Design agenda: Souvenir wallpaper, green urbanism in Abu Dhabi and a Q&A with JJ Martin
Shades of green
UAE
With an arid climate and an average annual temperature of about 29C, Abu Dhabi isn’t known for its greenery. But there has been a blossoming of leafy recreational spaces in the city courtesy of Danish architecture and design firm SLA’s work on 104 new neighbourhood parks. Scattered across Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa City, Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Al Ain and Shakhbout suburbs, 74 hectares of sandy ground have been converted into places for exercise, sports, nature experiences, socialising or a simple stroll. “The parks create a sensuous and hyperlocal framework for Abu Dhabi’s inhabitants and their social lives,” says Rasmus Astrup, design principal and partner at SLA. The project builds on the six parks that were completed in 2023 (and won one of Monocle’s Design Awards).
The project put the experiences of residents front and centre. “Our aim was to introduce a new way of designing liveable and social communities in Abu Dhabi,” says Astrup. Varying in size from pocket park to plaza, the spaces include multi-use sports courts, dog-friendly areas and forested zones. SLA’s ambition for leafy coverage in challenging conditions is part of what makes the parks a benchmark in the region. “We want to keep pushing the boundaries of landscape architecture in the Middle East and beyond,” says Astrup. “We can address the region’s climate challenges, from drought and heat to thunderstorms and carbon emissions, creating urban spaces that improve quality of life for all.”
sla.dk
Q&A
JJ Martin
La Double J
JJ Martin is the California-born, Milan-based founder of homeware brand La Double J. This year, Martin unveiled a new five-storey headquarters in the Navigli area of Milan. Here, she tells us more.
Tell us about your Milan HQ.
In the past 10 years my company has gone through a few iterations, starting as a vintage seller and documenting the unique style of Italy. Then we moved into ready-to-wear and [ended up in] homeware. So the company has grown and it’s the first time that we’ve come together in one space with all of our employees, a proper showroom, our archives, a photo studio and a rooftop deck dedicated to activities for our community. We’re trying to make this more than a commercial enterprise. It comes from the heart and it’s something that we really believe in.
Which markets are you looking to expand into?
Despite the tariffs I still believe in the US. We understand that Asia doesn’t represent the growth opportunity that it once did and Europe remains sluggish. The tariffs are a big hit but at the same time it’s a good time to be a “Made in Italy” brand, rather than something that’s pretending to be Italian but actually made in China. We’ll raise prices a little but we have the margins to do so because our prices are fair to begin with. We’re honest about the quality and the price. We’ve opened in Palm Beach and are opening in Dallas in September. Our shop in Los Angeles burnt down so we’re looking for a new one, as well as a place in New York.
What’s your advice for people looking to start a design business?
Find your authentic imprint. There’s so much product and so many services out there. You have to do something that will strike a chord and be different to what everyone else is doing. To do that, you need to look inwards, not outwards. What is it that gets you excited and jazzed up? That’s your unique spark, which needs to infiltrate the business. Otherwise, it won’t have a superpower effect. Every successful entrepreneur I have met is obsessed with their own unique, weird thing. It needs to come from you, not market research.
ladoublej.com
Wander walls
USA
What to do with souvenirs from your travels? Do you actually use your teapot from Japan when you want a hot brew or display that vase from Murano on a shelf? For Stephen Burks and Malika Leiper, the duo leading US design practice Stephen Burks Man Made, the answer was to turn them into a decorative wall covering. Working with Calico Wallpaper, the duo transposed their knick-knacks from their cross-continental travels into a 2D wallpaper design that they called Particulaire.
“We started by looking around our home and asking ourselves, ‘What do we decorate the rooms with?’” says Burks. “The answer was objects from our travels. They tell a story both about us and the cultures that we have interacted with.”
Working with the wallpaper firm, which is based in Upstate New York, the creative duo used photographed renderings of their personal mementoes to create a graphic pattern that puts objects from across the globe into conversation while bringing plenty of personality to a room. “The gorilla image is from a young man who we met in Rwanda carving wooden figures. But we also took inspiration from Japan, Senegal, the Dominican Republic and even Brooklyn,” says Burks of the wallpaper. “Our travels are a way for us to get closer to acts of making that involve different techniques and materials,” adds Leiper.
To present the project the two firms created a bespoke mural at the Istituto dei Ciechi in Milan during the city’s recent design week. Since the launch, the Particulaire wallpaper has been made available in 10 colourways ranging from neutral hues to a maroon and sage green. If you find yourself gazing at an unused teapot or vase, perhaps try reaching out to Calico Wallpaper: they might just be the foundation for another unique collection of wallpaper.
stephenburksmanmade.com; calicowallpaper.com
Outside the box
Italy
Can upcycling be made to feel sophisticated? Japanese design powerhouse Muji thinks so. During Milan Design Week it presented its Manifesto House – a modular home in the city’s Brera neighbourhood. Designed by Paris-based Studio 5.5, the six-part building (entrance, studio, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and garden) was made from materials that are both visually appealing and eco-friendly: plywood for the structure; corrugated steel for the roof and recycled textiles for insulation.
The ambition? To show a prototype for cities struggling with housing shortages. The concept house made clever use of limited interior space, while the roof was slanted to collect rainwater to irrigate the edible plants lining the garden module’s trellises. Studio 5.5 also created accessories, 12 of which were made from repurposed Muji products: a coat rack assembled from a bin lid and two soap-pump bottles; or a birdhouse made using a steel bookend and wooden drawer. Assembly instructions could be found on Muji’s website, enabling everyone to create their own objects from preloved items. “It’s a reminder that, rather than extracting new materials, we can create new things from existing ones,” says Studio 5.5’s co-founder Claire Renard.
While the project is conceptual, the designers are considering commercial possibilities. “It’s inexpensive, small and shows how we can live responsibly and happily,” says Jean-Sébastien Blanc, another Studio 5.5 co-founder.
muji.eu; 5-5.paris
Tunnel vision
Australia
Vipp, which rose to fame with its pedal-bin design, built its first guesthouse in 2014 to demonstrate how its products can transform and enhance a home. Its latest venture, Vipp Tunnel, is a structure in Australia that reveals its ability to enhance the landscape too. Perched on a hill on Bruny Island, off the island of Tasmania, the tunnel-like form is built to the design of Hobart-based studio Room11.
The brutalist-inspired structure is defined by expansive walls of glass and subtly recessed steel doors, which frame views of the sea and mountains. Natural light streams in through carefully placed lightwells, creating an airy, bright atmosphere. An atrium courtyard separates the main living areas from the principal bedroom, while a glazed door at the end of the structure frames a terrace, which is suspended above the rugged terrain.
It’s a carefully considered composition that puts guests at the heart of the landscape. “The dramatically elongated proportions of the structure respond to the landscape by purposely framing the water with a broad expanse of glass,” says Thomas Bailey, director of Room11. “The user finds themselves in the extraordinary, natural landscape of Tasmania’s Bruny Island.”
vipp.com
