can be a problem. Despite being on a slim 10m by 30m site surrounded by other builds, the privacy Marcio has created is obvious, with the dual layer of wooden walls. This minimalism is beautiful yet initially quite daunting for a visitor. When the building opens, it is spectacular. The second wall reveals itself to be wooden shutters for the upper floor, necessary for privacy yet adaptable and not as rigid as the first impression makes out.

Inside, the sense of space is heightened by making the most of the long sightlines the slim site imposes. A beautifully cantilevered floating staircase and low ceiling both serve to push this further. A swimming-lane pool adds water – and a quiet place to swim – as another element in Marcio's palette of natural materials.

The perceived ideal for modern architecture is a clean-lined construction cocooned and isolated in beautiful woodland. That type of site is increasingly rare and Marcio shows that an inner-city space's potential problems can be flipped and be turned into its biggest assets.

Photography by Rômulo Fialdini

Living on a box

2009-07-08T22:01:00.003+01:00

The idea of furniture created out of recycled cardboard has been around a while. So where is it and why hasn't it taken off, wonders SpaceTM's Mark?

These designs by Australian Henry Pilcher prove how stylish it can be. Both the lines and construction are as strong as any other modern wood or plastic equivalent. These have eco-credentials and the repetition of a single shape cut out of such a ready material would certainly be cheap to manufacture. The abstracted hints of applied graphics also give the pieces personality and individuality.

Instead of just existing as a minor novelty answer to the environmental question, or as a material experiment by students or designers, someone really needs to take them on as fully realised products. Don't force me to have to try and make some myself.

Play Architect [002]

2009-06-29T21:58:00.008+01:00

Anything that involves architecture in art always gets our attention. More so when it also uses LEGO says SpaceTM's Mark

The crumbling walls of Bocchignano in Italy have seen centuries of repair and addition as have the ancient walls in Tel Aviv and the war-scarred architecture of Berlin.

Above: Dispatchwork in Bocchignano, Italy
Artist Jan Vormann has visited all these sites for his Dispatchwork project, filling and rebuilding the decay and scarring with plastic toy bricks. This deceptively simple motif is rich with comment on modern society's conflict with its past.

Above: Dispatchwork in Tel Aviv
Craftsmanship versus mass production? Organic and natural materials versus harsh chemical plasticity? In Berlin, conflict itself is commented on by using a new generations' toy to rebuild the war damage caused by their forefathers.

Above: Dispatchwork in Berlin, Germany photographed by Kathleen Waak
There is also a visual nod towards pixellation and new technology digitising, then corrupting and destroying our memories of the past.

Your Space [017]

2009-05-25T14:12:00.003+01:00

"When I was asked to write about where my favorite space is in Paris, I found it almost impossible to narrow it down to one place. I lead private tours of the city and write a Paris blog, so I am always out and about exploring the city doing research and have acquired a large list of favorite places. I narrowed it down to the alleyway of trees in the garden of the Palais Royal. There is a certain serenity I feel sitting on a bench under the trees. I also love the symmetry and the way the trees are cut so perfectly square. When you stand on one end in the middle, it creates an ever so soft upside down 'U' at the end. It’s kind of neat to sit under the trees when it’s raining."

Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris who leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog www.eyepreferparis.com. Checkout the pre-launch of his new Paris cooking classes http://www.ipreferparis.net/2009/04/-eye-prefer-paris-cooking-classes-prelaunch.html

Play Architect [001]

2009-05-20T20:09:00.003+01:00

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has teamed up with LEGO to release the first of the LEGO Architecture Frank Lloyd Wright Collection sets.

The models of Lloyd Wright's iconic Fallingwater house and Guggenheim Museum have been launched at an exhibition of the architects work at (unsurprisingly) the Guggenheim.

SpaceTM loves the idea, although is a little concerned that the bumps on the bricks at this scale somewhat ruin the clean lines of the originals. Maybe a model of Selfridges Birmingham would be more authentic.

The sets come with booklets of drawings and archive materials and (hopefully) figures of a frowning Corbusier and climbing Matthew Barney.

SpaceTM's Joe hearts negative space

2009-04-30T06:42:00.000+01:00

I'm loving these clever pieces of furniture by Gareth Neal. They're currently part of his exhibition Urban Field at Contemporary Applied Arts, 2 Percy Street, London W1T 1DD until May 2nd.

Talking about his work, Neal says: "Within my work I am continually exploring the places that are just out of reach: below the skin, beneath the sea and outer space. Developing themes through observations in science and nature, I use fluid movement and repetition to produce decorative and sculptural forms."

SpaceTM talks to Timorous Beasties

2009-04-26T22:55:00.001+01:00

Deconstructed Pisticule Lamp, 2009

Timorous Beasties are one of the most original textile and wallpaper creatives in the UK today. Shortlisted for the Designer of the Year Awards in 2005 and one of Philip Treacy's favourite fabric designers, they recently caused a minor scandal on release of their new Edinburgh Toile, commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival. (Don't you love a heated debate?)

Whilst launching lots of exciting new things in Milan Design Week, such as their new digi fabric and the 'Chester Chair', one half of them – Paul Simmons – managed to find time to answer some questions for SpaceTM in celebration of their forthcoming exhibition at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, inspired by the latter's John Ruskin collection.

What’s currently inspiring you?
Will Oldham also known as Bonnie Prince Billy and as The Palace Brothers.
Where is your favourite space?
Rossana Orlandi's Cafe in Milan
Country or city?
City.
Victoriana or 20th century modernism?
Modernism
Computer or pen & paper?
Pen and paper.
Tidy or messy?
Messy.
If you could, would you invite Ruskin round for dinner?
Of course, but I wouldn't have him stay for too long in case he bored everybody!

Timorous Beasties Presents A Bird In The Hand is at Millennium Gallery from 9 May – 25 October

Some more work from the exhibition to enjoy:

Papillion de Nuit Chair Panel, 2009

Papillion de Nuit Fabric, 2009

Woodpecker and Bug Chair Panel, 2009

Zag-Wing, 2009

SpaceTM's Joe Talks Interior Decor With Our Lady J

2009-04-21T00:02:00.002+01:00

Performer Our Lady J first made her name as the pianist in Justin Bond's backing band. Now she's striking out on her own with emotional renditions of tracks by Nine Inch Nails, Alanis Morissette and Dolly Parton. With London joining New York in falling at her knees, SpaceTM thought now's a good time to make her acquaintance and find out if she's a more Bauhaus or baroque kinda gal...

Where do you live?

Harlem. And I LOVE IT!

Ok, do you prefer... Minimal or ornate?

Well, glimpsing at my vanity alone, I would have to say "ornate".

Tidy or cluttered?

Tidy. "Hot tranny mess" does not apply here!

Country or city?

City... for now.

What's the favourite thing you own?

My computer. From the Apple Store. I'm obsessed with technology and how we're integrating machines into an essential part of are beings. We talk to, listen to and have sex with our computers as much as (or even more than!) we do other human beings... And I think it's beautiful.

What's your favourite kind of interior decor?

Right now in my home I have a mishmash of pagan, romantic and futuristic decor. Rich earth tones are the backdrop to golden statuettes. Sacred objects and alters live in harmony with the household necessities of the modern age.

And finally... where's your favourite space?

I'm always happy when I'm sitting on a piano bench. There's no place I'd rather be than behind the keys.

Gospel For The Godless at Southbank Centre, London, May 2nd, www.ourladyj.com

High Life

2009-04-20T19:45:00.003+01:00

What initially looks like a stream of pixels – or buttons on an early supercomputer – is actually an industrial car park shot from directly above by photographer Stephan Zirwes. Vertigo sufferers look away now, says an anxious SpaceTM's Mark

Google Earth has provided everyone with an insight as to how beautiful landscape can be when seen from various heights. Yet these views, however fascinating, miss the mannered selection found in Stephans work. His shooting height seems to be the perfect mid-way between improbably high and just low enough to make detail on the edge of recognisable. This is at its most revealing when focussed on expansive man-made areas.

They show the intricate way man orders and patterns his space, whether by design or by accident. Stephan reveals designs on a scale so epic that their creators on the ground could never really understand them or even know what they are creating.

Tenerife [002] Elemental

2009-04-13T15:12:00.005+01:00

Crouching behind a main tourist area in Tenerife is a building with enough brute force to take on any of the world's architectural heavyweights, say SpaceTM's Mark

The Magma Arts and Congress Centre was certainly created for presence. Hewn out of monumental beaten-blocks of volcanic rock, it feels like architect Fernando Menis must have implemented pyramid-building techniques to make this possible.

Both he and the stone are local to the island and he certainly makes a statement about the island's force, both of nature and of will-power.

