The chair, called Mollo, has been designed for British brand Established & Sons and is Malouin‘s first project for a commercial furniture brand.
The chair is made without any hard internal structure. The design aesthetic came about as Malouin was experimenting with the expanded polystyrene foam – an everyday foam that you might find in a mattress.
“We always knew we wanted to make something super soft and comfortable and [Mollo] kind of happened by accident,” said Malouin.
The seat and arms are created using stitches to make shapes in the material. “Imagine you are putting your finger on the foam, where that pressure is you place a stitch and that creates the seat which is lower than the armrests,” he explained. “This curves the foam is such a way that gives it its plumpness and shape.”
The prototype was made from a single piece of foam, but it will be produced using two pieces. The foam is upholstered in velvet.
Speaking about why he decided to work with Established & Sons, Malouin said, “they just came to the studio to meet me at the beginning of this experiment and they were interested in developing it. I rarely contact people because I’m too shy but I’ve always admired the brand and wanted to work with them.”
The chair is being shown until 13 April at Istituto dei Ciechi, 7 Via Vivaio, Milan.
Milan 2014: Danish design brand Menu has launched its first chair, as part of a collection by Stockholm studio Afteroom that also includes a stackable table and a stone caddy.
Afteroom Chair with the Menu collection
Taiwanese designers Hung-Ming Chen and Chen-Yen Wei of Afteroom first presented the Afteroom Chair in 2012, but are launching it with Menu at the Salone Satellite in Milan this week, alongside the Afteroom Side Table and the Afteroom Caddy.
The three-legged chair’s rounded details, such as the oak seat and back support, contrast with the solid-steel linear frame. The result is a minimal design that pays tribute to an early twentieth-century aesthetic.
Afteroom Chair with the Menu collection
“The Afteroom Chair is an homage to Bauhaus and functionalism. The simplicity of its design combined with the quality of materials is what’s important,” said Afteroom’s Hung-Ming Chen.
Afteroom Chair
“We embraced the challenge of designing something minimalistic with clean lines, without in any way compromising its comfort. In that sense we’ve looked towards classic Scandinavian features as inspiration,” he said.
Afteroom Chair
“Afteroom Chair is based on the concept of reducing the amount of materials to the minimum and by doing so pushing the aesthetic appearance to the maximum,” added Chen-Yen Wei. “It’s a designer’s job to develop functional objects without compromising the aesthetics.”
Afteroom Side Table
The chair is available in black, white, moss green and light grey.
Afteroom Side Table
To complete the collection, Afteroom have also created a stackable side table designed to be “as practical and durable as it is beautiful” and a stoneware caddy designed for tabletop storage in the kitchen, bathroom or office.
Afteroom Caddy
Afteroom will be on Stand d17 at SaloneSatellite Tuesday 8 – Sunday 13 April 2014, 9.30am – 6.30pm.
Milan 2014: British artist Sarah Lucas presents her debut furniture collection, made from concrete blocks and MDF, in Milan tonight (+ slideshow).
The 14 limited-edition pieces have been created for the Sadie Coles gallery in London in collaboration with the London Art Workshop.
The range includes tables, chairs, benches, a desk, and a free-standing partition wall made from materials previously used as plinths and platforms to display Lucas’ artwork. Each piece is numbered, stamped and signed by the artist.
The concrete breeze blocks used in the pieces are identically sized and have been embedded horizontally or vertically into the pale wooden frames, creating a grid-like appearance.
Lucas said she used the materials because they are “meaningful in terms of their uses in the outside world. They say a lot and are also low key, they don’t overwhelm the sculptures.”
The rough concrete and the smooth but sharp-edged MDF are in stark contrast to one another. Lucas said the result was “surprisingly stylish” and the texture and colour “both seem very real'”.
The largest piece in the collection is the freestanding partition wall, a structure made from 10 by 10 concrete blocks that have been set in a uniform grid.
The smallest is a table made of just one block that can slide in and out of its frame.
Other pieces include a bench and chair, both of which Lucas intended as stand-alone pieces for a gallery.
The bench is made of 16 blocks set vertically in the MDF frame. It uses blocks for both the back and the seat and can seat four people. The chair consists of eight blocks set horizontally into the MDF.
The collection will be shown in a private view from 17.00 – 20.00 today at Via San Gregorio 43 / Via Casati 32 20124 Milano.
Here’s some more information about the collection:
Sadie Coles HQ presents Sarah Lucas Furniture
From 8th to 12th April 2014, Sadie Coles HQ presents 14 limited edition, numbered, stamped and signed new furniture designs by the British artist Sarah Lucas, on display at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano. These limited editions – each numbered, stamped and signed – mark a dramatic new development in Lucas’s practice. Materials that previously acted as plinths and platforms for her artworks have been reconfigured into stand-alone pieces including tables, chairs, benches, a desk, and a freestanding partition wall.
