Wry & Ginger: Part 1

One of the better shows I visited during New York Design Week was Wry & Ginger at Design Within Reach. This exhibit of Canadian-based designers had a nice mix of work; from the handcrafted to the commercial and from small scale souvenirs to larger pieces of furniture. Thout exhibited their Spool and Scribble lights, two diverging interpretations of a lamp shade made from the same electrical cord. My favorite piece was undoubtedly the Last Waltz, by the Brothers Dressler. The twin brother designers create one-off and limited editions pieces made from salvaged shoe lasts. Castor presented a hand carved limestone stool made to resemble a beaver-gnawed stump.

(The reason this is now a multiple part post is because Blogger only uploaded 3 images - the rest to come when Blogger is good and ready.)

Longoland

Taking a quick break from the New York Design Week coverage to share these wonderful pieces by Joshua Ben Longo. His 'Monster Skin' rug and chair are made from brushed woven wool and cashmere.

ICFF 2008: Containers

A selection of containers from ICFF:

• '3-Arm' vase by Geoffrey Lilge
• Recycled film vases by Raphael Charles at the 101% Designed in Brussels booth
• 'Potten' textile container by Renske Papavoine for Nanimarquina
• 'Redefining Genetics' vase by Jo Meesters
  

ICFF 2008: Furniture

More from the showroom floor of the Javits Center, this round - Furniture:

• 'Planko', a pixelated side table and mirror by Planko Design.
• 'July' chair made from recycled wood scraps by Zilvinas Stankevicius for Contra Forma.
• Rubber stools by Mio; made from recycled tires with no hardware required!
• 'Tumble' an interactive stool/side table from GO.LO.GOR.SKY Studio.
• Side table from the Test Collective.
  

ICFF 2008: Winnie Lui

Winnie Lui's spectacular 'White' chandelier made it's US debut at ICFF last week. Each piece is a one of a kind compilation of objects the designer has collected throughout the years. Lui will be creating 50 of these chandeliers in both white and black for the British label Innermost.

Things...

I have noticed that I get a surprisingly large number of hits for the open projects listed on the side bar, but yet no one is adding to them. The side of the Denver Art Museum still looks awful, I am still wanting to help design an amazing space here in Denver and sharing art/design from your journal is always awesome. People have written to me asking about the Denver Design Project, but the answer is no - no one has stepped up. This is just a friendly reminder all of these projects are open for contribution.

Also, I am looking for a local web designer to help me make some changes to designklub. Asking around has not gotten me very far, but I know the talent is here. If you are a designer who is looking for a side project in exchange for friendship, fun and I guess, money, please email me! design(dot)klub(at)yahoo.com

ICFF 2008: Lighting Part 2

More lighting from ICFF - the top image is one of the beautiful lights from David Trubridge's new Spiral Islands collection.

Heading out of the fair, I almost missed Knoend's tiny clubhouse-esque space. These young designers from San Fransisco not only had a refreshingly quiet exhibit, they were also showcasing a great eco-lamp called 'lite 2 go'. The concept of lite 2 go is simple; the packaging becomes part of the lamp, leaving little waste. What is left is designed to be recycled or biodegradable, including the lamp itself which can can be recycled or sent back to Knoend, who will take care of the recycling for you.

And finally, another cool light from Molo. The honeycomb structure allows the lamp to morph into different shapes, encouraging play. Here the lamps are shaped like urchins, but they can also squish down flat or open up at the top like a flower. I love Molo.

ICFF 2008: Lighting Part 1

All in all, ICFF was rather lackluster this year, although there were a few gems in the crowd. The new 'Cloud' lights by Molo (top) were some of my favorites, although they are not yet in production. Hopefully they will sell them both with and without the light fixture itself because they looked really wonderful with just the ambient light coming down from above.

Ango displayed another unusual piece this year which I, of course, loved. Perhaps it's because it resembled a lava tube, but the 'Twig' light was fascinating. To make the lamp they coated it with tapioca powder and applied heat, giving it the cracked appearance. Josh Urso experimented with new fabrics, creating a much softer (and nicer) look than his previous resin dipped pieces.

