A Seat With A View.

Perfect space to read the newspaper in the morning, when the town is still quite.

Location: Santa Cruz, Portugal - West Coast.

Prioritize Is The Priority.

This blog has been a daily destination for me since I started it in August last year. I've met very interesting people and shared some work and photographs I never did before. It has been, indeed, a very interesting and fulfilling experience running this Little Side Project. However, this is a moment I’ve to focus 24/7 on my career therefore I will pop in to share some of my findings and interests but it will be very occasionally.

Anyway, I leave here a few spaces I've been collecting since 2005. I hope you like them too.

Louise Blouin Foundation, London – UK
Space by Borgos Dance

Serralves Museum, Porto – Portugal
Space by Álvaro Siza

Louvre’s Pyramid, Paris – France
Space by I. M. Pei

Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion 2007, London – UK
Space by Olafur Eliason & Kjetil Thorsen

Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon – Portugal
Space by Manuel Salgado & Vittorio Gregotti

Residential Building’s Entrance, Lisbon – Portugal
Beautiful Space by Unknown Designer

Talking Design #2 - “Clients are their own curators”

Talking Design – it was indeed all about design and all the variants that make good design happen in the business world.

Alasdhair Willis is the CEO & Founder of Established & Sons which was launched in April 2005. He has attended art school although his first job was selling advertising for magazines. That led him to publish one of the best ever in the design world: Wallpaper* magazine which we all know, we all bought and we all got inspired by.

Established & Sons is a platform for British designers (or Britain based) which was born when he realized a diversity of talent floating in the market. As he said, their “role is pretty much to represent and support within business”.

There’s a special reason why they stand out so well and successfully though: they celebrate who the designers are, their individuality; and in return designers respond with signature pieces, inspirational design and experimental approach. It is a marriage in a real sense of the word: trust, support, failure, victories; and all based on unity.

I will share this Talk further, but for now I leave one of my favorite pieces commissioned by Established & Sons and my favorite question by Alice Rawsthorn:

"Where does your inspiration come from?"

His answer couldn’t be more confident

“creating something with content”.

Kebab lamp by Committee.

First time I saw their work was back in 2006 @ Design Museum London, - My World exhibition.

In the meantime click here to see the new (online) collection called Estd by Established & Sons which doesn't have the designers name attached (though you have a guess), giving them more freedom to explore and experiment areas the haven't tried before.

A very pertinent talk I’ve attended back in February with John Maeda and Alice Rawsthorn about creative leadership.

Talking Design #1, V&A (London).

Tomorrow I am attending a Talk at the V&A about design. Alasdhair Willis discusses his ideas with Alice Rawsthorn.

“Established & Sons has become a dynamic force in British design by commissioning iconoclastic pieces from designers such as Jasper Morrison, Zaha Hadid, Maarten Baas and the Bouroullec brothers.” - by Alice Rawsthorn, a T columnist and International Herald Tribune design critic.

As an introduction, I went to visit Established & Sons’ LIMITED - the gallery in Mayfair to photograph a few selected pieces form their LIMITED collection on display until the 25 June 2010.

Wrong Woods by Richard Woods & Sebastian Wrong / 2007

Tudor Cabinet by Jaime Hayon / 2009

Tudor Chair by Jaime Hayon / 2009

Surface Table by Terence Woodgate & John Barnard / 2008

Torch Light by Sylvain Willenz / 2008

Drift by Amanda Levete Future Systems / 2006



Convex Mirror by Sebastian Wrong / 2005

Established & Sons LIMITED
2-3 Duke Street
London
SW1Y 6BJ

Eclectic Gervasoni.

Gervasoni is an Italian furniture brand which design stands out very gracefully. Mainly outdoor furniture, their design is quite eclectic with a retro twist. I find it just perfect for small holiday houses, cafés by the beach (specially if they're hidden away from the general public eye) and cosmopolitan terraces (surrounded by high bushes).

Sweet 16 sofa, Sweet 41 coffee table, Sweet 27 chair.

Sweet 102 – Sofa in handwoven giant calamus.