Produced in collaboration with specialist fabricators the London Art Workshop, Sarah Lucas Furniture (2013) comprises mass-produced, basic construction materials – concrete breeze blocks and MDF – that have pervaded Lucas’ art for several years. For each of the pieces, identically sized and exactingly arranged breeze blocks have been embedded into hard edged, minimalist MDF frameworks, creating a brutalist kind of inlay or ‘intarsia’, the antique practice of setting wood or stone within a surface.
Lucas describes the concrete and MDF materials as “surprisingly stylish”, pinpointing their appeal through their “texture, colour – both of which seem very ‘real'”. To Lucas, using these versatile materials is “meaningful in terms of their uses in the outside world. They say a lot and are also low key, they don’t overwhelm the sculptures.”
In Lucas’ furniture, concrete fulfils both a functional and aesthetic role, serving as durable readymade building blocks while investing the furniture with a uniform utilitarian appearance. Indeed the grid-like appearance of the breeze blocks in the objects call to mind the modular compositions of Minimalist artists such as Donald Judd and Carl Andre.
This can be witnessed especially in the monumentalism of the free standing wall from the series. Certain of the works have been specifically designed by Lucas as gallery furniture – as seats to be placed within a larger exhibition of the artist’s work.
Sarah Lucas Furniture also echoes the artist’s long-term use of furniture as anthropomorphic sculptural apparatus. Chairs especially have often featured in sculptures as stand-ins for the human body. In the series, Bunny (1997 – onwards), the chair was a key component of the work – stuffed tights clamped to chair legs implied splayed legs in an ambiguous expression of either sexual availability or vulnerability. One implication of this new body of work is that real human bodies have assumed the place, or status, of sculptures.
Overt and often comic literalism has long been a hallmark of Lucas’ work, above all in her use of found real-life objects such as toilets, cigarettes and furniture. That literalist quality is extended in these functioning pieces: their radical blurring of art and life recalls earlier conflations of sculpture and useable furniture by artists such as Franz West, with whom Lucas collaborated on several occasions, and the American artist Scott Burton.
Milan 2014: new design brand TOG‘s furniture can be customised using an app and makes choice “the only trend that is acceptable”, according to Philippe Starck who has created a range of products for the company (+ slideshow).
Alfie Funghi by Philippe Starck
French designer Starck told Dezeen that he wants to do away with trends in favour of allowing consumers to create bespoke pieces, but still at an affordable price.
“The only way to see life is no more trends,” Starck said at the TOG launch in Milan last night. “The only trend that is acceptable is freedom, freedom to be different, freedom to choose what you want.”
Diki Lessi by Philippe Starck
“Everyone wants and needs mass production, because only mass production can raise the quality, raise the engineering and lower the price,” said Starck. “But the problem with mass production is that there are millions of pieces. People said ‘I am happy’, but millions of people have the same.”
Light Rock by Philippe Starck
His solution is to design and produce furniture that uses low-cost mass production but gives consumers the option to chose various elements, finishes and even produce add-ons for the furniture themselves.
“We have 15-20 custom options, in six months it will be 500, and 5000 next year,” explained Starck. “Mrs Jones in Australia can say ‘I want this chair’ but Mr Budu in Africa covers it in pearls. They make a deal, how much is it, $50? When they agree, we send the piece of furniture to Mr Budu who does his work and sends it back. It’s win win win. We make the best furniture, I hope. Mrs Jones has what she wants, she creates her own thing. And Mr Budu uses his creativity and makes a business, we don’t take any profit from that.”
San Jon by Philippe Starck
“Like that you have the best of two worlds,” said Starck, who explained that there are four ways to order pieces from the collection – choosing from a panel of pre-made pieces, buying a “naked” product to customise at home, ordering direct from the factory or accessing a network of creatives for bespoke commissions via the TOG app.
“You have some sort of panel here to do it. Or you buy the product naked, in the flagship [store]. TOG will have the first one in São Paulo in four months. Or you can order it on the internet from the factory and say ‘I want this colour, and this colour, and this shape.’ We can also print images on so you can customise. You can also go to the flagship and do the same.”
“TOG is the first company that has solved the paradox between the brain, the computer, the theory, the engineering, the high technology, the mass market, the mass production and the hand, the talent, the craftsmanship, the small artists, and you can make both,” said Starck.
Starck became involved with the TOG project through his friendship with the owners of Brazilian footwear company Grendene, who are behind the new brand.
