Friday, December 21, 2007

Johnson Trading Gallery


Two great prototypes from the 'New Stuff' exhibition at the Johnson Trading Gallery. The first is 'Fauteuil', a cardboard creation that will eventually be cast in a different material (by Aranda/Lasch). Below is 'Model Test 2-700', a pixelized chair by designer Philippe Morel.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Georgia Russell

Scottish artist Georgia Russell uses a scalpel to transform ordinary objects such as books, musical scores, maps and photographs into extraordinary sculptures. More photos here.

Timorous Beasties China


I am one of those people who doesn't like a lot of graphics on my dinnerware. Simple white ceramics work for me. That being said, I am intrigued by the 'London Toile' collection of bone china by Timorous Beasties. Inspired by patterns found on 18th century fabric, the designers infused their own take on modern day city life into each motif. Not the most original idea but still, the colors are nice.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Industreal

A couple of nice new products from Industreal (the company who brought us the clever dpi lights) - from the top: 'Faccette' bowl, 'Servagon' tray and 'Cafe Pele' cup.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Kristen Hassenfeld: Dans la Lune

Artist Kristen Hassenfeld has a new exhibit at the Rice Gallery in Houston. In 'Dans la Lune', which loosely translated means "dopey, drugged - daydreaming", Hassenfeld has once again transformed paper into a wonderland of translucent sculptures. For this exhibit she created four to eight foot structures, including gigantic droplets and onion domes adorned with jewels, chains and honeycomb beads.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Re-use by Rotor


Justed spotted this over on Superuse - Rotor is a Brussels-based design group who works specifically in the realm of industrial waste re-use. Their 'Kitchen One' project uses laser-cut plywood, taken from a company specializing in making die-cut cardboard for packaging, to create paneling for kitchen cupboards. In their first life, the wooden panels were used as punching boards for creating the shapes of the cardboard boxes - now they live on as beautiful kitchen cabinets.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Nobody Chair

Plastic stackable chairs make me think of long school assemblies and boring meetings. Thankfully, Danish designers Komplot have come up with a more attractive solution. The 'Nobody' chair is made from PET felt, which is created with 100% recycled material from plastic bottles. The material, along with the soft curves of the form, make this chair an inviting alternative to its hard plastic peer.

Simone Brewster


'Punch Ups and China Cups' by Simone Brewster. Simone added rings to a series of shot glasses and porcelain cups to give the user a touch of glamour (or tough love).

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Denver Design Guide

Denver has a lot going for it and the design community here just keeps getting better. If you plan on visiting our fair city or are just looking for some new places check out, take a look at the Denver Design Guide I put together for design*sponge.

The guide includes a listing of local stores separated by category: Modern Home, Gifts & Decor, Fashion & Accessories, Unique Finds and Coffee & Tea. I also made three mini-neighborhood tours for East Colfax, Broadway and Downtown/Platte for those of you that want to make a day of it. If you have suggestions of other great spots (yes, I know I forgot the Mercury Cafe-I do love that place) feel free to leave them below. Photo by designisfine - thanks for the city shot Celeste! And thanks to Grace for sharing Denver's design scene with her readers.

Karin Blach Nielsen

Danish ceramic designer Karin Blach Nielsen created these lovely porcelain bowls with a mold made from folded paper.

Chris Kenny


Artist Chris Kenny makes wonderful collages from fragments of maps - above are 'Observatory and 'Akimiski Island'. (via today and tomorrow)

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Ditte Fischer


When I was in Copenhagen last summer I saw these beautiful ceramics all over the place, but was never able to find out who made them. I just discovered her name: Ditte Fischer! I love the combination of matte white with a bright interior.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Jenny Nordberg: Curtis

Jenny Nordberg, the Swedish designer who brought us the amazing 'King of the Road' bike, showed some of her latest work at this year's Designers Block in Milan. Jenny's strong dislike for curtains was the inspiration behind her 'Curtis' series. By embracing the forms she so vehemently opposed, the fabric draped table and light are given new life.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

INV/ALT's Picks: Nick Leigh

OK, I'm ready to stop my griping about the lack of good coat hook designs out there. I've finally seen some good ones - including these from Nick Leigh, which Angela spotted at the designboom mart in Tokyo. Available in multiple colors and single, 3 and 5 hook designs.