Union Prime
You be the judge
CEO of the iconic Dorothy Draper Company, Carleton Varney, has put his unique touch on Union Prime, a soon to be opened “steak house for ladies” located in New York City.
As he says, “The design takes all the hallmarks of Draper‚Äôs historic work, with its scrolling cartouches and blooming ‚ÄúPrincess Grace‚Äù rose motif and magnifies them to grandiose proportions,¬†evoking¬†a chic sensuality in a glorious and fashionable backdrop.”
Phew! I need a T-Bone after reading such a long sentence. Make mine rare. Hold your horses! There’s more…
“The femininity of the space compliments the ‚Äústeakhouse for ladies‚Äù feel with a Contemporary American menu fused of steak and sushi.” Hmmm. Reminds me of Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Or, does that mean I can get a Teriyaki Sirloin Roll with Texas Toast on the side? As long as it comes with a six-pack of lady beer, I’m there.
Truthfully, I don’t get it. This just looks silly. It feels like a saloon at a theme park. Where’s Minnie? I just hope the vittles are palette pleasin’.
What’s your opinion?
Nobraincellz’s Splice Bar
Lighting is the orphan child of the design world. Few of my clients understand, at first, the importance of it. And the thousand and one ways in which a great lighting design can alter a space.
Welcome to The Splice Bar, designed by the Greek design firm, Nobraincellz.
Nobraincellz are smart! They take a multimedia approach to design by using interior design, architecture, 3-D animation, etc., to create awesome environments.
Their approach to The Splice Bar was to start with bold, grafitti images repeated throughtout the space. Then, they lit it to perfection.
The daylight version is wonderfully graphic. But at night, Splice comes out to play.
Have some fun and take a good look at the various ways Nobraincellz thought of lighting the space. A table lamp on the floor? All the vibrant colors that emphasize the graphic nature of the daytime themes.
Dining Design Inspiration
We’ve seen benches used in place of dining chairs for a while. I suppose we could say sofas aren’t really a totally new idea either. But, I like the way the sofa was used at Bourbon Steak, in Miami, Florida. It got me thinking that this would work really well in a residential setting as well – especially one in which space is limited.
The space was designed by Tony Chi Architects. I like the way they used Moroso’s Newtone sofa as an alternative to a banquette. The curved lines create the suggestion of the old classic style of restaurant seating. The sofa sort of hugs the customer – making the space more private than it would otherwise feel if the seating were more open.
There’s no reason why this look couldn’t be recreated in a residential space where the sofa backs up to a wall. Or, the sofa could act as a room divider.
How would you use this idea?
Convention Design Thoughts
The Democratic National Convention has just ended. Unusually, the Democrats chose two venues for the event. First, the traditional “convention hall”. I have to say, I was pretty underwhelmed by it. Kind of groovy, the requisite red, white, and blue, stylized American Flag motifs, etc. Honestly, it looks like any generic convention (albeit a big convention) display design. (At least that’s what I think). You? Here it is, for your reference:
See what I mean? It may have changed in tonality once the room was filled with politicos and people wearing silly hats. But really, quite expected and nothing particularly new. Or thoughtful.
However, Barack Obama’s acceptance speech was delivered outside at the second venue, Invesco Field. To most, that seemed both a risk and a nod to the last candidate who delivered an outdoor speech of that magnitude, John F. Kennedy.
The design itself (before the event) took some heat from the opposition, who likened it to a greek temple. I think that missed the point entirely, which became clear during Obama’s acceptance speech.
Take a look (I couldn’t find a better photo, sorry), and remember the date of Obama’s speech. (Hint: It’s the anniversary of another famous American speech.)
The speech I was referring to was, of course, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, which took place at the Lincoln Memorial.
That’s what the columns were supposed to evoke.Very clever, I think.
What do you think? Let me know. And I’ll follow up after the Republican National Convention this week.
Motel 6 Makeover
Keeping The Light On In Style
Motel 6 is the largest corporate-owned hotel chain on the North American continent. They specialize in ultra-low budget hotel rooms with gas station styling to match. That’s about to change next year when the corporation will begin offering a new design concept to its franchise owners.
London-based design firm, Priestman Goode, was hired to come up with a more appealing boutique look. This follows in the wake of other budget hotels trying the same concept, such as Indigo, a chain owned by Holiday Inn.
The new look is available in several color schemes that rely on color blocks and the creative use of space to create a crisp, modern look. Most of the room’s elements do double duty, such as the entertainment unit with storage behind it. Likewise, vomit-proof patterned carpet is gone – replaced by wood-veneered floors. They’re much easier to clean and look a hell of a lot nicer.
Those buzzing fluorescent lights (you know – the one above the bed with the yellowed plastic cover clinging precariously to the wall) are also gone, having been replaced with more energy efficient, skin-tone friendly ambient lights.
All of which begs the question: Why can’t all hotels look like this?
Really! Why is it harder to create a room like this than the typical Colonial style Sheraton? My answer is that, barring clients who’ve undergone cryogenic freezing, there is no excuse. On the other hand, perhaps I’m living in my own private Idaho and think this is great, while most Americans would see this room and wonder where the quilted floral bedspread went.
Help me out here.
