DESIGNRO » Salone del Mobile

Oak. Simple as that, surprising as it is…

Iulia Constantin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:10:51 +0000

Modest, rectangular, traditional… at least that’s the initial impression the Oak. collection gives you at first sight. But step over the threshold of your reality’s margins and you will discover an emotional and well-considered series of furniture that both surprises and amuses.
Oak. represents the result of an extracurricular, collaborative activity between 18 students from Lund University, School of Industrial Design, Sweden. The whole idea began with a workshop held by Jonas Lindvall, one of Sweden’s most acclaimed designers, which intended to explore archetypes and stereotypes in the world of furniture.

Take into consideration the fact that the oak is the only used material. No matter how traditional and reminiscent of the past this collection can look, the pieces’ design is the thing that stands-out of the crowd.
Every single item of the Oak. collection deals with the design of the furniture piece with a hint of humor while considering, the function, the form and the usage of each of them.
The whopping cookie drawer with the tall legs, and a small drawer for its size tries to restrain us from our sugar-tooth temptations.

The bench, on the other hand invites the lonely, with the linear back seat, yet supports the many which can sit and share the bench.

The wardrobe is designed in such manner so that it leaves the clothes exposed, it allows each user to create his/her style and be inspired. The versatile wardrobe will change as the seasons change: the density of the wardrobe, the materials will be different, and so will the colors. It truly reflects the personality of its ‘master’.

The sideboard is defined by space and the context which it will enclose. More precisely, it includes a drawer, far too deep to reach its back. A metaphor of the classic traditional sideboard, the length that it presents when opened greatly limits its placement within a room.

The grandfather clock is there, overlooking upon us to remind us that time flies as the clock ticks and that we should make wise usage of it!

Last but not least, the small chair and the frame encased desk acts as the ‘framework’ for our thoughts and ideas.

The project was presented at Designersblock Milano 2011, Ventura Lambrate. All seven items of the Oak. collection are shaped of American oak sponsored by WBP Trading AB, finished with Herdins AV wax oil and executed by cabinetmaker Ali Atie.

The participants are  Amanda Österlin La Mont, DeeDee Kim, Elin Stavenow, Filip von Hauswolff, Gregory Hayter, Hanna Johansson, Jesper Nord, Karl Jönsson, Karl-Otto Saarman, Matthijs Braakman, Moses Kang, Mirko Ihrig, Olli Hirvonen, Patrik Eriksson, Piotr Szpryngwald, Rami Santala, Sandra Lundberg, Wang Huilong. Good job, all 18 of you!

Lund University, School of Industrial Design

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

Loved, liked or questioned!

Iulia Constantin — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:55:50 +0000

Like every single year, the Designro team created a specific event after their week spent in Milan at Salone. It happened at Intro, where we set up an installation displaying 200 images of novelties and prototypes. This way, we offered our visitors the opportunity to vote their favourite pieces by sticking three different kinds of appreciation dots: I like it, I question it and Wow, I love it!

Ten days passed, you visited us and we managed to bring together the most voted objects, whether they were loved, liked or questioned…

Created by A+A Cooren, ‘Tourbillon‘ is a glass vase whose shape evokes the cycle and water movement. It was the most loved and appreciated item, gaining 4 Wow, I love it! and 4 I like it! dots.
A+A Cooren

On the second place, with 7 dots of positive appreciation, is the ‘Cellular Chair’ by Mathias Bengtsson.
“The chair relies on the same principle as bone tissue, which consists of an airy cellular structure providing a construction which is both strong and light. Cellular Chair has a pre-programmed exterior shape, but the interior geometric cell structure is unique”, the designer explains.
Mathias Bengtsson

‘Biknit‘ represents Patricia Urquiola’s latest design for the contemporary brand, Moroso. Available in a chair and chaise lounge version, the collection features an enlarged stocking-stitch design which acts as both the primary surface and the structure. Takes the second place also with 4 Wow, I love it! and 3 I like it! red dots.
Moroso

