Faceless Masterpiece - Gideon Rubin

Is it that time of year already? It seemed like only yesterday that Pullman, pulled up with the ultimate Man Cave. Descending on London, Masterpiece brought it's usual gaggle of dealers, collectors and collective millionaires to get down to the serious business of Ruinart-fuelled acquisition.

My favourite this year came from the world's oldest champagne house. Israeli born artist, Gideon Rubin was commissioned to create twelve iconic portraits on recycled Ruinart stock. Gideon's signature portraits omit facial detail, yet his subjects are instantly recognisable [and his paintings instantly desirable]. Only true icons need apply.

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.

New Designers - His Remastered Voice

At the New Designers preview this week, rather embarrassingly I turned up on the wrong day. Greeted with an exhibition of the UK's most promising graduates in textiles, fashion and jewelry design, I recoiled at turning up at what was essentially the 'Ladies Day' of the London design scene.

Well it seems somebody else made the same mistake. Technically part of the glass and ceramic category, this contemporary gramophone style speaker blew me away. Paul Wearden's fully functioning 'invasion of sound' should have been exhibited alongside product, furniture and graphics, and I for one would love to see it put in to production.

Design Trawler Unmasked - First Interview

Celebrating the second birthday of DesignTrawler.com, Editor in Chief and international ambassador of the Man Cave shares some personal perspectives about design and the Design Trawler story. Cover blown, expect Design Trawler to now attend launches, previews and openings in full disguise. Read the full interview and what Design Trawler really thinks of David Guetta and superhero bedsheets below.

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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.

Bowing House - Now in Hardback Flavour

It's official, Dom Arigato, the bowing house has been published in the 240 page hardback retrospective of the Arigato Project for Tokyo Designers Week. Available in stores and on-line through Gestalten. The second house after the Isomodal Container Townhouse; here's hoping that house #3 makes it through to the bricks and mortar stage. Book signings and new commissions welcome!

The £25,000 Champagne Label Wall

You know how it is; you've invited over some friends to admire your new moose head and before you know it, you're down 176 bottles of Louis Roeder's finest and nursing a headache that gives aforementioned elk a run for it's money.

With a nod to the famous penny floor in the kitchen, and not wanting to put them to waste, I set about wallpapering the dining area with the individual champagne labels. A mixture of 2002 Cristal, Brut Millésimé and Brut Premier, the wall has a retail value of £25,000 and a vulgarity that's priceless.

  

 

Design Solidarity - A Black Ribbon for Habitat

It's not often that contemporary high street designs street become iconic classics. Designed in 2004, this smart ribbon light designed by Claire Norcross for Habitat, has been relentlessly invading homes, hotels and design bibles.

Synonymous with the furniture store that Sir Terrance Conran founded in 1964, the single profile of cleverly shaped steel is bold, sharp and sophisticated; ideal for man cave side lighting. This demure black version is available from £40 and also serves as a subtle nod of solidarity with the struggling British design institution.

Retro Design Cripples Innovation - Looks Great

Flicking recently through Wired Magazine, I read an excellent article by Clive Thompson. It [brilliantly] argues that "retro design is crippling innovation". Introducing skeumorphs; or design elements necessary in the past but carried forward to the present, where technically no longer required.

Skeumorphs can hold back design, especially digital design. Where mechanics are still required however, form shaped by function can still be beautiful. Take this speedometer style thermometer/hydrometer from Mitsukoshi in Ginza. I'm not sure if a speedo style thermometer is an unoriginal skeumorph, but it does look great in the bathroom.

Coffee Table Camp Fires

More white charcoal from J.Period - this time in the living room. The porcelain-like Japanese carbon absorbs odours, but far more importantly, looks enigmatic and sculptural in the silver Malteser dispenser from Argentina. Like a metaphorical campfire in the middle of the room, perfect for toasting metaphorical marshmallows... or tangerines.

The Old New Masters - A Collector's Narrative

One of the first canvases I ever purchased, Stacked Bars from German gallery Artline in Erfurt adorned the walls of my student room at University. I liked how the architectural steel linkages between the canvasses invited the wall to become part of the artwork [that and it was easy to dismantle and transport home at the end of every term!]

While I wouldn't necessarily buy Stacked Bars now, and it does take up valuable 'wall estate' which could be used for work with more pedigree, establishing a narrative over time is as important for a collector as it is for an artist. As far as collections are concerned, it's easy to make new additions, but considerably less easy to make old additions.

Club Dining for Small Spaces

Unless you live in a duplex penthouse, it's unlikely that your city apartment will have a separate dining room. Even then, I remember being shocked by the $35,000 a night Penthouse at the Four Seasons New York, having a dining table in the living room for only 4-6 persons.

Where space is at a premium, dining chairs with arms [pictured from Dwell] create an ambiance of clubby comfort. Upholstered chairs with arms help diffuse the line between living and dining and are as suitable for coffee and cake as they are for a candlelit dinner. If seating more than four or going formal however, ditch the arms... or some diners.

Venetian Blinds Take Off - BA's First Class Cabin

Flying recently in British Airway's new First cabin, I was most impressed by the 'on the ground' approach to the cabin interior design. From the same team responsible for styling Aston Martin and Jaguar [it shows], the cabin features design touches more in line with an luxury apartment Conran showroom than a conventional airline seat.

Take for example the dusky illuminated electronic blinds that span several window profiles or Starck Archimoon style individual reading lights. If airline cabin components can find a home in residential interiors, then it stands to reason that venetian blinds and reading lights work just as well in the sky [and yes, evidently, as does Puss in Boots]