Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Hiding in Plain Brick: Wonderful Way to Make an Entrance

Posted: 24 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST

[ Filed under Conversions & in the Architecture category ]

This not-so-secret door is one way to deal with a lot that borders directly on a public sidewalk – while not concealed per se, it does blend beautifully into the background, while the rest of the brick wall provides privacy.

Designed by architect Jack Woolley (photos by David Grandorge), this home-and-office complex is half-buried below grade, with work and meeting spaces on the main floor and living quarters under them.

But there is another layer of surprises inside: the existing carpenter’s workshop provided raw materials during the remodel – specifically, beautifully aged wood – that now serves to contrast with new white surfaces.

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Exhibition Architecture: Artist Live, Work & Gallery Space

Live, Work, Remodel: Bold Brick Home + Office Townhouse

[ Filed under Conversions & in the Architecture category ]

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Soleless Fashion: Astounding Lime-Peel Sculptural Shoes

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST

[ Filed under More & in the Fashion & Style category ]

Designers who are bold enough to go all the way back to the drawing board on objects that most of us hardly even notice anymore are often the ones who come up with the most compelling new ideas. Take shoes, for example. London architect Julian Hakes took a completely fresh look at the very basics of shoe design one day in 2009…and suddenly, an internet phenomenon was unleashed.

Hakes realized that high heeled shoes don’t really need all of the elements they currently have. Since all of the wearer’s weight is carried on the ball of the foot and the heel, why is a full foot plate necessary? With this revelation in mind, he set out to design a shoe unlike anything the world had ever seen.

The architect began by wrapping his own foot in paper and tape and drawing various geometric designs on the paper and all around the contours of his foot. After carefully cutting the new shape off with a scalpel, Hakes was left with something that resembled a lime peel, so he dubbed his shoe design Mojito.

The experiment with the paper led Hakes to eventually producing the remarkable shoes seen here. The graceful, airy shape wraps around the foot, supporting the ball and heel and but leaving the arch tantalizingly exposed. Although discomfort has never stopped dedicated shoe lovers from wearing outrageous designs, everyone who has tried on a pair of Mojitos has called them “surprisingly comfortable.”