Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2012: in response to the growing number of freelancers looking for workspaces outside of their homes, London studio Aberrant Architecture have created pub tables that can be adapted into desks by day and games tables by night.

Created for furniture brand Benchmark, the desks were presented at the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition in Milan last week.

In rest mode each table provides a simple dining surface, but in work mode this tabletop folds open to reveal a bureau-style desk concealed beneath.

To transform the desk for play, a removable drawer can be placed on the surface and filled with skittles to recreate nineteenth century pub game Devil Amongst the Tailors.

These skittle also open up to become pen-pots.

The tables have been crafted both in cherry with a maple surface and in walnut with an ash surface.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile took place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here, or see more projects by Aberrant Architecture here.

Here’s some more information from the American Hardwood Export Council:

A Handmade Highlight – ‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) was invited to collaborate with Wallpaper*, aberrant architecture and Benchmark, bringing together the very best of materials, innovative design and craftsmanship. American ash and walnut and American maple and cherry are the principal materials of two pub tables named ‘Devil Amongst The Tailors’ designed by aberrant architecture and made by Benchmark.

AHEC has played an advisory role on timber suitability, aesthetics and sustainable design. There are over 20 commercial U.S. hardwoods species that offer a huge variety of colour, grain and character, and aberrant’s tables ‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’ showcase this palette of colours and textures. Black walnut and ash combines to suit a darker environment, such as a private members club or public houses, and a combination of cherry and maple allows the second table to happily work in brighter spaces such as hotel lobbies or boutique cafes. “We are really pleased to be taking part in Handmade again this year” says AHEC European Director David Venables. “The concept and design of ‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’ is excellent, the tables are beautifully made and demonstrate the versatility of U.S. hardwoods.”

aberrant has become known for insightful researched projects that challenge perception and introduce new and unexpected ways of experiencing the world. During their architecture residency at the Victoria and Albert museum they studied the original drawings of the now demolished ‘Elephant & Castle’ public house in Lambeth. The designs, by the architect Albert A. Webbe, reveal a mixed used building divided up into three main areas: a ‘public’ space for drinking; ‘private’ areas for the pub’s regular patrons, who used the watering hole as an extension of their home and office, and a large space that was used for group meetings and community events.

Combining historical precedent with research into how contemporary ‘work-styles’ are evolving, Wallpaper* magazine invited aberrant architecture to design a new pub table that in addition to supporting the typical pub activities of drinking and eating, is specially considered to provide the modern nomadic worker with enhanced productivity, a sense of belonging and opportunities to interact with their fellow workers.

The table represents the growing demand for temporary office space outside of the home. For many, office blocks are a thing of the past and an increasing number of nomadic workers roam London in search of welcoming workspaces. Named ‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’, after a traditional table-top skittles pub game, the table boasts a luxurious surface in ash or maple for entertaining, a brass foot rest for putting your feet up and combines a series of specific functions. Lifting up the lid reveals a private work surface, boasting skittle shaped office organisers for storing pens & paperclips and a task light that fixes to the table’s numberplate. Want to stop for lunch, have a meeting with a client or simply go for a cigarette? Simply close and lock the lid. Work and its associated mess are banished, safely stored, out of site and out of mind. If it’s time to relax, place the removable drawer onto the table surface, arrange the skittle shaped office organisers &hook the brass ball and chain onto the light. An impromptu game of ’Devil amongst the Tailors’ can now be enjoyed. For Kevin Haley of aberrant architecture “This unique commission allowed us to further our research into contemporary lifestyles and flexible working conditions at the challenging scale of a table. Working closely with Wallpaper*, Benchmark and AHEC during both the design development & production stages produced a creative collaboration, which we believe resulted in a far richer process and an unexpected & exciting end product.”

