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Milan designer Paolo Dell’Elce has based the shapes of these mirror-polished spun brass vases for Swedish metalware company Skultuna on vessels in paintings by a 20th century Italian artist.

The Via Fondazza containers by Paolo Dell’Elce reference those that repeatedly appear in the paintings and prints of Giorgio Morandi, whose work was based on detailed research into shapes and proportions. Via Fondazza is the name of the Bologna street where the artist lived and worked.

“The material came first,” Dell’Elce told Dezeen. “When I started working on a project for Skultuna I knew I would come up with an object made of brass.”

“The company has worked with brass since the 17th century, so both the material and the company legacy inspired and guided the whole design process.”

At the beginning of the project, Dell’Elce researched the use brass throughout the ages to find inspiration and forms for the material.

“To conceive an everyday object entirely made from brass led us to research the best examples of the vast production with this material manufactured by mankind in different eras and regions of the world, with the intent of designing an object that would fit coherently in the history and evolution of this timeless metal,” he said.

Eventually, the designer returned to Giorgio Morandi. “Despite being two-dimensional images, the work of Morandi has always exerted a huge influence over my work as an industrial designer,” explained Dell’Elce. “The harmony and balance of the objects represented in his paintings are, for me, a model to follow and constantly confront.”

He used the artist’s depictions of existing vessels, that had been reimagined in 2D, to inform a new set of solid objects. The vases are manually spun by craftsmen in an long-established factory in Skultuna, Sweden.

“It has been a long and thorough process: we have developed hundreds of models and drawings, characterised by imperceptible differences in shape, before identifying the forms included in the final collection,” Dell’Elce said.

“The realisation of this collection has the intent, shared with the company Skultuna, to create future classics characterised by high aesthetic quality – timeless objects that will age well and live beyond styles,” said the designer.

Via Fondazza by Paolo Dell’Elce for Skultuna will be presented at the Maison & Objet in Paris from 5 to 9 September.

The post Via Fondazza brass vases by Paolo Dell’Elce
are modelled on still life paintings appeared first on Dezeen.

Tilting and folding timber screens cover sections of this house by Buenos Aires studio VDV ARQ, to provide privacy and shade for the occupants without blocking light and views (+ slideshow).

Pedro House by VDV ARQ was designed for three generations of one family – a father, his daughter and his two grandchildren – in a gated community 30 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

“The brief was based on two premises: open spaces with a strong relationship to the outside, and an ability to accommodate different situations and many guests, as the owners have a very active social life,” the architects told Dezeen.

Timber screens on the ground floor shield an internal courtyard, but pivot up so the occupants can drive their car inside. Screens on the upper floor offer privacy and ventilation for the bedrooms, without blocking views out.

“The wooden skin also provides insulation, especially in summer, helping to filter out heat and offer better comfort,” said the architects.

Paulownia wood was used for the screens, chosen for its strength and ability to cushion the house from excessive heat and noise.

“It also has virtually no knots, resists movement, is easy to handle, and weighs almost three times less than conventional woods,” said the architects.

The ground floor is made up of two rectangular pavilions set around a pool and covered courtyard. Square voids in the courtyard’s roof accommodate growing trees, in order to bring nature into the heart of the house.

“We think that over time, the open space and courtyard will begin to take on its own character, blurring the boundary between the natural and built landscape,” said the architects.

“We were interested in understanding the landscape not as a mere backdrop, but as an integral part of the project.”

A music room is housed in the smaller single-storey pavilion on the ground floor, while the main living spaces are housed in the larger pavilion. These include an open-plan dining room and living space, and a separate kitchen at the side.

The kitchen and living room adjoin a smaller courtyard at the side of the house, while a utility room at the front connects to an even smaller courtyard, which can be used for airing clothes.

“Every space is linked to the outside with its own patio. The kitchen overlooks a courtyard which also links to the living room, and the laundry room has a patio for more intimate-scale housework,” said the architects.