“We are partners because the owners are huge industrial company in Brazil and I’ve helped them make shoes,” said the French designer. “There is no art director here, everything is about the freedom. That is why today we have started with some designers, because you have to start. After, people will arrive and chose the designer. It’s really a company of freedom.”
Misa Joy by Philippe Starck
“My next collection for them will be even more designed for customisation,” he added.
TOG’s range is on show at Torre B, Piazza Gae Aulenti, in Milan until 13 April.
Here some information from TOG about the collection:
TOG
In occasion of Milan Design Week, on the 7th of April, a new design player comes to life. TOG is an innovative furniture brand and a creative community, combining the best of industry with its highest technology and the best of humanity with craftsmanship.
Ema Sao by Philippe Starck
For TOG – ALLCREATORSTOGETHER – anyone can be creative: blending a bold and innovative approach to design and its imaginative process. TOG is an open source platform, a collaborative yet individualistic, irreverent and yet respective project able to adapt itself at everyone’s likings. TOG offers an already high quality product – design wise and production wise – together with a wide array of customisation options should the client wishes to make the item unique. TOG is creating a virtuous unique system where creators, clients, artists, artisans and industrials share the same values and the same goals, in the direction of an exceptional design made of dream and reality.
Captain Surf by Jonathan Bui Quang Da
TOG is an oblique network where customers are asked to be involved if they wish, to take the leadership and become part of the practical, cheerful process of making and sharing new ideas for new customised objects. It is a collective escalation: TOG creative-team designs the piece of furniture; the company produces it. At this stage the client has the freedom to enjoy the distinguished design piece naked – as proposed by the company – or has a large range of choices, in house, in store or online to create their own personal mix of forms and colours through a large and various platform of possibilities. TOG enables its clientele to create a one off object according to their desires through photos printed on or through interventions of a wide range of selected artists and artisans.
Vodo Masko by Ambroise Maggiar
TOG pulls together the best of humanity with craftsmanship, along with the best industry development with its highest technology: TOG tries to solve a strong paradox that is to offer all the advantages of democratised production – that grants high quality and service – with the best of human craftsmanship that grants the uniqueness. TOG guarantees the quality of its products in terms of design and manufacturing also creating a support for other people’s creations. It means giving profit to the customisers without TOG taking any profit. TOG is social conscious: for example various communities and local Yawanawa and Varzea Queimada Brazilian tribes, are involved in the creative customising process – for example developing decorated slip covers in straw or pearl chains for a chair by translating their traditional patterns and techniques in contemporary design elements.
Castable by Ambroise Maggiar
At TOG, there is no style but freedom, therefore customisers are from all areas, ethnics and diverse backgrounds. TOG suits everyone’s taste.
TOG is not just a brand on the market: TOG sets up a global system, a web community of customers, enthusiasts and professionals sharing ideas via a user-friendly brand new app. TOG, that will allow cheerful exchanges with various medias including video, and that soon will also lead to a community award. TOG is communicative and interactive, is industrial yet crafty, traditional and ground-breaking, and its visual campaigns are fresh and surprising. TOG is a new approach to the design industry at large.
Apolo Chapo by Ambroise Maggiar
TOG maximises logistics and transports with less volume, but also reconciles the advantages of mass production with individual and distinct acknowledgement, it’s eco-responsible.
At the Torre B in Milan, TOG will introduce 21 families of products. The first collection includes a creative rooster of high quality designers, such as Sebastian Bergne, Jonathan Bui Quang Da, Sam Hech + Kim Colin, Ambroise Maggiar, Nicola Rapetti, Dai Sugasawa and Philippe Starck.
Tubo by Sam Hecht + Kim Colin
The main shareholder of TOG is the brazilian industrial group Grendene, already the world’s largest footwear producer using mostly plastic as its field of expertise. With the launch of TOG, Alexandre Grendene, a visionary in the sector, enlarges the circle of activities of the GROUP. It was logical for TOG to develop its entire production in Italy: the worldwide centre of design with the best engineers and best manufacturers. The Grendene brothers Alexandre & Pedro are very proud to invest in Italy, their home country of 3 generations ago. Their grandfather had left Padova, Veneto, in order to set up vineyards in Brazil. Coming back to invest in Italy is also a natural personal and cultural choice for them.
Amber Fame by Nicola Rapetti
TOG’s high ambition is to bring back together dream and reality, volume and uniqueness, theory and practice through high quality designed furniture that can be customised by everybody.
TOG believes that anybody can be creative. Its goal is to create a virtuous collaborative system where designers, clients, artisans and industrials share the same values and goal.
Pop-art meets fantasy furniture design in this lighthearted seating installation appropriately named the Balloon Chair. Mounted on any wall, 10 bright balloons and one tufted leather seat give the illusion that you’re floating away in thin air. It’s the perfect place to daydream, find inspiration, or just let your imagination run wild!