The whopping ‘Cookie Drawer‘ with the tall legs, and the small drawer for its size tries to restrain us from our sugar-tooth temptation, while its design includes the nostalgic element of a traditional cookie drawer. This piece is part of the Oak collection, a collaborative activity between 18 students from Lund University, Sweden. Our visitors really enjoyed the idea, and so it gained 6 red dots of appreciation.
Industrial Design

Created by Benjamin Hubbert for Casamania, ‘Maritime‘ was inspired by the maritime world. An elegant and refined chair carefully constructed from solid timber, which picked up 3 loves and 2 likes.
Casamania

With the same number of loves and likes, but in the mean time, being questioned twice, ‘RememberMe‘ is a chair that embodies the current focus on sustainability and recycling (‘RememberMe’ is entirely made from old jeans). The race towards the future and the desire to keep the past alive coexist in ‘RememberMe’.
Casamania

Another favourite piece was the ‘Workshop‘ lamp, designed by Sami Kallio. ‘A armature 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 skrew of brass you can adjust the hight on the arm. The shade is easy to moved along the arm with the leatherband’, says its creator.
Sami Kallio

The Bouroullec’s iconic ‘Quilt‘ series of feature seating is now available in a new colourway, taking inspiration from iconic comic book superheroes. It consists of an upholstered, honeycomb-like skin of hi-tech stretch fabric with individual foam inserts, which is fitted over a fibreglass shell. ‘Quilt’ is an antithesis to the formal, structured sofa and seating designs we have become familiar with and even though one person questioned it, the sofa was liked for 5 times.
Established & Sons

Considering them to be taken the forth place, the following eight pieces gained the same number of positive appreciation dots.

The collection, called ‘Klara‘, was designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso and it is manufactured using both industrial processes and local hand-craft techniques in the chair-manufacturing district of Manzano, Italy.
Moroso

‘Sliced’, created by Sami Kallio, is an easy chair inspired by the classic Windsor Chair. It’s made out of bended wood and solid ash.
Sami Kallio

‘Loop‘ is a hybrid chair / rug which is inspired by the designer’s interest in the technique of “tufting”, commonly used for making carpets. This modern chaise lounge, designed by Sophie De Vocht for CasaMania, is known for its meticulous craftsmanship.
Casamania

Designed by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka for Moroso, ‘Moon‘ is a chair inspired by the beauty of the moon, its glowing light and shadows. The chairs express the full moon when seen from above, the half moon when seen profile, and the crescent when seen from an angle.
Moroso

Jaime Hayon’s ‘Candy Light‘ is designed for Baccarat and it juxtaposes the bright finish and solid form of ceramic with the clarity and cut of textured crystal. Yummy!
Baccarat

Benjamin Hurbert’s ‘Pod‘ is a large chair designed for breakout areas in offices or residential projects. It was designed for the Netherlands manufacturer, De Vorm. You can read an article about it, right here on our blog.
De Vorm

The ‘Aim ‘ lamps adapt to the style of different settings, because they make it possible to direct the light freely and adjust the height of the diffuser by sliding it up and down the suspension wire. They are designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Flos.
Flos

The ‘Extension chair‘ was designed by Sjoerd Vroonland for Moooi. A variety of 3 extensions each with a different function, coat-stand, handbag-hanger and a card-holder can be attached to the chair.
Moooi

Till this point you have seen the most loved or liked pieces, but now it’s time to present you also the most voted items as being questioned, strange and intriguing.

Being somewhere in between, ‘Marie Coquine‘ has been voted with 3 I like it! and 3 I question it! dots. Created by French designer Philippe Starck for Baccarat, the ‘Marie Coquine’ standing lamp sets a crystal chandelier into an umbrella suspended in mid-air, layering imagery and textures in a display both imaginative and functional.
Baccarat

Gaining the same number of I question it! dots, we will put the following two designs on the second place in the ‘most intriguing pieces’ top.

