Morrison worked in collaboration with 160 year-old Japanese cast iron manufacturer Oigen to create the Palma cookware range.
Palma includes cooking pots and pans with lids, a frying griddle, a kettle and a condiment server. The products are all made from cast iron and intend to follow the tradition of Oigen’s production techniques.
The cookware is on display this week at Morrison’s Library of Design pop-up at his east London shop.
The shop is open for visitors to browse 100 of the designer’s books and four products, including his Fionda chair for Mattiazzi, until 22 September.
London Design Festival 2013: British design brand Another Country has created a collection of bedroom furniture for London retailer Heal’s, based on the simplicity of Shaker-style interiors.
Another Country applied its signature pared-back styling to the range developed exclusively for Heal’s, which comprises a bed, bedside table, blanket chest and two chests of drawers.
The collection references Another Country’s earlier Series Two collection through its use of materials such as ash and brass, but the company’s owner Paul de Zwart said he added “playful details like ever-so-slightly oversized key escutcheons, as well as new materials like the linen headboard.”
Made from solid ash with a white oil finish, the furniture features simple, boxy forms and traditional joinery that enhance the sense of solidity and craftsmanship.
“We’ve also given a nod to Arts and Crafts style in the shape of little upright backs on the chests – a reminder of the rich furniture-making traditions of Heal’s,” de Zwart added.
A bed frame available in single, double and king sizes is the centrepiece of the collection, and features brushed brass feet and a headrest covered in natural linen.
The chests of drawers all employ traditional wooden runners and dovetail joints that attach the drawer fronts.
Brass handles are used on the chests of drawers and the bedside table, while the blanket chest and chests of drawers feature an oversized brass escutcheon and key.
Here’s some more information about the collection:
Another Country for Heal’s – bedroom range
Incorporating elements of their critically acclaimed Series Two collection, Another Country has designed an exquisite five-piece bedroom range for Heal’s comprising a bed, bedside table, blanket chest and two chests of drawers; one tall, one wide. The range, which is made from solid ash with a white oil finish, is on sale exclusively at Heal’s.
The Another Country for Heal’s range has clean-cut, angular lines that draw inspiration from the no-nonsense style of Shaker and Scandinavian furniture and the pale woods favoured in contemporary Belgian craft production. It also uses brass as an additional accent, providing decoration as well as structural support.
“The manufacturing techniques employed in the construction of these pieces are a celebration of the values of contemporary craft,” says Paul de Zwart, Another Country’s owner (and, in a previous incarnation, the founding publisher of Wallpaper* magazine). “We’ve included some references from our Series Two collection, such as the use of solid ash and brass, but for this range we’ve added playful details like ever-so-slightly oversized key escutcheons, as well as new materials like the linen headboard. We’ve also given a nod to Arts and Crafts style in the shape of little upright backs on the chests – a reminder of the rich furniture-making traditions of Heals.”
Founded in 2010, Another Country is a British-based company that makes contemporary craft furniture and accessories. The brand’s simple, functional, pared-back designs are manufactured in the UK and Portugal using FSC certified solid woods.
Bedside Table
This neat side table combines function with aesthetic appeal. Dovetail joints provide attractive craft detail whilst brushed brass hardware and feet give subtle material interest. All the drawers in the Sleep Series use traditional wooden runners for an authentic construction and the Bedside Table is no different. The single drawer unit sits on top of slender legs and a small upright on the table top is an attractive reworking of a practical traditional furniture detail.
Blanket Chest
This handsome piece of furniture is a fine storage solution with plenty of space for linens, clothes or toys. Traditionally placed at the bottom of a bed but, we think, useful employed anywhere in your bedroom. Like all pieces in our Sleep Series, the chest combined pale ash with brushed brass details to beautiful effect. We’ve made a feature of one further function – the chest is lockable with a charming brass lock and key.
Bed
At the heart of our Sleep Series is this generous, sturdy bed frame. The frame is constructed from pale ash with brushed brass feet and the generous headrest is covered in a soft natural linen, providing comfort and creating a clean silhouette. The bed frame is available in single, double and king sizes.
Tallboy
The first of our Sleep Series drawers is a slim, elegant Tallboy. This endlessly useful piece of furniture provides maximum storage with minimum fuss. The Tallboy uses traditional wooden runners for it’s five drawers and further authentic craft detailing comes in the way of beautiful dovetail joints on each drawer. A small upright on the top of the Tallboy is a pleasing take on a traditional detail and charming brass escutcheon and key is the only decorative embellishment in this paired back design – and a functional one at that.
