design heist

2012-11-06T16:25:00.002-08:00

ruffe&co
worked with design sense and stephen hennessy art and design for this 17m sculptural feature that graces the freshwater place foyer.

Achille Castiglioni

2012-11-06T16:19:00.002-08:00

FRISBI

Suspension lamp

1978 Design: Achille Castiglioni

1978 Production: Flos

Frisbi illuminates a table top with a cone of precise light and also emits diffused and reflected light: all this in just one lamp.

The lamp is made of an opal polymethylmethacrilate disk with a hole in the centre which sheds direct light. Three fine steel cables distance the disc from the pressed mesh tube, so the socket is ventilated. In turn, the socket houses the sheet metal reflecting dome painted gloss-white on the inside and chromed on the outside. A black stem rigidly connected to the socket keeps the distances fixed and attenuates a pendulum effect if the lamp is accidentally bumped. Frisbi is composed of few elements which pack into a small space and are simple to mount.

iPad leaf

2012-06-23T15:30:00.001-07:00

The iPad leaf is an authentic take on the ever growing apple accessory market, although there are many who have attempted this and are very quick after a release. The iPad leaf is a piece that has paid attention to the details. Available at chrisruffe.com

post it notes

2012-06-14T03:23:00.000-07:00

Flat panels on a multi-coloured wall slide, swing and roll out to create a secret tea shop in a São Paulo shopping centre.
It seems to be inspired by post it notes and has a very warm fun feeling

onemorning

2012-04-25T02:36:00.001-07:00

Checkout the new onemorning range, these guys are doing some really minimal cabinetry and loose furniture inspired by some early works by Dieter Rams. It is reasonably priced aswell considering the style and quality.

Paolo Deganello cont.

2011-08-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

Born in Este in 1940, the Italian architect and designer Paolo Deganello studied architecture at Florence University from 1961 to 1966. In 1966 Paolo Deganello joined Andrea Branzi, Gilberto Corretti, and Massimo Morozzi in founding Archizoom Associati in Florence, named after the British group of architects known as Archigram and the journal "Zoom". Archizoom was part of the radical design movement in Italy, designing anti-design furniture, such as the corner set "Safari" and the "San Remo" palm-frond lamp (both 1968 for Poltronova).
In 1973 Paolo Deganello collaborated with Gilberto Corretti on designing "Archizoon", a line in office chairs manufactured by Marcatré. By 1972 Archizoom Associati had disbanded itself. From 1972 until 1974 Paolo Deganello taught design at Florence University and the Architectural Association in London. With his students, Paolo Deganello investigated the requirements for good, comfortable seat furniture. These seat-furniture studies conducted by Paolo Deganello and his students bore fruit in such pieces as "AEO" (for Cassina), designed in 1973. In 1981 Paolo Deganello opened a studio in Florence. In 1982 Deganello designed "Torso", an asymmetrical chair for Cassina. In 1987 Deganello showed his "Documenta Chair" at "documenta 8" in Kassel. In his designs for chairs, Paolo Deganello wants the invididual structural elements of the chair to be visible and he often uses different materials for them. For Zanotta Paolo Deganello designed the unusually shaped pair of chairs "Re" and "Regina" in 1991. The legs and frames of these chairs are of steel, the seats are wickerwork, and the backs of leather.
Paolo Deganello showed work at numerous exhibitions, including "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape", the 1972 exhibition mounted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

‘Cloud’ table by Lorens (PL)

2011-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Anna and Marek Lorens, the duo behind their namesake Warsaw-based architectural and design practice Lorens have recently realised this modular table whose unusual structure – as well as the colour – reminded us of that of a honeycomb. Composed from a number of hexagonal elements, the multifunctional table can either be used as a desk within an office environment or as an (undoubtedly decorative) element of a living room

‘Dag & Natt’ carpet collection by Petra Lundblad-Fridén for Kasthall (SE)

2011-07-31T00:29:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year, designer Petra Lundblad-Fridén has created this series of hauntingly beautiful, inkblot-like printed carpets for the Swedish rug manufacturer Kasthall. Called ’Dag & Natt’ – Swedish for ‘Day & Night’ – the dreamlike collection stems from Lundblad-Fridén’s ‘passion for experimenting with different images and colours, and using layers to create new expression’ and encompasses four different designs inspired by the weather and sky phenomena: Haze, Thunder, Summer Dawn and Autumn Dusk.

Neu 31 by SUPERBLOCK ZT GmbH (AT)

2011-07-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

SUPERBLOCK ZT GmbH, the Austrian architectural practice established in 2003 has realised this 840-square-meters building located on Neuwaldegger Straße 31 in Vienna. Based on a ‘concept of the overlapping spatial structure’, the house boasts a number of residential apartments as well as office units and a centrally-located 30-square-meters courtyard, and its current residents amount to ’22 working and residing persons, one dog and two cats’.

Birds Nest treehouse by Bertil Harstrom

2011-07-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

This concept is based upon the contrast between exterior and interior. From the outside it appears as a big nest, only the scale separating it from other nests in the vicinity. Discreet windows are almost hidden by the network of branches.

