Your Studio

WE HAVE MOVED!

Tom — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:11:48 +0000

At Your Convenience

Howard — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:11:38 +0000

Whilst you’d think the innovative places for new coffee shops would have dried up, we found ‘ATTENDANT’, a rather intriguing coffee shop sited in an old public convenience. Yes, that’s right, in a loo! But fear not, the place has been totally gutted, reinvented and not a hint of the smell of Jeyes Fluid. ATTENDANT is a nice coffee/ eaterie selling interesting-looking food- from ‘Truffle mac and cheese’ to ‘cheesecake brownies’ and open in the evenings. The interior mixes original fixings with punchy emerald green high stools and nice vintage touches such as light fittings sourced from the Nappa Valley no less. Great use of the original urinals for the most original pissoir perch bench we’ve ever seen. Take a look…!

While we love reporting on what we see and love, we also put our passion into designing new brands and spaces. If you have a new brand, an interior conundrum, or want to make yourself the next biggest thing, then don’t hesitate to contact us at YourStudio here, we will design it all for you.

Until the next flat white….

Future Workspace

Tom — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:00:20 +0000

YourStudio worked alongside international trends think-tank PSFK to develop some new concepts for the workplace of the future based on their latest trend report: The Future of Work. As far-fetched as the concepts may seem, all of them are based on technology that is now available from digital surfaces to gesture technology.

YourStudio looked at how people interact and share information daily through social platforms online such as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ and thought about how that would influence the workspace of the future. Below is a selection of the work we created for PSFK:

‘Looking at current workspace trends and the needs of future generations, YourStudio designed a workspace that would provide the ideal environment for a productive and engaged social workforce. Our designs integrate technology into the space in ways which enhance the sharing, connectivity and user-experience.’

The Sharing Office

The Thunderdome streams all the work that’s going on in the workspace onto one central hub that workers can swipe down and flick through rather like a digital portfolio.

Sharing Cloud

Rather than teams burying their heads in their work with no-one else seeing what they’re doing, the Ideas Cloud is like a realtime pinboard where team’s ideas are shared and made public in the office to encourage collaboration and the development of ideas.

Surface Desk

With more and more people hot-desking, why cart around a box of posessions and in/out trays with you when the Surface Desk instantly customises to you and all of your preferences when you plug in your tablet? Instantly customise the desk’s interactive surfaces with your own content.

Surface Desk Storage

To read all about the concepts and more on the office of the future go to PSFK: The Future of Work or contact info@weareyourstudio.com.

YourStudio is a brand design agency specialising in creating interiors that reflect the values of the client or brand. If you want us to look at ways of improving the feeling in your workspace, please contact us here.

Burberry Store in London

Intern — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:11:37 +0000

A couple of months ago Burberry opened it’s largest ever London store. It show cases what can be done with integrated digital in a retail experience. Covering four floors, the store has twenty five staircases, and a giant 22ft screen at the heart of the building, believed to be the largest in a shop. 121 Regent Street is the largest Burberry brand experience in the world. Technology has been woven throughout the period architecture of the building including a hydraulic stage, five hundred hidden speakers and a hundred screens. Other highlights include the bespoke section where customers can customise their own coat with trimmings of all colours and finishes and a display of the exclusive Regent Street line – a small collection of limited edition items which can only be found in the flagship. Also, don’t be surprised to see almost every member of staff with an iPad swinging from their shoulder – going to check stock ‘in the back’ is no more.

Some of the UK’s finest and most specialist craftsmen were involved in restoring the space to its historic relevance over two years, with lighting, flooring and other finishes installed by suppliers to many of the country’s historic royal palaces and stately homes. The result is a spectacular heritage setting that is the backdrop for digital innovation and experimentation. The building, which was constructed in 1820, has previously housed galleries, a cinema, livery stables and a radio broadcaster over the course of two hundred years. The facade still celebrates the original ticket hall stalls for the cinema which was among the first to entertain Londoners at the beginning of the twentieth century. A place of entertainment and interaction, Burberry Regent Street revives this rich heritage through the lens of digital technology today.

If you are interested in digital in retail design get in touch at info@weareyourstudio.com

Overview of Paris Motorshow 2012

Tom — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:01:41 +0000

As part of YourStudio‘s on going design and trend research, we made the visit to Paris Motor Show 2012. Having been to Motorshows in London and previously designing stands for GM and Ford we had a good idea of what to expect; lots of ground to cover and lots of people!

The top 5 designed stands:

Audi – This stand felt like an experience and the bold curves of the stand stood out.

