Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mumbai Happenings

Maison Martin Margiela  now available in Mumbai.
Ok just teasing 

A FEW Margiela products are now available in Mumbai !! 
More  about that in a bit …………..
Before I talk about the stylish and super cool designs of Maison Martin Margiela 
 I thought i would to do a little mumbai update and start with the fantastic Jazz festival that took place over the weekend ( well last weekend ) at Mehboob studios in Bandra - The Mahindra Blues  festival  with fantastic performances by TAJ MAHAL,SOUL MATE, ANNA POPVIC ( amongst others ) was a simple no fuss no muss 2 evenings of great music,Very well organized and a real musical treat.

ANNA POPVIC

BUDDY GUY with ANNA POPVIC
love the sequin top !!


SOUL MATE   Tipriti  Kharbangar

Then I was going to talk about the new Chinese ( Michelin star ) restaurant  Yauatcha (yau-aatchaa) in Bandra !  Where the food is fantastic  but sadly the décor is sterile, unimaginative and deeply un interesting.  Make the trip once for the food but I doubt you’ll go back in a rush.

Last but not least, I have  to talk about the inspiring and absolute treat of a talk that I attended yesterday by KENYA  HARA , creative Director of MUJI ,hosted by Godrej India Culture lab. It was amazing to gain insight into the thoughts and ideas of this brilliant designer. The themes he spoke about were EMPTINESS  the principals of emptiness, his curatorial project called SENSEWARE, ( amazing products made from synthetic and manmade fibers, one of my favorite was the  CARBON CHAIR made of carbon fire and super super thin. ) and HOUSE VISION , re looking at the way we all live and use our living space and what our space can do for us .Will we have intelligent flooring next ? Will our floors be able to assess if we are sick, have a temperature , are over weight ? Will TV screens be embedded into walls and light fully recessed into the ceiling ?
Great start to the week, that’s for sure !





MUJI Shopping Bag, 2010. Art director: Kenya Hara. Photographer: Takashi Sekiguchi, from MUJI, Rizzoli New York, 2010.   VIA http://flaunt.com



Revised Tag System, 2008 Version. Art director: Kenya Hara. Graphic designer: Yukie Inoue, Izumi Suge, and Akiko Uematsu. Photographer: Takashi Sekiguchi, from MUJI, Rizzoli New York, 2010

Revised Tag System, 2008 Version. Art director: Kenya Hara. Graphic designer: Yukie Inoue, Izumi Suge, and Akiko Uematsu. Photographer: Takashi Sekiguchi, from MUJI, Rizzoli New York, 2010     http://flaunt.com

Of course the only question that everyone wanted to ask was WHEN WILL MUJI be in India ? sadly the answer was 2 years .


And that brings me back to great design and products by the Maison Martin Margiela  team that are available at Le Mill in Mumbai.
They make fantastic gifts. And I just love the images.
All photos:Julien Oppenheim, Paris.





















Thursday, February 9, 2012

BRUTALISM - Paulo Mendes da Rocha

Paulo Mendes da Rocha the creator of my favourite chair (the Paulistano) has at the age of 83 has just helped the current owner in reviving one of the buildings that he built in the 1960’s.
This cliff top house, is a perfect example of Paulista, the local school of brutalism
 that he championed in the 1950’s and 60’s


 

love these lights and gravity inspired windows !


 
The building is voluminous and massive yet light and delicate.
 
I love the Portuguese style patterned floor tile in tinted cement


 Plumbing pipes and electrical conduits are exposed.

 
The flooring and a lot of the furniture, contrasts with the concrete
 toughness of the rest of the building .
Adding a sense of light heartedness.



NEXT more about brutalism  ........


Monday, February 6, 2012