Abstract Lounge Landscape Project

Abstract Lounge Landscape Project was developed on the occasion of this year’s  Rundgang. The landscape-like lounge furniture has two outstanding innovative features. Firstly, it is made of a novel multi layered composite material out of three dimensional polyester fabrics within glass fiber which is very strong and light at the same time. Specific surface properties, due to the novel compound material, its partly computer aided manufacturing and the mathematical approach lead to a unique object morphology synthesizing form, material and structure. Secondly, in addition to the innovative use compound materials, the specific surface geometry allows generating a whole ‘family’ of individual, differentiated objects with various possibilities to configure, all of them arising from a single mother form. The geometry of every generated surface offers many ways to sit on it and accommodates up to seven people. Lounge Landscape breaks with the common zoning and functions of conventional seating furniture as the usage of the surfaces is not fully defined, inviting the user to sit, rest, lean or linger on it as well as to interact with others. Social micro structures emerge from Lounge Landscape as everyone has individual and collective experiences while using it.
Team: Nicola Burggraf,Susanne Hoffmann, Steffen Reichert, Nico Reinhardt,Yanbo Xu.
Project Coordination: Prof. Achim Menges, HfG Offenbach am Main.

via Design Spotter

Digitally Mastered, MoMa


Digitally Mastered, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Via Design Art News.

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

VIVID Gallery presents: Show 01-07 Chris Kabel September 30 – 18 November 18, 2007 Kabel describes his designs as usable poetics. They are the result of a rather clinical dissection of objects and their context which enables him to analyze separately function from decoration and shape from material. He then puts these parts back tohether again in his own way, not unlike a modern doctor Frankenstein. Now based in Rotterdam, he has studied at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, where he was noticed by Droog Design. His graduation project the Sticky Lamp was included in their catalogue in 2002, the beginning of an ongoing collaboration including commissions and exhibitions. Mooi and Royal VKB have followed, and some of his products have entered the collections of the Boijmans van Beuningen, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the FNAC (french foundation for contemporary art).

via Galerie Vivid

At Interior Design Show 08

It’s a bit of a Catch-22 for emerging industrial designers. Without a portfolio of products under their belt it’s almost impossible to put original designs into production because Canada’s secondary industry is so miniscule. Still many designers don’t sit around waiting for the phone to ring. Instead they develop new concepts from scratch, source the materials, sub-contract the manufacturing and thus nurture a new design from cradle to working prototype. It’s a risky business since time and money is involved and there is no guarantee of success. Every once in a while a clever designer hits a home run. Two years ago, Matthew Kroeker launched Splinter bench at IDS Prototype: New Ideas for the Home. The wood seating system fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and was picked up by Jane Hamley Wells, a furniture manufacturer in Chicago. Last month Interior Design awarded Splinter a merit award for best residential seating in 2007. Industrial designer Derek McLeod is another regular at IDS Prototype. Because of his talent and entrepreneurial spirit his clients include Speke/Klein and Seating Systems International. He’s currently in negotiation with an Italian manufacturer to produce Sum, his elegant walnut chair, which he showed at Prototype 07.

via Interior Design Show

Colmio Chair by Päivi Mikola

Also new to IDS (and to Canada!) is the Colmio line of furniture by Finnish designer Päivi Mikola. The Colmio Chair was first designed in 2003 and since then has been shown in many international exhibitions and has won several design awards in Finland as well as Japan (living the sustainable life) retail designer Stephan Hagens launched EauTerre 3 months ago, a collection of healthy furniture all made locally from sustainable materials. he shows the collection for the first time at IDS 08

Via IDS.