My house is my castle


Aluminium Stacker by David J. Irwin

Many thanks to Core 77 for this beauty of a stacking chair design.

Aluminium Stacker by David J. Irwin is highly reminiscent of that style of cheap and tacky chairs used in hotels and cafes that want to present themselves as being “high standard” when in actual fact they are nothing more than over-priced.

Not that that is  the compariosn we want to make here. The comparison is the shape, and the shape is a global succes story par excellence

What sets Irwin’s chair apart, however, is it’s “Oh so simple” stacking mechanism.

Through the inclusion of a slit in the seat the back leg passes perfectly through the seat. And beacuse the slit is  exactly one front leg width from the back of the frame, the chiar stack perfectly.

The design is completed by a nylon coating to protect against wear and tear.

Aluminium Stacker by David J. Irwin

Fantastic!

AS1

Aluminium Stacker by David J. Irwin

AS2

stacks...great



PAPERPULP by Debbie Wijskamp

Only very rarely, and generally after a great dal of thought, do we feature items here that we’re not 100% convinced about.

Today is such a day

PAPERPULP by Debbie Wijskamp

Is it fantastic or is it tat? … we’re not sure.

But would love to find out

Check it out for yourselves

PAPERPULP by Debbie Wijskamp.

An enigma!



Cucú by Pascal Tarabay

Back in August we started a post with the words…. “If we’re honest we never, ever thought that we would write a post in praise of the cuckoo clock.”

And now we’re about to do it again.

Madness.

Italian clock manufacturer Diamantini & Domeniconi have a range of modern interpretations of the very much maligned and misunderstood cuckoo clock.

Our favourite is the absurdly kitsch Cucú by Pascal Tarabay – a wonderful interpretation of pastoral floral imagery.

We don’t own a cuckoo clock.

Cucú by Pascal Tarabay

may change that…..

Cucu by

Cucú by Pascal Tarabay (plus a wonderful Eames RAR)



Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

The winners of the first DOEN | Materiaalprijs 2009, launched by the ‘Materiaalfonds voor Beeldende Kunst and Vormgeving‘ and ‘Stichting DOEN‘ were announced during Dutch Design Week. The prize seeks to promote the sustainable and innovative use of materials in the fine arts, design, fashion and architecture.
And the first winner is Rotterdam based Chris Kabel for his Seam Chair/Seam Bench.
Or better put for his ingenious Seam Chair/Seam Bench.

Now, as so oft, we haven’t actually sat on Seam Chair, and so we’re going to have to assume its comfortable.
However the production process is just gorgeous: In the words of Chris Kabel:

A bag tailored to the shape of a chair is filled with sand and put in an oven under pressure. After some baking the sand is taken out leaving a hollow superstrong chair made out only of polypropylene (even the stitches)

As we say, just gorgeous.

But so much more.
Seam Chair is one of those fantastic products that makes you think twice before you use it.

You know it’s a chair and that you can safely sit on it … but because it doesn’t look like a chair you automatically wait a second or two before sitting down.

Brilliant.

Now we could wax lyric about the semantics of such … but who cares.

The idea is fantastic, the visual result astounding and if Seam Chair is comfortable to sit on the project will have been a complete success.

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

Brilliant.

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

Seam Chair by Chris Kabel

Gorgeous ....

Gorgeous ....



Core 77: Saying it like is….
October 21, 2009, 1:47 pm
Filed under: Miscellaneous

Good to see the boys and girls at Core 77 taking a leaf from our book and refusing to cow down and praise any new design just because the designer makes some absurd claim.

The Core 77 spleen could take more upon reading the words “space saving” in relation to a spice rack that wasn’t.

Well Done.

At now that the revolt has started its time to round up “environmentally friendly”, “green” “recycling” “innovative” and “neat”

Core 77 – we’re with you.



Hoog en Droog by Jephte Francissen

If there’s one thing that gets our goat – as in really gets our goat – it’s designers who create something fantastic, but then fail to properly tell the world.

The latest example is Hoog en Droog by Jephte Francissen

All we know is what MoCo loco and designspotter have on their sites.

And that is basically nothing.

Jephte Francissen it appears, has no web page, has no portfolio page, has never exhibited anywhere, was never at a college and is not on facebook.

Ergo- doesn’t exist.

We are enraptured by Hoog en Droog.

Only – what does it help when MoCo loco say “…the system features an ingenious hoist system…” How does it work, what do I need, what are the limitations etc, etc, etc… Harry we need to know.

Hoog en Droog by Jephte Francissen

is without doubt genius … just we can’t prove it :(

But we will …. guaranteed :)

hoog_en_droog_jephte_francissen

Hoog en Droog by Jephte Francissen (photo via mocoloco.com)



BOX by Robin Grasby

We love modular furniture.

Regardless if classics such as those from USM Haller and Montana or more modern developments, there is little in life we enjoy more than a furniture system that can be arranged as we want, and the re-arranged as we want, extended, broken-up, put back together and stood on its head.

Great.
And so you can imagine our delight as BOX by London based Robin Grasby crossed our path.

BOX looks clumsy, real clumsy. But it takes more than a  clumsy look to distract us.

Take a second look , however, and you will discover a well considered and excellently executed project that allows you as the user to select a configuration that fits your needs.

BOX is currently still löittle more than student “work in progress” but we can well imagine it in serial production.

