DESIGNRO » SPOTLIGHT

A collection with true Finnish blood

Iulia Constantin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:08:35 +0000

When you think of furniture and design, there are some pieces of work that you cannot confound with other. Sami Kallio truly desired that the result of his work could reflect a simple, clean style, an image that could exhale beauty, personality and uniqueness. His collection is entitled “The Finnish Blood in Me” and it really emphasizes the Finnish blood that runs in the objects’ “veins”.
Inspired by his childhood memories, the collection includes stools with legs like lollipop sticks, two wooden chairs, one with a twisted steel backrest and one inspired by the classic Windsor chair, and, last but not least, a very cool table lamp.

Stool represents a stackable stool made in turned metal and ash legs.

Layer is a stackable chair made from solid wood and lasercut aluminum sheets in different warm colours.

Sliced, an easy chair inspired by a classic Windsor Chair.It is made out of bended wood and solid ash.

Workshop, a beautiful table lamp made of untreated ash, where the cord is hidden inside the steam bended arm. The base is in metal and shade in aluminum. With the brass screw you can adjust the height on the arm. The shade is easy to be moved along the arm with the leatherband.

The Finnish Blood in Me represents “a collection where material and detail are in focus. Nothing strange or conceptual, just memories and function…” claims the designer.

Sami grew up in Finland and, now, he works as a freelance designer in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sami Kallio Studio

Turn on the light: it’s Magika!

Iulia Constantin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:25:54 +0000

Sometimes, people may prejudge the worth or value of someone’s work. Don’t judge a book by its cover. It would be the best phrase applied for Kirsti Taiviola’s fascinating lamps.
During this year’s Milan design week, Kirsti exposed a new series of wall lamps entitled Magika, which combine steel and hand-blown glass. At a glimpse, the lamp turned off presents a simple glass ball which rests on a steel frame that can be turned freely in all directions. But the real magic reveals when you push the ON button: amazing kaleidoscopic floral patterns project on the wall.

The designs by Kirsti Taiviola have a detailed and sophisticated touch. The optics and the liquid nature of glass are the main sources of inspiration in her designs.

“Transparency and optics are the most inspiring qualities of glass material. I enjoy working with clear glass because it has a fascinating illusion of immateriality in it. When working with glass I merely work with light as the shape of an object forms out of reflections and refractions on the object’s surface. The biggest challenge was trying not to repeat the reflection patterns.”

“Although there is a pre-mould used in the manufacturing process, it’s hard to control the exact texture on the glass surface. When the texture changes a little, the projection changes more. I had to study which type of mold to use and how to control the glass blowing process so that it’s possible to create exactly the right texture on the glass surface every time.”

Taiviola always wants to develop a selection of different textures that would add variety to the projected patterns. When talking about previous projects based on the same technique, Aarre and Illusia are two other masterpieces of the Swedish designer.

Kirsti Taiviola graduated from The University of Art and Design Helsinki in 2001. Before starting her company SULA design in 2004 she has worked with glass as a freelance designer, craftsman and a research assistant. Currently, she is also a lecturer, teaching at The University of Art and Design in Helsinki.

Kirsti Taiviola
SULA

Rybakken’s Tinted Mirror

Georgia Klebleev — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:06:50 +0000

The ideea behind the Tinted Mirror continues one of Daniel Rybakken’s previous concepts as with the Colour-lamp, to make an object that actually consists of several individual objects.
With the Tinted Mirror the coloured glass and the mirror are two completely separated objects, as one is hang on the wall and the other hangs from the ceiling. What links the two parts together is their exact same shape and size and being positioned in the same hight as each other, giving the impression of a three-dimensional object. The shadow rendered on the wall changes through the day depending on the ambient light.

If you find yourself in London these days you can visit the Norwegian Prototypes exhibit in Blackhall Studio, 73a Leonard Street, where the object was first introduced within London Design Festival 2010.