The design was informed by the weight of the volcano that dominates the island and the unusual desert landscapes created by it. Despite the definite feeling of solidity and confidence, any arrogance the building may have is washed away by the lightness of the free-flowing curved roof. This interaction echoes the way the sea and the rock landscapes affect each around the island.

The presence of the building cannot be denied. But it is really the attention to detail that brings this whole project true glory.

On approach, what first appears to be small slashes in a wall becomes inset glazed windows, stories and stories high. Huge slabs of concrete, that are so impressive from a distance, have false doors pressed into them as you get closer. Get closer still and the concrete contains small debris like nails and bottle tops. Whether through a telescope or a microscope, there is huge statement and tiny detail everywhere. I've never enjoyed such an immense building so minutely before.

The local stone gives way to a master-class in concrete usage and texture. Huge brutish slabs are used with their raw backs exposed and simply lined up in a row. The slatted spaces between them are then beautifully glazed, keeping the interior dark and cool. Vast stone expanses are hand beaten to serrated blade edges. Smooth wood-pressed surfaces butt up against primitive hand-beaten rock. The interactions in this building are endlessly fascinating.

Yet all this raw expanse, contrasting texture and strong angle come into their own when they play with another of Tenerifes great forces. The light and shadow they create with the sun are both truly immense, finely textured and ever shifting.

Instead of just being inspired by what Tenerife has, Menis has created an island within an island that distills and exhibits what Tenerife can be when it is really at its best: when it is elemental.

Your Space [016]

2009-04-13T13:01:00.000+01:00

"It very often depends on the company. I consider myself a fairly social kind of guy. I like having people around me, so it would have to be with someone. I’m very fond of water, so it could be in a shower, but it also could be by the ocean. I’ve just realised this sounds very new age."

Svein Berge [pictured right], one half of Norwegian duo Röyksopp

The single album Happy Up Here is out now on Wall Of Sound.

Tenerife [001] Shock and Awe

2009-04-04T11:54:00.041+01:00

Where does a minimalist find joy in the jumble of tourist Tenerife? Suprisingly, gasps SpaceTM's Mark, absolutely everywhere

Tenerife has a reputation for the gaudy end of the travel experience. This is certainly justified. The cut-and-shut of architectural styles plastered with jumbled layers of signage turns tourist streets into a tumbling agony of colour and angles. Some areas would be a shock to the senses for even a hardened Brit-Abroad, so imagine the potential damage to the discerning eyes and nervous system of a staunch minimalist.

After the eye-rolling, gasping, tutting (and self-awareness that you are the only person wearing dark grey during the day) something life-affirming happens. Initially, everywhere is so wrong that it reinforces exactly how right you are. That anyone could do these things to a naturally stunning volcanic island makes you want to change the world that little bit harder. Indeed, instead of jumping on a jet to find the nearest John Pawson, the minimalist starts to do the exact opposite and seek out even gawdier areas to eye-roll, gasp and tut at. How right can this place prove me to be?

Then slowly (like eating chilli-peppers) each time you want to push the pain a bit further. The worse it gets the more you want and you feel the addiction start. Forget acres of white plaster and slate, look at that wall of badly printed towels! The bad is so bad it twists and really becomes extremely good. You ache to get Martin Parr over to really do it justice.

And yes, you notice that intriguing sliver of modernist glass glinting on a distant hill; you adore that restrained surfers bar on the beach with simple decking, woven-grass seats and hand-painted box tables; you love the discreet restaurant with dark wood, white linen and modular cane furniture by Skyline... yes, here the diamonds in the dust are thrown into such sharp contrast that they become real shining gems. The good needs the bad to make it look even better. Then you can forgive the bad and it too becomes beautiful.

Then there is the real shock of a building so strong, awe inspiring and unexpected that it gives you one of the architectural experiences of your life...

I'm not sure whether Tenerife has a tourist board slogan but, if it hasn't, it should be this: Tenerife: Shock and Awe.

SpaceTM's Joe enjoys various silouettes

2009-03-30T20:50:00.000+01:00

Self portrait

Victorian Railings

Window

SpaceTM's Joe becomes outraged (briefly)

2009-03-28T18:25:00.002Z

Those of you that watch X Factor, American Idol or the equivalent (depending on which country you live in), will know that if you like an act you have to vote for them, otherwise they could be kicked out of the competition. VOTES COUNT.

Libraries are one of those institutions that appear eternal, like Simon Cowell's cuboid hairstyle, but how recently have you actually stepped into one? On a recent visit home to see my parents I learnt that their local council was planning to close most of its bibliothèques. This shocked me. "It's an outrage!" I cried, slamming my fist onto the table. Yes, such fervent displays of solidarity are all well and good, but when did I last support my local library? Erm, probably never.

This is a ridiculous situation, if only because I love book shops. Have you ever gone into a book shop, spent hours reading and not ended up buying anything? (Me personally, that would be a yes). Browsing for books brings on the same buzz as clothes shopping, but also it invites you into a myriad of possibilities, a different world for every tome. You travel to so many mental places, you step out onto the street having been on holiday. Amazing!

Last weekend the V&A Museum in London opened a new bookshop designed in collaboration with Vitsoe (look out for the company's "iconic" 606 Universal Shelving System, designed by Dietr Rams in 1960). The space has been laid out "to encourage visitors to browse and explore the breadth of what's on offer". So I intend to do just that. And for anyone whose fix is still not satisfied, there's also the National Art Library upstairs, possibly one of London's best kept secrets. It's open to all, but perhaps don't tell everyone or they'll all want to go.

Random picture of two people putting together the 606 Universal Shelving System

Your Space [015]

2009-03-27T15:29:00.004Z

"I made a film a few years ago in the Sonsbeek Pavilion. It’s a sculpture pavilion designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. He designed it in the mid 50s as a temporary sculpture, then it was rebuilt in the mid 60s after he died as a type of memorial to him. It’s in the park of the Kröller-Müller museum in Holland. It houses sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and is actually quite beautiful in terms of that mid-century modernism. It really encapsulates this idea about the relationship between modernism and the ruin, because in a way its like an unfinished building, or a building as a type of fragment. It’s a type of shell, more than anything. A very elaborate bus stop!"

Gerard Byrne, artist

SpaceTM's Joe cracks up

2009-03-24T09:55:00.000Z

Crack in whitewashed wall, Stockwell, London

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2009

Space TM's Joe becomes dizzy on a London tube train

2009-03-23T17:54:00.000Z

Seat Fabric

Wall Graphics

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2009

Your Space [014]

2009-03-16T16:36:00.001Z

"My partner’s parents have built an underground eco ‘bunker’ in St David’s on the Pembrokeshire coast, where we spend many happy days. From the outside it looks like a hobbit house, covered with sedum, grasses, wild flowers and butterflies in the summer. You expect it to be dark, but the interior is filled with light. It feels like an upturned boat because of the amazing curved ceiling beams and port-hole windows."

"I’m always at peace in this space because it’s part of nature; glass walls mean there’s no real boundary between the inside and the rocks and plants surrounding it. No TV, no traffic – just sunny walks in salty fresh air, barbecues on the beach and the sound of the sea. If I’m in ‘the bunker’, surrounded by the people I love, with fresh fish, good books and red wine – I’m in heaven."

Ellie Tennant, interiors journalist and stylist for Ideal Home magazine, The Design Mole blogger and founder of Molly Cotton

The White Stuff: SpaceTM's Joe explores Maison Martin Margiela

2009-03-16T16:35:00.000Z

I've always had a rather love/hate relationship with fashion. It started at university when I spent my entire student loan in one afternoon, only to realise white trousers and two-inch soled silver trainers were probably only a good idea if you can stay alive to wear them. And for that you also need to be able to purchase food at regular intervals. Oops.

These days I'm rather more pragmatic. I can coo at a fashion magazine, but I like being comfortable, so I'm happy to leave the flouncier feathers to the peacocks.

That said, I've always had a soft spot for Martin Margiela; the notoriously mysterious Belgium designer who started up his own fashion label – Maison Martin Margiela – in 1988, after working as an assistant to Jean-Paul Gaultier.

He has novel way of doing things. For example, he never gives interviews other than by fax and no one knows what he looks like.* He eschews celebrity and hides the identity of the models he uses with ponytail hairpieces, veils or – in catalogues – by placing black bars over their eyes (a pair of sunglasses from his 2008 spring/summer collection is shaped like such a bar and is named "Incognito"). His products don't come with a flashy logo, but a simple white rectangle, sewn on with four corner stitches (using white thread, natch) onto the inside of the garment.

*Ok, I'm sure his family know what he looks like, you get my drift.

As you may have already guessed, white is one of his favourite colours. "White means the strength of fragility and the fragility of the passage of time," the fashion house is quoted as saying in 2008. When it moves into new spaces – shops and the like – it takes over the furnishings of the previous inhabitants and paints them... you guessed it, white! And I don't mean a pretty, super-sleek, gallery kinda white, but a coarse, heavy handed "I had several bottles of WKD before I started this" white.

