Marcel Wanders

I happen to enjoy being around people who are unusual. Eccentric, left of center people who see things in an imaginative, happy and passionate way. Those who get the strange looks or who can be misunderstood because they speak whimsically, gesture frequently, dress questionably, have bright pink hair or in the alternate, are wildly elegant. They don’t apologize for it either — no, no — and that makes me smile.

I imagine Dutch artisan Marcel Wanders is one of those people. I don’t know him personally but I’ve admired his fantastical work and views for a few years now. He began as a product designer and has branched into designing interiors. He was the creator of the Snotty Vase series – vases created from the patterns captured by 3-D scans of sneezes. Yes, a bit unusual but a creative thinker nonetheless. He also designed a Holiday 2009 collection for Target. Imagine my happiness at catching an interview with him on Ovation Television. It spurred me to visit his website and there I found images of a few hotels and private residences he put together. As you will see, his designs use pattern freely and are both tongue-in-cheek and theatrical. The results are fantasies that are fun, colorful and free flowing. Here’s a peek:

A private residence in Amsterdam. The faux marquetry on the floor, the ceiling, the lacy lamp…

The Kameha Grand (Bonn, Germany) – The pillars (!), the orange…

Thor restaurant at the Hotel on Rivington (NYC) – The curves, the gray pattern, the shot of red…

The Mondrian in South Beach – The lacy spiral staircase, the love of black & white…

I would live within his patterns and designs happily — they are not for everyone, but I imagine that even if you wouldn’t, you’d enjoy visiting his world for a bit. Here he is talking about his craft and in particular, his design of the Mondrian property in South Beach.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the post marking my return…and be sure to think about adding a dose of extraordinary to your normal day.