Inside it’s a high standard room with modern design. A coachwork panel decorates the inner wall. There is space and beds for a family with two children. The bedroom is a separate room with sliding doors. You access the nest by a retractable staircase.

Bricking It: innovative applications of man’s most trusted material

2011-07-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

In the classic children’s story, three little pigs build houses to hide from a hungry wolf. The hungry wolf huffs and puffs and blows down the first little pig’s house of straw and the second little pig’s house of sticks, but the third little pig was too clever for him. The third little pig built his house out of bricks, which saved his bacon. The safety and robustness of brick remains the key to its enduring appeal, particularly for residential purposes.

Bricks made from shaped mud dating back to 7500 BC have been found in the Tigris region of Mesopotamia and, since then, brick has helped define the built environment of many developed nations. While production methods may have changed, the capability of brick to offer reliable protection from the elements over a prolonged period has helped it retain its popularity in the building trade. ‘The main benefit of building in brickwork is longevity,’ explains Dr Ali Arasteh, Principal Structural Engineer at The Brick Development Association. ‘There is no other construction material that offers such long-lasting performance with minimal maintenance and ongoing costs.’

Hallway and Bedside Tables, Cashmere and merino hand knit framed by a solid walnut top and hand turned legs.

2011-07-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with hard and soft materials and textures has been the muse for the Safety Vase series. The Safety Vase series empathises with wood and wool’s emotional and physical qualities to create a safe hideaway for one’s treasures. Knit holds connotations of safety, warmth and softness. Wood is a traditional furniture material that represents strength and longevity. The Safety Vase series explores and celebrates these qualities. It questions current furniture typologies and asks whether the emotional warmth of knit can be introduced to the hard world of wooden furniture.

A safe hideaway for those treasures that have a tendency to be misplaced has been created. The vase like form invites the user to touch and feel the softness of the wool whilst playfully hiding objects away, this furniture series is about experiencing the knit. It poses the question of why cant the first thing you touch when you wake up in the morning or come in from work be soft and comforting.

The knit is framed and contrasted by the hardness of the wood, both the minimal legs and the table top create a frame around the vase without distracting from it.

‘Rhyholzertischli’ coffee table by Adrian Wicki (CH)

2011-07-15T17:55:00.001-07:00

Inspired by his life-long fascination with one of Europe’s longest rivers, the Rhine, the young Swiss carpenter-turned-designer Adrian Wicki has created this driftwood coffee table. Enigmatically called ‘Rhyholzertischli’, the table is composed of a smooth glass plate which is juxtaposed with the raw natural form of the base created from driftwood found on the banks of Rhine.

Chouchin' pendant light by Ionna Vautrin for Foscarini (IT)

2011-07-15T17:54:00.001-07:00

Following her previous design for Foscarini, the young French designer Ionna Vautrin has recently created this elegant, glossy pendant light called ‘Chouchin’. Taking its name from the traditional Japanese paper lantern, the design is Vautrin’s contemporary reinterpretation of this ‘ethereal, poetic and almost magical object’. The lamp is available in three various sizes, each of them in a different earthy hue: orange, grey or olive green, and its modern form has been ‘obtained through a single blowing process.’

Simplissimo by Jean Nouvel

2011-07-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

The Parisian Pritzker-prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel has designed this ‘fitness-inspired’ series of smart, minimalist furniture for the renowned French manufacturer Ligne Roset. Aptly called ‘Simplissimo’, the pared-down collection consists of banquette, chaise longue, fireside chair, footstool and bench, all of which are made of soft, black upholstery, which ‘hugs the curves of the metal structure and deliberately allows gathers in the four corners, which contribute to the overall aesthetic of the piece.

‘Slim Jim’ table by Roland Graf for Fredericia Furniture (DK)

2011-07-10T23:35:00.001-07:00

With no previous intention to venture into the area of furniture design, the Austrian artist Roland Graf has realised this simple wood-and-steel table, his first piece of furniture, following a personal request from his father who needed a large dining table for his retirement party. The oversized prototype, which Graf has hand-assembled from seven pine planks and metal without the use of any nails or glue, has now been scaled down and is produced by the famous Danish manufacturer,

P-Tree by Aandeboom

2011-07-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

The P-Trees were a great success at the Roskilde Festival 2011 in Denmark, with more than 100,000 visitors and many of them using the P-TREE more than once. For Roskilde AANDEBOOM produced 50 P-Trees in the typical Roskilde Orange color. The P-Trees were placed on 2 different spots near the main stage. By using the P-Tree the festivals problem with public peeing was significant reduced.

Jerszy Seymour - Flux

2011-07-10T07:03:00.001-07:00

Resembling a squiggly crayon drawing and described as ‘liberating itself from the modernist grid’, Flux is the latest chair designed earlier this year by the Berlin-based Canadian designer Jerszy Seymour. Manufactured by Magis, Flux is created from two metal wires which are ‘treated as an axis with unlimited directions representing unlimited life possibility’ and the design is available in three vibrant primary colours.

