Ice ice baby- no ref to Milli Vanilli
Category Archives: LightSpace
Sustainable & Fun Night-lights
In continuation with Kids Room posts, here is another fun idea that we did for our children’s bedroom. We wanted some fun night lights but did not get anything we liked, so we DIY-ed our own. We used the basic IKEA Solvinden lights (string of 8) with a solar panel, like this:
Then we took some paint and my son went to work on them to take the white out and make them look like this:
And strung it up on the wall (near the ceiling) using a staple gun. It looks pretty decorative in the day:
We ran the wire so that the tiny solar panel rests in the window so that it charges in the daytime:
And at the end of the day, the lights emit a warm and lovely glow in the room. Since the “bulbs” have been painted over, they are not too bright-just enough to act like a night-light in the room. The boys love it!
Feel free to share. Just remember to credit us :)!
Upcoming Plans
Silence on the Blog means that the non-blog life has been hectic beyond imagination! As it turns out, it is quite a lot of work to travel overseas if it involved more than one person…especially if that one person is doing most of the organizing!
We look forward to posting more regularly, of travel, of unique and fun design, and just musings over the next few weeks. In the meantime, you all have a great holiday season and you’ll hear from me much more regularly. I promise.
A Glassy Affair!
We would like to present the ethereally glassy works of Jamie Harris here within the KidSpace and LightSpace series. Jamie is a glass artist with a difference. He believes deeply in his ability to create from glass, but true to any artist, he is never satisfied and is almost humble about his experience with the material. The spectrum of work of Jamie Harris Studios, shows maturity of content, a deep understanding of material and aesthetics, pleasing contours and striking forms. And one begins to respect his ability all the more when one learns that he learnt glassblowing through the age old method of apprenticeship in addition to be educated in the craft.
By self proclamation, Jamie loves the use to color in his work. His experiments with hues and pantones create a playful quality to even the most mature of his creations.
We were drawn to the Mod Series for children’s spaces. Designed to be sculptures, with scoops that show the depth and layering of color within, the Mod could just as easily be a set of lights in a child’s room.
We also love the 2 color glass sculpture from the Infusion Collection which may be famous someday.
And finally we love the Rock Pendant Chandelier Lights. The form of these lights was imagined with the retro fixture that illuminates it, giving it an almost electric quality. See for yourself.
Good luck to you Jamie. Carry on creating beauty with glass! More of JHS’s pictures here and here.
Something’s come up…
Dear Readers,
We hope you enjoyed reading about Canstruction here. We were also live tweeting as the awards were being given out-hope you caught that on Twitter (@ASMDESIGN1) last night.
This past week has been unusually weird and busy in a number of ways. Things are changing elsewhere and at ASM Design- professionally as well as personally. During this time (and it may be for the next 2 months or so) there are happy moments, planned travel overseas (India and around) and some necessary tasks that must be taken care of. In the midst of this, we will try our hardest to maintain regularity of our featured posts, but sometimes we may not be able to make our daily schedule.
Posting is a commitment we take very seriously. We work quite hard to make sure that you get something unique each time you visit. And if we blog about what others are blogging about too, then we try to make it unique in our own way-either by being the only LIVE blogger or by providing our own spin on it.
We hope that you will pardon our occasional absence from now until the end of the year. Keep checking back for fun stuff, more KidSpace, UrbSpace and LightSpace!
Love- ASM DESIGN
KidSpace: Tribeca Pediatrics
Our absolute favorite places in the KidSpace series are the offices of Tribeca Pediatrics. The practice is the brainchild of Dr. Michel Cohen who follows a less intervention style of pediatrics. Although we could go on about Dr. Cohen’s warm personality, hands-on practicing style, the great doctors and care-givers at the practice and the rapidity at which Tribeca Pediatrics has multiplied, while keeping its quality intact–we wont.
This post is about the Kids. And it is about Space. It is about how a pediatricians office should look.
