Olson Kundig Architects’ timber-beam Collectors Lounge has stacks of appeal
When the Seattle-based firm Olson Kundig Architects were invited to create the Collectors Lounge for the tenth edition of Design Miami, they knew they wanted to bring a taste of their hometown across the country with them.
Nestled in an inviting corner of the Design Miami tent, the practice has created a dynamic haven, made from huge reclaimed wood beams, for collectors to take a load off and revive themselves with Perrier-Jouët champagne (of course). The lounge also serves as the backdrop for an anniversary portrait project by photographer Gesi Schilling commissioned for the fair.
See the portraits from Gesi Schilling's pop-up photobooth
'It had to look, taste and feel just like the Pacific Northwest,' explains Olson Kundig Architects partner Alan Maskin. 'The concept is based on these historic images of Seattle lumber yards from a hundred years ago, and the way they would stack the wood to dry it. We were really taken with the concept of stacking. And with the massiveness of them, we knew it would feel different from most things in Miami.'
The installation is titled '38 Beams' in reference to the number of vintage timber beams that the practice used to create its 15ft high pavilion. Originating from Douglas fir forests in the Northwest and most probably milled in the 1950s in Oregon, each beam was originally 30ft long and salvaged from a commercial building in Los Angeles that was recently torn down. The beams were sanded, cleaned up and given burnt edges for a rich finish.
Olson Kundig Architects played with cantilevering the beams to create the open latticework that forms the space. Maskin says, 'We wanted everything about it to be a respite from the dialogue and chaos that happens out there. We wanted it to be calm and welcoming.'
Inspired by the origins of the Aqua Art Miami fair, which initially comprised galleries from the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast before it was sold and became an international event, the firm wanted to bring some fellow Northwesterners with them to continue the cross-country dialogue.
In addition to the staff's custom-designed uniforms from cult boutique Totokaelo and music by artists signed to independent Seattle label Sub Pop Records, the space features a floating neon tube chandelier by artists Etta Lilienthal and Ben Zamora, three adjustable steel-armed light fixtures by Olson Kundig designer Jamie Slagel and furniture designed by its founders Jim Olson and Tom Kundig. Olson's 'Longbranch' chairs were first designed for his captivating cabin in Longbranch, Washington - which is showcased in-depth in the pages of our upcoming January issue (on sale 11 December).
At the end of the exhibition, all the beams will be donated to the University of Kansas' design-build teaching program that creates affordable buildings in communities of need.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Umbrian castle hotel Reschio seduces with 1,000 years of history, now explored in a new book
The estate, home to a boutique hotel and rentable houses, is documented in Rizzoli's ‘Reschio: the First Thousand Years’ – and is open for stays
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Light, nature and modernist architecture: welcome to the reimagined Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens and its modernist Roberto Burle Marx-designed greenhouse get a makeover by Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hildebrand in the US
By Ian Volner Published
-
Bombed-out bunkers to nuclear disasters: Thomas Demand on the state of the image
On the heels of his Houston MFA retrospective and ahead of its opening in Taipei in January 2025, German artist Thomas Demand reflects on today’s image culture
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Design Miami 2022: highlights from the fair and around town
Design Miami 2022 (30 November – 4 December) aims at ‘rebooting the roots of our relationship with nature and collective structures, ecospheres, and urban contexts’
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes
Industrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022
Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari Ziperstein
Step inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Design for Ukraine: Bocci and Design Miami join forces to raise funds
The online sale of iconic Bocci pieces will benefit GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, providing urgently needed humanitarian aid
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated