Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2014: design duo Formafantasma is presenting a collection of engraved drinking glasses that form new patterns when stacked together, at an exhibition curated by Rossana Orlandi in Milan

Commissioned by the MAK Museum in Vienna and produced by Austrian brand J.& L. Lobmeyr, the Alphabet collection of glasses and a carafe by Formafantasma are engraved with twelve different patterns.

The etchings reference motifs found in both J.& L. Lobmeyr’s archive and at the Geymüllerschlössel castle, in which the museum is housed.

Placed upside-down on the table one inside another, any two engraved patterns will combine to form a new pattern.

Delicate gold lines on each glass suggest the correct alignment. The bigger glass protects the smaller one like a crystal dome used to cover a still life composition.

“The design highlights the pleasure of diversity within a set of objects while revisiting the rules of table setting,” said Formafantasma.

The pieces were originally created for a site-specific installation called The Stranger Within for the Dining Room of Geymüllerschlössel.

They will be shown at the Rossana Orlandi-curated Bagatti Valsecchi exhibition, Via Gesù 5, in Milan from 8 to 13 April.

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at Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan appeared first on Dezeen.

Designer Kacper Hamilton has created a port decanter set that encourages users to constantly share the drink around.

Hamilton‘s glassware is named after the British tale of the Bishop of Norwich, about a nineteenth-century gentleman who was notorious for forgetting to pass the port.

To ensure the drink is shared by users of this set, the bottoms of the decanter and glasses are pointed so they can’t be put down. This means they will be constantly sipped and drained, so the port is always passed from person to person.

The vessels only stand when returned to their individual brass bases. The bases hold six glasses and a decanter with a matching brass stopper, which are displayed in a row on a wooden tray.

The project was exhibited at the Mint shop during London Design Festival 2013. Kacper Hamilton has also created a set of seven wine glasses inspired by the seven deadly sins.

Here is more information from the designer:

Influenced by and named after the classic tale of the ‘Bishop of Norwich’, a nineteenth-century gentleman notorious for forgetting to pass the port. This set brings about the return of humble rituals from the past through a drink that has become quintessentially British.

With respect to the tradition, the ‘Bishop of Norwich’ has been specifically designed to encourage the user to drink their port and pass the decanter. Due to their elaborate design the port glasses and decanter cannot be put down on the table unless placed within their individual brass bases, hence the port is continuously passed, shared and quaffed.

An elongated wooden tray brings all the parts together, making the complete creation a grand central piece. The ebony finish creates a striking contrast with the brushed sheen of the brass and a distinctive sculptural form appears when all the elements are displayed alongside one another.

Each solid brass base is engraved with the KH Studio monogram. The large decanter base displays the edition number (Limited Edition of 12), date of production, and ‘Made in England’.

When Port wine is passed around at British meals, one tradition dictates that a diner passes the decanter to the left immediately after pouring a glass for his or her neighbour on the right; the decanter should not stop its clockwise progress around the table until it is finished. If someone is seen to have failed to follow tradition, the breach is brought to their attention by asking ‘Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?’; those aware of the tradition treat the question as a reminder, while those who do not are told ‘He is a terribly good chap, but he always forgets to pass the port!’

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by Kacper Hamilton appeared first on Dezeen.

Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle has created a carafe and set of tumblers printed with fine black lines that overlap to create a moiré effect when the pieces are clustered together.

Each item in the Cumulo collection by Liliana Ovalle is decorated with fanned-out linear patterns that become finer as they radiate outwards, creating a cross-hatching effect where they reach round to the other side and can be seen through the layers of glass.

“The glasses and carafe acquire a more complex three-dimensionality when combined together,” said Ovalle. “As the patterns overlap in various arrangements, the accumulation of lines reveals hidden depths and densities.”

The prototypes were blown in borosilicate glass. They were exhibited at the Okay Studio & Friends exhibition in Ben Sherman‘s Mod_ular Blanc event space during London Design Festival last month, along with opaline glassware by Mathias Hahn and a circular mirror with a large brass weight by Hunting & Narud.

Having graduated from London’s Royal College of Art in 2006, Ovalle joined the Okay Studio design collective in 2011 and continues to operate from their space close to the Dezeen offices in Stoke Newington – see more projects by Okay Studio designers.

