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News: the three-legged, leaf-shaped side table that sparked a revolution in self-assembly furniture over 60 years ago is returning to Ikea stores next month.

Scandinavian furniture giant Ikea is relaunching the 1956 Lövet table, which they have re-engineered and renamed Lövbacken.

The original design was conceived when Ikea designer Gillis Lundgren was unable to fit the table in his car. By sawing off the legs, Lundgren inadvertently created flat-pack furniture.

Emily Birkin, country sales manager for Ikea UK and Ireland, said that customers are increasingly interested in buying furniture with a story attached to it. “We decided to bring back a popular piece that not only comes steeped in history but combines retro styling with modern convenience,” she said.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the timeless appeal of the original Lövet whilst retaining its simple and practical assembly,” Birkin added.

The brown Lövebacken table features a leaf-shaped tabletop made from poplar veneer and has three detachable beech legs with gold-coloured accents on the feet. It measures 77 centimetres in length, 39 centimetres wide and stands at a height of 51 centimetres.

The table returns to stores in the UK, Netherlands and other select countries from August 2013.

Ikea have recently unveiled designs for flat-pack refugee shelters and launched miniature versions of its products for children to play with.

See all our stories about Ikea »
See more flat-packed product stories »

Here’s the press release from Ikea:

Return of the Table that started the “flatpack revolution”

IKEA brings back the company’s first piece of Flatpack Furniture with launch of LÖVBACKEN side table

Home furnishings company IKEA, is re-launching the original piece of furniture that kick-started the flatpack revolution. The LÖVBACKEN side table, originally sold by IKEA as the LÖVET in 1956, will be making a come-back into stores in August 2013 as the new IKEA catalogue is sent to 13,157,000 households in the UK.

The LÖVBACKEN takes its inspiration from the LÖVET or ‘the leaf’, the company’s first product to be sold in a flat pack rather than fully-assembled. Almost 60 years on, the table has been redeveloped and re-issued by IKEA as the LÖVBACKEN, enabling everyone to own a piece of design history.

Created by the same team responsible for the main IKEA range – which now numbers 9,500 different products – and of which there are 90 occasional (or side tables) tables, LÖVBACKEN is faithful to the original design right down to its measurements. One tweak to the design will see the original use of jacaranda for the first LÖVET table top replaced with a stained poplar veneer on MDF for the LÖVBACKEN.

Whilst photography of the original LÖVET exists, the original designs were thought to be have been missing until IKEA designers rediscovered them in the company’s archives.

According to IKEA folklore the LOVET was being used in an IKEA catalogue photography session but its three-legged, leaf shape proved too cumbersome for designer Gillis Lundgren to fit into the car. To solve this, Lundgren sawed off the legs and, at that moment started a flatpack, self-assembly revolution.

The LÖVBACKEN side table captures the beauty of mid-century modern with its poplar veneer patterned table top and skinny solid beech legs tipped with gold-coloured foil. At 51 cm high, it’s just the right size to pair with an armchair or alongside a sofa.

Emily Birkin, Country Sales Manager, IKEA UK and Ireland said:

“Most people will have a piece of furniture that they’ve either built or put together somewhere in their house. But until now, not many will know the incredible story about how it all began with a simple little table.

“We know from our research that people are becoming more and more interested in buying pieces of furniture that have a story attached to them, so we decided to bring back a popular piece that not only comes steeped in history but combines retro styling with modern convenience.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the timeless appeal of the original LÖVET whilst retaining its simple and practical assembly. By working together with our customers and enabling them to be a part of the production process, we’re able to make good design affordable to everyone. Now everyone can own a design classic.”

The LÖVBACKEN is part of the IKEA 2014 range and is available for just £40 in tinted, clear lacquered poplar veneer. The new range launches in the new IKEA catalogue in August 2013.

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flat-pack table appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: this chair by Milan design studio Skrivo features layers of thin cushions based on children’s story The Princess and the Pea.

The Stack chair by Skrivo for Italian brand Contempo Italia was inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, in which a princess proves her royal status because she’s sensitive enough to be disturbed by a pea in her bed despite many layers of mattresses.

“The concept behind the Stack easy chair comes from the idea of having cushions in constant motion that look like they have been stacked randomly on top of each other,” says Skrivo.

The overlapping cushions can be mixed and matched in a wide variety of fabrics and leathers. “The cheerful effect of the overlapping upholstered cushions that sit on a metal frame conveys the idea of stability, comfort and aesthetic delightfulness reminiscent of childhood memories,” the designers explain.

The backrest is bolted to two upright metal tubes in a contrasting colour, which bend and slot through four wooden legs to create side rails under the seat.

