Trawler to Raise $25,000 for Flying Residence

Ben Schlappig is a Trawler that puts the number of miles undertaken by even Design Trawler to shame; using airmiles, he's reviewed pretty much every first class airline offering in the world through his website One Mile at a Time. But this Sunday, Etihad announced a game changer amongst first class products. A three room flying apartment. 'The Residence' features a private en-suite with shower, double bedroom and lounge for two with a dedicated Savoy trained personal butler.

The design of looks promising; contemporary yet authentic to the Emirati aesthetic. It uses modern geometric pattern, a subtle yet masculine pallet and Poltrona Frau upholstered leather. At more than twice the price of Concorde, the $20,000 one way trip is unlikely to get a review any time soon however.

Because of this [and because Design Trawler isn't headed to Abu Dhabi in the near future], Ben is attempting to raise the funds needed for a commercial ticket on crowd funding website Kickstarter. From one Trawler to another, credit where it's due Ben! You've got my backing and I look forward to the full review soon. Support Ben's campaign here.

Fire in the Hole!

I spotted this smart alternative to a grand fireplace at this year's Maison in Paris. When retrofitting a gigantic marshmallow-toaster isn't appropriate and integrated bioethanol flames too, are difficult, a simple hole in the wall can replicate a cozy corner.

An inset needs only to be candle deep, painted black and voilà. Design as metaphor strikes again. The eye sees a hole in the wall filled with fire, the brain thinks 'fireplace' and you can invest the money you've saved in £9,000 toasting forks for your evening nibbles.

How to Steal a Damien Hirst

Not content with only one Damien Hirst in the Ultraloft, Design Trawler set out to acquire a slightly larger masterpiece by the enfant terrible of the contemporary art world. Here's how he did it.

The artwork in question is a limited edition butterfly design on silk released by Damien Hirst in late 2013. A combination of delicate butterfly wings with four skulls arranged in a kaleidoscope of intricate pattern. Its location? Mayfair, naturally - The flagship Alexander McQueen boutique on London's Old Bond Street. Accomplices? five in total, starting with the sales assistant...

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Honey, I Froze Le Corbusier

It has to be the revelation of the year century. On a scale to be rivalled by Dan Brown novels set in St. Peter's Basilica. For around 100 years ago, a man called Peter Behrens was hired by a German engineering company to the position of 'Articstic Consultant'. Alongside the logotype and corporate identity, Behrens designed the firm's iconic turbine factory in Berlin, and also a significant number of it's products. Peter Behrens is considered to be the world's first industrial designer. The savvy German engineering company that hired him was AEG.

So that puts AEG at the very top of the design family tree. Neat. They make well engineered home appliances [Ultraloft's new shiny fridge freezer, pictured] and consumer electronics. Having something with the AEG moniker around the Ultraloft gives me a warm comfortable feeling of buying in to that design pedigree. That was until, I did a little more research and fell backwards out of my [EA105] chair.

You may want to anchor yourself to the floor... It wasn't just Behrens, father of industrial design that worked for AEG. Miles van der Rohe, creator of the iconic Barcelona chair worked for Behrens at AEG. Walter Gropius too, later to become the first director of the Bauhaus worked for AEG. And the revelation that sent me plummeting, sternforemost to the floor, is that, the being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, principal object of faith and worship at Design Trawler, Le Corbusier, worked alongside Behrens, Gropius, and Mies at AEG.

The three letters AEG aren't just a nod toward innovative German engineering. They represent a perfect storm; a fantasy dream team of everything design, and architecture, and efficiency should be. And is.

Foothills of Mount Fuji

As the seasons begin to change, I begin also, to turn my attentions to the next room renovation in Ultraloft. The guest bathroom will be a light, clean, and natural space inspired by the paired back Japanese aesthetic... Primarily, so that I can install a Toto washlet, and surprise guests with a high-tech toilet.

Until the buldozers and pricey porcelain arrive however, I'm evoking an eastern spirit with these wall mounted planters. Selecting fern, pine and bamboo as suitably reflective of the zen-line shrubbery likely to line the foothills of Mount Fuji, the boxes from Concoral also double up as shelves; perfect for Marks & Web mandarin salts, and metallic flames from Tom Dixon.

Calling Time on Taxidermy

Monochromatic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld famously said that "trendy is the last stage before tacky". Well, taxidermy has certainly been trendy for a while, and whatever your opinion of plywood deer heads on gastropub walls, this homage from Maison & Objet in Paris made me chuckle.

Perfectly straddling the lines between trendy and tacky, the Jean Paul Gaultier inspired mâché walrus bust is topped off with a kitch cap from the French Naval Marines [complete with obligatory red pom pom]. Mounted on an equally J.P.G. striped background, I'm not sure it'll be featuring in forthcoming artist's Barbican retrospective. That said, animal forms have an enduring and iconic place in design. So, is taxidermy dead? By definition, it always was. And it isn't going anywhere soon.

Design Downtime - The Marvel in Morocco

Don't be fooled, Design Trawling is not for the faint hearted. Sure, the relentless circling the globe in the search of meticulously crafted artifacts sounds like fun. Buckling-up in your usual seat with a copy of the weekend FT and chalice of fizz during take-off, only to louche around luxury accommodations in locations with corresponding Wallpaper* guides seems like a hoot. But it's not. Honestly.

