“Interior branding” or “branded environments” is a term which has been getting a fair bit of traction in the recent years. This is not at all surprising – in today’s day and age with such incredibly fierce competition in the marketplace, every business ought to be putting their best foot forward in every aspect of what they do – from online presence, graphic identity and physical spaces, to packaging, staff attire, soundtracks and menus (where appropriate) etc. Interiors are almost always one of the biggest investments a business can make, so it is all the more crucial to get these spaces right – when done correctly, branded environments extend the experience of brands, and in turn make them more “tangible”…

Every once in a while I will see something which makes me look at things in a different way. More often than not this occurs when I witness a clever reinterpretation of a conventional subject (or an object), a simple idea executed beautifully which redefines everyday concepts. Oh how I love when this happens. I feel like my horizon expands and my design vision extends. Perhaps this is because my design vision is so short sighted with much room for improvement? Who knows.
Anyway… This was precisely the feeling I got when I saw the 2011 ECO Pavilion in Mexico City. I mean seriously – how friggin clever?! It is just a whole bunch of rope interwoven through a single space. How amazing can it be? Well, turns out it can be pretty bloody amazing…

Paris based arhictect Joseph Dirand is so damn cool that he doesn’t even need an ‘about’ page. Cause if you don’t know who he is, simply don’t bother. Clearly.

Seriously though, I have been a pretty huge fan of his work for a while now. I must admit – I don’t normally think much of designers with ‘consistent signature style’ which become quite predictable at times. Having said this, I can’t seem to get enough of Mr Dirand’s chic interiors with a monochromatic palette, and (very) occasional accents of silver and gold…