New Architecture: Mirage House on the Island of Tinos, Greece

“We wanted to make a house fused with its surroundings, a hidden almost invisible oasis.The rimless pool makes it seem as if the water extends to the horizon, vanishing and merging with the seascape," says architect Stelios Kois (pictured above).

A spectacular new house being built on the rocky coastline of Greece’s Tinos Island will have an enormous, sparkling rooftop pool that appears to merge with the Aegean sea beyond, writes Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Additional reporting from Greece by Antonio Visconti

ARCHITECT Stelios Kois was born near Mount Athos amid the wild landscape of red earth, dotted with monasteries full of Byzantine icon paintings. This mystical environment plus his university studies in Italy and Japan influenced his vision of architecture and predeliction for a purity of design that expresses spatial and spiritual serenity.

Kois Associated Architects' new project is located on the rocky south-west coastline of the Island of Tinos in the Cyclades. Known as the Island of the Madonna, Tinos is the greatest centre of pilgrimage in Greece. Among the rugged, rocky terrain are more than 40 white, picturesque stone villages. There are also more than a thousand churches amid the hills and valleys as well as thousands of dovecotes and windmills and kilometres of dry stonewalls that make this landscape unique.

Called Mirage, the house designed by Stelios Kois is situated on a steep, rocky site overlooking the Aegean Sea. The position commands panoramic views of the land and water. “Our goal is to integrate the building into the landscape like it is part of it,’’ says Kois. “The living space will be covered by a rimless pool that produces a visual effect of water extending to the horizon, vanishing and merging with the seascape.”

As you approach the house from above you will only be able to see the sparkling water of the infinity pool seemingly becoming one with the sea. During the day, the water will reflect the surrounding rock formations and at night the stars in the sky.

“We wanted to make a house fused with its surroundings, an invisible oasis hidden from unsuspecting eyes,” says Kois. "The house is almost like an observation point as it clings to the rocks and oversees the dramatic cascading landscape.”

The building is being constructed from local materials using traditional techniques such as the characteristic dry wall construction found on the island. Like the rooftop pool, the stone parts of the house will also merge into the surrounding rocky landscape.

Hidden in the stony landscape, the Mirage house will be an oasis where the owners can enjoy the wide-ranging views over the Aegean Sea without giving up their privacy. Kois decided to bury part of the building in the coastline. He created a large open-air living room at the front sheltered beneath the rooftop pool, which will act as a huge mirror and help camouflage the building among its surroundings.

"Some of our clients' major concerns were visibility and privacy," says project architect Nikos Patsiaouras. "At first we were concerned with the concept of invisibility. We asked ourselves 'How can you make a building disappear?'. Our response was to mimic elements of the landscape. The effect of the mirroring of the pool in combination with the concept of invisibility brought to mind the visual phenomenon of the mirage, from which the project was named," he says. Dry stone walls will surround sections of the interior and also frame the building's entrance. These are designed to echo the traditional walls that can be seen all over the scenic island.

"The elements that stirred our imagination most were the linear drywall constructions that articulate the landscape and the scattered shallow concrete water-reservoirs used for agricultural purposes," Patsiaouras explains. Also using the area’s stone will have a low impact on the environment and will be very efficient as an insulating material. Kois plans to add rammed-earth walls around the rear of the building, with layers of vegetation that will help to create a cool internal environment.

As the house is located on a natural plateau, inside it will have 200 square metres of space forming a simple single-storey layout, including three bedrooms, a kitchen and an outdoor living room.

Click on photographs for full screen slideshow

Called Mirage, the house designed by Stelios Kois is situated on a steep, rocky site overlooking the Aegean Sea. The position commands panoramic views of the land and water.  

"We asked ourselves 'How can you make a building disappear?'. Our response was to mimic elements of the landscape. The effect of the mirroring of the pool in combination with the concept of invisibility brought to mind the visual phenomenon of the mirage, from which the project was named," says Nicos Patsiaouras.

"The elements that stirred our imagination most were the linear drywall constructions that articulate the landscape and the scattered shallow concrete water-reservoirs used for agricultural purposes," project architect Nick Patsiaouras explains. 

As you approach the house from above you will only be able to see the sparkling water of the infinity pool seemingly becoming one with the sea. During the day, the water will reflect the surrounding rock formations and at night the stars in the sky. 