Renault – This was an education in Renault, an insight into the green tech as well as showcasing F1 and how big screens should be done!

Mini – Their stand was fun, as you would expect. They had an interactive paint-your-own Mini wall, which was getting lots of engagement. There were some great Mini accessories on show as well as a Dj trying to get a party going.

Bentley – This was our favourite for pure aesthetics and simple design. There was no interaction, just a strong design concept relating to the Art Deco inspired Bentleys.

Mercedes - This stand was packed out with lots to see. There were over-the-top paint finishes and Mercedes engineering precision being put on show.

Top trends from the show:

Interactive touch points

Motor show always showcases some of the latest in customer interactive touch points. The most impressive user friendly was from the Ford stand. The user interface was similar to using an iPhone which made it easy to move through and find out about the latest innovations at Ford.

Paint finishes

Matte and metallic matte paint finishes really stood out. They are not just for the Range Rovers and Aston Martins you see around London but this finish was showcased on BMW scooters and Citroen cars which both had amazing matte metallic finishes. (A further review of paints and finishes will follow in a trend report- please email us if you’re interested)

Knowledge

Customers not only want to look at nice cars, they want to know how things are put together, where they’re from and why they are there. This was best illustrated by the Ford stand which featured a car on its side with iPads explaining how each element worked. It was a scrum to get to one of the iPads which shows even the sump can be interesting!

Added Experience

Ford had a very cool race simulator. The queue was huge otherwise I would have loved a go. Some brands opted for something a little different! Peugeot had a grand piano playing emotional solos, which was trying to get across the emotion of their new brand. It was a little over the top but very memorable.

YourStudio create a range of reports giving snapshots into the various trends, materials and finishes in innovative design. For more info on your studio trends, please email info@weareyourstudio.com

Chest Of Drawers – Islington

Tom — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:48:25 +0000

As many retailers look at new ways to engage and involve their customers in the design process, YourStudio worked with furniture retailer Chest of Drawers to design a Design Bar for their furniture store in Islington, London. This is a place where customers can interact, participate and enjoy the design process of the furniture they create for their homes.

Chest of Drawers creative director Kim Corbett talks about the future of the design bar here:

Coinciding with London Design Festival 2012 (14th – 23rd September), we are proud to announce the launch of our Design Bar. A new concept in furniture retail and set to revolutionise the way people buy furniture, the Design Bar is a new studio and design space in Islington, North London, where members of the public, interior designs and architects come to explore furniture design in a relaxed and stimulating environment.

The Design Bar is about bringing Chest of Drawers’ expertise in responsibly sourced furniture into a bespoke area for architects and designers. The service is centred around a breathtaking 3.5 meter slab of German oak formed from a cross sectional cutting through a single tree. The Design Bar will act as a portal to thousands of furniture possibilities alongside bespoke solutions. Knowledgeable and dedicated staff will encourage and assist clients through this experience.

The Design Bar is not just for professionals – it’s a family friendly space that aims at a broad market through a casual approach in a warm environment. Drop the kids off at the “mini bar” – a fun space for kids to explore design through play – and grab a coffee while looking at the featured furniture, then view hundreds of options at the design bar to stimulate ideas. Nothing fits your requirements? Get a quick or detailed walk through bespoke options and design your own.

In addition to our range of designs from top brands and designers - Drugeot Labo, Graypants Lighting, Frei Frau and Tom Raffield – we’ve teamed up with guerilla pop up Today’s Specials to celebrate independent British graphic, ceramic, textile, furniture and product design. Their pop up shop, which will be installed alongside the Design Bar, will offer products by the likes of Zombie Collective, Melody Rose, Holly Berry, Jack Neville, Leila Chouikh, Mark Cox and many more. To top it all there will be a mini book shop by design writers and journalists, including Confessions of a Design Geek’s “Interviews”, and other books by Barbara Chandler,Dezeen‘s Book of Ideas and the London Design Guide.

As Kim Corbett sums it up: “Ultimately we want this space to act as a new way of colloborating between manufacturers, designers and end clients. It’s great to launch during London’s biggest design festival and we’re thrilled to have Today’s Specials with us. Please join us in our Islington showroom.”