It also paints its garments. As as you might expect, over time the paint wears off. "Oh no! shhhhit! What am I gonna do?" Chill out, because this is all part of the Maison Margiela aesthetic. Whereas ageing and decay are generally considered taboo in the fashion industry, Margiela embraces the passing of time along with the associated wear and tear a garment may acquire. As the white paint gradually cracks, new textures and colours become visible. It's resurrection IN DRESS FORM.

I love white (see here for evidence of this) so you can perhaps understand why I dig all this sartorial monochromatic fetishism.

Incidentally, I did once try painting an old pair of trainers white. It actually led to me pulling someone in a bar (they were a Margiela fan), but I didn't account for the fact most footwear is designed to allow your foot to breathe in some way. If you pile on the emulsion, they soon start to stink...

Maison Martin Margiela 20. The Exhibition, is at Haus der Kunst, Munich, from March 20th till June 1st, http://www.hausderkunst.de/

SpaceTM meets designer Helena Jonasson

2009-03-14T21:05:00.000Z

This April Hidden Art will be taking six of their designer-makers to the Milan Furniture Fair to unveil new products and prototypes.

SpaceTM particularly fell in love with the work of Helena Jonasson and Yu Jordy, so we decided to ask them a few questions, starting with Helena...

Which do you prefer - black or white?
White.
Modern or retro?
New and old in combination.
City or seaside?
Seaside.
What's currently your biggest inspiration?
Wood. Winter landscapes. Fictional characters & little stories.
What was the last thing you fell in love with and bought?
An Alvar Aalto stool.
What's your favourite room at home?
My home is in an old steel factory with amazing windows - the main room is large, bright and high up, almost in the clouds!
Where's your favourite space.
The headspace at the beginning of a journey somewhere unknown and exciting.

Pictured, extreme top: Linie cabinet. Top: Funkis drawer unit by Helena Jonasson. Yu Jordy's interview with follow tomorrow.

SpaceTM's Mark muses on light

2009-03-14T10:27:00.023Z

Above: Sunlight in Soho between 4pm and 4.30pm

The film industry spends millions on special effects that attempt to dazzle and amaze; fashion has become a huge, complex industry that exists to attract and stimulate the eye; and artists spend their lives – in the process sometimes destroying it – struggling to produce something which inspires both awe and thought.

Yet none of the above, no architect, designer, advertising creative, painter or landscaper can stop me in my tracks, turn my day around and stun me into silence, nor inspire as much desire to live as the simple beauty of sunlight slowly moving across a room.

SpaceTM meets designer Yu Jordy

2009-03-14T09:00:00.000Z

Where's your favourite space?
The Tate Gallery of Modern Art in London.
How would you describe the interior of your own home?
White. Like a blank canvas. It's the start of creativitity.
What was the inspiration behind your new paper cut lampshade?
The Cloud Lamps were inspired by my architectural design projects. When I was doing my MA in Architecture at the Royal College of Art London, I used paper to make architectural models and exhibited at the Venice Biennale. The public loved my models and wanted to buy them, so I decided to transform the architectural models to a domestic product that people can buy and use to enhance the atmosphere of a home.

As an architectural designer, I think three-dimensionally; I don’t see the lampshade as an object but a space. My passion is to create sensational spaces for people. I am interested in how it feels for the 1:50 scaled people on the lampshade in the designed spaces, whether it is a church, playground, shopping mall, park or school; and how it feels like for us when the lamps are lit at home.

I don’t see lighting as an additional element to the architecture, but an integrated part of it, driving the relationship between the solid and void, adding life to the architecture.

As an architectural designer I wish to create better environments for other people, that’s not only by designing beautiful and sustainable buildings, but also exquisite sustainable product.

Pictured: paper-cut lampshade by Yu Jordy Fu

SpaceTM's Joe muses on cars

2009-03-13T14:21:00.003Z

Above: Rain on a taxi window, London

I've always thought there was something romantic about staring through a rain-smudged window. It frames the view, turns it into a movie scene and conjures up all kinds of scenarios concerning travel, loss and the arrival of the unknown.

When I was a child I would press my face against the window and enjoy sensation of cool glass against my warm skin (especially if the car heater had created an Amazon-like humidity). Then I would sit back and look at the outline of my features left on the glass. My dad hated that!

I can't drive so I've never had my own car. That means I've never felt that sense of ownership others get from their automobile. Cars have an almost wombic association to me. They carry me around and protect me – and I'm not required to do all that much except just sit there, or maybe give the odd direction once in a while. You can't exactly press your face against the window if you're supposed to be driving. Well, not easily anyway...

SpaceTM's Mark gets all fired-up... again

2009-03-04T10:00:00.001Z

After experiencing the super-long "statement" fireplace in the Marano Hotel in Paris, my deeply ingrained opinion that fire had no place in a modern building promptly dissolved. If you remember, it was clean-burning, linear, fire-tamed and... well, sorted. What could be better?

To answered simply, how about this fireplace by ODOS architects for their Dwelling at Maytree? It spans the whole interior wall, even extending out into the garden. The twist is, below this strong linear feature lies an honest camp fire placed directly on the floor. It is a beautiful, architectural solution made more powerful by pulling back with such a simple fire.

Photograph by Ros Kavanagh / ODOS architects

SpaceTM salutes Le Corbusier

2009-02-25T21:18:00.004Z

Love him or loath him, you can't escape the influence of architect Le Corbusier (unless, that is, you live in an igloo). Throughout February and March the Barbican, London, is celebrating this mighty master of construction with an exhibition and a number of special events. SpaceTM took the opportunity to ask assistant curator on the exhibition, Corinna Gardiner, what the fuss is all about.

What do you love about Le Corbusier?
His ideas reshaped residential architecture from the private villa through to mass social housing. As an architect he saw his task as one of improvement for all.
Why is he still relevant today?
Take Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye (pictured below), built in the late 1920s – it still looks radically modern near 100 years later. The pared back mode of living he advocated continues to be considered elegant and desirable today.
So, what's your favourite Le Corbusier space?
The Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp is an obvious favourite. At once monumental and intimate, this sacred building is hidden away amongst trees up on hill just outside the small town of Ronchamp. The winding approach and then the sudden revelation of the sculptural concrete form is unforgettable.

SpaceTM meets "Wallpaper Man" Colm O'Gallachor

2009-02-22T12:49:00.003Z

Colm O'Gallachor, otherwise known as "Wallpaper Man", has over 25 years of experience installing and removing of wall coverings – from grass papers to wide vinyls – so it's perhaps no surprise Farrow & Ball regard him as a recommended paper hanger. SpaceTM reckons he must have seen quite a few interiors, so we took the opportunity to ask him about some of them.

What's the most complicated kind of wall covering you've put up?
The most complicated I have used was a gold leaf. It was more the angles in the room that was difficult.
What's the weirdest?
I think it has to be a graffiti mural I put up in a child's bedroom.
Where is the most amazing space in which that you've worked?
A country home in Fiffe Scotland. I had so many rooms to work with and different wall coverings.
What's the biggest trend in wallpapers at the moment?
I find that I am doing more and more feature walls with Farrow & Ball and Designers Guild papers.
Finally, where is your favourite space?
It is a church in Seville Spain called Iglesia de San Julian. It has the most amazing designs and features. It's something else! If you travel there its worth a visit.

Colm is available for hire and can be contacted on either colm01@blueyonder.co.uk or 07879484286

SpaceTM looks at photographer Joseph Eta

2009-02-20T04:12:00.002Z

Yesterday SpaceTM featured Cameroon photographer Joseph Eta. We like his pictures so much we thought, "hell, why not show another one?!" So here it is – and if you're online, reading this in the middle of an urban jungle somewhere, then this image is especially dedicated to you.

As Eta himself explains: “You develop a respect for nature when you grow up surrounded by it. I take photographs to help people who live in concrete worlds get a sense of what that respect feels like.”

You can buy prints of Eta's pictures here and he also has an exhibition at the Harbour Club, Chelsea, London, from February 27th.

Your Space [013]

2009-02-19T13:00:00.010Z

"I have always loved the coast. Currently my favourite spot is the Westcombe Bay in south Devon. I unload all the pressures and anxieties of everyday life on the low tide and the ocean takes it away. Then I relax and tank new energy and dreams from the ocean as the high tide comes back. At the beach I can see as far as my eyes can take me and I can also relax and think as deeply as my mind can dive. Staying connected with the natural world always keeps me in check."

Joseph Eta, photographer (pictured: Aurelias Wish by Joseph Eta)

Interview: Liberty's furniture & lighting buyer Michelle Alger

2009-02-18T15:47:00.003Z

Half Blue Love Seat by Ercol

Liberty's, the famous London department store, is one of SpaceTM's favourite destinations. In particular we like nothing better than spend a Saturday afternoon having a nose round the huge variety of new and vintage furniture on the fourth floor. Here we get to meet the person who handpicks every piece that ultimately ends up in this hallowed space, Liberty’s furniture and lighting buyer, Michelle Alger.