Other mattress-inspired seating on Dezeen includes a collection of sofas based on nomadic Bedouin furniture, a sofa that looks like a rolled-up mattress and another sofa that’s been folded in a concertina – see all our stories about chair design.

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by Skrivo appeared first on Dezeen.

This shimmering metal-clad factory in Osaka was designed by Japanese architect Takeshi Hamada to echo the clean and fashionable style of the company’s employees (+ slideshow)

The D Labo factory houses a printing company, whose products include manuals for electronic products and brochures for construction material manufacturers. Takeshi Hamada was asked to create a building that would suit the company image, but also fit in with the the surrounding residential neighbourhood.

“The client’s company […] has an image quite different to the usual image of a printing factory”, said Hamada. “When I visited their main factory, I saw fashionably dressed company employees at Macintosh computers working on graphic design. I decided that a simple, sharp design would be best suited to their corporate image.”

The architect clad the exterior with white metal panels. The only embellishments are the black letters that spell out the company name.

Unlike its neighbours, the building has a flat roof, intended to maximise space inside for storage and unpacking.

The interior is completely white, with a large entrance at one end and a small office in the rear corner.

Strip windows run along the front and rear elevations to reduce the reliance on artificial light. “The design focuses on the lines formed by the wall panels and the position of lighting to create an orderly interior,” added Hamada.

Other architectural projects by Takeshi Hamada include a house designed to look as simple as a block of tofu and a residence with an arched entrance.

See more architecture by Takeshi Hamada »
See more architecture in Japan »

Photography is by Yohei Sasakura.

Here’s a brief project description by Takeshi Hamada:

D Labo

The property is in Tsurumi Ward in Osaka City, a zone for industrial use. One road over to the east is zoned for light industry, and the tone of the area is quite different. There are rows of houses from where one can hear the sounds of children playing innocently. Although the land to be constructed on is zoned exclusively for industry, the design needed to be adapted as much as possible to fit the residential environment.

The client company is a printing company engaged in work such as planning instruction manuals for major electronics manufacturers and construction materials manufacturers. They have an image quite different to the usual image of a printing factory.

When I visited their main factory, I saw fashionably-dressed company employees at Macintosh computers working on graphic design. The overall impression was that of a modern IT corporation.

I decided that a simple, sharp design would be best suited to the corporate image of this printing company and the sophisticated precision work they perform, such as fine-tuning the design of instruction manuals and other documentation for precise electronic devices. This decision was reflected in the choice of metal sandwich panels (Isoband) surrounding a cuboid space, the desired space for storage and unpacking of materials was achieved. A minimum of signage on the front completes the design.

The interior is entirely, including the panel framework, painted pure white. The space is stark, containing nothing other than printing machinery, so the design focuses on the lines formed by the wall panels and the position of lighting to create an orderly interior.

Name of construction: D Labo
Location: Osaka City, Tsurumi Ward
Period of construction: April, 2012 to September, 2012
Extent of structure: steel-frame construction, single-storey
Purpose of use: printing factory
Land area: 284.46 sqm
Building area: 170.00 sqm
Total floor area: 157.55 sqm

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Takeshi Hamada appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese architect Kazuhiko Kishimoto has combined a doctor’s surgery and a courtyard house in a bulky building with tapered concrete feet (+ slideshow).

Located in Kanagawa, Japan, Lifted-Garden House was designed by Kazuhiko Kishimoto with a two-storey clinic on one side, a first-floor doctor’s apartment opposite and a courtyard and roof terrace inbetween.

“The clinic and dwelling place are placed across from each other with the inner courtyard in the middle, however the direction of the eyes would not meet since they are on different levels,” says the architect.

The exterior walls feature a mixture of bare concrete and timber slats, with the solid concrete pillars supporting the overhanging first floor.

The courtyard beyond is filled with trees and shrubs, while the first-floor terrace is covered in timber decking and features plants that sprout from pockets of gravel.

This deck can be accessed from both the apartment and the clinic, plus its timber surface continues into the building to create a consistent ground plane.

White-painted bars divide up the spaces within the residence, continuing the vertical rhythm of the timber slats on the facade.

The clinic features frosted glass screens that partially cover the windows, creating privacy while allowing views out to the greenery.

“We expect the trees to grow big and to provide nice leafy shade in summer, making a place of relief for the doctor and patients,” says Kishimoto.

We previously featured another house by Kazuhiko Kishimoto, with a rear facade that slides open to reveal a graduated terrace with a sweeping view of the sea.

Earlier this year we published a two-storey house that has been combined with a pet shop, also located in Japan.

See all our stories about Japanese houses »
See more stories about medical architecture »

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda.

Here’s a project description from the architect:

This is the complex building with clinic on the first floor and the doctor’s dwelling place on the second floor. With the tree planting that bring better feeling to patients in the inner courtyard, they can be viewed from the lobby and entrance of the clinic.

