Sixpenny Brings a European Loft to Downtown Brooklyn, and Other News

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

At Sixpenny Loft, a European Retreat in Downtown Brooklyn

It wouldn’t be fair to call the Italian oil paintings, antique French tapestries, and Turkish rugs that grace Sixpenny’s Brooklyn loft and HQ a “backdrop” for the brand’s selection of furniture. Instead the decor, paired with architectural touches like travertine floors and carved wood doors complements a global point of view that sees designs created in New York City incorporate fine linen upholstery sourced from France and reclaimed oak from Austria. Daybeds, sectionals, and tables from the direct-to-consumer furniture purveyor are on view throughout the space, which doubles as a spot for the Sixpenny team to take appointments, co-work, and host events. With the state of global travel still in disarray, there’s something to be said for such transportive design. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

Bowlus debuts the mirrored Volterra, what it bills as the world’s first all-electric RV. 

For more than a century, RVs have given adventure seekers the freedom to roam. Now, one California company is bringing wanderlust into the future—and it’s looking luxe. Bowlus’s latest is the Volterra, what it claims is the first all-electric RV. The design combines Scandi interiors with high-end appliances powered by a solar array that can keep it off-grid indefinitely, says the company, making the only obstacle the end of the road.” [H/T Dwell]

An AD spread scrubbed allegedly looted Cambodian art from a collector’s mansion.

“A glossy photospread in AD featuring the $42 million San Francisco mansion of art collectors Roger Barnett and Sloan Lindemann Barnett was photoshopped to scrub allegedly looted Cambodian art from the article. In a photograph on the website of the home’s architect, several ancient Khmer statues were displayed on pedestals nestled amid palm trees in the home’s courtyard. Yet the sculptures disappeared from the same picture published by AD in January 2021, despite a caption mentioning “Southeast Asian sculptures.” Hany Farid, a visual forensics expert at the University of California at Berkeley, confirmed that the photo had been airbrushed to remove the stone sculptures.” [H/T Artnet News]

Buyers of Frank Stella’s new series of NFTs also obtain rights to 3D print the works.

“The Artist Rights Society, an organization that helps artists with copyright and licensing, is inaugurating a new Web3 platform. Titled Arsnl, it will launch on Sept. 9 with a series of NFTs by Frank Stella. Stella may be most widely known for his spare paintings of the 1950s and ’60s, which are considered forerunners to the Minimalist art movement. But the 86-year-old has previously used computers and 3D printing for large sculptural works. The 22 resulting NFTs are sleek, gray 3D objects which include some of recent Stella designs. The NFTs are offered in editions of 100, and they come with an exciting perk: 3D printing instructions that only holders have the right to use to make their own Stella sculpture.” [H/T ARTnews]

Investors are bringing a group of green container homes to Chicago’s South Side.

A team of investors has joined forces to bring energy-efficient container homes to the South Side—and neighbors could move in as soon as this winter. Vincennes Village, a collection of 12 forty-foot-long modern, eco-friendly container homes, will be built at 7231 S. Vincennes Ave. The project is the brainchild of project manager Darryl Burton, owner of Global Financial Services, and developer Anthony Casboni, former owner of the demolished Vincennes Discount Center and a retired firefighter. Onyx Architectural Services, a minority-owned firm, is the lead developer. Each home will be energy efficient, with motion-activated lights and faucets and “state of the art material anyone might find in a traditional wooden house,” Burton said. Pricing for the homes will start at $300,000.” [H/T Block Club Chicago]

Kisho Kurokawa’s studio is auctioning rights to rebuild the Nakagin Capsule Tower.

“The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo could soon be replicated in both real space and the metaverse, as its original architect Kisho Kurokawa’s studio is auctioning the rights to rebuild it. Tokyo-based Kisho Kurokawa Architect and Associates and Japanese investment company Laetoli are currently selling the rights to reconstruct the tower on OpenSea—a marketplace based on NFT technology. There are two ongoing NFT sales, one which will allow a winning bidder to rebuild Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower anywhere in the world, and another to construct a version of it in the metaverse. Launched on 22 July, the auction responds to the demolition of the Japanese housing block, which is underway in Ginza, Tokyo.” [H/T Dezeen]

Airbnb rolls out new technology to fend off users looking to book houses for parties.

“Airbnb is piloting anti-party technology in its ongoing efforts to fend off users who are looking to book a house to throw large, unapproved gatherings. The vacation rental company said the new tech is aimed at identifying “potentially high-risk reservations.” Airbnb will be looking at factors like a user’s history of positive reviews and history with the service, length of the requested booking, distance from their home to the booking, and whether it’s booked for a weekend or weekday. Short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb and Vrbo, have struggled with unauthorized parties taking place at bookings. The new tech is meant to flag and prevent suspect bookings from being sent to the host for approval, so homeowners can approve bookings without fear of property damage or noise complaints.” [H/T Fast Company]

Researchers develop a more sustainable brick alternative using waste products.

“Researchers from Flinders University’s Chalker Research Lab have developed a more sustainable alternative to making bricks by using waste products. The team used low-cost feedstocks to make lightweight but durable polymer building blocks, which can be bonded together with an adhesive-free chemical reaction. Their study tested the strength of these materials and explored ways they can be reinforced in construction. These bricks can be bound together without needing mortar or cement, materials whose production is very carbon-intensive.” [H/T Archinect]

Today’s attractive distractions:

India’s Khasi people navigate the region’s wet terrain with living root bridges.

These limited-edition “Heinekicks” are injected with beer to drink on the go.

Kids can learn the pleasures of machinery at this construction-themed park.

Brands are finding success by promoting their most boring products on TikTok.