First of all, where's your favourite space?
It has to be my garden in the summer. It backs onto a field full of cattle and horses. I am a plant junkie and spend ages planning the display (with a little help from my horticulturalist younger brother!). My other favourite space would be looking over Sennen Cove in Cornwall – sheer, rugged, natural, beautiful coastline.
Who's your favourite furniture designer?
Danny Lane. I love his use of glass and wood, and the way that he puts the natural elements together.
My favourite new designer is Zoe Murphy, for her quirky re-interpretation of Margate landmarks which she laser prints onto wood. Being a fellow Kent girl I really get her ideas and her re-use of vintage furniture; and, so it seems, do my customers, as we have sold out!
Ercol is making its debut on the fourth floor of the redesigned Liberty. What is it you love about Ercol?
The wood bending technique is something that fascinates me and the clean simple lines and shapes. Their designs still have longevity decades later.

Evergreen sofa by Ercol

Black or white?
Neither, I am drawn to colour most of the time.
Old or new?
Old every time.
Minimalist or ornamentation?
Ornamentation. I like a treat for the eyes and not show homes. Features and character are what’s important to me. The excitement of what you might see round the next corner is the look that I have strived for on the fourth floor of Liberties.
Cluttered or tidy?
Have you not seen my desk? Cluttered!

SpaceTM's Joe on minimalism

2009-02-17T19:06:00.003Z

I took this picture at my partner's house.

His house is my muse! I've always liked white walls and wooden floorboards, so I suppose you might be thinking I should go and live in an art gallery. But that wouldn't be the same. The minimalism has to be offset by everyday objects; objects that "shouldn't be there". Or at least wouldn't be if it was a shoot in a style magazine.

That's why I love to see the washing stand.

Your Space [012]

2009-02-15T13:25:00.001Z

"At the moment my favorite space is Gwithian Towans in Cornwall, where I have studio space – so different from New York where I used to live. This place is unspoiled and I dig that."

Karen Koltrane, artist

Stairs by SpaceTM's Joe [002]

2009-02-03T10:00:00.000Z

Early Victorian Townhouse

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Stairs by SpaceTM's Joe [001]

2009-02-02T09:00:00.001Z

60s Towerblock

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Argument for modernist architecture

2009-02-01T10:17:00.000Z

"Mr Janss, when you buy an automobile, you don't want it to have rose garlands about the windows, a lion on each fender and an angel sitting on the roof. Why don't you?"

"That would be silly," stated Mr Janss.

"Why would it be silly? Now I think it would be beautiful. Besides, Louis the Fourteenth had a carriage like that and what was good enough for Louis is good enough for us. We shouldn't go in for rash innovations and we shouldn't break with tradition."

"Now you know damn well you don't believe anything of the sort!"

"I know I don't. But that's what you believe, isn't it? Will you tell me why, when it comes to a building, you don't want it to look as if it had any sense or purpose, you want to choke it with trimmings, you want to sacrifice its purpose to its envelope – not knowing even why you want that kind of envelope? You want it to look like a hybrid species until you get a creature without guts, without heart or brain, a creature all pelt, tail, claws and features? Why? You must tell me, because I've never been able to understand it."

"Well," said Mf Janss, "I've never thought of it that way."

The Fountainhead, p163, by Ayn Rand, published by Penguin

Your Space [011]

2009-01-31T09:00:00.003Z

"I think my favourite space almost always is the interior of the National Theatre, London. It's a beautiful building and the auditoria blow me away."
Morris Williams, London

R.S.V.P.

2009-01-30T11:21:00.002Z

SpaceTM has been loving this invite to the private view of the new Hussein Chalayan exhibition at London's Design Museum.

It's created by Åbäke, the design team that also created the exhibition's graphics.

SpaceTM didn't love, however, the crazy fashion crowd at said private view that drank the champagne dry before we'd had our fair share!

Read an interview with Hussein here.

Homes of the rich and famous [002]

2009-01-29T09:04:00.002Z

Talking of bourgeois, this is a sneak preview of comedian Russell Brand's house in LA.

Here at SpaceTM we didn't even know Brand had a house in LA, but he must do because its the scene of an interview, Morrissey Wrestles With Russell, appearing on the deluxe edition of Le Moz's album Year of Refusal, out in the UK on February 16th (on Polydor).

Once again SpaceTM wonders why someone who is the very essence of unconventional should aspire to such things as a baby grand piano and a tray of biscuits sitting on top of a dark wood coffee table.

Homes of the rich and famous [001]

2009-01-28T16:46:00.005Z

SpaceTM enjoyed the chance to see inside rock star Pete Doherty's house courtesy of a photo feature in The London Paper.

Rather like his public profile, there is a general theme of chaos running through these spaces along with a vague nod towards classicism.

Question: Is it appropriate for an iconoclast to display such bourgeois taste...?

See the rest of the car crash here.

Lift Graphics

2009-01-28T05:45:00.002Z

Pinter House Lift, London

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Bathroom blues by SpaceTM's Joe

2009-01-26T05:26:00.003Z

This is the new UFO bath by Italian design house Agape.

You'd need a big bathroom because this tub is L A R G E. In fact, it uses industrial components adapted specially (what, from NASA?)

I guess, with all such things, it's all down to presentation. But, I must say, I'm not keen on anything stainless steel or chrome in a bathroom. Have you managed to end up with a finish that isn't streaky after the first squirt of Flash?

Not for me, I think. What about you?

Bathroom whites (and woods) by SpaceTM's Mark

2009-01-26T05:00:00.001Z

If chrome doesn't suit you in the bathroom, then here are some muted gems from the Agape range that I really love, adds SpaceTM's Mark

Their Woodline bathtub, above, is my new obsession. It's rare to see a bath created out of waterproof wood – and it has an ergonomic interior based on a chaise longue. Is it possible to fall in love with a bathtub? It must be, because I have.

Simple, hard-lined white bathtubs are a particular favourite of mine, but a minimalist can only really soak-in-peace when his hundreds of essential skin products aren't in sight. The Exline freestanding bath, below, solves this with the handy hide-away shelves built into its side.

And, despite my aversion to – shudder – pottery, SpaceTM fell in love with ceramicist Patricia Urquiola's crisp, contemporary pieces whilst at a party at London's Design Museum. Now we can actually splash around in a large Urquiola piece – her Pear bathtub, above.

Can a house have too many bathrooms?

Your space [010]

2009-01-25T17:10:00.003Z

"My apartment, just like my studio, is quite empty and bland, but lying anywhere on the naked floor in either fills me with joy."

Jan Wilker, designer.

Interview: Tenzing Rigdol

2009-01-22T08:58:00.002Z

The way colour is used in our environment can have a lasting impact on our lives, as Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol explains.

“My childhood reminds me of my mother’s favorite colour – purple! She would have me and my younger brother all covered in purple clothes. Even the sweaters, gloves and mufflers that she arduously wove were all in purple. So the colour purple has become the colour of my childhood and I used it as the base for this painting [Mandala Of Kids, 2008, see below]. It is cold clean and innocent. I think that we all have similar traces of it.”

Mandala of Kids, 2008, Acrylic on canvas 136 x 134 cm (53_ x 52_ in) © Tenzing Rigdol

Five facts about Tenzing Rigdol
1. He was born in 1982 in Nepal.
2. In 2002 he and his parents were granted political asylum in the USA.
3. He is experienced in the traditional Tibetan arts of sand painting and butter sculpture.
4. He studied art and art history at the Univsersity of Colorado, USA.
5. Talking about his sculpture This Is Not A Chair he explained: “I wondered if I could change the functionality of a clearly defined object by adding other values to it. In this case, I covered the chair with Tibetan Buddhist scriptures and asked myself if this could still be a chair? Perhaps it is a chair which one cannot use to sit on, or maybe someone can sit on it while others cannot, depending on their own mental disposition.”

The Exhibition "Experiment with Forms: Tenzing Rigdol" is at Rossi & Rossi Ltd, London, from Feb 11th to March 27th 2009.

Ikea Polemic [003]

2009-01-22T08:05:00.002Z

What do you think about Ikea? Does it provide you with life solutions, or interior nightmares?

Previously SpaceTM heard disgraced pop star Boy George's views on the Swedish furniture institution. Now Gavin & Stacey star, actor Mathew Horne (above), exclusively gives us his opinion:

"I love Ikea products. But hate Ikea. I think I've argued every single time I've been to Ikea! And how ever good those hotdogs are, they can't appease that argument."

Go on, tell us your views on Ikea. Let's have a heated debate!

