Portraits Of A Museum.

Many things can be told about this museum. I choose to talk or rather display photographs on its architecture.
What I find interesting about this building is the paradox of a space with a strong narrative in its context and subject, but if photographs of it are displayed somewhere else a different story can be told. I thing that’s why I find amazing to photograph architecture.

Man made scale.



As if the line is infinite...

Every spatial surface is totally asymmetric.

Reversed perspective .


I wish I could have all the technical drawings of this project. They must be amazingly detailed and complex. I’m sure it’s a journey to go through every single one.

Difficult to find a space more geometrically elaborated than this one.

Quite ordinary photograph, but the different shades of white and the transversal dark lines caught my eye.


Jewish Museum , Berlin by Daniel Libeskind.

Laban by Herzog & de Meuron.

Herzog & de Meuron are known in the architectural world for many great projects they’ve accomplished (+ a Pritzker Prize in 2001). Simple aesthetics together with precise architectural details are indeed they’re signature.
Laban Contemporary Dance is one of my favorite projects: it transmits lightness through materials and design details, the building asymmetry is almost like an illusion and the façade panels give that touch of colour sometimes difficult to achieve in architecture.

The following photographs were shot a few years ago when I was working on an academic project. I was designing a performing space and I went there to do my spatial research, exactly when I came up with the concept of “a space within a space”, part of this blog’s name.


Asymmetric ends.

The curve on the edge of a rectangular façade (if it makes any sense to you).



The symmetric perspective.

Surroundings and their reflections.

As if it's floating (or maybe landing).

Details that really make the difference.

Nothing touches nothing and everything is part of the whole.

Next time I’ve the opportunity to go there it has to be at night. The building aesthetics are breathtaking.

More Herzog & de Meuron Projects.

Pink Is The New Black.

I started the year inspired by pink & black. I love to see these two colours together. I find them perfect to style a hall and living room, especially if they’re small spaces.
Both together balance the minimalism of black and the girlish attitude.




A living room with these two colours is like a man in a black Armani suit with pink tie (or even more daring, pink socks). Both look to me very charming.
And to go with this background, why not glass vases and bowels, black candles, black crystal chandelier, pink ceramics, mother-of-pearl deco and smoked black glass candles stands.

Imagine a space all in black & white and a big black & white Picasso on a bright pink wall. Would look great!

Doily + Tulle - both perfect to detail the interior space.

To style in style.



More inspiration to get in a pink mood, the colour of friendship.In Portugal it´s quite popular to find houses painted in pink, especially if traditional architecture.

A pink door in Notting Hill, London.

Two lost clouds and the blue sky loosing intensity toward the earth is so beautiful and inspiring, isn’t it?

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Tulle. Black. White. Red
Stripe It Again

Restyling To a New Home Office.

This project was completed over four years ago, but every time I look at this space I feel it was just styled. The orange together with stainless steel balances the space.
Everything in here was part of another one in my clients’ previous house. There are a few things missing, like a classic button sofa in black, but I haven’t found the perfect one yet. Or maybe I did, but it’s a bit out of my client’s budget.



These black table lamps give the home office a nice touch: perfect form and colour, I think.





I’ve designed this desk right when I opened my first studio. I was pretty much inspired by stainless steel, exploring how “industrial materials and aesthetics” could be used in the domestic environment.
It was my working desk for a while, but my client had convinced me to sell it to her. I’m very happy she has it since.


The original desk top was in clear glass, but my client decided to change to smoked glass, as the previous deco was around brown and beige. That’s the beauty of stainless steel – it goes with everything without losing its personality!

The desk structure is designed in tubular steel contrasting the square and round tubes with one being half thickness to the other one. The material is quite powerful to speak for itself.
Desk designed in 2002.

Check my previous posts to see where some of these objects were living before.
Stripe It

A Gift To Abbott Laboratories.