Furthermore, as the trees can also be seen from outside of the building through the deck, people walking by should also be able to feel the seasons change.

The dwelling place on the second floor is placed as if it is floating above the parking space. The dwelling place is L-shaped opposite to the clinic. The clinic and dwelling place are placed across each other with the inner courtyard in the middle however the directions of the eyes would not meet since they are in the different levels.

The roof of the clinic is an open area as the rooftop garden. Various types of plants and trees are established on the stair-like wood deck with different levels. The floor of the dwelling place continuing flat to wood deck is the outcome of the careful consideration into details.

The deep and low canopy top makes the proportion of the beautiful building. It also relates immensely to producing the sense of openness to the rooftop. We expect the trees to grow big and to provide nice leafy shade in summer, making a place of relief for the doctor and patients.

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Kazuhiko Kishimoto/acaa appeared first on Dezeen.

Clean white buildings with identical doors and windows are arranged around a courtyard at this social housing complex in Mallorca by Spanish architects RipollTizon (+ slideshow).

Located on the outskirts of a small town, the three storey development was designed by RipollTizon with 19 units, comprising a mixture of apartments and maisonettes with either two or three bedrooms.

Both shutters and doors have the same wooden finish, intended as a reinterpretation of the fenestration found on other local buildings. “The layout and movement of these shutters by the users creates a changing and vibrant image that reflects the use of the building,” architect Pablo Garcia told Dezeen.

Elsewhere, materials have been kept simple and understated with white plastered walls and exposed concrete finishes. “The white coated surface of the facade provides unity and coherence to the complex,” Garcia continues.

The layout of the development is determined via a modular system, where smaller units for bedrooms, bathrooms and storage areas are added to larger units comprising living, dining and kitchen spaces.

“[The modular arrangement] allows us to create a varied landscape, rich in shades and tailored to its physical context without losing the quality, rigour and standardisation that the social housing development requires.” explain the architects.

Each unit is organised around a central courtyard and connected via a network of ground-level pathways and elevated walkways.

Square openings punch through the walls of the development, framing views both in and out of the complex.

Earlier this year RipollTizon completed a school in Mallorca featuring bold blocks of colour. See more architecture by RipollTizon »

Other social housing schemes we’ve published include a complex in Ibiza comprising two jagged blocks and another in France with a camouflage print on the walls. See more housing on Dezeen »

Photography is by José Hevia.

Here’s some more information from RipollTizon:

Context

The elements with which to develop the project are not far away. They are features that tell us about the climate, the context and the way we live. Simply walking around the place and looking at the courtyards, the filters, the light, the plots configuration, the small scale of the buildings, the singularity of each of the houses and the amazing configurations that emerge when they are grouped, not really knowing where one house ends and the next one begins. The aim is to give significance to the nuances and tangible scale of the domesticity and the details. Search the surprise.

Housing clusters – aggregation rules

We developed a catalogue of houses that were grouped three-dimensionally (aggregation) following rules that were precise and simple, but also open enough to solve a housing complex adapted to the diversity of situations that the programme and the context required.

From an urban point of view, the proposal complies with the street alignment and puts in value the depth of the plot exploiting its land use possibilities. The volume of the housing complex is stretched between the boundaries, playing with the party walls that limit the plot (obliterating some and putting others in value) and wrapping an interior courtyard that organizes the circulations and public areas, like a square.

Housing Catalogue

The housing units are generated from base module of single or double height (module living-dining-kitchen) to which other smaller spaces are added (modules bedroom-bathroom / bedroom-storage). The different possibilities of aggregation result either in different spatial configurations for a similar group of modules or in different house sizes depending on the number of modules added.

This spatial aggregation logic allows a flexible design process in which each house is considered simultaneously as a unit and in relation to the whole group. It allows to create a varied landscape, rich in shades and tailored to its physical context without losing the quality, rigor and standardization that the social housing development requires.

Use of materials in respect of the context

One of the main strategies of the project is to establish a careful dialogue with its context. The mentioned spatial values of the project are implemented throughout the use of raw materials that contribute to anchor the project to its surroundings. The white coated surface of the facade provides unity and coherence to the complex throughout a modest material that puts in value the space.

In contrast, the exposed materials balance these spaces (exposed concrete structure/slotted concrete blocks/perforated ceramic bricks/hydraulic concrete tile paving) creating textures and material qualities that relate he project to the context.

The use of window shutters in the houses, so characteristic in the area, is reinterpreted in the project using high-pressure compact laminate panels with colourful wooden finish. The layout and movement of these shutters by the users creates an changing and vibrant image that reflects the use of the building.

The post Social Housing in Sa Pobla
by RipollTizon appeared first on Dezeen.