Ovalle also presented a series of clay vessels based on the geological phenomenon of sinkholes as part of a group show at Gallery Libby Sellers in London for the festival.

See more work by Liliana Ovalle »
See all our coverage of London Design Festival 2013 »

Photography is courtesy of the designer.

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Liliana Ovalle appeared first on Dezeen.

BAM’s Harvey Theater now has a shiny new neighbor. Founded in 1977 by Richard Yelle and Joe Upham, the New York Experimental Glass Workshop—the country’s first open-access glass studio—has bounced around from its original Great Jones Street location in Manhattan to several other…

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Product news: Californian company Soma has launched an hourglass-shaped carafe and a biodegradable filter to fit in the top.

Soma claims to have designed the “world’s first completely biodegradable filter”, which is made of coconut shell carbon and a layer of natural silk encased in a plant-based composite.

The cone-shaped filter aims to removes impurities and improve taste. It slots into the top of a glass carafe, which is formed to fit comfortably in the hand and incorporates a bevelled edge around the base to prevent it from falling over.

Founder of Soma Mike del Ponte worked with water filtration expert, David Beeman, Joe Tan and Markus Diebel on the design of the products. Soma in 2012 as a crowd-funded project to create an alternative to domestic plastic water purifiers.

The company has partnered with Water, a non-profit organisation working to provide safe drinking water globally, so every filter purchased contributes to the charity.

At the Global Design Forum this year, a water-filtration system that uses plants to extract arsenic from water supplies was voted the “idea that will change the world”. Formafantasma also designed charcoal inserts for blown-glass containers that purify tap water.

Other recent glassware designs include a set of bubble-shaped lanterns by Kristine Five Melvaer and a glass with a stem that holds exactly one measure of alcohol. See more glassware design »

See more information from the designer:

Soma, the smart, beautiful and sustainable water filter, officially launches into the marketplace today with a modern design that will redefine the way you drink and serve water in your home. Unlike anything else in the market, Soma is the pinnacle of clean, industrial design that looks gorgeous on any table and for any occasion. An elegant glass carafe holds Soma’s unique filter composed of coconut shell carbon, four layers of fine silk and a plant based casing, is the world’s first completely biodegradable filter.

With the goal of going above and beyond the unremarkable products in the current market, Soma enlisted a dream team of designers, including the world’s leading filtration expert, David Beeman (Starbucks, Peet’s, Keurig) and the renowned industrial design duo Joe Tan and Markus Diebel (IDEO, Incase). Their collaborative expertise helped to build an award-winning water filter that is innovative, eco-conscious and convenient. With its unique hourglass-shaped glass carafe, Soma is the first water filter designed with the consumer in mind, constructed to fit perfectly into the pourer’s hand.

Soma’s modern, sustainable design is only the beginning of its positive impact. From day one, Founder Mike Del Ponte envisioned Soma as not only aesthetically pleasing, but also ethically sound. Knowing that a staggering number of filters end up in landfills annually, the Soma team was determined to create a product that also had a low-impact on the environment. Soma’s biodegradable filter is designed to remove water impurities and improve taste for less than 25 cents a day. Expired filters can be tossed in green bins and will biodegrade completely in commercial composting facilities without negative environmental impacts.

To simplify your life, Soma makes filter replacement easy with its subscription service, ensuring timely delivery of a fresh filter every two months. Partnering with charity: water, Soma is also focused on giving back. With every Soma filter purchased, you are helping bring clean, safe drinking water to those in need.

“Over the past year we have worked tirelessly to create a beautiful product paired with an unprecedented experience,” said Mike Del Ponte, Co-founder and CEO of Soma. “First, we focused on product development-creating a decanter-quality glass carafe and innovative filter that provided the best tasting water, while also having the lowest impact on the environment.” Del Ponte adds, “Once we felt we had created an incredible product that was unlike any other, we focused on finding the right group of investors and advisors to help guide the process, from an idea to launching the product, in just over one year. I am proud of what we have created and am thrilled to finally share Soma with the world.”

The Soma carafe and two filters retails for $49, with each replacement filter priced at $12.99 (including shipping). For a limited time, new customers will receive two free filters with each purchase.

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by Soma appeared first on Dezeen.