King Edison pendant lamp by Young & Battaglia for Mineheart

King Edison pendant lamp by Young and Battaglia for Mineheart

New York 2013: designers Young & Battaglia debuted a glass pendant lamp with a tiny chandelier inside for design brand Mineheart at ICCF last month.

A miniature brass chandelier sits within a hand-blown glass shade that is shaped like a light bulb but with an open bottom. Minute candles set on two tiers each give off a small glow.

King Edison pendant lamp by Young and Battaglia for Mineheart

Designed with chrome fittings, the lamp hangs from the ceiling on a two-metre-long braided cable. A longer cable can be supplied on request. The King Edison lamp is named after Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, and references regal chandeliers.

Young & Battaglia have also designed wallpaper to turn any room into an Italian palazzo for Mineheart. Dezeen’s most recent stories about lamps include a chalice-shaped set with concrete bases and terracotta table lights with conical shades.

King Edison pendant lamp by Young and Battaglia for Mineheart

Other products launched in New York included a tap by Philippe Starck that uses half the water of a regular faucet and an elongated chair with a faceted back. We travelled to New York design week for our Dezeen and MINI World Tour. Watch Stephen Burks give a tour of the city’s High Line park here and see all our coverage of the event here.

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Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

Product news: these tables based on a circus ringmaster’s podium were designed by German office Formfjord for Swedish brand Offecct.

Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

Referencing the zig-zagging patterns found on the traditional stands used by circus leaders, the circular platforms are supported by Y-shaped metal elements that angle inwards at each joint. These elements all connect to a metal ring that forms the base.

Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

The tables are finished in black or white laquer and the range includes various heights and diameters, plus a plant pot stand. The collection was presented at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan earlier this year.

Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

Other new products designed for Offecct include seats with curvy backrests by UNStudio and chunky grey seating by Jean-Marie Massaud, both also presented in Milan.

Formfjord have also made concrete pebbles for stone-skipping across water.

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See all of our Milan 2013 coverage »
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Read on for more information from Offecct:


Formfjord is cooperating with Offecct for the first time, and the first resulting product is the table Circus. The main idea when Formfjord developed Circus was to think not only of the product they were developing, but also the whole living space where life happens. Formfjord wanted to see the whole living space as an arena, a circus.

Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

“The table defines the room and sets the atmosphere – it even changes the behavior of the room. Creating a playful design for the table makes the living room a wonderful place,” says Formjord, the duo behind the table.

Fabian Baumann and Sönke Hoof of Formfjord come from different backgrounds; Baumann is a mechanical engineer and Hoof a product designer. When creating their designs, the duo uses their different perspectives to enhance the creative process and develop products that functions well – technologically and ecologically, ergonomically and emotionally, strategically and economically.

Circus tables by Formfjord for Offecct

“To us it is important that our partners stand for good values. Today everyone considers themselves green in their way of working, but Offecct truly is in all aspects,” Formfjord continues.

“We always search for companies that can bring out good cooperation, and that is not always easy, but has turned out to be true with Offecct,” Formfjord concludes.

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Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

Product news: Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta showed this range of blankets in New York.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed
Mountain Fold

Snøhetta first presented the Mountain Fold blankets as prototypes for traditional Norwegian firm Røros Tweed tweed last year, but they’re now going into production alongside two new designs by the firm called Color Noise and Islandskap.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

The Mountain Fold design features a seemingly abstract geometric design, but is meant to represent the Snøhetta mountain – after which the firm was named – when folded in a certain way.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

It comes in six different colours representing six different architecture projects by the studio.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed
Islandskap blanket

The two new designs were chosen from an internal competition between all the company’s designers.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

All the blankets are made of 100% Norwegian sheep’s wool.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed
Color Noise blanket

The range was on show at ICFF in New York last month, when Dezeen was in town as part of our Dezeen and MINI World Tour. Watch our first movie report from New York, in which Stephen Burks talks about how the city is evolving.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

Based in Oslo and New York, Snøhetta recently broke ground on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art extension.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

See all our stories about architecture by Snøhetta »
See all our stories from New York 2013 »
See more blanket designs »

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

Here’s some more information from Røros Tweed:


At the 2013 ICFF, Røros Tweed, the traditional Norwegian Blanket manufacturer, announced the American launch of several new blankets designed by Snøhetta: the Snøhetta Mountain Fold, Color Noise, and Islandskap.

The first design was announced last year when the Mountain Fold was commissioned by Paul Makovsky of Metropolis Magazine, curator of the Inside Norway booth at ICFF 2012. The design was produced as a prototype but due to the overwhelmingly positive response, it will be available at American retailers in August 2013.

