Monthly archives: November 2011

"Keyed to Detail, No Matter How Crazy"
- The New York Times


Dezeen Wire:
in her latest article for The New York Times, design critic Alice Rawsthorn explains how Dutch designer Aldo Bakker's expressive process and relentless attention to detail make him "one of the new wave of designers who could be called design-auteurs" – The New York Times

Bakker's products and furniture perform simple functions in ways that Rawsthorn says demonstrate "a quiet confidence, as if every element has been resolved with nothing left to chance." Bakker says of his creative methods, which can lead to each product taking years to develop: “I love having the freedom to pay attention to every detail in my work, no matter how crazy."

See designs by Aldo Bakker on Dezeen and read more articles by Alice Rawsthorn here.

Design Museum move will "help nurture a new
generation of creative talent"- Deyan Sudjic


Dezeen Wire:
the director of London's Design Museum Deyan Sudjic claims the museum's new home at the former Commonwealth Institute will offer a platform for future designers and that Britain can regain its reputation as creative power, "provided we go on investing in design" – The Guardian

Sudjic describes the Design Museum's original incarnation at the Victoria & Albert museum as "a little like an upmarket squatter in the V&A basement," but suggests that "contemporary design is now firmly on the cultural agenda." He claims that Britain must support design education in order to stay ahead of emerging economies, adding that "design is a way to create or safeguard jobs."

James Dyson also recently wrote an article on the importance of design to the British economy and we previously reported on the Design Museum's current building being up for sale.

"Maggie's Centre: the jolly green giant"
- The Guardian


Dezeen Wire:
in a review for The Guardian, architecture critic Jonathan Glancey says that the new Maggie's centre in Nottingham is like something out of a fairytale and "is clearly designed to make visitors smile" – The Guardian

Glancey claims that architect Piers Gough of CZWG and fashion designer Paul Smith, who was responsible for the interior, have triumphed in their attempt at creating a homely environment for those affected by cancer, adding: "From a purely architectural and design point of view, few hospital buildings – this side of the other eight Maggie's Centres built in Britain since the 1990s – are as welcoming."

See our original story on Maggie's Nottingham and subsequent story with more images as well as all our stories on Maggie's centres.