Two Major Exhibits Spotlight Latin American Design

In Colorado and New York, Latin America is having a moment. In February, “Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today” opened at the Denver Art Museum featuring 17 contemporary pieces from the DAM’s permanent collection. There are also historical artworks, underscoring the connection between modern-day Mexico and the country’s ancient and colonial artistic practices; the opportunity for visitors to conceive their own digital chair; and a site-specific installation by Mestiz founder, architect and textile designer Daniel Valero. “The show and these designers explore the realm where traditions and cultures converge with innovation,” says Jorge Rivas Pérez, the museum’s Frederick and Jan Mayer curator of Latin American art.

In March, “Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980” launches at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan encompassing 110 items from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela that spearheaded the development of modern domestic design in the region. “Through the study of objects and material culture, a more nuanced vision of Latin America can emerge,” explains guest curator Ana Elena Mallet, who herself is based in Mexico City.

Catch These Must-see Works at the Denver Art Museum

View Latin American Design Through the Decades at MoMA in New York

Alison Rose Creates Textural Tiles With Delicate Folds

2023 Best of Year Winner for Stone Wallcovering Designer Collection

The latest stone tile from interior designer Alison Rose is greater than the sum of its parts. The square-format Duo is composed of two curvilinear ribbed or etched “puzzle pieces.” Finely striated Duo Texture, which comes in Nero or Calacatta Gold, nestles up to its complement, thickly rippled Duo Dimensional, available in Matcha Verde, Lilac, or Vanilla Onyx. “The design started as playful explorations of folding paper and velum and being fascinated by how the folds slowly released overnight,” Rose says. “Some had been scored, some simply pressed, some rolled, but all had naturally relaxed, showcasing a play of light and shadow.” Those ephemeral investigations are now realized in magnificent natural stone, and the elegant result won best Stone Wallcovering: Designer Collection. artistictile.com 

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Enliven the Office With These Colorful Desk Accessories

2023 Best of Year Winner for Office Accessory

Waste can be a resource. Successfully reusing it, however, requires separating materials into categories for processing. Enter Kloss, Legos-like click-together recycling receptacles that can line up along walls, follow convex or concave corners, encircle pillars, or gang together as islands. The gently rounded, monochromatically powder-coated steel units are the design of Swedish studio Kauppi & Kauppi and come in a multitude of on-trend hues including Wine Red, Old Pink, and Brilliant Blue (or, indeed, any RAL color you wish). The combination of style and thoughtfulness, including simple and graphic recycling symbols, an open-slot top or soft-close lid, 18-gallon inner plastic container with ventilated base, choice of feet or wheels, and integrated bag holder, netted it the award for Office Accessory. trece.se 

Architectural Curator Darrin Alfred Reflects on the Natural World

Reflect On Nature With Darrin Alfred

Interior Design: What was the genesis of “Biophilia?” 

Darrin Alfred: With my landscape background, and having lived for 16 years in Colorado, I was interested in the deep connection people here feel for the outdoors. I see it in California, too, but I don’t think we necessarily understand where this passion comes from or why we have an enduring bond with the natural world. I began noticing work that addressed the environment—the greening of design—but also did more than that by exploring how nature affects our physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual development, individually and collectively. Around 2016, I pitched the idea of a show underscoring the transformative role in contemporary designers, architects, and artists can play in rekindling this bond. It got pushed aside by other projects, the new galleries, and then COVID, but everything started to solidify about two years ago, and here we are.

ID: How would you characterize these types of work in general?

DA: Works that call us to heighten our senses, to observe the natural world more closely. They offer moments of quiet catharsis that allow us to slow down amidst the hyper-accelerated digital lives we all live today. In looking for works that really do that, we developed three themes or lenses to help bring them into focus. 

ID: What’s the first theme and what pieces in the show represent it?

