Cool Hunting

Marcel Wanders: Mondrian South Beath Hotel Residences
by Tamara Warren It takes a fairytale to capture the imagination in Miami's over-blown hotel district. Hence, "Sleeping Beauty" stirs 4 December 2008 when the Mondrian South Beach Hotel Residences opens it doors. Conceived by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, who nicknamed the property "Sleeping Beauty's castle," the one and two bedroom hotel residences overlook the Biscayne Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and the Miami skyline....

Giles Round at ICA
Native Londoner Giles Round creates sculptures and assemblages that resemble the confounding models of a minimalist stage set designer and his work is currently being shown at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. Rectilinear frames evoke the woodwork of Donald Judd, twisting in space to create volumes into which he introduces monochromatic panels, lights and typographic studies. Like other minimalist artists before him, Round appropriates...

Fiona Thomson Lights and Speaker
Fiona Thomson revisits iconic 19th century forms, adding a modern twist by using simple technologies to create and adapt products for the 21st century. Recently unveiled at the New Designers event in London, each of her works cleverly transforms what were purely ornamental objects into functional and useful objects. One such standout example is Thomson's take on the traditional candelabra. She modernizes the romantic...

Pieke Bergmans: Uniques and Unlimited
Just this past spring, the presence of the young Dutch designer Pieke Bergmans could be felt throughout Milan during the Salone del Mobile. Her Design Virus series turned up at Dilmos Gallery, the exhibition "A Touch of Green" by Droog, and her own exhibition space in the Zona Tortona. New to her studies in parasitic design was a collection of lamps produced in collaboration...

Marlies Dekkers Lingerie Exhibit
“Women who exude power are also sexy. They do not necessarily have to be the head of a multinational; there is also power in the little things.” These are the words of Marlies Dekkers, the famous and infamous Dutch designer whose “little things” are namely lingerie. A courter of controversy and a pusher of boundaries, empowering women everywhere, Dekkers has spent years making very...

Frank Willems: Madam Rubens
After studying advertising and presentation techniques at St. Lucas College and the Design Academy Eindhoven , Frank Willems worked briefly with rising design luminary Joris Laarman. Now participating in various group exhibitions and creating unique studio work, Willems has joined the ranks of many young Dutch designers for whom personal expression is paramount. The Madam Rubens collection, his most fully realized furniture design, saw...