Beneath the Surface Blog

Interior designers who earned their stripes by purging and organizing the fabric sections of material libraries can relate to this one! Or would hanging these images on your wall drive you crazy? Inspired by the layering and weaving patterns inherent in textiles, this graphic art series Sample Sample begs for interpretation. To create the 2D images, the elusive Zeitguised studio expertly conducts color, texture, form, and shadow in their representations of woven textiles.

Portrayal of Argyle

Each block of color is given its own space, and that space seems to undulate in and out, forming peaks and valleys that appear to have been photographed from an object in real life.

Portrayal of Plaid

Portrayal of Tartan

What makes these images so compelling to us is that they defy scale; the interpretations can range from the weave of carpet, scaly snake skin, stacks of legos, or the massing of an urban space. How do you see it?

Image credits: Zeitguised

You blink for a moment. As your eyelids lift to reveal the scenery again, you thought you just missed witnessing a flock of huge birds shining with light storm through the hotel lobby. Their tails left traces that were still sparkling in the thin air. But when you close and open your eyes again, they are still there.

That’s the dramatic illusion artist Ayala Serfaty created with her light design, Nana 200. The Nana 200 is part of her Jewel Collection, an arrangement of elegant and lyrical suspended kinetic mobiles intended for public spaces. The mobile structure allows the creation of variable composition of shades. The shades sway as if blown by a breeze and their movement creates a magical environment.

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The lamps are covered in textiles of various hues and illuminated with compact fluorescent light fixtures.

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The shape and free-style arrangement of Nana 200 set it apart from other mundane and motionless pendants.

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Apparently free from the grips of gravity, these lighting creations animate spaces with their fleeting expressions of permanent memories. How would you design an interior lobby space to adequately respond to and create a home for these unique creations?

Image Credit: Aqua Gallery, Planhomedesign

When we are developing custom lighting pieces for our clients, one essential question we always ponder is: what does lighting mean to the space?. Should it be functional, mood-setting, or decorative? Today, we have the Stuart Hill, the Creative Director of 44th Hill brand environments agency to talk about the design process for the lighting at the 52 North Soho project.

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The design brief for 52°North Bar & Kitchen was to create a 'home from home' at the heart of Soho in London. The relaxed atmosphere and touches of classic Eames furniture gives the feel of comfort and luxury. The walls have a feathered-like design of wood panels, the furniture is a mix of wooden chairs and lavish leather Chesterfields with soft lighting throughout. A feature wall of painted graphics dominates the stairwell wall capturing the style of 52°North Bar & Kitchen.

“Upon entering, from the front door to the bar area are 600 light bulbs overhead (as a runway of lights) which give the bar and restaurant the creativity and uniqueness that Soho deserves, giving 52°North Bar & Kitchen a distinct design feature which also enhances its ambience", the restaurant describes the atmosphere.

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gpidesign: The "runway of lights" is a brilliant idea. It leads people's focal point directly to the bar. What was your design inspiration?

Stuart Taylor: 'The bright lights of Las Vegas', making people feel special when the bright lights are shining. It draws you in from external views.

gpidesign: How was the strong axis of the “runway of lights” reinforced by the remainder of the space?

Stuart: I kept the rest of the space more minimal to make sure that the focal point was the runway.....all of the other elements were soft and comforting.

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gpidesign: How significant of a role does lighting play in creating the "home away from home" atmosphere for 52 North?

Stuart: The dimming capability of the lights allows the whole bar to create the required mood.....you can turn the lights down near to off, this really brings the comforting feel that we were after.

gpidesign: Often in design, lighting sources are concealed or disguised. In your application, the fixtures are stripped down and raw. There's no smoke and mirrors here - you see the socket and bulb immediately as part of the interior. How do you think this honest approach to the lighting affects the aesthetic of the space? Do you think its more difficult to design using this type of strategy?

Stuart: The mix was to create a contemporary space with some traditional, industrial aspects, the exposed batten fittings gave this feel, whilst adding a focus and a 'home' for the light bulbs, there was certainly no hiding 600 lights..., so I wanted to celebrate the fact and over express their application.

A special thank you to Stuart Taylor and 44th Hill! You can check out more of their immersive brand environments on their website: 44th Hill

Today we are looking one incredibly unique hotel ceiling. It’s a burst of bright colors, an underwater world over the top of your head, a focal point of the city at night, and even a salute to contemporary art.

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The Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom hotel in Vienna, Austria is designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. He invited Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist to create five backlit ceilings with custom art graphics at five areas of the building, which include the ceilings of the hotel entrance, the ground floor, and the top floor. Nouvel wanted Rist to introduce vivid colors to this minimal architecture remaining predominantly in shades of gray and black. The glazed façades on both the ground floor and the top floor are created as fine and transparent as possible so that the backlit ceilings become beacons from the outside.