DA: Natural Analogs, which relates to the shapes, structures, and geometries found in nature—the spirals, honeycombs, and dendritic patterns that our brains have developed an affinity for. A good example is the Floraform Chandelier by the Palenville, New York, studio Nervous System, which translates the cellular growth patterns of leaves and petals using complex algorithms and 3-D printing to fabricate a nylon hanging light that casts intricate shadows.

ID: What’s the second category?

DA: Natural Systems, which explores nature’s dynamic processes—seasonal and temporal changes such as weather patterns and botanical growth cycles. These works are more immersive and multi-sensory, like Meadow by Amsterdam studio DRIFT; it’s a kinetic sculpture of oversize mechanical silk flowers that mimics the nyctinastic opening and closing of blossoms in a choreographed sequence. Or the international art collective teamLab’s Flowers and People, an interactive digital installation with a meditative soundtrack that presents a year’s worth of computer-generated seasonal flowers blooming and withering over the course of an hour. 

ID: You’ve dubbed the final theme Topophilia. What’s that?

DA: It delves into the emotional and spiritual connection that humanity has with the physical environment through works that highlight the interplay between people and nature, culture and place. Desert Paper—a collaboration between Aranda\Lasch, which works out of New York and Tucson, Arizona, and Terrol Dew Johnson, an artist, basket weaver, and member of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Southwestern Arizona—is a series of experimental vessels incorporating natural materials Johnson gathered in the Sonoran Desert. Here in downtown Denver, the Populus hotel by Studio Gang takes its name from the Latin for quaking aspen, an instantly recognizable symbol of Colorado. The 13-story scalloped facade evokes a stand of the trees while the distinctive window shapes resemble bark patterns on their trunks. It’s under construction but should open around the same time as the exhibition.

 

Christopher Myers Creates Art on Ice in Brooklyn

Temperatures were chilly in New York over the winter holidays. But at 99 Scott in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the vibe was hot. That was courtesy of Studio Skate, a pop-up ice rink curated by Zoe Lukov featuring a site-specific commission by interdisciplinary artist Christopher Myers. Titled Feathers on the Waves, the installation’s colors recall Myers’s stained glass, yet his inspiration came from such trailblazers as Surya Bonaly, whose backflip during the 1998 Winter Olympics defied conventions. “The history of Black athletes on ice is long and complicated,” Myers says. “Feathers consists of images of bodies suspended between here and there, like those in the myth of Icarus, filled with aspiration, freedom, and sometimes failure.” Speaking of bodies, that of singer Alicia Hall Moran was outfitted in a costume by Myers when she performed at the rink. 

Studio Skate wrapped last month. But a solo exhibition of stained-glass light boxes by Myers is on view in Charlotte, North Carolina, as will be his monumental textiles at the Biennale of Sydney, from March 9 to June 10. 

Loie Hollowell Explores Birth and the Body in Latest Works

A few months into 2024 and Loie Hollowell is already having a banner year. The 40-year-old abstract painter known for biomorphic, female forms in radiant, mystical palettes—what she calls “metaphors for the body”—has not one or two but three solo exhibitions this winter. What’s going on? “They’re the compilation of the processing of the birth of my second child and the close connection I got to have with both my kids during the pandemic lockdown,” she explains of her work and offspring, born 2018 and 2020. “I’m having a prolific moment because they’re at an age where I’m able to have longer periods of time in my studio,” which, like her home, is in Ridgewood, Queens.

Things kicked off mid January in San Francisco at Jessica Silverman gallery, which introduced 10 of Hollowell’s new bas-relief paintings of a three-dimensional belly that morphs into a planetary orb. Later that month, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, bowed her first museum presentation on the East Coast with 39 works from 2014 to today. In March, with “Dilation,” Pace New York spotlights the artist’s process, which begins with pastel drawings, featuring 10 she has created in the last year. Measuring approx­imately 27 by 30 inches, they’re the largest drawings the gallery’s ever exhibited.