InOut 44 pouf – I can see these all over the place in café terraces by the beach. Can you?

Sweet 27 chair is probably my favorite chair by Gervasoni. They style pretty well the space around a swimming pool.

Beautiful armchair – InOut 109
It reminds me SPAs from the 60’s / 70’s. Well, it really reminds my home town. Click here to see some photographs. Next time I go home, I promise I’ll photograph exactly what I’m trying to say here.


I’ve posted about Gervasoni back in February. Click here for more.

Richard Serra Wins Asturias Prize

As Richard Serra was yesterday announced the Winner of the 2010 Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts, I feel the urge to publish some of the photographs I’ve taken a few years ago in one of my visits to Serralves Museum of Contemporary Arts in Porto (Portugal) where you can find “Walking Is Measuring”.
Installed in 2000, it was the very first by the artist in the Iberia Peninsula.

Please click on the images to enlarge.











It is an honor to have such art work in one of the best contemporary art museums in Europe, not to mention of course it is in my beautiful country.

Richard Serra in London
Serralves Museum of Contemporary Arts

One of many articles online

Richard Wilson's "Square The Block" @ LSE, London.

When you think you’re looking at “another building”, look again. You might find a contemporary intervention right around the corner.

For months I’ve been planning to go to Kingsway in Holborn (London) to photograph Richard Wilson’s latest intervention, which I passed by many times but never had my camera with me.

It is a permanent installation with an expected life span of about 40 years, located on the corner of the London School of Economic’s (LSE) New Academic Building.

Many things are said about his work, but what really makes me to love it, is the way he challenges how I perceive space, both functionally as well as aesthetically.

Interesting thoughts crossed my mind when I was taking this photograph.

I love the deconstructive aesthetics on just an elegant façade.

Sardinia Street's view.



It would quite amazing if the wall where the street plaques are was in clear glass, as if the Sculptor pushed up the stone blocks.



“Wilson likes to think of buildings, concrete and stone as being temporary, evolving in skilled hands – he is fascinated by the possibility that permanent structures could be adapted and changed, a ‘slow event’” – Blueprint Magazine.

Kingsway overview (making sure I would include two famous british icones - the red telephone box and the black cab).
{little side note: the way the telephone boxes are placed as if they're guarding the entrance is about perfect}

Another amazing spatial installation @ Saatchi Gallery in London worth to spend time at.

Business Cards.

We could be all in the blogosphere, twitter, facebook, linkedin and other virtual networks I can’t remember (or probably didn’t come across yet) but there’s nothing like to hand in the old fashion business card.

On Sunday I sat for a couple of hours to redesign my blog banner and my new business card, though I can’t decide which one I should pick. I’ve designed over 80 different layouts and came to this last 4 designs.

It would be lovely if you tell me which one you think more interesting and eye catching.

As always, simplicity is the best way to be distinguished.

Size: 55x55mm.

I want to keep the square format, which I have since 2001, and the colour blue, as to me it represents the infinite, fluidity, imagination and creativity.


People will remember easier your business card then your name. And if your business card outstands from the conventional format, easier they will get your name. Do you think I’m achieving it here?

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank You.

Cosy Seats. Cosy Spaces.

Chairs, armchairs and sofas are the core of social spaces whether it’s your living room, doctor’s waiting room, café or hotel lounge…
Here are a few I would like to share with you. Hope you like them too.

Ligne Roset
Quite gorgeous armchair: very welcoming indeed. Good for a tea house, isn’t it?
{love the metal feet contrast}

This collection was presented in Germany last January. Quite nice for contemporary offices’ waiting room. Ligne Roset has always very interesting colour fabrics.

Mood Flexform
This is my very favorite chair by Mood. It’s elegant and very welcoming. First time I saw it, was years ago in purple velvet. Just about right for an hotel suit {or your dressing room}

This is the very long version. Doesn’t lose its elegance and comfy look.

Comfy and just perfect for a doctors waiting room, isn’t it?

One of my favorite articles about style and comfort - A Sofa Is Like A Pair Of Shoes.