Super-modern-shapeship-architecture (from Amsterdam to Israel)

Vila Sofa store in Amsterdam, designed by Dutch multidisciplinary firm Tjep

It's not usually my style, but recently I've been noticing lots of super-modern retail/corporate interiors and finding myself drawn to the comic-book-spaceship-ness of it all...

Two projects that caught my attention here... Above is the Vila Sofa furniture store in Amsterdam (of course!). The design is by Dutch firm Tjep, whose challenge was to strike a balance between slick warehouse space and a more homely feel - to emphasise the showroom as a transitional space where your furniture waits patiently until you take it home!

According to Coolhunter (which I where I spotted this), Tjep is an award-winning firm that works in a variety of product and furniture design, interior architecture, identity design and events. Tjep clients include Droog, British Airways, ING, Camper, Heineken and Ikea. Founding partner (and one of the designers on the Vila Sofa project) Janneke Hooymans left Tjep in May 2008, and now works independently at This is Jane. Bookmark bookmark bookmark!

Via Coolhunter



Number two on the super-modern-spaceship-architecture list is this incredible fitout for a barber shop in Tel Aviv called The Strand, by young Israeli architects Lior Vaknin and Sabi Aroch. Vaknin contacted me recently with some shots of his work... this particular project was inspired by the biological model of a growing human hair strand. More details in this article by Frame. (It's also been featured on Design Milk and a handful of other places on the net.)

More info about Lior Vaknin here. (Note he was born in 1981 and is thus only 27 years old. He is also ridiculously good-looking. Ouch).

Lior's folio can be viewed here on Coroflot.