Glassware by Peter Zumthor for Alessi

Peter Zumthor for Alessi

Product news: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has designed a collection of glass condiment containers for Italian design brand Alessi.

The five-piece set comprises a tall cruet for oils and vinegars and four smaller shakers for salt, pepper, sugar and spices. Each one has a frosted glass body and a stainless steel head.

Zumthor describes how he came up with the concept years earlier, when he made a drawing of a salt dispenser while having breakfast in a hotel. “I made a quick sketch of thin lines suggesting an object which could hold grains or liquids.”

Peter Zumthor for Alessi

He explains that the sketch hung on the wall of his studio for many years until he could no longer remember what is was, and even mistook it for a skyscraper. “One day, the memory of my morning in the hotel came back to me and I recalled why I made the sketch,” he said. “At once, I took the sketch down to my model workshop and asked Iris to produce a series of glycerine soap models according to the sketch, which should look like brothers and sisters, small and big but all members of the same family. She shaped a beautiful menagerie of glycerine soap objects resembling frosted glass.”

Peter Zumthor is being awarded the Royal Gold Medal for architecture in a ceremony today at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. In a lecture last night, he told an audience that his architecture is not about form-making. Past projects by Zumthor include the Steilneset Memorial in Norway and the 2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion.

Alessi was founded outside Milan as a metal tableware producer the 1920s, became synonymous with designer kettles in the 1980s and now works with a host of international designers including the Campana Brothers, Karim Rashid and David Chipperfield. A selection of Alessi watches is available from Dezeen Watch Store.

See all our stories about Peter Zumthor »
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Fuse by Note Design Studio for Ex.t

Stockholm 2013: these porcelain and wood pendant lamps were created by Stockholm-based Note Design Studio for Italian design brand Ex.t.

Fuse by Note Design Studio for Ex.t

The Fuse lamps by Note Design Studio for Ex.t combine a porcelain shade with a wooden pendant holder, and are available in two sizes and three colours.

The lamps will be on show during Stockholm Design Week at Note Open 2013, a pop-up exhibition space in the old Luma bulb factory, at Ljusslingan 1, until 9 February.

Fuse by Note Design Studio for Ex.t

Other products launching in Stockholm this week include a chair that can be dressed up in an assortment of garments and a cluster of blown glass trees – see all products shown at Stockholm Design Week 2013.

We’ve featured lots of products by the same designers, including an aluminium lamp inspired by a circus trapeze and a herringbone-patterned architect’s desk – see all products by Note Design Studio.

See all lighting »

Photographs are by Mathias Nero.

Here’s some more information from the designers:


Fuse

Inspired by traditional Italian craftsmanship and mixed with Nordic simplicity, Fuse is a lamp in which the tactility of the materials plays an essential role. The result is a soft porcelain pendant lamp accentuated by a wooden pendant holder that together emulate the warm glow created within each cylindrical shade. Available in two sizes and three colours, there’s a style for every taste.

The FUSE Pendant Lamps will be on show at Note Open 2013, our new concept for this year Stockholm Design Week, in collaboration with Fabege (www.fabege.se), a pop-up office and exhibition space in the quite unusual location of the old Luma bulb factory. Here we will show this year’s great collaborations with Zero, Nola, Mitab, Örsjö belysning, Ex-t, Seletti, Boxit Design and Zilenzio. The space will be open to the public 9 – 18 hrs every day Mon 4th-Sat 9th of February.

Title: Fuse
Object: Pendant lamps
Client: Ex.t
Material: Wood/ceramic
Year: 2013
Art Direction: Note
Location: Strandhuset Luma Stockholm

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Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Product news: British industrial design brand Dyson has launched a combined tap and hand dryer so hands can be both washed and dried without leaving the sink. 

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Infrared sensors in the Dyson Airblade Tap pinpoint the positions of the user’s hands and release water from the tap, before two high-velocity sheets of unheated clean air are released to scrape water off hands and leave them dry in 12 seconds.

As with the earlier Airblade hand dryers, the system forces air through tiny apertures at 692 kilometres per hour, passing it through a HEPA filter to remove 99% of bacteria from the air first.

