It seems to happen to me all the time. I find a lovely client, an interesting brief and a reasonable budget and then just as it seems too good to be true. Wham! There it is, the unrealistic deadline.

I know i shouldn’t expect clients to understand exactly what we do and how the process of design works but i’m constantly surprised at how quickly they expect us to turn out a concept. Do they think we design on the back of fag box? Do they think we just lash a random array of brochure cut-outs onto an A3 board? Where’s the time for research, for contemplation, for design?

I often wonder whether interior professionals are held to a different standard to other professionals. Would an accountant be expected to complete a tax audit over lunch? Would a solicitor be expected to review a contract over coffee? It makes you wonder whether they see us as professionals at all!

Elaine

Watch this video of architect Gary Chang reconfiguring his teeny apartment; it’s cool.

Elaine

Inspired by the Ayoreo Indians and designed by Alejandro Aravena this is the ultimate in minimalist furniture design.

Elaine

Although i’m not sure when exactly you’d need a 35mm high recyclable feeding chair i still think the ‘belkiz feedaway’ looks pretty cool.

Elaine

Taiwanese designer Rock Wang and craftsman Pei-ze Chen created the Brick Plan collection for the new Taiwanese design brand Yii. All of these items in the collection were hand-carved out of an existing column of brick. Amazing!!

Elaine

I love it when a plan comes together. Well done to Jung Woo Lee of EK Design for this little bit of ingenuity.

Elaine

It’s great to be able to feature an Irish project by an Irish designer in our portfolio section, albeit from his London based office. It’s a sad but true fact that to be successful in Ireland people often have to ‘prove’ themselves abroad first and just recently a friend of mine has decided to do that and is relocating her business to London.

It’s true that England offers much more opportunity for designers but is it just an issue of market size or is due to the English appreciation of quality design? When i was reading for my thesis i can across a very interesting concept purported by Michael Porter. He argues that the external environment has a direct effect on the success of an industry, which is why certain countries are famous for certain industries - Germany for engineering, Japan for electronics - and others are not. When you compare the Irish and English attitude towards the support of design there leaves little doubt as to why the journey is one-way.

Recently the British Design Council announced a £100,000 fund to help design bodies and networks get the message about the value of design across to business. Compare that to the depressing findings of the Centre for Design Innovation’s report on the Design Services Sector in Ireland and you really have to question the government’s commitment to the development of a ’smart’ economy. It will be interesting to see if the campaign to have Dublin appointed as the 2014 World Design Capital will have an impact on this.

All the best

Elaine

Seems like we’re getting our very own Dublin eye. A massive observation wheel is to be constructed this summer down in the Point Village Square at Dublin’s Docklands. It promises to give stunning views over the capital as well as the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains from it’s 21 fully enclosed capsules. There will also be VIP pods that can be hired out for special occasions like birthdays or weddings.

Count me in.

Elaine

I absolutely adore this artwork by Simon Schubert, which he creates simply by creasing paper.

This space saving multi-functional carpet was created by Shin Yamashita, a student at the Kyoto Institute of Technology. Called ‘Land Peel’ the product is a foam floor covering which also has panels that flip up and fold, to become any sort of furniture you might need, including a table, seat, tray, footrest or pillow.