Using the very best of English craftsmanship and beautiful sustainable American hardwoods, the tables have been handmade by Benchmark using traditional cabinet making skills including dovetailing and mortice and tenon joints. Time and attention has been given to the sourcing of all materials which have been chosen for their origin and authenticity. The very best pieces of cherry, maple, walnut and ash were selected for their perfect grain and finish. The bespoke metalwork, made from silver patinated brass, including foot rails, handles, locks and brass drawer linings hand engraved to house the skittles has been sourced from Birmingham, home of traditional artisan metalworking skills. Sean Sutcliffe, Director of Benchmark says “The pub tables we made for the Handmade show curated by Wallpaper were a delight to make. We were able to select some really outstanding examples of all four species of hardwood we used. The walnut gave the piece an intense richness which worked very beautifully with the brass foot rail. The maple was beautifully consistent and almost paper white. The cherry wood was a joy to use again. We used to make so much of our furniture in cherry wood and over recent years it seems to have been less fashionable so I hope that we will now see the start of a return to this fabulous mid-coloured fruit wood. The tables were made by Sam Foster-Smith who is an outstanding craftsman of 35 years experience. He has handcut all the mortice tenon joints and dovetails and the end result are outstanding examples of craftsmanship.”

Perhaps the most innovative and exciting aspect of this project is that with Benchmark’s help, AHEC has documented all elements of the manufacturing process and will be putting this together with life cycle data recently collected from the American hardwood industry to produce a full ‘cradle-to-grave’ life cycle impact report for the tables. Says David Venables, “This will be a first for our industry and we believe that this kind of transparent and scientifically based information is essential to enable manufacturers and designers to make an informed decision when it comes to the question of sustainable design.”

Tony Chambers, Editor-in-Chief of Wallpaper*, says: “Handmade is a testimony to great design, talent and ideas, and the determination to achieve the extraordinary. We are once again celebrating beautiful new friendships and beautiful new things.”

‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’ is not only a cleverly researched and playful table, it is a demonstration of the very best teamwork, craftsmanship and sustainable design, and is a highlight of this year’s exhibition.

Milan 2012: 14 young designers come together to create an ideal living space for an exhibition called The Front Room: Geometry and Colour inside a listed Milanese house this week.

The show includes a coffee table and wall lamp from Daphna Laurens‘ Cirkel Collection, Phil Cuttance‘s Faceture vases and Mieke Meijer‘s furniture inspired by industrial structures.

Henny van Nistelrooy presents a screen made by unpicking woven fabric, David Derksen and Lex Pott provided mirrors that have been selectively oxidised, and there’s a clock by Studio Like This that can only be read straight-on.

Seating includes stools from Earnest Studio made by expanding foam around the legs and fabric seat, and a rocking chair by Agata Karolina and Dana Cannam that takes centre stage on rugs with graduated colours by Franziska Wernicke.

Lighting takes the form of OS & OOS‘ lamps inspired by the alignment of celestial bodies and Miya Kondo‘s Composition lights leaning against the walls, while swing-seats made of twisted and knotted rope by Tom Price hang in the courtyard.

The Front Room is curated by Matylda Krzykowski and Marco Gabriele Lorusso, all the pieces are for sale and it’s on show at Ca’ Laghetto, Via Laghetto 11 until 22 April.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Here are some more details from Matylda Krzykowski and Marco Gabriele Lorusso:

The front room is the most diverse of our domestic space. It is where we mingle and entertain, read in solitude, stay up late and doze off early. The front room must accommodate many versions of ourselves, yet it is a place where we present a singular identity through the language of the products that we choose. It is a room where our families gather, for which we gather a family of objects.

The Front Room: Geometry and Colour is a presentation of new objects for the front room. Each object is a fresh version of it’s predecessor, and all are united by the ritualistic nature of sheer geometries and strikingly contemporary color palettes. In a departure from the amorphous forms that have preoccupied the design world in recent years, this up-and-coming group looks to purity with an element of playfulness.

THE FRONT ROOM is a self-initiated project brought to you by Matylda Krzykowski and by Marco Gabriele Lorusso. The show is hosted by Ca’ Laghetto.