The ‘Mindstream‘ cabinet was designed by Diesel for Moroso. It’s only a matter of taste…
Moroso

This unique storage is designed by Fredrik Hansson of Brikolör and called the ‘Bågar‘. The Brikolör itself is a company that designs and manufactures furniture based in Göteborg, Sweden. The form of this furniture is very similar to the structure of old buildings in the Roman Empire.
Brikolor

The transparent sofa is part of the Poltrona Frau’s collection of upholstered sofas in clear, see-through plastic to illustrate the raw, hand-knotted strings and steel springs of the brand’s furniture. The highlight is this transparent Chesterfield which gained the highest number of I question it! dots, positioning it on the first place in the ‘most intriguing pieces’ top.
Poltrona Frau

Thank you for voting!

Tom Dixon launches Multiplex in Milan

Iulia Constantin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:17:54 +0000

Based upon his spirit of innovation and enlarging multiple dimensions of his creativity and efficiency, Tom Dixon created Multiplex, a new environment trade show and exhibition concept for this year’s edition of Salone. Comprehending a pop-up viewing theatre, a broadcasting centre, a restaurant, a shop and a gallery, Multiplex is the place where the visitors will be able to explore the multifaceted world of Tom Dixon. A clear departure from the traditional exhibition booths typical during the Milan Design Week, where the convention is to show single prototypes, Dixon’s aim is to create up to six working environments, all in full use. Visitors experience a trail of sensations created through 6 hyper real environments, like a Science Lab, a Hotel Lobby or a Viewing Theatre, each section exploring various ideas of luminosity and technology. Coming in handy, a Broadcast Centre will update information daily from all over the fair onto a giant wall of projections.
New products such as the following are going to be officially launched at Milan Design Week 2011. Tower is one of them, and comes as an extension to the Etch range of acid etched brass panel products. Made by employing a hi-tech process used to produce electronic products, this lamp includes circuit boards. The method allows for intricate patterns to be cut directly onto the metal.

Available in 3 types of chandelier – wide, long and round with multiple bulbs and as an individual pendant, Bulb is another piece of Dixon’s work up to be launched in April. Made from mould blown glass, the quick start T5 bulb is an efficient oversized light bulb designed in reaction to the phasing-out of the incandescent bulb and the unattractive aesthetic of most CFL replacements. Both the bulb and the specially designed fitting are unique to Tom Dixon. The E27 fitting also allows the bulb to be used in any standard lamp.

Inspired by the sculptural simplicity of brass cooking pots and traditional water vessels on the subcontinent, the hand beaten brass Beat light is now available in a white gloss lacquered exterior, with white braided pendant cord and ceiling rose.

Besides the new lighting designs, Dixon will also bring to Milan some smart and efficient new furniture items, like a range of versatile and provocative chairs: Fan, Scoop, Cast and Peg are their friendly names and they present cool and attractive designs with very soft outlines.

Roll, another fresh product signed by Dixon, is an adaptable and functional café / bistro table. It presents a sand cast iron base, a metal stem and either a laminate top with extruded rubber bumper or bleeched birch top. The rolling wheel on the cast iron base enables even a single waiter to reconfigure the tables with minimal fuss and assistance.

This year, Salone Internazionale del Mobile from Milan is celebrating half century of existence. 50 years looking exclusively to the future, through a joined-up project that, along with the usual exhibition involves the City of Milan, providing an opportunity for reflection on design, on the world of industry that has made it all possible, on creativity and on culture.

Tom Dixon’s British design and manufacturing company of lighting and furniture was established in 2002. With a commitment to innovation and a mission to revive the British furniture industry, the brand is inspired by our nation’s unique heritage. Tom Dixon launches new collections annually with products sold more than 60 countries.

Tom Dixon
Salone Internazionale del Mobile

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