February 20, 2011

3D video map your living room

Filed under: Architecture,Design by Branko Collin @ 1:04 pm

Mr. Beam is a company that uses the sides of large buildings as the canvas for light shows (an idea pioneered by the hackers of the Chaos Computer Club, and now adopted by a large number of department stores around Christmas time).

Their Living Room concept does the same for a room filled with white furniture. As Oh Gizmo says:

Using only 2 projectors and some extremely careful planning and mapping, they’re able to project an entire 360° decor onto a living room filled with white furniture. This includes projected wallpaper and even carpeting. The concept, which is not unlike Michel Gondry’s Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground video for The White Stripes (RIP), could make it really easy for interior decorators to try out an infinite number of pattern and color combinations before committing to a new decor in a room. That is if Mr. Beam ever decides to commercialize it.

(Video: Living Room from Mr.Beam on Vimeo)

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June 14, 2009

Royal palace Amsterdam reopens after extensive renovations

Filed under: Architecture,History by Branko Collin @ 8:05 am

As of today, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam will be open to the public again. The former 17th century city hall had been closed for renovations for three years.

Although the general public can visit the building—it used to draw 100,000 visitors a year—it is also still in use as one of the Queen’s palaces. Although she doesn’t live there, she does use the palace for formal receptions. Telegraaf reports (Dutch) that several suites for guests have been added. The renovators have tried to restore the palace to the Empire style—originally introduced by King Louis Bonaparte (the brother of)—meaning lots of light colours and gilded furniture.

Several modern conveniences have also been added, such as lifts, ground floor toilets, and air conditioning. The total cost of the renovation ran up to 80 million euro. The Rijksgebouwendienst (state building service) is now preparing for a controversial clean-up of the outside of the building—something that hasn’t happened since the palace was built 350 years ago, according to Parool (Dutch).

(Photo: Bureau Monumenten & Archeologie.)

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May 31, 2009

Tower of children’s books in Amsterdam public library

Filed under: Design,Literature by Branko Collin @ 6:31 pm

Speaking of towers of books, this one is in the recently built main branch of the Amsterdam public library, in the children’s books section. The top has pillows in it so that children can sit there and read.

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