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Made from an anti-corrosion stainless steel that’s normally used for the construction of boats, the new product is powered by a new 16000 W motor that accelerates from 0 to 90,000 RPM in less than 0.7 seconds. The motor took seven years to develop at a cost of £26.9 million.

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Founder of the company James Dyson said: “Using complex computer modelling Dyson engineers have developed a high performance digital motor. The Dyson digital motor self-adjusts 6,000 times a second to maintain optimum efficiency to create high velocity sheet of air that dries hands quickly and hygienically.”

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

The new motor has also been applied to updated versions of the Dyson Airblade V hand dryer, which is now 60% smaller, and the Dyson Airblade MK2 hand dryer, which has had 1.1 kg of material removed.

Dyson Airblade Tap by Dyson

Industrial designer James Dyson founded the Dyson brand in 1970, when he invented the first bag-less vacuum cleaner. In recent years the company has launched the Air Multiplier, a fan with no blades, which he discusses with Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs in a podcast we recorded in 2010.

See all our stories about Dyson »
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Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

Danish brand Normann Copenhagen has launched a table-top mirror with a dish in the base to hold small items, created by Spanish designer Javier Moreno.

Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

The Flip mirror can be turned up, down and rotated 360 degrees. It is available in either black, white or a sand colour.

Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

Javier Moreno says: “The tray design on the base means that flip is both a traditional mirror and an easy and simple storage utility for small items.”

Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

Javier Moreno set up his own studio in Alicante in 2010.

Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

We’ve featured products from Normann Copenhagen before, including a colourful modular storage system by Henriette W. Leth and circular kitchen knifes by Italian designers LucidiPevere Studio.

Flip mirror by Javier Moreno Studio for Normann Copenhagen

Maison&Objet took place in Paris last month. See all our stories about design at Maison&Objet here, including cutlery based on chopsticks by Toyo Ito and a chair draped in a wooden mat by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance.

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Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Product news: these handbags by American designer James Piatt are carried by clamping fingers in woven tubes similar to Chinese finger trap puzzles.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

The weight of the leather bags creates the pull needed to tighten the weave and secure fingers in the tubes.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Finger traps are often used as practical jokes, involving the wearer struggling to remove their digits from either end of the tube, which is usually woven from bamboo.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Both ends of the trap have to be pushed inward to relax the mesh and release the fingers. “The finger trap is often used as a metaphor for a problem that can be overcome by relaxing,” says Piatt.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Piatt’s small purse comes with one fastening, whereas the larger bag has three finger traps but can also be carried over the shoulder using a removable strap.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Laser-cut tabs interlock along the seams instead of stitching to create joints that look similar to the tubes.

Finger Trap handbags by James Piatt

Other handbags on Dezeen include a set made from old binocular cases and some made from folded recycled paperSee all our stories about bag design »

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Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Stockholm 2012: Stockholm studio Form Us With Love will launch a tiered spun metal lamp for Finnish brand One Nordic at Stockholm Furniture Fair this week.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

The Levels lamps are made in three parts that stack inside each other for transportation but can be assembled without tools.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

The folded-over rim of each part allows the shades to hang from each other.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

“At the factory the metal sheets used for the lampshades are spun and pushed around a rotating mandrel until they reach perfect circle forms,” say Form Us With Love.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

“At the very end of the spin you give the shades a fold to support the structure,” they continue. “The spun fold gave us the idea of making the different sized shades hang from one another, allowing for the parts to be stacked when transported.”

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Different sizes of shade can be combined in various configurations and they come in three colours: white, grey and copper.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Positioning themselves somewhere between high design and flatpack, One Nordic launched at last year’s Stockholm Furniture fair with the aim of “shipping as little air as possible” while still making their products simple and intuitive to assemble.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Form Us With Love created the Bento chair for One Nordic’s first collection, which assembles with one large bolt under the seat rather than fiddly screws or glue.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Other designs by Form Us With Love on Dezeen include a lamp with an electrical socket integrated into the base, a menswear shop where clothes are displayed like tools and a watch for new Swedish brand TID Watches, which you can purchase from Dezeen Watch Store.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Stockholm Furniture Fair runs from 5 to 9 February and you can see our stories about the event here.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

Photographs are by Jonas Lindström.