The building is being constructed from local materials using traditional techniques such as the characteristic dry wall construction found on the island. Like the rooftop pool, the stone parts of the house will also merge into the surrounding rocky landscape. 

Kois decided to bury part of the building in the coastline. He created a large open-air living room at the front sheltered beneath the rooftop pool, which will act as a huge mirror and help camouflage the building among its surroundings.

Punk Rock Party: Fashion Designer Shoshi Barbi's Collections

Designer Shoshi Barbi with model Tzvika Amit. "I believe that when we dress, we can take our style straight from our own fantasy world," says Barbi. "It has always been a way we can express ourselves."

Fashion designer Shoshi Barbi creates dynamic collections that manage to be both pretty and punk rock. Beloved of musicians, her clothes are hand-made and bristle with her original, graphic prints. DAM's fashion correspondent Limor Helfgott interviews the designer at her atelier in Tel Aviv

My creations always start with a magical moment ~ Shoshi Barbi

FASHION for Israeli designer Shoshi Barbi has always been a way to make her own visual statement using her unique, avant-garde style. A graduate of Shenkar College of Design, Barbi’s work is a favourite of not only Israeli musicians and actors but also international singers like Madonna.

Shoshi Barbi started her successful label eight years ago and is based in Tel Aviv. Her first major collection was called Plastic Doll ~ a mix of punk and pretty pieces. The recent J*U*S (Just.Urbane.Stars) is a more mature brand but still with the rock and roll edge. This year, she also launched a new children’s label called Plastic Jus inspired by her newborn daughter.

Looking at her collections, you can immediately recognize a very particular and special language that has become Shoshi Barbi’s signature. The designs have a certain graphic look that uses glam and pop symbols from our music and media culture. "It is always about the music and the music as a way of life," says Barbi.

One of the key inspirations for her collections is sheer escapism ~ using fashion as a way to leave the banal aspects of everyday life behind. "I believe that when we dress, we can take our style straight from our own fantasy world," says Barbi. "It has always been a way we can express ourselves." When you wear her designs you need to be ready to stand out and be bold.

Shoshi Barbi started her career as a graphic designer and you can see it clearly in her designs.  She was drawn to the fashion world, but she says it "chose" her. "If you are creative, fashion is a very visual way to present your ideas and have people identify with your vision," Barbi says. "In my case, life just took me on a path towards fashion.”

The process of creation is very important to Barbi. It starts with a moment when she is inspired by something. "It is always a "magical moment" when it happens," she recalls. "Thinking about something that instinctively takes me towards the point of creating  a new design. It comes to me naturally and is never planned. But as soon as the right inspiration happens, I just run with it.”

That magical moment that brings the new idea is then translated into Barbi’s next fashion creation. After the design is drawn, the real work begins. Everything from the smallest detail is created and monitored by Barbi: from the moment the fabric is created all the way to the printing of each and every design. "The way I see it," she says "every piece is my own work of art, so it has to be perfect."

As a graphic designer she is aware not only of the composition of a t-shirt for example but the overall look of an outfit. You can see the evolution and the growth of the brand by looking at the changing designs.

Barbi says the most rewarding part of the design process comes later, when the collection is ready and her clients see it for the first time. Her happiest moment is when one of her designs makes someone feel good and they let her know. "That just makes my day," she smiles. "It just makes it all worthwhile." She says her designs are not about making more money. "My creations, my way of doing my designs and the special niche I have created is more important to me than anything. Commercializing the brand is not my main concern or what drives me."

However, her collections are getting a lot of attention from international markets. The J*U*S brand is now being distributed in Europe. Another collection called Mister Rock Star was created especially for her collaboration with Universal Studios in the USA.  Barbi would like her designs to be available around the world and she plans on expanding into more markets.

"I hope that I can always reinvent myself and have a different story to tell,’’ explains Barbi. “I don’t want life's routine to influence my freshness and most of all, my creativity and that fire that keeps my ideas coming."

Click on photographs for full-screen slideshow

The designer's clothes are beloved of singers and musicians: "It is always about the music and the music as a way of life," says Barbi

Shoshi Barbi's collections are full of strong, graphic prints: "If you are creative, fashion is a very visual way to present your ideas and have people identify with your vision."

Shoshi Barbi's new Mr Rockstar collection for Universal in the USA. "My creations, my way of doing my designs and the special niche I have created is more important to me than anything. Commercializing the brand is not my main concern or what drives me."

