Design Shanghai to spotlight brands bridging east and west

U+ at Design Shanghai 2023

Promotion: Design Shanghai trade fair is set to return from 8 to 11 June 2023 for its 10th anniversary year, with an aim to explore the meeting of eastern and western design philosophies.

One of Asia’s largest design events, Design Shanghai will be taking place at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center over four days in June.

As well as the trade fair, which will stretch over three halls, the event will include installations, exhibitions, a design forum and networking events.

Photo of a green and blue woven design installation on a forest floor
Design Shanghai will include exhibitions including Róng – Weaving

A major focus this year is on how eastern and western design philosophies can meet and work together, with a spotlight put on brands that involve collaborations between Asia and Europe or the US.

These include Chinese brands Stellar Works and U+ as well as Danish brand Royal Copenhagen, whose porcelain nods to traditional Chinese techniques and motifs.

Among the new products set to make their global debut at the event are French brand Christofle’s Mood Asia platter designed for Asian gastronomy, Chinese brand Fuli’s lipstick-themed tapestry created by British fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes and new contemporary Californian furniture from Maria Yee.

Photograph of furniture by Maria Yee in a modernist style
Maria Yee is among the international designers debuting new work

Elsewhere in the fair, new products from international brands including Gubi, Mattiazzi, Flos as well as Chinese brand Jianze and Taiwan’s SeeDesign will make their debut on the Asian continent.

Chinese brands exhibiting at Design Shanghai include Pentfair, which works with artisans and craftspeople from all over the world to reinvent traditional handicrafts; the playful design studio Benwu, which features curved lines and bright colours; Junse, which will present new designs by designer Shen Zhanjun informed by the human skeleton; and new brand Nula Living with its local take on minimalism.

Installations this year will include a bamboo forest by architect Chen Hao Ru in the Neooold exhibition space, which promises to create a “vortex” that leads people deep inside it while recreating a sense of “the Jianhu dream”.

Rendered design for a bamboo forest by architect Chen Hao Ru
Architect Chen Hao Ru will install a bamboo forest in the Neooold space

There is also Interlude by Chi Wing Lo, which is intended to offer visitors a moment of peace and reflection with its spatial and musical design using folding screens.

There will be two key features: Róng – Weaving, featuring the work of 28 designers who have been conducting deconstructive research into traditional weaving and knitting, and Disappearing Borders, curated by designer Jamy Yang, which explores the meeting of the physical and digital worlds.

A returning feature is the Talents showcase, where 22 groups of emerging designers will explore the linking of China and the West in the form of a “banquet”, and a new display called Design Street, which is curated by Design Burger and aims to build a bridge between independent design studios and brands. Headline partner Audi will also present its “activesphere” concept vehicle.

Design Shanghai’s Design Forum will include a series of talks that focus on a number of design-related topics such as memory and perception in design, holistic design, sustainability and designing for distinctiveness.

Speakers include Aidan Walker forum director of Design Shanghai and Design Shenzhen; Craig Miller, partner and project leader at Heatherwick Studio; Zandra Rhodes, British fashion designer; Ross Lovegrove, founder and director of For Love and Design.com; and Michael Young, founder of MY Studio.

Digital design of an impossible-looking chair
The Disappearing Borders exhibition will explore the meeting of physical and digital design

Design Shanghai is celebrating its 10th year in 2023, which will also be its first for some time with no Covid restrictions, as China emerges from its years of aggressive zero-Covid policy that saw previous events postponed or cancelled.

“During the past decade we have provided a platform to share design ideas across China and the global stage and it has been an honour to witness the vigorous development of the design community in China,” said Design Shanghai event director Zhuo Tan. “This year’s edition of Design Shanghai hopes to enhance the audience’s perspective through exploring the ‘re-creation’ of design.”

“For this momentous 10th anniversary we will be comprehensively upgrading the scale and content at the event, with exemplary design showcased from across the world.”

To view more about Design Shanghai, visit its website.