History Meets Innovation in Greylock Partners’ San Francisco HQ

Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms in the country. Founded in 1965, it has funded hundreds of companies in myriad sectors, from networking entities (Meta, LinkedIn) to healthcare (AmplifyMD, Atomic AI) and housing (Airbnb, Redfin), and continues to work with early-stage entrepreneurs to build strong businesses. Given its history and focus on innovation, Greylock found a fitting location for its new San Francisco headquarters: 140 New Montgomery Street, originally built in 1925 by architecture firms A.A. Cantin and Miller and Pflueger for the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company. The 26-story art deco tower was the city’s tallest when it opened and seen as a symbol of growth and technology. Greylock leased the top floor and hired Rapt Studio to transform it into a modern-day office that honors the site’s history.

How Rapt Studio Transformed an Art Deco Tower into a Modern Office

The 7,300-square-foot penthouse was once a ballroom and an assembly hall, with a 15-foot-high, painted plaster ceiling, views of downtown and San Francisco Bay, and cruciform traceries outside the windows. “It was a beautiful, interesting space,” Rapt CEO and chief creative officer David Galullo begins. Yet it presented challenges. Greylock required nine private offices, a boardroom, six conference and meeting rooms, and 15 desks, plus a reception area and a pantry. “You’re in the penthouse, so you want big volumes, but the program is a lot of little rooms,” Rapt creative director Mike Dubitsky adds. It was one of the many areas where the design studio had to weigh competing priorities. Having previously outfitted offices for such clients as Goop, PayPal, and Tinder, Rapt was up to the task.

Designing a Welcoming Space for Young Entrepreneurs 

“This concept is all about quiet balance,” Galullo continues. “Between the historic and the future, impressive and comfortable, cerebral and collegial.” Greylock has a hybrid workforce of 50 employees and mainly uses the office for meetings; about 30 people come in on a given day. The firm desired that the environment project gravitas without being pretentious and feel inviting to the young entrepreneurs who come in to pitch ideas. Rapt blended contemporary and nostalgic details for a warm yet distinguished workplace that celebrates Greylock’s legacy and forward-thinking mentality. 

Employees and visitors enter the building through an exuberant black-marble and bronze lobby. When they arrive on the 26th floor, Rapt devised the setting so it wouldn’t be a stark change when the elevator doors open. “Our portal has a double archway that smoothly transitions people from the art deco lobby to this office,” Dubitsky says, “and creates a sense of arrival.” With black-and-white penny floor tile, ebony plaster wall paint, and golden brass accents, the dramatic elevator lobby feels vintage as it leads to a bright reception area anchored in the present day. 

Materials and Furnishings Reference 1920s Glamour 

Reception is one of three big nodes along the L-shape floor plan that have a scale worthy of a penthouse. A 22-seat boardroom is in one direction and a pantry with open workstations is in another. Smaller conference and meeting rooms line the corridor between them, while a backlit LED ceiling panel illuminates the path. Wood joists and framing give the latter the feel of a skylight, notes Dubitsky, appropriate for the top-floor space.

Materials, furnishings, and custom details gesture to the roaring twenties. Teardrop pendant fixtures finished in brushed brass hang over the reception desk, itself clad in panels of antiqued mirror and bronze, and a glamorous banquette, channel-tufted in pale-jade velour, wraps around the adjacent lounge. Underfoot, a bird motif references deco-era animal prints. “There used to be huge reliefs of elephants and palms in the ballroom,” Dubitsky explains. “The rug subtly nods to that, in an unexpected way.”

An Expansive Office Pantry Enables Employees to Recharge

Historic and modern most clearly intersect in the pantry, where staff members come to socialize and touch down between meetings. Rapt restored the painted plaster ceiling using original stencils found in the building’s basement, recreating ornate detailing that had worn away. At about 100 feet long and 10 to 15 high, the ceiling makes a big statement. “We decided to lean in and embrace the geometry,” Dubitsky says. 

