I Sure Love a Good Concept.

Sometimes designers just get it right. It's that moment when everything just comes together and makes sense in the most simple way (even though you know how hard and complex it was to get to that point), and you can't help but think "why didn't I think of that?".


The Mangrolia Chaussures stores designed by visiondivision is a project that got a lot of hype in 2009. But, I wanted to revisit it because I think the concept is a perfect example of one of those "aha!" moments.

Project: 3 stores, including 1 flagship store
Location: Réunion Island, France
Main Materials: Plexiglass shoeboxes that can be configured and stacked in various ways
The plexiglass boxes are the unifying design component between all 3 stores and they also act as a sort of trademark for Mangrolia

The flagship store, located in Saint Denis, is conceptually known as "The Ocean". This is designed to be the most spectacular of the 3 stores.


The store is comprised of 2 floors; the upper floor which has the plexiglass boxes installed into the floor in the shape of a flowing river which lead from 2 main entrances to a staircase. The staircase leads to the basement floor, which is entirely covered in the plexiglass boxes.

This concept creates an awesome and interactive retail experience for shoppers. Rather than having shoes displayed on typical shelves and table merchandising systems, they are now seen from the viewpoint you would actually see them from when wearing them. Shoppers could easily places their foot on top or next to a pair of shoes they are interested in and then take them out of the plexiglass box to try them on.

Boxes will also be used to display legendary/famous shoes to also act as a "shoe museum" to attract additional customers.
The Saint André location, taking on "The Library" concept, utilizes the plexiglass boxes as stacking units to create different rooms throughout the store. Each of the rooms takes on a different theme (i.e. casual, formal, sport) to provide another unique shopping experience.


The last location, Le Port, has "The Loop" concept. All components of the store, including cashier stations and seating for trying on shoes, are integrated into a loop created of stacked plexiglass boxes at varying heights. The main shoe display areas sink into the floor to create an ease of circulation.


What do you think of this concept? Anything you would add or change? Have you seen anything like this before?

Images via www.visiondivision.com

Hire Me!

Well, I am officially on the job hunt. Today I finished sorting my way through Interior Design's Top 100 Giants. Phew! That was a feat in itself. They are not lying when they say "looking for a job is a full time job".

What I'm wondering is, where else do you, everyone out there in the blogosphere, look for interior design jobs?

I'm specifically interested in retail, hospitality, corporate, mixed-use, and residential developments (lofts, condos, affordable housing, etc.) and I typically check the ASID and IIDA job boards, sometimes I'll browse through Simply Hired's listings, and I LOVE all the awesome listings Dezeenjobs has (it's just too bad that all the jobs are located in Europe).

Head in the Clouds

While in Chicago this past week for NeoCon (the National Exposition of Contract Furnishings), my friends and I went on an awesome architectural boat tour (courtesy of Wendella). While we were out on the water, I noticed the clouds were doing some particularly cool things. We had blue skies with big puffy clouds on one side, and darker gray clusters of clouds on the other. These clouds, mixed with the reflectivity of those well-known skyscraper windows allowed me to capture some really amazing moments with my camera. All photos are unedited.

"Okay...so...I might have bought too much furniture"

Does anyone else get infuriated when the image of an interior designer is essentially ruined by HGTV? I just watched as a certain "designer" was first astounded by the large size of an artichoke light fixture and then later could not fit the 2 lounge chairs that were originally intended to be used. I know that mistakes do occur in the real world of design, but what happened to measuring, drawing plans, and specifying product correctly?

On the other hand...

There's TV personalities and designers like Candice Olson and Taniya Nayak that can help create a positive image for interior designers. While in Chicago last week for NeoCon, I was walking past the ASID (which by the way has an awesome new website) booth when I spotted a familiar face. Low and behold...it was Taniya Nayak in the flesh!

What makes Taniya so awesome? She graduated with a masters in interior design from the Boston Architectural college, she is the founder of her own commercial/residential firm, and she portrays what she does realistically when in front of the camera. She was very lovely in person and offered up advice on getting started in the field.

