Hand-crafted furniture

Halifax is a historic brand, born in the 90’s at the heart of Brianza, cradle of master craftsmen, manufacturers of amazing hand-crafted works thanks to their skill in selecting the best materials and their advanced know-how in woodwork. Halifax always manufactured, during the years till nowadays, a highly refined product, extremely accurate in details and in the choice of the most precious finishes.

Our attention always focused on transforming the material into a functional object and a design object at the same time. Halifax initial collection offers a range of products manufactured in solid wood, with hints of memory, like the table Winston, the vitrine Vetriera and the showcase Bacheca.
After 25 years we are re-proposing these items with alternative woods. Our heritage of beauty and unique solutions characterized by a strong personality.

INTRECCI ARMCHAIR

Destructured armchair, made with combinations and overlaps of solid wood slats. The randomness in the application of the strips, made entirely by hand, makes this work a Masterpiece. Padded cushion and backrest. Removable fabric cover with “Bordino” stitching or removable double-edge stitching in visible leather.

Dimensions: L79 X P 75 X H76

STEALTH

Sofa with irregular segments, wooden frame covered with different density polyurethane foam, cushions in polyurethane foam. Partially removable fabric cover.

Dimensions: L 320 X P 157 X H 120

OTHER PRODUCTS BY HALIFAX

Source: Halifaxgroup.it

This modern Healthcare Startup Is Using Design to Heal

Parsley Health's latest space is a cheerful take on the doctor's office

By Kara Ladd Photography by Trevor Tondro | November 14, 2019

The lounge area of Parsley Health's new Los Angeles flagship features natural elements like a caned chair by Hansen + Hyldahl for Norr11 and Workstead's Lodge chandelier designed to put patients at ease before being treated.

Visiting the doctor is never pleasant. Even less so when your physician’s beige, cramped office space hasn’t been updated in decades and comes with a signature scent you can’t quite identify—and perhaps don’t want to. Parsley Health aims to change that dreaded experience. As a modern primary-care practice that strives to reinvent stereotypically sterile doctor’s offices, it is leveraging the interiors world’s latest trend—biophilic design. The term biophilia, coined by biologist Edward O. Wilson in the early ’80s, refers to the hypothesis that humans have a biological affinity to nature. Thus, biophilic design bridges the gap between the great outdoors and the great indoors, incorporating eco-inspired aesthetics into spaces like your home, work, and now your doctor’s office. “We’re trying to bring the outside inside,” says Alda Ly, founder of Alda Ly Architecture & Design and the architect behind Parsley Health.

Slatted partitions allow the natural light from the waiting room to flood the reception area, and a sunny yellow lamp by Verner Panton greets patients.

The conscious-meets-corporate company launched their first custom-designed flagship on Fifth Avenue in New York City earlier this year and recently opened their West Coast flagship in Los Angeles in October. Parsley also has a center in San Francisco and offers online-only doctor's visits nationally. The Parsley Health team had a grassroots vision for its latest space, utilizing healing biophilic design components proven to produce positive health effects on patients—think plenty of plants, chromotherapy, and fluid architecture.

The cheery café offers kombucha on tap and healthy snacks.

Common features of a doctor’s office, like the cold, uninviting exam table, proved to be an exciting challenge for the design team.

If you think about it, there's no better time for biophilic design: The more we lean into rapid innovation and urban industrialization, the more we inherently yearn for interior odes to Mother Nature. And according to the American Stress Institute, 70–90% of all visits to primary-care physicians are due to stress-related issues, so it’s only natural that health care centers would be designed as calm havens for patients, to take the edge off while they’re being treated. “We need to lessen our anxiety, live more consciously, and celebrate and protect the natural beauty of our planet," says Hilary Koyfamn, Parsley Health’s interior designer and founder of Hilko Designs. "Bringing this ethos into our spaces is a natural extension of that mindset.”

Take cues from the welcoming waiting area and furnish your own space with rounded-edge furniture, natural materials like rattan, and plenty of greenery.

Parsley Health’s 2,500-square-foot Los Angeles space is modern yet inviting, resembling more of a chic coworking space or delightful brunch spot rather than a place to get your medical concerns off your chest. The floor-to-ceiling windows act as a floodgate to streams of natural light that shine on a jungle of potted plants, purposefully placed around the office. The design incorporates a mindful balance of neutral hues and pops of pastels on natural textiles, anchored with grounding stone and wood accents.