The designers are Dr. Cohen and his wife, and artist Jeannie Weissglass. The ambience of the office, like Dr. Cohen’s approach to his medical practice, is meant to be comfortable and very approachable while maintaining high standards of client care. Taking cue from a curvy flower inspired chair that Dr. Cohen built for his first-born, the Warren Street office, the first of many, aspired to have a flowing quality.
The architectural language of custom-made curved seating, a street like space between exam rooms and a rippling moulding with spot lights all along the inside and outside of the examination rooms, successfully achieves the intent to make an organic flowing space.
Lighting is used to differentiate areas: Soft circular lights (designed by Dr. Cohen himself) hang in playful symmetry over the children’s play/waiting area, while round globes follow the curves of the reception desks.
The play area contains only eco-friendly toys and furniture, supplied by Rosie Hippo.
But what really sets the office apart is the vibrant vintage wallpaper that is different in each room, along with the silver circular examination tables which are again Dr. Cohen’s own design.
Wall paper in the restrooms…
The wallpaper is such a visual treat that you almost miss the port holes that have moving fishes or mirrors at kid-height in most rooms! And the kids? They love it! For them, the fun of the waiting area just continues within the examination rooms!
By comparison, the other Tribeca Pediatrics offices have a similar design language, but the seating is always different, and custom, the colors vivid and patterns vibrant.
Always one for supporting the art community, Dr. Cohen works closely with his friend Pascale Ouattara to implement his designs, textured walls, wallpaper and all. And the art? Well that is also in-house. Most of the work belongs to Dr. Cohen’s wife Jeannie.
When we asked Dr. Cohen what he would like to change in the design of the offices, he would like to create a whole environment for the children where they love to come and stay. To that we say: “Dr. Cohen, it is tough enough to take the kids home right now because they have too much fun at your offices. If we had a choice we would stay back and play too…”
My Mekko
November 1st marked the first month of Marimekko’s flagship store in New York City. Now before we go any further you should know that Marimekko’s products, especially their very recognizable UNIKKO patterned products have retailed through Crate and Barrel’s M shop for quite a while. But this is their first company owned store in NYC and we hope that they will stay…!
The design of the store space, as the brand, is very unique. Stylish and simple but with vivid splashes of color, it is a visual delight to negotiate the store. The high ceiling helps by adding space. The displays are modern and tasteful.
We love the cube entrance! Note how the glassware forms a nice visual passage.
Elegant dresses in a fluid display.
The children’s area has vibrant colors and lots of space.
The layering of open shelves adds lightness to room but maintains visual continuity through the store.
The tall fabric storage racks highlight the space and the space highlights the fabrics.
They know their work is loved.
The array of products includes clothing-some very typical styles and cuts, crockery, bags, kids stuff and of course their fabrics. The Flagship store will also start in-house custom sowing soon. Keep tabs on their website for further details!
LightSpace: Dekko Gekko
Interesting interiors of a restaurant in Odessa, Texas. So different from the austere palette one finds in NYC. This is from the desert and it is not afraid of color (and colored lights)!
Enjoy the vibrance
After the silence…LightSpace
So after taking a break for Sunday here we are, back again with some fabulous lights for kids rooms. Technically this post should be categorized under Kid Space as well. But it is about light first. So here goes.
We are in love with LIGHTS UP!
Their lamps and fittings are such a fabulous addition to any space. This Brooklyn based company’s fixtures feature regularly as part of designer mood boards (check out their blog here). Interesting twist to the logo: if you look carefully the thing that seems like an exclamation mark at the end is a pull cord to switch lights on and off!!
Their basic fixtures have elegant lines and simple structures, but where they really take off is the vibrant fabrics of the lampshades. Their fabric palette is such that it can suit any taste and become part of any interior space…however you imagine yours to be.
Finally we love the plain ceiling fixtures. Why?
We recently visited the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA (in another post). And now we are itching to paint everything “Macaroni and Cheese” (Yes that is really a color.)
LightSpace: Never before seen
We walk by this street about 4 times each week. At least.
This is the FIRST time we saw this light wall. Its secure entry so pardon the reflections of the passers-by in the picture. See if you can catch the photographer in there somewhere!
ASM DESIGN 