Matthew Horne stars alongside Imelda Staunton in Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane at Trafalgar Studios 1, London, (0870 060 6632), from Jan 22nd until April 11th. He also stars in the movie Lesbian Vampire Killers, on release from March 20th.

The Perfect Hangover [002]

2009-01-16T17:33:00.002Z

The Museum Liauning is buried in the Austrian landscape and only emerges to thrust thirty metres over a road.

Industrialist and art collector herbert W. Liaunig commissioned this build from architects Querkraft to house his personal collection of post-war Austrian art.

Like the house in Portugal, I am loving these buildings that, although severe in line, are buried in the landscape and then use a dramatic cantilever to announce their presence and stun visitors with cinematic views.

The idea of building long and low, hidden within and using the landscape, feels a lot more exciting and contemporary than the tired thirst for tall and obtrusive.

Although, in this building, the framed wide-screen views of the mountain threatens to outdo the art

Photographs © Lisa Rasti / Museum Liauning

Your Space [009]

2009-01-16T09:52:00.003Z

"It's not a recent discovery, but my favorite place in London is the Wallis Collection on Manchester Square."

Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer

SpaceTM's Joe explores Principa: the coffee [004]

2009-01-14T09:16:00.002Z

Ok. I know what you're thinking. Not more Principa! (I told you I was obsessed.)

Readers may already know about my fascination with coffee design. If you want to recreate this look at home first pour in the coffee; next sprinkle on some powdered chocolate; finally add the milk.

I know this because the waiter at Principa kindly told me his secret.

Ti piace?

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Your Space [008]

2009-01-14T09:14:00.003Z

"I like to submerge myself in non-space, where transient thought has a chance to transpire onto a tangible surface."

Sharon Ferris Digital Artist

The Perfect Hangover [001]

2009-01-13T11:00:00.002Z

Poised beside the Cavado river in Portugal, this modest building could not be more perfectly balanced, says SpaceTM's Mark

Architects Graca Correia and Roberto Ragazzi have given a simple concrete building huge drama and excitement by thrusting it over a hillside. The proportion of the building makes the overhang feel like the balance could be easily tipped.

This project was allowed on preserved land because the site has existing ruins. It could also only be built if none of the surrounding trees were harmed.

Instead of the trees being a hindrance, this weekend retreat makes the most of them. Its cantilever allows you to live both nestled down amongst the tree trunks and then over the foliage canopy at the same time.

It's wonderful to see a building, whose sensitivity to – and celebration of – the nature around it, is integral to its success.

Photos by Juan Rodriguez and Luis Ferreira Alves

SpaceTM's Joe explores Principa: Water [003]

2009-01-13T08:55:00.002Z

All along one of the walls is a narrow water feature housed in warm-coloured stone.

... Periodically punctuated by simple taps. Lights under the surface of the water create a relaxing dappled texture on the surrounding walls. The result is both contemporary, yet strangely ancient too.

(Looks like someone is enjoying a mineral water. They should also try the cakes... mmm...)

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Space TM's Joe explores Principa: texture [002]

2009-01-12T08:47:00.002Z

Principa is full of contradicting textures...

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Space TM's Joe explores Principa, London [001]

2009-01-11T08:00:00.002Z

I have a favourite new place! It's a cafe called Principa on Shaftsbury Avenue that makes all it's own bread, pizza and cakes in a wood burning stove.

But it's not just the food and drink that send me giddy (although the coffee is soo good), it's got to be one of the most beautiful, well thought out spaces I've visited in a long time. Graceful water features, raw granite, polished limestone and light that springs through small, rectangular cracks.

I LOVE IT.

I've become obsessed, so it's going to appear in a few posts.

SpaceTM's Joe meets the Savoys

2009-01-10T08:00:00.002Z

Did you know rugs have feelings too? Of course they do! Well, that is if it's the new Savoy collection created by Loophouse.

When going through the process of designing the range (which is "inspired by the sharp tailored style of 30s London's high society"), each rug developed its own unique personality. It's almost like the designers made explicit the relationship we all have with the furniture and decor that surrounds us. School boys hate to think they have anything "girly" in their bedrooms, my mum has a flowery, baroque clock she calls "the lady", and I know the piano my late Grandfather left me kind of is him now, in some ways. (When I see it I think of his stocky frame hunched over it playing easy Bach and Irish folk songs, heavy red wine, anecdotes about delicious meals he remembers having, and jokes. Lots of jokes.)

Anyway, meet two of the Savoy family...

This is Simpson (above). He drinks his G&T while waiting Boyd's arrival.

And this is Herbert. He rises from the barbers chair (while Perkins plays idly with the olive in his Martini and Winston clips the tip off his cigar).

Incidentally, just in case you were wondering, Boyd introduced Chapman to Simpson.

(There's also a Henley, Harris, Wallace, Smythe, Fletcher and Parker.)

All the rugs are currently on sale for just £1,275 per rug (normally £395.00 per square meter) from www.loophouse.com.

Shopping in style? H&M in Barcelona

2009-01-09T15:29:00.002Z

Here is the new H&M store in Barcelona, Spain.

Estudio Mariscal designed everything, from the new architectural bits to the furnishing and lighting.

They was even given permission by H&M to create the shopping bag customers get their clothes in.

Could this become your favourite space?

SpaceTM looks at China's tallest building

2009-01-08T08:15:00.002Z

What do you make of this building?

When it's eventually completed it will be China's tallest and one of the ten tallest buildings in the world.

Designed by Texan Architect Marshall Strabala, of Gensler Architects, the 120 storey Shanghai Tower will spiral upwards to a height of more than 2070 feet. It will also generate some of its energy from wind turbines.

Strabala, who claims this tower has been his most "exciting and demanding project yet," said, “With the double skin, the building will function much like a thermos bottle. This allows us to harvest and use daylight, reduce artificial lighting to a minimum, increase the insulation of the building's interior and, long-term, dramatically reduce energy consumption and energy costs.”

The building will be situated within a 10,000-square metre open green space that will become both a public park and the front entry to the tower.

Your Space [007]

2009-01-07T12:21:00.002Z

"It's Nepenthe, on the Big Sur. The view is stunning. When the fog rolls in you're above the clouds – the photographs do not do it justice!"

Jon Arrowsmith, Group Risk Administrator

Shop Signs [002]

2009-01-05T09:43:00.002Z

Boulgne–Sur–Mer

London

Boulgne–Sue–Mer

London

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Your Space [006]

2009-01-04T11:23:00.002Z

"I have a cottage near the Lake District that my Grandfather left to me. It's tiny, basically one room downstairs and two tiny bedrooms upstairs heated by an open fire. The limestone walls are so wide I can barely stretch my hands around the thickness of them. But I love the raw energy of the place. It gets you to the heart of things, like the elements (when it's cold, it's FREEZING), your thoughts (there's no TV or radio, just piles of old books), conversation and food. It's the one place where I feel in tune... And round the back there's a conifer tree planted when I was born. For some reason I quite like that – it gives me a personal connection to the place. Everyone should have trees planted for them when they are born!"

Joseph Heaney, writer/photographer and co-editor of SpaceTM

Cool to be Hot in the Marais

2009-01-03T08:00:00.002Z

Due to the nu-fires, highlighted in earlier posts , even the most severe of minimalists can now warm their cold, hard heart in front of a roaring fire, says SpaceTM's Mark

Fire's irritating ability to create randomly tumbling charcoals and white plaster-threatening smoke – plus its refusal to burn in a straight line – was previously too anxious an experience for the aesthetically and tonally civilised.

This set-peice fire, above, at the Murano Hotel was a welcome sight – even for the most precise -– during a chilled New Years Eve in the Parisian Marais.

The polished concrete wall (check) was inset (check) with a wall-length straight line (check) of flame (check) burning cleanly out of grey (check) pebbles (check). Fire as fire should be.

Man supposedly became man when he harnessed fire. It was just never quite harnessed enough for my liking. Until now.

Shop signs [001]

2009-01-02T14:52:00.002Z

North of France

London

New York

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

SpaceTM's Joe encounters the new Alfa Romeo Mito [001]

2008-12-31T09:29:00.002Z

Thanks to global warming and oil shortages the 21st century has all been about the rise of the small car. SpaceTM's Joe went to have a look at Alfa Romeo's new Mini competitor, the Alfa Mito and was plesantly surprised.

BMW's Mini has ruled the roost for some time when it comes to the high-end of small cars, but last year it received some stiff competition from the new Fiat 500 (which won Car Of The Year 2008). But they could both soon be quaking in their spark plugs with the launch of Alfa Romeo's Mito.

The rounded front is based on the gorgeous Alfa 8C Competizione. Seeing as only 500 of the latter have been made maybe Alfa didn't want to put such a good design to waste?

Italian cars have a reputation for good design, but also unreliability (maybe unfairly). The Mito will only be going out to its new UK owners in January, so its difficult to make as assesment on the latter. However, I think the design is spot on. I'm going to enjoy seeing it on the roads.