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With an education background in Commercial Art and Visual Communications, Pipilotti Rist is a master of visual stimulation. Her exhibitions and video installations usually involve huge amount of bold bright colors and unconventional video shots. When asked the design inspiration for these hotel ceilings in an interview, Rist said she and her team decided on the themes of “gravity” and “the history of perspective” pretty naturally. Inspired by the Trompe-l'œil tradition, the five images for the ceilings show scenes viewed from below: from underwater over the banks of a pond, or up through tree branches away from the world towards the sky.

"Guests should feel welcome and inspired. If they come back to the hotel again, there’s plenty of detail to discover in the artworks. When they look at the ceiling, guests and staff should feel uplifted and grow taller", Rist explained.

The artful backlit ceiling makes the restaurant on the top floor a place where everyone would love to hang out or just to have a unique dining experience. We are absolutely blown away by the pure aesthetics of these artistic ceiling surfaces and their close interface with the architectural design. We feel so strongly drawn to this project because it is a manifestation of what we believe in, that creating a signature backlit piece is more than a lighting source; it can become the expression or icon of an entire building.  

Image Credits: Miss Viki Secrets, Dezeen, Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom

One of the best things about window-shopping is that you never know what you’ll run into around the next corner. Would it be a boutique store that has handmade artisan jewelry and abstract paintings, or a mainstream fashion brand with an ultra-modern window display (and sexy models)? I’m sure people who walk by Colette in Paris would all slow their steps, take a closer look inside this window, and be amazed by how lighting can transform an ordinary object into a piece of art.

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This unique lamp collection, “Ropes”, is the brainchild of Paris-based designer Christian Haas. The ropes are designed to create an innovative light source and distinctive design object by combining a tactile material and energy-efficient technology.  Each of the lamps is handmade with a silky textile cord wrapping around LEDs, emitting a warm glow.

Haas describes the design concept as “Unlit, the lamps provide a graphic statement to their environment. Lit, they diffuse a gentle ambient light.”

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This design pays homage to ropes that have been historically associated with lamps and lighting. In the days when people were using gasoline lamps, they would dip a rope in the gasoline and burn the rope in order to illuminate a space. With the development of LED technology, we can now actually put the light inside a rope (and surely the LEDs have a longer lifespan than a burning rope)!

We think rope material is a creative medium or container for lighting. When lit, it's unexpected, sure to stop some in their tracks or at least turn some heads.  If you are designing a signature lighting piece, how will you choose the right medium? What are the factors you need to consider? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Image Credit: haasdesign, designboom

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Photoshop? No, this is all real painting!

Switzerland-born artist Felice Varini has spent the past 30 years creating what’s called Anamorphic Illusion. This brilliant street art form is defined by a single vantage view point from which the viewer can see the complete painting, while from other view points the viewer will see fragmented shapes.

“Generally I roam through the space noting its architecture, materials, function and history”, Varini explains. “From these spatial data and in reference to the last piece I produced, I designate a specific vantage point for viewing from which my intervention takes shape.”

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What we find particularly appealing about Varini’s work is that quite frequently, he uses gorgeous Italian and French architecture as his canvas for painting. The concrete historical buildings and archways melt into the background and create a dramatic contrast with the modern and abstract geometric patterns.

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When seen from the intended vantage point, the painted pattern doesn’t interrupt the existing space and surfaces. That’s why our mind tricks us to think it’s been photoshopped onto the picture. However, the physical presence of the lines and shapes interestingly alters our perception of that space when we move away from the “right” view point.

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Varini's installations can be likened to the long-awaited arrival at a design solution, or the calculated theatrical execution of architectural spaces. Have you ever struggled to navigate all of the pieces of a design puzzle, then suddenly in a magical moment they all fall into place?

Image Credits: varini.org

It might be hard to tell what this abstract structure is at first sight. Artist Baltasar Portillo's unique collection, Armadillo and Lodge Chair, is a statement of his interpretation on functional sculpture. A native Salvadorian, Baltasar is currently working in Europe. We are honored to have Baltasar share his ideas behind this inspirational collection. 

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gpidesign: What is your inspiration behind the Armadillo and Lodge Chair collection?

Baltasar: I wanted to create subtle sculptural accents that you could see through them, and not interrupt your view of the space, but at the same time to have a strong sculptural presence as you focus on the piece. I have always been very fond on the work of Sol Lewitt, and somehow, I try to translate his language in my own words to create my pieces.

gpidesign: So when a viewer is looking at your pieces, what do you want him or her to see?

Baltasar: I often hear so many debates of the difference between art and design or art and function, personally, I don’t see any difference, and I hope the public will understand this approach when they look at my work. My work is not a piece of furniture where you will sit and read the entire Sunday paper. It is a piece you make a statement with, it is a throne, where you sit down and enjoy your success, or simply look at it as an sculpture.

