Trendlet: Extreme Knits, Weird Weaves and Other Handmade (or Wind-Powered) Textile Experiments

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As knitting, weaving, and other traditional methods of textile production have made the leap from old-age pastimes to mainstream DIY hobbies, designers have been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with stitched and woven fibers. This week we found a late-spring blast of innovative handmade textiles—plus one new collection that was woven by the wind.

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Exhibited at New York’s Wanted Design last weekend, the Guatemala City design studio Fabrica‘s Seat Ball has a soccer-equipment core surrounded by spring-suspended cushions made out of cotton rope. The combination, which can be used for seating, a yoga ball, or an ottoman, wraps up a current recreational preoccupation in an ancient crafting technique.

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Trendlet: Trippy Trompe l’Oeil Objects and Installations

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This week we spotted objects and installations poised for a big reveal. At first look, their structure was familiar, elements not particularly out of place. But with a quick visual adjustment or test of expectations, something altogether different—a trompe l’oeil—appears.

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Even though our furniture often serves several functions, the art on our walls typically exists just for our eyes. But during Milan’s SaloneSatellite exhibition for emerging designers, Japan’s YOY Design Studio packed more features into the frame. YOY’s canvases, made of wood, aluminum, and elastic fabric, and then screen-printed with images of couches and chairs, actually support sitting. The secondary use is startling, so it might require a little explanation before asking that guests take a seat.

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YoYoDesignStudio-CanvasFurniture-3.jpgImages © Yasuko Furukawa; via Designboom

Last month, the Swiss artist Felice Varini adorned the exterior of the Grand Palais in Paris with a work made from a very specific point of view. From the street, the vibrant orange stretched triangles look haphazardly splashed against the building. But observe them from the hall, and the applied scraps of color align, creating something that looks more like a projection than a perfectly planned effect.

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Trendlet: Food-Inspired Furnishings

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We’re talking about food now more than ever—so much so that food-centered innovation isn’t just taking place in the kitchen anymore. Interest in our edibles has officially made the leap from plate to apartment. Sure, you’ve seen a sleeping bag in the style of a pizza slice and a scarf painted like strips of bacon, but recently we’ve spotted furniture that takes subtler cues from the kitchen. The end result is infinitely more palatable.

Trendlet-BicubeDesign-PastaCollection-1.jpgImage by Carola Merello; via The Mag

How do you stand out among a group of 120-odd young international designers all trying to capture the attention of customers and buyers? During Milan’s recent SaloneSatellite, Francesco Barbi and Guido Bottazzo of Italy’s Bicube Design created a line of furniture inspired by their country’s national cuisine: pasta.

Trendlet-Cassina-ChocoliteLamp-1.jpgVia Architonic

Before chocolate transforms into a topping or a candy bar, it’s poured. The action has been reproduced over and over in commercials and advertisements to whet our palates. Designers Vinta Toshitaka Nakamura and Kohei Okamoto captured that same liquid quality—and our attention—in their Chocolite lamp.

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