Commissions for my Yacht

Three years ago in Rio, I was mysteriously compelled to buy a mammoth two meter mixed-media canvas and transport it the near 6,000 miles back to London. Two years later, in moving to Ultraloft, I finally had the space to display the modernist beauty in the dining room.

Only on taking delivery of this rather smart Americas Cup IACC race yacht, did I notice the striking resemblance. Like a Mondrian portrait of Prada's Luna Rossa, it's remarkable how the hues and balance are almost identical between sailboat and canvas. I've never commissioned artwork for the home, but it appears I've skipped a step, and have instead been retrospectively commissioning art for my yacht!

I wonder if my love of neon signs means I should pick up a Las Vegas casino or two...

Flavia Liz - Tornado of a Tour Guide

Sometimes even a relative pro in the field of Design Trawling needs a little help. After living in Brazil for nearly 9 months, I was put in touch with Flavia Liz De Paolo; somewhat of a rainmaker in the city of Sao Paulo. Her brief? Bring the best of the city's design and urban/contemporary art scene to the Editor and Chief of DesignTrawler.com

With less than 24 hours to put together an itinerary, read how this force of a private tour guide whipped out the key to the city, showing me more city in 3 hours than I was able to see in 9 months.

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Sao Paulo and the Resin Gnomes

Typical, you wait for a gnome and ten come along at once.. After eight months of Design Trawling in Sao Paulo, I came across Coletivo Amor De Madre. Considered by many to be one of the best design stores in the country, the collective, run by Olivia Yassudo Faria also shares it's owner with the one of the countries best contemporary design galleries.

Alongside familiar objects seen in Moscow's DesignBoom, the collective store also exclusively represents a number of Brazilian designers and, unusually, commissions it's own works too. I particularly liked the resin gnomes pictured; reminiscent of the amazing jelly sculptures by Mauro Perucchetti and at a fraction of the Halcyon/Harrods price.

A+ for Sao Paulo's Design Playboy

So you're the owner of one of Brazil's most glamorous nightclubs. Pulling in toned and tanned Paulistanos every night, the champagne and profits flowing healthily. You want to expand the business but another club would dilute the brand. Trendy wine bar? Hipster record label? How about a furniture/design shop?

How about three? Seconds away from Club A in Sao Paulo lives Artefacto [pictured], one of the strongest design stores in town. Moments away from that, Artefacto Basic and Artefacto Beach & Country; both equally exceptional. The perfect design empire, can you just imagine our playboy's man cave?

Design Castaway - Finding Wilson

This week I'll have sailed past the 100 night mark staying in one particular South American hotel. That's 100 nights this year away from the London mancave. Collecting passport stamps and airmiles, while an important part of design trawling, can make for a Robinson Crusoe like existence.

Much like Tom Hanks in the film Castaway, I've found myself interacting with creating human character in design. In my case, Wilson the volleyball becomes Manny the mannequin and marble bust [as yet, unnamed]. As humans, we have a natural disposition to engage with humanistic forms in art and design. It's why Magritte's Son of Man carries more weight than a still life of a bowl of fruit. By the same token, it's why my sunglasses find themselves playfully perched on a marble bust rather then in a beautifully designed leather tray. That, or I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms from Carlos the Cowhide.

Searching for the Light - TVR Halogens

No I'm not about to go all evangelical, well, not in the traditional sense at least. I recently spotted these interesting halogen bulbs that flood the bathroom in a cool and trendy 'W Hotel' aqua. What's interesting however is how the same bulb diffuses purple light at the perimeter and blue light at the focal.

The halogen equivalent of the two-tone chromaflare paint used by British sportscar maker TVR, I can't work out how it's done. While it may be one thing to 'accidentally' pack a hotel bathrobe, swiping light bulbs is probably the beginning of a slippery slope; inevitably leading to the liberation of several thousand pounds of hotel artwork; and a not so liberal stay at a different kind of hotel.

Rules for Living by UnhappyHipsters.com

Another excellent find from Livraria Cultura in Sao Paulo, It's Lonely in the Modern World is the sort of book that anyone that enjoys reading DesignTrawler.com should run out and buy immediately. A manifesto for all Saab driving, house proud modernists [or those aspiring to be such], the book lays out in spectacular detail 'the rules'.

The rules of what exactly? Take for example the extract that advises, when hosting a dinner party "The number of kitchen appliances on display should be inversely proportionate to the number of guests" or for the bathroom "Choose a steel seat and use it to hold a single folded towel". Of course, it's all a bit of fun... apart from of course, when it's all absolutely true, which is all of the time...

"Most people have become attached to the idea of 'comfort' when sitting. With modern furniture, however, it is important to rethink your concept of what is comfortable. In a thickly cushioned chair, your body may be supported - but at what price to your design values? Your intellect? It is better to focus on the pure joy of being close to high design than to slump into an overstuffed chair for a nap" - UnhappyHipsters.com

How to Build a Container House

Browsing recently in the excellent Livraria Cultura bookstore in Sao Paulo, I came across Container Atlas. Billed as 'a practical guide to container architecture' the 250 page bible is a fantastic read. Published before Design Trawler's Isomodal Townhouse was conceived [and unfortunatley therefore an incomplete collection of container architecture]

In a curious turn of fortune however, publishers Gestalten will be responsible for publishing Arigato; a 240 page retrospective of Tokyo Designers Week; including the bowing Dom Arigato house by Design Traweler's designer duo. Available in March 2012, stay tuned for the inevitable book launch party at the Mancave. Signed copies on request.

You Know it's Time for a Bigger Cave...

This month, Design Trawler hit Rio De Janeiro to seek out the best in moden Brazilian art, design and architecture [sun, sea and samba had nothing to do with it honest]. Alongside the fantastic buildings by Oscar Neimeyer and iconic Romero Britto artworks, was this mamoth modernist beauty.

Almost two meters long, this painting exhibits a cool South American sombreness; perfect to sit above anything by Corbusier or in a Grand Design with polished concrete floors. Sadly, the current cave isn't large enough to display it. Several Brazilain Real later and I'm now looking for a larger cave... or gallery space.