ICFF 2008: designboom mart

One of the best parts of ICFF every year, hands down, is the designboom mart. Not only is it like a mad flea market with vendors selling their wares and people waving money, there truly is an excitement in the air that you generally don't find in the thousand dollar exhibit booths across the way.

These are young (or new) designers who are eager (and happy) to talk about their work. That's not too much to ask from the design world is it? Here are the highlights from this year's group (from top to bottom):

• Concrete Rings from 22designstudio (not new, but I bought one so...)
• Kubo Bowls made from steel and found branches
• Skin Series Vases by The Mighty Bearcats (they remind me of the Studiomold vases I wrote about for MoCo...I knew I would remember that!)
• Nice ceramic vases by Erika Hegenberg
• Calendar Vase by the Nothing Design Group (there is a bud vase suspended inside the pages)
  

Found in Future Perfect: V20 Vase

Believe it or not, I still have not made it into the Javits Center yet - my days have been spent wandering around the many satellite shows going on all over the city. Today I was in the Future Perfect in Brooklyn and spotted these great fabric waterproof vases by Cody Hudson for Raptus Lab. Tomorrow I really am going into ICFF - we'll see if I can get it all done in a day. To check out my coverage of the satellite shows, visit MoCo Loco over the next few days.

ICFF Sneak Peek: Flavor Paper

Here's a special sneak preview of some of the patterns Flavor Paper will be releasing at this year's ICFF - I can't wait to see them in person. If I've counted correctly it looks like my friends at the Flavor Lab will be exhibiting ten new designs! (Thanks Jon.)

This will be my last post until Saturday, but there will be lots more photos to come.

ICFF Ready

Busy getting ready for ICFF and all its madness. I'll be in town helping with coverage for MoCo Loco so look for lots of posts over the weekend both there and on designklub. If you will be attending the show, check out the Design Week Guide put together by Core77, an invaluable piece of literature.

Cayetano Ferrer

Found the work of Cayetano Ferrer on the KithKin blog. These shots are part of a series where Ferrer placed photographic prints over Chicago street signs, revealing part of the scene hidden behind the sign.

Oz by Cate&Nelson

Cate&Nelson's 'Oz' chair is an interesting take on the classic lounger. The user can flip between pieces of felt to change up the color and mood. I am curious about the comfort factor though - I guess we'll find out at ICFF where 'Oz' will be on display as part of the ICFF Studio competition.

Pieke Bergmans: Blubs

Words cannot possibly express how much I love these 'Light Blubs' by Dutch designer Pieke Bergmans. A Blub is, in her own words, "a light bulb that has gone way out of line. Infected by the dreaded Design Virus, these Blubs have taken on all kinds of forms and sizes you wouldn't expect from such well behaving and reliable little products. Nevertheless, they seem to be enjoying their new free existences." These charming characters use LEDs and recently made their debut at the Salone Del Mobile in Milan.

Ditte Hammerstrøm

Danish designer Ditte Hammerstrøm has some wonderful pieces in her 'Socialising Sofas' collection. My picks are 'Loungescape' (top) and 'Sofa Set' (below) - I like the small details in Loungescape, especially the wrapped legs and cushions.

Animal Index

Playful bookends by Japanese designer Hiroshi Sasagawa. 'Animal Index' is available from h-concept. (via MoCo Loco)

Jens Praet

Dutch designer Jens Praet kindly sent me an email sharing some of the latest work from his ongoing series called 'One Day Paper Waste'. Using shredded documents mixed with resin, Jens creates a line of furniture which includes a table (shown above) and shelving. The table was part of Droog's exhibition at the Salone del Mobile in Milan this year.

Found in Mexico

Spotted these chairs during my trip to Mexico - nice colors, clean lines and a cup holder too! (That's particularly important for your afternoon cerveza.)