(Europe has already got its hands on the Mito and there are plenty of amusing Youtube videos of Italian and French owners cooing over their new purchase - like this one...)

Alfa Mito by SpaceTM's Joe [002]

2008-12-31T08:20:00.002Z

leather interior

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Metropolis

2008-12-30T08:37:00.002Z

Could this be the future of town planning?

Is high rise living still a viable option? Discuss...

SpaceTM's Mark Gets to the Core of Apple

2008-12-29T08:00:00.002Z

Have you ever wondered why Apple computers chose an apple as its company name and logo? It was nothing to do with how tasty they are, as SpaceTM's Mark discovers.

The Apple logo is the perfect symbol to represent the stylish computer giant, but not the most telling.

Initially created in 1977 by Rob Janoff, it is simple, yet loaded with relevant symbolism. The humble fruit's relationship with the pursuit of knowledge is, of course, largely as a result of its significance in the Garden of Eden story. But there's also scientist Sir Isaac Newton's famous Eureka moment, not to mention the possibility it references Alan Turing, the early computing pioneer, who died by eating an apple laced with cyanide. Computer buffs might also recognise a play on words, because "byte" is the technical term for a small unit of computer memory.

Initially it was striped with the colours of the rainbow – arranged in the wrong order – which itself is open for analysis. (Man re-orders nature and creates a new freedom with his computing power? Who knows – the theory and lore surrounding this logo are exhaustive but never confirmed or denied.)

Personally, I was glad it was stripped back to its current monochrome minimalism in 1997 (just in time for Apple to earn its style status thanks to sleek designs and society-altering music technologies).

Yet even major global corporations start from humble beginnings and, way before the multi-million dollar marketing takes over, every start-up business knows the importance of a logo. Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Ron Wayne were clearly no different.

The first logo for Apple, below, was created by Ron Wayne and only lasted a year. The curiously antiquated line-etching shows Newton under the tree with the apple poised to drop. Design-wise it is light years behind the lore-shrouded minimal classic, but I find it more telling.

Written on the frame is: "Newton. A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought... alone."

Even today, with computer hardware commonplace the complexities of it are beyond most people. How lonely must it have been harboring the initial vision? The image of Newton, alone with the thoughts in his head, gives a real insight into how difficult it must be to be a real pioneer.

They say it is lonely at the top but this gem of a logo hints that it is lonelier when building from the ground up.

If, like me, you enjoy indulging your inner-geek, download the original logo and the entire operating manual for the first Apple computer by clicking here.

Your Space [005]

2008-12-28T06:11:00.002Z

"It would probably be a shed, though I haven’t got one. I have to make do with sitting in a parked car. I like small, cosy spaces, especially when it’s stormy or raining or snowing outside. It’s probably a pram thing. When I was a boy I had a little shed at the top of the garden. I had all my comics in there and would save up my money to buy candles (there were no windows) so I could sit there reading the Beano by candlelight listening to the rain on the roof. Bliss."

Graham Rawle illustrator/designer/author

Interview: SpaceTM's Joe meets Graham Rawle

2008-12-26T17:47:00.002Z

One of the things we’re particularly interested in at SpaceTM is how environments shape our psyche. In fact, we often create them especially to manipulate this - whether they are the ones around us (such as our cosy living rooms), or the fantasy ones we enter when we engage with books, film or art.

Graham Rawle is a writer and collage artist whose visual work incorporates illustration, design, photography and installation. One of the reasons I like his stuff is because you can recognise it a mile off. It also has the ability to make you laugh, reflect, ponder and sometimes feel a little creeped out (in the best possible way) - and you can never have enough of that, really, can you?

Here is part one of my chat with Rawle in which he took some time out of his busy Christmas schedual to talk about his unique creations...

How would you describe the world of Graham Rawle to someone who didn't know your work?
My background is in visual art, but over the years writing has becoming an increasingly important part of what I do. I initiate projects that allow me to indulge myself in the kind of work I want to do and I generally have total control of the outcome (though that often means sacrificing the income). Everything tends to be deeply rooted in my childhood: my pictures and stories are generally set in the late 50s and early 60s. I live and work in the same place, which enables me to surround myself with all my stuff, so for me it’s perfect. There are a lot of books, magazines and toys, many of them related in some way to my past, which are often incorporated into my work. It’s like living in an old second-hand shop where everything in it has been chosen specially for me.
Is humour important to you?
It is, very. But there is a serious side to what I do, so I often have to resist the urge to go for the joke. It’s much more effective to keep that side under control and use it to counterpoint the darker side.
With regards to your own designs, when was the first time you thought, "I'm onto something here…”
I was a late developer. I didn’t ‘get it’ until I was nearly thirty. I was a graphic designer and an illustrator when I started doing what I called my ‘personal work’: pictures that illustrated incidents from my childhood, often concentrating on tiny memory fragments. It was very personal, and there were many pictures that I never showed to anybody. For the first time I was doing work that didn’t concern itself with an audience. It wasn’t for them; it was for me and I felt so much better about what I was doing. Ever since, the work I do and the stories I write are primarily to please myself. I’m not looking at the market or trying to appeal to a wider audience; that doesn’t interest me.
Your work features a lot of doll parts. What is it about them that attracts you?
I tend to go for dolls that are worn, broken, well loved, abused, or customized. I often swap body parts to get the characters I want. I suppose I always liked dolls as a child, though it wasn’t a sissy thing; I think I was more interested in undressing them than dressing them, and I was attracted to the pretty ones. I still am. I love the doll I used for the role of Dorothy in my version of The Wizard of Oz. She has such a lovely face. I’ve used her in several projects now and have a very special relationship with her. (And I think I’m making myself sound creepy and weird.)

Interview: SpaceTM's Joe meets Graham Rawle [002]

2008-12-26T17:46:00.002Z

If we had a look round your home, do you think we could tell it was yours?

Oh, I think so. An art collector once visited and said it was like walking into one of my pictures. I took that as a great compliment. Of course, my wife has all her stuff here as well, but she’s an artist too and we share a lot of the same interests so there’s a good degree of overlapping. Mine is much messier and possibly more arbitrary, while her collecting seems a little more discerning and refined (though she does have a collection of ‘things that have been flattened on the road’ and one of ‘bits of twisted wire’).

How would you describe your studio?

It’s a big open warehouse space in Shoreditch, bought in 1994 when property was cheap round these parts. It was just a shell, with nothing done to it. Apart from the basics, a kitchen space and bathroom, we haven’t done much else to it since we moved in. I think about it sometimes, but we’re always so busy and don’t seem to find the time. Work takes priority. It’s a working space that we live in, rather than a living space that we work in.

What's inspiring you the most at the moment?

I’m writing a novel at the moment and trying to work out the details of my plot. The second act is all over the place, but it takes a long time to get these things to work. It will go through many drafts before it’s done.

I think my writing is more influenced by cinema than anything else: the economy with which good stories are told. I watch certain films over and over again, analyzing the story structure to discover how this has been achieved. This affects the way I construct and edit my writing. It can be a little thing like starting scenes as late as possible and getting out of them as soon as their objective is reached, but overall I think it gives my stories a more cinematic feel, which seems appropriate to their content.

Graham Rawle's book The Wizard of Oz, a visual reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's original text, is out now. His critically acclaimed Woman's World, a novel created entirely from fragments of found text, is being made into a feature film and his weekly Lost Consonants first appeared in the Weekend Guardian in 1990 and ran for 15 years.

SpaceTM's Joe visits a French patisserie

2008-12-26T16:15:00.002Z

Patissier Fred in Boulogne-Sur-Mer

The cakes are rich, beautiful creations. The coffee is milky and not to be rushed.

Comfort food with couture flair - don't you just love the French approach to eating?

Ikea Polemic [002]

2008-12-24T09:18:00.002Z

Earlier this year, Boy George gave his view on Ikea to SpaceTM's Joe:

"I'm not against a bit of Ikea and I have bought odd bits over the years. None of the stuff you have to put together yourself, just lamps and cushions or bathroom stuff. Ikea is not really suited to my Gothic Pile but I think it has its uses."

Tell us what your view is on Ikea...

Plastic fantastic

2008-12-23T04:34:00.002Z

Economists talk about wealth filtering through the fiscal classes and couture from the catwalks finds its way onto the high street in some form or another – but what about pop culture?

It seems even the Kayne look can be picked up for under a pound if you know where to look.

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

The Ikea Polemic by SpaceTM's Joe

2008-12-22T16:10:00.002Z

So everyone's got a bit of Ikea in their house... Haven't they? (Well, unless you think furniture ain't furniture without a baroque flourish). So why is it still a dirty word?

Maybe it's because everyone's shopped there. Or maybe it's because there are only so many times coming home with nothing but tea lights seems like a good idea.