Chest Of Drawers
The second of our Sleep Series drawers is a hearty chest of three drawers. The bottom drawer is extra large and the perfect storage solution for blankets and bigger items, the top drawer is lockable with a charming brass escutcheon and key. Pale ash and brushed bronze detailing are the signature of this paired back collection and have been employed here to full effect. Similarly, authentic craft detailing comes in the way of beautiful dovetail joints and an Arts and Crafts inspired upright on the drawers’ top.
London Design Festival 2013:Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle is presenting a series of clay vessels based on the geological phenomenon of sinkholes as part of a group show at Gallery Libby Sellers in London.
Ovalle based the irregular shapes of the vessels on the idea of sinkholes forming below ground, creating voids that the ground suddenly disappears into.
“The black vessels stand as a representation of the geological phenomena of sinkholes, a portrayal of those voids that emerge abruptly from the ground, dissolving their surroundings into an irretrievable space,” said Ovalle.
Individually made oak frames that represent a cross section of the ground support the vessels, whose open ends interrupt the flat surfaces on top of the frames.
To produce the clay pieces, Ovalle worked with Colectivo 1050º, a group of artists, designers and makers in Oaxaca, Mexico, that supports artisanal skills currently facing the threat of extinction.
“By making reference to different process of extinction, the Sinkhole project aims to reflect and extend the permanence of what seems to be inevitably falling into a void,” explained Ovalle.
The vases are shaped by hand using tools such as corn cobs and pieces of leather and the blackened finish is achieved by exposing the fired clay to an open flame.
The project is being exhibited as part of a group show called Grandmateria III at Gallery Libby Sellers during the London Design Festival, and will continue to be shown until 5 October 2013.
Foam models were documented and sent to the ceramists in Tlapazola, Oaxaca.
The Sinkhole project is the result of a collaboration between Liliana Ovalle and Colectivo 1050º.
The black vessels stand as a representation of the geological phenomena of sinkholes, a portrayal of those voids that emerge abruptly from the ground, dissolving their surroundings into an irretrievable space.
Bi-dimensional drawings were translated with the aid of measured wooden sticks.
Each vessel is suspended in a wooden frame, alluding to a cross section of the ground that reveals the hidden topographies.
Alberta and Dorotea mold the the vessels using the ¨cone” tecnique. The clay is molded on plates balanced on rocks and then spun by hand.
The clay shapes, based in local archetypes for utilitarian pottery, are crafted by ceramists from Tlapazola, Oaxaca using ancestral techniques and skills that are struggling to find a place in the contemporary global landscape.
Once the pieces were dried and fired for a first time, a second “open” fire was made to blacken out the vessels.
By making reference to different process of extinction, the Sinkhole project aims to reflect and extend the permanence of what seems to be inevitably falling into a void.
The tones and gradients of each vessel were controlled by exposing them directly to the flame or the burning ashes. The “blackening” process lasts approximately one hour.
Sinkhole Vessels will be showcased at the exhibition Grandmateria III, at Gallery Libby Sellers, during the London Design Festival.
Final fitting of the ceramic pieces into the oak frames.
Mathias Hahn‘s new Louche glassware collection features an opaque white water bottle with a grey stopper, a tall mint-green glass beaker and a small transparent beaker with a green lid.
Hahn said that this experimental glassware range aimed to expose opaline or opaque glass qualities to a younger and contemporary audience.
The glassware has different grades of opacity that are created by hand-blowing opaline glass into changing wall thicknesses. “By using a subtle set of monochrome colours, the often very decorative use of opaque glass is transferred into refined and plain objects,” explained Hahn.
“The louche [name] describes a very similar visual condition, when spirits such as absinthe or pastis turn from clear to cloudy when adding water,” Hahn said.
Mathias Hahn started his own design studio in 2006 and is one of the founding members of design collective OKAYstudio. The Louche glassware will be on display until 22 September as part of OKAYstudio’s Loose Thread exhibition at Ben Sherman’s Modular Blanc exhibition space in London at 108 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LZ.
Orolog is both a watch and a new brand co-created by artist and designer Jaime Hayon and his business partner Ian Lowe. The OC1 series, the brand’s first collection, comes in five colourways, and each colour is available in a limited edition run of 999 timepieces.
The OC1 series adheres to a clean and minimal aesthetic and combines classical elements with modern details.
Each watch is made in Switzerland and features Ronda quartz chronograph movement and a distinctive quilted dial face with printed numerals. The leather strap is sourced from a Hermès leather atelier; the French manufacturer has been producing quality leather goods since 1837.