In this picture Israeli singer Iggy Waxman wears Plastic doll. Photographer: Ohad Romano

"I don’t want life's routine to influence my freshness and most of all, my creativity and that fire that keeps my ideas coming," explains Barbi. 

A graduate of Shenkar College of Design, Barbi’s work is a favourite of not only Israeli musicians and actors but also international singers like Madonna.

Shoshi Barbi started her successful label eight years ago and is based in Tel Aviv. Her first major collection was called Plastic Doll ~ a mix of punk and pretty pieces.

"Creating  a new design comes to me naturally and is never planned. But as soon as the right inspiration happens, I just run with it,” says Barbi. 

The process of creation is very important to Barbi. It starts with a moment when she is inspired by something. "It is always a "magical moment" when it happens," she recalls.

"I hope that I can always reinvent myself and have a different story to tell,’’ explains the designer.

Barbi says the most rewarding part of the design process comes when the collection is ready and her clients see it for the first time. Her happiest moment is when one of her designs makes someone feel good and they let her know: "That just makes my day," she smiles. "It just makes it all worthwhile." Photograph by Michael Fisch

One of the key inspirations for her collections is sheer escapism ~ using fashion as a way to leave the banal aspects of everyday life behind. Photograph by Michael Fisch

Shoshi Barbi is able to combine hard-edged style with a leavening dash of humour and prettiness. Photograph by Michael Fisch

Shoshi Barbi was drawn to the fashion world but she says it "chose" her. "If you are creative, fashion is a very visual way to present your ideas and have people identify with your vision. In my case, life just took me on a path towards fashion.” Photograph by Michael Fisch

The designer's  J*U*S label (Just.Urbane.Stars) is a more mature brand but still with the rock and roll edge. Photograph by Michael Fisch

Looking at her collections, you can immediately recognize a very particular and special language that has become Shoshi Barbi’s signature. The designs have a certain graphic look that uses glam and pop symbols from our music and media culture.  Photograph by Michael Fisch

Everything from the smallest detail is created and monitored by Barbi: from the moment the fabric is created all the way to the printing of each and every design. Photograph by Michael Fisch

Interview: Designer & Made in Ratio Creative Director Brodie Neill

Brodie Neill with the Cowrie rocker, the curvaceous form is inspired by sea shells."The creative process is where the magic happens. A design can go from an instinctive idea to resolved concept quite quickly then the process of realisation begins.  Knowing you’ve stumbled upon something new is a very exciting time."

Australian designer Brodie Neill talks to Jeanne-Marie Cilento about his stellar international career. Based in London, he discusses his new work and inspiration ~ including the influence of listening to Swedish House music on his creative oeuvre in our DAM TV interview

SPEAKING about his new collection with his signature enthusiasm and gravelly voice, Brodie Neill sits amid his designs for his company Made in Ratio. Known for his sinuous limited edition pieces such as the muscular Reverb chair, curvilinear Glacier chaise longue and sculptural designs such as the E-turn seat and Scuba for Italian brands Kundalini and Domodinamica, the designer's Made in Ratio furniture range can now be found in The Conran Shop which has showrooms in London, Paris and throughout Japan.

The two collections of new designs are clean-lined and versatile and represent a new step forward for the designer into larger scale production in Britain which combines both digital technology and hand-finishing products. When Neill launched the Made in Ratio debut collection in Milan last year, Conran saw the show and they began refining the prototypes of the Cowrie chair and rocker and the Supernova desk. They went into production at the end of 2013.

This year, Neill exhibited Made in Ratio's second collection during Milan's Salone del Mobile and London's Design Junction and says more designs will start being sold in other countries around the world: “I am also working on new projects for Kundalini including a linear suspension light and a chair for Riva 1920. Plus limited editions for various projects around the world and two public, permanent installations in Australia.”

Neill has been based in London for nearly 10 years and today his studio is based in Shoreditch. "I still find London to be a surprising and inspiring city," the designer says. "I first felt its gravitational pull on a stopover between New York and Milan 12 years ago and I always enjoying returning to London no matter how short my trip away. It is rich in creative talent....and it's not just design but more the melting pot of fashion, architecture, art, food and lifestyle that make it so appealing."