Design Shanghai will take place at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center from 8-11 June 2023. For more information about events, exhibitions and talks, visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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Philippe Starck designs school to "revitalise creative production in Qatar"

Qatar Preparatory School by Philippe Starck

French designer Philippe Starck has revealed his design for the Qatar Preparatory School at an exhibition of upcoming buildings in Qatar during the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Commissioned by Qatar Museums, the Qatar Preparatory School is set to be the first vocational school focused on education for the creative industries in the country.

“Qatar Preparatory School will be the first and only vocational school for the creative industries in the country,” said Starck’s studio.

“This educational institution is strategically planned to revitalize creative production in Qatar and develop a skilled and inspired workforce to drive the new creative economy.”

Qatar Preparatory School by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck is designing the Qatar Preparatory School

Set to be built alongside the B Ring Road to the southwest of central Doha, the school will occupy the former Qatar Boys Preparatory School, which was built in 1962.

Starck‘s concept design will see the original 2,300-square-metre, U-shaped school building retained and adapted. The existing concrete walls will be exposed, while a large canopy supported on timber masts will cover the central courtyard.

Strack’s plan will feature a series of “3D-printed clay natural air conditioning units”, which will be added to the existing buildings. These will consist of 3D-printed chimneys connected to hollow clay screens that will circulate cool air.

“Throughout the building, 3D-printed clay walls, ventilation chimneys, and intricately patterned colonnades provide low-tech climatisation systems while showcasing advanced architectural prefabrication techniques,” said the studio.

School in Doha designed by Philippe Starck
The school will have a tented courtyard and be surrounded by workshops

The renders show an additional arched colonnade built across the open end of the courtyard, which has arched openings mirroring the school. It also has a series of columns of various shapes that will be 3D printed.

Surrounding the main building there will be a “village of workshops” that will create additional spaces for vocational activities.

The whole school will be set in a 32,000-square-metre site that will be landscaped into parkland.

“As a tribute to Qatar vernacular urbanism, a public park and village of workshops, studios, and recreational pavilions surrounds the primary building, welcoming visitors to engage with the school and its surrounding green areas,” added the studio.

The school was presented alongside a museum designed by Chilean practice Elemental, Dutch studio OMA and Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron that is currently under development in the country at the Building a Creative Nation exhibition during the Venice Architecture Biennale.

Also on display was a blocky children’s museum designed by Dutch practice UNStudio.

Building a Creative Nation takes place at Palazzo Franchetti during the Venice Architecture Biennale, which takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Philippe Starck designs school to “revitalise creative production in Qatar” appeared first on Dezeen.

Citrus outdoor rugs by Jorge Garaje for Gan

Citrus outdoor rugs by Jorge Garaje for Gan

Dezeen Showroom: Spanish designer Jorge Garaje sought to add freshness and zest to outdoor settings with the Citrus rug collection, created for Gan.

The Citrus outdoor rugs come in three abstracted but familiar designs that reference three different types of fruits — oranges, limes or lemons.

Citrus outdoor rugs by Jorge Garaje for Gan
The Citrus outdoor rug collection is based on oranges, limes and lemons

Each rug design features overlapping, rounded fruit shapes, with a diagonal grid pattern laid over the top that recalls the look of the mesh bags they often come in.

The weather-resistant rugs are made in a kilim flatweave style using 100 per cent recycled PET and, as with all Gan rugs, are handmade in India.

Citrus outdoor rugs by Jorge Garaje for Gan
Rounded fruit shapes combine with a graphic grid pattern

The Spanish brand describes the Citrus collection as introducing an “acid colour palette” that makes them “the ideal accent pieces for cheerful, dynamic spaces”.

The rugs have irregular shapes and measure 300 centimetres across their longest side.

Product: Citrus
Designer: Jorge Garaje
Brand: Gan
Contact: info@gan-rugs.com

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Your Mouthwash is Outdated… The OENKLEN Transforms Water into the Most Effective Mouthwash Ever

Although Ozone-enriched mouthwashes are still considered cutting edge technology, most dentists will agree that traditional mouthwash like Chlorhexidine is pretty bad for your teeth when used regularly. Your mouth needs good bacteria for maintaining hygiene, and your powerful minty mouthwash can often destroy the good bacterial culture, making your teeth and gums more vulnerable over time. The solution? Water! Well, not regular water… but rather, Ozone-enriched water, which has a 99% effectiveness rating against bad bacteria that causes plaque buildup.

