Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i OBJEKT South Africa

We find ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year and in 2019 we find ourselves in an election year, nogal. We have a lot to look forward to, no doubt those political party adverts will start clogging the airways of your favourite radio station soon. Luckily you can always find an escape in the pages of this magazine. We start the year off with a jam-packed issue that’ll take you to corners of the world near and far. First up of course has to be our cover story. The incredibly designed, two-storey residential property overlooking the San Francisco Bay area. From the minute you enter the house you are greeted with modern functional luxury and that continues throughout the property, room-by-room you get the sense that attention to…

In the Norwegian forest, north of Oslo, Mork-Ulnes Architects created Mylla: a retreat for a geologist and his family. The 84-square metre building sits firmly on a hilltop and is formed by the forces of the landscape around it. Hytter (cabins) are a huge part of Norwegian culture, with over a quarter of all Norwegians owning at least one. The traditional Norwegian hytte is small and primitive, serving a simple utilitarian purpose to shelter, often with an outdoor toilet and no running water. The typical interior is cramped, compartmentalised, and disconnected, with rooms loaded off a narrow corridor. The living quarters are usually dark with pine clad walls, small windows and low ceilings The site of the Mylla cabin is located in Jevnaker County, at the northern edge of Nordmarka,…

The Damei Art Centre is one of the latest high-end luxury developments in the city of Beijing. The famous German architectural design firm GMP designed the building. It consists of four towers interconnected on the lowers levels with art exhibitions rooms, spaces for a ballet studio, an art school and a large gym. It is topped of with a Chinese rooftop garden. One of the crown jewels of the Damei Art Centre, is the multi-functional space on the 36th floor in one of the towers. It was designed by Zhao Shu and revealed her real beauty in 2018 after three years of anxious waiting. Work and life high above the city is quite and tranquil. Perhaps that is why the Chinese name ‘Yun An’ of the space bears the meaning…

The plantation home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, had already has been remodelled a couple times since it was built in 1949. The new owners, founders of Quest Nutrition, asked Janice Barta, Principal Designer and founder of Barta Interiors from LA, to transform the house once again to match their dreams. The house is located in Brentwood, on the Westside of Los Angeles, between Westwood and Santa Monica. It was a Mexican land grant ranch sold off by the Sepulveda family. The development of the area started in the 1880s and became a desirable place to live with one of the lowest population densities in the city, lush green pastures and coral trees along its central avenue, San Vicente Boulevard. Here, in this green environment, the founders of Quest Nutrition found…

“The essential characteristic of design in Lebanon is the multiplicity of its influences. There is no cultural standard, no industrial heritage, and therefore no ‘ideology’ on function, whether formalized or otherwise. It is a great liberty, which is very exciting”Marc Baroud designer, who also established the Design Department at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts. At the September edition 2018 of the Paris interior festival Maison & Objet is was Lebanon’s turn to present its talents. Bridging the gap between East and West, the choice to honor a country with a booming creative scene was an effort to keep pushing the boundaries of creation. The event was placed under the patronage of Rabih Kayrouz, whose fashion label has immensely contributed to the worldwide popularity of the Lebanese style over the…

“We always jump as high as we can: sometimes almost over the edge. If the level of your ambition isn’t high enough then you get nowhere. We are passionate florist-artists who create atmosphere, but we’re also entrepreneurs with a lot of love for our craft. And this is the most beautiful career in the world.” Over the years, Monique and Marcel van Dijk, from Eersel in The Netherlands, with their creation ´Oogenlust´ (Pleasure for the Eyes) have reached the pinnacle of international floristry. It is a story of passion for true floristry combined with a healthy dose of entrepreneurialism. They consider themselves creators of atmosphere, using art and nature as their most important sources of inspiration. They let loose their skills and have the most fun when decorating events: each…

For 800 years in the capital of China, singing crickets have not been strangers to the locals even until today. Singing and fighting crickets were the favorite pets of the Emperors of China. ‘Crickets in the Forbidden City’ were well documented in the book ‘Qianlong Imperial Poetry’ from the Qing Dynasty. According to Emperor Qianlong “Everyone knew that it was autumn, when crickets sing (without dying), vitality infusing the air,” As the Poetry learns that his grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, would keep the palace warm so that it would be suitable for keeping crickets, grasshoppers and other singing bugs, adding pleasant atmosphere to the court life. He even had special compartments in his clothes to keep the crickets warm. But long before that crickets were kept for their ‘songs’. Ancient scripts…

To celebrate the centenary of Achille Castiglioni, one of the most important Masters of Italian design, Flos, in collaboration with Studio Urquiola, had created an ironic and at the same time poetic site-specific installation entitled ‘Traparentesi’. A party of 100 Parentesi lamps which, like 100 candles, were activated by the presence of visitors, recreating the innate joy that Achille brought to every environment and transferred to every object. Lights and sounds: a noisy, Jacques Tati-style Achille was always designing with the noise of the objects in mind. One could find the call of an owl, the noise of a switch being turned on, the bounces of a ping-pong ball and many other entertaining sounds bringing a voice to the lighting effect produced by the 100 Parentesi lamps. Some of the…