Contact for more information on Future Furniture Design at info@weareyourstudio.com

Artists’ Furniture: Frieze 2012

Howard — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:56:24 +0000

London’s Frieze Fair is an inspiration every year. This year we’ve constructed an imaginary YourStudio DREAM HOME using furniture-inspired art pieces from this year’s Frieze. Inspiring concepts, great colours, fantastic materials, adventurous forms and uniquely bizarre combinations, please step into our home…

Step 1. Buzz yourself up on the intercom

Margaret Lee, Cucumber (on the wall),2012 (above)

Archival pigment print

Step 2. Hang up your coat

Rachel Harrison, Sculpture with Raincoat, 2012 (above)

Wood, styrofoam, cement, acrylic, hanger, The Economist, Gherardini rain coat

Step 3. Check yourself out

Sam Durant, Go To Work, 2012 (above)

Mirror, enamel spray

Step 4. Make yourself comfortable

Martino Gamper, Chair (prototype), 2012 (above)

Jonas Wood, Grey Shio Still Life, detail, 2012 (above)

Oil & acrylic on canvas

Geoffrey Farmer, I Turn to Clocks (Thoughts on circular time and a sword truck), 2012 (above)

Plantpots and mixed media collage

Zhang Wang, Artificial Rock No. A39, 2007 (above)

Stainless steel

Step 5. Put your things on a shelf

Josephine Meckseper, Untitled (Only a Moster Can Allow Himself the Luxury of Seeing Things as They Are), 2005 (above)

Shelf with mixed mediaCarol Bove, Aleph, 2012 (above)

Wood and steel shelves, books & periodicals, steel, brass, stone, feather, mink button and found objects

Step 6. Put on a record

Yarisal & Kublits, Fertility Doll (records), 2012 (above)

Brass, 3 vinyl records

Step 7. Sit down and relax

Sarah Lucas, Mumum, 2012 (above)

Tights, fluff, chair framePierre Huyghe, Apparaissance, 2012 (above)

Wood, foam, furXavier Antin, Galerie Crevecoeur, 2012 (above)

Reconstructed chairs

Step 8. Select some nibbles from the Hostess Trolley

Jason Rhoades, Shelf (mutton chops) With Unpainted Donkey, 2003 (above)

Seville Ultra Durable chrome shelving system with 9 shelves, 13 neon panels (glass, plexi, wire, transformers), 31 ceramic donkey carts, 1 can tuna

Step 9. Get ready for dinner

Henning Bohl, Untitled, 2011 (above)

Wood and mixed media

Step 10. And pour yourself a drink…

Amalia Pica, Device for mutual eavesdropping #2, 2012 (above)

Wooden holder and drinking glassesAmalia Pica, Catachresis #32 (Neck of the bottle, elbow of the pipe), 2012 (above)

Found materials

As well as charting our inspiration, the team at YourStudio also design interiors, furniture and products. If you have a project you’d like to talk to us about, feel free to contact us for a chat here.

See you next time….next stop…Paris Motor Show.

High-end Vintage

Howard — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:06:27 +0000

At this years London Design Festival we noticed running trends across the different events. One which we are highlighting is the occurrence of high-end vintage furniture.

Whereas vintage furniture and accessories have been seen traditionally as a fairly inexpensive way to add character to an interior, the vintage market has evolved to reflect people’s increasing discernment as to what they’re buying. Design Junction dedicated one major section of the ground floor to vintage, and what was interesting was to see this as a reflection of the increasing segmentation of this sector. We used to see ‘vintage’ as a re-branding of ‘second-hand’ but it is fast shifting to become synonymous with the world of ‘antiques’ with dealers specialising in niche products such as 1950s upholstered furniture or 1960s industrial light fittings. Unsurprisingly the prices are rising fast to reflect this shift but this increased level of discerned curation will keep developing in line with contemporary design.

Lucy Turner’s retro furniture was exhibited alongside collections from all exhibitors, with some really creative design modifications and upcycling on display. Lucy Turner (www.lucyturner.co) was a great example of this, the classic shapes of her furniture and the vintage inspired prints had a vintage appeal.

Augustus Greaves, was a specialist in finding exceptional pieces of design some of which were being shown off at Design Junction.

Tent had some examples of this next generation of vintage and upcycling with vintage inspired designer furniture from New Vintage Collective (www.new-vintage-collection.moonfruit.com) and the very creative upcycling from The Rag And Bone Man (www.theragandboneman.co.uk)

Munna / Ginger & Jagger at Tent displayed pieces which used natural elements that also had a glamourous nod to the 70′s and 80′s. Luxuriously padded and rich velvet upholstered armchairs sat with brass side tables.

On the up: Dealers specialising in niche areas of vintage design Key 1970s pieces of design (think The Ice Storm not Sodastream)

Trends: Material World

Howard — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:00:13 +0000

Trends: Material World coming soon. Watch this space…

Industrial Design Trends

Howard — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:54:45 +0000

More on Industrial Design Trends coming soon. Watch this space…