Daniel Rybakken
Norwegian Prototypes

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Mrs. Robinson flies to London

Georgia Klebleev — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:38:51 +0000

Mrs. Robinson and Saddler take on another journey that might permanently change their lives, from Pudelskern’s studio in Austria straight to Mint Shop in London as proud representatives of the designer’s work, during London Design Festival.

Mint is dedicated to showcasing new emerging talents. Nina Mair, Georg Ohler and Horst Philipp were able to catch their attention and ours as well. Coming from architecture and cabinet making, the three share a non academic approach towards furniture design.

The work of Pudelskern combines natural materials with fresh ideas and a narrative approach to design and has attracted a lot of interest worldwide. Stories of sustainability, hand craft tradition or landscape aspects are fluently told through appealing products – intellectual yet playful design. On display at Mint will be two pieces of the current collection presented earlier this year in Milan, the chest of drawers Mrs Robinson and easy chair Saddler.

Mrs Robinson has a white solid body containing six drawers flush with the corpus. No handles break the monochrome front, instead the drawers open with a slight push inwards. On the inside colourful patterns are revealed ranging from pills to domino games or bottles – every drawer has its topic. The patterns are printed on maple wood, giving the inside of the chest a contrast to the outside. On the outside a pattern is used to define four shoe-like pieces on the bottom part of the legs.

Easy chair Saddler‘s predominant expression is made by its leather covered seat and backrest. The parts seem to be plain boards with a three dimensional shaped landscape of leather. A very thin construction of the cross section makes a surprisingly soft experience when sitting down. The naturally tanned leather is shaped in smooth bumps of varying height. The frame of ashwood is contrasting the soft shapes through a sharp edged construction with minimal material use. The quality of handmade cabinet making can be easily recognized noting the artful joints of the frame.

Pudelskern
Mint Shop

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Ma come sei Skitsch!

Georgia Klebleev — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:47:11 +0000

The rule says that if you place the letter s in front of a word the new word’s meaning will be the opposite of the first. For Italians at least, this rule applies. So, the contemporary newborn Milanese word -SKITSCH is antithetic with the German kitsch. A skitsch object generates a positive feeling, while being skitsch means being at ease with your personal taste, comfortable with your style.

Milan is where the Italian company SKITSCH was launched by Renato Preti, co-founder and CEO, during the International Furniture Fair, in 2009. After previously making a fortune as founder and managing partner of Opera, a Louxembourg based private equity fund that invests in lifestyle companies ( B&B Italia, Moooi or Bulgari), with a history in business and finance and a heart for design, Preti left Opera to start SKITSCH. A new multi-purpose brand of furniture and accessories, SKITSCH produces everything from storage and beds to tabletop accessories and textiles.

In a way, Preti saw an opportunity in the actual market, while other producers decided to act recession-conscious. The fact is that the modern man is always eager for novelty, loves beautiful things and surrounding himself with contemporary objects, regardless of its social status. To serve this purpose, SKITSCH commissioned 28 emerging and prestigious designers to create products combining functionality, quality and creativity with no style imposition or boundaries of any kind, under the art direction and production guidance of Cristina Morozzi.

The result was a collection of 50 pieces that represent different styles, from minimalism to new baroque or ironic, with prices that range from €50 to €15,000, aimed to accommodate the taste of the design student, the artist and the gallerist, but also the billionaire, as Preti states in an interview for I-D magazine.

The Hahazard Harmony porcelain tableware, designed by Maarten Baas for SKITSCH in 2009.

Alle Chair, designed by Luca Nichetto for SKITSCH in 2009.

Completing the collection is a careful selection of existing pieces by renowned designers from the most interesting Italian and international design companies who work in line with the philosophy of SKITSCH. The 2010 collection enriches the current offer with 35 important pieces designed by significant international names.

Aka, designed by Jean Marie Massaud is a hybrid chair combining a light and comfortable methacrylate body with four strong oak legs. It reveals a tough character without losing its image of lightness. The body is available in a variety of colours, as well as in a decorated version.