Levels lamp by Form Us With Love for One Nordic

See all our stories about Form Us With Love »
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Ficelle chair by Osko+Deichmann for Ligne Roset

Ficelle chair by Osko and Deichmann for Ligne Roset

Cologne 2013: Berlin design studio Osko+Deichmann has launched a chair inspired by cooked spaghetti for French brand Ligne Roset.

Called Ficelle, meaning “string” in English, the chair is made from aluminium and is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It comes in either black or white, along with an optional seat pad.

Ficelle chair by Osko and Deichmann for Ligne Roset

“Inspired by the smooth curves of cooked spaghetti, Ficelle is a unique poetic chair, nicely curved, fluid and light,” say the designers.

The lightweight tubular legs continue along the sides of the seat and up the side of the backrest before curling over and down to become the back legs. These distinctive profiles are linked by aluminium slats that have been evenly spaced along the seat and back of the chair.

Ficelle chair by Osko and Deichmann for Ligne Roset

Osko+Deichmann was founded in 2005 by Blasius Osko and Oliver Deichmann, who met while studying at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin. We’ve featured projects from Osko + Deichmann before, including the Straw stackable chairs for Blå Station, and a collection of tubular steel and pine furniture called Kink.

imm cologne took place from 14 to 20 January. Other products launched at the fair included an asymmetrical desk by Thibault Desombre for Ligne Roset and a DIY curtain kit by the Bouroullec brothers.

See all our stories about products launched at imm cologne »
See all our stories about products from Ligne Roset »
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Lighting collection by Zero

Product news: lights that hang from criss-crossing wires and a lamp shaped like a grain silo are among the new designs from Swedish lighting brand Zero.

Lighting collection by Zero

The latest lighting products from Zero include the Silo hanging lamp (above) by Stockholm’s Note Design Studio, which was inspired by the tapered shape of a grain silo and comes in white, black, yellow and green.

Lighting collection by Zero

Also included is Daikanyama (above) by Stockholm designer Thomas Bernstrand, an aluminium pendant lamp that is strung up along wires that zig-zag across the ceiling.

Lighting collection by Zero

Hatt (above) by Swedish designer Thomas Sandell is a pendant lamp with a wide shade made from white stretch fabric.

Lighting collection by Zero

Thirty (above) by London-based designer Samuel Wilkinson is a rotating LED fixture for ceilings and walls that turns 170 degrees and comes in black, white and yellow.

Lighting collection by Zero

A shell of sheet metal encloses a thin LED strip to create the Clark light (above) by German studio Böttcher+Henssler, which shines onto the wall to be softly diffused into the room.

Lighting collection by Zero

Finally, Cap (above) by Joel Karlsson of Swedish architects Krook & Tjäder Design is a simple circular fixture with a black steel rim and an opaque acrylic shade.

The new collection will be shown by Zero at Stockholm Design Week, which runs from 4 to 10 February.

We’ve featured lots of other lighting from Zero, including hanging lamps inspired by a circus trapeze and a lamp suspended in a knitted fishing net.

See all designs from Zero »
See all lighting »

Here’s some more information from Zero:


The sun is shining on Zero – its golden yellow catches the eye on many of our new additions for 2013. This includes a distinct sharpness in form and design, as well as fixtures that both stand out or blend in, depending on the chosen colour. Some are architectural in expression; others are highly graphical. Everything from stylised minimalism to voluminous fabric hats with noise-reducing effects. Inspired from lands far away, including Sweden’s wilderness, we warmly welcome them all to our range.

Hatt – Thomas Sandell

The Hat fixture originated from a desire to use light to create spatiality in a hotel foyer. HATT provides lounge suites with a roof-like structure, thus creating a more intimate atmosphere. Additionally, it is acoustically favourable due to the white stretch fabric that also gives the pendant its characteristic shape. HATT works extremely well in low-ceiling rooms, being just over 30 centimetres high. Details are painted white or yellow. D 800 mm.