Phil Cuttance

FACETURE, 2012 – The Faceture series consists of handmade faceted vessels, light-shades and table. Each object is produced individually by casting a water-based resin into a simple handmade mould. The mould is then manually manipulated to create the each object’s form before each casting, making every piece utterly unique.

David Derksen and Lex Pott

TRANSCIENCE, 2011 – Over time, dark spots start to appear on mirrors. The silver layer is slowly oxidizing under the influence of oxygen and water, thereby showing some of its history. This process can be regarded as degradation, however this project shows the beauty of this material transition of silver. Normally, the oxidation process in a mirror occurs randomly and evolves slowly over time. These mirrors reveal the different states of this process. In this case, sulphur is used to create an accelerated oxidation process. Depending on the time that the silver is reacting with sulphur, different colour tones can be achieved, ranging from gold to brown, to purple to blue. The states of the oxidation process are being shown in a pattern that consists of the elemental geometric shapes.

Earnest Studio

SWELL, 2011 – Swell is a series of stools and benches which play with the conventional method of producing upholstered furniture. The project works by combining several steps of production into one. Instead of molding massive blocks of foam, cutting them down to size, gluing these separate pieces to a wooden frame and hand-sewing fabric on top, Swell uses the fabric and frame as the original mold for the foam. This results in fewer steps in production, less material and less time-consuming handwork. Because the foam fills the fabric, no material is wasted as cutoffs. Because the foam acts as a binding agent between the fabric and frame, no additional adhesives or sewing are necessary. Lastly, since the foam expands in a slightly different way each time, each piece is unique.

Agata Karolina and Dana Cannam

HUMMINGBIRD, 2012 – The hummingbird is a contemporary take on a classic rocking chair. The name reflects the calm state of suspension between being engaged and deep relaxation. When seated, the user is upright and alert, with a gentle tilt and shifting of weight, the chair creates an embracing sensation, producing the feeling of calm. The objects that surround us must adapt to a richer mix of uses, housing types, living and work situations. The Hummingbird accentuates this dynamic lifestyle without sacrificing the value of history and simplicity.

Daphna Laurens

CIRKEL COLLECTION, 2011 – The pieces of collection “Cirkel” have a shared basis, the circle. Composing, cutting and twisting the surface, adding or removing lines, applying materials and colour resulted in the design of the new coffee table 01 and wall light 01 and 02

Mieke Meijer

POWER PLANT 1, WINDING TOWER 01, 2011 – Inspired by the photographs of Bernd an Hilla Becher Mieke Meijer restored the disused industrial shapes and placed them in a new context. By reducing the scale and playing with volume, she created a series of autonomous interior objects with an architectural feel. The third piece in the series, ‘PowerPlant 01′, wasn’t based on a Becher photograph but on a marquant Eindhoven building, heritage from the Philips company. Mieke Meijer translated it into a low table with two conical shaped lamps.

OS & OOS

SYZGY LAMPS, 2011 – A continuous light source inspired by the sun, moon and planets. Syzygy [siz-i-jee] astronomical term from Nasa: a straight line configuration of three celestial like bodies produces eclipses, transits and occultations, but brought down to the human scale. The two foremost disks can be physically turned by hand to achieve the desired light effect. The light can only be put out when both are turned to the correct possession resulting in perfect black, for the light source itself remains constantly on.

Miya Kondo

COMPOSITION LIGHTS, 2011 – Composition Light describes the relationship between individual and object, and individual and space through the use of light, creating different perspectives, frames and shapes of light; offering light itself as a mutable spatial object. The result is a graphic light which, positioned in various ways, uses light as a way of communicating spatial dimension, the environment thus determining the form the light will take.

Lex Pott

TRUE COLORS Exclusively for foundbyjames.com, Lex created 40 limited edition artworks that capture the beauty and irregularity of metals. True Colours started as a research project into colour and was motivated by the desire to create a framework in which nature can express itself and still maintain beauty, a contrast to what is expected in our mass-produced world. Starting with 6 rectangle metal panels of processed brass, aluminium, steel and copper, he applies various chemical processes to generate oxidization of the material. He explains these chemical reactions with scientific formulas neatly recorded with typography on the face of the panels. As a result he creates a rich alchemistic colour palette against an industrialized metal framework: a fascinating contrast at the pivotal point in which nature and industry converge.