Bauhaus chief Walter Gropius championed a style in architecture and consumer goods that were functional, cheap and easily mass produced. Or to quote the Bauhaus Wikipedia entry (er, thanks to whoever wrote this): "Gropius wanted to reunite art and craft to arrive at high-end functional products with artistic pretensions."

Perhaps Ikea its the perfect realisation of the Bauhaus ideal?

(In other words surely this is better than this...?)

Greetings...

2008-12-22T04:18:00.002Z

Is this a sign from outter space or London's China Town?

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Bistro eating by SpaceTM's Joe

2008-12-21T09:00:00.002Z

Meal time at a Bistro is all about the art of making the studied look laidback and loose.

This is a perfect example of the 21st century wrestling itself away from the pre-packed and mass produced to embrace a more artisan existence of yore.

Well a stylised notion of that, anyway.

Oysters anyone?

All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

SpaceTM needs YOU!

2008-12-20T09:46:00.002Z

SpaceTM is working on a new project investigating sleep. Where do we sleep? What are our sleeping environments like? What helps us sleep? And we need your help! We want to know your thoughts and experiences. What is your bedroom like? Where is the worst place you've slept... and the best? Do you have a dream bed you want to buy...?

Write to us at contact@spacetm.com

Open fires are back! What a gas, says SpaceTM's Joe

2008-12-19T09:17:00.002Z

Following our report on the comeback of the open fire in our living rooms, SpaceTM received a number of complaints from concerned eco warriors. They like the idea, but not the unpleasant carbon footprint it could saddle them with.

If you felt the same way, then perhaps think about getting one which has a glass front because that saves a considerable amount of energy. (Yey!)

The problem is adding a glass front, if poorly done, can frankly look worse than Michael Jackson's nose. (Noo!)

These gas fire designs by Platonic, however, could be a solution. Ok, they're not real fires, in a "throw a log on the fire" kinda way, but according to their spokesperson, these eco-efficient models do feature glass fronts but the design is so discreet that all the warmth and cosiness of a real fire is created whilst the consumption is impressively 75% more energy efficient.

Not bad. Over one winter that should allow for at least a return flight to Miami. Yes?

We've not tried one up close and personal, so we can't verify these statistics, but if anyone at Platonic would like to install one in the SpaceTM office for free, we'd happily give it a go.

My favs are:
Cezanne (pictured above) price from £2,395 Plus Vat
Picasso* (pictured below) price from £4,085 Plus Vat

*minus the chocolate feature wall and those Belisha beacons.

Available from The Platonic Fireplace Company. Tel: 020 8891 5904. Email: info@platonicfireplaces.co.uk

Your Space [004]

2008-12-17T14:20:00.002Z

"My favourite space is one which I call
that space. It is a special place which creates itself when I am improvising at the piano. Once I have entered, it, I find inside it all manners of wonderful notes and sounds which I then play on my piano, effortlessly, and for as long as stay inside it. It feels both fragile and solid at the same time, as if its existence is constantly woven from one moment to the next. It has no extension in space or time. It has no up or down, or South or West. It is neither here nor there. It is just a ethereal is."
Bruno deFlorence Musician/Composer

SpaceTM's Mark Gets Drunk on Information

2008-12-16T22:44:00.002Z

Alcohol brands are some of the most evocative and expensively maintained in the world, so to see the design on this Tesco Value Vodka bottle stripped down to almost nothing but the basic legal information, initially shocked me.

Should drinking alcohol be allowed to be so raw and utilitarian? Had the world really come to this?

Looking at the branding of the bottles around it, I realised I needed to ask the opposite. Should the reality of alcohol be hidden by a gloss of overblown, marketed mis-direction?

Does drinking vodka really turn you into that cool-hunter who has knowledge of cutting-edge bars hidden away in the new Eastern Block where predatory supermodels – unable to resist the signal of how desirable your drink makes you – stalk you around the dancefloor?

Do you buy rum because you want to be transported to that throbbing bar in Cuba, surrounded by your ethnically-diverse (yet non-threatening) group of Gap-wearing friends?

Tesco Value Vodka has a thrilling honesty. I found out more about vodka in those few seconds of label lusting than I have ever done during any imaginary travels to the Eastern Block.

I found out that a bottle holds 70cl and the liquid it contains has 37.5% alcohol in it. I found out that a standard UK 25ml measure holds 0.9 of a unit and that men should drink no more than four of these daily and women no more than three. None at all if they are pregnant. And that a bottle contains 23.3 units – a whole week's worth for a man.

It is also suitable for vegetarians.

Using the-mathematics-of-drinking as branding feels modern. Knowledge-as-image feels exciting. At the same time it gives the purchaser the option of informed responsibility. Not the empty promise of scenarios that will never happen.

This is a cutting-edge way to sell alcohol, with the potential to be a classic. One, I fear, that will never be realised. The shelf sticker proclaimed it discontinued, perhaps halted by people who shared my initial shocked reaction and failed to look further. Knowledge is power and knowledge as branding is powerful branding.

Your Space [003]

2008-12-15T20:47:00.002Z

"My favourite space is my own space."

Philip White Designer

Open fires are back! [002]

2008-12-15T09:41:00.002Z

More pictures of one of my favourite hearths, says SpaceTM's Joe.

Open fires are back! [001]

2008-12-15T09:14:00.002Z

Fireplaces have a particularly festive connotation in Great Britain, therefore it's perhaps timely that as we rapidly approach the Christmas season, increasing numbers of Britons are turning back to the traditional hearth to warm their homes – that is, according to a recent survey by The Guardian newspaper.

According to evolutionary psychologist Dr Lance Workman: "... fire has played an important role in human evolution and that this is why we still find it rewarding today. We don't simply 'un-evolve' such reward systems just because we live in centrally heated houses today."

His theory is certainly supported by evidence from the Solid Fuel Association that shows that there has been a 40% increase in demand for fuel for open fires this year. It is also backed up by the National Association of Chimney Sweeps (which has seen a resurgence in demand for their member's services) and by the largest chimney and flue manufacturer in the UK, who has reported a 50% increase in business in the last year.

Just don't anybody say global warming too loud, ok?

Your Space [002]

2008-12-14T21:12:00.002Z

"My favorite space is my flat. It makes me feel safe. I have an Edwardian arm chair that sits in the corner of the living room. It's a pearl colour, apart from a pink stain on the back I hide with a cushion. I bought it like that in Greenwich market from a loud woman with a slight limp. It's now positioned right by the sash window so that I can sit there and listen to music when sun comes through the window – that is if Rita, my cat, will let me. I like having things around me that are full of memories."

Tony Ditri

Coffee from Foyles bookshop's cafe, London

2008-12-13T12:43:00.002Z

Coffee culture reaches new expressive heights, finds SpaceTM's Joe

I love it when something is given a personal touch. Trudging round the busy streets of London's West End looking for Christmas presents can easily loose its appeal. A little touch like this is a welcome surprise.

I used to frequent a pub where the publican was proud of his pints of Guinness. Instead of adorning the pint's head with the usual shamrock he'd create all kinds of other visual delights. My favourite has to be the time he tried to do my portrait (vain, moi?).

Picture copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Colour Theory: RED [001]

2008-12-13T09:02:00.002Z

red shop sign

red leaves and fruit (and red van)

red warning

Colour Theory: RED [003]

2008-12-13T09:00:00.005Z

red sign (Callais, France)

Other Important examples of RED:

RED stop traffic light

RED nose after a cold

RED light district

RED and white barber's shop sign

RED wine

RED cape used by a bull fighter

Colour Theory: RED [002]

2008-12-13T09:00:00.004Z

red fabric

red light (NB singer VV Brown in concert, not a Francis Bacon painting)

red cord (courtesy of the cafe)

Who lives in a house like this?

2008-12-12T00:01:00.002Z

As Christmas approaches it's time to think about what statement your Christmas decorations are going to make (or not) – something the English have been doing in their homes for the past 400 years, as SpaceTM's Joe discovers.

These days the festive season feels like it increasingly owes more to Americana than our individual nations' traditions. I remember when, as a child, my family moved to Canada for a year between 1979-80 and Christmas was suddenly flooded with cinnamon-infused food and hooked candy canes. I'd never experienced anything like it before, but now it's a common sight down the UK's high streets.

But what is an "authentic" Christmas style? It is something that has been continually in flux over the last 400 years, as an exhibition at London's Geffrye museum explores. Each of the museum's 11 period rooms have been decorated in keeping with their era.

If you're looking for something slightly different in your home this Christmas, perhaps these might give you some inspiration:

17th Century Supper

From Christmas rooms

There's something about the mix of austere baroque detail and an almost minimalist approach to colour in this setting that really appeals to me.

