DESIGN DISPATCH

Maiden Home Debuts a Summer Showhouse in Tribeca, and Other News

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Tribeca House by Maiden Home. Photography by Matthew Williams

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Maiden Home Debuts a Summer Showhouse in Tribeca

While there’s no shortage of design showrooms for aesthetes to peruse in New York City, furniture brand Maiden Home is making the case for shopping closer to home—courtesy of its inaugural showroom in Lower Manhattan, open by appointment through Sept. 2. Tribeca House, a 2,500 square-foot residence located in the tony downtown neighborhood, offers a select assortment of the brand’s pieces (including furnishings from their summer collection), which are all designed locally and built to order by artisan furniture makers in North Carolina. 

In much the same way as Maiden Home uses texture and form to create visual interest in furnishings rendered from a palette of tasteful neutral hues, Tribeca House sparks its own dialogue with architectural features like the residence’s hand-painted plaster fireplace and custom floating staircase. “[It] embodies the signature Maiden Home lifestyle,” says founder and CEO Nidhi Kapur. “One that’s beautifully designed, but effortlessly comfortable, with an emphasis on natural materials and the artistry that shapes them.” —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

Proposal for Oasis Towers by MVRDV in Nanjing, China. Image courtesy of ATCHAIN/MVRDV

MVRDV lands the commission for Oasis Towers, a lush mixed-use complex in Nanjing.

“MVRDV has revealed its winning competition design for Oasis Towers, a mixed-use residential and commercial complex on the edge of the Jiangbei New Area Financial District in Nanjing, China. The 1.79 million-square-foot project reveals two L-shaped, 492-foot-tall towers with cascading terraces facing each other from the north and south corners. Nestled at the center between both buildings is a lush green landscape that gradually expands outwards, overtaking the building terraces.” [H/T Designboom]

Several U.S. museums receive grants to help repatriate Indigenous cultural objects.

“The National Park Service has awarded 20 American museums and nine Indigenous tribes grants totaling $2.1 million to assist in the consultation, cataloging, and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural objects in an effort to increase enforcement of the National American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The 1990 statute requires federally-funded institutions to inventory their holdings of Indigenous human remains and burial objects to facilitate their return. But adherence and enforcement have been points of contention for several US museums since it was enacted due to logistic hurdles regarding tribal affiliation and compliance.” [H/T The Art Newspaper]

A svelte Zafferano luminaire is taking over New York City’s outdoor dining tables.

“She’s tall and svelte, with a sleek conical hat. She frequents New York City’s most coveted restaurant tables. She lights up a room. Perhaps you’ve seen her? She’s a lamp. The Pina Pro cordless lamp from the Italian design company Zafferano, to be exact. And she’s everywhere. In the evenings, servers at the stylish Italian restaurant Altro Paradiso, in SoHo, place Pina Pros on the tables outside, where the 14 tiny LED lights in each one cast a mellow, romantic glow over the pappardelle with duck ragù. A glow cozy enough, perhaps, to make you forget about the rat that just ran by, or the noise from the Ducati dealership across the street.” [H/T The New York Times]

“Slingshot Rat” by Banksy in a Tel Aviv gallery. Photography by Oded Balilty/AP

A lost Banksy piece resurfaces, sparking debate about public art on occupied land.

“A lost Banksy piece originally spray painted to protest against Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank has resurfaced in a Tel Aviv gallery, sparking debate over the role of public art and the legality of removing cultural artifacts from occupied land. Slingshot Rat, a stencil painting, appeared on a concrete block at an abandoned Israeli army position in Bethlehem next to a section of the wall in 2007, one of several works in the Palestinian town created in secret. Some time later, the painting was obscured and graffitied with the words, “RIP Banksy Rat”, and eventually cut out and removed by unknown persons.” [H/T The Guardian]

Lucien Kroll, a Belgian architect who often collaborated with his clients, dies at 95. 

“Lucien Kroll, who was known for his participatory and collaborative architecture, has passed away at the age of 95. The architect is perhaps best known for his design of the campus extension La MéMé at the University of Louvain in Belgium, which was completed in 1976 and houses a number of facilities including student residences, a medical faculty, a town hall and a restaurant. The campus buildings were designed with the participation of the students and feature moveable inner walls and partitions, enabling users to change their layouts. Kroll also worked with Dutch ecologist Louis Le Roy on La MéMé, with Le Roy creating its gardens together with the students who would live in the buildings.” [H/T Dezeen]

Prada may diversify its investor base and seek at least $1 billion from a second listing.

“Prada SpA is considering seeking at least $1 billion from a second listing in Milan, people familiar with the matter said, as the Italian fashion house looks to diversify its investor base away from Hong Kong. The Milanese maker of luxury clothing, fragrances and accessories is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on preliminary preparations for a potential offering, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. A listing would likely take place next year, they said.” [H/T Business of Fashion]

Today’s attractive distractions:

Revisit Anémic Cinéma, the hypnotic 1926 film debut of Marcel Duchamp.

This remote-controlled surgical robot may help treat astronauts in space.

ESPN is broadcasting the incredibly intense World Excel Championships.

After summer storms, “chocolate waterfalls” are sweeping through Arizona.

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