Latest news with #designTeam
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How The Power Of Narrative Can Shape Your Heirloom Home
One of the greatest benefits of designing and building a home in partnership with a thoughtful, client-focused architect is the way the dwelling can be tailored exactly to its intended occupants' needs and desires. And you'd think that communicating those needs and desires would be a straightforward process: just a matter of specifying the number of bedrooms and baths, requesting, say, a farmhouse look, and asking for a detached meditation and yoga studio to be added in the backyard. Drawing inspiration from the simple vernacular architecture found in the mountains of the Northeast, this home's three gabled pavilions are linked by low, flat-roofed connectors. The design frames long views to the distant mountains while also engaging the dense woodlands to the south, and a muted exterior material palette allows the structure to nestle quietly into its natural setting. The reality, however, isn't so simple. Who, for example, are those bedrooms for, and when will they be used? If you are the kind of person who is energized by mornings, you won't want your bedroom suite to be located on the north or west sides of a house, which get no sun at that time of day. Instead, you'll want those rooms oriented toward the east or southeast, to take maximum advantage of the early light, and you may wish to include an outdoor terrace or sitting porch for lingering over breakfast or coffee. Also, does the term 'farmhouse' have the same meaning for both architect and client? One of you might be thinking of white-painted shiplap walls while the other is visualizing dark, rough-hewn timbers and brick in their mind's eye. And so on. In our practice at Hutker Architects, we've come to understand that uncovering the fuller, more detailed stories that lie behind client requests, as well as appreciating the other sorts of narratives that a dwelling will become part of—many of which extend beyond the purely personal to take in the surrounding landscape and community—is key to the design of a truly responsive, appropriate, and one-of-a-kind custom home. My partners and I learned long ago how useful stories can be when trying to discover what really matters to a homeowner. One of the firm's early clients was a well-known children's book author. Instead of simply listing the physical amenities she had in mind for a new house on Martha's Vineyard, she envisioned how she wanted to live in the house and on the grounds, describing the events of an imagined weekend spent entertaining houseguests. Her depiction made clear what types of spaces would be required, as well as—crucially—how they should function and feel. The 'life room' in this coastal home—created in collaboration with interior designer Heather Wells—checks off several boxes from the homeowners' wish list: they wanted space for large family and social gatherings, opportunities to display works from their art collection, and a close connection to the water outside. As a result, we almost always ask our clients to write out a 'diary' of what they'd consider to be an ideal day in their projected new home. What do they see themselves doing, in what kind of environment, at what time, and with whom? How many people and what kinds of gatherings should the home accommodate? Interpreting those dreamed-up scenarios helps us understand in a much deeper way how to design spaces that will support every aspect of a family's life. After all, home is not just a place where you eat, bathe, and sleep. To employ some of the words we've collected from decades' worth of client journals, home is where you 'study,' 'pray,' 'exercise,' 'garden,' 'cook,' 'play,' 'love,' 'reflect,' 'recuperate,' 'work,' 'aspire,' and more—in short, a place that should bring joy and add meaning to every day. The terrain a house stands on has an equally important tale to tell. For a home I designed on Cape Cod, the influence of the site on the architecture played out in more than one dimension. First, and most obviously, the house is shaped by its lot's topography, transitioning between a low, sheltered front that faces an inland meadow and a loftier, glass-filled rear that opens to a wooded slope running down to the shore of a bay. But, before design even began, the owners and I also spent part of an afternoon walking the land, collecting materials that caught our eye: tree bark, stones, dried leaves, scrap metal, and a few chunks of blackened timbers that remained from an earlier house that had burned down. The day's finds inspired the palette of colors and materials we ended up employing for the new residence that soon rose on the property, including the choice of charred Japanese shou sugi ban cladding for parts of the structure. Elements drawn from the home's location became intrinsic parts of its essence. Our goal is to develop a deep sense of authenticity in the materiality and details of a home, as well as in its basic layout, integrating it with the natural environment it occupies. A family residence on Cape Cod incorporates colors and textures inspired by materials found on its site. We recognize the critical role that architecture plays in shaping the fabric of communities, so we go beyond merely conforming with local building restrictions to engage proactively with the social, cultural, and historical heritage of every locality. Another partner at Hutker Architects, Phil Regan, worked not long ago on a new home in the town of Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard. The lot where the house would stand was on a hillside that overlooked Aquinnah Circle, which is not only a major scenic tourist destination but also a sacred site for the island's native Wampanoag people. Building successfully in those circumstances required cultivating close ties with community organizations and maintaining a keen awareness of how the house would be seen