Capturing Manhattan Stillness

I just love these photos by New York photographer Arne Svenson.  

Not everyone does. His new project The Neighbors, 

a series of photographs recently on display in Los Angeles, 

has caused quite a stir. 

Svenson has taken photographs of his new york neighbors, 

through the windows of their own homes, showing 

unscripted and random, yet intriguing human moments, 

that really sets my imagination in motion... 

 The grid structure of the windows 

frame the quotidian activities of the neighbors, 

forming images which are 

endearing, theatrical and rather puzzling. 

I love the stillness, the simple elegance. 

The photos makes me think of paintings by 

Vermeer, Hammershøi and Hockney. 

 Arne Svenson is known for his eccentric interpretations of the everyday and familiar. 

The Neighbors is his latest project - a subtle yet provocative set of photographs; 

a social, class and aesthetic study of life behind the windows of high-rise condos. 

The photos mirror our cultural curiosity and preoccupation with other people’s lives – 

think Facebook, Instagram, reality television etc. 

   

Svenson's New York neighbors are quite unhappy about the whole thing - 

crying out at the invasion of their privacy, and are considering legal action.

Arne Svenson: "For my subjects there is no question of privacy; 

they are performing behind a transparent scrim on a stage 

of their own creation with the curtain raised high." 

I guess that is why I have no problem with this project.

Do you?

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Today I listen to Retrograde

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Concrete and copper in Stockholm Sports Bar

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, and I'm sorry for the irregular updates here. To compensate for the silence, I'll give you a set of photos from a newly designed restaurant in Stockholm. 

It's the talented Swedish designer Richard Lindvall who has turned a parking garage into a  restaurant, re-using lots of old material and light fixtures.

Over at Richard Lindvall's website, he tells us how he, after a trip to old factories, found the design concept for this project. The natural raw atmosphere of the space was kept and used as a base for the concept. Floors were made of concrete and casted benches were mounted directly onto the walls. A large fire place in copper and a unique lighting arrangement was custom-made to give warmth to the industrial environment.

Frequently used materials include concrete, copper, steel and white tiles.

Above: Tables made of concrete with tops in copper. Photographs of the workers who built the restaurant, are by Mattias Lindbäck.  I can't wait to visit!  Update: I hear from Emma, over att Emmas blog, that the original restaurant is now closed. They've turned it into a sports bar instead. The interior design is still there, but more or less covered in sports paraphenilia...  

Below: picture from another design project in Stockholm, by Richard Lindvall 

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Milan 2013: geometry in the air

Who says a pendant must hang straight from the ceiling?

I always tell my student to think twice about how they treat the "air space" in a room. When I saw these solutions, I just went: yes!!! I just love the way London based designer Michael Anastassiades String Lights for Flos were presented at last week's Milan Furniture Fair. 

The lamps are hung with thin black electrical cords that draw bold geometric shapes in the air. Minimal and poetic, much like telegraph wires as seen from a train window. What a clever way to connects walls, ceiling and light. Creative! Inspiring! Soon to be copied everywhere. 

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Soft spring colors - blue and grey pastels

Did you have a great Easter vacation? I did, and have some great images to show for it. Until then, let me repost this from another blog I use to run. Love these shades of pale blues, almost grey shades from the 1950s palett. Cool, elegant and very, very trendy. Any favs? 

Cool, fresh and elegant, if you are looking for some soft pastels for, lets say,  your kitchen. 

The color swatches are matched with interiors I found at Pinterest. 

Lisbeth Williams @ Williams Design

DIY: HAPPY EASTER egg decoration tutorials

Just popping in to say Happy Easter and hope you have a relaxing weekend. I haven't decorated my eggs yet, and if you are late like me, here's some great decoration ideas. Just klick on the images to grab the full tutorials. 

Break an Egg! 

I just had to include the beautiful photo of the vintage eggs below, an image I found on Pinterest, but with no proper source. And last, but not least - Danish designer Arne Jacobsen's Egg . 

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Tutorial: Natural Easter Egg Dye

Easter time! What are your plans? This year I'll be spending Easter with friends. What about you? Last year I focused on natural dyed eggs, and here's a collection of some of the best tricks. 

More dye tutorials here. 

Images via and via. 

DIY: Natural Easter Decoration

Re-post from last year -  still beautiful in its simplicity: 

a birds nest for your table. Found here. 

Desinere - stop and listen to the silence

Desinere is a Singapore based design consultancy founded by Melvin Ong in 2012. They will be present at the upcoming Milan Design Week, and most likely you'll find these beauties in metal and concrete there. These images are from their website desinere.com

The latin root of the word silence is desinere, meaning “stop”

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Ordinary life through the lens

Looking through Jamaican born photographer Simon Brown's online portfolio, 

I found these beauties in his personal file - much darker and simpler

than most of his commercial shoots. Love!

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Reading online via Feedly

I guess you've heard that Google Reader is history soon? If you like to read the latest online news via a feeder, here is an excellent alternative - Feedly (see the screenshot below). I’ve now set up an account with Feedly, and I really like the clean look. Check it out, you too! Of course you can still follow this blog via facebook, bloglovin and all the other old services. 

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