Love and Haight

Designer Sondra Alexander always seems to straddle the line between fashion and product design very well. Never following trends, yet somehow perfectly on point with her designs that are classic but fresh at the same time. Her new collection, Haight Ashbury, brings the San Francisco 60’s vibe of hand-dyed wallcoverings made from organic rice paper and water based inks to an elevated level with the moody color palette and unfussy aesthetic. We can’t get enough of the wallcoverings because of their versatile usage and how seamlessly they would fit in with Proenza Schouler’s spring collection! Check out all the wallcoverings at yangki’s redesigned website: www.yangki.com

(Runway image courtesy of Glamour)

Rock Star

When it comes to creating luxurious textiles and surfaces with soul, Wietzner Limited is our go to designer. The new Nature Collection doesn’t disappoint with its seven styles of wallcovering based around the elements of earth, water and light. The beautiful papers use unique materials such as stone and pulp to create slightly raised surfaces that shimmer and shine in various lights. Made from thinly sliced layers of stone and then backed on paper, “Quarry” and “Stratum” have been garnering much media attention. Imagine the possibilities…

Swing My Way

Like a breath of fresh air, Brooklynite and Pratt graduate Christina Fesmire reminds us that design can be creative and carefree at the same time – even reminding us that adults need some time to play, too.

That’s why she’s created this Fugle Swing, which is crafted from simple and natural materials with delicate and sensual clean lines; it’s just plain fun. We’re thinking about installing a few around K2 to help get the creative juices flowing!

Images courtesy of Design Milk.

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.

Bamboo Rising

Becca Stool — Designed by Anthony Marschak for Modern Bamboo, the Becca Stool is a refined multi-functional piece. This lightweight stool can be used with or without a cushion yet also performs superbly as a side table. Stack multiple stools to form an impressive shelving unit. The Becca Stool’s rounded forms give full expression to the natural bamboo texture that is finished to a silken polish.

Available through B. Mori San Francisco showroom.

A Beautiful Divide

When observing the corporate workplace of today, one can draw a correlation between the prevalence of cubicle workspaces found within these companies and the 19th century factory worker’s workstation. But just because the majority of today’s office workers show up to the same cubicle workspace on a daily basis, similar to the workers of the 19th century industrial revolution, does not mean that the workspace has to become boring or monotonous.

By incorporating good design within a commercial facility, the work environment at any company can be vastly improved. One example of this is the way in which the workspaces are divided. The following two manufacturers offer great alternatives to the pedestrian cubicle.

Weitzner Limited’s Nimbus is part of the Masterworks collection by Lori Weitzner. Constructed of a beautiful organic web of handmade paper derived from South American fig tree bark, Nimbus creates an interesting and stunning room divider when hung from the ceiling or placed between sheets of glass.