-April-

So I decided to write my monthly design post few days earlier, because I got a lot to write about tomorrow. 

This time I didn't especially look anything up in Etsy, but I was redirected there when I was looking for the original artist behind these amazing posters. And I found it! You all know how I love Disney films, so its no wonder I'm so hyped about these chic/retro posters. They are created by British designer Rowan Stocks Moore and feature such classic Disney films as Pinocchio, Lion King and Sleeping Beauty, find them all here! I was so close on ordering the Bambi one, but my walls are already full enough and I still got two posters waiting.

There are very few photographers that really have enough to make themselves really know by name. One of them is definitely Annie Liebovitz. She is a regular distributor to one of my favourite magazine Vanity Fair, but this  photo is actually from Vogue, and surprise surprise, it features two cast members of Saturday Night Live. The picture with Kristen Wiig and Seth Meyers is actually geniusly arranged, with Seth under the table, as he is the writer behind most sketches that put her in the spotlight. The second reason I mentioned this photo, is the place I found it. Vulture posts a list of best entertainment photos of the month, usually during the few first days of the month, so their April list is coming in few days. It is worth checking out and here is March edition, which is where I first saw this photo.

Only possible way to smoothly move from that to architecture, is to say how picturesque this piece of furniture/art by Thomas Heatherwick is. That's not the only thing he is know for, especially in United Kingdom. He is the man behind the new design for the double-decker buses in UK that will start taking over the streets during this year. Like most of his design, (good roundup of which you can find here) the new bus looks very linear and modern, though it isn't that striking on the outside. And a cool side note, he is also behind the design for the brazier holding the Olympic flame for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

London is really stepping up for the Olympic Games. Even the renovation of the King's Cross Station was completed this year, and Harry Potter fans don't panic, the platform 9 3/4 is still there for all of us to enjoy. This new masterpiece of engineering, designed by John McAslan, isn't as striking as it is just big, but I do like how it goes with the old station. Time will tell, but I don't think the new renovation will stand the test of time that well, because it kinda looks like some 90's airport where the echo is just awful and you end up losing all your luggage running around this dome.

Though this next building is currently very isolated, I believe a similar design would work very well in metropolitan areas. Alésia Museum Interpretive Center in France, designed by Bernard Tschumi,
is covered in beautiful and modern wooden facade while it has a very elegant white interior design. If only this building was a bit closer, it would be fun to visit. And I see no reason why that kind of facade wouldn't work on regular non-circle buildings.

In keeping with the circle theme, I found this cool artwork/walkway in Denmark, by Olafur Eliasson, built in 2011. And even though it might not have any practical purposes, "My rainbow panorama" ,as it is called, certainly seems a place to easily take amazing photos in . It is situated on top of Århus Art Museum in Århus, so if you ever are around there, pop by.

Now I really got this post rolling smoothly: Denmark's next door neighbour Sweden is well know for its art and design, but if I stop lying, its mostly known for IKEA. Well now Ikea is taking a try in the world of home media electronics, and it seems like a really good try. Named Uppleva, it combines a proper HD Led TV with integrated Blu-Ray player and new line of furnitures, as seen in this promotional video, TADAA!

Then my favourite part, houses for sale, which I most likely can never afford. First one I could see my self buying (if I had $19 Millions to spend casually) in a very Under The Tuscan Sun-way, where I would just want to start over in some other country, in this case, Sweden (see how it came together again!). Built in 11th century, this magnificent castle was once under royal ownership and later in 17th century expanded and renovated. Even though it has quite a pedigree, the upkeep of that kind of place must be sky high and you can see that is a bit rough around the edges, so no wonder it is on market. I found no pictures of the interior design, but they are supposed to be almost intact. This estate is sold via Christie's, best place to dream.

The second house for sale, that intrigued me, is the Lake Lugano House, by Jacopo Mascheroni, in Switzerland. The view is obviously breath-taking, and the building quite genius itself. With partially underground floor plan, it provides the maximum light at any given time. But I must say this design works only on specific locations, because it is extremely easy to see inside, so it works best in secluded areas where the nature around deserves a view. Here is the original ad.

I have a great post coming up sometime tomorrow when I get the time to write it, about good books to read in the summer. So look for that tomorrow!

P.S I also found extremely fast way to screw up my whole post. Thanks to some clicking I made, I had to put up all photos twice, so their linking might be bit strange, hope they still work.