The often-feared blood-draw room is decorated with ocean blue cabinetry and tiles, and warm wood furniture to echo the local Southern California environment.

“The L.A. flagship was inspired by both the dusty desert and rich ocean colors of California’s landscape, which are apparent in the warm fabrics and blue cabinetry throughout the space,” says Alda. “We paid close attention to the color palette to instill a sense of calm, activating a parasympathetic state, otherwise known as rest-and-relaxation,” adds Hilary. That palette includes Benjamin Moore's Misty Gray, Soft Chinchilla and Monticello Rose. Particular attention was also paid to anxiety-inducing elements of every doctor’s office like the exam table. “I wanted to change the language and make it feel cozy using soft edges, warm materials, and inviting color to ease anxiety rather than exacerbate it,” says Hilary.

“We want to make sure that both the patients and doctors feel calm and supported by the space they are in,” says Alda

Of course, one of the biggest hurdles in designing a service-based spaced is balancing aesthetics with functionality. “We wanted to fit as much programming as possible while maintaining a healing atmosphere. Through multiple iterations, we found a layout that integrated the long central hallway—also found in the NYC location—an open kitchen, and a spacious reception and retail wall,” says Alda.

Pastel-painted visit rooms are designed for two-way conversation.

A bathroom features punchy blue countertops and a millennial pink sink.

The wellness industry is worth more than $4.2 trillion, so this can only be the beginning of biophilic design in professional and public spaces. Soon enough it will transcend beyond the confines of yoga studios, juice bars, and meditation spaces and into high-traffic, powerful places of purpose. “It would be incredible to see this evidence-based design in schools, hospitals, and service buildings,” says Alda. Who wouldn't look forward to their annual physicals at this doctor's office?

A zen-like hallway leading to exam rooms mimics natural sunlight in order to instill a sense of calm.

Source: Clever

Explore the Famous Hotel Chelsea’s Last Bohemian Private Homes

The landmarked Victorian Gothic meets Queen Anne Revival edifice has had an impressively storied life

By Stefanie Waldek Photography by Colin Miller

New York may always be changing, but vestiges of the past linger in small pockets of the city. One such time capsule—at least for the time being—is the Hotel Chelsea. Completed in 1885, the Chelsea, as it’s known, has long blurred the line between an apartment building and a hotel, with both long-term residents and temporary guests staying in its spaces. Most famously, it has a reputation as an enclave for creative types: It’s impressive list of famous occupants include Mark Twain, Dylan Thomas, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick (who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey with Clarke here), Jane Fonda, Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Leonard Cohen (who wrote "Chelsea Hotel" and "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" about the property), Janis Joplin, Madonna, Diego Rivera, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Andy Warhol (whose Chelsea Girls film, which was shot here, features residents), just to name a few.

But the 21st century hasn’t been kind to the Chelsea’s few dozen remaining long-term occupants, as a slate of new owners has attempted to oust them and rehab the building into a modern hotel. Those residents and their artistic homes are the subject of a new book, Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven by photographer Colin Miller and writer Ray Mock ($50, The Monacelli Press).

“This project is about how creative people forge a place for themselves in the midst of turmoil. The photographs in this book capture a moment in this process and frame an instant of a city in constant transition,” writes Miller in his photographer’s note for the book. “Gone are the times when those living alternative lifestyles could find shelter here for meager rents. The spaces that can accommodate artists who have yet to achieve broad success have long since moved far from the Chelsea. But those artists who found that here have persisted; they’re still living creative and important lives.”

Hotel in Chelsea, NYC

Filmmaker and photographer Tony Notarberardino has also lived in the Chelsea since the mid-’90s, creating a colorful space dedicated to his mesmerizing collection of objects.

Former club girl and model Man-Laï’s residence is filled with decor elements that combine her Belgian and Chinese heritages, acquired over the nearly 40 years she’s lived in the Chelsea.

Colleen Weinstein and her late husband, Arthur, an artist and club owner, raised their daughter Dahlia in the Chelsea. Artworks fill the home.

Event producer Susanne Bartsch is known for her extravagant parties and avant-garde fashion sense. Her home in the Chelsea has interiors to match her larger-than-life persona.

Perhaps you can guess Suzanne Lipschutz’s profession by her maximalist interiors—she’s an antiques dealer and wallpaper expert.

Source: AD