A Dance to the Music of Design: May 2012

Monday 28 May 2012

And now for something completely different...

...Graphic Designer Nick Agin's "Old Timey" Star Wars portraits.

Sunday 27 May 2012

Sofa Sunday...

The Sunday night staple: a round up of the best looking sofas I have seen this week.

Above: Red sofa and chair by Hayon Studio, Pantone Chair by Sif-Technology.

Below: New Life sofa and armchair by SE London

"Doodle Sofa" for Moroso

"Hex Sofa" by Nosinger

Blue sofa by Kati Meyer-Bruhl

White curling sofa by Risve Verona

Stack sofa by Kibisi

"Olympic Poster" couch by Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent

Grey sofa with coloured buttons by Ziglam Brook

Flat envy...

Today's coveted interior is the handy work of Joseph Dirand's practice, and can be found on Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière.

And now for something completely different...

If the prospect of returning to work tomorrow is just too much, you could always take your mind off it with a game of chess...

"Wine glass chess set" by Anders Nordby

The “Mizukagami” (water mirror) series by Rikako Nagashima and Hideto Hyoudou, an acrylic mirror that appears to drip down walls, off table and statues, and even form puddles complete with ripples should grace the pages of any design blog worth its salt (or should that be bytes?). It's a curious concept, whilst being fun and Dali-esque its also a little hallucinogenic and disturbing. As the mirror isn't useful in the traditional sense (unless you want to see up your skirt?) there is a faint aura of death and a reminder of mortality associated with the piece.

Whilst on the subject of quirky mirrors, these too have grabbed my attention:

All of Ron Gilad's mirrors are amazing, particularly the ones he designed for Dilmos (the little men are very John Davies!)

Thomas Eurlings' faded mirror makes anyone look like a soft focused Victorian

Scenes of a graphic nature...

A collection of highly graphic and geometric household design, starting with this intense wallpaper by Minakani Walls.

Various designs by the ever sleek Christian Fiebig

Geometric Living Collection by Rockman and Rockman, available at design mecca Darkroom. And below that, Rayuela Stool by Alvaro.

Despite the plethora of quirky shelving being designed, it's amazing/depressing how many people just have pine shelving. It's such an easy way to make any flat really special, whilst being functional and (usually) quite affordable. Very affordable if you attempt to replicate someones work. I'm not advocating plagiarism, but if you can't afford the real thing, you're never going to be a customer and are thus not denying the designer a sale, and if you tweak it a bit and don't sell it on or make any money from it, it all seems fair and above board.

One such statement piece that should provide ample inspiration is Norwegian designer Bjørn Jørund Blikstad's Imeüble, which is a very clever mix of simple rhombus shapes, clumped together and given the illusion of faux depth (I think that's how I'd describe it - they are really deep but look 2D).

The "Gem" series by Norman Copenhagen

Andy Gilmore's work could best be described as kaleidoscopic and hypnotic. Interestingly, the NY Times refers to his prints as "visually acoustic" as his "complex arrangements reference the scales and melodies in music." They are available from The Ghostly Store starting at US$110. They come framed with a letter of authenticity, but as far as I can see they aren't signed or printed in limited editions, so a little on the 'slutty' side, as far as having a collection goes. But they are certainly striking and beautiful and it would be great if you could find out which piece of music was behind it.

Boco do Lobo's Pixel cabinet is another thing of kaleidoscopic beauty, not just for colours on show, but for the sheer range of materials used to produce it. The cabinet combines silver leaf, gold leaf, lacquering, 10 different types of wood leaf, aged mirror and polished brass. The quilted effect if known as "capitoné".

TV cabinet and other assorted items by Joel Escalona for his Rocky Collection

Translucent chair: Random8 is designed by David Lesort and Arnaud Giroud of Pitaya Design and produced in a limited edition of 12 by Gallery Gosserez. Sold online exclusively by Outdoorz Gallery.

Millinery by House of Architects

Other wearables and designs of graphic note

The Wolf Shirt by Marshallah Design. Pink Lo Rez shoes by Nude United, "Invisible Shoes" by Andreia Chaves, paper bags by Ilvy Jacobs, origami inspired suitcase by Naoki Kawamoto.

And last, but by no means least, these curious "wooden textiles" by Elisa Strozyk. She uses wooden waste to create an array of textiles that challange our idea that something has to be soft to be comfortable. She describes it best herself, stating that "the processes to transform wood into a flexible wooden surface is its deconstruction into pieces, which are then attached to a textile base. Depending on the geometry and size of the tiles each design shows a different behavior regarding flexibility and mobility. There are various possible applications, for example as floorings, curtains, drapes, plaids, upholstery or parts of furniture." Sign me up for the curtains!

A taxing situation...

The Art Car Boot Sale, happening today on Brick Lane, have really outdone themselves this year with their limited edition, artist commissioned tax disk holders. They range from £40 for editions of 500 and £50 for a limited range of editions of 20.

Available at Pretty Taxing

Saturday 26 May 2012

The writing is on the wall, and the floor, and the...

Once the reserve of nurseries and trendier-than-thou cafes, numerical and alphabetical wallpaper and furniture is now a household staple.

Clockwise from below left: Wall & Deco, Wall & Deco, Grandeco Wallcoverings, Tres Tintas range from Tangletree Interiors, Basso and Brooke Wallpapers, Wall & Deco, Mr Persweall.

Artist Marc Ruygrok has been dishing up these tables since the 80s, creating his own unique vocabulary (for figuratively and literally...)

Richard Mollon's Anita "LOVE" shelf, Scrabble pillows by CounterCouture via Etsy, oversized "M" Letter Furniture by Set26, "W" cocktail table by designer Jason Phillips Design, "Will Be Read" bookshelves by Mebrure Oral.