Fire Kit, designed by 5.5 – Since ancient times, man has been forging objects inspired by nature. The idea is to return to the origin of artefacts by building a lamp that looks like the bonfires on the beach. The base is made of two crossed wooden elements supporting a Murano glass flame that contains the bulb. The light creates the illusion of a picnic on the beach.

Mirror wardrobe, designed by Peter Marigold – The Mirror project originates from preparations for the series Palindrome on display at Art Basel 2009. The exploration on the use of mirrors generated the idea to create the illusion of a doubled volume. The symmetry of an ordinary wardrobe is preserved, but space is saved by only creating half of it.

TNT, designed by Fabio Bortolani is a high squared wooden chopping board in various sizes with handle. After the carpet “Explosion”, Fabio Bortolani insists on the same trend proposing a chopping board with the shape of a detonator. The ironical transfer turns to be functional too: the chopping board acquires a practical and solid handle.

Arena, designed by Jiri Pelcl is a bonne china plates service of classic shape, connote by a light disharmony in the border. Jiri Pelcl, famous Polish designer, known forefront representative, had renewed the traditional shapes creating an unevenness that seems like coming from a light compression of the stretched out hands in the grabbing movement.

London Store

Not more than one year since their Milan inauguration, a 600 square meters and 13 windows, in the heart of Milan, in Via Monte di Pietà 11, they launch their second flagship store in London. At the opening the catalogue entitled “Mr. Bello in a SKITSCH World” was released, created by illustrator Andy Rementer in collaboration with interior magazine apartamento.

Instead of simply showcasing the product, Apartamento and Rementer created a narrative based around a character, Mr. Bello, who gets to know the brand, pick up some furniture, meet the designers, and visit the new store in London. Various SKITSCH store products are interwoven into the story, and there are also four more traditional catalogue pages featuring photography of products included in the booklet.

SKITSCH penetrates the global markets with a wide variety of objects, furniture and accessories, conceived to give clients an eclectic and original choice through a multi-channel system of distribution focused on high-end flagship stores in major cities, sales catalogues, an e-commerce platform and local dealers. “I don’t believe that small is beautiful, not in a business sense” says Renato Preti and we shall see whether this proves to be right or not.

SKITSCH
Maarten Baas
apartamento

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New kids on the block: Outofstock

Georgia Klebleev — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:21:10 +0000

Gabriel Tan and Wendy Chua from Singapore, Gustavo Maggio from Argentina and Sebastián Alberdi from Spain are four talented, award winning designers that met in 2005 at the Electrolux Design Lab, in Stockholm. They kept in touch and one year later decided to take it up a notch and formed Outofstock, an integrated studio offering interior and product design services.

This year we were pleased to see seven of their pieces within Salone Sattelite in Milan. Besides the final products, what caught our attention was the work that lies behind it, a collective effort based on the inspiration and values of four people that come from different corners of the world.
Gabriel Tan was pleased to answer some questions for Designro, as you’ll see in the interview bellow.

DESIGNRO: How does a team whose members come from different corners of the world, all with different cultural background collaborate?

Gabriel Tan: Coming from different cultural backgrounds makes our creative dialogues more interesting as we have different life experiences and perspectives on design and the world. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to work together on a regular basis when we are based in different cities, and thankfully the four of us were never short on that.

DESIGNRO: Your team fusion after you met in Stockholm. On what level is your vision towards a product influenced by the Scandinavian style?

Gabriel Tan: I wouldn’t say we are influenced by the Scandinavian style as we were only in Stockholm for a workshop and did not live there. However we share a common admiration for the honest usage of materials, smart details and well-controlled form.

DESIGNRO: Could you describe the steps of the creative process while working on a project?