Daikanyama – Thomas Bernstrand

The Tokyo district of the same name inspired Daikanyama; the pendant and cables create spatiality on a pleasant scale for both large and small areas. In zigzag, stricter or even slightly chaotic configurations between walls, ceilings and poles, with the electric cable running along the wire from one to the next. There are endless possibilities for this playful pendant with painted aluminium in standard colours: white, black, red, yellow and orange. D420 mm H 300 mm.

Silo – Note Design Studio

A small, iconic fixture inspired by the classical silhouette of a grain silo. This shape was refined during the design phase to finally become Silo – a minimalistic pendant with a distinct indu- strial character. Silo, with its colour range of white, black, yellow and green, can both step forward in a room and become a dynamic element or step back and blend into its surroun- dings. D 150 mm H 235 mm.

Thirty – Samuel Wilkinson

How can an LED fixture look great from all angles in corridors, public areas and stairwells? Answer: Thirty – a rotating LED light for ceilings and walls, which can be turned 170 degrees to meet the user’s wishes. The angled diffuser of microprisma provides softly filtered light that together with the rounded asymmetrical shape form a harmonic whole. In black, white and yellow, Thirty works very well in both formal and more playful configurations. D 245 mm H 170 mm.

Clark – Böttcher+Henssler

The Berlin-based duo experimented with creating an elongated shell of two bent sheet metal layers for a thin LED strip – and so Clark was born. Light is reflected by a smooth, white surface and shines on the wall to fade softly toward the ceiling and floor. Its pleasant light dispersion and elegance, without blinding its environment, makes it suitable for both public and private spaces. Clark is available in standard colours: black, white and yellow. B 350 mm H 160 mm D 100 mm.

Cap – Joel Karlsson, Krook & Tjäder Design

With its graphically clear shape, opaque acrylic shade and black-painted steel, Cap could be regarded as an easy-to-use tool. Keywords during the design phase: function, production and maintenance. The result is a practicable element for large and small civic-building projects, for outdoor and indoor use, on walls and ceilings, frontages, underpasses and stairwells. D 350 mm H 80 mm.

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Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge for Moustache

Maison&Objet 2013: French designer Benjamin Graindorge has created a series of vases with tops that loop over the flowers to frame them.

Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge for Moustache

The Heirloom vases are made of ceramic in three designs: a small version with one half enclosed like a hood and two larger ones with four or eight ribs. They come in dark blue, light blue and yellow.

Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge for Moustache

The vessels were on show at Maison&Objet in Paris last week. See all our stories about design at Maison&Objet here, including cutlery based on chopsticks by Toyo Ito and a chair draped in a wooden mat by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance.

Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge for Moustache

Benjamin Graindorge has a studio in Paris and we’ve previously featured his garden that floats on the surface of a fish tank and uses fish waste as fertiliser.

Heirloom by Benjamin Graindorge for Moustache

Moustache is also based in Paris and produces work with designers including Inga Sempé and Big-Game. See all our stories about French design brand Moustache here.

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Up by TAF for Muuto

Up by TAF for Muuto

Maison&Objet 2013: Swedish designer Mattias Ståhlbom of TAF has created an uplighter for Danish brand Muuto that can be adjusted by rotating the shade.

Called Up, the product features a funnel-shaped shade that is lower at one side than the other and sits on a baring, allowing it to be rotated freely to alter the amount of light blocked.

Up by TAF for Muuto

“Up lamp mixes light and shadow to create a cosy and warm atmosphere anywhere it is placed,” says Ståhlbom. “Through the profile of the lamp shade, Up elegantly interacts with the surrounding walls and ceiling.”

The lamp features a replaceable warm LED bulb with a dimmer function. It’s made of cast aluminium with a rubber switch at the back, above the flex, and comes in white, grey or green.

Up by TAF for Muuto

Up was launched at homeware and gift fair Maison&Objet in Paris last week. See other new products launched at Maison&Objet here, including ice-cream coloured poufs and rugs by Patricia Urquiola, and colourful glassware by Scholten & Baijings for Hay.

Up by TAF for Muuto

TAF is based in Stockholm and the studio’s other recent projects include a table with an upside-down underframe and silicone storage pots shaped like birds. See all our stories about design by TAF.

A previous project by TAF for Muuto is the Adaptable table made of oak and powder-coated steel. See all our stories about Nordic design brand Muuto.

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