Freeform is a playful and multifunctional furniture range which can be adapted to the users needs. Screw threads cut into the ash components enable qu..
The Drop chair was originally produced alongside the archetypal Swan and Egg chairs for the interior of the Radisson Scandinavian Airlines System Hotel in Copenhagen, designed by Danish designer and architect Arne Jacobsen in the 1950s.
The tear-shaped chairs were produced exclusively in a limited edition for the hotel’s bar and lobby.
“Confronted with a synthetic material that lacked any structure or suggested any form, Jacobsen took his inspiration from the human form and the contours of the body,” said architect, author and Arne Jacobsen expert Michael Sheridan.
“In this way, he humanised technology and the Drop chair for the Royal Hotel represents a masterful intersection of art and industry.”
This version of the Drop chair has been updated using new production methods and materials.
The chair comes in plastic in black, white, blue, grey, red and yellow. The plastic versions are available with either chrome or powder-coated legs in matching colours. The seat is available with textile or leather upholstery.
The chair will be exhibited at the Republic of Fritz Hansen‘s showroom at Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 77 in Milan from Tuesday next week.
Other Danish Modernist chairs that have recently been launched include Hans J. Wegner’s CH88 design, revived by Carl Hansen & Son.
Milan 2014: Danish brand Gubi will be launching a side table and updates of existing stool and chair designs by Copenhagen studio GamFratesi at the Urban Stories exhibition during Milan design week.
TS Table
GamFratesi will be presenting side table TS, the Beetle Bar Chair and a new swivel base for the Masculo chair.
TS Table
The TS side table features a circular marble top in Bianco Carrara, Nero Marquina, Verde Guatemala or Marrone Emperador, atop a geometric lacquered black frame. The tables come in three heights, so that they work together as a group and can also be used separately.
Beetle Bar Stool
An iteration of the Beetle Chair introduced in Milan last year, the Beetle Bar Chair offers the same comfort at bar height, something that traditional bar stools often lack.
Masculo Swivel
The Masculo chair was GamFratesi’s first design to make it into production. They have now added a swivel base, which gives the chair a new role in business environments and home offices.
Masculo Chair and TS Table
Every year curators Caterina Mosca and Valerio Castelli invite selected designers to tell their “urban stories” in unusual locations. This year the event is at Palazzo Litta in Corso Magenta.
Masculo Chair
GamFratesi designers Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi anticipate that the Baroque setting will provide an appropriate backdrop for their work. “We’ve often been inspired by art, whilst also being aware of the heritage of design,” said Fratesi.
Beetle Chair
Urban Stories will also feature projects by Alvin Huang, Daniel Libeskind and Emmanuel Babled in collaboration with companies including Volvo and Venini Glass.
Beetle Chair
Gubi will be showing new work by GamFratesi at Urban Stories Tuesday 8 April – Saturday 12 April 12noon – 10 pm and Sunday 13 April 12noon – 6 pm. Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24, 20123 Milan.
Milan 2014: the fourth iteration of British designer Faye Toogood‘s Assemblage collection will launch at the Project B Gallery in Milan on Tuesday.
Faye Toogood has continued to use the geometric elements typical of her Assemblage range for this collection. But in contrast to the angular feel of Assemblage 3, the feet on these pieces are rounded, drawing influence from her experiences of pregnancy and motherhood.
“I’ve got fat,” Toogood told Dezeen. “Gone are the angles, hard lines and dark colour schemes of previous collections in favour of voluptuousness and creaminess.”
Assemblage 4, titled Roly-Poly, includes a low four-legged chair, a higher dining chair and table, a sculptural daybed, and a reinterpretation of Toogood’s Element table.
Each piece is developed from a clay maquette and then crafted from fibreglass, more commonly used in boat production.
Soft tones of cream, beige and white are reminiscent of faded injection-moulded Eames chairs.
Accompanying the furniture, the hand-woven Play tapestry and yarn throws designed for the chair and day bed explore the collection’s geometric themes in a different material.
“My new collection reflects my journey of becoming a mother and seeing the world through the eyes of a child,” said Toogood.
Toogood will show the furniture at Project B Gallery, Via Maroncelli 7, in Milan from 8 to 13 April.
The Tarta series of outdoor furniture is a clever combination of industrial design, art and technology that offers a contemporary look at transforming the virtual world into the real world! Inspiration for the chair and table was found in geometry consisting of multiple modules that remind of the diamond-shaped pixels of modern displays. These hexagons are matched to each and bent to become three dimensional, creating a texture by variable thickness that moves in space to create an enveloping seat and table top.
– 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! (Playful Pixel Furniture was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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