Designer Chairs by Formica

Dolce and Gabbana Men's SS09 Review

This season's menswear collection by the legendary Dolce and Gabbana offers an air simplicity and sophistication with the sultry sexiness that hasn't been seen since Tom Ford left Gucci in 2004. Very reminiscent of Gucci's offering in Spring 03, this collection playfully uses silk and denim to reconstruct suits that are traditionally of the wool variety. Pajama-striped, shawl collared silk blazers sans the shirt, denim tuxedos and checked collars &cuffs on shirts are exalting with seer vibrancy. One can delineate from this collection as the forthcoming trend: chic and comfort.

OMA presents design for Coolsingel mixed use building in Rotterdam and announces construction at The Hague

There’s nothing more exciting for an architect than to shape the form of his own city with a new building. And that’s what Rem Koolhaas is about to do in Rotterdam with a large scale mixed use building. Also, a project developed for The Hague, also in the Netherlands, will start construction as of next year. Site visits will be closer to the central OMA headquarters this time.

The base of the cube will consist of 5 floors of retail space and within these floors connections are made to the streets of Lijnbaan, Binnenwegplein, Coolsingel, Beurstraverse, with the potential to connect to an existing underground station. Parking for both residents and offices will be situated below the retail floors.

Energy-efficient concepts play an integral role in the development of the design with close collaboration with energy consultant to optimize the daylight condition and energy use inside the building.

This building is scheduled to begin construction in 2011, opening in 2013.

Arrebol Patagonia Hotel by Harold Opitz

The Arrebol Patagonia Hotel located in Peurto Varas, Chile has been designed by Chilean architect Harald Opitz. The hotel is located in a forest amongst native trees and lagoons and spans 14 000 square metres. The building is divided into two sections one for private and the other for public. the public area has a main entrance hall, hotel bar, restaurant and meeting room.keeping with the native surroundings opitz decided to use wood as a primary material and build the hotel on a slope, allowing for panoramic views of both the city and lake. The building is constructed from steel and reinforced concrete. native trees were used for the wooden panelling that is both inside and outside of the building. The wood for the inside and outside of the building were cut into brick like shapes and over time they will have a weathered affect.

Gwon Osang at the Manchester Art Gallery (UK)

This is the first major UK exhibition for korean contemporary artist, Gwon Osang. Deodorant type features 14 sculptures by the artist including a number of new works commissioned by manchester art gallery for the show. Osang makes extraordinary life-size sculptures of people using hundreds of photographic images to build up the surface appearance of his models, including the face, their hair and their clothes. His skills as sculptor and photographer combine to make beautifully crafted figures with both photo-realist and surreal qualities.

KGB CONCEPT MOTORCYCLE

It's an eerie feeling when you have a dream about something and the following day it stares right back at you. The KBG concept motorcycle by Daniel Bailey was inspired by Giger's Alien designs, and with its sleek aesthetics I'm sure this will become a commercial hit.

Medicom Toy Bearbrick 400% Stainless Steel

Taking a chapter out of kitchenware, Medicom Toy has taken it to an all new level with the creation of a 400% stainless steel Bearbrick. In an interview with Medicom Toy CEO Takao Watanabe, he outlines the difficulty in creating this 13.5 kg (approximately 30 .lbs) toy as well as a new direction in high-end designer toys. For more info on the interview, check out the translated version here. Look for this piece to debut at this month's Medicom Toy 2008 Exhibition in Tokyo.

Dior Homme Lumiere du Nord Collection

I'm not really big on the colour black in fashion as it's a bit overdone and banal but Dior Homme Lumiere du Nord Collection of accessories for fall/winter 2008 and 2009 brings one of the best patent leather looks of the season. Lumiere du Nord consists of 2 patent leather black shoes - one boot and sneaker - as well as four modern mens bags - a messenger, shopper, backpack, and weekender. All products in the Lumiere du Nord collection also featuring black strappings and silver finishes.

Lilypad City

File under necessity, invention: the Lilypad, Vincent Callebaut Architectures' concept for off-shore cities, to be used when rising sea levels have obliterated coastlines around the globe. Modeled after an Amazonian, er, lily pad, the Parisian firm's stunning design includes space for 50,000 people each, and revolves around a central lagoon, which collects and purifies rainwater, and serves as ballast for the structure. The downside? The earliest projected completion date—the year 2100—and, naturally, our need to put it into production.

RINSPEED SQUBA

RINSPEED SQUBA the amphibious car.

Icon’s A5 Amphibious Plane Goes Anywhere and Everywhere

Owning a private plane would be cool in theory, if only you didn’t have to pay to keep it at some remote airstrip. What if you had an aircraft that fit in your driveway and could take off from basically anywhere? The new Icon A5 Aircraft just made the plane game a hell of a lot easier. This sports plane is about the length of two compact cars, and has wings that can be folded up for easy storage and transport in a trailer that hitches to your whip. But the best part is that it can actually take off from the water, meaning all you need to do is drive it down to the lake and let it fly. The A5 probably won’t be available for 2010, but you can order one now for about $139,000.