While Ozone-enriched water was previously available only commercially and in highly specialized medical setups, OENKLEN brings that technology to your bathroom countertop. Barely the size of a coffee machine, OENKLEN turns regular tap water into ozone-rich water in mere seconds. You can use this water as a mouthwash, to rinse your toothbrush, sanitize your braces/retainers overnight, and build an entire daily oral-care routine with OENLKEN. The Ozone-rich water is capable of sterilizing without any harmful chemicals and solvents, and significantly reduces dental plaque, preventing cavities, sensitivity, and bleeding gums over the long term. It doesn’t have that overpowering minty taste either, which often leaves your mouth feeling ‘burnt’ instead of ‘fresh’.

Designer: Liangshuang Wu

Click Here to Buy Now: $159 $290 ($131 off). Hurry, only 18/85 left! Raised over $95,000.

The dentistry industry has been touting the efficacy of ozonated water over most mouth disinfectants for the past few years. Leading medical journals (and even Colgate’s own website) have listed ‘ozone dentistry’ as the new cutting-edge frontier for dental sciences, mentioning its wide use in Europe and South America, dating back to the 1930s, when Dr. E.A. Fisch began using ozone in dentistry due to its strong antibacterial and wound healing properties. OENKLEN’s countertop device hopes to harness the power of that technology by creating an ozone mouthwash that’s safe, non-toxic, and highly effective… and it does so by simply using tap water.

Plaque Test – Results compared among no oral care, regular oral care, and OENKLEN ozone mouthwash.

The way OENKLEN works is just about as simple as it gets. Pour regular water in, the machine does its work by using patented technology to electrolyze the water and break down the oxygen molecules into nascent atoms that bind to the remaining O2 molecules to form O3 or ozone. The entire process takes just 5 seconds, and the resulting ozone-rich water is 100% natural and organic, elder/children friendly, non-alcoholic (unlike most mouthwashes), and has anti-cavity, anti-bacterial, and anti-halitosis (bad breath) properties. The OENKLEN device offers 4 modes to choose from – a daily mode, deep mode, irrigator mode, and a ‘more’ mode. An app lets you further customize your ozonated water by choosing the O3’s intensity, to help fight more nagging problems like cavities, halitosis, or smoke stains.

OENKLEN hopes to make ozonated water technology accessible by simplifying and condensing the technology to be compact enough to fit on a countertop. The coffee-machine-sized device uses patented technology to produce ozone water (which has been FDA food-safety approved since 1997) in just 5 seconds. The ozonated water has much broader disinfecting applications, and can even be used to sanitize surfaces, disinfect children’s toys, pet supplies, food, and a myriad of other items. Moreover, as a mouthwash replacement, OENKLEN’s ozonated water also hopes to offset the billions of single-use plastic bottles of mouthwash that end up getting thrown in the trash every year.

Each OENKLEN device sits at just 10-inches tall, weighs 2.4 lbs, runs on a 4000mAh battery, and requires only regular tap water as an input. It generates absolutely no waste, charges via USB-C (lasting 50 days on a full charge), and comes with a custom app that helps you set your OENKLEN routine to get the best results for you, and your oral-care requirements. The OENKLEN kit starts at a discounted $159 (specially for early backers), and for an extra $35, you can even get yourself a water-flosser/irrigation-set along with your OENKLEN.

Click Here to Buy Now: $159 $290 ($131 off). Hurry, only 18/85 left! Raised over $95,000.