By following the strict graphic pattern, the Snøhetta Mountain Fold can be folded into the profile of the mountain Snøhetta at Dovre in Norway, the namesake of the architecture and design studio. The blanket is available in 6 different colors representing 6 different architectural projects designed by Snøhetta.

Blankets by Snøhetta for Røros Tweed

Each blanket can be also arranged or folded in a different way, presenting itself with different amount of pattern and color, and may serve as a blanket pillow due to its puffy nature when folded.

Following the success of the Mountain Fold blanket, Snøhetta has developed two additional designs, both representing a graphic presentation of architecture in abstract forms. Islandskap and Color Noise were developed after Snøhetta held an internal contest amongst all of its designers from New York and Oslo.

Retailers carrying the Røros Tweed brand include Anthropologie, Design Within Reach and Scandinavian House. Røros Tweed blankets are made out of 100% Norwegian high quality sheep wool.

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Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013: orange glass shades sit on concrete bases to form these chalice-shaped lamps by London designer Magnus Pettersen.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

The Leimu lamps have tapered concrete bottoms that continue upward as glass. A bulb is placed at the top of this stem so light emanates thought the bowl above.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Finnish glass company Iittala will release two sizes of Pettersen‘s lights in September this year. The lamps were on show during Clerkenwell Design Week, where lights made of cable ties and felt cocoons were also exhibited.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Last year Pettersen contributed a side table from his Locker furniture range to the Stepney Green Design Collection curated by Dezeen, and has also designed a set of concrete stationery.

Other lamps we’ve recently featured include terracotta pots with conical shades and lights based on glass vats found in a milking parlour.

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See all our coverage of Clerkenwell Design Week 2013 »
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The following text is by Iitalla:


Iittala is proud to debut Leimu, a new lighting piece by young Norwegian-born designer, Magnus Pettersen. As its flame-evoking name suggests, the copper-brown Leimu creates a relaxed atmosphere for enjoyable moments in good company. With its strong concrete base, the impressive glass lamp portion, inspired by traditional lampshades, makes Leimu a brand-new lighting fixture where sensitivity encounters strength.

Concrete is a captivating material for Pettersen: “It has a raw and cold feel to it. The union of glass and concrete is well known in architecture, but it isn’t necessarily always beautiful. I wanted to smoothly combine opposites in a lamp and show that fierce and sensitive, cold and warm can work well together.”

Contrast fascinates Pettersen, whose studio is based in London. His style is referred to as “industrial luxury” because opposites are a recurring feature in his work. He looks at how well different materials or colours merge in an interesting and functional way without prejudice.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

From a technical standpoint, harmonising the stem and glass portion was not easy. “Glass is a great material, but it is also very challenging because it is alive and it makes accurate dimensioning very difficult. However, through the know-how of and good communication with Iittala’s glass factory, we were able to combine concrete and glass into an elegant whole.”

Magnus Pettersen Studio is a design studio creating furniture, lighting and home acces-sories. Norwegian Magnus has studied design at Kingston University and Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.

He has worked as a product designer for various studios and clients in London. Mag-nus Pettersen Studio was set up in 2010, launching its first product, the Concrete Desk Set in April 2011. Since then the studio has developed a range of pieces of which some are being launched under the umbrella of internationally acclaimed brands and others being developed in-house.

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Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Product news: the seat of this chair by Venetian designer Luca Nichetto is made of folded felt.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Called Motek, the design by Stockholm-based Luca Nichetto for Italian brand Cassina is pressure-moulded to make it rigid enough to support a person’s weight without losing the lightweight qualities of the fabric.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Origami-inspired folds give extra support to the structure.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

The design comes with wooden or steel legs and there’s also a version upholstered in leather.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Nichetto presented the chair at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last month, where he also showed cabinets carved with geometric patterns for Casamania and a TV-like lamp for Foscarini – see all design by Luca Nichetto.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Read our interview with the new Salone del Mobile president on how he plans to tackle issues that “damage Milan” and see all our stories about Milan 2013.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Other felt products we’ve featured recently include a chair with a pressure-moulded seat by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso and a seed-shaped pod for working or napping in peace – see more stories about designs in felt.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Here’s some more information from Luca Nichetto:


The inspiration behind Motek chair is a sheet of paper, which is flexible and lightweight by its very nature. Originally, a sheet of paper cannot bear weights, but the Japanese art of origami – which, with a series of folds, creates forms and structures that can support weights – the same sheet takes on a new lease of life.

