MoCo Loco

International Garden Festival 10th Anniversary Edition

Harry — 2009-07-17T10:41:12-05:00

The International Garden Festival in Metis, Quebec is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year with a larger than ever roster of gardens and special events throughout the Summer. MoCo Loco went to Metis yesterday to meet with IGF Director Alexander Reford, get a personal tour of the site and to enjoy a six course local food meal colored and flavored by the famous flowers in the Reford Gardens. Over the course of the next week we'll explore this year's festival in detail as well as the people behind the show. In the meantime here are some images from yesterday...

This Week at Art MoCo

sabine7 — 2009-07-17T08:01:32-05:00

Lorraine Peltz's work is a representation of how we absorb and then process information, by juxtaposing elements from different times and spaces. Her new exhibition of paintings is called Then & Now, in reference to mid-century modernism and the Pattern and Decorative movement of the 1970s. See the rest of the week at Art MoCo after the jump.

Continue Time by Sander Mulder

Harry — 2009-07-16T09:33:24-05:00

On the Continue Time clock two out of three pointers rotate around another pointer, instead of the central point on the clock face as with traditional clocks...

2 (or 3 ...) Questions for Nathan Yong

sabine7 — 2009-07-16T07:07:57-05:00

We had the pleasure of seeing Nathan Yong's recent designs at SaloneSatellite and were most intrigued by his use of scale. At a time when the tendency is to subscribe to the mantra of less is more, we were curious as to the meaning behind Yong's pieces. The 70cm High Bed offers the appeal of climbing into bed to adults, but is not tall enough to be a loft bed, and, at a glance, might appear to be half a bunk. Lazy Sunday is a large sofa that also offers space as a table, and can almost be described as an island. Fortunately we were able to track Nathan down and sound him out about the origins of these designs.

Your recent designs make an interesting use of space, almost contrary to the teeming Singapore landscape. What do you intend the user of the 70cm high bed to do with the space below the bed?

Precisely in that Singapore is such a small country, every person that lives here yearns for space, hence there is always a sense of space and lightness in my design. The design isn't just about the empty space below, it is about sleeping on a higher ground, climbing steps as a "ritual" or "process" in going to bed, leaving all worries behind... I wanted the bed to function in a spiritual way.

My designs are always almost democratic as they encourage the users to have their own involvement in the final use. I will personally leave the space empty. But I have tried to use it as a dining table (by removing the futon) and it works perfectly!! I think living in a small city like Singapore also encourages dual functionality in furniture.

Better View Blind by Elina Aalto

Harry — 2009-07-15T14:55:04-05:00

Elina Aalto's cityscape blinds now come in four city flavors; Paris, Tokyo, Helsinki and Stockholm. A series of perforated black out roller blinds, Better View is designed by Aalto for IUKBOX. The next Better View Blind will be Berlin...

The Other Müvbox Video

Harry — 2009-07-15T09:08:55-05:00

Click To Play

By now many of you have seen the video of the Müvbox, the sustainable/ fresh local food restaurant in a container, the first of which landed in the Old Port of Montreal earlier this Summer. We went there for lunch yesterday to take a closer look...

This Week from Tokyo

Jean — 2009-07-15T06:01:09-05:00

Inspired by the Coaster Clock above, YUEN'TO collaborates with the MoMA Store in Japan to create the Magnetic Clock...

To Become One, Table And Seats by Erwin Zwiers

Harry — 2009-07-14T10:12:49-05:00

Part of the "Leave your shape behind collection", To become one, table and seats, was inspired by the beach. Says Zwiers, "sand stimulates young and old people. Aware or unaware the sand has an attraction to touch and form it and to play with it." To become one has two parts, a sack, which is formless, and a frame...

Re-vive Table Legs by Cohda

Harry — 2009-07-14T06:19:48-05:00

"How creatively green can everyone be?" That's the question Richard Liddle from Cohda Design UK asked himself and is now asking others as of today with the launch of Re-vive Table Legs. "Attached and removed within seconds and without the need for expertise or tools, the legs can be used to produce a variety of permanent and semi permanent tables"...

Dear Diary 1.0 by Marlies Romberg

Harry — 2009-07-13T14:54:53-05:00

For Marlies Romberg, a recent grad of the Utrecht School of Arts, her goal is to "to materialize the ungraspable fast digital world and create an opportunity for nostalgia in this future world." The result is Dear diary 1.0, above, the fusion of the real world and the digital world...

Madame Est Servie by Aïssa Logerot

Harry — 2009-07-13T12:09:11-05:00

Recent ENSCI les Ateliers grad Aïssa Logerot recently created two multifunctional pieces of furniture. Madame Est Servie, above, is a mirroir cheval, a mirror that doubles as an ironing board. The other piece is XY, a chair that converts to a low table...

Hangman Clothing Rack by Surya Graf

Harry — 2009-07-13T09:00:54-05:00

New from designer Surya Graf and Snack On, The Hangman Clothing Rack, first inspired by the materials and industrial finish of mass produced wire coat hangers. "Like the coat hanger, Hangman is constructed as one continuous line which bends around itself to create a visually dynamic and practical form."

TopUp Head Protection by Caroline Journaux and Adrien Guérin

Harry — 2009-07-11T00:42:31-05:00

TopUp Head Protection is a compactable honeycomb structure helmet made from robust textiles that folds flat for easy transport. It's currently a prototype being developed by DoYouVélo?, but anyone who rides a bike will immediately see the advantages of this highly portable marvel...

Matsudo Mansion by BAKOKO

Harry — 2009-07-10T23:20:19-05:00

Tokyo-based architects BAKOKO recently designed and remodeled ("reformed" in Japan) their new apartment. A few Flickr sets provide a window into what modern living and renovation is like in Japan...

Details: Crinoline by Patricia Urquiola

Harry — 2009-07-10T10:01:54-05:00

Patricia Urquiola masters details like no other, maybe it's a feminine approach or more likely her unique talent, whatever it is, her products have that exquisite use of textures and patterns that render them particularly cosy and memorable.