If you are familiar with Design Addict, you surely noticed that there are a lot of talented people who express their opinion and questioning in our Forum. We have decided, every now and then, to draw your attention on subjects which seems to us worthy of interest.
Louise Campbell is the featured designer on dkVogue.com, a large source for Danish design that introduces modern, authentic Danish furnishings, lighting and accessories to North America.
Bille goes Zen - Cabinet maker Lars Bille Christensen (2003/2006)
Louise Campbell’s work is playful and experimental, and is increasingly gaining a reputation for gently twisting not only every day objects and situations, but also materials and manufacturing processes in new directions. The combination of Scandinavian rationalism and femininity, and perhaps her dual nationality (Danish and British), give the works of Louise Campbell an unusual edge. Illustrating contrasts seem to be an issue, that keeps returning in her work.
'Spiderwoman' - HAY (2008) 'Retreat' (1998)
'Seesaw' and 'Entertainment' - Erik Jørgensens Møbelfabrik (2002)
'Veryround' - Zanotta (2006) 'Prince Chair' - HAY (2005)
British manufacturing company Established & Sons has become renowned for its original approach since its first launching during the Milan Furniture Fair in 2005. They are constantly looking to innovate and their intention remains today just the same as it was then - to produce the highest quality furniture designs and work with the very best emerging design talents as well as established contemporary designers.
Here are some of the new designs that have been launched at this year's Milan fair.
'Crate series' by Jasper Morrisson
'Torch' by Sylvain Willenz
'Frame' by Wouter Scheublin 'Pole Light' by Paul Cocksedge
After successful international premiere in Talent Zone, Copenhagen Furniture Fair, last year, Wood Processing &
Furniture Design students have demonstrated their sustainable design
work - furniture prototypes and interior elements, at Salone Satellite
2008, Milan Furniture Fair, held from 16th-21 April.
Exhibition showed fresh, multi functional elements, new construction principles, as well as projects from REST WOOD DESIGN sustainable design workshop by mentor MA Jelena Matic, held every year at the Center for Tools and Machinery, at Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade.
Organized annually, the workshop operates as an extracurricular activity at the University promoting sustainable creativity through innovative use of industrial wood waste in student furniture and interior design concepts, which often results in real student prototypes, first time experiences, valuable knowledge, and rewards to young designers.
DeKast, created by Michel Doyer Furniture Designs, will be presented for the first time at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Tuttobene, a Dutch platform for young designers, has selected a limited amount of designs for the Salone del Mobile presentation, which includes DeKast.
DeKast is a modular shelving system. Users can choose from a collection of exclusive Kvadrat fabrics for use on the upholstered front panels of DeKast. The wide choice of fabrics and infinite possibilities of composition and shape make DeKast a design piece which can easily be adapted to its user’s personal taste.
Tuttobene, Zona Tortona, Via Mortara 15, Milan, Italy, from 16 to 21 April 200
The 'Nested Bunk Beds' was a winning entry by architect Y. Tsai of
Tsai Design Studio for the 36sqm Challenge, a design competition
sponsored by Pick 'n Pay Ackerman Foundation. The requirements for the
competition was to design 36sqm of home for 7-8 people, a condition
commonly found in the low cost income housing in South Africa.
Tsai Design Studio’s Nested Bunk Bed was inspired by Matriochka Russian dolls that can unpack itself into several other dolls. Each
bed is fitted with standard single mattress. The length of the beds
increases to allow each bed to be nested under each other, leaving some
storage space on the side of the beds. Sections of the nested bed can
be pulled out to serve a number of purposes, such as a sofa for two, a
grandstand seating, or as five beds, which can be packed away into a
standard bunk bed area. When fully extended, the bed system can sleep
20 children in a tight space of 50m2, as well as providing play space
when the beds are retracted.
Subsequent to winning the design competition, the sponsors initiated a
project whereby 4 sets of the bed system were placed into an Aids
Orphanage in Wellington, near Cape Town, South Africa, for 20 kids,
where a flexible Play / Sleeping area forms the core of the house. The
beds were painted with bright colours to bring about messages of hope
and joy to the Aids affected children.
Shoebox Homes has plans to produce 200 beds this year for other
orphanages in need of assistance, with funding from Pick ‘n Pay
Ackerman Foundation, as well as other corporate and private
sponsorships. The beds will also be available to the public by April,
once the factory is up and running.
The Nested Bunk Beds has been nominated at Design Indaba as The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa Award.
Each time the name of IKEA appears on Design Addict, there are voices which rise to attack or defend the Swedish firm. To the clans of IKEA lovers and IKEA haters, one apparently has to add IKEA hackers, already present since a while on the Web. On Ikeahacker, speakers share their experiments of customisation and diversion of IKEA furniture. The level is very irregular, but some ideas are worth the visit.
Adam from Boston posted this cheap but functional laptop desk, hacked from IKEA's Benjamin stool.
This sofa table was made from bamboo plywood and salvaged legs from IKEA's Imfors table.
Another poster used inexpensive Regolit lamp from IKEA, some wool and
some glue to create lamps inspired by the beautiful MOOOI’s Random
lamps.
Bloxes LLC is a Chicago-based company run by Andrew Wilson and Aza Raskin. They have conceived a system of building blocks made of interlocking pieces of corrugated cardboard, folded together. Their unique shape and structure make them exceptionally strong and lightweight — you can build yourself a platform to stand on, and then pick it up and move it wherever you need to.
Bloxes can connect with each other on all six sides, so you can use them to build walls, benches, tables etc. And because the varied surface and complex internal structure helps dampen sound, they're great for managing acoustics in offices, studios and other places.
To build a structure with bloxes, simply line up the pegs of two bloxes and push them together. Repeat as necessary. Plus, they're multi-faceted, so you can build in any direction.
When is a jug not a jug? When its a jar! By screwing on plastic tops, these jars are turned into containers with a specific function. A jar is transformed into kitchenware, creating more practical and emotional value. The family includes a sugar pot, milk can, spice container, chocolate sprinkler, oil&vinegar set, mug and a water jug...
Clamp-a-book, clamp-a-hook, clamp-a cable... Design solutions derived from the clamp typology: a family of objects, each with a specific function. The collection of these informal utensils includes a book stop and a book finger, a book display, a hook and a rail that clamp onto the side of horizontal surfaces, a hook to clamp on to electrical pipes, a candle holder, and a cable manager that can be clamped onto a table leg.
Inspired by and learning from the Clampology project, the clamp principle has moved to another scale: a clamp-on table leg. The legs are a more compact alternative to trestles. The legs come as an individual set of four legs to match any surface.
The idea of the folding away wall bed is far from new, it was already very successful in the Fifties. But these contemporary solutions proposed by bonbon, with the Clei collection, should interest all those who live in a small space, that is to say most people who live in the largest cities of the world where the price of the square meter is almost invaluable.
These beds exist in many different sizes and finishes and can be integrated or fronted with sofas or desks when they are folded up.
Casulo is a complete set of room furniture which can be set up in less than ten minutes and later disassembled and repacked like a standard Euro pallet of 80 cm by 120 cm. No tools are needed in the process.
The unit is constructed of durable, long-lasting materials. Even after many moves the strong materials chosen for the unit mean that the Casulo will never show signs of wear and tear. This is for people on the move, those in job training, students, and people who have to change their location frequently.
Casulo, a collaborative project of designers Marcel Krings and Sebastian Mühlhäuser, won the Abraham & David Roentgen Prize for its innovative design in November 2007.
Picture by Brent