Thanks to a new technology for Cassina, such as pressure molding, a sheet of felt is folded, which will bring the necessary rigidity to the body of the chair for it to support weights without losing the lightness of the original material.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

In this project, the search for details and the experimentation with materials typical of the collaboration between Nichetto and Cassina led to a felt version of the chair, which comes in three different shades, as well as to a leather version, where the seams highlight the folds characterizing the aesthetics of the seat.

The adaptability to the different consumers’ tastes is yet another feature sought by Nichetto for Motek, which was obtained through a series of combinations of structure, legs and body.

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Butter Chair by DesignByThem

Product news: Australian company DesignByThem has added a range of bright recycled-plastic chairs to its collection.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

Like the studio’s earlier Butter Stool, the Butter Chair is made of 100% recycled HDPE plastic, mainly composed of milk containers and factory waste.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

“We created the original Butter Stool in a response to the many plastic stools available today that use virgin non-recycled materials,” say designers Nicholas Karlovasitis and Sarah Gibson of DesignByThem.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

“Although these stools are recyclable they are only adding more material to the recycling stream. That is why the Butter Stool and Chair are not only recyclable but also made from post-consumer recycled plastic.”

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

DesignByThem also offers a product stewardship program, where it takes back products to be either repaired, reused or recycled.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

The chair is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and comes flat-packed in a range of mix-and-match colours: yellow, orange, red, blue, grey, green, white and biege.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

Karlovasitis and Gibson met whilst studying at university and formed DesignByThem in 2006. Their collection is now expanding to include the work of other Australian designers.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem


Photos are by Pete Daly.

Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

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Butter Chair made of recycled plastic by DesignByThem

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Hush by Freyja Sewell

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013: British designer Freyja Sewell’s felt cocoons have gone into production and were on show in a Victorian former prison in London this week (+ movie).

Hush by Freyja Sewell

Hush by Freyja Sewell is a felt pod constructed entirely from biodegradable materials, which users can crawl into to work or rest in private.

Hush by Freyja Sewell

“By creating an enclosed space, Hush provides a personal retreat, a luxurious escape into a dark, hushed, natural space in the midst of a busy hotel, airport, office or library,” explains Sewell.

Hush by Freyja Sewell

The outer shell of the pod is made from a single piece of industrial wool felt, while the internal padding is made from recycled wool fibres discarded by carpet manufacturers.

Hush by Freyja Sewell

Hush is manufactured by Ness Furniture in Durham and was presented by Sewell at the House of Detention as part of Clerkenwell Design Week.

Hush by Freyja Sewell

Also on show at Clerkenwell design week was a pendant lamp made from twenty-six cable ties and shelving by Michael Marriott.

Another pod-like chair we’ve recently featured is the Kenny chair by Raw Edges, which is made from a single loop of material. 

See all our stories about chair design »
See all our stories about felt »
See all our stories about Clerkenwell Design Week »

Here’s a bit more information about Hush:


Freyja Sewell set out to create a private space within a publicworld, constructed from natural, biodegradable materials. Three years in the making, HUSH is now available for purchase.

Open plan offices and public buildings, CCTV, online profile sharing, cameras built into our laptops; never has it been easier for humans to connect, but what about when we want to withdraw? There are now 21 cities with populations larger than ten million, and it is predicted that there will be many more in the future. It is essential to continue to develop new ways of allowing people to comfortably co-exist in these increasingly densely populated environments.

By creating an enclosed space HUSH provides a personal retreat, a luxurious escape into a dark, hushed, natural space in the midst of a busy hotel, airport, office or library. HUSH provided a quiet space in an age of exponential population growth, where privacy and peaceful respite is an increasingly precious commodity.

The main body of HUSH is cut from a single piece of 10mm industrial wool felt. Wool is naturally flame retardant, breathable, durable and elastic; it is also multi-climatic, meaning it is warm when the environment is cold and cool when it’s warm. It is of course biodegradable and so won’t clog up landfill after disposal. It is produced sustainably from animals out in the open, with each sheep producing a new fleece each year. The internal padding of HUSH is made from recycled wool fibers, produced as a by-product of the British carpet industry.

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Parlour Lighting by Donna Bates

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013: Irish designer Donna Bates’ rural upbringing influenced these lamps based on glass vats found in a milking parlour.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in County Derry, Bates referenced the collection jars when creating her Parlour Lighting series, which is now in production.

Parlour Lighting by Donna Bates

The capsule-shaped glass lights are clear at the top and translucent at the bottom to seem half-full of milk, plus each has measurement indicators in kilos and litres.

The pieces are handblown by the same manufacturers that used to create the jars for the dairy industry. “The craftpeople who make the glass jars are willing to make small runs of the glass with the ammendments that I need to make them into lights,” Bates told Dezeen.

