a designed parking lot

Hotel Puerta de America parking lot, Madrid. Photo courtesy of teresasapey.com

Even the most successful designers have to get their big break somewhere. It was Tobias Wong who made his own big breaks by self-financing his projects like the Money Pad and Philippe Starck Chair-Lamp. I truly believe you have to be willing to bet on yourself with your own money before you can expect others to invest in your projects.

Tobias Wong went to a number of print shops, including Kinkos, before he finally found a printer willing to bind his stack of 100 one dollar bills. Photo courtesy of Theme Magazine.

Teresa Sapey got her break designing the Hotel Puerta de America parking lot in Madrid. Instead of going the traditional route of designing hotels, store interiors, and restaurants, Teresa decided she coud do something different. It’s a spectacular space and the novelty of it has brought her into the world of celebrity: Madonna has held a party in the space, Frank Gehry has contacted her about doing a joint project, and she has become well-known by artists and other architects alike.

Hotel Puerta de America parking lot, Madrid. Photos courtesy of teresasapey.com

neat furniture + booths at ids08

some highlights from this year’s show:

clever.

A booth made entirely from flatten-able paper boxes!

toronto’s gaudiest design company

while the star has been praising the refined, understated, and contemporary “toronto style” that has developed recently, kramer design associates has been working hard on reshaping the city in its own brand of brash, gaudy, and over-the-top pomposity.

tre di una chairs

Hunn Wai’s “tre di una” chairs and “wood x plastic” shelf are interesting for their focus on the jointing and connection between materials, giving the furniture has an organic sensitivity.