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IKEA has announced plans to start renting its furniture, as part of a move towards a circular economy that includes refurbishing and re-selling products.

The trial furniture rental scheme, due to begin in Switzerland imminently, will initially be limited to office furniture such as desks and chairs.

“We see big potential in inspiring and enabling consumers to play an active role in making the circular economy a reality, and we can facilitate that by developing new business models in relation to how they acquire, care for and pass on products,” explained an IKEA spokesperson.

“In certain markets, such as Switzerland, we’re exploring and testing potential solutions, designing relevant offers and then testing them with customers. However nothing is up and running at the moment,” they told Dezeen.

IKEA may rent kitchens in the future

Although the trial will only include office furniture at this point, IKEA hasn’t ruled out leasing rather than selling kitchens and other products in future.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Inter IKEA chief executive Torbjorn Loof said: “You could say leasing is another way of financing a kitchen.”

“When this circular model is up and running, we have a much bigger interest in not just selling a product but seeing what happens with it and that the consumer takes care of it.”

When questioned by Dezeen, IKEA wouldn’t say whether the trial rental scheme was the first move towards a subscription business model of leasing furniture.

“We’re always exploring new areas and we’re in a test and trial period,” the company said. “As for now, were exploring the opportunities to pilot projects connected to leasing, however for now we’re focusing on gathering insights from customers.”

Furniture exchange underway in Edinburgh store

The leasing plan is part of IKEA’s increasing focus on championing a circular economy and eliminating waste by selling products that can be repaired, recycled or resold.

The company is already running a furniture exchange program in its Edinburgh store, and will begin a trial of the scheme in Glasgow before the end of June 2019.

Customers are encouraged to bring their used IKEA furniture back to the store to be re-homed, either by selling it on in the bargain corner in store, or by giving it to a charity.

In return, customers receive a monetary voucher based on a percentage of the original value of the item, depending on an evaluation of its current condition.

Greenwich store is IKEA’s most sustainable

The Swedish homeware giant has also this month opened its most sustainable UK store, in Greenwich, London. The build includes solar panels, rainwater-harvesting facilities, geothermal heating and 100 per cent LED lighting. The store also has a community garden and a Learning Lab.

The lab is “a dedicated space for customers, partners and the local community to explore prolonging the life of products, up-cycling, reducing waste and growing their own food”.

IKEA Greenwich is aiming to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy and is working towards an outstanding BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) accreditation.

“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at IKEA and moving to a circular economy is essential if we are to continue to meet people’s needs and dreams while staying within the limits of the planet,” said IKEA UK & Ireland sustainability manager Hege Sæbjørnsen.

“IKEA Greenwich is a leading example of circular retail in London and reflects our commitment to make sustainable lifestyles easy and affordable, while also supporting customers to re-use, recycle or refresh their products.”

Products repaired rather than thrown away

Another new initiative launched by the brand is to introduce recovery teams in every store, who repair and re-pack products that have been damaged in transit so that they can be sold rather than going to waste.

IKEA also aims to encourage customers to repair products rather than throwing them away when they break. To achieve this they have introduced spare parts to their range.

“In 2018, we handled over one million orders of spare parts to help repair products for a longer life,” said the brand.

Textile recycling scheme rolled out across the UK

IKEA began offering textile recycling in its Cardiff store two years ago. Milton Keynes and Greenwich followed and the scheme will be rolled out to all UK stores in the next few months.

Customers can bring in their old or unwanted textiles such as clothing and duvets, whether purchased at IKEA or not, for recycling.

As with the furniture exchange, textiles are then re-used or recycled via a local charity partner. In Cardiff, the local charity partner is the YMCA and so far they have collected more than two tonnes of textiles since the scheme began, IKEA told Dezeen.

“The circular economy can only be achieved through collaboration. In addition to working with customers to find appealing and accessible solutions that enable them to live more sustainably, we are also partnering with stakeholders to work together and share experiences,” said the brand.

Last year, IKEA revealed plans to remove all single-use plastics from its product range by 2020. It has also announced a collaboration with British designer Tom Dixon to launch an urban farming project that encourages city-dwellers to grow food locally.

Additional reporting is by Gunseli Yalcinkaya.

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The inaugural Frieze Art Fair Los Angeles has taken place on the grounds of a Hollywood movie set, with a venue that US firm wHY Architecture designed to give visitors the “feeling of being backstage and behind-the-scenes”.

Art magazine Frieze, which presents contemporary art fairs in London and New York City annually, hosted the inaugural Frieze Art Fair Los Angeles from 15 to 17 February.

New York and Los Angeles-based wHY Architecture was enlisted to design an entry pavilion, main tent, and outdoor exhibits and amenities for the event, which was held in Hollywood at Paramount Pictures Studios.