Half the pantry space is open, with hot desks across from a kitchen island, in black marble and whitewashed elm, that extends to form a dining table. Private offices occupy the rest. Yet instead of standard white boxes, Rapt conceived greenhouse-like glass huts with aluminum frames and gabled roofs that don’t quite touch the historic ceiling. “They define the smaller rooms without interrupting the grandiosity,” Galullo observes. Employees needed enclosed offices, but they didn’t have to be soundproof, which gave the studio the flexibility to formulate what are essentially little solariums that maximize daylight. 

It was a bold move, but the contrasting elements sit well together and form the kind of balance Rapt sought throughout the project. “The blend of historic and new is thoughtful. Nothing seems jarring or out of place,” Galullo concludes. The design also expresses the client’s brand. “It brought to life who we are as a firm,” Greylock marketing partner Elisa Schreiber contributes. “It feels personal, curated, bespoke, clean.” Her colleague Allie Dalglish, vice president of business operations, adds that this is how entrepreneurs experience working with Greylock. It’s daunting to pitch a VC firm, but this one feels welcoming—the better to let ideas flow. 

Explore Greylock Partners’ San Francisco Headquarters 

RAPT STUDIO: TANJA PINK; LINN KAGAY; JONNY PAIS; JANELL LEUNG

NAVA CONTEMPORARY: ART CONSULTANT.

PAW: MILLWORK.

PRINCIPAL BUILDERS: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. 

FROM FRONT ERIK LINDSTRÖM: CUSTOM RUG (RECEPTION).

HOLLIS+ MORRIS: CUSTOM PENDANT FIXTURE.

&TRADITION: CHAIRS, LOW TABLE.

CLASSICON: ROUND TABLES.

GUBI: TABLE LAMP.

PACIFIC ARCHITECTURAL WOODWORKS: CUSTOM BANQUETTES (RECEPTION, PANTRY, BOARDROOM).

KVADRAT: BANQUETTE FABRIC (RECEPTION, PANTRY).

NEWMAT: LUMINOUS CEILING (RECEPTION, BOARDROOM). 

ROCKART: FLOOR TILE (ELEVATOR LOBBY).

PORTOLA PAINTS: PLASTER PAINT.

BANKER WIRE: WALL MESH.

MARTINELLI ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS: CUSTOM DISK WALL (RECEPTION).

KNOLL: BLUE CHAIRS (OFFICE AREA).

KUSH RUGS: RUGS.

MILLERKNOLL: TASK CHAIRS.

UHURU DESIGN: WORKSTATIONS (OFFICE AREA), TABLE (BOARDROOM).

DE LA ESPADA: CHAIRS (PANTRY).

BLUE GREEN WORKS: CUSTOM PENDANT FIXTURE.

ROLL & HILL: SCONCE (RESTROOM).

CAPITAL LIGHTING: MIRROR.

KOHLER CO.: SINK FITTINGS.

OBJECT CARPET: CARPET (BOARDROOM).

HOLLY HUNT: BANQUETTE FABRIC.

ALLIED MAKER: TABLE LAMPS.

ZIMMER + ROHDE: DRAPERY FABRIC.

BERNHARDT DESIGN: CHAIRS (BOARD­ ROOM), TABLE (MEETING ROOM).

SANCAL: CHAIR (MEETING ROOM).

THROUGHOUT SIENA: ENGINEERED­ WOOD FLOORING.

VAN BESOUW: CARPET. ARMSTRONG: ACOUSTICAL CEILING.

FLOS: RECESSED CEILING FIXTURES.

FENIX: MILLWORK LAMINATE.

GLASPRO: ANTIQUED MIRROR.

KELLY-MOORE PAINTS: PAINT. 

