A stylish and discrete household appliance with sinuous, almost organic shapes, the Nuage is a highly customizable offering for the design hunter’s kitchen, with the option to cover the external panel with plasterboard, tiles or paint, meaning any surface will suit.
Nuage's conception lies in wanting to integrate cooker hood and architecture, making it possible for you, or your designer, to integrate your own emotions with both product and design.
Outside of aesthetics, the Nuage is a filtering hood with the option to become an aspiration hood with back aspiration installation, and is equipped with an intuitive rotary switch and high performance & efficiency motor. What this means is just peak hood performance for your kitchen, inside a stylish and clean unit, which, with lighting by LED strips, gives an efficient and natural light effect.
Coming in two versions, with plasterboard panels, or paintable iron, the Nuage is also customizable according to your needs. The Nuage hoods are available in Australia through the design lovers at Residentia Group.
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Inside, the design team have constructed a unique, custom timber lattice, which is a modern interpretation on the traditional structure of the chashitsu. The lattice is comprised of 15,000 individual pieces of wood and took six dedicated workers four weeks to complete.
This structure, although rigid up close, creates an interwoven and delicate looking cascade of spiralling timber batten. The open web of this allows for light to transfer through the space, all the while offering a sense of protection and intimacy from the building’s exterior.
Wild Rocket restaurant, once a local neighbourhood favourite, has evolved into a beacon of modern Singapore cuisine. The lattice exterior and interior visually delineate the restaurant from the outside streetscape, giving it its own deserved identity. And further, the formulaic appeal of the building visually appeals to the experimental flavour combinations of chef Willin. Yet, stepping a little closer, the menu’s grounding in ancient Japanese cuisine and the handiwork behind the contemporary interior, fuse cultures, flavours and architecture to construct a space that is incredibly rich and dynamic.
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The former kitchen was isolated from living spaces and the interior was dissected into awkward segments that cut through and undermined the view. Corben Architects stripped back the initial plan and was able to disperse the newly freed space to extend the dimensions of the living area, dining room and bedrooms. A wall was added perpendicular to the entryway to initially shield the view to ensure maximum impact when you enter into the main living spaces.
Although an open and flow-through floor plan gives generous space, Corben Architects did ensure that there was a nice mix of open to intimate spaces by creating the formal dining room. This allows one to move into a space that best suits how they feel, whilst retaining the family ritual of eating together – a shared moment that is increasingly endangered in a modern schedule.
On the exterior of the house, the traditional tiled roof was replaced with a more weather resistant and modern slanted skillion roof. In a feat of brilliant design from Corben Architects, the roof was lifted above a band of glazing on top of the external wall. This extending the internal ceiling height while also flooding the interior spaces with natural light. And just for safe measure, the front of the house is adorned in full-length glazing and external louvres that can be adjusted for privacy, and offer – even more – natural light and ventilation.
The modern and elongated form of the house speaks to the lifestyle and taste of the family, and places the house firmly in the 21st Century. An updated floor plan allows ample space for a busy family. But it also provides the space for the family to lay down the treasures that they have collected so far. Making this house then, the perfect representation of the family currently; of where they are and also of where they have been.
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At an entirely other end of the life cycle, A stage for new parenthood will see monthly baby-friendly modifications to the space, with a regular playgroup and conversation series highlighting ways that design can cater towards growing families.
Music plays an even bigger role at MPavilion this year. An exciting arrangement with Bakehouse Studios will see the public space transformed into a working rehearsal venue for a secret roster of musicians.
“You will only find out who the artists are just before their rehearsal slot – so it could be someone new, or someone who is more an established artist. It’s going to be a space to watch,” says Sam Redston, executive director of MPavilion.
“When bands rehearse they normally face each other, but when they perform, they project to the crowd,” says Quincy McLean, owner of Bakehouse Studios. “This setting gives you the option of both, and the audience can decide where they want to be to experience it.”
Another first for MPavilion in 2017 will be the program’s regional activation, formed in collaboration with the Shepparton Art Museum and the Geelong Gallery. “There will be a strong focus on the aboriginal communities in both locations,” says MPavilion’s new Regional Project Manager, Sarah Lynn Rees. “And we will also be looking at immigrant communities and diversity which exists in regional centres.”
