More from Paris and its design scene. During Maison et Objet, we have visited Bensimon gallery for the opening and surprisingly we have seen newest collection of furniture of our favorite, Eindhoven-based Max Lipsey.

We interviewed Max some time ago about his passion for bikes and his furniture collection called Acciaio, which is the Italian word for steel. Made out of Columbus tubes, the furniture is elegant as some of the best hand-made Italian bikes.

In The Bensimon gallery we took a closer look for Acciaio 2 series, collection of cabinets, lamp or screen. All the pieces are made out of the same technique as before. We like the details of joining, perforating and cubist like shapes of the collection which was launched this autumn with the help of The New York-based Matter design store.

The Another hot stand in the halls of Maison et Objet fair has prepared Belgian designer and producer Michael Verhayden.

His products are as abstract symbols of the big painting for us. We bring you these pictures of Verhayden`s stand as abstract compositions where colors and materials create wonderful world of decoration and craft.

In the style of many 20th century decorators, Verhayden creates delicate products and accessories using various materials, such as marble, leather, wood, brass or horn. The outcome is the ultimate luxury collection of daily things: combs, scissors, bowls, bags, as well as 1950s inspired 55 armchair or the minimalist stand lamp.

Verhayden makes all the things hand made and in the limited series. He is true decorator/maker of our time.

Carlo Mollino was a great architect too. Last year we have visited his last masterwork: Teatro Regio in Turin finished in 1973. For this occasion we have made our own series of pictures and now we publish them with architectural chapter from our Mollino book. Find Mollino`s architectural legacy as well as details about this spectacular theatre in the center of Turin bellow.

Mollino’s significance in architecture can be seen not only in specific implementations, but also in his nonconformist views on it. Thus, his projects that have never been implemented represent for us an even more interesting chapter of his work, which started in 1934 when he finished the headquarters of the Farmers’ Association in Cuneo in collaboration with V. Baudi di Selve. This three-story building with rational foundations and a rounded quoin, designed in the period aestheticism reminiscent of Guiseppe Terragni, proves that Mollino was heading in a direction contrary to Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Thus, Eriche Mendelsohn, for whom Mollino briefly worked in his Berlin-based studio, Alvar Aalto, and Hans Scharoun became the key reference points for Mollino’s organically focused architecture.

The Turin equestrian association, built from 1937 to 1940, demonstrates Mollino’s organic line in a very convincing way. The large campus, which includes a riding hall, stables, and rooms for social events, represents a very original interpretation of an organic style. Purely white surfaces, combined with sharp geometrical facing and wavy mouldings, link period modernism with the inspirational source of Turin Baroque by Guarino Guarini. The spectacular stairway hall with broken glass railings and a rococo chandelier crowns Mollino’s exquisite style. Subsequent designs and implementations from the 1940s transform the architect’s expression into a free concept of form. An imaginary design from 1942 entitled “The House on the Hills” for Domus magazine presents Mollino’s perspective of a perfect private residence. Whereas the front side of the tall slender monolith is fully glazed, the three other walls are made from rustic stonework. The top floor is angular and equipped with a terrace finished by a wall in the form of a wave. This design represents Mollino’s complex intentions with specific solutions to individual details.
"The House on the Heights" from 1944 is also a hypothetic project of a modern house. Mollino combined formal archetypes of ancient and byzantine architecture and achieved a nearly post-modern source of inspiration in a villa that personifies a contemporary profane temple. However, the design is all along the lines of Mollino’s typical organic modernism, which does not lack a formally irregular atrium and a semi-domed glazed space. In 1947, the architect finished a very impressive design of a funicular station, as well as the Lago Nero guesthouse, which links a modernist ground floor and a large terrace on conical pillars with a top section made from wood with a gable roof inspired by traditional Alpine architecture. Mollina would later focus on this architectural style in this time and in all his architectural designs from that time onward. However, there is one exception from this trend – the design of a residential building on the sea coast in San Remo from 1948. This dynamical structure, complete with an elaborate interior, was to be embedded into the dramatic environment of the cliffs.

At that time, the architect coped with local architectural traditional and the most progressive construction trends at the same time. Be it the expressive design of the Fürggen funicular station, the re-design of the Garelli traditional Alpine chalet, the design for the suspension “Truss House” or the constructed Casa del Sole chalet and hotel in Cervinia, he always interconnected the post-war organic concept with mountain rusticity. The family house in Luin by lake Maggiore, built from 1951 to 1953, was also conceived in a very expressive way – the house is pushed above ground by means of concrete beams and equipped with a typical gable roof.
However, the most challenging assignments awaited Mollino towards the close of his life. The Turin chamber of commerce was built from 1964 to 1972 in collaboration with Carlo Graffi, A. Galardi, and A. Migliassi. The brutalist and futuristic expression of the building, which bears a geometrical grid of rounded windows, lacks Mollino’s characteristic features from the 1950s. Thus, the magnanimous extension of the Teatro Regio in Turin, finished in 1973, gives a more personal impression. The brick organic mass with large glazed surfaces refers to the radical architecture of Guarino Guarini. The interior of the lobby, furnished with a geometrical crystalline ceiling and geometrical brick reliefs, contrasts with the fluid space of the auditorium, in which Mollino achieved an unusual dynamic animation in collaboration with Carlo Graffi and A. Zavelani Rossi. The auditorium, constructed in the shape on an egg, is topped with spectacular lighting by Gino Sarfatti. Mollino could not have left behind a better architectural testament.

