If you grew up on this planet during the last two decades of the twentieth century – you were at some point addicted to tetris. So were most of the contemporary designers. Which is why there are so many reenactments of the game – tetris sofas, tetris shelves, tetris rugs… What we see here is the Tetris mirror – a beautiful addition to the tetris family, created by Julia Dozsa for Fiam. This set of modular mirrors can be arranged into various configurations, from slik and classic ones to extremely elaborate. Each angular segment is fitted with the mount, so it can be attached to the wall individually. The Tetris mirror is versatile, playful, it adds light and depth to small spaces. And this is what we, shoebox dwellers want to hear.
It is incredibly pleasing that the American turf can produce its own Jacobsens, Wagners and Kjaerholms. Meet Ryan Diener, a Cincinnati based industrial designer, whose works are inspired by the masterpieces of Scandinavian school. His latest creation – DK Stool – contains all attributes typical for the Danish design tradition. The piece is beautifully crafted, minimalistically shaped and made out of local materials. But the best feature of the DK Stool is that the top of it bends to accomodate the person’s weight, while the legs turn outwards for a better support. No mechanisms, no additional parts; all done by the physics of the form. Clever, simple and elegant… Can your stacking stool do that?
These unusual bookshelves belong to an emerging French designer Adrien De Melo, who very deservingly called her creation Upside Down. Weightless, modular, transparent, suspended from the ceiling, these pieces truly give a new dimension to the idea of book storage. Each shelve consists of five simple components: translucent inflatable cushions, stainless frameworks, lifting straps, maintenance pins and fixing accessories. The units can be organized into different configurations. The Upside Down bookshelves are currently on display at Galerie BSL in Paris.
Update: Designer clarified that the shelves were ordered as a special command from Louis Vuitton Malletier to equip their cultural space, 7th floor of the Champs-Elysées building. The Upside Down shelving is exhibited at the Pavillon des Arts et du Design in Paris until April, 3rd. And if you are lucky enough to be in Milan for the Salone del Mobile’11 – do check out SPAZIO ROSSANA ORLANDI exposition. These shelves will be there!
The subtle humour of this piece made me look. Bed Blend, designed by the Netherlander Roy Letterle (aka lero), lives up to its name. A bed and two chars are morphed into one minimalistic piece. The chairs serve as bedside tables and in turn start formation of a headboard with their backs. Both the form and the function of Bed Blend are stripped to their absolute essentials. Even the ‘blending components,’ two chairs and a bed, are quintessentially basic. One simple, rustic idea in all its bareness.
Who does not love knit things? They are cozy, they have manmade charm, they make us feel warm and comfortable… So it was only smart to bring these qualities into home design. The object in question is an unconventional lamp made out of a nylon webbing bonded together via a special glue technique. Designer Andreas Kowalewski calls his creation Fungi. The name suits the mushroomy shape of the piece and also gives a hint to its construction. The lamp silhouette shows a gradual growth and reveals traces of imperfection of the process. The light, coming through the fabric, is mysterious and dim. Perfect for a cozy winter evening… The Fungi Lamp can be made in three sizes and in a variety of colors.
No matter how much we strive to humanize our home, there is one thing that often poses a problem – a universally dreaded file cabinet. And in spite of abundance of consumer products, the pickings of new ideas are slim. For the most part when it comes to file storage, we are reduced to three choices: heavy and bulky, ugly and office-like or seemingly practical and plastic. Jill Allyn Peterson, a young New York designer, created something different. This piece is called Flat File and represents an elegant alternative to a traditional file cabinet. Light-weight hanging files made from birch plywood and organic upholstery fabric are shipped flat and assembled without glue or screws. Easy on the eye, laser-cut, low-impact and biodegradable, Flat File is as modern and efficient as a file cabinet can be. Before the digital age eliminated the very idea…
This candy-colored beauty is a collaborative effort of designers Igor Solovyov and Dzmitry Samal. A chair and a chaise lounge in one – a chair longe. The transformation occurs as the ‘lounge’ part slides under the seat via two railing mechanisms located on its sides. The gap in the middle is not only an eye-pleasing accent, it accommodates the steel handle that locks the chair in its position. Fun and robust, this piece fits perfectly in today’s rapidly changing environment. It can be displayed and used in its full lounging glory or ‘tucked in’ for low key gatherings or simply to clear some space.
This is not your average bed with his and her sides, headboard, drawers and things… No. This one is for the brave! Designed by the young Italian Federico Bergese of Light Bulb Lab, Bside bed abandons all traditional attributes. It has no frame, no mattress, and no legs. The business part consists of covered in leather polymeric gel and rests on a single wooden structure. The inside part of the wooden support contains LED lighting strong enough for reading. And because the light envelopes the main part from all sides – it creates the effect of the bed floating in the air… So there you have it – a few elements can create a huge impact. All it took to produce this inspired pice of design were leather, wood, polymer, LED, and a bit of madness.
Since we are on the subject of letters, here is another typographical treat for you, delivered all the way from Helsinki. This funky bookcase is called AAKKOSET, and is suitable for children of all ages. Created by the young Uganda born designer Lincoln Kayiwa, this piece not only makes a strong visual statement, it also provides a versatile storage for your books, CDs, magazines at cetra. Because the letter openings have different shapes, they make for an interesting and dynamic shelving. The letter-free space in the middle can be used as a bulletin board. Neat freaks, who dislike open storage, can even leave the bookcase empty and use it as a room divider. Made from durable fiberboard, AAKKOSET comes in a variety of colors.
Surely, using typography in interior design was done before. But attempting it on such a literate level deserves a ‘high five’ just for sheer boldness. German designer Marc Lauckhardt created a furniture collection that not only resembles type, it seems to be constructed out of big three-dimensional letters. Surprisingly, this made for fairly believable and functional pieces, which proved once again that a well-balanced typeface can do and be anything…