Victorian Room

From Christmas rooms

It's easy to forget how radical the Victorians were with colour. There are echoes – in the mix of patterns and bold tones – found in the today's fashionable boutique hotel style (see, for example, Kit Kemp's award-winning work at the Firmdale Hotel Group which includes the Knightsbridge Hotel in London)

Edwardian Room

From Christmas rooms

Like the 90s grungers were happy to dispense with the ubiquitous 80s hairspray bottle, those Edwardians were gagging to get rid of Victoriana weren't they?

1930s Room

From Christmas rooms

Great carpet and furniture. Not sure about the pattern on the armchairs though.

Mid 20th Century Room

From Christmas rooms

You could recreate this look, somewhat, by going here (go for golden-brown) or here.

1990s Room

From Christmas rooms

I think we all know people who have houses like this!

Christmas Past is at the Geffrye Museum from November 25th till January 4th.

Surreal SpaceTM Versus Second Life Glitch

2008-12-10T23:26:00.002Z

In a surreal clash of virtual-worlds – too weird to explain – our SpaceTM site accidentally ended up being the runway of an aircraft carrier in Second Life, reports SpaceTM's Mark

After the incident was spotted, photographed and posted up on the SpaceTM site, that posting also became the aircraft-carrier's runway. Mark didn't take photographs of that for fear that the two virtual-worlds might disappear into spiralling feedback. A virtual aircraft-carrier? That's another post...

SpaceTM's Joe walks on water [001]

2008-12-10T08:34:00.002Z

Traveling from Dover to Callas on a P&O Ferry; a strange world where the stairs come in colours and a fry up meal in the cheap restaurant costs over £7.

I decided not to try the posh restaurant.

SpaceTM's Joe walks on water [002]

2008-12-10T08:32:00.002Z

The P&O ferry I travelled on was very run down. Cosmetic modifications were half hearted and sometimes just stuck roughly over older decor.

But despite any talk that the glory days of the ferry were over thanks to the Channel Tunnel, my ferry was packed. So packed that the queue for the cafe stretched right down the corridor and down the stairs to the next floor.

Fascinating graphics were periodically painted on the walls. I have no idea what they mean, but Jasper Johns would have been proud.

Interview: Jean Charles de Castelbajac

2008-12-09T03:00:00.002Z

Designer Jean Charles de Castelbajac talks exclusively to SpaceTM about the creative process and where his ideas come from.

From JCdC

"For me, creation is part of a precise process:

1. The Accident: when two images meet in my head for a second, creating a smash. [This suggests] an idea. After that the idea is [stored] in a special department in my head named "supra-reserve", ready to be used at any moment.

2. The Syncronicity: when I start to design, imperfections or mistakes [suggest] another way to see... then i just follow the road.

3. The Pollination: when I bring one universe unto an other – fashion to music, music to design – something super exciting starts to appear [and] I become a king bee pollinizing new flowers of creativity.

4. The Bauhaus Rules: I used to believe that every good design submits to its function! But today I often transgress that rule.

5. The no-limits of hijacking: every image belongs to me! I invented co-branding in fashion 40 years ago when I signed my jeans "Jesus". Today the world belongs to pirates of [all] kinds." Jc De Castelbajac

Four Facts About Jean Charles de Castelbajac

1. He was born on November 28th 1949 in Casablanca, Morocco.

2. He's the Marquis de Castelbajac, which makes him a French nobleman.

3. One of his most famous fashion creations is a coat of teddy bears worn by Madonna and supermodel Helena Christensen in the film Pret-á-Porter. He's also made liturgical robes for Pope John Paul II.

4. As well as fashion he also designs home furnishings.

The Con of Concepts

2008-12-06T17:50:00.002Z

Do concept cars drive you wild? Asks SpaceTM's Mark...

The blend of bleeding-edge design and technology in concept cars has always pumped me full of excitement and optimism. For decades they have given me dilated pupils – from the Pantone pen, speed-streaked, airbrush-glossed illustrations in my teens to the photo-realistic CGI monsters of today.

Millions are spent by automotive designers, technologists and engineers to show-off and create these glimpses of the future, but it's a future that never seems to arrive. Where are they?

Now, even as a designer, I am not so unrealistic as to think that every family with children could use this Pininfarina Concept. But look at the roads. Nothing even approaches those old illustrations from my teens. Even this Pininfarina Concept is five years old. Surely, after decades of promise, the percentage of cars that give us even a hint of these optimistic creations should be higher. One Lamborghini per millions of boxes on wheels is not enough.

Concept cars drive me wild. But now they are starting to drive me wild with disappointment. I am realising that they are just automotive porn and feel foolish that I was so optimistic as to believe the future could be so full of excitement and so full of beauty.

But my disappointment with the makers of these concepts is the strongest. If they are so passionate as to be involved in creating these deceptions, why let them only be deceptions? If they can't actually realise their dreams then ours will never be realised either.

Pininfarina 75th Birdcage Concept, 2005

More Jean Charles de Castelbajac!

2008-12-04T16:08:00.002Z

Much of the appeal of Jean Charles de Castelbajac's home furnishings are their sense of fun. (They are certainly not for the restrained shopper.)

Here are two examples of his poet chairs. Prizes for anyone who can name the faces...

From JC de Castelbajac

Just think – when you sit down it's like historic writers are giving you a kiss on the behind!*

*Ok, maybe "lower back" would be more anatomically correct – but that just doesn't sound so good, does it?

Interior Decor of Doom

2008-12-02T21:24:00.002Z

We frequently see the interior décor of the rich and famous – after all, they are often only to happy to advertise how "tasteful" they are (or perhaps inadvertently brag about how they are not). But what about the infamous? SpaceTM's Joe investigates...

Below is a picture of the 20th century photographer (and one-time lover of Man Ray), Lee Miller, taking a bath in Hitler's bathtub following the end of the Second World War. It is a strange and haunting image, one that throws up some questions about Miller, but mainly Hitler himself.

From Lee Miller

David E. Scherman. Lee Miller in Hitler's bath, Hitler's Apartment, Munich, Germany 1945 © Lee Miller Archives, England. All rights reserved

Looking at the tiling, the furniture – even the lack of space – one can't help thinking the design is curiously utilitarian for a megalomaniac dictator. Wouldn't you expect him to have chosen something grander? And what dreadful thoughts were dreamt up in that unassuming, small space...?

See this photograph and others, along with some of the artworks she received from her extraordinary friends (Picasso, Eillen Agar etc) at "Lee Miller and Friends" at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK, from January 17th to March 29th 2009.

Old Signs [002]

2008-12-02T10:49:00.002Z

Why must they be kept shut?

Are they keeping us out...

Or something else in?

Old Signs [001]

2008-12-01T20:53:00.002Z

This was spotted outside a school in South West London:

From Old signs

Welcome to Re-Brand Britney says SpaceTM's Joe

2008-11-30T17:17:00.002Z

Ms Spears, as you probably already know, has had a troubled 18 months, what with head shavings, child custody cases etc etc. However, her team are clearly hoping to put this behind them using the magic medium of DESIGN.

Evidence #1 is the cover of her new album Circus, out on Monday.

There are several reasons why I think this is genius:

Look at the dress and the hair. Britney is playing a role, she's in character, although it's a character that feels strangely familiar (remember those same doe eyes from Hit Me One More Time?). She's telling us she's no longer "that" person – the one that went spectacularly off the rails – whilst at the same totally undermining that message thanks to the arch title of the album (after all, last year her life was a circus) and the graphics/lettering which all scream "show time!"

It some respects, this only goes to perpetuate the idea that she isn't a real person, like you and I, but something to be objectified. An entertainment – albeit one that sings and dances, rather than shows themselves up on the street.

The question is – Britney, are you in on the joke, or not?

SpaceTM's Mark plays matchmaker

2008-11-17T20:02:00.002Z

You know when you realise that two friends of yours are a perfect match and you ponder on ways to introduce them? Well... Gianni Botsford Architects, meet Hackenbroich Architekten.

Readers of one of my earlier posts will remember how much I fell in love with The Sitscape couch by Berlin-based Hackenbroich Architekten (pictured below).

Well, purely by accident I came across a building crying out for a Sitscape (or two) to grace its lobby. (Surely it's fate?)

Designed by London and Italian based Gianni Botsford Architects - best known for their award-winning Light House in West London - the Swabumi Heritage is a five-star hotel and cultural centre slated for Kolkatta, India.

It's a match made in heaven for the Sitscape, so I have sent a copy of this post to both architectural practices with a moist eye and hope swelling my chest. Could this be the first SpaceTM wedding? I really hope so as these two products make a beautiful couple.

Your Space [001]

2008-11-16T19:18:00.002Z

"My favourite space is the boat house on my island in Second Life. Below a willow tree, it reaches out just above the waterline towards the horizon. It is a beautiful place, yet bitter-sweet as it only exists in ones and zeros and my imagination."

MDK Flood