View allAll Photos Tagged minimaldesign
Look at Mother Nature on the run in the 2020s.
Shot at the Faro Municipal Museum in the old Convent of Our Lady of The Assumption.
(Apologies to the sculptor - I missed photgraphing the exhibit details tag).
While exploring La Grande Motte (LGM), I was immediately drawn to the striking geometric pattern of this building facade. The repeating white triangular shapes created a mesmerizing rhythm that begged to be photographed. What truly caught my eye, however, was the solitary palm plant, perfectly positioned within one of the triangular spaces - a rebellious organic element disrupting the strict geometric pattern. I chose to shoot in black and white to emphasize the strong contrast and clean lines, while the careful framing allowed me to create an almost abstract composition where architecture becomes pure geometry. The plant serves as both a point of focus and a gentle reminder of nature's persistent presence in our constructed environments. I waited for soft, even lighting to ensure the shadows would define rather than dominate the geometric shapes, resulting in this clean, graphic interpretation of modern architectural design.
Segundo cartaz experimental da série em homenagem aos irmãos Coen. Desta vez, para o filme Fargo
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Técnica: Photoshop.
The clean, modernist lines of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History stand in quiet contrast to the lively stories housed within. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this museum preserves and presents the rich tapestry of American life—from the original Star-Spangled Banner to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, from presidential artifacts to pop culture icons.
This photo captures the museum’s north-facing facade, featuring polished marble panels and a recessed portico that stretches across its monumental elevation. Vertical banners flank the entrance, highlighting the museum’s vibrant rotating exhibitions. The tiered steps and dry fountain in the foreground are part of the museum’s adjacent plaza and amphitheater area, offering a place of reflection in the heart of the capital.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White associate Walker Cain and completed in 1964, the building originally opened as the Museum of History and Technology. Its stripped Classical style aligns with the postwar architectural sensibility seen in several Smithsonian institutions, emphasizing form and function while maintaining a dignified presence on the Mall. In 1980, it was renamed the National Museum of American History to better reflect its evolving mission.
Despite its austere exterior, the museum inside pulses with stories of innovation, struggle, creativity, and identity—making it one of the most visited museums in the United States. The inscription on the facade proudly reads: Kenneth E. Behring Center, recognizing a major donor whose contributions helped fund critical renovations in the early 2000s.
HABS Architectural Survey Standard:
Documented according to standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS):
Structure Name: National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Location: 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Style: Stripped Classical / Modernist
Date of Construction: 1958–1964
Architect: Walker Cain (McKim, Mead & White successor firm)
HABS Reference Number: DC-857
E a série dos Coen acabou... Agora, em "Scarface", procurei trabalhar com mais elementos.
And the Coen series is over... This time, in "Scarface" poster, I worked using more elements.
Also in posterlab.blogspot.com
A moment of architectural clarity is captured in this photograph of a stairwell inside The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. The composition highlights a modest yet elegant interior space where warm wood tones meet the crisp geometry of a floor-to-ceiling grid window. At once intimate and expansive, the image invites viewers to contemplate the intersection of movement, light, and structure.
Framed from the base of the stairs looking upward, the photo guides the eye naturally toward the landing and the tall window that dominates the background. The vertical rhythm of the grid echoes the strong linearity of the wooden railings, which are capped with warm, reddish-brown handrails. These railings are mirrored on both sides of the stairwell, giving the image a symmetrical balance that feels intentional and meditative.
The light entering through the window softens the entire space, giving it a contemplative aura. While the overcast sky outside creates diffused, neutral lighting, it’s this very subtlety that makes the photo so atmospheric. A few bare trees and rooftops are visible through the window, suggesting the photo was taken in late winter or early spring. Their faint presence behind the glass further emphasizes the architectural quiet within.
The stair treads themselves are beautifully crafted, each plank of wood showing its grain and natural color variation. There’s no clutter—no signage, furniture, or even people—just the space and its materials. This lack of distraction allows the viewer to fully experience the harmony of elements at play: the earthy warmth of the wood, the industrial feel of the steel balustrades, the soft gray wall, and the massive grid window that frames the outside world like a living painting.
On the left wall, a single sconce emits a warm glow, reinforcing the inviting quality of the space. The light it casts plays gently across the smooth surface of the wall, introducing a contrast between natural and artificial light sources.
This photo is not just about stairs—it’s about transition. It captures the philosophical idea of ascent, both physical and symbolic. In a museum, staircases often represent movement between conceptual spaces: from one collection to another, or from a quiet personal moment to a grander, public one. Here, the destination is not quite visible, but the path is beautiful in its own right.
It also showcases The Phillips Collection’s commitment to blending traditional architecture with thoughtful modern interventions. While other parts of the museum are more ornate and historical, this stairwell offers a modern counterpoint—calm, clean-lined, and grounded in craft.