For 2 days I’ve been thinking what I should blog about on the first of 2010. I’ve so much to talk about, to design, to photograph, to sketch… So after digging in my design and photography archives I’ve decided to post about a project I’ve enjoyed a lot to work on. Quite challenging as it was the first product I’ve designed.

C&C commissioned me to design a product to Abbott Laboratories. The brief was a gift to be given to 120 doctors as Abbott was presenting a new diagnosis machine.

My concept was to design a versatile object which could be interpreted in different ways to different uses. I've chosen ceramics, as the west coast of Portugal is rich in small industries in this field. I had barely a week to design and produce the gift, meaning no time to make nice moodboards or technical drawings. Basically everything was discussed with hand sketches between the ceramist and I.

The object’s drying before being painted.

The plate outline was painted in Abbott Diagnosis colour.



For the plate centre I’ve chosen turquoise, light green, orange and red. Unfortunately I don’t have photos with the first two.





C&C had asked me as well to style the room where the symposium was meant to happen. I’ve chosen a mix of flowers, representing the laboratory colours (blue and dark red), to be placed on the dining tables and on the curtains to make the room more dressed up.

The event had happened at the Marriott Hotel in Praia d’El Rei, West Coast of Portugal.







Project designed and made in 2004.

Welcome 2010.

Tomorrow is the last day of 2009! Can't believe! Everything went so fast, as always.
This has been a year to catch up with myself in every single areas of my life. And I must say I am very happy, indeed. Small, yet good things have happened and I’m ready to accomplish what 2010 has to give.

Now it’s time to assess 2009 and plan 2010.

Things I didn't do in 2009 but I wanted to:
- Go to EXD 09 in Lisbon.
- Visit MUDE in Lisbon.

Things I’ve done without planning (and turned out to be fantastic):
- Open my blog, this blog.
- Short Course in Baroque Interiors and Decoration at The V&A.
- Short Course in Digital Photography and Photoshop at CMS.
- My first photograph shown in a Private Exhibition. You can see it here (That Boy).
- My new professional challenge at Minotti London by EDC


Things I have to do in 2010:
- Visit New York City.
- Hand sketch at least once a week, even if it's only a square (which I do all the time). So next year this day I have to post 53 sketches.
- Develop further my doilies concept for an accessories summer collection.
- Develop a project I have for some time in my design drawer (update you later).
- Work on a photography project I have in my photography drawer (called The Inventory Of My Home Town).

Things I would love to do in 2010:
- Visit the Salone Internazionable del Mobile, Milan
- Visit the Maison Object, Paris

Somewhere... Wherever you want to be...

2010 is going to be a great year.
Think big. Act accordingly.
Happy 2010.

Give It Some Colour.

In my design the underline is always “give it some colour”. I love colour – it’s energy, elegance, personality and that final touch everyone looks for when we’re talking about aesthetics.
The followings pictures were taken last week in Portugal. This building is pretty old, architecturally very Portuguese and the colour just outstands every single detail. It’s a perfect example of how colour is so important in design and architecture.
A façade to remember forever.



The surface has an interesting texture/roughness which gives even more detail and personality.

The windows frame in brown doesn’t only standout but make the façade even brighter.



The pavement “Calçada Portuguesa” is the perfect scenario for such building – It looks like a doily.

Welcome!

It used to be quite popular to have the owner’s initials engraved on the door frame. Something interesting to bring back to design and architecture. (I like the idea of material ownership visual to everyone).

The surroundings.

Aesthetically the building is interesting as a whole: asymmetric architecture painted in vibrant hue and white frame, dark brown doors and windows. Perfect combination.

Give it some colour in 2010. It’s going to be a bright and energetic year for all of us!

Merry Christmas.

Christmas is time to gather with family, friends and everyone important in our lives. I wish you Merry Love, Merry Family, Merry Friends and of course Merry Christmas. All our wishes to come true. Hughug. Kisskiss. Eliana.


My home town, 2006.
Photo published in The Guardian. 2007.