Gabriel Tan: For a client-based commission we always start with understanding the client and finding as much as we can about the company, and then doing a relevant research on the end-user, how they live and interact with the space or product. We try not to look at other competitors on the market before we start designing, and try to find additional inspiration from everyday objects, nature or literature. However, we always make a check or survey of the market once we have a few concepts in mind, so that we can filter out any ideas that have already been done before. We believe in originality.

DESIGNRO: Was your presence at Salone Satellite this year prolific? Did you have any interests coming from producers?

Gabriel Tan: Yes we did have a very positive response from producers. We are currently developing some of the projects with firmly interested producers and we hope they can be on the market next year.

DESIGNRO: Could you give us a background story for the pieces presented in Milan as far as inspiration goes?

Gabriel Tan: Well, this year we wanted to try working with new materials and techniques that we never tried before so therefore you see glass, as well as plywood bending pieces in the collection. It was less about a poetic story but rather exploring connections and structures, as can be seen in Easy Chair and V-shelves. The raft sofa was trying to address the lifestyle of people today who move around a lot and so may only want to invest money in a sofa that they can bring along to their next home. The Boya Lamp was about the interesting combination and connection of two materials, while the Mute chair and Biscuit stool were about honest forms and subtle woodworking details.

DESIGNRO: Were the pieces presented in Milan prototypes?

Gabriel Tan: What we presented at the Salone Satellite this year are prototypes. Although for Biscuit Stool and Mute Chair we recently made a limited production run for two new restaurants that we designed. For the designs in production we have Black Forest (Ligne Roset), Glide Chair and Hull Table (for Foundry), Arbor Desk and Naked Chair (for Bolia, Denmark).

Mute Chair

A chair in solid maple whose understated elegance is expressed though the seamless transitions between its curved seat, legs and backrest.

Biscuit Stool

A stool in solid oak, Biscuit is a trusty companion for breakfast or afternoon tea. The seat edge is gently curved for a pleasant seating and tactile experience. Robust legs in turned wood are strengthened with criss-crossed dowels, completing a stool which uses no screws in its construction.

Easy Chair

A generously proportioned easy chair made of bent laminated plywood, with the front and rear leg structures stacked to form a stable brace support. Finished in maple wood veneer.

Boya

A table or bedside lamp inspired by nautical beacons and marine buoys. Lamp base in turned solid oak or walnut and lamp shade in grey tinted blown glass.

V Shelves

A laminated plywood shelf that has a gentle ”v” at one end to enable the user to display an open book. The two wall-fixation components that resemble books in shape and size also act as bookends.

Raft Sofa

A sofa suited for today’s nomadic lifestyle and shrinking apartment sizes. The gaps between the solid ash rods allow for the seat and backrest cushions to be strapped onto it. Its raft-inspired base frame can be disassembled completely for easy transportation through narrow stairways and doors. Modularity is possible with a longer base frame and more cushions.

Hues Table

Inspired by the overlay of colors in venn diagrams, this set of nesting tables is composed of waterjet-cut low iron glass tops that are sandblasted and coloured. Legs and support frame in painted steel.

Outofstock

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Cosmina Dinu — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:46:30 +0000

All poets have recurent themes, all artists have muses and all bloggers obsessions. Is it my latin origin or the rigorously arranged newsletter that brings me back to De La Espada?!
Oh, Lord, give us rain and economical crisis!…This autumn was incredibly full, don’t you think? I was overwhelmed by so many launches, new projects, lay offs, associations and good intentions. People really switch to positive thinking, not just on paper or negociations manuals. And particularily for Europe, there is a genuine work pleasure revival, turning to craft and doing fewer things and better.
One of the places where I would have loved to be this October is London during the Design Festival. I tried to catch up as much as I could through online means but of course, there’s no comparison with actually being on set.
The Portuguese-British brand De La Espada had some very good interventions during the 8 days dedicated to design. They held a series of three exhibitions in East London:
PROCESS: The Modern Workshop which focused on traditional craft in modern design
PRODUCT: which focused on 18 new products and several classics by four collaborating designers
PHILOSOPHY: Seating for Eating welcomed De La Espada’s newest collaboration, Studioilse

PROCESS: The Modern Workshop exhibition
At Tent London, it was presented a rare, behind-the-scenes look at De La Espada manufacture. The exhibition highlighted the relationship between craft and modern design through the presentation of raw materials, components and products.