Henny van Nistelrooy

MYLTADA, 2012 – Myltada is a double-panel space divider which is the latest edition to the “Shelter” collection. Shelter is a collection of space dividers composed of specially selected fabrics, meticulously unthreaded into new geometrical patterns. In reaction to the machine woven structures Henny has been unthreading the fabrics by hand in order to create new geometrical designs within the fabric. By doing this the tightly woven, opaque textile become translucent and the relation between the different threads that make up the fabrics becomes clear. The project has been inspired by recent journeys to China. Here the beautiful architectural features appearing in many Ming/Qing imperial palaces and gardens have been of influence in the use of color and shape.

Fabian von Spreckelsen

The New York City Bulk and Wave collection – My sideboard is made up of powder coated steel and was painted in a bright colour resulting in a stylish contemporary look to give a smart impression. My object, a folded brick and its creation is like our mind and the way we change our paradigm. It takes a lot of effort to change our old patterns of thinking and to achieve the desired results. Whatever the outcome is, it is always unique and every person perceives it differently. The workings are asymmetric and cannot be seen like our inner mind. In addition to my “folded brick”, I created “welded waves” which functions as a transcript of our transience. The processed metal was exposed to nature as we are to our environment reflecting the paths we chose to live. Both objects were handcrafted in my studio in Maastricht and only the finest materials were used.

Studio Like This

TIME, 2012 – A clock which requires time be sought out rather than have it as a constant reminder of its passing. Only when approached front-on does the clock allow for the transparency to read time. Viewed from any other angle, it disguises itself as a discreet wall object. TIME is a marriage of classic analog time-keeping and modern nano technology.

Franziska Wernicke

ROOM MOMENT c2, 2011 ROOM MOMENT c4, 2011 – The rugs stand out due to their unique color gradation design and their rich, luxurious finishing. The subtle and smooth color gradient effect gives the impression of a change of dimension in the rug. the design opens up the room in which it is placed, it communicates with its architectural surroundings and invites the user to experience a whole new interior dimension. Manufactured entirely in the Netherlands, the rugs make use of an exclusive high-tech tufting technique that is able to create super smooth color changes within the tufted rug. the rugs are made out of 100% pure New Zealand wool through which a luxuriously soft and voluminous rug is obtained.

Colombian wicker furniture and staff portraits

Unveiled in a flurry of buzz at the 2012 Salone del Mobile, Marni has created a collection of 100 colorful wicker chairs made by ex-convicts in Colombia re-assimilating into social and professional life. The chairs are constructed from metal frames with multi-colored PVC threads woven around the seat backs and armrests. The style of seat is traditionally Colombian, updated with Marni‘s reinterpretation of the woven pattern to create totally new color variations in line with the Milanese fashion house. They’ve also added small tables to go alongside the chairs either indoors or out.

Along with the new line of furniture, Marni presents “L’arte del ritratto” (The Art of Portraiture), a project by photographer and filmmaker Francesco Jodice featuring portraits of the chairs with Marni employees, technicians, craftsmen and collaborators. During Salone we caught up with Carolina Castiglioni, daughter of Marni founder and designer Consuelo Castiglioni, and the house’s director of special projects, to learn more about the project.

How long has Marni been involved with other forms of design?

This is the third year we are presenting at Salone del Mobile, but each time we have come with a totally different project. For 2012, since we are a small family company, we loved the idea of portraying people as a family in one big picture in a charity context. The day of the shooting felt like a day off: we had fun. After each shot, Francesco Jodice asked us to freeze for one minute, during which he was filming, creating a living picture, which now is projected on the façade of the store.

Are you working on design projects for the future?

Not for now, but we have recently opened a store in the Meatpacking District in New York for the Marni Edition, a slightly less expensive line. This is a new design concept for us, since everything inside of the space is mobile and transformable, and it showcases work of artists we love.