Nils Holger Moormann….. ?

BOX by Robin Grasby

Great!

Box by Robin Grasby

Box by Robin Grasby

..lovely detail...

..lovely detail...



Rag Chair by Tejo Remy for droog

One of the lesser known biospheres in Europe is the former inner-German border between Bavaria and Thüringen.

Affectionately known as the “Strip of Death”, the border area was a 1,400 Km long and 50 -200m wide  forest and shrub landscape which for 40 years lay untroubled by human intervention.

And so within this strip of no-mans land between the East and West German barbed wire, a habitat developed that is unique on the European continent.
Something similar is happening in the back left corner of our bedroom.

A long, long time ago freshly laundered clothes were “stored” there until such time as we got round to properly placing them in the wardrobe. That day has never come, and so the clothes remain, untroubled by human intervention and quietly evolving in their own, natural way.

If we were clever we would turn them into furniture by now.

But we’re not .

Tejo Remy is.

And his Rag Chair for droog is simply brilliant.

A monument to the art of procrastination, each Rag Chair is  uniquely assembled from 15 bags of treated rags held together by metal straps.

And of course you can also “personalise” your Rag Chair through the inclusion of your own, discarded textiles.

OK, we predict a few problem if, for example, you spill your beer on it … but don’t spill your beer on it. Then there’s no problems.

In terms of form Rag Chair is reminiscent of Amoebe by Verner Panton or Monopd by Jasper Morrison and provides just as comfortable a seat as both of those masterpieces. Perfect for watching telly in, socializing or simply relaxing with a beer – without spilling it!! – or whatever else the Dutch enjoy getting up to. Rag Chair is a wonderful,softening, addition to any room.

And unlike the pile of clothes in our bedroom, wont develop into a unique biosphere.

Rag Chair by Tejo Remy. droog, nuff said.

Rag Chair by Tejo Remy

Rag Chair by Tejo Remy

by droog

by droog

The Dutch ... unstoppable

The Dutch ... unstoppable



League Table by Simon Bradshaw

There’s a lot to be said for not taking life toooo seriously.

Getting up, washing, eating properly, socializing, working … we’re not advocating stopping any of those things.

But, for example, making sure that you have the right sort of balsamic vinegar, comparing the tone of your tights with those the marketing secretary and then getting upset about the result or taking professional advice as  to the best name for your new dog.

That’s when the big STOP sign should really come out.

Similarly with choosing, and to a greater extent designing, designer furniture. Far too many people get hung up on the “luxury” aspect. The uniqueness. The exclusivity.

And forget that a good and competently designed product can also improve your world.
And be fun.

One of the best items we saw at the 2009 Milan Furniture Fair was four planks screwed together. Absolute genius.

We don’t know if Bristol based designer  Simon Bradshaw is so enlightened – or if his “League Table” was simply a lucky grab in the inspiration bag.

But then it don’t matter.

“League Table” is a remarkably refined, brilliantly conceived and excellently executed piece of furniture.

Created as an entry for the 2008 Bristol Design Festival “GRAPHIKEAII” competition the idea was to take  a table – presumably of Swedish origin – and add value by any means necessary.

Simon Bradshaw turned his into a mini table football table.

We know, we know.

But don’t you remember back in the day when video games were taking their first 8 Byte steps; there suddenly appeared in pubs across the UK tables that were really Pacman machines.

Two players could sit opposite each other with a beer, a packet of pickled onion crisps and the steely resolve to eat their opponent.

And if you remember that you’ll remember the best fun was NOT playing Pacman and instead sitting at a table that was actually a Pacman game.

It was like walking on the moon.

Simon Bradshaw’s League Table is exactly the same.

On the one hand, whenever you want you can challenge whoever is near-by to a friendly game of football.

But you don’t have to.
You can just enjoy idling twiddling with the bars… and enjoy the atmosphereless void around you.

We’re genuinely very taken with League  Table and can well imagine it working brilliantly in a range of locations be they domestic, industrial, commercial or social.

And there is no reason why it can’t be “up-sized” to a full table either. :)

Gorgeous

If you want one contact Simon direct.

League Table by Simon Bradshaw. Lousy pun, brilliant table.

League Table by Simon Bradshaw - Ace.

League Table by Simon Bradshaw - Ace.



Music Chocolate by Michi Jung

For various  inexplicable reasons we didn’t make it to the London design festival this year. Nothing to do with laziness we assure you.
We assure you…..

Fortunately we were in a minority and all the other regulars were there.

Including Harry from MoCo loco.

Fortunately.

For without Harry it s highly likely we would have missed Michi Jung’s gorgeous “Music chocolate” pouf.

Sadly Michi Jung is a follower of that current trend which says- build your webpage in flash.
Yeah the pictures can move in funky ways, but the content is appaling and there si always an information deficit,
As with “Music chocolate” – we know, in essence nothing about it, and Michi isn’t keen to tell us.

MoCo loco Harry has a few titbits of information, but quite honestly if Michi is happy to let the pictures do the talking so are we.

Only this much: if the music presentation from “Music Chocolate” is half as good as the visual presentation we need three.

Music Chocolate by Michi Jung. Classic.

music_chocolate_michi_jjung

Music Chocolate by Michi Jung ...

music_chocolate_michi_jjung

... looks great ...

music_chocolate_michi_jjung

... if not really that much like chocolate.