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Harry Potter’s Most Lovable Character Gets Their Own LEGO Build

I didn’t cry when Dumbledore died. Heck, I was hurt when Hedwig died but I didn’t shed a tear… However, I bawled my eyes out when Dobby died. It came as such a sudden shock, and it seemed like Dobby deserved so much more than he got, that his death felt like a cruel stab in the back more than anything. Dobby was easily the most lovable character in the entire series, and it only made sense that the beloved house elf should get his own LEGO kit. The LEGO Harry Potter “Dobby™ the House-Elf” build is designed for kids upwards of 8 years old, utilizing a mere 403 bricks (making it one of the easier builds in the LEGOverse).

Designer: LEGO

The lovable house elf comes with a few distinct design details that make it even more heartwarming. For starters, the elf has moving limbs, a rotating head, adjustable ears, and repositionable fingers that make Dobby look around, point at objects, snap his fingers, or even grip items like the sock that helped Dobby become a free elf. The elf figurine comes along with three distinct objects that define his role in the Chamber of Secrets… starting with the cake that Dobby levitates and drops on the guests at the Dursley household, followed by Tom Riddle’s diary which Harry gifts to Dobby at the end of the movie, with a sock in it that helps set Dobby free.

The Dobby figurine stands at 19cm (7.5 inches) in height, on a LEGO platform with Dobby’s nameplate on it. The LEGO Harry Potter Dobby™ the House-Elf kit will start at $34.99 when it officially launches in stores and online, although LEGO hasn’t announced a launch date yet.

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Top 10 essential gear for your summer 2023 outdoor adventures

At Yanko Design, we believe in constantly innovating, creating, and evolving. It’s a philosophy that serves as a lifeline for us, and one of the results of this lifeline is the YD x KeyShot Inspiration Hub! The Inspiration Hub is our ‘ever-expanding encyclopedia’ of design work for you to participate in, to inspire designers, and to get inspired by. Created in collaboration with KeyShot, the Inspiration Hub is your one-stop space for inspiration where designers like you can submit your impressive designs and be awarded to stand out in the crowd and to inspire other like-minded designers.

To kickstart your journey and send some motivation your way, we’ve curated our top 10 essential outdoor gear from the Inspiration Hub. These unique outdoor accessories will motivate you to create something spectacular and submit the design, as a gateway to sharing it with the best of the design world. Additionally, we will also be picking our favorite Design of the Week, Design of the Month, and Design of the Year – every week, month, and year from the submissions on the Inspiration Hub. Keep an eye on our Instagram page and the Inspiration Hub to see if your design gets picked. Fingers crossed!
Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!

1. Herman Miller-inspired Hiking Backpack

Designed by Judar Design, this stunning Herman Miller-inspired backpack is heavily influenced by the Herman Miller camp! It has unique and lightweight aesthetics, and functions as a practical hiking backpack for campers, as well as a laptop bag for city commuters. It has a solid structure on the outside, much like the Cosm chair, which offers protection from any accidental bumps if any important and fragile stuff has been placed inside.

2. Task Light

Designed by Jake Naish, this beautifully-designed task light makes for the ultimate outdoor gear for your outdoor adventures. Featuring a minimal, clean, and cylindrical form, the lighting design comes in options of two soft pastel colors that are exceedingly easy on the eyes. Grooves on the body of the light add a touch of texture and personality to the design.

3. Fellow Travel

If you’re setting out on an outdoor adventure in a foreign country, then Fellow Travel is the perfect product for you! Designed by Hanyoung Lee, Fellow Travel is an innovative interpretation device that allows you to communicate smoothly and effortlessly with people who speak other languages while traveling. It includes APP services that accumulate data through conversations and share it with other travelers.

4. Rock Climbing Shoes

Designed by Santiago Riera, these rock-climbing shoes are inspired by the design philosophy and language of Organic Climbing. Designed using virtual reality, these unique rock climbing shoes can be customized according to the tastes and preferences of every user, allowing them to play around with colors and materials and create the perfect outdoor shoes for themselves.

5. Foldable Lander

Designed by Yunonglive Studio, the Foldable Lander is a compact and lightweight product that measures a little over 13 inches in length when closed, and weighs 2.8 lbs. The innovative design once opened up, transforms into a comfortable and cozy chair with a backrest, and can take up to 100x its weight. This foldable chair and foldable table/ottoman offer a unique and convenient way to take a seat anywhere, whether it’s for fun or for work.

