Contract - January 2009 - (Page 30)

material urban elegance Stainless steel proves to be an oxymoron that plays style and grace against raw and utilitarian characteristics By AnnMarie Marano Most of us have a love/hate relationship with our mirror. When we like what we see, we can’t get enough; on a bad hair days, we’d like nothing more than to smash it to pieces. Stainless steel gives designers the ability to play on that broken mirror concept in clever and intricate ways. “What’s good about manipulating stainless steel is the distortion quality, so it abstracts what you are doing. Polished stainless steel is more reflective, but it has less quality, and unlike a mirror, you can manipulate it,” says Hal Goldstein, partner at New York-based Janson Goldstein. The firm employed the material in two projects: the DB Moderne Vancouver, a Daniel Boulud restaurant, and the L.A. Andaz West Hollywood hotel, which is still in progress. At the DB Moderne, a polished, woven, stainless steel was used for the back bar wall. “It’s a very dynamic effect with the bottles in front and the reflections you get. It distorts it and gives it its own pattern,” Goldstein notes. At the Andaz West Hollywood, the firm utilized stamped, 4-in. by 6-in. tiles of stainless steel that feature a dimple impression, making each tile into a small “cell.” Hundreds of them are lined up in rows, marking the entire entrance. They capture an image, and as a passerby moves down the street, his image moves with him. “It’s a huge feature on the façade,” Goldstein says. “It’s a material you can use on the outside as well as in.” Perfect for the outdoors, stainless steel doesn’t rust, responds well to heat, and doesn’t necessarily need a finish. “It goes well with everything, like blue jeans,” says Federico Otero of Otero Design Studio in Lima, Peru. He has used stainless steel in a variety of products and appreciates it for its elegance and usability. “I’m working a lot with laser cutting, and it’s really comfortable with the process,” he says. “You cut it, bend it, and weld it, and its very fast to proceed with assembly.” If scratched, pure stainless steel can be maintained with a fine sandpaper. Give us your feedback on this story at www.contractmagazine.com/contact. As a finalists in a New York Department of Transportation competition, Otero was given money to create this stainless-steel bike rack prototype (top), which was installed in the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City. This biofuel chimney (left) also by Otero is made of sandblasted stainless steel and covered in fire-resistant paint. Janson Goldstein employed a series of 4-in. by 6-in. stainless steel dimpled tiles (right) at the Andaz West Hollywood. 30 contract january 2009 www.contractmagazine.com http://www.contractmagazine.com/contact http://www.contractmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - January 2009

Contract - January 2009
Contents
Editoral
Industry
Resources
Urban Elegance
Beyond Fad
Designers of the Year
Legend Award
The 30th Annual Interiors Awards
Large Office
Small Office
Restaurant
Healthcare
Retail
Education
Public Space
Showroom/Exhibit
Spa/Fitness
Restoration
Environmental Design
Student/Conceptual
Designers Rate: Furniture Systems
Leader, Not a Follower
Deconstructing Costs
Ad Index

Contract - January 2009