Hasta La Ideas

Using recycled PET bottles, Japanese designer Yuya Ushida utilized a simple repetitive geometric “X” structure that expands from a chair into a sofa for his XXXX_ Collection. Limiting himself to only 8 elements (four lengths of sticks, rings and joints) each of the components are injection molded and can be “snapped together” and assembled to create a sofa/chair, stools, tables or bench. The lightweight structures contract for easy transportation and were part of the _Space Tricks & Material Treats showing for the office furnishing company Ahrend.

(more…)

This year Belgium-based Designart dealer Victor Hunt shows Maarten De Ceulaer’s Balloon Bowls, made from synthetic plaster and pigmented with food dye. To make these, Maarten pours colored plaster into one balloon, puts another one in and blows it up; the bowl cures in the space in between. Next, he chips away the fragile edges, coats it with two layers of polyester and two layers of food safe coating, and it’s ready to go, as documented in Victor Hunt’s video above. As Maarten explained last night, the wide range of color is due to the unexpected way the pigments mix, sometimes stratifying and sometimes marbling.

(more…)

Known for his hand-fabricated reclaimed scrapwood furniture, Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek had a great showing at Spazio Rossana Orlandi this year. Working with large-scale materials, he presented his chunky beam seating—bench and armchair—hewn from enormous reclaimed beams. Although Hein Eek refers to the series as “back-to-basics design,” he explains, “in all its simplicity, [it] is the result of a rather long process of designing, experimenting and producing.”

Another notable piece was his tubes bench comprised of salvaged pipes from a building he bought and renovated. The bench was lacquered to maintain the rough beauty of the layers of peeling paint on the pipes. On the opposite end of scale were two vases commissioned by the National Glass Museum as part of a collaborative project with an African glassworks company. Organic in form, the vases are a result of a series of aesthetic rules dictated by Hein Eek while multiple artisans blowing “glass globs towards one another simultaneously.” The final product resembles coral formations and provides a beautiful starting point for floral design. See more pics after the jump!

From front to back: “tubes” bench, “cabinet curved” aluminum and glass, “chunky beam” bench.

(more…)

Top: Entry to the Rossana Orlandi courtyard. Bottom: Italian ladies cook and serve lunch.

What’s not to love about Spazio Rossana Orlandi? It’s a courtyard flanked by nook-like gallery spaces in an old tie factory, with an upstairs design store crammed with design pieces from the likes of Gaetano Pesce and Sam Hecht. But—the defining feature of the venue is the homecooked lunch, served everyday from noon to approximately four in the canopied courtyard. Not just a spot for design celebrity, but also bresaola, risotto and torta for around three euro a dish, with all proceeds going to charity. Do not miss this lovely experience if you are in town.

New chandelier by Omer Arbel, front and center.

Other than the stellar exhibitions, Spazio Rossana Orlandi has such a refreshing spirit about it, from the bizzare bathroom decor (somehow Rossana can pull off a heap of smashed toilet paper rolls in a basket) to the disheveled sculpture garden in the courtyard. It’s a mix of old fashioned and contemporary, but somehow, in a good way, the clean, uniform sensibilities of modernism got lost in between. It’s romantic, social, and warm.

See more shots of the Spazio Rossana Orlandi experience after the jump, and stay tuned for heaps of coverage on the designers hosted here.

(more…)

Studio artist Anders Ruhwald’s first product design gig is nothing less than a lighting project for Established and Sons 2011 Principal Collection—enviable. Well deserved though; we’ve been following his enigmatic ceramic work for some time, and are more than happy to see it drift into the furniture design industry. His Glaze Lamps are lovely, imprecise interpretations of classical forms (cone, circle) and colors (red, blue, yellow). To emphasize their handworked nature, Ruhwald chose a semi-matte glaze that calls out all the bumps and depressions in the lamp surface.

He discusses the lamps in the video above (blame the backlighting on the dramatic Established and Sons showroom, wink). Also, hit the jump for a few examples of Ruhwald’s artwork, or just go directly to his site.

(more…)