While the awards have been handed out and the excitement may be waning, the 2012 Venice Biennale is still in full swing, running through the end of November. The US pavilion, entitled ‘Spontaneous Interventions‘ received high praise from attendees and even garnered a Special Mention from the Golden Lion jury.

Tonight in New York City the curatorial team, exhibition designers and selected interventionists gathered to celebrate the success of the the US pavilion, and since we covered a series of the featured projects (which you can read about here) it seemed only fitting that we would bring you content from the wrap up party as well. Keeping in theme with our extended Instagram coverage of the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale, we present to you a series of photographs from the Spontaneous Interventions party, a decidedly Italian event showcasing the best of the US pavilion. Read more.

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Maisonette Series by Simone Simonelli

Let’s be honest, decent amounts of space can be hard to come by, especially for city dwellers. While it may be at a premium, the lack of the space presents designers with unique opportunities to stretch the limits of their craft or practice, expanding their field of inquiry and experimentation.

The Maisonette (meaning “small house” in French) series designed by Simone Simonelli is a quirky collection of mobile furniture that meets the needs of any microliving situation. The collection, which aims to focus on practicality, is a 3 piece set of contemporary, functional furniture.

Made out of solid adler wood and iron rod structures the three-piece set includes a stand/mini wardrobe, a cart/table and a basket/tray. The clean geometry of each piece is accented with blocks of color set against the dark iron rods, which lend to the functionality of each piece. The rods allow the shelving unit to be used as a rack, the tray becomes a basket and the wheeled table is converted into a cart.

[via This is Paper]

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2011 Residential Winner, Kona House, by Belzberg Architects.

Have you (or someone you know and/or love) built a project using Italian tile over the past five years? If so, Ceramics of Italy is interested in celebrating your work. And if not, go check out their products and start using them, so you can enter next year!

The coalition of more than 200 Italian tile designers and manufacturers is well-known for patronizing the work of architects as part of their organizational mission. For the last two decades, the group has hosted two annual competitions to celebrate the work of architects using Italian tile. One is a design competition to design CoI’s trade show pavilion (read our coverage here!), while the other honors work that’s already been built. Both competitions attract the biggest names in architecture, with past winners including Bernard Tschumi, Aldo Rossi, and Arquitectonica. CoI has spent two decades building a symbiotic relationship with architects, and they’re a model for other professional trades engaged with building and design.

Which is why we’re excited to be partnering with Ceramics of Italy once again, this time to announce the launch of 2012 Tile Competition, celebrating excellence in design utilizing Italian ceramic tiles. Read on!

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