Bolon’s Punchy Vinyl Tile Collection Invites a Sense of Play

2023 Best of Year Winner for Hard Flooring

A kaleidoscopic flock of geometric and organically shaped woven-vinyl tiles allows designers to create punchy graphic art underfoot. That’s the premise of Shapes, Bolon’s Best of Year–winning collection for Hard Flooring. The nine available formats—including Link, Hexagon, Prism, Triangle, Rectangle, and Wave—are customizable in color and size, plus they can be mixed together in unique compositions. Earning sustainability points, the tiles are made on looms using recycled materials and renewable energy. Channel your inner Sol LeWitt or Ellsworth Kelly; after all, flooring shouldn’t be boring. Through Matter Surfaces. mattersurfaces.com

Patricia Urquiola’s Striking Terra-cotta Tiles Suit Any Space

2023 Best of Year Winner for Architectural Material

Jali is the Hindi term for a light-filtering latticed screen carved of wood or stone. The earliest examples in Delhi, India, circa 1300, feature geometric patterns, while later artisans tended toward intricate botanical designs, as at the Taj Mahal. Patricia Urquiola’s spin is a three-dimensional glazed or unglazed terra-cotta brick for Mutina with decorative circle cutouts that evoke the essence of Indian architectural beauty while retaining her characteristic soft minimalism. Jali’s 9.5-inch square tiles measure close to 5 inches deep and can be used for partitions or other elements, indoors or out (hence the award for Architectural Material). Place the blocks vertically, horizontally, or a combination thereof, in straight or staggered runs. Through Stone Source. stonesource.com

Explore Top Wellness Destinations Around the World

From Portugal and Sweden to China and the U.S., these wellness destinations, including bright sports arenas, fitness centers, and wellness clinics, are all in tip-top shape.

Discover Must-See Wellness Destinations, From China to Boston

Yongxin Cardiac Rehabilitation Center by JYDP

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An Interior Design 2023 Best of Year Award honoree, the 1,500-square-foot facility in Shanghai, China, calms the parasympathetic nervous system with curved walls and soffits and cutout partitions. Mimicking the makeup of the heart, circuitous interlocking shapes and lines in terra-cotta red and dusty blue represent arteries and veins, connotating vitality on the one hand and cool-headed professionalism on the other.

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Gym U NYC by Charles Renfro and Stephen Alton Architect

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The ’90’s fitness guru David Barton returns to the workout scene with a club rat–inspired space in what was previously the Chelsea YMCA (made famous in the ’70’s by the Village People). Informed by the 1927 sci-fi noir film Metropolis, it marries riveted steel columns, industrial fans, and International Klein Blue walls and lighting with DJ nights, personalized IV therapies, and the Mush Room, a fungi-focused café. 

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The TRACK at New Balance by Elkus Manfredi Architects

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Recalling giant laces, two-story V-shape columns in New Balance red define the sneaker company’s 455,000-square-foot center in Boston encompassing a research lab, music venue, and the Broken Records beer hall, which coalesce around a 200-meter hydraulic track. In the offseason, other sports prevail: Netting overhead drops down, converting the space into volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts. It’s all capped by a roof fitted with nearly 2,500 solar-array modules. 

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Fisiminho Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic by L2C Arquitetura

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The geometric rigor of the facade, with its window openings placed in an apparently random way to give dynamism to the street elevation and juxtapose the Braga, Portugal, parallelepiped building’s volumetric simplicity, repeats in the interior. Such rhythmic, high-contrast shapes as angular, highlighter-yellow wall graphics and round pendant fixtures join fluted, curvilinear partitions. 

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Fusion Fitness by Salone Del Salon

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Sparked by campaign imagery from Alessandro Michele–era Gucci, a retro, neo-’70’s affect—see the recovery room’s wall-to-wall teal carpet—pervades the skylit gym in Shenzen, China, alongside art deco-esque curved walnut-veneered walls and built- ins inspired by Noah’s Ark, which nod to the port city’s shipbuilding history. 

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Kviberg Sports Arena + Ice Hall by Wahlström & Steijner Arkitekter

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Under a wavy, sedum-planted roof, the 130,000-square-foot stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, is timber construction through and through. A pine-slat ceiling, ash-parquet flooring, birch-plywood walls, and massive supportive glulam-pine arches measuring 1 1⁄2-by-5-feet wide not only achieve open space without obstructive columns but also permeate the handball court, ice rink, and spectator stands with the pleasant scent of wood.