6. The Havoc Arxc Glasses

Designed by Sebastian Halin, the Havoc Arxc Glasses are designed for cyclists of all disciplines – where clear vision and sleek looks are a priority. The good-looking shades feature a clean and minimal look accentuated by smooth lines and a two-colored CMF, as well as a tinted UV-protected lens for optimal vision. The glasses have a replaceable nose bridge made in silicone.

7. Microtech Exocet Dagger

Amped with a tiny 1.94-inch blade, the Microtech Exocet Dagger is actually legal to carry in most states, making it the perfect EDC to have on you at all times. Designed by Microtech Knives, the innovative dagger features an OTF-style (out-the-front) drop-point blade made from CTS 204P steel that’s perfect for piercing and carving outdoors and doing things like opening boxes indoors.

8. The HOTO 3-in-1 Camplight

Designed by Lu Zheng, YF Liu, and Xiaodong Liu, the HOTO 3-in-1 Camplight provides users with a convenient and innovative lighting solution in all possible camping scenarios. The unique lighting design functions as an area light, ambient light, and flashlight. It features a transparent and durable PC lamp head, as well as an aluminum alloy case – resulting in a premium and excellent tool for the outdoors.

9. Supernova

Designed by GravaStar and named the Supernova, this futuristic-looking accessory resembles a three-legged robot but is in reality a sci-fi-inspired speaker cum LED lamp. It is crafted out of a solid zinc alloy metallic body standing on GravaStar’s iconic tripod legs that we saw in their previous designs. It is equipped with a 3-inch full-range speaker with 25 watts of power, 90db of output, and half-inch high-frequency tweeter for rich and crisp sound delivery.

10. Quasar Portable Lamp

Designed by Samy Rhio and Petite Friture, the Quasar portable lamp, is designed to be a ‘nomadic lamp’. French designer Samy Rhio designed this nomadic lamp to enable users to carry it around, allowing it to illuminate any space they go to. They can hang the nifty lamp using a multicolored strap that will remind you of a climbing rope.

Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to start creating your own design and submit the design to us to get featured on the Inspiration Hub and the Yanko Design Instagram Page.

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This “Beanbag With A Spine” Offers A More Comfortable, Classy Alternative to its Boring Predecessor

The beanbag is almost an icon of the bachelor household. It’s cheap, comfortable, and adapts to any scenario. However, this has also tarnished the beanbag’s reputation as a furniture that just can’t be taken seriously. It isn’t classy, given that you won’t find it in the classiest of households… however Elena Prokhorova’s reinterpretation of the humble beanbag makes it the perfect addition to any swank coffee table. The Brace Lounge Chair is like a beanbag with an exoskeleton. Designed to give the otherwise ‘limp’ bag some structure, the Brace comes with a metal armature that wraps around the bag’s base and back, with harness straps holding the beanbag in place. The result is a lounge chair that’s the best of all worlds. It’s comfortable and adapts to your body, just the way you want… but at the same time, it has a unique blob-like structure that gives it a distinct silhouette, making it a perfect addition to any living room.

Designer: Elena Prokhorova

Drawing inspiration from the effortless style of the urban dweller, the Brace armchair effortlessly combines form and function to create a truly captivating seating experience. The soft seat is attached to the metal frame with the help of a belt-like accessory. To operate the chair, the user simply sits down on the soft seat and pulls the belt around the back of the frame, securing it in place with a carabiner.

The soft part of the Brace is made of foam with fabric upholstery, marking a slight deviation from the styrofoam-ball-filled beanbag. The base is made of a metal tube colored with a powder coating, while the strap that tethers the Brace into place comes made from leather, with eyelets and hooks that attach to the metal frame. The choice of fabric makes all the difference with the Brace’s aesthetic, and one could easily alter its appearance by switching between leather or velvet, or canvas, or even by alternating/swapping colors to create unique color schemes.

The Brace Lounge Chair is a Gold Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2023.

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