Inspiration Station Vol. 17

3D printed vegan meat, Kubrickian treasures, Electric Life & our all time favourite Pantone Colour of the Year. Join us this month as we marvel at the most creative expressions of human nature.

Experience

Arguably the most iconic and influential Director of all time – Kubrick has more than made his mark on cinema, he’s left an impression on culture and several generations of viewers. From groundbreaking projects such as 2001: A Space Odyssey to Clockwork Orange and The Shining, he revolutionised the cinematic experience through his unique blend of dark humour, pioneering cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music.

So it comes as no surprise that there’s a wealth of Kubrickian paraphernalia out there that would make many of us weak at the knees! And it’s coming to London, courtesy of the Design Museum. Yes, your eyes don’t deceive you: From 26th April – 17th September, you can immerse yourself in the mind of the man himself and indulge in the vast archive of original props, costumes, set models and rare photographs, all the while learning about the design story and fascinations behind Kubrick’s body of work.

Hailed as one of the must-see cultural events of 2019 according to the BBC, Time Out London, Evening Standard, Dazed Digital (and practically everyone else that’s heard the news!), this is one exhibition you don’t want to miss.

Ok how’s this for exclusive… The largest collection of treasures ever to leave Egypt (a whopping 150 original artefacts, 60 of which have never left Egypt before) are heading to London for a 6 month holiday – which organisers say will never happen again. Now that’s what we call limited edition!

With more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else on the planet, many don’t realise Clerkenwell is one of the most important design hubs in the world. Celebrate this stylish community and take your flair for interiors to the next level, with a first look at the latest designs to get everyone hot under the collar this season!

Colour experts Pantone have chosen a peachy orange shade named “Living Coral”, as their colour of the year for 2019… and we of course love it.

Not too far off our own peachy shade, the Living Coral is described by Pantone as an “animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energises and enlivens with a softer edge”. It even sounds like us!

Hows this for a delicious bit of eye candy? This immersive installation offers a kaleidoscopic experience of light colour and space. Designed to be unique on all sides, it’s constructed from iridescent cords intertwined around a lightweight steel lattice structure – so when viewers walk around the piece, the patterns in the background and foreground continuously converge and de-laminate, creating a unique illusion that the static surfaces are somehow in motion.

The Prismatic installation was displayed in Washington DC and created by New York-based studio Hou de Sousa.

Coming Soon…

Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport is being given a make over and reimagined as a first-class hotel, restoring it to its golden-era glory days.

It’ll feature 512 soundproofed guest-rooms, each offering unique views of JFK’s runways and the iconic flight centre itself. Not to mention six restaurants, eight bars, a massive 50,000 square feet of meeting and event space with the capacity to host up to 1,600 people! That’s not all… There will even be a museum devoted to the Jet Age and the midcentury modern design movement, as well as fitness and yoga facilities. Oh and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop observation deck with pool! Yowzer.

Technology

bag&bones is an innovative and eco-friendly LED neon art label born out of a passion for striking design. Operating out of London and Dublin (just like us!) with sister company Cavanagh aka MOTHERPOP, they create unique LED neon lights.

Founder Gigi spotted a gap in the market for a new type of neon art that was environmentally sustainable yet still just as vibrant as other methods. By consuming 70-90% less energy than traditional methods, the innovative neon lighting provides a sustainable solution for the planet. Not to mention the running costs are also significantly less too. Ingenious!

Inspired by urban street culture, their collection brings a cool aesthetic to any interior. They even offer a bespoke service that brings customers’ ideas to glowing neon life. And best of all, they love what they do, ensuring a service that’s second to none.

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for… 3D Printed Vegan Steak. Can we get an Amen?! Or maybe that should be ahem. Yep it’s the world’s first 3D meat-free steak and it’s made entirely from plant proteins which apparently mimic the texture of beef. We aren’t convinced just yet, but give it a few years of further development and this is probably the future for those of us who are torn between our love of meat and its ethical implications.

Despite an abundance of meat-free products already on the market that may taste similar to animal meat, there are none that reproduce the fibrous flesh of steak or chicken breast. As most people know, cattle rearing is particularly harmful to the environment (not to mention often detrimental to people’s health) – so this was designed to reduce greenhouse gases and be more effectively transported as well as stored.

This is another game-changer. This cutting edge bit of touch screen technology has new features for improved meetings capabilities, which include; a 4K camera, hi-tech microphones, support of Microsoft Teams, and biometrics for logging in.

These aren’t your average smart boards or interactive whiteboards – the Surface Hub 2 is specially optimised for global teams that want to connect, collaborate, and create regardless of their location. Microsoft states the Hub2 will streamline your group workflow through enhanced collaboration features like multi-user sign-in to simultaneously access and save content to the cloud. In 2020 they also plan to launch the Surface Hub 2X, which features the ability to rotate and tile screens. Check out the video for more on this!