Hasta La Ideas

Product news: this collection of office furniture by Japanese design studio Nendo can be screwed together with a coin rather than tools (+ slideshow).

The two parts of each coin joint lie flush in the flat-pack panels when not in use, but with the push of a finger the screw component springs out to be loosened using small change.

Nendo designed the flexible Ofon range for office furniture brand Kokuyo to be used by companies who are constantly rearranging their workplaces.

Different desks and shelves can be attached by fixing the joints on the top, bottom and side panels.

Small shelving units double as legs for desks or stack on top of each other and side by side to create larger storage solutions.

Pastel-coloured fabric panels fit over the cubby holes to conceal their contents, hinged along the top edges.

Black, white and wood veneer options for each variation can be ordered.

Nendo’s latest projects include bottle designs for coffee flavoured beer and an installation of shower-light hybrids.

Photos are by Hiroshi Iwasaki.

See more design by Nendo »
See more furniture design »

Nendo provided us with the following text:

Ofon

An office furniture collection designed for small workspaces.

Quick change is important for small offices. They need to be able to modify the office layout to respond to frequent moves, and to employee numbers expanding and contracting flexibly based on the organisation’s growth and the scale of each new project. We wanted our office furniture to be easily expandable and multi-functional, too.

We developed a ‘coin joint’ that can be screwed and unscrewed with a single coin, rather than requiring tools.

Assembling the furniture is almost as easy as pushing a button. The two parts of the joint lie flat when the furniture is not in use, then spring out with the touch of a finger to be screwed together with the coin.

We used this joint to assemble box-type shelves. Shelves not in use can serve as legs for cabinet-type desks.

The upholstered panels that function as cupboard doors also function as partitions between the desks; placed together, they can also partition the office space. The result: a highly functional design that allows workers to focus and relax within the same small space, and offers the physical flexibility required for easy changes to the office layout.

Since the design gives workers both ‘on’ and ‘off’ space and maximizes users’ ability to attach and detach the parts, ‘ofon’ was the perfect name for the collection.

The post Ofon by Nendo
for Kokuyo appeared first on Dezeen.

The Opus stool finds inspiration in traditional Chinese medicine where the balance between mind and body is key in keeping physically and mentally agile. The ball-based structure encourages the user to take control of their balance by placing them in a new position between traditional seat and upright standing. In this posture the center mass of the individual is located under the spine, positioning them in a stance where mind/body harmony will keep them comfortable.

Designer: Dor Ohrenstein

–
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Zen-Inducing Stool was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Related posts:

1. Vertigo Inducing Kazimir Supermatic
2. Emergency Stool
3. Stiletto Stool

Product news: London designer Ron Arad has designed a wavy plastic bench shaped liked the infinity symbol, with curving backrests stretching upwards at each end.

Called Folly, the rust-coloured bench designed for Italian furniture brand Magis by industrial designer Ron Arad is made from rotational-moulded polyethylene and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

On display at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan earlier this year, the Folly bench is 950 milimetres wide and 1100 milimetres high and suitable for up to 10 people to sit on.

“Ron Arad’s creations, whether functional or purely aesthetic, are characterised by motion, by soft lines that give all his works a highly dynamic orientation despite their primitive, simple forms,” said Magis.

Other new products designed for Magis include a set of minimal dials to monitor air temperature, pressure and humidity, and an update to their Steelwood chair by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Read all our stories about Ron Arad »
Read all our stories about Magis »
See all our stories about benches »
See our Milan 2013 coverage »

Photography is from Magis.

The post Folly by Ron Arad
for Magis appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: South Korean designer Jungmo Yang has created these simple wooden chairs with bird-shaped armrests.

Jungmo Yang designed the armrests as anthropomorphic shapes, but kept efficient simplicity as a principle throughout the rest of the design.

The supports flow upwards to connect with the backrest, which has been formed from a single piece of smoothed ash wood.

“The smooth curves of the Bird provide comfort to people when they use the armrest,” says the designer. “Bird is designed for physically and visually comfortable positions with the shape of the backrest and seat.”

The wooden bird chair is available to buy directly from Jungmo Yang’s website and come finished in either mat dark grey, or a nay blue colour.

We’ve a number of wooden chairs recently, including a Panton chair cut out of a tree trunk using a chainsaw, and curved wooden chairs with cut-out backs by London designer Simon Pengelly for Modus.

See all our stories about chair design » 

The post Bird chair by
Jungmo Yang appeared first on Dezeen.

Anyone with an eye for minimalist design will tell you, less is more. But do Dieter Rams’ sagely timeless words apply to restaurant design? Vancouver-based Scott and Scott Architects believe so. And with a budget of just over $15,000 and 750 square…

Continue Reading…