Hasta La Ideas

This wire and concrete seating by London studio VW+BS for design brand Decode is one of ten benches to be exhibited by The Lollipop Shoppe during the London Design Festival next month.

Called Bench 10, the installation around east London’s Old Spitalfields Market will include benches by ten designers including TAF Arkitektkontor, Raw Edges and Klauser & Carpenter.

VW+BS‘ design, called Solid Shell, consists of chairs with a solid concrete base and seats made from powder-coated metal rods.

The London Design Festival takes place 18-26 September.

See our earlier story about the interior design of The Lollipop Shoppe.

Here’s some more information from organisers The Lollipop Shoppe:

The Lollipop Shoppe launch Bench 10 – a public design installation during the London Design Festival.

To celebrate the 2010 London Design Festival and to mark the launch of their London store, the Lollipop Shoppe have invited ten influential furniture designers from across Europe to each create a bench for a public design installation. Contemporary public furniture today is largely utilitarian, to be sat on or eaten off. As a functional object offering the benefits of rest and reflection, time-out in a busy world, The Lollipop Shoppe felt that the humble bench deserved an updated, innovative design that really celebrated its possibilities. With this in mind, along with other recent public art initiatives that have taken the capital by storm, they have invited ten leading designers to create their own interpretation of the public seat, for a micro-exhibition that will be held on The Lollipop Shoppe’s own Old Spitalfields Market doorstep and will run throughout the festival.

Shay Alkalay / Yael Mer, Cecile Manz, Decode London, Felix De Pass, JDS Architects, Klauser & Carpenter, Michael Marriott/Anthony Burrill, Richard Shed, TAF Architects, Freshwest and Offcut Design will each design a bench that will be installed in and around the recently revitalised Old Spitalfields Market, the hub of the London design scene, from the 18th – 28th September 2010.

Each unique bench will have a plaque explaining the design concept, materials, process and biographical information about the designer. Festival visitors tempted to buy a bench can contact The Lollipop Shoppe to make an offer.

Bench Name – Solid Shell

Design – Decode / voonwong&bensonsaw

As its name indicates, the shell chair has been designed by looking at how an organism in nature develops its structure. Layer by layer like a tree or a sea shell, and based on a repetitive but adaptable equation, the 4mm wire rods forming the seat, follow the circular rim of the chair. Equally, we wanted the chair to have a very straightforward and welcoming appearance. The softly angled concrete base provides a simple mechanism to anchor the lightweight structure of the chair in public spaces. Symmetry, minimal structure and comfort characterise this outdoor and indoor seat .

Materials – Cast concrete base with seat in powder-coated steel wire rod

Decode is a partnership between Ryan Malone and Giles Massie-Taylor established in October 2007 to showcase the creative talent of London based designers. Taking inspiration from London, they look to bring together many diverse elements with the vision to present a unified collection of progressive design that echoes the creativity of the Capital.

VW+BS are a London based multi disciplinary design practice who began collaboration in September 2001. They draw upon their different backgrounds in architecture, engineering and product design to lend a unique perspective to furniture, lighting, product design, architecture and interior design.

Tent London & Origin

BENCH 10 also coincides with the ground-breaking design show, Tent London and the Crafts Council’s annual fair, Origin. Origin is being held within the Old Spitalfields Market itself and Tent London is just a stone’s throw away at The Old Truman Brewery. The 10 unique benches will be tempting the tens of thousands of design-savvy visitors who visit the area with a welcome opportunity to stop and reflect.

See also:

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Space Furniture installation by voonwong&bensonsaw	Concrete Things by Komplot for Nola	The Longest Bench by Studio Weave