The designer’s career began at the University of Tasmania where he says the course emphasised a fine art approach with hands-on training as designer-makers:"Tasmania has a strong heritage of craftsmanship that stems from boat building and furniture making, so I learnt early on that it was important to take pride in what you produce and I have continued to apply this thinking throughout my career." He was already interested in digital design and using animation to create new fluid forms at the University of Tasmania. But he experimented further and developed his design ethos when he did a Masters degree at the Rhode School of Design in 2004. After getting a job in New York at L’Oreal, he was convinced his creativity would be better served establishing his own studio in London and working on his own designs, which he did in 2005.

His breakthrough happened in the same year when he exhibited prototypes at the young designers' platform Salone Satellite at the Milan international furniture fair. His work caught the attention of Gregorio Spini, a founder of Italian lighting brand Kundalini, and he went on to develop the Morphie lamp and then the swirling, intertwined E-turn seat.

"My career has been a journey across different continents and countries with many amazing opportunities and experiences, passionate people and inspiring places," Neill says. "Of course my Tasmanian upbringing is critical in my foundation, sensitivity to form and disciplined approach. America taught me that there are no limits and that creative dreams can become reality. Europe provided the passionate industry that welcomed me with open arms and shared belief in striving for innovation and quality."

During the halcyon days of the limited edition market where art and design fused to become sought after contemporary collector pieces, Neill created sculptural pieces with prices starting from £25,000. His pieces for The Apartment Gallery in London include the curvaceous Remix and the Glacier, a chaise longue of 360kg of molten glass that is hand-cast and polished by craftsmen in the Czech Republic ~ it now has a six figure price tag. His crystalline Jet table commissioned by Nadja Swarvoski, also evinced his skill at creating dynamic forms with a contemporary edge ~ an aesthetic that informs all of his work, including the recent collections for Made in Ratio.

1. How has growing up in Tasmania influenced your creative design work and the decisions you’ve made in your career?

I’m learning everyday that my Tasmanian roots provide me with the skills and inspiration that sets me apart from other designers. For years, I have pursued the true European model of the Industrial Designer, but it’s my foundation in hands-on making that makes my approach unique. 

As a child I was always building things and eventually took up the challenge of building furniture when I was a teenager. I was always making something, redesigning it as I would go along. Tasmania has a strong heritage of craftsmanship that stems from boat building and furniture making, so I learnt early on that it was important to take pride in what you produce and I have continued to apply this thinking throughout my career.

2. Looking back since you first exhibited at Salone Satellite in Milan in 2005 after studying at the Rhode Island School of Design in America, how has your work and design philosophy changed and evolved?
Of course my work has matured but honestly it hasn’t veered far from the focus of form-orientated function. Material and process has always played a big part in the learning curve of each and every design, with technology being introduced where necessary to enhance a forward thinking approach whilst keeping in mind that the finished article is the main objective. Studio research alongside partnerships with galleries and manufacturers have allowed for more progressive ideas and opportunities in new and exciting fields.

3. Why did you originally choose design as your creative métier?
Probably due to the discipline of design and the need to perform. Art can be anything but design has purpose.

4. Do you find the creative process when you are designing more rational or instinctive? And do you have a set schedule of working creatively everyday or is it more fluid?
My process is definitely more instinctive though becoming more rational with time. The creative ideas are very spontaneous and appear in an almost ‘what if’ moment but then the long process of applying rationality to that idea begins. My designs are vivid and unique but also refined and pared back. The idea might be instinctive but the result is more rational.

Unfortunately I don’t have a set schedule for creative work as my working week just doesn’t work like that. I would like to find more structure but at the same time I cannot restrict creativity to happen at a certain time each week. Often I would take note of an idea whenever it may appear and research it further in studio at a later date.  

5. What do you find the most challenging aspect of your work? 
Juggling everything and finding the time to spend on what I really want to do and that is design. Fortunately I have found a balance but I would like that balance to favour the more creative side. 

6. What part of the design process do you enjoy the most?
Definitely the creative process is where the magic happens. A design can go from an instinctive idea to resolved concept quite quickly then the process of realisation begins.  Knowing you’ve stumbled upon something new is a very exciting time.