Featured Design: Nha House by Delaine Isaac

New York-based architect Delaine Isaac is innovative, driven, and extremely passionate about what he does. He finds inspiration in music and is always working to raise the design bar by combining film and architecture. Delaine and I connected via twitter and I am now lucky enough to be sharing one of his awesome projects with you!
Nha House, which is Vietnamese for "House" House, is a beach house meant to stand out among the rest. The all glass facade provides a contemporary aesthetic and gives users the perfect opportunity to take in all the beautiful beach views. A prefabricated solid concrete structure creates a smooth, enveloping exterior while also lowering construction costs and cutting down on build time. Delaine Isaac also incorporated a slightly lower than normal ceiling height to provide extra strength in case of California's unpredictable natural occurrences.
Project Name: Nha HouseDesigner: Delaine IsaacProject Type: Beach houseConceptual Location: Laguna Beach, CaliforniaStructure: Prefabricated concreteSize: 150 square metersSoftware: Cinema 4D

Floor Plans:

The three floors are connected by a spiral staircase.

The 2nd and 3rd floors have access to exterior balcony spaces

Section:

Architectural Details:

Please leave critiques, questions, etc. by commenting below and visit Delaine Isaac's website to contact him or find out more about his current projects.

Next Big Thing: Cutouts

The cutout trend has swept its way through the fashion world and is now finally starting to hit it big in the world of interiors. As I started to notice more and more cutout pieces, I immediately thought of Alexander Wang's work (2009-2010 lines).


In my opinion, cutouts translate well to interiors. This style creates a fresh avant-garde aesthetic that is also quite flexible. Pieces like these give designers the opportunity to play with unique lighting options, as they can be illuminated in various colors, lighted to cast cool shadows, etc.

Designer Marcel Wanders has been a cutout creating front-runner. They're popping up in his various furnishing lines as well as his interiors/architecture.

Residence in Amsterdam (Marcel Wanders)

Residence in Jakarta (Marcel Wanders)Crochet Lamp (Marcel Wanders)Crochet Table (Marcel Wanders)Crochet Chair (Marcel Wanders)Random Light (Marcel Wanders via Moooi)

More cutout pieces:Cubical (Coco Design)

Roses (Vibieffe)

Forest Arm Chair (Janus et Cie)

Creep Table (Susan Bradley)

Veritas offers some of their resin panels that I don't believe are actually "cut out", but they can provide that same cutout effect. You can checkout Verita's products at NeoCon, booth 7-6052.

Floral (Veritas)Lancet (Veritas)Kaleidoscope (Veritas)

Arktura is a manufacturer that is taking this trend and running with it. I am absolutely loving their pieces and I cannot wait to see them at NeoCon (booth 7-4114)!

Coral Coffee Table (Arktura)Hive Coffee Table (Arktura)Ricami Stool (Arktura)Nebula Console (Arktura)

The Polish Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai takes this trend to the next level. Everybody Polska!
Architects/Designers at Morphogenesis in Delhi, India incorporated a cutout screen into their Delhi Art Gallery project,
What do you think of this trend? Do you have a favorite cutout piece or interior?

Portfolio | Portfolio | Portfolio

For a couple of weeks now, I have been looking at examples online, organizing all 4 years worth of my work, and photoshopping up a storm. Today I bought this modern-looking portfolio cover and a pack of polypropylene sheet protectors to showcase my work! Find it (any many awesome others) at paperhaus.com.

Ice Nine Screwpost Portfolio Cover by Case Envy

Helpful Tips I found:

• Don't forget to purchase portfolio refills/pages if you are only purchase the cover
• Portfolio KITS come with printable pages and a protective cover and/or expander kit
• Polypropylene sheet protectors "have become the industry standard" and are top loading
• Polyester sheet protectors have high transparency and strength and are top and bottom loading

I also found this book to be very inspiring and insightful. Flaunt by Bryony Gomez-Palacio and Armin Vit has detailed information on exactly how each feature portfolio was made and what materials/manufacturers were used, as well as interviews with each portfolio creator and professionals who hire designers. You can purchase the book in PDF ($15.00) or standard book format ($24.99).

If anyone has additional tips/tricks or a PDF example you would like to share, please post here or email me at juxtapositiondesign@gmail.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!

Updates:

• Brittany H. of Chicago sent over a wonderful portfolio presentation, Thank you!
• Brand new informative post on IIDA's Student Blog: I ♥ I.D. by guest blogger Kristyn Ivey
  
• Daniel McClintick of Portland shared his editorial-style project booklets - Holla to another past ASID prez!