Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 51 i est living magazine

In this issue, we’ve let architects and designers do the talking. You’ll hear directly from our esteemed 10 for 2024 – ten architecture and design authorities and ten multidisciplinary design authorities – who shed light on their practice, approach and the evolving design landscape. Our Where Architects Live series takes us inside the homes of five different architects, including our cover story – architect Felix de Montesquiou’s converted Paris warehouse, that he shares with his wife, young family and their two dogs. You’ll also find interviews with Argentine architect Luis Laplace and partner Christophe Comoy in their Menorca finca, Sydney architect Ben Mitchell in his former shoe-factory-turned-family-home, and London architect Ben Ridley in his Edwardian terrace informed by ‘Passivhaus’ principles. Beyond the page, our latest film enters architect Manuel Aires…

CURIOSITY TENACITY COMPASSION Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? I love spending time in two of Melbourne’s great modernist homes which are now house museums; Heide II by McGlashen Everest and Robin Boyd’s own house at Walsh Street. Inventively built from humble materials, these are both seminal projects that the public can visit. The one thing people always ask me is: Do you have a minute? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Curiosity, tenacity, compassion. What is a key influence that we can anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? We are exploring opportunities to repurpose construction and post-consumer waste in a current commercial project. As a profession, we must be far more responsible with resource consumption than the status…

SCULPTURAL PRAGMATIC WARM Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Travel; a village in Japan, surfing in the ocean, Paris, camping by a lake in the mountains. Travel anywhere… The one thing people always ask me is: Could you create a space that’s beautiful, and functional, serene and joyous? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Sculptural, pragmatic, warm. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? The concept of timelessness and sensitivity. We love creating spaces that make you exhale when you walk through the door and make you feel like you've arrived home to a little piece of paradise. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Be generous and…

LISTEN INTERROGATE DREAM Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Good design is everywhere; it’s not limited to certain places. But we also draw inspiration from the natural world rather than just the constructive world. Nature can offer inspiration through materiality, proportion and scale that influence our thinking in design. The one thing people always ask me is: Working on multiple projects in Australia, when will you be opening an Australian office? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Listen, interrogate, dream. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? Place; we work in many different places; we have an LA and Auckland studio. The of locations constantly inspires us. We always want to understand more a place and are fortunate to…

NATURAL MATERIAL INNOVATION Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Within the workshops of the incredible makers I work with – people with decades of experience in a material specialism. The one thing people always ask me is: What is Australian design? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Natural, material, innovation. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? How light beautifully interacts with glass. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Sometimes you have come up with something truly special and sometimes there is a good reason why someone has not created your idea before. Understanding when to stick and when to twist is an important and challenging lesson.…

POLYGLOTTE POLYCHROME LOCAL Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Milan Design Week, although I appreciate exceptional design all around the world. The one thing people always ask me is: What is your favourite colour? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Polyglotte, polychrome, local. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? Less building, more ornament. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Hard work, humility and curiosity. What’s the first thing you always notice when you walk into a room? The atmosphere. What product/s or piece/s do you admire most right now? Ronan Bouroullec’s ceramic landscapes.…

PROPORTION APPEARANCE HONESTY Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Galerie kreo, Paris The one thing people always ask me is: Where do you find inspiration, and how do you work as a couple? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Proportion, appearance, honesty. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? Perforation, transparency and repetition. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Don't look too much at others; look within yourself and create the languag you want to speak. What’s the first thing you always notice when you walk into a room? The windows. What product/s or piece/s do you admire most right now? The new Bilboquet light by Philippe Malouin for Flos…

In the design capital of the world and the home of Italian fashion house Moschino, Italian architect Andrea Tognon designed a store that captures the brand’s exuberant style in a subtle manner. “The challenge was to harmonise the brand’s loud and baroque visual language with a calm and serene design approach,” Andrea says. Located on one of Milan’s most historically significant shopping strips, Via della Spiga, the store needed to feel like an inherent part of the city. “Walking through the space, you’ll find marble in-lays of cut flooring and details along a grand staircase that are sprinkled as sweet reminders of the city as the centre of Italian design,” Andrea says. From the chequered floors crafted in Botticino marble and dark green stone to the lacquered bright-yellow shelves and…

