Hasta La Ideas

Threads and glue replace joints and screws in the furniture that emerges from a custom-made machine designed by Royal College of Art graduate Anton Alvarez (+ movie).

The Thread Wrapping Machine creates objects by binding components in hundreds of metres of thread while coating them in glue.

Above: photograph is by James Champion

Pieces of material such as wood, steel or plastic are passed through the machine as it spins round, controlled by a foot pedal.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

As the object is moved through the machine and wrapped in thread, additional components can be added to create chair legs, seat backs and other elements.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

Varying the colour and type of thread used creates different patterns around the final objects, which so far include chairs, stools and benches.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

“I have full control over the development of the machine,” said Alvarez, explaining that the set-up allows him to be independent from industry as well as from tradition. “I can freely experiment and develop it according to what I discover are my needs in this new craft,” he added.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

Alvarez, who is half Chilean and half Swedish, studied at Konstfack University College of Arts, Craft and Design in Stockholm, Sweden, before completing the Design Products MA at London’s Royal College of Art.

Earlier this year, Dezeen filmed a movie of course leader Tord Boontje giving a tour of the Design Products graduate show.

A version of Alvarez’s machine that embellishes the objects with tiny Swarovski crystals is currently on display at the Design Museum as part of the Digital Crystal exhibition.

Other objects in the exhibition we’ve reported on include Troika’s mechanical projector, Philippe Malouin’s spinning “light paintings” and Arik Levy’s interactive computer-generated crystals.

We previously featured Alvarez’s triangular bench carved from a log of American cherry, which appeared in the V&A museum during the London Design Festival this September as part of an exhibition of work by RCA students.

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Photographs are by Paul Plews except where stated.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

The Thread Wrapping Machine is a tool to joint different types of material with only the glue-coated thread as its cement.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

Through using this construction method, many different materials can be joined to form objects and spaces such as wood, steel, plastic or bricks. Designing the Thread Wrapping Machine, I have created a new tool and a method of working.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

To be independent from industry as well from traditions. I have full control over the development of the machine, I can freely experiment and develop it according to what I discover are my needs in this new craft, the Craft of Thread Wrapping.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

The Craft of Thread Wrapping, as it is something that was born with this tool, and don’t have any history neither any traditions or norms to relate to.

Above: photograph is by Märta Thisner

To become a master of the Craft of Thread wrapping, at least 10,000 metres of thread has to be used.

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by Anton Alvarez appeared first on Dezeen.

A usefull side table or bedside table inspired by the use of timber on appliances from the past.

Team is a modular & multifunctional seating system. The base is formed by a back panel and a seating element. Accessories can be hung over the bac..

Interieur: French designer Matali Crasset has created a collection of concrete furniture, including a lamp shaped like an interwar military listening device.

Crasset recently became the artistic director of French concrete specialist Concrete by LCDA, and the Concrete collection is a result of this collaboration.

The lamp references concrete acoustic mirrors, also known as “listening ears”, which were developed in Britain between the wars to concentrate sound waves and detect airborne invasions.

The bookshelf is designed to be a “backbone of knowledge” with shelves like vertebrae protruding from a central spine.

“This project combines fluidity and the desire to get away from the very common single-piece shapes when concrete furniture is concerned,” said the collaborators.

Other projects by Crasset we’ve featured recently include a set of vessels shaped like horns, speaker components and loudhailers and a woodland hotel room on legs.

We’ve been publishing some of the best projects from Interieur this year, including furniture that expands like popcorn and an arcade of light beams that appear to bend inwards – see all our stories about Interieur.

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Photographs are by Simon Buisson.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

The international designer Matali Crasset is working with Concrete by LCDA as artistic director. This is a new stage in the development of Concrete by LCDA which, after putting its know-how into use to excel in interior design, from now on becomes a design and manufacturing company.

The international designer Matali Crasset is working with Concrete by LCDA as artistic director. This is a new stage in the development of Concrete by LCDA which, after putting its know-how into use to excel in interior design, from now on becomes a design and manufacturing company.

The aim is to tame concrete to so that it will be better incorporated into the heart of our daily life. The range of concrete products that Matali Crasset has designed for Concrete by LCDA invites concrete to be a fully-fledged player in our interiors, both for primary uses and more immaterial functions. So it is in this setting that the material and symbolic dimension of concrete is highlighted.

