Design Flexibility

There is good design and there is smart design. When a visually pleasing and well-constructed piece of furniture can offer the user a variety of options and flexibility, the conceptual element of the work takes it to a higher level of design. With the flood of new products that continuously inundate the design market, the following three designers are using flexibility and ingenuity to float above the product deluge.

The SwiTCh Table-Chair by Belgian designer Ellen Ectors can be used as both a casual armchair and as compact desk and chair combination. The handsomely stitched leather on the ball/seat is carried into the solid European oak frame to give the SwiTCh Table-Chair a desirable level of consistency. Available in: Apple Green, Marine Blue, Café or Espresso Brown and Polar (Cream).

Versatility is the driving force behind The Las Vegas Collection from IVINI Garden Furniture. Designed for outdoor use in a variety of situations, the collection can take the form of a particular need with few limitations. The multitude of shapes that the collection takes on is possible due to the versatility of the individual pieces. The Las Vegas Collection is as adaptable as it is durable, setting a new standard for outdoor furniture design.

German designer Tim Kerp has developed the Sonntag modular seating collection based on his passion for togetherness and community. The Sonntag seating collection offers a variety of seating positions in order to allow a natural and organic spontaneity to conversation. Precisely shaped through CNC milling, the modules are easily arranged and rearranged without the use of tools.

Images courtesy of Ellen Ectors, IVINI and Tim Kerp.

Give Us Moore

We would like to introduce you to a rising star in the graphics world, Matt W. Moore. Matt owns MWM Graphics out of Portland, Maine and is known for his “Vectorfunk” style that lends itself to everything from colorful digital illustration to large aerosol outdoor murals. Currently Matt is well know as a street artist all over the world, shown here is a current outdoor piece that he is working on, however his talents have also created creative collaborations with various clothing companies, print add work and K2 snowboards. We are sure once the design world locks eyes on Matt’s inspiring color illustrations the product collaborations will be bountiful, perhaps a perfect combo with the likes of color guru Kareem Rashid?

Images courtesy of Wooster Collective

Past Forward

In 1906 now famed Architect and urban planner, Daniel Burnham, created the first comprehensive plan of controlled growth in an American city. That American city, being the Chicago, is now celebrating Burnham’s Plan of Chicago centennial with one of perhaps the coolest instillations we have come across.

For the celebration, one of our favorite architects, Zaha Hadid, created a grand pavilion, which expands on Burnham’s past vision. Burnham Pavilion, which recently opened in Millennium Park, is composed of an intricate curved aluminum structure with fabric skins tightly zipped around the metal frame to create the curvilinear shape. An interior skin also serves as the screen for a video instillation by Thomas Gray that explores Chicago’s past and future.

A city known for its progressive cultural ethos and stunning architecture shows no sign of slowing down. If you are in the area visit the pavilions and let us know what you think !

The Burnham Pavilions will be open and free to the public in Millennium Park through October 31, 2009

Images courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects © Michelle Litvin and www.designboom.com

A Creative Spark

Great design cannot be confined to a specific set of principals or ideals. For advances to occur, designers must stray beyond the border of conventional thought in order to break new ground. These attempts to innovate often result in failure but as with all things, failure is a key aspect of learning. The following three lighting designers have created products that serve as proof that breaking from the mold can result in great success when done properly.

The Zipp lamp from designers Camilla Waldal and Janne Helen Bulling is constructed entirely of zippers that have been attached together to form the supporting component of the lamp. The use of zippers as a means of controlling the light source creates an interesting play of light and shadow that allows the user to adjust the light source to their desired specifications. The Zipp lamp is available in a variety of heights and colors.

The Chester lamp by Dutch designers Bert van der Grift & Dennis van der Burch pays homage to the original classic chesterfield couch. Designed for the Belgian lighting manufacture Dark, this quirky and intriguing light has been coined the “chubby friend” of any space.

French designer Céline Wright presents the NID light. This handmade contemporary light was designed in Wright’s studio in Paris and serves as a prime example of her signature style of organic minimalism. Constructed of Japanese paper, Wright drew inspiration from the nest of a swallow hanging from a branch to develop the concept behind this unusually captivating piece.

Linen Chintz with Moorish Charm

Nomi draws on patterns from all over the world to create her versatile fabrics. Reminiscent of a Moorish tile pattern, Souk’s stylized quatrefoil is hand painted on 100% linen chintz. Both dynamic and timeless, it harmonizes with a wide variety of interiors.

Commune Dining Table from Ted Boerner

Believing that a dining table is more than just an heirloom, Ted Boerner set about to create a table that would embody what a dining table truly is: a place where people gather together and connect with one another, and where new traditions are made. Inspired by the work of Ellsworth Kelly, the table is available in three “breathing shapes”—Rectangle, Round, or Square—and features a “propeller” veneer on the tabletop that draws the diners together as it radiates out from the table center. Available in Walnut, White Oak, Cherry, Mahogany, and Maple.

Nuevo Living

Nuevo Living is one of the premier manufacturers of high quality modern furniture and décor. Select pieces from their contemporary lighting line, such as the Asparagus, Meringue and Cerebro chandeliers, embrace a palette of strictly white to achieve a clean and contemporary appearance that provides flexibility in placement and setting.

Not So Black & White

The effect of restricting a color palette to simply black and white is well… not so ‘black and white’. The outcome of this chromatic odd couple ranges from classic to contemporary, from specific time periods to timeless elegance. The reason that using black and white together evokes such a large range of feelings is due to the fact that it has always been and always will be in style.

William Switzer Collection – Piedmontese Side Table

J Banks Collection – Fulton Chair

Ann Sacks Mosaics – ipanema

Rodolph Fabrics – left to right: In Sync, Sequel, Oracle, and Bolero

Tracy Kendall Wallpaper – Florals

Green Headquarters ‘LEED’ing The Way

Rocky Mountain Hardware is a leading designer and manufacturer of bronze architectural hardware that is committed to an environmentally conscious philosophy. Family-owned and operated since its inception in 1994, the company used USGBC LEED standards when designing their 64,000-square-foot LEED Gold certified headquarters in Hailey, Idaho.

All of Rocky Mountain Hardware’s products are manufactured using recycled materials but the company is not only committed to the practice of environmentally responsible manufacturing, it encourages its employees to live by its green philosophy by offering bicycles to its staff and using hybrid company cars to further support sustainability.

Geometric Reverberation

Geometry is a wonderful design tool for producing balanced work that requires intricate and detailed repetition. By using nonrepresentational shapes such as lines, circles, ellipses, triangles, rectangles, and polygons, designers can create complex patterns that continue on infinitely and result in a complex motif that is almost mesmerizing to the eye.

Pollack fabric collection – Circumstance

Nomi outdoor fabric collection – Omei

Alicia D Keshishian, Carpets of Imagination – Parqué

Weitzner Wallcovering – Enduit Collection, Bandlet