Hayon, who is based in Valencia in Spain, is one of the most prolific and versatile designers on the international scene. His work includes everything from shoes and glassware to furniture and interiors. See all our stories about Hayon.
Items are arranged to form a house interior, with colourful mannequins by Hans Boodt lounging on the furniture and Levi van Veluw‘s photography hung on the walls.
Find your way Home to Moooi’s Unexpected Welcome at Moooi London
On the occasion of the 11th edition of the London Design Festival, Moooi has prepared an entire collection of refreshing new designs and surprising experiences that will be revealed at Moooi London.
From the 16th until the 22nd September 2013 Moooi London will be magically transformed into several iconic, rich and colourfully dressed living quarters. This unexpected home vision brings to life a whole world of new ideas and inspiring settings to brighten up daily life with a touch of magic.
The settings will be dressed and accessorised with an irresistible blend of exquisite richness, nurturing warmth and colourful playfulness. The living quarters will be furnished with items from the current collection & many new, exciting creations by Marcel Wanders, Studio Job, Joost van Bleiswijk, Neri & Hu, Moooi Works / Bart Schilder, Bertjan Pot, Raimond Puts, Lorenza Bozzoli and ZMIK (Mattias Mohr & Rolf Indermuhle).
You are welcome to enjoy, amongst others, the artistic temperament and intimate nature of Marcel Wanders’ Canvas and Cloud sofas, and the sophisticated brightness of ZMIK’s Kroon chandelier. Take some time to walk around and study the high- stream inventiveness of Joost van Bleiswijk’s Construction lamps, the pragmatic playfulness of Studio Job’s Bucket lamps and the graceful symbolism of Lorenza Bozzoli’s Juuyo lamps. Besides this, you are invited to admire the grandeur of the new Bart sofa collection by Moooi Works / Bart Schilder and the new Paper Patchwork & Paper RAL creations by Studio Job.
The interior environments will be also decorated with an inspiring variety of patterns and colours that compliment all types of spaces and make people of different ages, cultures and personalities fall in love with their homes. Hans Boodt mannequins will make themselves at home, bringing an extra feeling of intimacy to the settings and resembling peoples’ personality, style & taste. Real and surreal at the same time!
This presentation at Moooi London will also bring together photography of the multidisciplinary Dutch artist Levi van Veluw. Interior design meets artistic photography once again and they connect, creating the perfect balance between two inspiring, stylish and playful worlds. Van Veluw photographs suggest a narrative world behind the portraits. The portraits unfold stories and feelings on a large scale especially for this exhibition.
The Dunes collection by Canadian designer Philippe Malouin has been commissioned for Staffordshire ceramics company 1882 Ltd.
Malouin’s custom-made machine features a box frame and a wooden turntable that is powered by a small motor and controlled by a computer.
Grains of sugar are poured into a funnel and fall onto a spinning cylinder positioned on the turntable beneath, where they pile up to form structures like cylindrical sand dunes.
The resulting shape was used to make a silicone negative, then cast in plaster and given to 1882 to produce in bone china. The final bone china pieces retain a sandy texture and have been finished with a matte glaze.
Originally Malouin tried using sand, however explained the material was difficult to use. “I originally started to try and ‘freeze’ these sand dunes by spraying resin onto them, but each time I would try and cast the resulting shape with silicone, the sand would stick to the cast and the shape would be altered,” said Malouin.
He later realised that sugar was the perfect substitute, as any grains clinging to the silicone could be washed away with water.
The printer created shapes that Malouin said could not be designed by hand or a computer and was perfect for creating plates and bowls. “All that was needed was to change the diameter of the sand dune in order to create a smaller dish,” Malouin told Dezeen.
“I was interested in designing the process that would produce the shape of the dishes. Not necessarily designing the dish directly,” said Malouin.
Here’s some additional information from the gallery:
Dunes by Philippe Malouin
Dunes is a stunning collection of fine bone china tableware featuring skillfully hand-crafted plates and bowls from one of the design world’s most applauded new talents. Slip-cast from plaster models, the collection maximises Malouin’s beautifully minimalistic patterns through analogue 3D printing. The analogue 3d printer made by Malouin, creates shapes that cannot be designed by hand or computer. Only movement, imperfection and randomised material deposition form the pieces. The shapes formed are carefully utilised and transformed into functional china pieces, highlighting the skill of the craftsman and creating a collection that wonderfully exemplifies its title of – Dunes.