In essence, this image turns an everyday subject into an evocative meditation on design and experience. It’s about the journey as much as the destination, captured in light and line, wood and glass, shadow and glow.
Biblioteka Multimedialna Grafit - Public library "Grafit"
Location: Wroclaw, Poland
Built: 2015
Architects: Grupa Synergia, 2MPS (Wroclaw, Poland)
Sunday. The day to do the work before the work that you have to do on Monday. Make sense, no? ^_^
#315of365
The D.T. Suzuki Museum in Kanazawa is a serene architectural masterpiece dedicated to the life and philosophy of Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist scholar who introduced Zen to the Western world. Designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the museum exemplifies the harmony between modern minimalism and traditional Japanese aesthetics.
Set against a lush backdrop of seasonal greenery, the museum’s clean lines and reflective water features evoke a sense of tranquility and introspection. The exterior façade, captured here, showcases Ando’s signature use of concrete, light, and shadow. Vertical louvers on the wall add texture and create a dynamic interplay with sunlight throughout the day, while the meticulously placed steps and subtle guiding paths provide a seamless transition between nature and structure.
Visitors are invited to engage with Suzuki’s legacy through the museum’s three interconnected spaces: the Entrance Wing, Exhibition Space, and the Contemplative Space. The architectural design encourages mindfulness, with framed views of the surrounding gardens and a meditative water mirror that reflects both the sky and the soul. The subdued color palette and tactile materials create a profound sense of stillness, making the museum a destination for both art and philosophy enthusiasts.
This minimalist sanctuary offers a modern interpretation of Zen principles, blending simplicity with depth. While the museum is a tribute to Suzuki’s teachings, its design invites each visitor to embark on their own personal journey of reflection and discovery. Located just a short walk from Kenrokuen Garden, the D.T. Suzuki Museum is a must-visit for those seeking both architectural inspiration and spiritual peace in Kanazawa.
modern furniture series: "minimal semae" sticker / tee logo / card, des. #7
the semae represents the Eames Low Side Chair by Charles and Ray Eames, 1946
It is hard to imagine now, but the use of plywood and chrome-plated steel in residential furniture was considered edgy, risky, and thoroughly new when this chair made its 1946 debut. It is modern, lightweight, strong, sculptural, and a complete departure from what furniture was.
Charles Ormond Eames, Jr was born in 1907 in Saint Louis, Missouri. By the time he was 14 years old, while attending high school, Charles worked at the Laclede Steel Company as a part-time laborer, where he learned about engineering, drawing, and architecture (and also first entertained the idea of one day becoming an architect).
Charles briefly studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis on an architectural scholarship. He proposed studying Frank Lloyd Wright to his professors, and when he would not cease his interest in modern architects, he was dismissed from the university. In the report describing why he was dismissed from the university, a professor wrote the comment "His views were too modern." While at Washington University, he met his first wife, Catherine Woermann, whom he married in 1929. A year later, they had a daughter, Lucia.
After he left school and was married, Charles began his own architectural practice, with partners Charles Gray and later Walter Pauley.
One great influence on him was the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen (whose son Eero, also an architect, would become a partner and friend). At the elder Saarinen's invitation, he moved in 1938 with his wife Catherine and daughter Lucia to Michigan, to further study architecture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he would become a teacher and head of the industrial design department. One of the requirements of the Architecture and Urban Planning Program, at the time Eames applied, was for the student to have decided upon his project and gathered as much pertinent information in advance – Eames' interest was in the St. Louis waterfront. Together with Eero Saarinen he designed prize-winning furniture for New York's Museum of Modern Art "Organic Design" competition. Their work displayed the new technique of wood moulding (originally developed by Alvar Aalto), that Eames would further develop in many moulded plywood products, including, beside chairs and other furniture, splints and stretchers for the U.S. Navy during World War II.
In 1941, Charles and Catherine divorced, and he married his Cranbrook colleague Ray Kaiser, who was born in Sacramento, California. He then moved with her to Los Angeles, California, where they would work and live for the rest of their lives. In the late 1940s, as part of the Arts & Architecture magazine "Case Study" program, Ray and Charles designed and built the groundbreaking Eames House, Case Study House #8, as their home. Located upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and constructed entirely of pre-fabricated steel parts intended for industrial construction, it remains a milestone of modern architecture.
In the 1950s, the Eameses would continue their work in architecture and modern furniture design, often (like in the earlier moulded plywood work) pioneering innovative technologies, such as the fiberglass and plastic resin chairs and the wire mesh chairs designed for Herman Miller. Besides this work, Charles would soon channel his interest in photography into the production of short films. From their first one, the unfinished Traveling Boy (1950), to the extraordinary Powers of Ten (1977), their cinematic work was an outlet for ideas, a vehicle for experimentation and education.
