Stephen Kenn: Turning a Surplus Military Materials Bonanza into a Locally-Produced Furniture Line

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It’s like a designer’s dream come true: L.A.-based Stephen Kenn stumbled across a warehouse loaded up with surplus military gear, freaking mountains of it. While his harvesting process appears to be ongoing, he has gathered up enough of a particular canvas material to produce his Inheritance Collection series of furniture:

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A proponent of local manufacturing, Kenn has everything done locally. The welding of the steel frames, the cutting and punching of the leather belts, even the weaving of the webbing all happens at nearby manufactories, as you can see in the video of the process, following the jump.

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Chair Full of Treasure!

Inspired by global economic crisis, the Anti Crise chair merges the notion of saving piggy-bank-style with a modern chair design that you can break open when you’re broke! Like a piggy-bank, simply fill the hollow chair with coins using the slot at the top of the back. When the time is right, remove the saw embedded in the back of the chair and saw away! After collecting the reward, the hollow space that’s left can be use to hold magazines or other items.

The clever design’s bold, red accents subtly suggest a theme of “emergency.”

Designer: Pedro Gomes


Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
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(Chair Full of Treasure! was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

  1. Trash to Treasure
  2. Buried Treasure For Real
  3. New Kinda Treasure Hunt

News: 12 new skyscrapers in Jerusalem approved

The post News: 12 new skyscrapers
in Jerusalem approved
appeared first on Dezeen.

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

When asked to represent Nordic identity, Norwegian studio Permafrost created wooden toys based on an oil rig and tanker.

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

Painted with red highlights, the set of blocks includes a little helicopter that docks neatly in H-shaped cut-outs forming helipads on the boat and platform.

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

The set was commissioned by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen for one of 30 small dioramas representing Nordic culture as part of an exhibition called New Nordic – Architecture and Identity. The show continues until 21 October.

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

See all our stories about Norwegian architecture and design »

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

Photos are by Johan Holmquist.

Wooden Toys by Permafrost

Here’s some more information from Permafrost:


Is there a Nordic identity? Does The Nordic Way exist? Can one, despite the tendency of globalization to erase national and cultural differences, still understand identity as something associated with particular places? And if that is the case, how has the Nordic identity developed alongside the development of the rest of the world? These are some of the questions posed by the New Nordic – Architecture and Identity exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Permafrost has been asked to create one of 30 small ‘Nordic dioramas’ in the exhibition, reflecting on Nordic identity in relation to our own cultural profession. Their contribution is a set of wooden toys depicting modern day industrial icons, while at the same time honouring traditional Nordic craftsmanship.

The post Wooden Toys by Permafrost appeared first on Dezeen.

A breakfast corner in the US with a Dutch touch

Simplygorve

I enjoy seeing two things coming together so nicely in this image … snowpuppe's paper lamp and a collage image collage from ixxi. I don't have to tell you that Kristen from simply grove has as a very good sense for styling and interior decoration but I do like to share this idea from her how to up-lift a certain corner in your home in this case it was her breakfast corner…. fresh and crisp, just how I like it. 

Taska

A place where you can the snowpuppe lamps online is here at tas-ka

..simply grove

Israeli government approves plans for 12 new skyscrapers in Jerusalem

Jerusalem skyline by Jason Wain

Dezeen Wire: Israel’s interior ministry has approved a major construction plan for Jerusalem which includes 12 new skyscrapers, reports the Jerusalem Post.

It is hoped that the scheme will boost the city’s economy and provide around 40,000 jobs. The plans were passed without opposition, but deputy mayor Yosef ‘Pepe’ Alalu voiced concern that the buildings were too high. “It could be that we’re succeeding with employment and housing, but we’re destroying the nature of Jerusalem,” he said.

The buildings will be between 24 and 33 storeys high and offer a mix of business premises, government offices and private apartments. One tower will be a 2,000-room hotel while two of the towers will be occupied by the government. The development has been designed by Farhi Zafrir Architects.

See all our stories about skyscrapers »

The post Israeli government approves plans for
12 new skyscrapers in Jerusalem
appeared first on Dezeen.

Second Chance

Publish gives cutting-floor scraps a new life in a collection of men’s basics

Second Chance

With a brand motto of “Today for Tomorrow,” LA’s Publish focuses on providing garments that are sustainable in terms of both design longevity and environmentally supportive production practices. To support this goal, Publish is launching the first collection as part of their Second Chance program, a resourceful initiative to…

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Stepney Green Design Collection: call for submissions

Stepney Green Design Collection - call for submissions

Following our recent showcase of design talent in east London, the team behind new housing development VIVO have commissioned Dezeen to acquire ten pieces of original design by creatives surrounding Stepney Green.

Stepney Green Design Collection - call for submissions

The pieces will form part of a collection of 30 works of art, fashion, sculpture and furniture celebrating local talent that will be exhibited at the Genesis Cinema and then donated to the VIVO residents. The ten design pieces will also be published on Dezeen and the VIVO website.

Stepney Green Design Collection - call for submissions

We want to hear from designers, makers, stores, brands and anyone else based in east London who has a product or piece of work that they would be interested in selling to the Stepney Green Design Collection.

Stepney Green Design Collection - call for submissions

We will be looking to purchase a range of different pieces, including work by established names as well young and upcoming talents. Preference will be given to one-off pieces or limited editions.