On Paris’ famous Boulevard Saint-Germain, Dutch architect Anne Holtrop was tasked with designing a boutique for French jewellery brand Charlotte Chesnais. Seeking to push the boundaries of a conventional jewellery store, Anne substituted the typical horizontal display tables for a huge freestanding translucent wall to display the pieces. The wall, appearing like a sculpture within the space, is composed of large, three-dimensional CNC-cut acrylic sheets. “The material possesses a natural texture from the CNC drilling and a synthetic quality due to the presence of acrylic,” Anne explains. As a result, it reflects a blend of both natural and man-made characteristics, creating an interesting juxtaposition of past and present. “The jewellery appears to float within the transparent mass and casts subtle shadows,” she adds. Passing through the display, a set of…

Looking all over North London for the right property, Architecture For London founder Ben Ridley came across a house with the downside of a deeply depressing existing interior. It did mean other potential buyers overlooked it, Ben admits, and the upside of an empty block to the east. “We have designed a house for that site which fully embraces Passivhaus principles,” he says. The Edwardian terrace in London’s Muswell Hill has been completely refurbished to open it up to natural light and the garden, creating a flow of integrated spaces that are a far cry from the original dark, boxy rooms. “On the ground floor, we had almost no daylight as there was only one small window that faced north,” Ben says. So the addition of a large window to…

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INTUITIVE APPROACHABLE UNORTHODOX Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? I would like to talk more about what feeds into my design. I’m always absorbing design; it’s everywhere. No matter what journey you complete as part of your daily routine, it’s been design ed and highly informed by art, architecture, design, books, travel, food, fashion, experience, small moments and conversations. The one thing people always ask me is: Do you know exactly what you want to do as soon as you walk into a space? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Intuitive, approachable, unorthodox. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? Flack Studio is now an architecture studio. We are currently working on some incredible private residential…

COLLECTION ART COLLABORATION Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? I love to travel, finding inspiration at museums and galleries wherever I go. No matter the place, I always look for interesting stores, galleries or local museums, contemporary or ancient. I grew up in New Zealand but have been based in the US for a long time and fr equently travel overseas for our projects. I have always been inspired to travel to faraway places. That said, New Zealand and Australia have so much exceptional design and architecture. Inspiration can be found right in your backyard. The one thing people always ask me is: How did you learn to be a designer? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Collection, art, collaboration. What key influence…

LIFE PEOPLE FREEDOM Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? I see exceptional design in things that have been enshrined by time. Somehow, when we find an extraordinary object, it’s partly new, partly something else that resonates in our memory. Normally, the things that give us peace of mind are the most xtraordinary things. The one thing people always ask me is: How do you start a project? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Life, people, freedom. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to What release? What I like to imagine is that each project has its own personality, its own identity and its own story. So, in reality, what we're going to see will, hopefully, be a surprise for me…

DESIGNING FOR FEELING Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Jonathan Richards: Predictable perhaps, but the Sydney Opera House neve disappoints. Kirsten Stanisich: There are certainly incredible places like Milian and Tokyo where I have been blown away by special design moments, but more often than not, I get excited by the experience of a space or place, and that can happen at the most unexpected moments. The one thing people always ask me is: Jonathan: Can I ask you for some quick design advice? Kirsten: What projects are you working on? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Jonathan: Enjoy the process. Kirsten: Designing for feeling. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet release? Jonathan: A sense of…

ONE WORD: TRANSFORMATION Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? I find it in random places. It could be an old library or hardware store. The one thing people always ask me is: How do you find your voice as an artist? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: One word: transformation. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? The French culture of art, design, fashion and craftsmanship. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Don’t wait until someone knocks on your door. Believe in yourself. Be disciplined and do your art. And this art will bring more art. What’s the first thing you always notice when you walk into…