The Eameses also conceived and designed a number of landmark exhibitions. The first of these, Mathematica: a world of numbers...and beyond (1961), was sponsored by IBM, and is the only one of their exhibitions still existant. The original was created for a new wing of the (currently named) California Science Center; it is now owned by and on display at the New York Hall of Science. In late 1961 a duplicate was created for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago; in 1980 it moved to the Museum of Science, Boston. Another version was created for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair IBM exhibit. After the World's Fair it was moved to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle where it stayed until 1980. The Mathematica Exhibition is still considered a model for scientific popularization exhibitions. It was followed by "A Computer Perspective: Background to the Computer Age" (1971) and "The World of Franklin and Jefferson" (1975-1977), among others.
The office of Charles and Ray Eames, which functioned for more than four decades (1943-88) at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California, included in its staff, at one time of another, a number of remarkable designers, like Don Albinson, Deborah Sussman, Richard Foy and Henry Beer.
Among the many important designs originating there are the molded-plywood DCW (Dining Chair Wood) and DCM (Dining Chair Metal with a plywood seat) (1945), Eames Lounge Chair (1956), the Aluminum Group furniture (1958) and as well as the Eames Chaise (1968), designed for Charles's friend, film director Billy Wilder, the playful Do-Nothing Machine (1957), an early solar energy experiment, and a number of toys.
Short films produced by the couple often document their interests in collecting toys and cultural artifacts on their travels. The films also record the process of hanging their exhibits or producing classic furniture designs, to the purposefully mundane topic of filming soap suds moving over the pavement of a parking lot. Perhaps their most popular movie, "Powers of 10", gives a dramatic demonstration of orders of magnitude by visually zooming away from the earth to the edge of the universe, and then microscopically zooming into the nucleus of a carbon atom. Charles was a prolific photographer as well with thousands of images of their furniture, exhibits and collections, and now a part of the Library of Congress.
Charles Eames died of a heart attack on August 21, 1978 while on a consulting trip in his native Saint Louis, and now has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Ray died 10 years later to the exact day.
At the time of his death they were working on what became their last production, the Eames Sofa which went into production in 1984.
graphics: a.golden, eyewash design c. 2007
Tucked into the upscale enclave of Sea Cliff in San Francisco, this corner residence is a striking study in mid-century modernism—an unexpected but welcome contrast to its more traditional neighbors. Clean lines, minimalist facades, and an emphasis on horizontal volumes give the home its modernist credentials, while the restrained material palette—textured concrete, smooth stucco, and dark metal-framed windows—adds architectural depth. The subtle terrazzo-like façade offers visual texture without disrupting the home’s otherwise monochromatic elegance.
What makes this home especially captivating isn’t just its geometry but its context. Sea Cliff is famed for its early 20th-century mansions and Spanish Revival villas, but this residence bucks the trend, opting instead for a Zen-like simplicity reminiscent of 1960s and '70s design philosophies. Framed by meticulously sculpted trees and manicured greenery, the landscaping further underscores the influence of Japanese and California Modern design—a tranquil foreground to a boldly restrained home.
Though the architect remains unidentified, the design ethos feels informed by the likes of Edward Killingsworth or perhaps even Joseph Eichler’s influence, with its clear focus on indoor-outdoor harmony and unadorned elegance. This is modernism built for longevity—not to shout, but to last.
Located just minutes from the Lands End Lookout and China Beach, this Sea Cliff gem speaks to the power of architectural restraint in a neighborhood known for opulence. It's a quiet showstopper, and for lovers of design, an under-the-radar must-see on any San Francisco architecture tour.
Anchoring the corner of Oakdale Avenue and Mendell Street in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood, Providence Baptist Church is a bold and dignified example of mid-century modern religious architecture. With its angular roofline, asymmetrical bell tower, and spare white façade punctuated by tall stained-glass windows, the church is both architecturally striking and spiritually grounded.
Founded in 1944 and housed in this modernist structure since the 1960s, Providence Baptist Church has long been a pillar of the Bayview community—serving as a house of worship, cultural hub, and center of Black spiritual life in San Francisco. The sharply sloped roof and exposed wood beams inside hint at Scandinavian modernist influences, while the front tower—with its thin metal cross reaching skyward—adds a vertical flourish to the otherwise horizontal building.
Though simple in materials, the building commands attention through proportion and purpose. The entryway, flanked by clean signage and low-maintenance landscaping, opens onto a sanctuary known for both its intimacy and resonance. The structure’s minimalism allows the stained glass—each window a vertical strip of color and light—to take on added significance as a design feature and source of inspiration.
In the context of Bayview’s history of resilience and community strength, Providence Baptist stands as both a sanctuary and a symbol. It’s a place where faith meets form, and where architecture serves the spirit of service.