PRODUCT exhibition
At the A Foundation in Shoreditch, thre were presented 18 new products designed by Autoban, Leif.designpark, Matthew Hilton and Studioilse. A vast, open plan exhibition space allowed the products to exist in their own area, whilst interacting with one another, highlighting the diversity of the products as well as the common ethos they share. The relaxed environment was enhanced each evening with casual drinks and nibbles.
If I were there, I’d take the following tour: I’d start with Matthew Hilton: Fracture Table
Brando SofaMars Table.
In 2008, De La Espada launched a collaboration with one of Britain’s most highly respected designers, Matthew Hilton. Hilton’s designs are understated, sculptural and meticulously detailed, with many already considered design classics. The Matthew Hilton range is designed by Matthew Hilton, and produced under licence by De La Espada. The complementary expertise of the two firms has ensured a furniture range true to Matthew Hilton’s creative vision, as realised through De La Espada’s material options and expert manufacturing.

Gloves put, tank fueled, wheels rolling, we enter the Autoban.Deco Sofa & Pumpkin Table
Holy Table
Wired King
Nest Lounge
The collaboration between Autoban and De La Espada launched at New York’s ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in 2007. Autoban is an Istanbul-based architecture, interior design and product design studio, founded by Seyhan Özdemir (architect) and Sefer Çaglar (interior architect) in the historic and bohemian district of Galata in 2003. The products, largely made from natural materials, cross boundaries of time and culture and playfully reinterpret the familiar. A selection of designs from Autoban’s ever-growing product portfolio are supported by De La Espada’s manufacture and understanding of solid wood.

Crossing the ocean, I’d wreck on Leif.designpark’s isle :Tone Cabinet
Lin pod Bench
Tone chair
Tone Chair for kids
Leif.designpark, a Japan-based design studio consisting of Takashi Ueno, Mamoru Naito and Keizaburo Honda, has been designing products in a variety of natural materials, with a specific emphasis on wood since 2006. Leif.designpark holds monozukuri- the art of traditional craftsmanship- in high esteem, and values the warm, playful relationship between a product and the user, as well as the comfort of the space where the two enjoy interaction. Their aesthetic is a result of applying monozukuri to the construction of modern designs to give the products a connection to traditional Japanese culture. Since 2007, De La Espada has manufactured and distributed select designs from their portfolio.

Heels kicking, neck twisting and enter into StudioIlse’s teritory:Low Bench & Stools
Settle &Low Bench
De La Espada recently launched a collaboration with renowned London-based design office, Studioilse. Ilse Crawford, principal of Studioilse is a creative director and designer who crosses the worlds of brand creation, interior architecture and products. She is a figurehead for design as a means for change and revitalisation; with a human approach that is emotional and intelligent. As the licensed manufacturer and distributor for Studioilse products, De La Espada will realise her designs through premium materials and expert craftsmanship.

PHILOSOPHY: Seating for EatingThe London Design Festival marked the beginning of our collaboration with Studioilse. Leila’s Shop in Shoreditch housed an installation of the new Studioilse seating collective, allowing visitors to sit on the products while enjoying a meal. A series of Kitchen Table Talks were held on the premises each evening focusing on the link between growing food and community. Speakers included the founder of Aesop, Dennis Paphitis and Tristram Stuart, author of ‘Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal’. The installation remains until 1 November.

