Campsite is a New York based design blog and studio run by visual designer Max Ritt.
Renovated Swiss mountain farmhouses are one of the most beautiful structures in existence. This particular one was originally built in 1862, and was renovated with the focus being a balance between conservation of
heritage and necessary updates. Charles Pictet did a wonderful job of that and stayed very true to the original homes structure and reorganizing it’s contents and layout. The result is a home which fits it’s surroundings, but is a more contemporarily appropriate.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
The buildings designed by Richard Neutra are some of the most iconic structures of the last hundred years, and maybe even all time. These photos by Iwan Baan, of the Rentsch House capture this classicism in all it’s glory looking out over an idyllic Swiss mountain-scape.
I love vintage European posters and skiing, so this collection of posters for sale over at Vintage Seekers really caught my eye. Spanning from the 1930s to 1980s these posters display a nice view of design history through the acute view of a specific medium for a particular industry.
Graphic designer Mike Joyce has an ongoing project called swissted where he recreates rock posters through the lens of Swiss modernism. The resulting posters are a beautiful study in the practice of design, and for some reason have a much greater intrigue than all those minimalist movie poster interpretations that have been circulating.
The one promotional emailer I never seem to dread, and always open is that from the good folks of Tattly. This week I was happy to see a couple of great new seasonally appropriate designs. My new personal favorite are the Wintery Trees, designed by Josh Smith.
The use of concrete and wood makes for a very classic and warm looking space, which is very surprising. The forms and lines are derived from typical local homes, but the use of materials really sets this place apart. Also the way it is sited and interacts on the street side. Design was carried out by Swiss duo Lacroix Chessex.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
The Swiss just do it better. One thing I have been looking at a lot and is becoming a thread of sorts here on campsite is the idea of reinventing or re-envisioning designed objects, which have become pedestrian or banal. This atypical wayfinding system designed by Tina Stäheli–Shinohara illustrates this perfectly. It falls somewhere between constructivist art and signage, and thus changes how we engage and use it. Equal parts art and information in my opinion would allow the user to be more connected to the information on the sign and be able to understand and apply that information more easily. I would love to hear other people’s thoughts on this so please feel free to leave a comment.
(via swissmiss »)
The beautiful mountainsides of Switzerland provide the perfect canvas for built in structures. I have seen this demonstrated both in unique hobbit like dwellings all the way up to ultra modern luxury lofts dug into a hillside. Here we see probably the pinnacle of garage design in the entire world. Kunz Architektur has used to the ground to enclose and also frame parking for a clients car collection. Part display and part storage the juxtaposition between the grass and wild flowers, and the concrete glass and steel of the cars is awesome.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
The melding of the history of this structure and the beautiful modern renovation is in my eyes a great illustration of Swiss culture and design both past and present. My favorite part are the exposed aged beams from the original structure. This perfect little cabin high up in the alps was designed by Personeni Raffaele Schärer and the amazing photos were shot by Tonatiuh Ambrosetti.
(via WANKEN »)
My friend and mentor Tina Roth Eisenberg who most of you probably only know by her moniker swissmiss has launched her newest and in my opinion most inventive project to date. Yesterday Tattly launched in beta and today it goes live for the rest of the world! An online store for “Designy temporary tattoos” as their tagline puts it carve out an awesome little niche in growing market of goods by designers for designers. The tattoos are designed by contemporary greats like Frank Chimero, Jason Santa Maria, Chris Glass, Jessica Hische and many more. Who by the way are all personal friends of Tina. Could this woman get any more impressive? Yes she can. Her other projects in addition to her blog include Creative Mornings, teuxdeux, Icebreakertags, and hopefully a whole slew of other cool projects in the future.
They really know how to do it in Switzerland. Little private ski resort, Whitepod with beautiful modern igloos. What more could a ski fanatic want? Both the lodge and igloos located at around 6,000 feet above sea level have astonishing views of the valley and snow surroundings.
(via WANKEN »)
I posted about Bearth & Deplazes previously here, and for the second time I have stumbled across their work and been completely enamored. They design these amazing solutions for extremely remote building sites and for structures that usually have little design. This project Skilift Carmenna they designed both integrates with the natural environment, in winter it is cover in snow and summer the roof is grass covered, but it also adds a level of visual interest to what is normally a bland utilitarian structure.
Due to the location of this project, the ski area is in Arosa, Switzerland the material choice had to be very specific. Everything needed to be light and easily transportable by helicopter. So they chose simple things like plastic and corrugated metal sheeting, wood. Despite this minimalist palette they were able to create astounding modern building that truly fit their purpose and surroundings. That to me is part of what defines architecture.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
This irregular hexagon that both blends into and juts out of the Swiss Alps is the Neue Monte Rosa-Hütte. Designed as an upgrade from the original structure built in the 19th century, architects Bearth and Deplazes have created a beautiful solution for this remote site. It’s wood-framing references the style and technique of previous structure, while the technical aspects both inside and out help to make it inherently new. The building itself is 100 percent self sufficient and must be able to create energy on site because of it’s remoteness. Building materials were delivered partially assembled in an estimated 3000 helicopter trips, mainly because mules were said to be too costly. Monte Rosa Hütte operates as both a restaurant and lodge for hikers traveling the 3 hours from the base of Monte Rosa.
(via The Fox Is Black »)
A nice simple design by Rossetti + Wyss Architekten, to replace a public social event space in Schlieren, Switzerland. The continuity flows across all the surfaces of the building with the perfectly uniform use of wood panelling. Long sliding doors also help to open all four corners of of the hütte to the outside and the surrounding nature.
(via SUBTILITAS »)
The long awaited Teux Deux app for iPhone released yesterday and I think I can speak for everyone when I say Teux Deux has officially changed my life for a second time. This is the first of what will hopefully be a series of collaborations between swissmiss (amazing swiss designer gone nyc and famed blogger) and Fictive Kin (creative web-developing powerhouse). You can grab the app. for stiflingly cheap $2.99 in the iTunes app. store. So go get your productivity on!
I have been thinking a lot recently about potentially building a holiday getaway of my own up in the mountains, and this amazing specimen by AFGH architects truly gives me something to aspire to. Holiday House as it has been named so subtly engages the environment without sticking out. All the materials are so simple and perfectly chosen, and by all materials I am referring to the extensive list of wood, glass and metal.