Every armchair, every streetlamp, every window frame, doorknob and bedside alarm clock; it's all design; and it's all fair game for Design Trawler. Food critics work when they're examining towers of wild venison and polka-dots of berry jus. Film enthusiasts cast their verdict on the basis of a few hours of explosions, wide-angle shots and [if they're lucky] subtitles and moody music. But for a Design Trawler, short of confining ones self to a white room with no windows [it has been suggested], there is little respite or sanctuary. Well, there is one. It's called Amanjena.

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Every Dog Has Its Day

If the battle of Trafalgar taught us anything, it's that podiums for displaying ever changing whimsical works of contemporary art are of pivotal importance to the nation. This applies in equal measure indoors, and particularly where Ultralofts are concerned [the tall, black and shiny variety are recommended]

Introducing the First Plinth! A space to precariously perch a seasonally curated selection of fine design finds from Design Trawler. Glossy and substantial podiums instantly elevate anything placed on them to artefactual superstardom and encourage a gallery-like rotation of environment. As for the honour of the first exhibit; it has to be Jeff the Balloon dog; the subject of Design Trawler's first article back in 2010.

Nose to Tail Lighting

The dilemma with taxidermy, is that some people, find the idea of mounting a zebra head on the wall a little inappropriate, no matter how marvellous it looks. Putting the entire animal on display would, of course, be fine, but not everybody has the space for a monochromatic horse in the living room.

I spotted the most remarkable solution in Paris. Using two cleverly positioned ceiling spotlights, the body of said equine appears in shadow as if by magic. A dramatic feature that'll be sure to keep your vegan friends associates happy. Pair with floor lamps by Dutch design house Mooi.

Bottega Ikea Leather Weave

I know I give Ikea a hard time when it comes to their disposable art decorations, but every now and again the purveyor of plywood picture frames comes up trumps. These woven stoage boxes, with elegant loop handle and silver stud punch way above their £10 price tag.

A nod to the signature intrecciato woven leather of Itallian couture house Bottega Veneta, the Bladis box could sit quite happily alongside Veneta's £200 pencil holders, £300 tissue boxes and £400 picture frames [or Montecristo 'A' cigars]. Ideal for storing the neatly stacked piles of cash you've just saved.

A Shovel a Day...

There are few occasions where being on the receiving end of a shovel represents an auspicious start to your day [unless you're an animal awaiting feed, or have a penchant for cinematic murders and forestry].

Putting my homicidal tendencies Japanese rice keeper to better use as a breakfast keep, this cast steel Westmark spade from the Conran Shop dispenses the perfect serving of ante meridiem feed with a satisfyingly utilitarian aesthetic. Available in a variety of sizes for every appetite.

Guggenheim Museum of Culinary Design

This morning, somewhat dreary eyed, I carried myself to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Nothing unusual there. Opening the cupboard to grab a bowl for my Cartier Crunch [again, nothing unusual], in a moment of surreal [but probably unusual] consideration, I stopped and thought to myself... 

"Why do I have a scale model of the Guggenhein Muesum where the bowls should be?"

Well, they say that the mind works best in the morning, but I think I accidentally just busted one of the greatest architects of all time. Frank Lloyd Wright clearly had a fondness for design in the mornings... and white kitchenware, which, is of course expected mandated for all great designers.

Prophecy of Pattern at Topps Boutique

As housing markets continue to heat up, as predicted, bold patterns and grand materials are now the indicators of hot property. Gone are the traditional associations of tile being little more than a functional necessity of bathrooms. What started with the 'metro tile' absolutely owning kitchen renovations post 2010 [the bubble will burst]... is graduating to both contemporary, almost 'graphically designed' pigmented designs in cement [pictured] and more subtle, purposefully mismatched mosaics like the excellent Batik and La Dolce Vita ranges from Topps Boutique.

The new format of especially curated high street stores bring the best of this brave new world of ceramics out of dusty retail park locations, and will quite probably ruin your plans for anything hardwood, glass splashbacked, or "white and as cheap as possible" for the visitors loo. Thankfully.

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Edison was not a Hipster

Edison style filament bulbs have been big business in Hoxton coffee shops, vintage boutiques and retro gastro pubs for a while now. While they draw attention to the design of the light source, unlike the very contemporary Plumen bulb the Edison bulb struggles to find a home in more refined environments.

Until now. New York based furniture and lighting designer Sergio Orozco has created a smart wall fitting that, rather than making the Edison bulb a retro pastiche, takes advantage of it's warm hues and recognisable design. The bevelled chrome 'halo' frames the bulb and creates a theatrical statement for hallways... and your IMAX Private Theatre.

Contemporary Classicism in Paris

Next up on the Ultraloft Inspiration tour is the home of couture fashion, classical architecture and a nonchalant design dialogue that's as elegant as the residents of it's perfectly planned streets. Paris.

With the Ritz being closed for renovations and not wanting to stray far from the eponymous Place Vendôme, Design Trawler checked in to the Royal Suite at the Westin Paris. Recently refreshed by Sybille de Margerie [who also worked on the Mandarin Oriental and the Louvre Hotel], the suite defines contemporary classicism. Rotating the formal seating area through 45 degrees and the palette of contemporary taupe, plum and geometric metalics gives the living room a 'modern luxe' timelessness.

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