About 1882 Ltd
1882 Ltd. is thrilled to announce their new collections for September 2013, fusing 130 years of traditional British heritage with fresh and contemporary new designs. The collections feature works from some of the world’s leading talents. These included an extended collection of ‘Crockery’ by Max Lamb, ‘Fragile Hearts’ by Mr Brainwash, ‘Standard Ware’ by Fort Standard and ‘Gashu’ by Alan Hughes and ‘Dunes’ by Philippe Malouin: all made of fine bone china, harnessing the tradition of the company originally set-up by the Johnson Brothers in the heart of the Stoke-on-Trent potteries in 1882. To this day, 1882 Ltd. remains a family business following its rebirth in 2011 by Emily Johnson and her father Christopher.
We’ve partnered with lifestyle brand Nixon to debut its new S13-3 collection during the event. The range will feature four new watches, including a military-inspired timepiece called The Corporal, and The 51-30 Leather Chronograph, a large timepiece with a 51mm face and a unidirectional rotating bezel made from stainless steel with a countdown timer and pushers.
London Design Festival 2013:design brand SCP is launching its latest collection of products and furniture at its two London stores this week.
Field Day cushions by Donna Wilson
The new products presented by SCP include first-time collaborations with emerging UK designer Lucy Kurrein (main image), American illustrator Mark McGinnis, and Stoke-On-Trent-based ceramicist Reiko Kaneko.
Lily side table by Lucy Kurrein
Lucy Kurrein has developed a low oak table and a taller steel side table with complimentary organic shapes that can be used separately or together.
Book Hod by Peter Marigold
London designer Peter Marigold has created a book holder in the shape of a bricklayer’s hod made from oak and powder-coated steel.
This Way That bean bags by Donna Wilson
Longterm SCP collaborator Donna Wilson has designed a new textile collection of throws, blankets and cushions, and knitted wool bean bags decorated with her signature playful patterns.
Crosscut coat hooks by Faudet-Harrison
East London studio Faudet-Harrison‘s Crosscut coat hooks are made from sheet steel with laser-cut holes into which cylindrical wooden hooks slot and sit flush against the wall.
Crosscut table by Faudet-Harrison
The Crosscut table and trestles use the same principle as the coat hooks to create a sturdy tripod base.
Max bar stool by Andrea Stemmer
Devon-based designer Andrea Stemmer has created a bar stool with a tripod base made from steel rod and a crescent-shaped wooden seat with a slight indentation to make it more comfortable.
Wholegrain coffee table by Alex hellum
Hertfordshire designer Alex Hellum‘s coffee table kinks towards one end to make it fit better next to a sofa or armchair.
Quick-step stool by Sarah Kay
East London designer Sarah Kay‘s stool has an A-shaped profile and a step that can be accessed from either side.
Megatropolis mugs by Mark McGinnis
These and other new products will be on display at SCP’s stores in Shoreditch and Westbourne Grove as part of the London Design Festival, which continues until 22 September.
News: a water-filtration system that uses plants to extract arsenic from water supplies and allows the user to sell the poisonous substance at a profit has been voted the “Idea that will change the world” at the Global Design Forum in London today (+ interview).
Clean Water, developed by Oxford University MSc student Stephen Goodwin Honan, was voted the best of five world-changing ideas presented at the forum, held today at the Southbank Centre.
Arsenic poisoning from contaminated water has been described as the “largest mass-poisoning in history” by the World Health Organisation, causing cancers that kill an estimated 1.2 million people in the developing world each year.
Arsenic-absorbing plants
Clean Water uses special, arsenic-absorbing plants, which are grown in a container. Water is pumped through the container and arsenic is trapped in a filter, and then absorbed by the plants where it poses no danger.
The filtered water is then safe to drink while the plant can be harvested each year and the arsenic chemically extracted. The plants are a naturally occurring species selected for their ability to remove arsenic from the soil they grow in.
The system costs just $10 (£6) to set up but can produce arsenic – which is widely used in industries including the semi-conductor and mobile phone industries – worth $85 (£53) per year. All parts of the system, apart from the filter and the plants, can be sourced locally from everyday materials such as plastic tubs and bamboo.
There are no running costs and no specialist expertise required to maintain the system. “Eighty percent of people in Bangladesh [where the system has been trialled] are subsistence farmers,” said Honan. “They understand how to look after plants.”
“It seems that the design works and the economics work,” Hoberman asked Honan during a question-and-answer session. “What’s holding you back?”
“As soon as we can sign an agreement with a semi-conductor company that wants to buy ethical arsenic, that will make the difference,” Honan replied.