Design-curious individuals based in the remote townships can experience artist Keg de Souza’s work with local cultural groups, and enjoy workshops run by celebrated London-based architect Jack Self, curator of the British Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.
MPavilion’s expansion into rural areas not only makes for a more egalitarian dialogue of design outside of the city, but also aligns with OMA’s current fascination for the countryside. On October 3, Melbourne School of Design will host Rem Koolhaas’ lecture on his vision of the countryside in a sold-out event (OMA fans can register on an MPavilion waitlist for notification on when further tickets may become available).
The new pavilion’s role in supporting design discourse will come to the fore during a highly anticipated forum presented by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten. The pair will discuss and examine public space with a panel of experts, while the structure itself, configurable in either grandstand or auditory mode, provides a moving stage used to moderate the conversation.
“The cultural exchange takes priority over the building as an object,” says Paul Jones, Director-Architect at OMA. “The collaborators were briefed of the possibilities of the space, and they’re really embracing the structure in different ways. So by building in that adaptability, we have been able to support a very diverse program.”
As Jessie French, deputy creative director of MPavilion explains: “We are trying to get across the idea that design is for everyone – to give people ways to understand how it relates to them, and what good architecture and design can do.”
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A series of architectural insertions are used to recall the outdoors – a hanging pergola structure serves as both a zoning tool for display of furniture and accessories, and references classic outdoor Australiana.
Custom-made metal fixtures throughout echo the quality and detailing of Tait’s outdoor furniture and reveal Tait Managing Director and metal craftsman, Gordon Tait’s, passion for metal working. “Everything from the shelving through to the display rails has been designed and made in our Melbourne factory to reflect DesignOffice’s vision for the space and give the Tait shop-fit a unique point of difference,” said Gordon.
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“It’s more about the image of the Four Seasons, the brand that they have created globally,” says Rachel. “ It was about doing something that would be timeless, that would have longevity.”
MODE Kitchen & Bar encompasses an intimate formal dining space as well as a more casual eating and drinking area. Luchetti Krelle drew inspiration from the 1920s era, integrating a material palette of thick velvet, rippled marble, polished brass and fluted glass.
“I obviously looked back to the [Four Seasons] in New York where they have trees inside, and that was a really timeless design for them.” Rachel alluded to this within MODE, incorporating a tree motif that was designed in-house, and connected the space to the larger hotel brand in a classic and sophisticated way.
Despite being guided by an overtly luxurious aesthetic, Rachel grounded the design firstly as an open space, inviting in neighbours seeking breakfast and out-of-towners in need of a late, jetlagged bite to eat.
“It should be somewhere that welcomes people in rather that making them feel like they’re not welcome because they’re not a guest,” says Rachel. “It should have a sense of luxe without feeling too fancy.”
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Photography by William Meppem[/caption]
Rachel and her team enjoyed a great amount of freedom in their design. “They didn’t really say ‘hey, this and this has to stay’, it was more like, ‘this is the budget so be clever about what you do’,” recalls Rachel. “It’s so nice to be trusted and, you know, allowed to do our job.”
Rachel enlisted the help of a tried and tested furniture maker who she had worked with many times previously. Custom furnishings give MODE a unique character to bring the new design concept to life.
“We try and find things off the shelf and there’s just something not quite right about it, so we do a bit of prototyping” says Rachel. “Otherwise it gets a bit boring, everyone’s seen it on Pinterest.”
A custom Island bar stands proud, boasting continental breakfast in the morning and cocktails in the evening. The low, exposed nature of the bar breaks down the physical barrier between the bartender and the guests, and aligns with the open view kitchen, establishing a more casual feel with a sense of theatre.
A great hotel offers an experience of cosmopolitan luxury that has been enjoyed from generation to generation. MODE, in the Four Seasons, perfectly constructs this, offering grandeur that is not intimidating to the modern, more casual, guest.
Luchetti Krelle
Photography by William Meppem[/caption]
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Photography by William Meppem[/caption]
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