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gpidesign: The architectural form of the above Armadillo chair reminds us of a spanning bridge. How did you work with geometry in these chairs?

Baltasar: The geometry is the results of a language I love to use and the necessity to support the structure of the piece. The process of the creation of the pieces, is spontaneous. Although there is a central idea before starting the construction of the piece. There is no pre-designing in the manufacturing process, but rather the exploration of the artist momentum of creativity . 

The process of creation begins by imagining a form and deconstructing it, but the form changes as the structural issue to support the form becomes relevant arriving to the form dictated by the need of the structure to support itself and this is pure geometry.

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gpidesign: How would you draw the line between functional sculpture and pure artistic sculpture?

Baltasar: Some people say that art should communicate something, that it should be meaningful, that art has no use, that if you can sit on it, it's not art. I believe that there is no line between the different arts, now days, it just depends on how you want to perceive it. Kids are usually the best curators, because they have no preconceptions, they follow emotions and to me that is what art should do: create some sort of emotional contact with you, without having to go into a deep philosophical explanation to determine what does the piece means.

Our most sincere appreciation to Baltasar Portillo for sharing his insights with us. We hope to work on a project which is lucky enough to be home to one of your chairs! You can visit outdoorzgallery.com if you want to see or purchase the Armadillo and Lodge Chairs. 

Image Credits: outdoorzgallery

Eggshell carving is an incredible craft technique that involves extreme attention to detail and patience. Eggshell carving artists usually devote hundreds of hours of practice and work into perfecting carving skills and creating intricate eggshell sculptures. Brian Baity is one of them and today, we are looking at some of his custom works.

Brian’s carved eggshell portfolio includes ostrich egg, rhea egg, emu egg, and goose egg. He knows the characteristics of each kind of eggshell very well and is able to bring out their beauty with his artistic vision; his "imagination provides unlimited opportunities to influence and transform an accidental broken egg into a graceful, exquisite finished art piece.”

By altering carving techniques, Brian creates different textures on eggshells. The polished and smooth surface of this calla lily set it apart from the rest of the porous eggshell.

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Rhea eggs (rheas are flightless birds native to South America) are on average less than half the size of ostrich eggs. This particular work is inspired by pathways in Chinese and Japanese gardens. The voids resemble large rocks while small perforations are stone pathways. Through the marriage of the egg shape and the circular form for the path, Brian is expressing that “all things come back to their point of origin; sooner or later.”

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Emu Eggs

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Like we’ve all experienced, behind each successful piece of work is devotion and a process of trial and errors. No matter if it’s as small as an eggshell or big as a 15 foot long backlit table (watch our build process here), the creation process can be painstaking but the result will make all the hard work worth it.

Does this remind you of any challenging project you have successfully accomplished? Was the devil in the details? We’d like to hear about it!

Image Credits: Brian Baity

Once in a while, there will be an artist who challenges our imagination and understanding of design. Some blogs call Nancy Fouts’s artworks “Surrealism” because her sculptures always comprise of two totally unrelated objects. Looking at the following images, I'm so intrigued to figure out the connection between the objects and materials she used in each work even though there might be none. Usually, for the purpose of reconstruction, objects would be broken down into elementary factors like texture, shape, size, or color before they are reassembled. Clearly, Nancy has a unique vision. She said: "I hoard stuff in boxes and then I lay it all out and many ideas happen like that." (BBC)

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Sculptures like "Butterfly Dart" or "Cactus Balloon" hold a trace of delicacy in their dominant toughness. Nancy captures the essential character of each component and marries them to create unexpected statements. For me, it is so much fun to think about the possibilities of designing backlit projects without considering technique restraints or the law of physics.

Let's imagine away. If you were given the chance to design anything you want with absolutely no rules or constraint, what would it be?

Image Credits: Nancy Fouts

This week, we are looking at this extraordinary application of ceramic tiles in exterior design. Ceramic tile possesses a high durability and is easy to maintain. It is commonly used for wall, floor, and roof covering. Modern manufacturing techniques have made it possible for this ancient material to be produced in various colors, shapes, and sizes, allowing architects and designers to create both artistic and functional décor pieces.

The exterior of this elegant-looking music hall by Spanish architect Cor & Asociados in a village near Alicante, Spain is comprised of pearly porcelain tiles. Slightly different from stoneware tiles, which are the classical ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles have more breaking and wearing resistance. To achieve this iridescent effect, each plate went through the process of firing (three times), vitrifying, and metals disposition.

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Unlike many projects GPI Design creates where our clients desire an evenly illuminated surface with artificial lighting, the exterior of this music hall interacts with perspective and natural light. If you look closely, you’ll realize that the ceramic tiles are perfectly flat even though they appear to be dimensional and ceramic tiles with dimension have been an important feature of Spanish design. The constant change in its light reflection creates a vibrant movement and enables the building to appear less massive in a subtle way.

Image Credits: Dezeen