The panel then gave Clean Water the highest vote of the five ideas pitched and the decision was ratified by an audience vote.
The system in use in Bangladesh
Honan is a FitzGerald Scholar studying an MSc in water science, policy and management at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford in England.
Here’s an interview Dezeen editor-in-chief conducted with Stephen Goodwin Honan after the presentation:
Marcus Fairs: What is Clean Water?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: The product is an environmentally friendly, low-cost, easy-to-use filtration system that rapidly accumulates arsenic from drinking water. The arsenic is able to then be recycled for productive purposes such as semi-conductors, solar panels, cellphones, computer electronics.
The system itself employs a natural mechanism for filtration. It uses a naturally occurring plant that grows directly in the water and directly removes the arsenic from the water prior to consumption. It requires zero electricity and is fully modular and scalable for varying levels of demand.
Marcus Fairs: How much does it cost and how much can the user earn from selling the arsenic?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: It costs $10, which primarily goes towards the distribution of the [young] plants. The users then grow the plants themselves and they can use any sort of products they have lying around, buckets and pipes and things, bamboo for the stands and so on.
$85 is the raw value of the high-purity arsenic that we’re able to produce from the waste of the plant itself [per year]. The costs of the chemicals [used to extract the arsenic from the plants] is very minimal. The difficultly is the economy of scale – we need to have the right type of facilities in order to do this type of production. So ideally we’d have the recycling scheme occur in a semi-conductor fabrication lab, because they already have all the clean rooms and everything else. Currently Bangladesh has an emerging market for semi-conductor fabrication, so we’re hoping to pair those two parallel paths – the arsenic contamination and the semi-conductor industry that’s emerging.
Marcus Fairs: What type of plants are used? Are they bio-engineered?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: There’s no bio-engineering involved. They’re naturally occurring plants that already have an affinity towards arsenic. The transport mechanisms in the plant are tailored specifically towards arsenic so they don’t compete with other plants for other minerals in the water, such as iron or nitrates. So the plan itself doesn’t need any bio-engineering.
Marcus Fairs: How many people are affected by arsenic contamination of drinking water?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: There are over 150 million people worldwide who are exposed to arsenic contamination. Specifically in Bangladesh it’s anything between 35 million and 88 million people [affected] out of a total population of 156 million.
We have over 1.2 million cases of hyper-pigmentation, which is an early stage of cancer [caused by arsenic poisoning]. It’s very difficult to get accurate figures for the numbers of deaths attributable to arsenic, because they don’t do autopsies. But those are the ballpark figures. It’s a massive proportion of the population that are affected.
Marcus Fairs: You’ve completed trials in Bangladesh; what happens next?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: So we’re post-pilot project and we’re looking to scale up. We already have 500 people who’ve signed up for the next iteration of the pilot project. They actually approached us to do the next phase. We’re then looking to partner with a semi-conductor company and hopefully we can close that gap and do the recycling in plants that are on the ground [in Bangladesh] and produce the first batch of “responsible arsenic”.
Marcus Fairs: $85 is a lot of money for a family in Bangladesh.
Stephen Goodwin Honan: Yeah. The average income in Bangladesh is roughly a dollar a day. It’s subsistence-level farming. The paradigm shift is that people will be able to earn money from producing their own clean water as opposed to paying to have clean water.
That’s a really big stickiness factor for the design itself. It can appeal to the farmers because this can be a real potential revenue source for them. Ideally we’ll have a dividend scheme where we buy the filters off them after they’ve been used.
Marcus Fairs: Have you set up a company to take this forward?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: I’m still a doctoral student at the University of Oxford. I worked with a couple of MBAs at the Said Business School and I’m looking to figure out the best way to implement this. I think that having open-source access to the design of the filter is the best way forward, but controlling the recycling scheme so the collection and processing happens under a watchful eye is going to be really important. I envision a non-profit organisation that delivers the filters and a social enterprise that would then run the recycling scheme.
Marcus Fairs: So the filter is a bit of technology that sits in the tub and the plants then absorb the arsenic that’s caught in the filter?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: Yes absolutely. The filter technology should be accessible to everyone but the recycling process should be separate. Right now we don’t have a company incorporated to do that be we do have a team that’s looking at other problems such as going into old landfills and recycling metalloids that are wastefully thrown away and could be upcycled.
Marcus Fairs: So this idea could be spread laterally to recycle different types of pollutants?
Stephen Goodwin Honan: Oh yeah. The idea itself can be used in many applications. The landfills are what we’re looking at next. We’re looking at value chains, how you can add value to recycling different supplies that are in demand by industry.
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