from such a sensitive public place. Rooflines were kept low and rounded, the walls were covered in an engineered wood that has a muted, weathered-looking finish, and Regan even shifted the angle of the house by a few degrees so that its windows wouldn't reflect a harsh solar glare in the evening. The resulting design delights its owners and at the same time blends in with the contours and colors of the hilly terrain, making the house a well-mannered presence in its prominent location. This low-slung home on Martha's Vineyard makes a definite style statement while melding beautifully with the encircling landscape. Whether a house is set beside a salt marsh, perched on a suburban hillside, or nestled into a clearing in the woods, there will always be local human contexts to draw on. It's important to fashion dwellings that foster a sense interaction and belonging with their region, town, or neighborhood. We've never been a firm that turns out one signature 'look' for all purposes. We believe the aesthetics of a residence should be keyed to the narratives of its surroundings. Our designs respond thoughtfully to their context—whether it's the classic Shingle style of homes in a coastal town, the rugged charm of mountain homes, or the vernacular forms of rural barns and outbuildings—while reflecting the needs and aspirations of contemporary living. Calm, neutral colors, along with the organic notes imparted by a stone floor, ceiling beams, and basketlike light fixtures, designed in collaboration with Jean Verbridge of SV Design, allow a modern interior to feel at home on a secluded rural property. 'Style,' in our philosophy, becomes a matter of integrating a client's visual preferences and way of life with ties to the natural and built environments. The stories that a successful house embodies, at all levels, will support one another and evoke a sense of emotional connection, we hope, for inhabitants both today and in years to come. Kyle Hoepner contributed to this article
Motor 1
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Ferrari Is Taking the Memorabilia Market Into Its Own Hands
The market for racing memorabilia is a fascinating one. There's endless apparel, tools, parts, and products that go into every single race, meaning a wide swath of opportunity for fans to own a part of history from their favorite team or driver. But unlike cars, which have service histories and supporting documentation, things like used race engines are a bit harder to keep track of. Ferrari didn't much like the current state of the memorabilia industry, so the company decided to take matters into its own hands. While the Italian carmaker has been privately selling gear and used parts for years, it's finally taken a step to codify the history and value behind its memorabilia. Photo by: Ferrari Photo by: Ferrari To that end, Ferrari has formed a team inside its design center to "reframe" stuff like old race car parts and prototype engines, turning them into displayable works of art for buyers. The line of products, called Ferrari Collectibles, features items like engines and body pieces from Formula 1 cars. There are also smaller objects, like valves, pistons, camshafts, and connecting rods. Instead of selling the pieces as-is, Ferrari's design team aims to put each piece on display using stands made of perspex or aluminum, depending on the item's size, shape, and weight. In the case of a LaFerrari prototype V-12, for example, the engine is "exploded," expanded into several pieces and suspended through a series of aluminum supports, as if to show the parts floating in the air. "The use of transparent materials and structural elements gives an effect of suspension and lightness to the object in question," chief design officer Flavio Manzoni said. "This allows it to be contemplated in the essence of its form. This approach is consistent with our way of working in automotive design, where we tend to operate by subtraction rather than adding the superfluous." More than to capitalize on the value of the parts it has on-hand, Ferrari is pushing its new line of collectibles to "steer brand perception," a spokesperson told Motor1 . The company would rather give its customers the peace of mind that they're buying products straight from the source, rather than a third party. The fancy Perspex stands are just the cherry on top. Photo by: Ferrari As with anything with the prancing horse logo, Ferrari Collectibles aren't cheap, and they're tough to come by. Right now, there are just 13 "families" of items available, ranging from front wings and full engines to exhaust headers. Most of the bigger items, like the one-of-three LaFerrari engine mentioned earlier, are sold out. They're priced from $330,000 each. Another engine, sourced from a Schumacher-raced F1 car, sold for $315,000. Not every item is out of reach, though. Tifosi can get their hands on a race-used brake disc for as little as $3,000, depending on its history. Smaller engine pieces, like valves, can be as cheap as $700. While the big-ticket stuff requires a visit to one of Ferrari's boutiques, you can order more affordable collectibles from Ferrari's website . More on Ferrari The Ferrari Purosangue Has Magic Suspension. Here's How It Works Mamma Mia: Ferrari's New Hot Wheels Sets Are Fantastic Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Gallery: Ferrari Collectibles Memorabilia 18 Source: Ferrari Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
The Verge
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Nothing is making over-ears.
Posted May 16, 2025 at 2:18 PM UTC Nothing is making over-ears. And... that's all we know about them. The company is following up its now extensive range of earbuds with bigger headphones coming this summer. 'I think they're better than AirPods Max,' says Nothing designer Tom Ridley as he and the design team tease what to expect while critiquing the competition, but we'll have to wait to learn more than that.