You wish you were there too, I know…

De La Espada
Matthew Hilton
Autoban’s
Leif.designpark’s
StudioIlse’s
London Design Festival

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Alissia Melka-Teichroew

Cosmina Dinu — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:25:58 +0000

There’s always plenty of space for Design Academy Eindhoven graduates in my Subject list. Although you might suspect me of favoritism, I want to confess I really do not look for them, they come to me…through what they do. More, I was quite uninspired last week (due to autumnal piles of work) and it was the newsletter of Rezodesign friends that got me out of routine and I rediscovered Alissia Melka-Teichroew, a last winter crush.

Through her doubled wall glass Inside Out collection her CV magnifies honourly: She’s the founder and creative director of byAMT Inc (formerly known as AlissiaMT Design) and a Design Academy Eindhoven graduate, understood, “but” also holds a Master of Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), USA. Paris, San Francisco, Boston, IDEO or Puma International are just small facets of Alissia’s work.

Attuned to the latest design innovations, trends, and materials, she infuses her work with her own unique, charismatic personality and mischievous sensibility. Her products are savvy, sophisticated, and witty: the archetypical Acrylic Diamond Ring rendered in candy-colored acrylic, as well as Silver Diamond Ring, ceramic plates folded in easy-to-hold shapes, Handful of Plates, a mirror that transposes the viewers face over an iconic image of feminine beauty (ME-ror).This uncanny ability to tweak expectations has delighted design cognoscenti and consumers alike. ID Magazine, Nylon Magazine, New York Times and InView among many other publications, have featured byAMT products. Boutiques around the world carry them, including the MoMA store and Conran Shop. byAMT has exhibited work at the Salone del Mobile Milano, ICFFin New York, 100% Design Tokyo, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Need more? Better look.

InsideOut Collection
Photo by Lisa Klappe

Acrylic Diamond Ring and Silver Diamond Ring

Handful of Plates
ME-ror
Photo by Lisa Klappe

Ring A Day – One Ring for Every Week Day. Simply pop a pre-cut ring from a sterling silver or stainless sheet, polish rough edges with the included hand file, and voilá! The sheet itself makes great wall art once all the rings have been removed, or can be worn as a necklace. Just attach a chain to the piece.

The Lonely Hangers are derived from cup handles that were broken off from their cups. Now they can hand on the wall and be used in living rooms, bedrooms, lobbies, bathrooms, etc. Spread out over the wall you can create your own landscape of coat hangers, or hang a cloths hanger off of it.

AMT thinks you are a winner! Thanks to the Badge of Honor line of acrylic jewelry, you can award yourself a signet ring, star of honor, or first-prize ribbon. Choose from pink, black, clear or ivory. No expensive tuition, potential dangerous military service, or hard labor necessary.

Milk Series
Treehooked
Power House
Cle USB

Yes, this is just a selection. I think they’re more.

Alissia Melka-Teichroew
Rezodesign

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Light study—by Daniel Rybakken

Cosmina Dinu — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:45:07 +0000

The end of the summer is always sudden and unexpected. Is hard to let go to white T-shirts, trips to the seaside and red watermelons. You didn’t got the time to taste them fully and all you can do is swear that next year you’ll do them all more diligently. But what you miss the most are the early sunny mornings when the bright rays wake you up, filling you up with life. Light, like air and water is one of the most precious resource that we as organisms vitally depend on it.
With this thoughts in mind I got really hooked by Daniel Rybakken attempts in recreating natural light impression and all that derives out of it.
Here is his concept: “Daylight in a room gives information or signs of sometimes outside the physical room. These signs gives us a subconscious feeling that our perceived space is larger than the physical room. The contrast between outdoor and indoor decreases. When daylight in a room is removed, the feeling of space decreases, and the contrast between outdoor and indoor increases. I believe that this can result in a feeling of being enclosed for many of us, to be alone or lonely – a social block.”
Daylight in a room gives information from outside. This creates a feeling of an expanded perceived space. A sensation of freedom. But when the light is out, you no longer get this positive sensation.The room feels smaller, you feel trapped and alone.

