Design Addict Blog with news and interviews related to contemporary or vintage design and architecture.
In the history of design and architecture, the most famous designers are men, but we must not forget that women also took an important place that shaped the history of design and architecture as for example the iconic Italian Architect Gae Aulenti! Gaetana Aulenti was born in Palazzolo della Stella Udine in Italy. She studied … Continue reading “Gae Aulenti: the polymath in architecture and design”
From October 2020, the Plant Fever exhibition at CID – Center for innovation and design at Grand-Hornu – will open a window on the different approaches chosen by the designers who have decided to deal with the plant kingdom. Are we at the beginning of a new chapter in the co-evolution of humans and plants? … Continue reading “Plant Fever, towards a Phyto-centred Design”
Whether in the field of interior design, cinema, music or fashion, the terms vintage and retro are words that come up very often, especially in recent years. They are terms that tend to be used interchangeably, since they both serve to designate something old. However, these two terms don’t really mean the same thing, so … Continue reading “Vintage v/s Retro”
From 1945 – 1975 furniture design underwent a big shift from tradition to a desire for freedom and practicality. This period referred as Les Trente Glorieuses (The Glorious Thirty) between the end of World War II and the oil crisis is marked as a time of economic growth and well-fare. With support of the Marshallplan, … Continue reading “The Glorious Thirty: a new era in furniture design”
The Contemporary Design Market is a special presentation and sales moment of well-known Belgian based designers and upcoming talents in a variety of different design disciplines with diversified materials. Join this unique market to discover, meet and buy Belgian design. Professionals, collectors, advisors, (interior) architects and design lovers are invited to discover a … Continue reading “Contemporary Design Market 2020”
20TH CENTURY DESIGN FAIR Since its creation in 2002, the Brussels Design Market has evolved into the « the largest design market in Europe » and has quickly become a must-see in the international vintage design calendar. Maintaining its unique atmosphere usually characterized by flea markets, the Brussels Design Market has continued to grow, to … Continue reading “Brussels Design Market 2020”
Bar Luce is a cafe designed by Wes Anderson that is located in Fondazione Prada, Milan. It is a typical Milanese cafe that is inspired by 1950 – 1960’s popular Italian aesthetics. As the American film director is known for his iconic and charming sets in his movies he was asked to design this cafe … Continue reading “Wes Anderson as Designer”
The capital of Europe is a sure bet for antiques and design. In the popular neighborhood of the Marolles, vintage enthusiasts crisscross the “Vieux Marché”, the famous daily flea market that takes place on the « place du jeu de balle ». A little further on, in search of fabulous finds, the bargain hunters descend … Continue reading “Best of Vintage – Brussels Design September”
The Masters of Social Democracy Scandinavia, a territory surrounded by ice, has always imposed on mankind an age-old struggle to adapt to the very harsh climatic conditions that prevail there. These conditions have made the development of agriculture and population growth particularly difficult. On behalf of the common need to protect themselves in an extreme … Continue reading “Scandinavian Design Roots”
Let’s plunge into summer… Some images to refresh us ! Alvaro Siza, Pier Luigi Nervi, Peter Zumthor, Ricardo Bofill, Luis Barragán, Robert Mallet-Stevens… these great architects also designed swimming pools. The proof in pictures : The swimming pool of the villa of Monte Mano in Sardaigne Architect: Jacques Couëlle Built: 1970 The swimming … Continue reading “The most amazing swimming pool in Twentieth Century”
Costa Paradiso, located in northern Sardinia, is the starting point to understand Alberto Ponis’ architecture. It’s the ‘60s when the young architect decided to get involved in designing a villa in Palau, after significant liaisons within the London Modernism. It’s from this turning point that sparked his idea of launching the studio in Sardinia and … Continue reading “Alberto Ponis : inhabiting the cliff”
Curator: Benjamin Stoz 28.06.20 → 29.11.20 The Serial Eater exhibition examines thirty years of experimentation and reflection on the “food object”. Since its development in the 1990s until its most recent implications, the analysis of food design will enable us to understand the evolutions in consumer habits and how awareness has been raised about the … Continue reading “SERIAL EATER : food design stories in Grand-Hornu”
The 20th century was one of the most inspiring and progressive centuries for the discipline of architecture. This period was marked by many technological and modern innovations whose aesthetics inspired architects and designers, revolutionizing the history of architecture. The Lovell Health House by Neutra The Lovell Health House is the first detached house with a … Continue reading “Iconic houses in XXs”
The 1980s were marked by many events, from the discovery of the AIDS virus to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Chernobyl disaster, these years appear to be a period of turbulent transition. A new economic dynamism created by globalization and the emergence of the Internet. Personal success is on display, while the spread … Continue reading “Design in the 1980s”
In the land of the rising sun, the beautiful meets the useful. In an ancestral design, the pure, elegant, harmonious, near-perfect or sensorial lines are in keeping with the great principle of traditional Japanese culture. For a long time, Japanese designers have perfectly illustrated the definition of design where form meets function, they remove all … Continue reading “Japan : when the beautiful meets the useful”
Radical Design was an Italian architecture and design movement that had its start in 1966 with the manifesto and exhibition Superarchitettura in Pistoia. It culminated, roughly, in 1972 with the seminal show Italy: The New Domestic Landscape at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Within those six years dozens of studios and independent designers such as Archizoom, Superstudio, and Studio … Continue reading “The Italian Radical Design Mouvement”
A home filled with books can be a place of inspiration in more ways than one. Bookcases, bookshelves, entire rooms: far from being simple storage spaces, home libraries reveal the personalities and lifestyles of their owners. They are always very personal and unpredictable, whether they have been specially created in a separate room or fitted … Continue reading “Live Big with Your Books!”