In the coming months, the exhibition of photographs and objects will be hosted in Marni boutiques worldwide, together with new portraits of members of the Marni team from around the world. The revenues from the sale of chairs will be donated to the ICAM Institute of Milan, a project whose aim is to help children of imprisoned women to grow up in a family environment.

Milan 2012: new Italian brand Discipline launch their inaugural collection in Milan this week.

Highlights include copper stools by Max Lamb, a dining set with curved ash legs by Ichiro Iwasaki and stools with cork seats by Lars Beller.

The collection also includes accessories by Klauser & Carpenter and Ding 3000.

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile takes place from 17 to 22 April. See all our stories about Milan 2012 here.

Discipline present their collection at Via Pietro Mascagni 4 until 22 April see photos from the launch party in our Milan 2012 Facebook album.

Here are some more details from Discipline:

Discipline is a new Italian design brand.

The name Discipline, which means order and competence, combines the method and the message at the origin: creating a new generation of furniture and accessories to lend emotion to the real life.

A life that is increasingly focused on respect and on a natural need for everyday harmony.

And where surrounding oneself with beautiful objects means to make up for optimism and excitement.

Discipline’s collection conveys the energy of natural materials and essential forms dictated by such basic needs as sitting or illuminating a room or by needs that are still unobserved, but which are suggested by an original function of a common object.

This is why each product is built with materials selected for their self-regenerating properties, such as wood, cork, bamboo, glass, natural textiles and eco upholstering, obtained by sustainable production methods. A set of features that flows together into an aesthetic pleasure made of tactile and olfactory emotions, which grow and customize on everybody own personality.

In order to give new life to any product and any emotion to the final users, Discipline has involved an international team, now including 14 designers from 10 different countries: Lars Beller Fjetland, Mario Bellini, Pauline Deltour, Ding3000, Lars Frideen, Ichiro Iwasaki, Klauser&Carpenter, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Max Lamb, Luca Nichetto, Philippe Nigro, Marc Sadler, Sibylle Stoeckli and SmithMatthias. And there are more to come.

Thanks to the excellence of each partner involved in this project, furniture and accessories enhance the personality of their specific materials, while responding to industrial mechanism, with processes set out both by quality and creativity with a special focus on the final cost.

This unleash a strong and precise identity, that is created and displayed by the products and in all the project activities, based on a communication carefully and closely focused and on modern distribution.

The project essence, for the launch campaign, is interpreted by the humour and the artistic ability of the German illustrator and set designer Sarah Illenberger: the natural materials, with the shape of fruits and vegetables, become the daily pure nourishment of Discipline design and of whose will choose and use it.

The multichannel distribution (flagship store, franchising, e-commerce, partnerships…) is also aimed on emerging and growing markets (Brazil, China, India, Australia…), where identifying and establishing alliances for development of production and on-site sales.

Renato Preti is the Founder and President of Discipline.

Management: Gianni Roveda (Sales Director), Barbara Colombi (General Manager Operations), Giulia Monti (Product Development Manager).

Our interview with the rockstar designer on his debut collaboration with Philippe Stark

Each spring Salone del Mobile arrives in Milan, bringing with it the world’s top designers, architects and design enthusiasts. Among the many highly anticipated product launches, pop ups and parties, this year saw iconic Italian furniture company Kartell formally introduce a series of pieces designed by both new and known designers, including rock star Lenny Kravitz. Although better known for his music, Kravitz can include designer on his CV, having founded his own studio, Kravitz Design Inc, in 2003. In recent years he’s been involved with multiple large-scale hotel projects, a collaboration with Swarovski and now, is collaborating with none other than famed design personality Philippe Stark on a new rendition of his Mademoiselle chair.

Kravitz touched down in Milan to celebrate the collaboration at Salone, where we caught up with him at the Kartell booth. Here we had the chance to chat about his love of design, where he finds inspiration and his experience with Kartell.

When switching between music and design do you need a break to switch mindsets or find a workspace?

