Traditionally fashionable
Stella McCartney shop flooring, traditional and innovative at the same time.
Aging gracefully
Beautiful and timeless tiles that still look great, even after decades of abuse!
No street art please!
Not only that it is sound absorbing and weathering friendly, it also is tag and graffiti proof. Keep those egg cartons!!
Thank you for your service
I can’t speak Catalan but this plate set into the paving in front of the long established Deli/Restaurant ‘Can Ravell’ in Barcelona says something like: ‘In the name of the City of Barcelona – in recognition to Ravell for its many years of service to the city’.
The plate seems to regroup many symbols of trade and craft and I suppose the City of Barcelona sets these plates in front of their most long serving, authentic and traditional businesses that make the city so special. What a great initiative! And the food was even better!!
Paris bashing
It is well known that the bistro culture in Paris is a league on its own, sitting tightly packed on street corners, coffee & cigarettes, waiters that don’t care, gazing at the people passing by …
The typical Paris bistro table with a single foot and an oversized thin metal edging embodies this way of life quite well for me. Every bash and knock the metal edging gets adds character & texture to the table, making it age gracefully without aspiring to be perfect.
Cheap & cheerful
Creating a street stall for a one day event to sell hand made scarves from Bangladesh is not my usual design brief, especially if the budget had to be kept at an absolute minimum. But there is always a way, even if it means going to the DIY shop..
Scarves designed by Luxembourgish designer Anne-Marie Herckes with the assistance of the Vocational Training and Employment Generation Project of the NGO ‘Friendship’.
RAL 2005 Leuchtorange
Another beautifully functional colour, RAL 2005 is the standard safety orange for sea rescue boats.
Sculpting graphics
Interesting signage of the Dombauhütte, a centre for the restoration of the dome in Cologne.
Pondicherry shows the way
Some years ago I took this photo in the city of Pondicherry, India. Amazingly low-tech this hand-painted and sculptural road sign shows the way, also by its expressive and truly functional shape. Love it!
Bring back the craftsmanship – Embossing leather
Embossing leather is another one of these crafts that are very difficult to still find but have a great creative potential. This very old, worn and grotty leather embossed folder almost blends in with the wooden desk and is getting more beautiful by the day.
Beautifully crafted natural materials have this quality of ageing well and are able to take the wear and tear of life. Something that many more contemporary materials and finishes simply can’t take.
Bring back the craftsmanship – Art & Craft
Photo by Richard-Max Tremblay
Another fine example of upholstery craft – by the artist Yannick Pouliot in his work Régence: monomaniaque.
Bring back the craftsmanship – upholstery
Good craftsmanship is key to produce fine quality objects. Unfortunately, outside the luxury industry, they are hard to find. With labour costs going constantly up are we loosing all the fine techniques that made objects special? It seems a shame, but it motivates me even more to collaborate with skilled craftsmen on the next projects!
Grey is also a colour
Wick Lane / A12 Underpass, East London
Whoever wrote this is right to say that to many places are boring & dull – although a bit of paint, mixed with road dirt, would make this wall look a lot worse then it is now. But it is worthwile thinking about what else would work better…
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