Jean-Michel Frank, perhaps the most influential French designer of his time, was born in Paris in 1895 to the wealthy and well-known Frank family. His father was the banker Léon Frank, his first cousin Anne Frank’s father Otto Frank. His projects were often to decorate rooms with Picassos hanging on the walls. He decorated … Continue reading “Design Legend : Jean-Michel Frank”
Do you love indoor plants, wood panelling and confortable sofas in interiors right now? You’re maybe in the midst of a Seventies revival! It is easy to dismiss the 1970s as “the decade that taste forgot”. after years of pared-back discipline with a focus on function in the mid-century design movement, the 1970s was a … Continue reading “Design in the 1970s”
Brazil may be known for many things, from its genre-spanning musical universe to its mind-boggling nature, but its designers may be the next thing to catch your eye. Brazil’s unique furniture design has been turning heads since the 1960s, and continues to be recognized for its hallmarks and signatures. The 20th-century designer of Brazil created … Continue reading “Modern Brazilian Furniture Design”
Congratulations! You’ve just purchases a wonderful vintage piece of furniture Now that you’re sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying your new surroundings, we know you’ll want to keep things looking this beautiful for a long time. With minimal maintenance, your wood furniture will be a lasting masterpiece. Here’s what you need to know about how to … Continue reading “How to preserve Vintage Wooden Furniture”
Color does not exist in real life. It is just the effect of electromagnetic waves registered by our brains and eyes. Yet it plays a very important role and we simply cannot imagine life without it. Color creates feelings and moods and it is owing to these features that designers and homeowners need to utilize … Continue reading “The Role Of Colors In Interior Design”
Let’s find out some famous and stylish chairs that were featured in movies and TV series. We all love a good movie. While the actors and directors get the most of glory, we often forget the subtle elements of set design which actually help shape the atmosphere of our favorite movies. A well-chosen sofa or … Continue reading “Chairs featured in movies”
“Dorothy Draper was to decorating, what Chanel was to fashion. The woman was a genius; there’d be no professional decorating business without her.” Carleton Varney Dorothy Draper was born to a wealthy and privileged family in 1889, in one of the most exclusive communities in American history, Tuxedo Park. She was the first … Continue reading “Dorothy Draper, a Pioneer in Interior Design”
Today, more than ever, the midcentury modern look is everywhere Midcentury modern is an architectural, product, interior and graphic design that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern furniture design, architecture and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965. Mid-Century modern furniture first showed up in the 1950s and ’60s. Midcentury modern was reaffirmed in 1983 … Continue reading “The Obsession with Mid-Century Modern design”
During this period of confinement, spending time at home and cooking, there is nothing like a little history of kitchens ‘s evolution during the 20th century ! The first fitted kitchen The first fully equipped kitchen appeared at the end of the 19th century in the Industrial Revolution, thanks to the standardization of running … Continue reading “A Century of Kitchen Design”
Sideboards are among Design Addict’s most sought after vintage designs. Other popular forms of storage – cabinets, dressers, chests of drawers – are quickly being eclipsed by this sleek cousin. For those unfamiliar with the term, what is a sideboard? Popularised by mid century design, the sideboard is an oblong, relatively low storage unit which, … Continue reading “Why Every Home Needs A Vintage Sideboard”
“A gender-neutral industry—indeed, a gender-neutral built environment—if desired, cannot simply be willed into existence. It must be fought for. Invisibility is a sign that there is still much more work to do,” writes Jane Hall in the introductory essay of her new tome from Phaidon, Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women. For centuries, women’s contributions to … Continue reading “The Most Amazing Structures Designed by Women”
Since its creation in 2002, the Brussels Design Market has evolved into the “largest design market in Europe” and quickly became a must-attend on the international vintage design circuit. Maintaining its unique flea market atmosphere, the Brussels Design Market has continued to grow attracting more visitors each year, and developed as a true gathering and … Continue reading “Brussels Design Market 2020”
There are luxury homes, and then there’s Antilia—the Mumbai home of business magnate Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries. Inspired by the mythical Atlantic island, Mukesh Ambani’s, located in South Mumbai’s Altamount Road is estimated to be the world’s second-most expensive property after the Buckingham Palace. The high-end mansion reportedly costs an estimated $1-2 billion. … Continue reading “The Most Expensive Home In The World: Antilia”