Daniel’s first light study – Daylight comes sideways tried to create a feeling of expanded perceived space, through an illusion of natural daylight, revealing the idea of surroundings beyond the actual room, The concept has been to create a blurred, semi-transparent “window” – a recreation of daylight by creating dynamic artificial shadows of objects outside of the actual chamber.
The effect is created by individually dimming the intensity of 1100 LED’s, aranged behind a semi-transparent surface. By adding this motion, the subconscious illusion of daylight is enhanced.
Daylight comes sideways received a “Best of the Best” of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept, for the best illumination concept.

His second attemp -Subconscious effect of daylight tries to replicate the effect of having daylight indoor. The concept is to create a feeling of natural, direct sunshine. This imitation is created through projecting a light pattern giving a recognizable illusion of natural light and shadows.
The lamp has the shape of a small table where the light source is mounted underneath the tabletop. The light gives an illusion of the sun shining through a window because of the artificial shadows that are cast to the floor.“Don’t look at the table, look at the shadow on the floor beneath it.” The concept gives the illusion daylight is coming into a room by projecting light and the pattern of a shadow onto the floor (the beam comes from a projector under the table). It opens up dark, claustrophobic spaces by giving the impression there is bright daylight streaming in.

The young Norwegian designer is also preocupied by the medical curative properties of daylight, all the positive effects on humans. His most recent project Surface daylight continues the series of recreating positive sensation and the subconscious effect of having bright direct sunlight streaming into a room. Instead of projecting a light onto a surface (as with Subconscious effect of daylight), the idea was to place the light in the surface itself. The lamp is made up of two separate surfaces leaning against the wall. The light is created with LED lamps placed behind the surface.
Design Report awarded Surface Daylight for the best design at Salone Satellite 09.

Daniel Rybakken

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Marina’s home sweet home

Cosmina Dinu — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:15:37 +0000

Sometimes you do not need dozens of confirmations and reassurances that this is it what you want or need. You just feel it from the first glance. Marina Bautier has taken my dearest ideas and put them into life. Some of her qualified projects correspond to my shy, in home trials. And I am happy to have discovered her. I’m not alone…

First encounter: September 2008 at 100% Design London with Fold chair.

Taking little space when folded away, Fold keeps nevertheless the comfort of a standard lounge chair. Its language is voluntary the one of an indoor seat, thanks to the choice of material, the generous proportions and the padded seat. Easily moved around it can also occasionally be used outside.
I spent more than the polite exhibition time with this piece. I kept it in my mind.
This year, in Milan, at Galleria Bonaparte, the lounge folding chair got its name through my admiration of the new pieces Marina came out with: Lap Shelving and Modular seating:

Lap Shelving is a modular storage system that combines a low production cost with a real quality of appearance and use. Laser cut, folded and powder coated metal shelves and storage units integrate themselves within an oak structure. The system enables to create consoles and bookshelves and to join several units without doubling the structure.

The basic element of the flexible seating system is the bridge shaped leg. The repetition of the oak legs creates a regular rhythm that expresses the modularity of the project. The thin padded seats (with or without backrest) invite to a short rest in a hall, a hotel lounge or a library for example. A metal pole with a lampshade is fixed to the armrest. Beyond its functionality, it contributes to define an intimate sphere and introduces a warm domestic code in the rational typology of waiting rooms seating.

Indeed, this was the turning point. I became a fan of Marina Bautier and I forsee her with a beautiful future.
She is a Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (UK) graduate and in 2002 she set up her own design practice in 2002, back in her home town, Brussels. She works on a wide range of projects, from products to interiors. Developing her own designs for manufacturers, interior projects for private clients, as well as self-initiated projects.
Surfing through her website, I got hooked by a Sewing workshop, every diligent girl’s dream

And by a set for Collection for Idee,a Japanese online shop:
Photo by Koomi Kim
Or by a Bureau:

A Chair & Tabouret:

Or a concrete Gardenslab:

And the list goes on.

Marina Bautier
Idee

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