Paolo Deganello

2011-04-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

Paolo Dagenello was, with Andrea Branzi one of the founders of the Archizoom group of radical designers who came together in Florence 1966. When Archizoom petered out, Dagenello founded the Colletivo Technici Progettisti to continue his campaign for furniture design that appeals to the imagination. His 'torso' lounge chair of 1982 for Cassina rivalled the collections of Memphis in oerversity but was also a serious re working of furniture ideas and forms from the fifties.

Nendo, Galleria Jannone

2011-04-06T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Japanese design practice Nendo will present some new works within a solo exhibition at the Galleria Jannone, 125 Corso Garibaldi, during this year’s Salone del Mobile from 12 – 17 April. ‘textured transparancies’ is a collection of objects which explore transparency’s infinite nuances. For the ‘transparent table’ – the first object of the collection – the designers cast clear acrylic in a wooden form with a strong grain. The result is a table top with a very unique optical effect.

Brodie Neill

2011-04-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

Designed by Brodie Neill

Flowing lines and surfaces fold, expand and merge. They form an alluring three-dimensional, enveloping and open structure. This is a sculptural-lamp of extreme visual lightness. It is a kind of ultra contemporary and dream-like mobile. A shape intended to diffuse light in an evocative way.
Inspired by natural form, it calls to mind the organic lines of a clover leaf. The light source, hidden at the meeting point of the three petals, casts light onto the internal surfaces in a continuous play of reflections and rebounds. Clover is the result of research into new luminous expressions by Brodie Neill and Kundalini.
Suspension Lamp. Molded polyurethane body with opaque finish, aluminum reflector.

Buckminster Fuller 1895-1983

2011-04-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

Richard Buckminster Fuller was one of the most ardent and prolix supporters of high technology. Although his actual material creations were relatively few, the apocalyptic, prophetic character of his writings and thought have in recent years made him the darling of high tech architects and of all designers who are concerned with the earths resources.

Fuller was born at Milton, Massachusetts. He never had any formal architectural training; in fact he never had formal training of any sort. Traditinal building techniques came to antagonize him. and in 1972 he created the concept of a 'dynamic' with 'maximum'. It was not to use bricks and mortar, timber and lathe but was to be a tensile, domed structure where the fabric would be used as a grid to supply the services man needed for survival.
Fuller was very influential and was an idealist who viewed the world as a single entity, without national boundaries and who was commited to the idea that design should serve the needs of man not industry.

I love it

Achille Castiglioni 1918-2002

2011-04-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

Achille Castiglioni is on of three Milanese brothers who were all designers. Achille's interests in design was first inspired by his elder brothers, Pier Giacomo and Livio, who designed dramatic plastic cased radio receivers for Phonolain in 1938 with the help of Caccia Dominioni. Achille read architecture at Milan Polytechnic, graduating in 1944 and was one of the founders of the Association per il Disegno Industrial in 1956. He designed furniture, lighting and appliances and his products won awards in 1955, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1979 and 1984.

Six of his pieces are in permanent collection of New York's Museum of modern Art. Among his best known pieces are a kneeling stool for zanotta and his Arco light for Flos. After the second world war, Achille Castiglioni was one of the most prolific of all Italian designers and he evolved a unique philosophy which derives from 'ready made' concept of Marcel Duchamp, like his chair inspired by a tractor seat. His clients included BrionVega, Flos, Gavini, Knoll, Kartell, Zanotta, B&B, Ideal standard, Siemens, and Lancia. He contributed to design magazines and the Italian national press. His philosophy of design was that it is an attitude arrising out of critical habit.. an art insofar as it invents a function and translates it into form. Wit was the central element in his designs: sometimes incongruous materials, such as found objects are bound together in pursuit of functional elegance. His 'Arco Lamp' for flos uses a marble base weighing about 100 pounds to support a thin arc of pressed aluminum and a light spun aluminum reflecto; his 'tolo' lamp for the same company uses a car headlamp.
In his ingenuity with materials, his sense of joy, his imaginative use of industrial components and techniques, Achille Castiglioni was an absolute definition of what a great Industrial designer should be.

Straight from Paris

2011-03-26T17:12:00.001-07:00

The Paris based designer duo Amandine Chhor and Aïssa Logerot realised these fantastic projects in cooperation with local associations and skilled workers from Cambodia and Morocco. ‘artisanat du sud’ is the newest series of furniture handcrafted by women from Akka oasis in Morocco. The tables tops are made from woven palm leaves.

Giant Flat pack

2011-03-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Giant timber parasols above the Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville – this sunday the Berlin based architectural practice Jürgen Mayer H. can finally unveil their most recent urban development project – a new icon for the medieval inner city of Andalusia’s capital. The timber-constructions offers an archaeological museum, a farmers market, an elevated plaza, multiple bars and restaurants underneath and inside the parasols, as well as a panorama terrace on the very top of the parasols.