Jan Kaplický's High-Tech Dinghy

Future Systems architect Jan Kaplický's self-contained living room with attached tv, telephone, lamps, and probably stereo, circa 1980. Kaplický was the architect behind Deyan Sudjic's Space Station pad and a slew of unbelievably incredible futuristic buildings, but I like this early effort, complete with all the coolest bits of the High-Tech movement (Pirelli rubber flooring, retractile cords, Plia folding chairs, and of course the billboard as wallpaper.


More evidence that High-Tech was probably Kaplický's favorite book:





Images from Decoration and Design for the 80's by Pamela Ferguson (London, 1983)

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push, pull, empty, full

The garage as playroom: during the day the car is in use; when the kids go to bed it comes in for the night. 

From Deyan Sudjic's The House Style Book, 1984

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Deyan Sudjic's London Spacecraft, 1985

British journalist and author (then) and now Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic's awesome London loft, designed by Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick. It actually looks like a small Design Museum itself, or a spaceship that's been travelling around galaxies, curating. The only thing missing is a Braun KF 20 coffee maker. 

from Suzanne Slesin and Stafford Cliff's amazing The International Book of Lofts (1986).
...and not actually designed by Kubrick and Scott, but by Jan Kaplicky in London and David Nixon in Los Angeles, two architects in the transatlantic firm Future Systems.

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Terence Conran at London's Design Museum

Terence Conran talks about Habitat's beginnings, his philosophy, intelligent designing, the importance of supporting crafts, making things, and never giving up. Backed by his Retrospective at the Design Museum which I would have loved to see in person. Like a live Habitat Catalog.
Look at this awesome old Habitat launch poster:





And what is that great big graphic behing Stafford Cliff, in the upper right?:



And related, a spread about us from The Guardian UK earlier this year, talking about how we're more inspired by Conran's House Book and the 1970's than just about anything else.




more great photos etc. on Jim Stephenson's blog here: http://blog.clickclickjim.com/2012/02/17/design-museum-conran-partners-feb-12/

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