abo design co. » Architect

Vancouverism & Why I LOVE this city…

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:45:23 +0000

With so many tourists in town for the Olympics, I have gained a new appreciation for our beautiful city by seeing and hearing their perspectives on it. If you live in Vancouver, and have looked around you…have you ever noticed how much space we have?!?!? Not to mention the views of mountains and oceans all around you? I love that no matter where I go in Vancouver or the surrounding suburbs, I can always see a peak of a mountain.

This is due in large part to the city’s clever urban planning, which has been coined Vancouverism. Look it up in in Wikipedia and you will learn it is a style “characterized by mixed-use developments, typically with a medium-height, commercial base and narrow, high-rise residential towers to accommodate high populations and to preserve view corridors. With a large residential population living in the city centre, no expressways connecting the core to the suburbs, and significant reliance on mass public transit, Vancouver is somewhat unique among large North American cities.”

If you live in an apartment with amenities like shopping on the main level, don’t take this for granted, as mixed-use buildings are not common throughout North America and it’s the one reason why you may find yourself not having to travel distances to get grocery…especially if you live downtown.

Further, with green initiatives continually on the rise in the city, it’s safe to say we are not too far from being the greenest city in the world even though the competition is stiff (the Olympic Village was recently LEED certified the greenest neighbourhood in the world).

I heart Vancouver!

Canadian, eh?

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:03:38 +0000

My previous post featured a local tile manufacturer, and I thought it would be interesting to continue telling you about the resources available to us here in Canada.

Omer Arbel is a Canadian designer architect. Graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in 2000, and apprenticed with notable architects like Enric Miralles, John & Patricia Patkau, and Peter Busby. In 2003, he began working as a freelance designer, focusing on conceptually motivated & materially explorative furniture and objects. Eventually, he opened two companies. The first, Omer Arbel Office (OAO), a small, experimental, Vancouver-based design practice that blends the traditionally defined fields of architecture, industrial design, and materials research. It is known for its commitment to the creative potential of intuition and this is one the reasons I am a fan. Design that transcends time often relies on intuition and taking a risk on something different; something you have not been taught in school.

Bocci, a contemporary design & manufacturing house, also located in Vancouver, carries an eclectic collection that includes custom chandeliers, furniture & cutting edge electrical components. These works of art can been found in showrooms around the globe (in fact you may have already seen some of them).

I am truly inspired by Arbel’s works of art & hope that you too are inspired to explore the more cutting edge & risky side of interior design.

The Perfect Home for Book Lovers

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:19 +0000

Are libraries too boring? Do you crave adventure & intrique inside & outside of your many books? For those of us who need an interesting, unique abode where we can sit back & enjoy our favourite novels, Point Design Studio in Tokyo, has created the perfect solution…an igloo style room to store books. Bookshelves are designed to allow you to grab your books from inside or outside this hut style creation. The design is whimsical, fun, creative and makes me want to spend hours in bed reading, while surrounded by books!

Image courtesy of point-tokyo.jp

Image courtesy of Inhabitots.com

Bejewel Me Fabric

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:53:08 +0000

Jim Thompson has partnered with designer Hutton Wilkinson, owner & creative director of Tony Duquette Inc., to create an exclusive collection of woven & printed textiles for decorative home & commercial installations. Duquette, in his early days, designed costumes & sets for Fred Astair musicals. He also designed costumes for various theatre productions. The new Jim Thompson/Tony Duquett collection is reminiscent of the spell-binding bejewelled stages. Here’s a sampling of some of my favourites.

Octavian

Fireworks

Asia Minor

Feu D'Artifices

Stained Glass

admin — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:32:07 +0000

I’ve always loved the look of stained glass windows. They provide a bit of colour to an otherwise neutral room and if you’re lucky some history as well! If you’ve got a lot of windows and don’t want too much light pouring in, adding a few stained glass windows is a beautful solution to the problem. I’ve recently had to custom design an art deco piece for a client’s home (something befitting the age of the home) and found some really great designs through my research. If you currently don’t have stained glass and want to custom a piece there are many artists who can do just about anything you want. Keep in mind that the year the home was built should be considered in your design to make it cohesive. Also check out antique shops because you may just find a treasure waiting to be discovered. A sampling below for some inspiration!

Frank Lloyd Wright

Transom by George McGinn

South London & Sussex Stained Glass

Stained glass by George McGinn

Designs by Abo Design Co

"Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." ~ Frank Gehry

admin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:27 +0000

Frank Gehry’s architecture is at worst a collage of found materials and at best a collage of found materials! “What was he thinking?” and “That’s crazy!” are usually said when speaking of Gehry’s buildings. His deconstructed architectural style emerged in the late 1970s and has seen the creation of many infamous buildings (the ones you may not be able to name but would recognize the instant you set your eyes on them). His work has evolved from the plywood and corrugated-metal vernacular to distorted but pristine large scale sculptures. As a designer, I’m always challenging myself to create classic designs that are not just trendy but also memorable. Gehry has done this and kept himself above the “trends” that only mark a place in time. Here’s a sampling of his work:

Dancing House, Prague

Disney Concert Hall

Experience Music Project, Seattle

Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain

Hannover Gehry Tower