“The space echoes the feeling of being backstage and behind-the-scenes, paying homage to the location, while creating a sense of excitement as visitors enter the main tent,” said wHY Architecture.

Measuring 3,800 square feet (353 square metres), the entry pavilion was completed with a garden-like area decorated with benches, outdoor lamps, artificial grass and ivy.

Shaped as a double arch, the entrance is intended to mimic the gate to Paramount Pictures on Melrose Avenue – an expansive property with studios, prop warehouses, numerous stages, parking lots, and a five-acre (two-hectare) backlot.

“The entry pavilion, with two archways wrapped entirely in faux-foliage, is a nod to the famous double arches of Paramount Studio’s Gate on Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue, welcoming visitors as they make their way to the tent and signalling the immersive, indoor-outdoor experience that lies beyond,” the studio said.

Also at the entrance, ticketing booths, guest services, and coat check were housed in a room panelled in blue-stained plywood, to contrast the hot pink used for Freize LA.

Hundreds of contemporary art pieces are housed within a larger, temporary tent that measures 62,000 square feet (5,760 square metres). The white pavilion is topped with translucent ceiling panels to flood the interiors with natural light.

Inside, half-height walls are inserted to break up the vast space and create various paths and nooks for showcasing art.

Corridors connect with three main walkways, which are wider at the tent’s entry and grow smaller towards the back.

“The layout encourages visitors to choose their own path, discovering and meandering between booths from galleries both established and new, organized by Frieze for balance and variation,” said the architecture firm.

Completing Frieze are outdoor exhibits and amenities further within Paramount’s back lot, in an area that is over double the size of the art venue.

The outdoor programme is intended to draw on LA’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle, complemented by its warm climate. Spaces include pop-ups of eateries SQIRL and Roberta, as well as retail areas and a bookstore.

“LA is a city with an open spirit,” said wHY Architecture founder and creative director Kulapat Yantrasast. “When I moved here in 2003 it was for the light, the space and the freedom – and it still feels like new things can happen here.”

Thai architect Yantrasast has become the go-to for contemporary art galleries and museums in the US, making his firm a suitable choice for Frieze’s first LA event. wHY’s other accomplishments in the city include David Kordansky Gallery and Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.

“It’s a lot like being a matchmaker,” he told Dezeen in an interview this year. “You’re introducing two friends – one the artist, and the other the art-lover – who didn’t know each other beforehand, and then you step into the background.”

Frieze Art Fair was established in London, and takes place each October in the city. It first came to the US in 2012, with a temporary structure in New York designed by Brooklyn studio SO-IL, and now holds events every May.

British firm Universal Design Studio has completed a number of standout venue designs for Frieze fairs, including a “temporary town for art” in New York and an aluminium entrance for the London fair in October 2017.

Photography is by Yoshihiro Makino.

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Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen has developed a sustainable light source from living organisms that require regular nourishment in return for electricity.

Called Electric Life, the project currently takes the form of a robot-like “living light” installation on show at Paris’ Centre Pompidou, which is entirely powered by micro-organisms that excrete electrons.

The Amsterdam-based designer wanted to develop a more eco-friendly alternative to current energy and light sources that could be used in the domestic environment.

She found electrochemically active “geobacters” in the muddy soil of rivers and lakes, which emit small electrical currents in their metabolism as a waste product.

“Comparable to humans breathing out CO2, they need to constantly get rid of these, potentially useful, electrons,” explained van Dongen .

After discovering this valuable quality of the bacteria, she set out to harness the energy with the help of Ghent University, by creating an environment in which the organisms can thrive.

She calls this environment a “bacteria battery”, which contains hundreds of kinds of bacteria that, together, form a strong ecosystem.

Each battery features a specially engineered electrode that harvests the electrons excreted by the bacteria, which are then guided through an electrical circuit that is used to generate electricity. This system is able to power three lights per battery.

If this lighting were to be installed in the home, users would have to take care of the bacteria by feeding it once a week with a shot of tap water mixed with some acetate or vinegar.

Van Dongen believes that an added advantage is that this care-taking process would establish a closer relationship between the light installation and its owner.

Electric Life is the latest manifestation of van Dongen’s sustainable energy projects, which she has been developing since 2014, showing her bacteria-powered Spark of Life pendant light at Dutch Design Week in 2016.

The Electric Life project was commissioned by the Centre Pompidou museum in Paris, where the installation will be on display as part of the La Fabrique du Vivant exhibition from 20 February until 15 April 2019 before travelling to New York’s Cooper Hewitt museum and the Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade.

Photography is by Rene Gerritsen.