HONEST FUNCTIONAL SIMPLE Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Broadly, Italy and Japan are the places I visit with design on the agenda. I visit Salone del Mobile in Milan nearly every year, and as crazy as it has become, it does become the epicentre of design for that one week a year. The one thing people always ask me is: What was it like to work for Marc Newson? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Honest, functional, simple. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? I have been evolving my approach to design in recent years. I am thinking more about simplicity in my work, which is starting to show. There’s probably a growing…

When interior design studio Hecker Guthrie were approached by the owners of a two-level inner Melbourne townhouse, they immediately struck a chord with their wish to tread lightly. Well-versed in historic home revivals, Hecker Guthrie co-director Paul Hecker says they resonated with the homeowners' desire to understand the building – and the gentle mark they wanted to leave on it. “It’s an important building that grounds the corner; it deserved to be treated well,” Paul says. The townhouse is one of four in a former estate designed in 1864 by Joseph Reed, once home to the first Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Benjamin Benjamin. While there were obvious design elements Hecker Guthrie needed to reinstate and a 1970s addition to unfold, there was enough to tell them exactly what had…

In Soho, New York, Belgian architect Bernard Dubois conceived a store for French fashion house Courrèges that echoes the brand’s minimalist and futuristic style. “Our goal was to create a space that would naturally refer to the brand – one that felt obvious somehow,” Bernard says. Drawing inspiration from the historic Courrèges flagship store in Paris, the architect chose to envelop the front of the space in white and introduce an all-mirrored fitting room at the back. The elongated mirrored ceilings dotted with spotlights evoke the atmosphere of a nightclub – a concept dear to the brand’s creative director, Nicolas Di Felice. “We chose iconic brand elements, like the monochrome colour palette and references to the clubbing scene, and reinterpreted them to help shape the brand’s new and future identity,”…

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Those Architects principal Ben Mitchell had driven past this site in Sydney’s Mosman for many years. Originally a shoe factory with south-facing windows and located on a reasonably busy road, it was easy for him to understand why buyers persistently overlooked its potential. “As an architect, I could immediately see both the problems and their resolution – I knew I had the skills to remedy it – and more importantly, it was within my budget,” he says. Getting to the finish line has, he admits, been slow. Bought in 2006, he did a quick fix – where architectural savvy met an IKEA budget – and for many years, he either rented it or lived in it until the time came for a major revamp. “I had it completely planned and…

NEW RELEASE chateau orlando x cc tapis @cc_tapis @olikearon ARCHITECT fala.atelier @fala.atelier @arorygardiner ARTIST CLOUD PLINTH Plinth Exhibition for Misc Objet 'Ghost Plinth' by Melbourne-based multidisciplinary designer Charlie White explores the simple function of a plinth and its novel ability to defy gravity. The ghost-like form is made from discarded towels soaked in concrete, as a lighter counterpart to the typical fluted column. @charliewhitewhite DESIGN DESTINATION Hotel Panamera Tulum @hotelpanamera EXHIBITION BOX by MaxLamb at Gallery FUMI @gallery_fumi @penguinseggphoto PROJECT Mithimnis Apartment by Molonglo & Royffe Flynn @royffeflynn @lorenzozandri ARTIST JOE LANE Artist Jo Lane’s sculptures explore a soft and tactile sensibility through contrastly solid materiality. @__jolane__…

PROPORTION SCALE HARMONY Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? We believe exceptional design is in the history of architecture and design – museums in cities like Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, and London. The one thing people always ask me is: What is your style? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Proportion, scale, harmony. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? We are now very inspired by the work of Georges Geffroy. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Every designer should find their craft and master it. Specialisation and mastery are valuable qualities for designers to cultivate in their careers. What’s the first thing you always notice when you…

NARRATION CONTEXT ATMOSPHERE Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? There isn't a specific place but conjunctions that make the design exceptional. Just observe a detail in a garden, on a door, or even the window of a house. A place There observ made with the heart is inherently an exceptional design; one just needs to open up to it and let inspiration come. Light greatly contributes to making a design exceptional. The one thing people always ask me is: Do you sleep much? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Narration, context, atmosphere. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to Three release? Each project obviously has a common thread, but I am always influenced by the place itself, its history,…