Parlour Lighting by Donna Bates

The lights come in six shapes and sizes – as pendant lights with a blue, green or black frame and table lamps with either an oak or walnut hand-turned base.

The lighting was on show in a Victorian prison named the House of Detention at Clerkenwell Design Week.

Parlour Lighting by Donna Bates

We’ve also featured a pendant lamp made of cable ties and a shimmering installation of metal pixels from the event.

More dairy-inspired design on Dezeen includes a constellation of illuminated Chinese ceramic yoghurt pots in former bicycle factory and a building that resembles a block of Swiss cheese.

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See all our coverage of Clerkenwell Design Week 2013 »

More information from the designer follows:


A road less travelled – from milking parlour to design studio

Irish lighting and furniture designer Donna Bates, is launching her first lighting collection, Parlour Lighting at the Clerkenwell Design Week from May 21st – May 23rd. This new collection has been inspired by Donna’s childhood of growing up on the family dairy farm near the shores of Loch Neagh and makes special reference to the milking parlour receiving jars, which were used to collect the cow’s milk.

Each limited edition piece has been handmade to exacting standards in collaboration with the finest local craftspeople using the highest quality materials. “There is a definite movement towards design led craft and I am excited to be part of that trend. I feel passionately about design but equally so about supporting local highly skilled makers” explains Donna.

Parlour Lighting by Donna Bates
Photograph by Dolf Patijn

The Parlour Lighting range comprises three table lamps and three pendant lamps available in small, medium and large sizes. “The size of the Parlour Lighting range pieces have been largely dictated by the size of the milking receiving jars themselves, says Donna. “They are so beautiful in their own right that I have kept the milking scale on the side of each jar which was used to measure the quantity of milk produced and I have gently sandblasted the bottom half of the jar to symbolise the milk collected.”

A limited edition number has been hand etched on each individual piece for authenticity and individuality. “I would like people to approach the Parlour Lighting as they would a piece of art or sculpture as not only are they beautiful and functional but they also tell a story of bygone days and that has resonance with a lot of people”.

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Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

Product news: a tap presented by French designer Philippe Starck in New York this week uses half as much water as regular taps.

Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

Ninety jets spurt combinations of air and water to give the sensation of more falling water than is actually being used. These nozzles are made of silicon to prevent limescale formation.

“We have created a new type of water, which we call ’empty water’,” Starck told Dezeen. “You have the feeling of having a lot of water, but with less.”

Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

Designed for bathroom brand Axor, the Organic faucet is turned on at the nozzle to either an economy or a boost setting, keeping the hands low in the bowl to avoid splashing the surrounding basin and surfaces.

Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

The temperature is preset at the top of the tap, so water comes out at the desired warmth each time it’s used and none is wasted while fumbling to adjust the heat. “When we change temperature we lose a lot of water,” said Starck. “We don’t need to change temperature – we always use water at more or less the same temperature. That’s why we’ve added a pre-set feature.”

Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

Its shape is derived from natural forms. “It’s something very, very pure,” he said. “The lines come from our body, from vegetation.” This version is a development of the Starck’s original design for Axor (below), first conceived 20 years ago and influenced by a simple outdoor farm tap.

Organic tap by Philippe Starck for Axor

We’ve recently featured a combined tap and hand dryer by Dyson, and other faucets on Dezeen include gently rounded bathroom fittings by Matteo Thun & Partners and a curving sculptural tap by Zaha Hadid.

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009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013: this wall mounted shelving unit by London designer Michael Marriott is now being produced by design brand Very Good & Proper (+ slideshow).

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

Originally designed for SCP in 2000 but discontinued a few years later, Marriott‘s extendable shelves have been reissued by Very Good & Proper.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

The folded steel shelves are mounted on stainless steel hoops attached to oak brackets, as either three- or five-hoop configurations.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

Colour options include grey white, anthracite grey, sulfur yellow, light green and black red, plus others are available for special orders.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

To celebrate the re-issue, the products can be purchased from the brand’s online shop at a 10% discount for 2 weeks, using the code CDW2013 at the checkout.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

The shelves were on show at Clerkenwell Design Week, which concluded on Thursday.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

Very Good & Proper was formed to produce the furniture for restaurant chain Canteen and also salvaged London Underground tiles for the interior of its Covent Garden branch.

009 Croquet Shelving by Michael Marriott for Very Good & Proper

Recently we’ve featured storage systems held together with plastic clips and a shelving unit that concertinas flat.

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See all our coverage of Clerkenwell Design Week 2013 »
See more design by Very Good & Proper »

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