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We’ve selected five of the best vacancies in industrial design available on Dezeen Jobs, including positions with architecture firm Foster + Partners and tech giant Apple.

Furniture industrial designer at Foster + Partners

Earth-toned balustrades match the hues of the terracotta roofs in Foster + Partners undulating Capella Resort in Sentosa, Singapore. The British firm is looking for furniture industrial designers to join its design team in London.

Find out more about this role ›

Industrial designers at Apple

Apple is seeking industrial designers to join its office in Cupertino, California. The company’s latest Foster + Partners-designed Apple Store features a kaleidoscopic solar roof made up of mirrored pyramids that reflect sunlight into the interiors.

Find out more about this role ›

Industrial designer at Doshi Levien

London studio Doshi Levien has an opportunity for an experienced industrial designer to join its office in London. The studio created the Rabari Collection, a series of rugs made from New Zealand wool that pay homage to tribal Indian folk embroidery.

Find out more about this role ›

Industrial designer at Playmobil

Playmobil is recruiting an industrial designer to join its design team at the company’s headquarters near Zirndof, in the district of Fürth, Germany.

Find out more about this role ›

Mandarin-speaking industrial designer at Bodo Sperlein

Created by London designer Bodo Sperlein, the Bild 9 television features an OLED screen wrapped in a sculptural steel frame. The designer’s studio is hiring a Mandarin-speaking junior industrial designer to join its office in London.

Find out more about this role ›

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

The post Five opportunities for industrial designers including jobs at Foster + Partners and Apple appeared first on Dezeen.

Brass and marble decor elements helped Studioshaw steer away from a typical office aesthetic inside this co-working space, which has opened in west London.

Situated just a few minutes walk from Hammersmith tube station, Kindred has been dressed with upscale fixtures and furnishings to evoke the atmosphere of a “contemporary yet classic bar”.

It occupies a Grade II listed building formerly known as Bradmore House, which east London-based Studioshaw has redesigned to include a co-working space, restaurant, and various events rooms.

When it came to designing the interiors, the studio looked to the aesthetic of various cocktail bars across the city including the renowned Milk & Honey in Soho, and Happiness Forgets in Shoreditch.

“We also loved the community feel that you get in Bar Basso in Milan and also the dark and atmospheric quality of it, and Monsieur Bleu at the Palais de Tokyo for its brass bar,” Mark Shaw, director at the studio, told Dezeen.

On the ground floor, which will be open for all-day use by the general public, is a long bar room, anchored at one end by a grey marble service counter. Behind it lies a tall brass shelving unit where drinks bottles and cocktail glasses are openly displayed, joined by brass cabinetry that is built in to the walls.

Overhead is suspended a large chandelier crafted by designer Umut Yamac and London gallery Matter of Stuff. Intended to add “animation and intrigue” to the space, the light features 70 thin stems topped with brass discs, which are attached to ring-shaped frames.

The other side of the room features a fireplace and a curved platform that can be used as a stage for live performances. Guests can take a seat at the dining tables, or relax in one of the room’s cherry-red sofas by Danish brand Hay.

Similar furniture pieces appear on the second floor, which, along with the third floor, can only be accessed by Kindred members during the daytime.

Although largely dedicated to workspace, in the evenings this level can be rearranged to host food and music events.

“Community spirit was central to the client’s brief, so we have created a design that allows members to sit down and relax with one another at the end of the day, whilst also offering a space that will maximise creativity, productivity, and collaborative working,” explained the studio.

Upstairs on the top floor are a series of more intimate rooms painted in rich shades like berry-red and midnight blue, which can be used for yoga classes, meetings, or private dinners.

A shade of forest-green has been applied throughout the reading room, complete with tall bookshelves and library-style desk lamps made from brass.

One of the rooms at this level also features original wall panels and ornate cornices that were previously removed from the building and housed at the Geffrye Museum, before being returned to Bradmore House in the early 1990s.

The studio has otherwise removed any previous interventions to fully reveal the arched Georgian windows on the building’s front facade, flooding the internal spaces with natural light.

Co-working spaces are continuing to pop up across the globe – the past few months has seen the opening of Fosbury & Sons, which occupies a modernist building in Brussels, and Big and Tiny, a shared office in California that includes a play area for members’ kids.

In contrast to Studioshaw, Teatum + Teatum developed a pared-back aesthetic for The Testone Factory, a co-working office in Sheffield. Set inside an old iron foundry, the space features timber-framed studios, polycarbonate partition walls, and concrete floors.

Photography is by Ed Reeve.

Project credits:

Architect: Studioshaw
QS: Measur
Contractor: BB Contracts
Interiors: Studioshaw
Structural engineer: M&E engineer

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