This initial collection of furniture and objects designed for concrete takes its strength from the beauty of the concrete material. By moulding the concrete, it becomes furniture and then enters into a dialogue with us in our life scenarios. In this way, Matali has designed a collection of timeless and sculptural objects, both obvious and essential, which combine a technical material and a know-how with a high level of craftsmanship with a sensitive approach.

The collection is comprised of three objects which suggest three functions and values: to meet, to store, to light.

Table

Concrete becomes the centre of the house with a very archetypal table which asserts its desire for continuity. The shape is meant to be simple to so that material’s sensitive aspect can be revealed: the texture of the wood’s grain will reveal more than the manufacturing mode, it locks the project into a long tradition of moulding. The concrete unobtrusively finds its place and becomes a key element in the apartment. Wooden frame is the most frequently used tool for framing concrete walls that are generally reinforced, a forming tool used since the 17th century made from pieces of wood. The concrete is both a very technical material – lightweight concrete – and a material which requires precise handwork; in this way, the mould leaves the trace of the wood and the handwork. This is an archetypal object, with a clean line which easily fits into any type of interior. A large table seating 6 to 10 persons in a spirit of conviviality and hospitality.

Technical description :
Table in ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced raw concrete and inner core, with a mat varnish surface.
Dimensions: 250 x 100 x 75 cm, also available in 220*100*75 cm.
Weight: 120 kgs
Top 80 kg, each base 20 kg.

Lamp

The lamp is more unexpected, it shows that concrete knows no borders. It refers to the listening ears in Folkestone in England. These objects deriving from technology exiting between the two wars have become obsolete with the arrival of radar beams. The function of these large objects in reinforced concrete was to listen to the sky. The flag changes scale to become a light diffuser. It is placed in various locations in the apartment, standing or suspended. Here the concrete is moulded with great finesse to so that the design can be seen.

Technical description :
Dimensions: 53 x 50 x 31.5 cm
Ultra high-performance raw concrete, LED 18W lamp.
PCB (printed circuit board) made up of 0.5W 36 leds powered by 24V direct current. The power obtained is 18W or about 1800 lumen for a colour of 4000°.
A diffuser made of a white light spectrum moulded acrylic sheet offers an excellent diffusion strength and an eco-efficient solution.
Weight: 18kg

Bookshelf

This is a bookshelf in the image of the backbone of knowledge. The material is known for its strength, this project combines fluidity and the desire to get away from the very common single-piece shapes when concrete furniture is concerned. The material seems to be set in its lightness, like a freeze-frame shot, it retains the momentum and the dynamism of growth. The table and the storage space are a homage to human building genius, to major structures in raw concrete which symbolise modernity.

Technical description :
Dimensions: 190 x 95 x 35 cm.
Smooth ultra-high-performance concrete, Ductal.
Weight: each element 70 kg

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for Concrete by LCDA appeared first on Dezeen.

This office desk by Danish design studio KiBiSi is a cross between an ironing board and a car jack – simply turn the handle on the corner to raise or lower the surface.

Called XTable, it has mechanical parts hidden in its tabletop that connect the handle with the adjustable scissor legs.

“A threaded rod connects the two top parts of the steel frame and is directed to the front via a 90 degree gear,” explained creative director Jens Martin Skibsted. ”When the handle is turned the distance between the two top points will change and the table will lift or lower.”

“[It’s] a piece of office machinery that accommodates multiple working positions and daily reshuffling,” the designers added.

The desk is accompanied by an optional storage box for office supplies.

The XTable was launched at Orgatec trade fair in Cologne this week by Scandinavian brand Holmris.

Earlier this week we featured another piece of mechanical furniture – a cabinet that opens like a giant sewing box. Other pieces by KiBiSi we’ve published previously include a sofa that looks like a rolled-up mattress and a pair of rainproof and snowproof headphones.

See all our stories about KiBiSi »
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Here’s some more information from KiBiSi:

XTable is a manually height adjustable desk.

XTable uses manual kinetic power instead of electricity for height adjustments – saves energy and keeps users active. All technical features are constructively integrated in the table top. It uses a century old principle known from carjacks, ironing boards and other iconic tools. The principle coupled with a desk is a radical redesign of the traditional office desk. XTable is designed with an optional storage solution for office supplies and other belongings.

XTable leverages the production knowhow and crafts heritage from its manufacturer, Holmris. Holmris is a Scandinavian family owned business that has delivered quality office furniture for 3 generations.

With XTable Holmris is set to redefine the office furniture market with a highly competitive, compact and efficient workspace that will be launched at Orgatec, October 23 – 27, in Cologne.

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by KiBiSi appeared first on Dezeen.