A square partition separates the entrance and stairwell from the living spaces, and has been set above the floor so it appears to float.

“The partition is intended to establish circulation without losing the spatial fluidity of the house,” explained the architects.

The upper level features a large landing at the top of the stairs which provides space for a study, with a long slot window overlooking the street.

The top floor also houses more private spaces, with two bedrooms and bathrooms, and a master bedroom. All three rooms open on to an external corridor that offers a shaded balcony space.

This corridor is behind the timber screen on the upper level, and features folding panels that can be opened for ventilation.

Bathrooms are covered in marble, and feature narrow skylights at the side to bring in light.

“The intention was to have one material, so the room is understood as one piece,” said the architects.

Large travertine marble floor tiles have been used inside and outside on the ground floor create a continuation between the interior and exterior, while concrete has been left exposed on the ceilings.

“We were interested in showing materials and what makes up the structure of the house, which is ultimately reflected inside,” said the architects.

Photography is by Curro Palacios Taberner.

Project credits

Architect: VDV ARQ
Architects: arq. Victor Della Vecchia – Ariel Ascione
Collaborators: arq. Maximiliano Mazzitelli – Ma Eugenia García Pellejero
Construction: Fader SA
Landscape: Crook-Cabanillas

The post Timber screens bring fresh air into Pedro House
without compromising privacy appeared first on Dezeen.

Bergen Academy of Art and Design student Hedda Torgersen designed this desk lamp to look like a “long-legged character”.

Hedda Torgersen’s Boo lamp features a porcelain or Corian tubular “head” and spindly solid ash “legs” that give it the appearance of being on the move.

Solid metal rods inside the lower legs provide stability. A textile cord or “tail” is made of polyester and available in multiple colours.

“The anthropomorphic design of the Boo lamps appeared from a simple silhouette doodle of a long-legged character,” Torgersen told Dezeen. “I built a lot of small models of my drawings, and when it rose from the paper into 3D, it came alive and I quickly got really attached to this character – I couldn’t let it go!”

Torgersen’s work starts from the premise that the user’s interaction with an object should shape its design expression.

The legs are adjustable, enabling the user to reposition the design, and the lampshade is attached to a seamless metal tube that rotates 360 degrees around an axle so the light’s direction can be altered.

The designer hopes that this participation will engender a personal relationship with the object, making it less disposable.

“I want these lamps to trigger people’s imaginations and emotions, and I hope they respond with a smile,” said Torgersen. “Users can help shape the expression of the lamp by adjusting its legs and head, and bring Boo to life by pressing the switch and turning it on.”

“By creating a personal relationship with an object, I think its longevity will be extended,” she added.

Materials and finishes have been chosen to play with light and ensure the parts the user touches are as tactile as possible.

“Since the lamp is so simple I wanted the few but different functions to be separated by material differences,” Torgersen explained. “Since you have to touch the lampshade to adjust the light direction, it was important that the surface was tactile.”

“Both raw porcelain and Corian have a sanded matte finish with a smooth, skin-like texture that is really pleasant to touch.”

Even the switch is made into a distinguishing feature – formed from a porcelain dimmer within an ash case and positioned along the cord.

“Since the cord, or “tail”, plays such a large part in the lamp’s character, I wanted to give extra thought to the switch,” the designer said. “Light switches are often hidden or anonymised, but here it is given prominence as a distinct and crucial feature – after all, it’s what brings Boo to life.”

The legs fold flat and the shade can rotate 360 degrees, so that the Boo lamp can be flat packed and is ready to use straight out of the box. It is available in two sizes.

Hedda Torgersen is in her final year of a Master’s Degree in Interior Architecture and Furniture Design at the Bergen Academy of Art and Design.

The Boo lamp will make its UK debut at the 100% Norway exhibition during next month’s London Design Festival from 13 to 21 September 2014.

The post Hedda Torgersen’s anthropomorphic Boo lamp
to be exhibited at 100% Norway appeared first on Dezeen.