Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2011: London studio Doshi Levien will present this injection-moulded wooden chair for Italian brand Moroso at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan next week.

Called Impossible Wood, the piece is made of a thermoplastic composite comprising 80% wood fibre and 20% polypropylene.

Perched on metal legs, the seat shell appears to be made from strips of wood but in fact the shape can only be formed by injection moulding.

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The information below is from Doshi Levien:

Impossible wood

A chair designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

We found a mouldable wood material that has very distinct visual and tactile properties. It is a thermoplastic composite made using 80% wood fibre and 20% polypropylene and it can be processed using conventional injection moulding machines. The pressure and heat from the mould releases moisture from the wood fibre which in turn burns on the surface of the aluminium tool, creating a random, leather-like tarnished effect.

Inspired by the characteristics of this material, we decided to create a chair that references the genre of light, graceful, bent wood frame chairs but would be impossible to make in any other way than by injection moulding, hence the name “impossible wood”. We were intrigued by the depth and texture of the material that is the opposite of slick, homogenous, surface perfect plastic, currently used for most moulded chairs.

‘Impossible wood’ chair has a used, worn, raw and earthy quality that is timeless and natural. It also smells of wood. We looked at the work of Martin Puryear, an African American sculptor who made a piece called Cedar Lodge in 1977. This installation is constructed using thin, overlapping parallel strips of timber, bound together with horizontal rings. This informed the way we made our first prototypes for “Impossible wood”. We adopted an improvised and constructed language to escape the controlled and fluid process usually applied to generating plastic forms.

The prototype for Impossible wood will be launched Salone and can be found at the Moroso stand. (Hall 16 Stand C23/D22)

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Rocker by Doshi Levien for Richard Lampert	Ananda by Doshi Levien	My Beautiful Backside by Doshi Levien

Outline is a family of sofas with table. With a lightweight design, the interior is empty and colored.

Designers Scott, Rich and Victoria of London and Auckland have created this collection of oak and metal furniture.

The collection, called Tabbed, consists of a dining chair and two matching tables.

The pieces are constructed from folded sheet metal and hand-finished oak elements, with legs that can be interchanged for different shapes.

The collection was first presented at the London Design Festival 2010.

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The following is from the designers.

TABBED Collection

Consisting of dining chairs and matching tables the TABBED collection is a family of products defined by interaction between folded planes of sheet metal and hand finished oak elements. With refined details and sophisticated folds the TABBED collection is an elegant marriage of materials.

Customizable front legs allow each group to have with its own creative and playful individuality. Available in a variety of natural and stained colour combinations to suit any interior setting.

The TABBED collection by Scott, Rich & Victoria was first presented as part of their ‘Year Apart’ Collection at ‘The Tramshed’ event during the London Design Festival 2010.  The complete collection was designed over the course of twelve months, across twelve time zones.

Overcoming the challenges of working from both sides of the globe (the studio split between London and Auckland) encouraged unique approach to the design process.

“Utilising the internet isn’t meant to simulate real life, and – in many ways – that’s one of the strengths of collaborating online, since it forces us to think and work differently.  This influences our process, the pieces, their individuality.”

Scott, Rich & Victoria is the inter-disciplinary design partnership of New Zealanders Scott Fitzsimons and Richard Hartle, who began working together in London in late 2007.

The pair established their international creative studio in September 2009, based in both London and Auckland, accessible to international manufacturers across Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.

The studio works on a diverse range of projects encompassing furniture, lighting, interiors, exhibitions and product based experiments.

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Dakar by Marco Dessí for Skitsch	Osso by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Mattiazzi	Bone Chair by Julien de Smedt Architects

Milan 2011: a collection of oak furniture by Lausanne-based studio Big-Game will be presented by Japanese design brand Karimoku New Standard in Milan next week.

The collection, called Castor, includes a stackable stool, bench and a shelf, all made from small sections of Japanese oak.

Both the seat and tabletop sit within the footprint of the legs.

The collection will be shown by Galleria Suzy Shammah, Via Moscova 25, from 12-17 April.

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The following is from the designer.

BIG-GAME exhibit the CASTOR stool, bench and shelf for Karimoku New Standard.

BIG-GAME has made the CASTOR collection for the Japanese company Karimoku New Standard.
It will be launched in Milan during the design week April 12–17 at the Galleria Suzy Shammah, Via Moscova 25.

CASTOR stool
Stackable stools made from Japanese oak
Only small sections of wood are used for this brand focusing on craftsmanship and sustainability.

CASTOR shelf & bench
Shelf and bench making reference to traditional Japanese furniture typology
Only small sections of wood are used for this brand focusing on craftsmanship and sustainability.

See also:

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Flat Mirrors by Big-Game	Blur by Big-Game	Big-Game Overview

Sweden moves to Milan in a showcase of the country’s brightest design minds

Milan will soon be swollen with darkly-clad design types as its mammoth Salone del Mobile furniture fair and plethora of off-site exhibitions, showrooms and installations open their doors to around one million visitors beginning Tuesday, 12 April 2011. The many post-Milan tales of new discoveries are just around the corner, and the shift to underline a product’s backstory is one we expect to see heavily played out this year, as brands look to give the viewer more than simply a new shape or form.

Sweden has long held its heritage dear to its heart and this year’s Swedish Love Stories pavilion (organized by Svensk Form, the Swedish Crafts and Design Council) focuses on the narrative behind each of its 55 exhibitors.

Taking place at the pioneering Superstudio Più, Swedish Love Stories 2011 highlights the work of Sweden’s Västra Götaland region—the center of the country’s furniture production industry—with 15 young designers showcasing their wares. Fredrik Färg (pictured at top), Little Red Stuga, Staffan Holm (pictured bottom left) and Brikolör (pictured above) being a few designers from this rich region expected to clean up.

Joining them will be a hefty showcase of Sweden’s wide-ranging design talent from the wise, touchingly poetic rugs of Kasthall (pictured bottom right) to Volvo Trucks (pictured above) outlining its creative credentials. Those in the know are itching to see what the first products from The Fifty Fifty Projects will look like, a collective with a unique and poignant approach to design which sees everything from profits to its economy split in terms of responsibility between its three founding designers.

Chinese telecommunications firm, Hauwei will be unveiling a unique, almost retro phone, the Folding Leaf—designed in collaboration with Sweden’s starchitects Claesson Koivisto Rune. The device seeks to return functionality and simplicity to the phone user of today, who may not need quite so many apps.

For 2011 Swedish Love Stories tapped design consultancy No Picnic to bring the pavilion to life, ensuring the space is a celebration of the people behind the products and their dedication to their craft.