Not at all, I do a lot of design work on the road. I can’t be at my office, obviously, like one would expect. So I have to work where and when I can. So that’s on the tour bus, on the plane or hotel, backstage, and days off. The design team is just three of us, so they’ll come out on the road and whatever project we’re working on we’ll do what we have to do and then they’ll go back to the office and carry on. And then we’ll meet up again. We do a lot by computer and all. But no, no break at all. I’m always thinking about design and music.

Do you see design an alternative way to exercise your creative mind?

I like having different mediums to express myself, I do photography, I have a design company, I make music and I’m doing films now. It all comes from the same place. The thing about design I love so much and why it’s been in my life for so long is that for me in making music—or being creative in general—the environment has so much to do with it. Ever since I was a kid I was really concerned with how my room was, even the lighting, how things were laid out. Because it made me feel a certain way, made me hear music a certain way or create music a certain way, just by that feeling. It’s all about making your environment so comfortable and inspiring and sexy, that you want to be creative.

With your design studio being based in SoHo you must spend a lot of time in New York, where do you go for design inspiration?

All over. You know I grew up between Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn and the Upper East Side. So I have a real feeling for things that are very luxurious and very upscale, I love the UES between Fifth and Madison from the upper 60s to the low 80s, I grew up loving these beautiful Beaux-Arts buildings and spending time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But at the same time I love Brooklyn—and I’m talking old school Bed-Stuy—and Alphabet City and Times Square, when it was Times Square. I love the whole high-low thing.

Since starting your design studio have you thought about doing collaborations?

Actually most of the stuff we’ve done hasn’t been collaborations. Like the Paramount Bay, the 47-story luxury condo we’re doing, that’s us. And we’re doing a hotel project in Toronto right now, that’s us. The only collaboration we’ve done so far is with Philippe Starck. So, not a bad place to start. I have to say that’s been very enjoyable.

How closely did you actually work with him on the Mademoiselle chair project?

He gave me a lot of freedom. So we basically did what we did and he gave his opinions and edited. And of course the piece was already designed, the Mademoiselle chair, which is completely iconic. He’s done his job, right? So it was just about reinterpreting it. But who knows where we will go in the future. We like each other very much, we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s been very supportive. He’s one of the people who saw my work early on and encouraged me to really move forward, so that’s incredible to have someone like that in your corner. But I’d love to collaborate with more people, yeah.

Your style is definitely bold and very masculine, whereas Starck’s designs tend to be more playful and feminine, how did this play in with transforming the chair?

We made the legs, they’re not see through anymore. In fact when looking from a distance you don’t know if its wood or solid. I just wanted to give it that “thing”. Like you said, it already has its playful, you know, feminine edge. So it was just about giving it a bit of… you know, me. And I think they work very well together.

Talk a bit about your choice of materials.

I like things that are organic and natural, I love reptile patterns and fur—we used faux fur. The nature. You know. On the other end the Bahamas chair, the one that’s a woven fabric, it’s very organic and a nice contrast to the plastic.

Another recent project you did was some custom wall papers with Flavor Paper, do you think wallpaper is under appreciated in contemporary interior design?

Yes, yes I do. When I grew up as a kid you’d go to your aunt’s house or grandmother’s house and there’d be wallpaper everywhere. I love wallpaper. It’s a really simple way to dress a place up and give it a whole new appearance by just apply paper. I use it a lot. I think that it’s getting more popular. And I think people like Flavor Paper who are young and modern are doing really interesting things with paper. It’s helping to bring it to the forefront.

Having now worked with Starck and Kartell, if given the opportunity to work with any other designer—dead or alive—on a project who would it be?

Dead or alive? Wow. I’d probably want to go to Spain and hang out with Gaudi. Yeah, yeah. It was the first thing that I really fell in love with when I came to Europe for the first time. I fell in love with Art Nouveau. And that’s where it all really started. Although you don’t really see that in any of my stuff right now. But I was a big collector even of the French, of Majorelle furniture. But I think Gaudi would have been really interesting to hang out with, and work with.