DESIGN DISPATCH

Daniel Arsham Debuts a Sculptural Sink for Kohler, and Other News

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

Rock.01 by Daniel Arsham for Kohler

The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now

Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here.

Daniel Arsham Debuts a Sculptural Sink for Kohler 

Daniel Arsham’s practice often ruminates on time. In particular, the prolific New York artist recasts today’s most recognizable cultural objects as archaeological artifacts discovered one thousand years from now in states of disrepair and decay. A furniture collection, in which he ascribed his signature fossilized visuals to everyday objects such as Jeanneret chairs and eclectic, multi-color chaises that meld disparate shapes and colors, soon followed. His latest project, a sculptural sink for Kohler, takes this ongoing dialogue with time to the next level. 

Called Rock.01, the sink features a pebble-shaped wash basin made of 3D-printed vitreous china that slumps over a hand-poured brass “rock” marked by a patina achieved through a forced coercion process. According to Arsham, the sink channels the timeworn stones strewn along the beach near his home on Long Island. “It’s literally the new resting on top of the old,” he says. “I find that incredibly poetic.” Made possible by Kohler’s relationship with The Art Lab Studio, an art marketing and partnership consultancy by Sana Rezwan, the sink will display at Design Miami/ 2021 and will be available for purchase afterward in a limited run of 99. 

Le Dôme by Foster + Partners. Photography by Nigel Young

Bordeaux’s Heralded Le Dôme Debuts a Holistic New Winery

Blending into the bucolic landscape of Bordeaux, whose patchwork of 18th-century cathedrals, neoclassical architecture, and medieval villages earned it designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Le Dôme is the newest addition to the region’s world-class wine scene. 

Located in Saint-Émilion down on a tree-lined avenue, the London-based firm Foster + Partners conceived a sunken circular facility in harmony with the terrain for Jonathan Maltus’ cult wine brand. Under a sloping roof lined in terracotta tiles, visitors taste the label’s highly sought after, hard-to-find Cabernet Franc blends while taking in the 360-degree views of the enveloping vineyards and the winemaking process through a central atrium on the ground floor. Earthy tones and natural oak furniture imbue the space with warmth and nod to the surrounding hills, but the pièce de résistance is the decagonal oculus at the building’s crown that allows sunlight to pour in.

City Climb at Edge. Photography courtesy Related Group

Thrill seekers can now scale up the side of 30 Hudson Yards, a 1,300-foot-tall skyscraper. 

The Edge at New York’s Hudson Yards may be one of the world’s highest sky decks, but those seeking an extra adrenaline rush can now scale up the side of the building. City Climb at Edge, which purports to be the world’s highest open-air building ascent, grants the very brave a chance to scale a series of open-air platforms and stairs alongside the crown of 30 Hudson Yards, which rises 1,300 feet tall. For those wondering, safety is indeed a priority: Everyone gets a thorough briefing, and guides harness each participant with two cables attached to a trolley.” The adventure, which lasts just under two hours, will cost $185, but you’ll walk away with a video of the feat—and perhaps a new perspective.  

The heritage workwear boot brand Blundstone debuts a long-awaited vegan style.

Blundstone’s heritage boots have long been a favorite of artists and creatives seeking durable workwear. After customers were starting to request a vegan style on social media, the Tasmania-based brand entered into a four-year-long development period to produce their best-selling 550 Chelsea-style boots using vegan leathers. The result, made of water-resistant and anti-bacterial material in black or brown, closely mirrors the original and was tested at up to 150,000 flex cycles to ensure top-notch durability.

Lexus teams with Germane Barnes for an immersive installation at Design Miami/.

Returning as Design Miami/’s automotive sponsor, Lexus is teaming with designer Germane Barnes and the University of Miami for an immersive installation to explore the brand’s vision for the future. The collaborative project will use the LF-Z Electrified concept car as a point of inspiration to explore the potential for an electrified, carbon-neutral, human-centered future that’s on the horizon. “We’re so excited to show the world the potential that the future holds both through the exploration of Lexus’s next-generation vehicle, and through the talent, energy, and vision of the next generation of designers working with me to realize this project,” Barnes said in a statement. A dynamic digital experience will complement the physical installation. 

Floating pool in Sydney Harbour by Andrew Burges Architects

Sydney proposes an ambitious public swimming pool in the city’s famed harbor.

Clover Moore, the lord mayor of Sydney, has commissioned Australian firm Andrew Burges Architects (ABA) to revitalize the city’s famed harbor with an accessible swimming pool in an effort to provide a place for residents to cool down during hot summers. “Swimming in the harbor is no pipe dream. Cities are turning to their natural harbor assets rather than building more infrastructure,” Moore wrote in a pitch that was adapted from her speech at the recent Sydney Water Innovation Festival. The plan would also spearhead a conservation effort: “This vision rests on improving water quality,” Moore added. “Some parts of our harbor are polluted and cleaning up these waterways so they can be used for recreation and to improve biodiversity will require cooperation across all levels of government.”

The Legacy Tower at Miami Worldcenter may become the first Covid-ready tower.

Can skyscrapers be Covid-ready? According to Kobi Karp, the architect behind the Legacy Tower at Miami Worldcenter, the answer is a resounding yes. The skyscraper will host residences, a hotel, and a ten-floor medical center equipped with technologically advanced services including a diagnostic lab testing suite, surgery rooms, and MRI scanners. Whenever the next pandemic strikes, its residents will be safe thanks to ample ventilators and medical gases that will make it much easier to shelter in place.  

Skims and Fendi launch a logo-heavy capsule collection of hosiery and bodysuits. 

On the heels of Kim Jones’ Fendace collab with Donatella Versace, a logo fever dream manifested through a line of shirts, handbags, dresses, and more, the British designer and artistic director of Fendi is teaming up with Kim Kardashian’s apparel label, Skims. The collection blurs the lines between underwear, activewear, and clothing, and includes hosiery, sports bras, mini-dresses, and bodysuits emblazoned with the Fendi monogram. The limited-edition release will launch on Nov. 9. 

The Rig theme park and resort in the Arabian Gulf

Today’s attractive distractions:

Saudi Arabia plans to convert a floating oil rig into a theme park and resort.

Glass refrigerators at Walgreens are being replaced with “cooler screens.”

Maybe you missed it, but Pixar movies are packed with subversive urbanism.

The odds are squarely against anyone vying for quick-hit social media fame.

All Stories