Some times ago we have visited cult place for all the Mollino`s and design fans. Casa Mollino is the wonderful interior masterpiece of the hedonist lifestyle.

It is the last Carlo Mollino`s private apartment he designed for himself and all his passions. Today, the curators Fulvio and Napoleone Ferrari, our old good friends, take care of the place and serve guided tours for everybody interested in.

Our pictures represent our own look at the apartment, all his details and secrets.

The Maniera Moderna exhibition of Carla Mollino at Haus der Kunst in München was a must-see event of the last season.

We were there, made some photos and took some print materials from the show to enrich our knowledge about the Italian master.

Some time ago we have visited paradise of the classic cars. Klassikstadt in Frankfurt am Main is a wonderful place for every classic cars lover.

Renovated old factory houses in its three floors hundreds of classic cars from old Mini Coopers to unique Mercedes, Jaguars and others vintage jewels. Klassikstadt is a gallery, store as well as service for clients, collectors and platform for organizing events or competitions. In its space, the cars stand next to the small renovating workshops, bars, offices or restaurants. It is lively and friendly space when you can walk around and explore fantastic vintage cars. We fell in love with the wonderful Citroën SM (1970) primarily which is a great example of the futuristic concepts in the car design of the 1970s. More on pictures!

So here is last chapter in our short series from Frankfurt art and design ateliers. This time we take a closer look into the workshop and studio of Tobias Rehberger.

One of the most successful contemporary artist Tobias Rehberger works in the various disciplines of fine arts. He creates sculptures, design objects and interiors as well as architecture and installations. Everything in his signature dramatic expressionist and very colorful style.

We have visited his studio in the center of the city, when artist finished his last piece commissioned for Art Miami Basel held two weeks ago. The studio becomes very photogenic and visually rich environment itself. Books, iconic design objects, materials, drawings, models or components for his own sculptures create together natural working gesamtkunstwerk signed by the famous brand Tobias Rehberger.

In Frankfurt am Main we visited young designer Hanna Ernsting as well. At this moment she is working at her home in the quiet residential district close to the centre of the city.

Hanna Ernsting surprised design world this year when she won second prize at IMM Cologne D3 Design Contest with her Moody Coach. Special conceptual seating which is more free domestic sculpture than traditional sofa plays with problematic of the comfort and variable function. Made out of hidden structure and large textile cover which you can use in the different ways, the Moody offers several possibilities of seating and relaxing. You can sleep, you can sit on, hide in it or use it as a carpet almost, the textile cover is the amorphous object for the domestic well-being.

In Hanna`s apartment we saw new object of the Moody series as well. Her Moody bag is the smaller variation on the same theme. Green textile can cover any chair or armchair and can create organic and comfortable seating.

In the great atmosphere of the meeting in the apartment/studio we discovered conceptual comfort of Hanna Ernsting and good feeling of the domesticity which is seen in her work. Vitra pieces or some another icons of modern design finally complete very natural atmosphere of the Hanna`s home.

In Frankfurt am Main, we visited three ateliers of three artists and designers. First of them we present here workshop of Kai Linke, young explorer of the new angles of the product design.

Kai stands behind several very interesting furniture projects based on exploring new possibilities in construction, materials and concepts of design itself.

His Blasted series includes wooden pieces with the special relief decorations. Roots project incorporates live nature into the design process. Linke planted plants into the pots in the shape of chair. "Roots of plants have been directed to fill out a form on different nutrient mediums over a period of time. After filling out the form completely, similar to a flower in a too small pot, it is then removed and a root shaped like a table or a chair is left", he says.

All these experiments he does in his atelier shared with his friends artists.

Tomorrow we will launch our next issue of OKOLO magazine called Vienna Only. Series of articles presents our original view on the best things, people and ideas from the city of Vienna.

One of the article is also on the cult place of the world photographic culture, Leica Shop and Westlicht museum and auction in Vienna. And because we visited Leica Shop in München last week as well, here is the short photographic essay from the German shop.

Tomorrow you can look forward on the Viennese one. Where? In our Vienna Only issue launched at Nová Scéna in Prague.