SUNSHINE AND GREASE
If you’ve seen images from the O.H.W.O.W. space in Miami than you must be among the rest of us obsessing over the focal point of the whole space- no, I don’t mean all the incredible art, I’m talking about the shelving on the wall, which serves as the gallery’s shop. The entire building is beyond amazing down to every detail and lucky for us, Style File caught up with Rafael de Cardenas who designed the whole space, outside (the striped black and white building) and in (the shelves, the walls, the floors- they all come together so perfectly) to ask him a couple questions regarding the new Miami spot as well as trying to sneak a few design secrets out of him. You may know Raf as the genius behind Jessica Stam’s apartment as well and I think I know who I’ll be calling if I ever open that shop I dream about. See inside the gallery below and stop on by if you’re down south.
Seriously, his inspiration for the project is one of the best I’ve heard..
Was the inspiration for that design really as simple as, you like black and white?
I did have one outside inspiration lurking in the background. I’m sure you heard of U-boats, the first submarines? Back in World War I, the Germans had them, and no one else did, and because they were sinking everything in sight, they were winning the war. In response, the Brits came up with these “Dazzle Ships”—boats painted, on the underside, in black and white patterns that made it impossible for someone underwater to determine their size or scale.
And that worked?
OK, theoretically impossible. I actually have no idea whether the Dazzle Ships were effective in battle. But I like the idea.
And to sum up his job, I liked this quote the best:
[Referring to where he found Stam's wallpaper] I’ve spent a long time cultivating my sources for stuff like that. I’m not about to divulge one in an interview. I mean, there’s a certain amount of my job that I’m happy to talk about, like its theoretical framework, and then there’s another part of what I do that involves standing in flatbed trucks, looking at antique sofas.
That part is secret.
Be sure to read the full interview now!