PERSONAL SYNCHRONICITY COLLECTED Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Into nature. We have two places to hide and recharge, one on the Veluwe in the Netherlands and the other on the island of Menorca, Spain. Our 60s Bungalow in Veluwe is the perfect place to go to and spend time in nature. In Menorca, we enjoy its wild nature and beaches. This calms our mind and opens our eyes to enjoying everything right in front of us. The one thing people always ask me is: What is it like to work together as a couple? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Personal, synchronicity, collected. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? The sun and the…

Your ‘Bichat’ home isn’t a typical heritage apartment in Paris. What drew you to this building to make it your home – did you immediately see the potential? I was excited about the volume when I first came into the flat. It’s rare in Paris to find a flat in an industrial building that isn’t on the ground floor, and this one had a fantastic luminosity. I also gravitated to the orientation. The main facade faces southeast; I knew we would have great light all through the morning. The exposed brick ceiling and industrial bones reveal an interesting past life. What was the building before it became your home? It was a factory, but it’s unclear what was manufactured last; we have been told it was a sewing machine factory.…

TIME SPACE POETRY Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Glass House by Pierre Chareau in Paris, Villa Necchi in Milan and the International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon by Oscar Niemeyer. The one thing people always ask me is: How did you meet? Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Time, space, poetry. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Explore and nurture what makes you unique in your field. Your individuality is your greatest strength; focus on discovering and cultivating your distinctive style, approach, or perspective. What’s the first thing you always notice when you walk into a room? The light and windows. What product/s or piece/s do you admire…

BALANCE MATERIAL SCULPTURE Where do you go to appreciate exceptional design? We like going to ethnographic and archeological museums around the world. That’s where we find what we call ‘pristine’ design, something that comes right before design and is truly inspiring. The one thing people always ask me is: How did you meet? (In Mexico) Three words that most appropriately sum up my approach to design are: Balance, material, sculpture. What key influence can we anticipate seeing in projects you are yet to release? Costantino Nivola, African folk architecture and surfaces and Tobia Scarpa - we love contrasting dialogue. What is the one piece of advice you would share with an emerging designer? Look, study and sketch. What’s the first thing you always notice when you walk into a room?…

Recorded while sitting in one of their latest projects, Kennedy Nolan founders and principal architects Rachel Nolan and Patrick Kennedy discuss how buildings can engage the imagination, the impact of colour and memory, and designing homes relevant to today. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/est-living/episodes/This-Much-I-Know-with-Karen-McCartney--Kennedy-Nolan-e2de2u8?%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1263676445456966862&utm_source=web&utm_campaign=web-share&utm_medium=sharing&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq0zMS87IL9ItT03SSywo0MvJzMvWT9U3L0vK9TWozHV1SwIAUP%2B8lzAAAAA%3D https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/est-living/episodes/This-Much-I-Know-with-Karen-McCartney--Kennedy-Nolan-e2de2u8?%24web_only=true&_branch_match_id=1263676445456966862&utm_source=web&utm_campaign=web-share&utm_medium=sharing&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq0zMS87IL9ItT03SSywo0MvJzMvWT9U3L0vK9TWozHV1SwIAUP%2B8lzAAAAA%3D…

Two synonymous Australian designers – architect William Smart and fashion designer Dion Lee – joined forces to create the brand’s first stand-alone international store in the heart of Miami’s design district. The space is polished and textured, sophisticated and gritty, and distinctively on brand: “A subtle yet striking canvas to showcase Dion’s sculptural and functional ready-to-wear collection,” project architect Linda Tjaturono’ says. Spanning two stories and covering 280 square metres, the space features a dramatic central void, making way for a soaring double-height volume. A helical staircase, crafted from stainless steel and travertine, punctuates the void – a striking connection between the two levels. Custom stainless-steel clothing racks, which the architect likens to construction scaffolding systems, flank the walls, opening up space in the middle for display tables, lounge seating,…