Soft Series is collection of accessories for the MacBook Pro and iPhone. They are made from a padded embossed material that has a soft lining. A batch of 50 pieces have been Made in England by Studio Leung.

As we mentioned before the Knowledge company Designboost went to Milan Design Week and made a MiniBoost to explore the personal viewpoint of sustainable cities of some of the worlds most acknowledged designers.

The MiniBoost resulted in thirteen unique interviews. Now Designboost releases the six last interviews which incude Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, James Irvine, Kristina Dryza, Patricia Urquiola, Richard Hutten and Tim Power. The seven first interviews was released a couple of weeks ago and included personalities like Ilse Crawford, Tom Dixon, Konstantin Grcic, Arik Levy, Ross Lovegrove, Katrin Olina and Satyendra Pakhale. The interview above is with Patricia Urquiola. You will find all interviews by following this link.

The questions asked look at sustainable cities from a holistic point of view and touch among other subjects sustainability according to cultural life, emotional amplification and the personal stories of the inhabitants. The questions are written by different Boosters at the DesignBoost 2008 key event “Long Live the City” in Malmö, Sweden. One may say that the MiniBoost is like a relay race with questions as batons passed on to new Boosters.

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The cultural clash between East and West during World War I in the Middle East inspires Les Hommes for Spring-Summer 2010. The movie that better depicts this theme and the epic atmosphere of that period is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA: the almost mystic experience of entering the desert and being transformed and deeply affected by the influence of local tribes – yet holding strongly onto western colonial traditions – gives shape to this collection.

Outfits are a perfectly balanced synthesis of clothes stolen from tribal cultures and key items from a western male wardrobe. Trousers volumes – super wide – are enhanced by fluid, shiny fabrics. Jackets and light over coats are oversized, and rich in military details, whereas materials recall ethnic accents. A series of T-shirts – as well as the 3 women’s silhouettes hitting the runway -  are reminiscent of  the traditional wrapping technique of Beduin tribes. The uniforms of western troops inspire the new suits, with their extra slim proportions, as well as the colour palette, that seems to include uncountable shades of beige.

Silhouettes are always monochrome, in respect of the military “dress code”; shades go from sand to taupe, with touches of black, to recreate, even through colours, the desert environment. Unusual combinations of materials: silk, soft suede and extra light nylon are used for finishings and details. Modern materials combined with ethnic or historical inspirations contribute to define the “modern nostalgic” mood that embodies Les Hommes style.

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For Spring-Summer 2010 Masataka Matsumura – Giuliano Fujiwara’s creative director - draws inspiration from current time; in reaction to crisis and global recession the key word, around which the new collection is conceived, is “concreteness”. The overall image, therefore, will be strong and masculine, with several military details, and extremely clean.

Silhouettes are geometric, rigorous at times, but more often details and colours break them. Zips, cuts, multiple layers and slashes are all used to create a dynamic effect. Neutral or dark shades – such as pearl grey, taupe, black – are mixed with a flow of strong, primary colours: acid yellow, cherry red, electric blue.

Proportions often go oversize: T-shirts – at times worn inside-out  - jackets and shorts, a key item of the collection, they all look loose and comfortable. Materials are extremely light - even at touch - and natural, but they often undergo innovative technological treatments.

Once again accessories play a relevant role. Sneakers in bright colours that paint also the thick rubber soles, sporty nubuk laced up shoes and ankle boots and shiny black leather laced up styles, to add a touch of formal elegance to casual outfits.

the Way Sensing GO + consists of two parts, a workshop and an installation from the outcome. The concept of this piece is building a digital version of The Way Things Go (Peter Fischli and David Weiss, 1987) assembling a chain of electric modules which has both input and output.

The first version the Way Sensing Go was made in 2008.

This time, the piece, entitled the Way Sensing Go + , will incorporate not only devices and sensors but also animations and films into the chain. For example, if a light bulb lightened up a monitor, flowers would bloom in movie.

4nchor5 la6 will hold a workshop open for public at Clear Gallery in Tokyo for making the modules, which are exhibiting for Kids Programme at NTT Intercommunication Centre from 11th July. The dates for the workshops are set to 27th sat July 13:00-21:00 and 28th sun July 13:00-21:00.

Eulenspiegel by Katrin Olina is from an installation at the Reykjavik Art Museum. I like it a lot. Please check out the interview with Katrin from Milan Design Week as well.

Maybe a bit late but here is a short film my company Designboost made during the MiniBoost at the  Milan Design Week. We also made thirteen interviews with top international designers. Seven of them are released so far (you can see two of theme here and here).

Furniture made for children are ether small versions of furniture for adults, or they tend to have strong colours and crazy shapes that leaves little space for imagination. These different design categories became the starting point for a new furniture concept. The aim for Please design was to create furniture that could work in a space that adults and children share while keeping a playful spirit. Giving the furniture strong characters without being gender orientated.

MyAnimo bench and A4 screen wall are lightweight furniture for children from 3 to 6 years old. They are inspired by the way children see the world. MyAnimo’s abstract shape wants to encourage imagination and can be a hippo as well as a cave. They can be connected together to create a longer curved bench or a tunnel.

A4 screen wall has got it’s name and proportions from a standard paper. The different cuts gives a playful expression and makes them easier to carry. The screen wall can give privacy for bedtime stories or become a house or a fort during play.

The felt is a good sound absorbent and has a warm tactile feeling. The material is mouldable polyester made from recycled PET. Both A4 and MyAnimo can be stacked tightly and take little space when stored away.

As a part of the concept a kids book was developed together with illustrator Ingrid Wållgren. The book tells the story about MyAnimo and A4 and encourage children and adults to recycle PET bottles.

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bloggar om: design, möbler, inredning, barn, barnrum, heminredning

The project builds upon an urban plan that transforms a former industrial area to a modern, integrated residential and business zone, taking better advantage of the harbour front location. The project consists of 236 apartments in two U-shaped blocks with inner courtyards opening towards the harbour.

Varying heights of 5 to 8 storeys visually reduce the scale of the project and, along with the thin proportions of the glass partitions, give the white facades a light and graceful appearance. The entire project, including the projecting bays, is rendered in warm white stucco with teak fenestration, giving the entire project a maritime feel.