Stepney Green Design Collection: call for submissions

If you’re interested, please email details of your proposal, including text, images and price to stepneygreen@dezeen.com with “Stepney Green Design Collection” in the subject line. Deadline for submissions is 22 August.

Stepney Green Design Collection: call for submissions

VIVO is a new Stepney Green housing development by east London housing association East Thames Group and urban regeneration company First Base that is due to open in spring 2013. More details about the development can be found here.

Stepney Green Design Collection: call for submissions

Here are some more details about the project from East Thames Group and First Base:


Stepney Green Design Collection
East London. Two words that sum up everything that’s innovative, fresh and exciting about the capital right now.

Inspiring and imaginative, its creative flair sends ripples across London and beyond. It’s an infectious place to be. Where the established and ambitious are drawn to live, create and enjoy life.

With such a treasure trove of original and independent design in our backyard, we’re working with three east London and local design experts; Dezeen, the Londoneer and Katie Antonio, author of London Plinth and Run Riot to uncover the unexpected, unusual and unique.

These three Londoners will hunt down arts, fashion, jewellery, sculptures, furniture, photography or textiles, to bring together 30 hidden gems from in and around Stepney Green, the heart of east London’s arts scene.

See the Stepney Green Design Collection for yourself, and from the 14th of September come by the Genesis Cinema, a true gem of the east end that has hosted entertainment for over 150 years.

The post Stepney Green Design Collection:
call for submissions
appeared first on Dezeen.

What Happens to the Post-Olympic City?

GaryHustwitJonPack-PostOlympicCity-1.jpg

The games were over in a matter of weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds—and won in ever-finer spans that follow decimal points as a testament to our technological prowess—but the buildings themselves abide. London is just one of the dozen cities featured in filmmaker Gary Hustwit and photographer Jon Pack’s ongoing project to document a representative sample of former Olympic sites in an effort to understand “what happens to a city after the Olympics are gone?”

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We’re still six months shy of a definitive answer, at least if we’re holding them to their Kickstarter reward delivery dates, but seeing as the conversation will surely have shifted by then, Hustwit and Pack are presenting the work-in-progress at New York City’s Storefront for Art and Architecture. If the salon-style presentation of the work—around 40 photos depicting half the cities in the final tally—is unbiased, the title of the exhibition betrays a hint of an answer.

GaryHustwitJonPack-PostOlympicCity-3.jpg

Where the working title of the project was “The Olympic City,” a strategically-placed prefix both clarifies and reframes their efforts in terms of bygone glory. (Tonight’s panel discussion with the artists and several architects is a sporting play on ‘aftermath.’) The so-called “Post-Olympic City” comes in many shapes and sizes, but I was initially struck by how the sites (iconic landmarks notwithstanding) look remarkably similar, distinguished mostly by telltale signs of age and local graffiti tags. [NB: Those of you who can’t make it to the exhibition before it closes this Saturday can see some of the work here.]

GaryHustwitJonPack-PostOlympicCity-4.jpg

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What we have been reading

I feel like I have been unintentionally collecting links to great articles recently. I’ll spot something clutter/organizing/productivity-related in the news, immediately think it would make such a terrific topic for an Unclutterer post, save the link to a text file of post ideas, and then do nothing further. Apparently, I want ALL the links for myself. All of them. Mine.

Since this is ridiculous and there is no good reason for me to be collecting all these links and not sharing them, I thought an ol’ fashion link roundup post was in order. Please enjoy all of these links that have been catching our attention:

  • Why aren’t hoarders bothered by all that junk? Scientists find a clue
    This article from NBC looks at a recent brain study by psychologist David Tolin that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the research, clinically diagnosed hoarders’ brains respond differently to physical stuff than the brains of the general population. As a result, their ability to make decisions is significantly limited.
  • Three habits that drive down productivity
    I’m still trying to decide what I think about this article from the Memphis Business Journal. The article references a study that analyzes the work product and attendance records of employees with very different lifestyles at three large corporations. The article concludes that healthier people are more productive workers and it specifically names smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise as productivity killers.
  • Plan of Work for a Small Servantless House (3 or 4 in family)
    After the war in Britain, many homes and estates that once had servants found themselves unable to afford any servants in the house. To help women learn how to keep house, someone (the British government?) published this guide for how a woman should spend her time. My friend Julie introduced me to this page from the I Love Charts tumblr, and I think it is a fabulous look back in time. I’m still confused as to how a woman with one or two children only seems to attend to them for an hour and a half each day “if necessary,” but maybe “servantless” doesn’t include nannies?
  • Re:Re:Fw:Re: Workers Spend 650 Hours a Year on Email
    This article from The Atlantic confirms that most people with desk jobs (referred to as an “office stiff” in the text) spend “13 hours a week, or 28 percent of our office time, on email.” A quarter of one’s job is consumed with reading and answering email. The article also reports that time spent on tasks specific to one’s role at the company only consumes 39 percent of one’s time at work.
  • You Probably Have Too Much Stuff
    This short piece from The New York Times looks at the burdens of being “over-prepared.” I like the use of the phrase “over-prepared” in the article because it so aptly reflects the “I might need this one day” mentality.

As you also know, I’ve been doing some writing for the Women and Co. website lately. Most of what I’ve been writing continues to be about home and office organizing, but they’ve been letting me branch out a bit and pick up some other topics. It reminds me of the days I wrote the Sunday news for the local commercial radio station in Lawrence, Kansas, so very, very, very long ago …

Anyway, this is what I wrote in July:

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