Home voyeurs.... a peek into homes

Origami table by Tian Zhen

Posted on March 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

“It all begins with folding of a paper crane at elementary school in China”.

Thus quotes her website the Chinese born/Netherlands educated Tian Zhen. She applies the art of origami to many of her designs. In 2006 she graduated from Academie Minerva, my own Alma Mater, and started working with various studio’s and on the side pursued a career as a solo designer.

Paper can carry the weight of much more than we think when folded with origami. In an earlier post Homevoyeurs highlighted the paper Flexible Love Chair by Korean designer Chishen Chiu. This sofa/seat design also makes use of paper folded and formed to give it enough strength to seat up to 16 people. Inspired by this magnificent quality of paper Tian designed the LOTUS side table. The glass top is made of plexiglas, and the ‘paper’ is actually Tyvek, a synthetic woven material also used in the building- and the automotive industries.

Lotus side table by Tian Zhen

The table can be changed from one shape to another in only a few seconds. In total there are six unique shapes.

Inspired? The Homvoyeurs web shop sells many books about Origami and paper art and design. One of them is Unfolded; Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry
By Petra Schmidt, Nicola Stattmann.

Unfolded: Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry

In “Unfolded Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry” paper conquers the third dimension and demonstrates the undreamed-of possibilities it holds today for lightweight construction, product design, fashion and art. From “Paper”, the collection of bags by Stefan Diez, to Konstantin Grcic s paper models and the scented paper garments of Issey Miyake, this book presents paper as a high-quality contemporary and ecological material. An enormous selection of projects, the lavish design and numerous illustrations provide designers with invaluable inspiration for their work. The content core of the book is a comprehensive list of state-of-the-art paper products and innovative paper technologies, supporting designers in their everyday work with detailed information on the “high-tech” material paper. From Japanese washi paper and paper foam, to ceramic paper and carbon fiber paper, “Unfolded” presents the latest in research and development, as well as the most important methods and technologies in handcrafts and industry.

What we ALL want! The homes of production designer Jon Hutman

Posted on March 22, 2010 | 5 comments

Production designer Jon Hutman is the master mind behind some of the most amazing homes in contemporary cinema. Did you like Helen Hunt’s pad in What Women Want? Or were you, and you should be, jealous of Cameron Diaz’s quintessential L.A home in The Holiday? Or how about Diane Keaton’s Long Island hideaway in Something’s Gotta Give? That house had home-owner across the globe going out on rampant hunts for the same brass handles, the same stools, pots, jars and everything. And most recently, Meryl Streep’s Santa Barbara’s cottage in It’s Complicated. All these were the work of Mr Hutman. In most cases, set decorator Beth Rubino assisted him.

Set design for 'It's Complicated'

Set design for 'Something's gotta give'

Set design for 'The Holiday'

Set design for 'Something's gotta give'

: Set design for ‘It’s Complicated’

Jon Hutman is known for his casual typical American designs. They look as if they grew organically and hardly any planning went into them.

To get inspired, check out some of the books about American interiors in the Homevoyeurs webshop.

For instance, American Farmhouses: Country Style and Design, By Leah Rosch

'American Farmhouses: Country Style and Design', by Leah Rosch

About the Author
Leah Rosch, formerly the executive editor of American Homestyle & Gardening magazine, has written for The New York Times as well as This Old House and Metropolitan Home magazines. Keith Scott Morton, the principal photographer for Country Living magazine, has been a leading photographer of country homes and interiors for fifteen years.

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Posted in Famous buildings and movie locations, Products from the Homevoyeurs.com webshop

Tagged American country decorating, beth rubino, book about decorating, Cameron Diaz house the holiday, country homes decorating tips, It's complicated, It's complicated house, Jon Hutman, movie homes, movie houses, Nancy Meyers movie homes, set decorator, set design, Something's gotta give house, The Holiday house, The house from It's complicated

Pleat lamps by DUM/Dumoffice

Posted on March 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

All the magazines write about them, at least the Dutch ones. The new lamp collection Pleat by DUM. They must have a great PR person, or the lamps just stroke many people’s fancy, cause one could not open a magazine or the product pages would feature these lamps. DUM is a new label by Dutch designers collective Dumoffice. The collection Pleat consists of lamps, or Luminaires as the designers call them, made of pleated fabric. This very traditional technique results in subtle yet elegant lamp shades reminiscent of the ones your parents had.

All shades feature a crooked or tipped line across which resulted in intriguing volumes and shapes.
They come in both floor lamp and suspension models, and in different colours.

Pleat suspension lamps by DUM

Inspired? There are a lot of books about Dutch Design for sale in the Homevoyeurs webshop.

For instance False Flat, why Dutch Design is so Good by Aaron Betsky. Order your copy now for only $27.37

False Flat; why Dutch Design is so Good

American Architecture

Posted on March 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

OK, i’m going to toot my own horn here. (if my blog’s title homevoyeurs didn’t get flagged as spam, that will).

On a recent trip to California, I got camera high from all the remarkable and photogenic places, buildings, people and scenery. I must have shot about a 1000 pictures. I couldn’t turn a corner without going ooh or aah and clicking away at the sight of another ‘typical American street’ or ‘great example of a 60’s ratpack bungalow’. But it would not stop there. I photographed my lunches, my feet poolside, humming birds, Yosemite’s bridal falls from all angles possible and legal and don’t forget neon lights or street ads. And seals, or were they sea lions? Or both?

A few of these pictures, I would like to share here. As this is a blog about homes, architecture and design I’m going to keep it to that. So no worries, I won’t be sharing pictures of supersized pizza’s or feet with flip flop tan lines.