7.Your design studio is based in London’s Shoreditch. What does the city give you creatively?
I still find London to be a surprising and inspiring city. I first felt its gravitational pull whilst on a stopover between New York and Milan some 12 years ago and I always enjoying returning to London no matter how short my trip away. London is rich in creative talent, so I know I’m far from alone on feeling this attraction, but maybe that’s exactly what it is that is so attractive.  
It’s not just design but more the melting pot of fashion, architecture, art, food and lifestyle that make it so appealing. I continue to be surprised by London, finding something new just around the corner be that in a distant neighbourhood or the same streets I walk everyday.

8. Can you describe the experience, person or training that has had the greatest impact on your design career so far?
My career has been a journey across many continents and countries with many amazing opportunities and experiences, passionate people and inspiring places. I believe its all an evolution, rolling from one into the other making it difficult to single out individuals and instances. Of course my Tasmanian upbringing is critical in my foundation, sensitivity to form and disciplined approach. 

America taught me that there are no limits and that creative dreams can become reality.  Europe provided the passionate industry that welcomed me with open arms and shared belief in striving for innovation and quality. The world is becoming a smaller place on a daily basis and it’s these cultural cross overs that will bring something truly special.

9. This is the second year of your new company Made in Ratio, how have you found the experience of being a designer and manufacturer on a larger commercial scale compared to producing limited edition pieces? 
Made in Ratio is a collection of self-produced designs that are the result of focused research and development into process and materials. The designs also feature the perfect balance of form and function, craftsmanship, quality, design and efficiency. The collection is carefully considered and the coming together of my experiences both as a designer of editions and for production with some of my Italian based clients. Being both designer and producer on this collection has enabled me to take my idea from conception right through to completion making sure the designers vision is always achieved.

10. Art collectors buy your limited edition design pieces ~ do you consider them more art or craft?  Today, what do you think the relationship is between design and contemporary art?
Yes art and design collectors buy my edition pieces but many intend to use them rather than simply admire them or sit them in storage as investments. The design process of a limited edition is no less intense simply because there will be fewer of them available.  In fact, its all the more important to perform in order to warrant the price tag.  

I always consider my editions to be design as they are the result of a design process. They can be considered art due to their concept and also craft involved in the material and process, but its design that drives ‘what’ and ‘how’ I do something. Today design and art are as intermingled as they have ever been but this tussle has been ongoing for decades. It’s also a personal and cultural perspective or preference as to the divide.  

Watch DAM TV's interview with Brodie Neill in Milan, Italy here:

The 2014 collection for Made in Ratio shown in London including the Pleat bench, Prism table, Tetra modular shelving and Pik stool.

  

The designer in Venice, Italy overseeing the production of the Cumulus lamp that is hand-made by master glass blowers.

Brodie Neill at the workshop where his Cowrie Rocker is made in Britain. 

The 2013 Cowrie collection is inspired by the concave lines of sea shells and the chairs have a curvilinear form made of a single, folding surface.



The Cowrie rocker is another sweeping, curving form inspired by sea shells and made from a single, folding surface of Ash-faced plywood.

The 2013 Matrix stand is woven from a continuous thread of steel and works as a vertical web to hang coats, hats, bags and umbrellas.



The 2013 Supernova table has an elegant and versatile form with star-shaped trestles in brilliantly-coloured recycled aluminium.

Like a manta ray, the fluid curves of the Scuba sofa was designed by Brodie Neill for Italian company Domodinamica in 2009.

The  Reverb Wire Chair hand-made from polished stainless steel rods designed in 2010 for Patrick Brillet's The Apartment Gallery.

The Reverb's curvaceous elliptical vortex is inspired by the reverberation of sound. Made from nickel-plated aluminium, the dramatic chairs are hand formed and polished.

The intertwined E-Turn seat created for Italian design house Kundalini in 2007. 

Like flowing Japanese calligraphy, the @Chair designed was considered by TIME Magazine one of the best designs of 2008.

The 2011 Glacier chaise longue made of 360kg of molten glass that is hand-cast and polished by craftsmen in the Czech Republic ~ here exhibited at Mallet. 

The sinuous Jet table with a dark graphite finish and encrusted with crystals that was specially commissioned by Nadja Swarovski

The M Lights exhibited at Salone Satellite at Milan in 2005 where Brodie Neill was discovered by Kundalini co-founder Gregorio Spini.



The Clover light designed in 2011 for Italian brand Kundalini has a lilting sculptural from and is made from moulded polyurethene and aluminium with the light source concealed at the centre of three folds.